MCKENNA RYAN QUILT - BELLA GARDEN - BLOCK ONE - GARDEN PARTY

Santa has left me a beautiful BOM kit subscription to put together over the next few months.  It a McKenna Ryan Quilt called 'Bella Garden' and its gorgeous !!

 

Full Quilt Pattern

The kit comes complete with all the materials, patterns and instructions and I was very excited to receive the first one in the post.  After reading and re-reading the instructions, I  set about tracing, cutting and fusing onto the background material.  Thats easy, I thought.

BLOCK ONE



Some of the threads I purchaed to match the vibrant materials.

Then a girlfriend mentioned about the raw edge applique that I needed to do (blank look on my face) ...sure...no problems.  That was until I found out that every little bitty petal, flower bud, stem, butterfly wing, the list goes on, needed stitching and in different colours to boot !!  

Block One all fused and ready for sewing, oops one butterfly to add

How did I miss that instruction.  I thought that the fusing would be enough to hold everything together forever (how naive am I ??)

No point feeling sorry, I picked myself up off the floor and set to it.  I got into a rhythm and got my first leaf done, and as long as you dont look too close, its passable.  I have chosen to use the open-toe foot and a small stitch length,  rather than free-motion as I have more control this way. 

First flower stitched.....many more to go!

 

 

The best part of this whole exercise, is that I found people just like me who have started a McKenna Ryan Blog and now I'm part of the group.  We can all go through this life changing experience together and hopefully come through it with a heirloom masterpiece.

I'll keep you posted on each block but I'm not looking forward to the Wisteria in the second block, there must be at least 50 individual petals that will need applique! Phew thats a lot of eye-strain.

KNEE QUILT

Material :  Moda Chic Charm Squares

Pattern :  Leesa Chandler 

Don't you just love those precut Charm Squares that you can buy in all colors and patterns.  I picked up a Moda Chic pack on my last holiday to West Australia and was just waiting for something to make.  I always think that having the material already matched is half the job done not to mention having them already cut, what a bonus !

My husbands Aunt is now confined to a wheelchair and as we often take her on outings, I felt she needed a lap quilt to cover her legs and keep her warm.  I looked around and found a pattern that would suit perfectly.  It was on Leesa Chandlers website (same designer as my Buckle Bag) and another bonus -it's free.

The top came together quite easily and then came the dreaded quilting arghhhh.  I have been practising my Free Motion but didn't feel it was good enough to use on a quilt yet, so I opted to use my walking foot.  

I chose to do double argyle lines so I set to drawing lines across the top of the quilt with my erasable pen ( I am fussy with distance and accuracy)  The only advice I would offer, is to gently push the material back against the action of the walking foot otherwise you will get a pleat when two lines meet.

 

I intend to sew ties onto the back so we can secure it to the wheel chair for our next outing. Hope she 

likes it, I do :) 

 

BUCKLE BAG

You know how it is when you get something new and you want to do everything at once, and gradually you slow down and concentrate on perfecting your craft.  Well I am still in the first stage of trying to sew everything I see, so it was inevitable that I should attempt a bag!

I came across a lovely pattern by Leesa Chandler whilst I was visiting Western Australia on our latest holiday.  I studied the pattern and thought, yep,  I can do this!

I purchased some co-ordinating fabric from my local supplier (after changing my mind quite a few times, as usual!) and viola.....my finished bag

I kept the quilting to a simple criss-cross design that I used my Walking Foot on, and purchased the buckle and handles from a patchwork/craft shop.

Very practical with pockets on the inside for my phone any what-nots, plus a huge pocket on the back.  I could even use this as a computer bag as it large enough to carry papers plus a laptop.  My preference is a beach tote as a towel, book, sunglasses and sun cream fit perfectly.  All ready for the Australian summer about to hit us.......bring on the sunshine. :)

JAKE HAS ARRIVED

Well, just a week early, our first Grandchild arrived.  Jake Shane was born on Saturday 5th October 2013 at 10:38am.  I was present for his birth and it was quite awesome.  What a gorgeous little baby boy, but then I might be a little biased.

EMBROIDERED CHAIR CADDIE

This coming weekend, I am going on my first Sewing Weekend Away with Kates Sewing Class girls.

Speaking to others who have been on the weekends before, it sounds like a lot of work but heaps of fun. We take our sewing machines and a list of supplies and  Kate has organised a heap of sewing projects to make.  I can't wait.  Our theme this year is Halloween so for the Saturday night dinner, we need to dress up and supply a little gift that we can all swap around.

