COCKATOO'S GALORE

 I just love quilting baby quilts on my HQ Simply Sixteen as they give me a chance to try new patterns on a small scale.

My girlfriend, Donna, made this beautiful cot quilt (based on a Meags and Me pattern) with Australian Cockatoos as the main feature, and I offered to quilt it for her.

I chose a pounce pad pattern with hearts to use on the top and bottom sections and used a HQ ruler for the dark blue section.

I free-motioned around the cockatoos and then did a paisley pattern to fill in the background.  

Isnt he just the cutiest !

The reverse was a plain pale blue colour and it really highlighted the quilting/

I'm sure once its bound, there's going to be one happy little grandson.

BLACKBIRDS - FINISHED AND FRAMED

Just thought I'd do a short post to show you my finished 'Blackbirds' that I was learning with Kellie Wulfsohn

I know I had showed you the raw edge applique and I was about to have a go at the free-motion quilting........well here she is all framed up.

As you can see, I am extremely happy (sorry about the photo quality)

Here are some close ups of the quilting

The swirls aren't all perfect but overall the bad ones are hidden amongst the good ones.  Once its up on the wall, no-one will notice (I hope)

BLACKBIRDS - RAW EDGE APPLIQUE

I am in the middle of doing a class with the designer behind Don't Look Now, Kellie Wulfsohn.

Kellie has opened a beautiful shop in Fairfield called  Cutting Cloth and is running a Raw Edge Applique beginners class featuring her 'Blackbirds' design

It looks easier than it is (well for me anyway).  Going around the leaves three times ensures that you catch in the raw edges, I think I needed to go around a few more times especially on the curves.  Practice makes perfect and by the time I got to the birds and trunk, I felt a little better.

When all the leaves, birds and trunk  are on....phew took a while, then you sew the branches, leaf vein and birdies legs.

Its very important to hold a good tension on the material while you are doing the applique and my new quilting gloves helped a lot. This will ensure that your quilting will turn out without bumps (I hope)

Tomorrow is my last class and we are going to tackle the quilting.  I've been practicing drawing swirls all week and even had a practice on the machine.

I am not so sure how I'm going to get those swirls in between those little leaves?? but I am sure Kellie will hold the secret.  She has been a terrific bubbly teacher and very patient with us all.  Her teaching room is ideal and last week she even had fruit and fudge to try and inspire us......

I'm looking forward to tomorrow and if my project quilting is worthy, I might even post another picture of the finished job.

Bye for now

GARDEN PARTY FINISHED AND QUILTED

Pattern:  Garden Party by Teddlywinks
Material:  Country Orchard by Blackbird Designs 

See what happens when I don't blog much......I get projects finished.

I had a deadline for this romantic quilt and am very happy to say that I have made it with a few weeks to spare.

Just to recap, Garden Party is for mums 80th birthday and a combination of applique and embroidery. I purchased a layer cake plus some extra lengths of the plain colours for the borders.

Now that I have done my part, off she went to the quilters.  Mandy from Seams Sew Together has done a wonderful job on my previous quilt and this time is no exception.

I'm also linking up to the Stitchery Link party over at Super Mom - No Cape so pop over and take a look at the other beautiful embroidery on show.

READY FOR BINDING

ALL LOADED UP ON QUILTING FRAME

CENTRE PANEL

 Mandy has done a great job of stippling around the embroidery in the panels, which still highlights the work and almost trapuntos the applique.

CHECK OUT THOSE BORDERS

 Each coloured border has a different pattern -

1.  blue:  continuous hearts on a string
2.  apricot: feathers 
3.  crimson: feather variation.

The square blocks around each panel have a quilted flower in each one

TEAPOT BLOCK

SEE THOSE FLOWERS IN EACH SQUARE...LOVELY

This pattern wasn't quite big enough for a bed so its going up on the wall as a feature

Of course all I have left to do is to pop on the binding, attached a hanging sleeve and Bobs your uncle.

WIP GRANDMA'S QUILT

Pattern: Babies by Amy Bradley  http://www.amybradleydesigns.com/baqupa.html
Material:  Own Choice

I haven't as yet, mentioned my sewing inspiration and that is Kate and her staff at Kates Sewing Center in Bundoora.  Lucky for me, I was able to get into a Patchwork Class called Grandma's Quilt back in February this year and this has seen me off and running with all my Patchwork inspirations.

The Grandma's Quilt class is only once a month and as it is August now,  most of the blocks are finished and waiting to be all sewn together.  This is my first attempt at not only applique work but also free motion quilting!!!!

As you can see, we opted to do a Quilt-As-You-Go for this project so we could do the free-motion without too much of a struggle on a large size quilt.  The pattern was from Amy Bradley Designs.

BABY IN PRAM - My favourite block - I did paisley free motion on the background.

 

BABY IN CAR - This one has what I call 'Lollipops' in the background because they reminded me of Stop Signs and I thought that was appropriate.

 

 

 BABY IN BOAT - The quilting on the background really stands out on the plain fabric.

 

 BABY IN PUSHER - This free motion was a variation on stippling with flowers thrown in.

 

 BABY IN WAGON - Loved the brickwork on the background, it really suited the fabric colours

 

 BABY IN SWING - Free motion on this one was a continuous spiral .

 

 

 

There is one more block to come and then I begin to assemble all the blocks into one fantastic looking cot quilt !! 

TRAPUNTO BABY QUILT

The up-coming arrival of our first grandchild was always going to be a big occasion and I purchased a printed baby cot panel with the intention of trying out the technique called Trapunto.

On the reverse side of the panel, I laid down some pieces of bamboo batting and then using my walking foot, sewed around the balloons, and each individual animal in the boat.  I then cut away any excess batting, which gave the balloons and animals a plump look.

Then I continued as for a normal quilt using batting and backing. I outlined stitched all the pictures and then stippled the main background of the quilt.  I also did horizontal stitching on the blue top rim of the boat and pebble free-motion around the name.

 I could have done heaps more free motion on this quilt but in the end, was more than happy with the result.