A new baby

Have you seen this little baby yet? We went and joined the queue’s at Melbourne zoo a little while ago and spent some time oohing and ahhing over this amazing little creature:

  

What a cutie! It is amazing watching a playful elephant – much like a playful puppy only much, much bigger! This is one of the sights Janelle and her family will have to see when they come over. Only 2 weeks from tomorrow! Here’s a close up – a slightly blurry one!

 

Any sewing going on? I’ve just finished another batch of school dresses for our school – I am so over gingham!

Kylie and I have committed to doing a Dear Jane quilt. Do you remember Kylie starting hers last year, well she needed some motivation to keep at it… I volunteered. I have a bit of catching up to do, but with  some reproduction fabrics (I’m going traditional this time). I’ve almost quit a couple of times this week and I’m only on block 7!! I thought I was starting on the easy ones too. Seven down, 218 to go!

Now to something a little brighter for the rest of the month. I must finish binding my zig zag quilt… will take a photo when it’s done.

 

Happy Stitching!

Krafty KJ

Hello Kitty

I’d like to introduce you to Kitty, my new KitchenAid mixer – lucky, lucky me. My Nanna’s 23 year old Kenwood Chef (which was on permanent loan from Mum) started smoking when DH last made bread. DH was most apologetic and offered to buy me one of these baby’s. My friend Traceylea (TJ) bought a pink one before she left the USA & I’ve wanted one ever since I laid eyes on it. You’ll be happy to know that Kenny the Kenwood has gone off the be repaired and will take up residence back at Mums house.

I received some lovely mail yesterday, my PIF prezzies arrived from Maree at Farmyard Crafts. Take a look at these precious goodies made by loving hands – I am truly blessed, thanks ever so much Maree.

My friend Jennywren rang me up yesterday for a chat and to ask “so, are you going there or are they coming here for the sewing weekend?” well, we are taking a family holiday to Melbourne over the last week of March & I can’t wait! Whilst the Sewing Sisters go to Port Arlington for our sewing weekend, the DH’s will be in charge of the cherubs. Don’t fret for them, they have already planned a trip to the footy for the first round of the season. We will also be doing some visits to our favourite places – Miss Marples in Sassafras, Savers at Greensborough (the Best Op Shop), Melbourne zoo etc.

My spirits are well and truly lifted now :)

With Love

A “Thank You” & a cute baby photo.

Many thanks for the words of encouragement on my last blog post. Tomorrow was a much brighter day, and has been since. I am blessed by bloggy friendships – local, national and worldwide. Now for that cute baby photo…

My cousin Marissa sent me a photo of Jackson on his new quilt – I think he looks quite pleased. I can’t wait to kiss those gorgeous cheeks later this year!

I did have some fantastic news the day after my last post which I’ll share with you next time – lets just say that the Sewing Sisters are going away on a sewing weekend at the end of March (ALL the Sewing Sisters).

With MUCH love

When the going gets tough, the tough get sewing.

I have had a few disappointing situations happen to me & my family this past week. So instead of turning to the chocolate, I have been doing some sewing therapy – much more productive and better for the hips :)

Another version of the McCall’s pattern M5599/M5790 as a work sample using some of the new fabrics in store – the outer bag fabric is Flourish by Alisha Place Frost for studio e fabrics (please excuse the poor photography!).

My selvedge handbag! I decided to keep the selvedges on one side only, & found this nifty fabric at work that looks like selvedges for the other side.

And yes, I did finish Jackson’s quilt in time, it flies off to London tomorrow.

I am choosing to remain optimistic throughout all of these new twists and turns going on in our lives, and take comfort from the words of wisdom from Anne Shirley (Anne of Green Gables) -

“Tomorrow is a new day, always fresh with no mistakes in it - yet”

(italics are my added words)

May you enjoy your creative therapy too.

With Love

A little bit of colour

I’ve been having a bit of fun playing with colour lately. Summer seems a very colourful time and as it’s been too hot to get out in my garden, I’ve had no option but to sew (what a pity!) A little while ago I bought a pre cut 5” pack of Kaffe Fassett fabrics… It was so much fun to open the pack and lay out all the squares!

I’d never tried the disappearing nine patch that Janelle wrote of in the last post, so I though it would be a bit of fun. I used a common purple square for the centre block and chopped away.

What a quick and easy layout. There’s something very satisfying about starting and finishing a quilt top in one sitting! It finished up a  44” square, so I guess it’s a lap sized quilt. I may even hang it up in my sewing room. Here it is as a completed quilt top…

I don’t have any backing fabric that’s quite right, so for now it’s been folded up and put aside for backing, quilting and binding! Meanwhile, I’ve been playing with some new fabric – thanks to a little shopping on etsy with cottonthreadfabrics . I placed my order, paid with paypal and the next day received a refund on the excess shipping. How gorgeous! I’ll be visiting there again.

 

More pinks with Verna Budding by Kate Spain for Moda:

 

Then I needed some boy influence for my son’s 10th birthday quilt (Still not sure what form this will take and I need to start in the next week or so!!). These are Haul it Citron Spice Prints by Michael Miller :

And I couldn’t pass up some more ‘little boy’ fabrics for the stash. My brother and sister in law are expecting twins mid year so I may be needing two quilts made with these… or two with a pinker theme. We know they are having two babies of the same gender, but not which… such information does not help in the making of quilts for when they are born!




I hope you are finding time for soaking up all the colour around you, whether summer or winter colour!

 

Happy Stitching,

 

Krafty KJ

Ride ‘Em Cowboy

We have had lots of cowboy prints at work lately, so I thought I’d make a Cowboy cot quilt for baby Jackson. The fabrics are a mix of Michael Miller, Robert Kaufman and Timeless Treasures.

2 years ago Kylie sent me a link to a blog that had a tutorial about making a Disappearing Nine Patch quilt. Since then, I have been hooked on this pattern – especially if you want to whip up a quick quilt. Here’s what mine looks like so far.

Now just to sew it up, add a boarder, quilt it and bind it before Uncle Doug heads off the the UK. I work well under pressure :)

Have fun creating!

With Love

Quilts, quilts and more quilts!

Yesterday my daughter and I headed to the town of Loch for the annual quilt hanging. It was a girl’s day out to remember. Emily had a lovely time and by the end of the day was expert at working out if a quilt was hand or machine quilted. She also was amazed how many quilts were made of diamonds and triangles.




These were two of her favourites and she wants to start one like the latter, later this year…  Perhaps I shouldn’t have said, “This would be a good design for a first quilt”!

  

These were two of my favourites, I decided I’d like to make a three coloured quilt like this blue, yellow and white one. It had a great range of sampler blocks, alternating with a simpler, common block – very clever.

 
Here are some of the others we saw…

 

The work on this one was inspiring – must give this style a go some time…



And here is the local CFA fire truck shed – transformed into another quilt hanging spot!



All in all a wonderful day, and well worth the travel time from Melbourne. Unfortunately I heard that this was the last one planned at present as the current organisers have been doing it for the last 10 years. I’d say they deserve a well earned break and a big WELL DONE! But it will be a missed event on the quilting calendar.

 

Happy stitching to you all,

 

Krafty KJ