 

As this is my first weekend away, I was a litle unsure about the gift that had to be handmade (no food items).  I thought long and hard about what to take and I decided anyone who likes to sew could always do with a Chair Caddie to hang next to them whilst watching TV and sewing.

Chair Caddie with embroidery

I found the shape of one from Pinterest and using plain homespun, quilted the main piece in diamonds.  Then I wanted to do something special, so I downloaded some embroidery patterns from www.needlecrafters.com and shrunk them to the size I needed.  My embroidery skills aren't great but I do think they came up quite nice with the matching blue edging.

Its true what they say - you learn something every day because initally I tried to bind using a normal strip of material.....big mistake - there was no way it was going to lay down flat so, thanks to google, I realised that I needed to use Bias Binding on curves and viola.....it worked :)

Hopefully the person who receives my gift will enjoy it as much as I did making it.  Now I need to do one for myself!!!



Small posy on centre pin cushion.



 

Bird on fountain



Bluebirds on branch

DRUNKARDS PATH TABLE RUNNER

Pattern:  http://www.modabakeshop.com/2012/12/120-minute-gift-drunkards-path-table.html#more
Material: Moda Charm Pack (Sorry forgot designer oops)


Hasn't the internet opened up the world of quilting - its so easy to pass the time by searching on Pinterest, blogs or web sites for an enormous number of ideas.  I found the Moda Bake Shop to be excellent for trying out patterns and thought I would give this Drunkards Table Runner a go

I went shopping for a Charm Pack and some co-ordinating material and even though it says 120-minute gift (which I am sure some people are able to do), I took my time and spread it over a few weekends. 

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 !! 

CHRISTMAS WALL HANGING

Pattern:  Swirled Christmas Tree by Frivolous Necessity
Material:  Coloured scraps, White Homespun

I have allowed plenty of time this year to do my Christmas Project.  In fact, its all finished !!!

Simple appliqued swirls in red and green to form a tree shape and voila.... a decorative hanging.  A little bt of stippling around the background to give it shape and pop it on a hanger. 

Its a shame to only hang it out at Christmas time!!

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.

Stack and Whack

Another Patchwork class that I have attended at Kates, was the Stack and Whack.  After choosing 5 complementary colours and then a contrast for the border, it was just a matter of cutting and sewing.   It was a long day full of sewing but at the end of the day, I had pieced together the top of my Stack and Whack Quilt.  It was then off to get assembled and quilted.  The quilting was done by a local lady and came up wonderful.

Log Cabin Quilt for Dad

My dear old dad is currently in a nursing home and I wanted something nice to look at each time he woke up, even if he didnt remember who gave it to him.  I wanted a nice bright quilt nothing depressing, so a range of blues was the choice.   There was no real pattern just 2" stripes sewn together in the Log Cabin pattern.

I arranged the small blocks into a variety of patterns and then took a photo with my iphone so I could compare them next to each other.  Each one appealed to me but in the end I chose this one and sewed it up for dad.

 

 

 

   

Cathedral Windows Playmat

Pattern:  www.modabakeshop.com/2011/11cathedral-window-baby-playmat
Material:  Ticklish by Moda


Material choices certainly have changed a lot since my last sewing adventure.  They even have pre-cut material so I dont have to choose colour combinations, fantastic.

I picked up a Layer Cake (Ticklish by Moda Fabrics) and tried to arrange the colours in pairs to achieve a nice combination.

 Nothing was working for me so I decided to frame each window with a solid colour instead and voila..... the green set off each colour wonderfully. 

I found the pattern on the Moda Bake Shop and it was quite easy.  Of course it has now been all sewn together and is waiting for the great arrival of grandson in October.

Hello and Welcome

Hi everyone,

This is my first attempt at blogging my quilts/crafts and I hope you get as much enjoyment from it as I have in making them.

I have been a crafty person since way back when but it has been about 15 years since I last took up the patchwork needle.  What with family, work and everything else, I lost touch with the art but now that work has reduced and more importantly, a grandchild on the way, I have rediscovered sewing.

Christmas 2012 saw a new sewing maching under the tree to replace the old Singer that I received for my 21st birthday.   The Singer has well and truly been outclassed now by a Brother and I cant believe how easy everything has become.  No more straining to thread the needle, especially as my eyes arent getting any younger, it does it for you.  All I need to do now is to learn how to use all the attachments.