R.I.P Nan xxx

What a month...this is my Nan & I in July this year, about a month after I brought her over from Perth to NSW to have her closer to me while she was in a Nursing Home. She was 90 in April in this year.She took some settling in, but we had some good times. On Monday 27th September, we had our usual Strawberry tarts from my bakery for morning tea. She loved her sweets :-) But on Wednesday, she was admitted to hospital with Pneumonia, and I sat at her bedside holding her hand. Sadly she passed away on Thursday 30th September. So quick, so sudden.

So, I have been busy planning Nans funeral, her wake, and all the drama that usually goes with that. All the fun stuff. It's been a busy few months. I kind of don't know where I am at now. I don't need to go to the Nursing home for two hours a day anymore, and eat pies and cakes with nan. I guess I am free to sew now, to do my bookwork, to blog, to do housework or to do whatever. I should be happy, but...

Anyway...

Finally here are the photos of my finished quilt-a-long quilt. It has been back from the quilter for quite a while now, and is actually in its new home in Perth already. I had to take these photos on the windiest day so the fence photo is not the best, but as the quilt is quite huge, it was the best way to get the full effect. It was on its way to the post office when I realised I hadn't photographed it, so had to make do with windy day photos :-(

I chose to use up the left over squares as the bind, as I had quite a few left, and just couldn't stand to waste them. So the bind was made up of alternated two and half inch white and coloured squares. Quite nice up against the white borders actually.

The backing was made up of three large strips of a co-ordinating fabric from the same range, with a smaller strip of white in between. I know, an expensive backing, but as the quilt was going to a treasured family member, I didn't mind so much. I do love the backs to match.

I just love how Lee (my quilting friend) has chosen to quilt this quilt for me. Simple, yet effective.

Quilt-a-long

So my quilt is just about finished, I have one more row to sew on. I have decided to change the pattern just a little next week. But now my technical problems have subsided, I should be able to photograph the finished quilt tomorrow. Now this photo below is not the best...my 6ft2" assistant was not too keen to be outside holding up a quilt in the cold, in his boardies and shoe-less. (Remember, this was taken a few weeks ago when it was REALLY cold, freezing actually!)

But you get the idea. He just had to scrunch those corners!! Thanks Jakey!

Quilt-a-long Part 7

Here we are at week 7 of Crazy Mommas quilt-a-long, and yes I am up to date!! Woohoo! That would be a first for me! Not the best photo though, but who cares, I am up to date...wonder if Martha is??? I best find her photo and add it in here. I think the phot I have of hers is for week 6, but never mind. Cant wait to get instructions for week 8...might have to wing it, and go ahead again. Don't think i can wait till next week to get more of this quilt done. I want to get it finished. The pile of squares is getting smaller and smaller....

I received my two charm packs in the mail yesterday from retromummy, of It's a Hoot by MoMo for Moda...how yummy are they?? Scrumptious!! I am in love with them. Am busty to start a new quilt with them. Am thinking of doing a half square triangle quilt with those. Suffering the same dilemma I always do with gorgeous fabric...I hate to cut into them, but will just have to bite the bullet and do it. Must finish my flannel first...all I have to do is sew the blocks together, they are sitting in a neat pile next to the machine just waiting to be finished....

Ok, back to the sewing machine!

Quilt-a-long Week 5 & 6

Ok so I have been sewing all day to catch up on this quilt-a-long. Martha went full steam ahead and was so far ahead of me, I had to to drop everything today to catch up. No housework, no tv, no computer, no answering the phone and no time for food. Just sewing. Ok, so I did have time for some home made caramel slice and coffee ;-)
This was a progress shot of week five, mind you, I should have ironed it better before taking the photo. But you get the idea. Then below is the photo of the quilt top after week 6 instructions. So that means I am offically up to date as of now. Well, except for the instructions that were posted last night.

But as the quilt seems to be going in quite a predictable fashion, I have been one step ahead, and went along and did week 7 also. So as I knew I would be away for a few days, and was on a roll, I kept on sewing these little pieces together, so now all I have to do is attach them to the piece above and voila, I am up to date again!! Yay! Such a great feeling isn't it??

Once its attached I'll post a progress shot. I will remember to give it a good iron first!! Oh, and I will also post Marthas, as she is up to this stage too.

Quilt-a-long Week 3 & 4

The quilt-a-long at Crazy Mom Quilts has been going a little slow for me, but I have finally moved along though weeks three and four. Martha was a little sneaky and flew through to week 6 without telling me, and also without taking any progress shots! How rude!! So I wont be showing any photo's of her quilt until I have caught up.
Here is a progess shot of my quilt at the end of the week four stage. Never mind that today is actually the end of week 6. Ooops. But...I have however, caught up today, and am ready to start on week 7 as soon as the instructions are posted.


I will show the rest of the progress shots tomorrow.

(Dont tell Martha, but I have actually already started week 7, I have guessed what week 7 instructions are going to be, and have done it already. I'll teach her for sneaking ahead of me!! Lets just hope I haven't guessed the instructions wrong...or I'll be the one unpicking for all of week 7!!)

Quilt-a-long Part 1 & 2

Martha & I have joined Crazy Mom Quilts in a quilt-a-long which sounded like a lot of fun, a weekly get together for us, and some stitching time to boot. Why not??

Week 1 instructions arrived on her blog, and didn't sound quite right. (Not that we doubted the talents of the clever Crazy Momma!!) but we were a little scared to cut into our yardage of white fabric lengthwise in 2.5"x 60" strips, when we were sewing them to jelly roll strips that measured 2.5" x 44".....sounded a little scary to us. So we decided to wait till week 2 instructions were posted, just to make sure. We couldn't waste 5 metres of white fabric!!

Week 2 came along, the teapot was made, rockyroad was cut, computer on....and suddenly all made sense. Amazing what re-reading the instructions does. How on earth could we doubt the amazing Crazy Momma?? (We didnt really...we were just scared)

So then we were ready, and completed week one's block. Here is Marthas. She is making hers out of the Hushabye range.

And here is mine which is made with the Swanky range by Chez Moi.

The next step on the quilt-a-long was to stitch 31 jelly roll strips with 31 strips of white and the cut them all into 2.5" pieces as per the picture below......it was VERY painful, and my hand was aching by the end. I was up till 4am, I just couldn't stop. I think there are 490 of them!! Yes 490 little pieces.....I was asking myself when I read this, are we mad? Is it too late to pull out?? But I soldiered on. Well here they are...

Then the next step, (because at 4am after cutting 490 little pieces I was delerious and silly, I needed to see what the next step was going to look like!!) I just had to go one step further!

So next I had to add four little pieces to the top and four to the bottom, and stitch them together. Too easy. By this stage of the morning, I was pretty happy to be putting the rotary cutter to bed and sit at the machine. I did control myself and stop at this point. So now I am not too far behind, will do more this afternoon, unless I decide to have a nanna nap.