Affo! *

Yesterday I finished Flanello, the baby quilt, and today it started its journey to The Netherlands by airmail. It's scary to send a quilt on such a long trip - what if something happens to it? What if it never arrives?

Well, we'll just have to wait and see... As soon as it has arrived I will put a photo here, but for now it will remain a surprise to the receiving party!

Today I started the flannel ragtime quilt - a nice way to get rid of all the remaining scraps! I hope to finish it soon and be able to put it over our laps in the evening as we watch tv (which we seldom do - DH sits at the computer and I at the sewing machine). The Queensland winter is colder than we had thought it would be! (or rather, the houses aren't isolated as well as we'd thought they would be!) DH is now sitting at the computer with the 'playquilt' I made for Koen draped around his shoulders! ;-)

* 'Affo' is the term Dutch quilters use for a finished object. ('Af' = finished in Dutch)

My first bag

Last Friday I did the bag making workshop at The Quilters Corner. It was great, I will definitely do another workshop there!
I finished the bag yesterday:






I'm rather proud of it! :-)
It's a Monica Poole design, the large travelling bag. I wanted a large bag and apparently chose the most difficult one to make. I'm sure it will be the first of many!

I also found a quiltgroup: Patch 'n' Chat in Ferny Hills. Went there last week and it was lovely, so I will join them!

This week I hope to finish the first baby quilt (I am now trying to do some free motion quilting on it...) and start the next... And I also want to do a ragtime flannel quilt to put on our laps in the evening when we watch dvd's - it's cold now in the Queensland winter!

So... better stop blogging and start quilting! ;-)

Kaffe

Yesterday I went to Kaffe Fassett's lecture at St Lucia. It was great fun. He is very entertaining and although I do not like everything he does (don't care much for his knitting and needlepoint) he has a wonderful feeling for colour. Bought his V&A book (and had it signed) and some fat quarters for the rosy quilt I am going to make one day. Got home really inspired!

Last weekend I finished the top of the baby quilt and I am quite happy with it! It's called Flanello; that should ring a bell here and there! (though not with the baby's mother, I trust). Can't go on now as I have to buy batting and backing, which I will do this weekend when I am going to look for a bag pattern for my workshop next week!

And meanwhile another baby was born, so another quilt to make! The alphabet quilt is waiting as well, but I have found a job and need to make some arrangements for the childcare etc... Guess there won't be much time for quilting in the next few months (years...) but, well, I've the rest of my life ahead of me, haven't I?
;-)

Busy

It feels good to be working on some projects again! During the day, when the little ones are sleeping, I cut the fabrics and trace the foundation piecing patterns. In the evening I sew, in the small bedroom full of boxes:



I hope to have a larger table soon, but meanwhile this small round one will do...
I've finished 3 blocks for the alphabet quilt (B - beaver-, D - dolphin- and E - emu- ) and about one third of the baby quilt's top. I love that feeling of 'flow' when you're really getting into it!

Bob and bag

Yesterday I went to a quilt show in Aspley and saw some very beautiful quilts. Noticed again that I am always attracted to purple and green quilts (like my own first quilt!).
I also met some very nice people (among them a lady originally from The Netherlands, who had made the purple and green log cabin that I liked so much! Maybe it's a Dutch thing?) and bought some chenille to add to the flannel quilt I am going to make (a tip from someone at the QDU mailinglist).

I forgot to tell in my last posting that when I was cutting the fabric for the Dutch quilt, Hugo (my 4 year old son) was sitting next to me drawing. He said, 'When I'm grown up I can work with fabrics too'. I said, 'Yes, and will you make a quilt as well then?'
He answered, 'Yes, a Bob the Builder quilt'! :-)
Hmm, maybe in a little while we can make something together! (that would be very nice!)

Oh, and some very good news: I signed up for a bag making class at The Quilters Corner in Keperra on June 22nd!!! My first class ever, I'm looking forward to it sooooo much!