Birthday boy

Well, I finished the I Spy quilt Friday night, so I even had one day left until Ernst's birthday party today! (I finished Hugo's birthday quilt last February at 10 pm the night before his birthday)



After sandwiching the quilt I decided I didn't want the quilting to 'spoil' the world map on the backside, so I quilted the world map in the meridians and the circles of latitude, thinking it wouldn't matter much on the frontside with all the colourful patches. Outside the map I meandered along the seams on the frontside. I now regret quilting the world map, because it makes the front side too 'quilted' - just meandering all the seams would have been much nicer. But alas, it's done - if I ever make another I Spy quilt (which won't be for a long time) I'll do it differently.



I also wish I had put the map on its side, so it would be easier to look at when it's lying on the bed, but that can't be helped either.



Ernst liked the quilt, but of course his Thomas the Tank Engine railway set was a lot more interesting... ;-)



I'm very glad it's finished and have promised myself that after I've made the rosy quilt for our bed I will not make a large quilt again for a while - quilting it on a domestic sewing machine isn't much fun... (I have a Janome DC 3050, not a quilting machine at all, but I'm quite happy with it and besides, we don't have the money for me to buy another one for a long time yet! This one's only 18 months old, so I should be able to use it for years and years to come) And small quilts can be very beautiful as well, and are a good way for me to try different techniques and themes.

I went to the Queensland Quilt Show yesterday and enjoyed it very much! Here you can view the winning quilts. My favourite without any doubt was 'Squared Up' by Lisa Walton, which won second prize in the Commmercially Quilted section and the Trophy for Best Use of Colour.
I also noticed again that I love pictorial quilts (there was a very nice one depicting a Queenslander); I'd really like to try and make one.

It's a bit disheartening to be at such a show and see so many beautiful quilts, and to realise how far distant you yourself are from that level of quilting, and wonder if you will ever reach it... Last week at the beginners course all my triangles were wonky - I'm definitely not a triangle person! ;-) And I suspect I'm not a traditional quilts person either, so there may be hope for me in other areas...

Next weekend I'll go to the quilt retreat. I'm not sure what I'll work on there - don't feel like starting another large project yet, maybe I'll just make another bag (still have to do a Bow Bag!)... Or shall I have a go at creating some ATCs, I'd like to do that too?...

I'll let you know what it has become in the next posting - I'm quite sure I won't have anything to show or tell here before the weekend!

I Spy top finished!

Yesterday I finished the I Spy top:

Six days left to make it into a quilt!

How shall I quilt it? I haven't got much time, I don't really want to quilt in the ditch... Any suggestions welcome!

Jars galore

It's been a while - we had a very nice holiday in Noosa (to keep this on a quilty note: I managed to finish 'The Runaway Quilt' by Jennifer Chiaverini - one of her best, I think); pictures can be found on our Going to Brissy-blog.

I'm working very hard on the I Spy quilt for Ernst; it has to be finished on Sunday the 28th of October, when we celebrate his birthday. I've made 19 of 24 blocks so far and hope to finish the top this week. I'll show a pic of it then and ask your opinion on the quilting!

I started the beginners quilting course at The Quilters Corner last week and loved it. I've already learned a lot of useful things in just one lesson!
We're making a sampler (of course) and I am using the lovely blue FQs I got for my birthday. I'm really looking forward to the next lesson on Wednesday!

And finally... the jars! I won the block lottery at the Dutch quilters mailing list last month and have got a lot of jar blocks now! (including the 4 I made myself)



(the little hand belongs to my 1-year old, grabbing the jar just when I took the pic)

So after finishing the I Spy quilt I can make another quilt very quickly! Maybe it's a good project to take to the quilt retreat at Lake Moogerah... (I'm looking forward to that sooo much, if only because I'll be able to sleep a whole night without being woken by a teething toddler!)

I Spy...

I've made a start on the I Spy-quilt for Ernst:



I want to make 20 or 24 blocks like this, but it'll have to wait for a while, because tomorrow we're going off on holiday to Noosa!

A few lovely ladies have mailed me that they have some I Spy-fabric for me - Shirley and Helen; thanks very much! I really appreciate it!

