The best thing I’ve ever made

This is the absolute best thing I’ve ever made, I have to say.  It is the bag I made for my cutting mat , rotary cutters and rulers, and was made in a class many years ago.  It was made so long ago that I can’t even remember who the tutor was now. 

My bag made for the cutting mat

When not in use I keep it tucked against the wall behind my sewing machine cabinet in the dining room.  That keeps the board standing upright, and I just lean over the cabinet, grab the handles, and haul my bag out.   It is so handy to pick up with the handles, and very easy to take to classes.

Pockets inside

Just a simple idea, and my bag is in constant use.  What is the best thing you have ever made

The sad story of little Sasha

Sasha, the little dog belonging to my grand-daughter, passed away just prior to Christmas.  Sasha was a fox terrier cross and went everywhere with Emma,  to work, and out visiting friends and family.  This little bundle of energy was much loved and will be sadly missed.  Unfortunately, she met an untimely end when one of Emma’s horses got spooked and stepped back on the little dog.  It was an unfortunate accident and Emma is understandably heartbroken.

Emma and Sasha

This sad event has put me in a bit of a quandary.  I had stitched a  little dog blanket for Emma and Sasha as a Christmas gift, on which I appliquéd Sasha’s name.  It is made of polar fleece and the name is appliquéd on four sides, using both black and dog bone fabric.  It is big enough to fit in a basket, or a carry crate.  If Emma gets another puppy in the future, I am sure she will not name her new dog  Sasha again.  So I am offering my new unused dog blanket to anyone (or perhaps a family member) who has a dog called Sasha.  Please leave me a comment about your dog if you would like to go in the draw for the blanket.  I want it to be used and loved.

The polar fleece dog blanket

January Quilt Club Night

Our quilt club night in January is always a casual meeting, without the more usual speaker.  Instead we have a “Bring and Buy” night, where members can set up a stall to sell off unwanted fabric, books, notions, even UFOs.  Several took advantage of this opportunity, and some brisk trading took place.    Plenty of quilts were completed over the Christmas holidays, ensuring lots of Show and Tell.  Some of our members had taken part in the Nancy Crow workshop and brought their samples along.  They had to cut fabric without rulers, stitch it up, recut, and stitch again.  Three weeks of intense sewing would not be quite my idea of a holiday, but our ladies enjoyed it so much they have signed up for the next workshop when Nancy Crow returns again to New Zealand. 

I had seen Joyce working on her “Good Golly, Miss Molly” quilt over the last few months, and she had just finished stitching the binding down in time for our club night.  This vibrant quilt is amazing, and a real credit to her, especially as Joyce says. “I don’t do brights!”  She has done brights very well indeed.

“Good Golly, Miss Molly”

Jean loves butterflies, and was thrilled when her stitching group made her a lovely butterfly quilt to celebrate her 80th  birthday.  She brought it along to share with us too, it is a lovely quilt in blues and lilacs.

Jean’s birthday butterfly quilt

Another  very special quilt brought along with a lovely story was the family hexagon quilt.  Grandma had stitched hexagon blocks in red, white and black before she passed away.  Her grand-daughter found them and asked her partner’s Mum to help her turn them into a quilt.  The result is this hexagon quilt which the grand-daughter treasures.   So often you hear of old textiles being disposed of, so it is wonderful that in this case the quilt remains as the family connection through the generations. 

  Family hexagon quilt

Several bright and happy kids quilts were finished over the holidays, and they looked so nice hanging up.  It seems that several new babies are set to arrive shortly.

A few of the cot quilts brought along

There are lots of gorgeous Japanese  fabrics in this stunning quilt, made by Jenny H.  Simple in design, and set off with black, it certainly makes a statement.  The Fons and Porter pattern  is Venetian Dream, and Jenny is generously donating the quilt to the hospice. 

Jenny H’s Venetian Dream

It was good to meet up with all the ladies again, and catch up with all their holiday news.  None of the raffle prizes came my way, as usual.  Perhaps I’ll have more luck next month.

Isn’t that Reindeer a Moose?

