Birthday Quilt

Here are the better birthday quilt photos.

The colours are a bit richer in real life. The camera flash takes a bit of the colour depth out.
Block - Arkansas Crossroads
Quilt - a version of  'Goodnight Irene'
Cheryl

Not So Secret Sewing

My darling hubby has watched me make quilts for many people and babies.
Recently, after I made my BIL's quilt, I counted up how many I've made and what was to come this year.  It's a very big year for significant birthdays.  I said the total and he said "you mean I'm not going to be number...." Oh, the guilt trip!
I have made a big one for our bed, but I suppose that was an 'us' one not a 'him' one.
It is partly his own fault. Over time he has liked a quilt pattern for which I duly collected the fabric only to change his mind THREE times.
The guilts won out over Easter.
He now has a finished top at least. I do intend to quilt it by the beginning of August as I want to have an entry in the Queensland Quilters Quilt Show.
So he can stop looking neglected!

 I used a Comma layer cake by Zen Chic and the large Twister ruler, holding my breathe every time I made a cut.

I used the leftover pieces from cutting out the blocks to make the scrappy inner border.

Then I repeated the black and white script fabric as an outer border.
He's happy!
I'm glad!

What I'm not so happy about is my effort at a Sew Together bag. It came very close to the bin several times.

My sewing is terrible and it really has rocked my confidence. I've been saying to myself that it was going to be an orphan all the way through making it. I don't like how it looks, but, more so, I don't like how it 'beat' me up.  I have the pattern for the Bionic bag. I might just have a go at it and try for a better looking finished product, one that will be allowed out of the house.
I'm just jealous at all the fabulous ones I've seen in person, on blogs and IG.
I will get over it and stop obsessing, another thing my darling says to me.

Take care, everyone.
Cheryl

Secret Sewing

There has been a lot of secret sewing around here lately.
One project that started last October and was worked around a friend's travels was this quilt.

The person in the middle is Dianne and this year she celebrated her 60th birthday. It was her travels we worked around to ensure we weren't found out. Our kitchen table group made this Arkansas Crossroads quilt, using a Hoffman jelly roll (Kiwiberry or something like that) and a creamy beige batik for the background.
I will get a better photo of the whole quilt when she comes to visit next week. After our early start on this project, it ended up a rush at the end. When it was finished, I had hubby on loose thread checking, then it was wrapped and delivered. Totally forgetting to photograph the entire quilt.
It turned out beautiful. We finished it with a border that makes it look like it floats.
There were several people hoping she wouldn't like it as they wanted to claim it, including me and hubby!

Take care,
Cheryl

Sunday Stitchers - March

March's Sunday Stitchers meet saw 3 birthdays and our Easter table runner swap.
Here are all the presents waiting for the Easter Bunny and birthday girls.

I was really stressing out about this swap. Nothing was coming to mind. Normally our swaps are not one on one, but our fearless leader, Maree, set it up that way this time. Of course we were all clueless. Maria and I were paired. Maria and I also go to Sisters of Stitch at our library. So the funniest part was, we both thought to ourselves we can't work on it there as our swap partner would see it. We just didn't know both of us were thinking the same thing!  I even rejoined Pinterest so I could stalk and repin  her Easter pins. My Pinterest page was of no help to her as they were all her pins anyway!
Eventually, I thought of something. A major search of my books, patterns and even bits torn for old magazines yield my bunny from an elderly colouring-in book. I think he's cute. I did use satin stitch in parts. I held my tongue the right way and it turned out acceptable. So I was very pleased.

 Unbeknown to Maria, her green edged runner to matches my dinning table chairs and rug perfectly.
Thank you Maria.

These ladies are all very talented and it was fun to see what they came up with.
What I didn't get good photos of was our raffle in aid of our May's Biggest Morning tea. Check out Maria's blog as she won it!
Thanks (big thanks) and congratulations have to be given to Helen for making, donating and putting it together. It started to look like Aladdin's cave as Maria opened it. We all ended up wishing we had won it!
The next swap is a 12 inch mini. Better put that thinking cap back on.

Take care, everyone.
Cheryl

GDITC 2015

Another year....another great weekend away in Nundle...and another enjoyable day at Girls Day in the Country, organised by Kerry Swain of Cottage on the Hill.
This year, there were 3 in my car. Susan and Lynda and I had a great run down to Nundle. Unbelievably there were no roadworks, first time ever.
We meet up with another Queensland car load (De, Marilyn and Teresa) at the Warwick Garden Centre for breakfast on the road. Delicious, if anyone is going that way.

 Friday night's drinks on the lawn...lots of catching up...plenty of photos and our annual bloggers swap....The Make It, Bake It or Fake It Swap.

Kate received my gift. I think I mentioned this and showed a sneak peak ages ago. It is an A4 project bag with a clear window to show the contents. Our Tuesday kitchen table group had a machine sewing day learning how to sew these. Very practical.

This is what I received from our very own Teresa...a mug rug, mug and a needlebook. All of which will be well used. The needle book is a clever pattern by Lori Holt and I remember admiring it on Teresa's IG. So lucky me is now the proud owner. Thank you Teresa!

Lynette Anderson was our guest tutor again. The (pinched) photo above shows all the finished projects from the 2014 workshop. I think this was the biggest group of finishes ever in the life of GDITC. Not everyone stuck to the pattern exactly. There were many interesting variations; some not even bags. Lynette looked impressed!
I may not have done the hexagons on the bottom, too time poor, but I did finish it in time to take it to show.

This is the annual bloggers photo. Again pinched. We'd be there all day if everyone's cameras were used.
Our numbers have grown over the years. We do scrub up all right.

 A lot of people proudly showed off  all manner of items made using Lynette's patterns.

 The Saturday night barbecue and Show And Tell was very windy. The girls had to hang on tightly to those quilts. I don't think anyone want to scale the nearby trees to rescue them.

 The trip home was a lot quieter than the one down. All talked out!
Anni Downs will be the tutor next year. I have one and a half quilt tops, another in the planning and heaps of her patterns. I'm going to try really hard to have lots to show her next year.

Thanks everyone for a wonderful weekend.
Take care,
Cheryl