On October 10th my beginners quilting course at The Quilters Corner starts - I'm looking forward to that. I've more or less taught myself to sew and to quilt until now and I'd like to have some lessons. I also really want to learn to applique - something I haven't dared to try yet.

But first a week without fabric - but with a tent, a beach and 'An Elm Creek Quilts Album'!

Birthday presents

From the Dutch birthday lists that I belong to I got a lot of lovely fabrics (all fat quarters):



A lot of rose fabrics for the queen size quilt I want to make for our bed, some gorgeous blue fabric and some very nice boys' fabric. These last ones come in handy for the I Spy quilt I have decided to make for Ernst's 3rd birthday in October. I found a world map panel for the backing on which we can point out to him where we live now (Brisbane) and where we come from (The Netherlands). I have done some cutting for the I Spy quilt last week and ordered an I Spy charm pack from an online store, so I should be able to start sewing soon.

DH gave me a dvd as a birthday present: part 2 of the series The House of Elliott . I got part 1 last year and spent some delightful hours watching it with my newborn baby in my arms (Koen was born 3 days before my birthday; he just turned 1!). Don't you just love that series!

Finished the babyquilt

Today I finished the railfence babyquilt,so DH can take it with him to The Netherlands tomorrow. I am quite sure the baby's mother won't look at this blog, so I can show the pictures here:





When I finished the top I thought it was rather pale and maybe not very suitable for a boy, but with the bright backing and the green binding it is much better. The dark background on the photo doesn't do it right though.

It's funny; without meaning to I made a purple and green quilt again! (well, lilac and dark green, but still)

I think I will take a couple of days off from sewing and finish the book I just started (Jodi Piccoult, My Sister's Keeper - very good!). After that I may start on another bag or maybe on a quilt for Ernst's birthday; he'll be 3 on 31 October. I ordered some chalkboard fabric and intend to make a little quilt with that at the center. Maybe I'll use some of the Bob the Builder fabric that's still in my stash...

Meanwhile the envelopes for my birthday (18 September) keep arriving, I have 9 envelopes already waiting for me! So far I've been able to withstand the temptation to peek inside.

Did I mention that I am so very content with my carpetbag? It truly is a wonderful bag - have you seen the movie Mary Poppins? (one of my favourite Disney movies) Remember how she takes lots of things out of that bag you'd think would never fit in there? Well, it really is like that! It looks like a small bag, but you can put such a lot of things in it! Like all the usual things (mobile phone, keys, wallet, lipstick, chewing gum, sunglasses, pen) and also an umbrella, pack of sandwiches, apple, diary, battery charger for the mobile phone, book you're reading, present you bought for your eldest son, etc etc etc!

Carpetbag

Yesterday I finished The Carpetbag:





It wasn't as easy as the other bags; I've had to do quite a lot of frog-stitching ('rip-it, rip-it'), but I'm very happy with the result! I took it to work today; it has a lot of room for all sorts of things:



This weekend I bought the backing, binding and batting for the railfence babyquilt. I have to finish it this week, so DH can take it with him to The Netherlands on Friday. He is going there to defend his thesis and will be away for 11 days.

I had really looked forward to going to the quiltshop last Saturday, but it was a bit of a disappointment. I had hoped for some advice on the fabric for the backing and binding, but the ladies in the store obviously didn't feel like helping, they just wanted to cut the fabric and cash the money, I think. A pity, part of the fun of shopping for quilty things for me is looking at fabrics and discussing the possible choices with friendly shopowners...

And yet another bag...

Here's Basket Style Bag nr. 3! They're addictive...



I also finished the top of the railfence babyquilt and hope to get fabric for the backing and batting this weekend. And after I've finished this one I'll be done with flannel babyquilts for quite a while, I guess! I long to start on an 'adult' quilt. Luckily it happens to be my birthday next month and I hope to receive a lot of rosy fat quarters for a blended quilt! (actually I already have 5 soft envelopes here, but have managed not to open them yet!)

The colour workshop last weekend was cancelled, because the teacher was ill. Maybe I will do it next term.

The next projects for now are the Carpetbag, Bow Bag and (yet another!) Basket Style Bag. I should start selling them... ;-)


PS Look here for a surprise!

