A few Charity Quilts

I sometimes randomly create quilt tops - might be remnants from a few quilts or a random fabric pull or i do have a pile of 6" squares. At first I was keeping these as "in waiting" quilts for when friends had babies but then I always seemed to make them another quilt that was more personalised with fabrics about them. So when a friend from Baradine mentioned that the Baradine CWA were collecting quilts for those affected by the Warrumbungle bushfires in Janurary I knew what I wanted to do with them. The drive is called Caring with Quilts and details can be found at the link if you can help.
I love the Warrumbungles! My Nanna lives nearby in Coolah so we are out that direction often. We have been to the Warrumbungles a few times and they are gorgeous. So it is devastating at how fast those fires came through and the destruction they caused.
The quilts I sent off where two baby/kids quilts.
I FMQ some large bunting on the quilt - to match the back of the quilt (which is an ikea bedspread!)

I think I have an obsession

2 1/4 inch squares. I am in love with them! It all started with just wanting to use up some of my scraps - no nothing gives me more joy than cutting them out and sewing them together! I love the anti voodoo chain piercing method from Poppyprint and the randomness of making a scrap vomit quilt but most of all using up my scraps!!! So far I have made my posy love quilt, making progress on my scrap vomit quilt - 4 blocks done, numerous other rows sewn but just need to cut some more

also started on a bit of a crazy, quirky quilt for a friend that has a great big multicolour 2 inch squares ninja star on the back - as well as Nelson Mandela, some Scortish tartan, Packman and Ninjas (more to come later) And now now placemats for my sis-in-law for an engagement pressie

Also started fussy cutting some of the squares (these are a teeny bit bigger at 2 3/4 inches). Hopefully I will turn these into a car quilt for the kidlets - kinda a funky eye-spy quilt.
Now need to start finishing them all (she says as 2 new projects are sitting on the sewing table) and seriously considering a Scrappy Trip quilt...

Posy Love

Well after my little play with the mini charm pack of Aneela Hony's Posy pack I decided to keep with my mantra of finishing projects this year and fully commit to making and finishing the quilt. So I had needed to order some more fabric to complete it. I found a Charm pack on Ebay so even though it was a little more expensive than I would usually like to pay I thought it was still cheaper than placing an order from overseas and filling up my cart to make the postage worth it!
So this is what I ended up with! Very girly, sugar and spice. All 2 1/2 inch squares for the middle bits and for the border just some charm squares cut in half.
I quilted it in a cross stich like pattern - I was surprised how easy it was. I thought I would make a bit of a mess but having close lines made it easier.
The back was some pale pink homespun with a strip of gorgeous flowery fabric (not sure what it was, just that I bought it from fabric shack on special). Binding was a bright aqua turquoise print from Sarah Fielke new Spotlight collection.
It was the first quilt I have quilted since having my beautiful boy who is an amazing sleeper (6 weeks old and already doing 7hr night sleeps)
I have a few charity quilts to get quilted this week for the Caring with quilts for the Warrumbungle fires earlier in the year. I am hoping to quilt up two kids quilts that have been sitting in my unfinished pile for a while. Just need a bit of charity motivation!

January progress

Well apart from litle Mr Clyde keeping me busy, he has also allowed me to get some sewing done over the past few weeks (wow can't believe he is 4 weeks tomorrow!) while I haven't felt motivated, or had the energy to tackle the "big" projects I need to tick off I have managed to do a few small things here and there - and most importantly snuck in a sneaky fabric order while hubby was away working for the week. I like to think of it as a present for Clyde as I saw and fell in love with Safari Soriee by Dan Stiles for Birch Oragnic - and as I am currently waiting for hubby to finish painting a giraffe on a set of drawers for my new little man I thought it would go well! So I ordered a fat quarter bundle - no plans yet for it...but soon!
A few other things accidentally fell into my cart to make shipping worthwhile, including a mini charm pack of Aneela Hony's Posy. Über cute girly squee is not my usual style or Miss E's but there are a few bubba girls making an appearance this year and I like the green with the pink. So playing around with the mini squares I came up with this heart. Only problem now is that I want to make it into a quilt but I need some more and bigger pieces! *sneaky ebay order for a charm pack done*. So more to come later...
I also finished the Feb bee block for the Simply Solids: {a modern bee} for Adrianne in NZ. She requested HST and sent through some fabrics. I was a litle unsure of the colours to begin with but as it came together I certainly dig the colour combo and think it will be a strikingly beautiful quilt when finished.
I also made a start on the Pile O Fabrics Skill Builder BOM. I decided to make it completely scrappy as I don't really want to purchase fabric for it- I am more interested in learning some new techniques. I am using a light grey as the background and some of the Spotlight Denyse Schmidtt fabric as the backing - but the rest is what ever is in my scrap box. Trying to do a turquoise/yellow/bright pink/dark grey combo but we will see!
Block 1 : Soundwave
Block 2 : Magnum

Quilt for baby Angus

This was one of my 2012 finishes - a quilt for the adorable baby Angus! A new bub for one of my mothers group folk, it was actually a quilt I started ages ago but had lost momentum soon after starting it. It contains all sorts of random fabric goodness - Laurie Wisbrun, Jay McCarroll, Heather Bailey, Ta dots, bicycles and bugs! I appliquéd a heart and "Angus" into it and quilted a giant "A" into it. I backed it in one of the Denyse Schmidt fabrics from Spotlight - never been an overly big fan of her fabrics but this print I am absolutely in love with! Even went back to buy some more and discovered it on the bargain rack plus they were having 30% off fabric that day so I may have purchased a larger quantity than I told hubby...
Trying to take some pics was hard - kept getting photo bombed by Little Miss and Puppydog Nala.

A bit in love

With baby Clyde...

Skill Builder Block of the Month (BOM)

Another challenge for 2013...

Nesting - Part 1: Painted Chevron Rug

Nesting was never something i got to do with Miss E as she arrived at 32 weeks - and i was so disappointed as i had awesome ideas about what i wanted her room to look like! oh well bubba number 2 has given me some time, and we have a new place and they get to share a room so the nesting has begun!
Problem : Don't you just hate it when you have something pictured in your mind but then you can never find exactly what you want! Well I decided long ago that I wanted a yellow chevron rug bam smack in the middle of their room. I found a few overseas but nothing in Australia and in my budget. Solution: Then I came across a few tutorials about painting your own Ikea rug (a good one was http://gypsysoulinteriors.com/2012/03/painted-chevron-rug-tutorial/) Brilliant! And I live just down the road from Ikea, so I acquired a rug, some yellow Taubmans paint, hubby found some fabric medium and some painters tape. All set!
Well if someone who is 35 weeks pregnant decides to do something silly like this - please stop them! Hands and knees I crawled round measuring and taping all morning.

I had some help from a good friend for the painting - that was the easiest bit! I left it to dry for a few hours and then started ripping off the tape. The tape going along the grain was the hardest to remove - I would probably buy better quality tape next time. I didn't have and problems with bleeding - so happy! The fabric medium said I needed to heat set it - how lazy is this - it was one of those stinky hot days in Sydney so I just hung it on the line!

So happy with the results! And Miss E loved it when she got home!
Total cost :
Ikea Rug ERSLEV. $50
Taubmans sample pot $8
Tape $2
Fabric medium (I think) $10
Total = $70