I know that the month of January is almost over, but I am pleased to announce I have finished my first project of the year. (And it won’t be required till next Christmas, so I’m really early.)  It is another Rudolph the Reindeer stocking – to go with the one I completed last year.  I hung the original stocking over the little reading light on my side of the bed in the caravan.  But then, I reflected, Robin could do with his own Rudolph on his side of the bed.  Whether he actually wanted a stuffed Rudolph stocking for Christmas is debateable.  Nevertheless, I set to work, and dug out the pattern, and traced off Rudolph.  My original stocking was made in a class, and dye was used to colour in the body.  But what to do - I didn’t have any dye, or paint, or even a brown coloured pencil, and didn’t want to  buy any just for this one little project.  With necessity being the mother of invention, I mixed up some brown shoe polish with a little water, and sponged it on.  My Rudolph was diligently stitched in the afternoons while I relaxed on our shady back deck.  Then it didn’t take too long to stitch and stuff the stocking.  There, he is all done, ready and waiting to be hung up in the caravan next Christmas with his brother .

Robin’s stocking

Robin was looking at the pattern and was flabbergasted.  “That’s not a reindeer at all”, he declared, “it’s a moose!  Look at this, your pattern is called Maxwell Moose”.  He is quite right, the pattern from Homespun magazine is in fact called Maxwell Moose.  But that is not Christmassy  at all, is it?  Rudolph the Reindeer sounds so much nicer.  And he has got that big red nose!

First Friday Night Sew In

I had signed up to take part in the Friday Night Sew In but didn’t realise that I would be away in caravan for the weekend.  Friday nights away with the caravan club is usually a social time when we all catch up with each other on how things have been since the last trip away.  Never mind, I did my stitching on Friday afternoon instead.  (I do hope that I can bend the rules a little?)  The weather was wet and drizzly (and worsened as the weekend progressed), so it was an ideal time to sit quietly and stitch.  I was very pleased with my progress as I have now completely my stitchery “Every Day is a Good Day”.  What am I making?  I’m not saying, as I am changing the design to suit my needs better.   You will have to wait and see!

A cat, a quilt and a cushion

Our cat Muffy seems to take this hot, muggy weather in her stride.  What else is a cat to do but snooze the day away, until it is time to eat.  Muffy does “relaxation” very well, but after all, she has had years of practise.   Here’s Muffy, snoozing the afternoon away on top of my quilt, “”Garden Tapestry”.  The pink cushion on the bed was made by my pen friend Diane, from Oregon.  She used a photo transfer of Muffy lying on this particular quilt.  It makes quite a pretty picture, don’t you think?

Hands, knees, and boomps-a-daisy

It doesn’t take much to guess what I’ve been doing.  After I finished assembling the quilt backing for my burgundy and cream cobblestone quilt, I took a trip to my local quilt shop, Thimble and Threads.  I checked out all the varieties of batting on offer, cotton, wool, poly, and mixtures.  I personally love the wool batting, but would not use it in a “give-away”quilt, as this current project will be.  Although I would carefully wash a quilt containing wool batting by hand, there are no guarantees that the recipient will.  The next decision to make was to choose the quilting thread.  I love the look of variegated thread and there were several choices in the burgundy colour way.  I was lucky that both Anne and Margaret were available at the shop counter to help me decide. 

Variegated for the top and plain for the back of the quilt

By moving the recliner chairs right back against the walls, I had just enough room to lay out the three quilt layers.  Backing first, all carefully smoothed out.  Then the batting, which I had to first join down the middle, that went over next, then finally the quilt top.  It was a very hot afternoon, although the windows were wide open, the sliding door was open, and the fan was going.  So hot in fact, that I had to keep getting up to go and wash my hands and face trying to cool down.  Robin’s task was to take a couple of photos but he had strict guidelines to work with.  “Don’t show my red, hot face, and no photos of my derriere”. 

Working on my hands and knees

With the bulk of the pins in place, I could  pick the quilt off the floor and moved out to the coolness of the back deck.  There I rolled the quilt up and unwound part at a time over the timber picnic table to put the last of the pins in place.  The cool air and gentle breeze as delicious!  Thank goodness that job is out of the way.  I’ll need a break before starting the machine quilting as my shoulders are a little tender today.