Back on track

Now that my teaching duties are over, I finally have time to get on with my quilts! I've started the railfence babyquilt and am also doing some delectable mountains-blocks for the Dutch quilters mailinglist that I belong to.

Next weekend I will attend a colour workshop at Quilt'n Stitch in Geebung. And in November I will go on my first quilt retreat, a weekend at Lake Moogerah! It will also be my first weekend away since Koen was born (15 September 2006). I'm really looking forward to it!

No pictures today - I hope to be able to show something again soon.
I've had a few compliments about the lilac bag from complete strangers; that was very nice! :-)

And another one...

I made another one... It's so easy! ;-)

My second bag

Yesterday I finished my second bag:



It's the Basket Style Bag from U-Handbag, my favorite blog/online store. You can find the instructions for making it here. It's really easy and can be done in one evening (as I did yesterday).
And you can see my bag here now as well!

Isn't it cute? I'm completely in love with it... And have fabric for 2 more! ;-)
(but there won't be much sewing in the next few weeks, as I have to prepare the lectures on TB that I'm giving at UQ in August...)

Last Monday I went to the Patch 'n' Chat Christmas in July function. It was great, I enjoyed it very much. Lots of beautiful quilts on display, guest speaker Sue Dennis who told about her quilting journey up till now and showed some of her stunning quilts, the handing over of Little Quilts of Love to a representative of the Royal Brisbane and Women's Hospital, a raffle and lots of delicious finger food! Here are a few photos:







;-)

Flanello has arrived!

At last! Yesterday Flanello arrived at its destination in The Netherlands and baby Vincent's mother let me know that they liked it very much!
This is the first quilt that I have given away as a present and it feels good!

So now I can put some photos on this blog:







The idea is from a book (No-Sweat Flannel Quilts by Beth Garretson); I changed the colours and the sizes. It's the first quilt that I freemotion-quilted. (Yes, I have a long way to go yet..)
Although it's far from perfect I like it very much! :-)

Rainbow ragtime

Today I finished the flannel and chenille ragtime quilt. Koen likes the way it feels:



I practised my free motion quilting on it; in some cases with quite a good result:




I've bought the fabric for the next baby quilt, flannels again (I love flannels, especially for babies - they're so soft and warm!). It is going to be a rail fence quilt, but as I will start my new job tomorrow I guess it will be some time before it's finished. The last one still hasn't arrived in The Netherlands; I'm beginning to get worried...

I have also started another bag; the Basket Style Bag from this great bagmaking blog! I'm afraid bagmaking may become a serious addiction... ;-)
Helen, thanks for the compliment for my first bag! And yes, the Bow Bag (another Monica Poole design) is on my wish list as well! (as is this carpetbag!)

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!

Back in business!

Our goods from The Netherlands finally arrived last week and it was wonderful to see my fabrics again! As a farewell present the ladies of my Dutch bee have given me a stash of red, blue, white and orange (the Dutch national colours) fabrics and I have immediately started to create a little quilt out of those. Today I finished the top:



I think I will make it into a pillowcase, as the ones we have (bought at the local shopping mall) are already starting to fall apart and this one will suit our couch very nicely.

I am also designing a baby quilt, but will say no more about that, as the baby's mother will probably read this blog and I want it to be a surprise...

Of course the alphabet quilt is waiting as well, and I found the fabric for Wendy Vosters' playquilt that I was going to make for Ernst...

What am I doing sitting here at my computer? Let's get quilting! :-)

Kaffe Fassett

Yesterday I discovered that Kaffe Fassett is coming to Brisbane in June! Yes!!!
I rang first thing this morning and got a ticket for his lecture on June 12th (the workshop was already sold out, but I wouldn't have been able to join it anyway). Wow, I'm so excited!

I finished piecing the emu last night; only have to embroider an eye on it. I'll start on the kookaburra (or the koala, still not sure) next week, after our camping trip to Moreton Island this weekend.

Thanks for the comments on my last posting. The nightingale is a very nice idea, I'll see if I can find a pattern - or design it myself, perhaps? I want to design a yak as well...