String Quilt and Fashion

String quilt blocks are a great way to use up spare strips and offcuts from backings.

These 16 blocks are quilt as you go method. The wadding also scrap is pinned onto the back and strips stitched through all layers and squared off. These blocks are for a charity lap quilt when finished.

The off cuts from the string blocks are the lead into the real story.
Grand daughter Awen asked for the scraps and some thread.
Never let a chance go by.
At age 7 her creative spirt is not detered by any so called rules.
A good thing too

Because Awen and I were able to share a rare and wonderful experience.

My beautiful necklace made by Awen. Photo by Awen.

Grama and Grand daughter in their new wearable art.

Thanks to some off cuts from some scrap blocks.

A wonderful time to treasure.

Terry

Bits and Pieces

Some times you accomplish lots and other times it's just bits and pieces. Here are a couple bits I've done this week.

I felted my Dad's ties and this is the result. The 2 ties on the outside edges fulled but didn't loose much in size. They were labeled 100% wool. The middle ties started out the same size but more loosely woven. Very different result; felted by at least 50%.

I will include them in my new crazy wool quilt which I started while visiting Natima earlier this month. ONE
TWO

2 of 4 Dancing Dollies blocks completed. That's 50% so I guess I'll do all 4.

Other quilting included 32 blocks for the scrap fence rail project and some quilt as you go string squares for community quilts.

Lots accomplished but not a lot too show at this time.

Terry

Friday Night Sew-in: Cotillion

My first Friday Night Sew-in project was to pickup a stalled project and see if comraderie inspired me.

And so to the story.

The roses are from my garden appropriate for a dance.

The stitching is a row of Dancing Dollies.

Roses for the Cotillion

translate Deb Ball

A completed row of dollies.

First of 4

Start of the second row of dollies and pieces.

I am hoping that by using this as my Sew-in project to get back into the quilt it is intended for.

My team was playing Friday Night Rugby League so maybe not quite as much accomplished as I hoped.

Half way





The brier patch rose garden at sunrise Saturday with a Fairy Floss pink cotton candy sky
.Well it is Friday night in Paris and the house is still settled from Friday in Sydney still in bed.


I did another set of arms. I hope to finish during the rest of the weekends' football.


Thanks to Friday Night Sew-in I am back to stitching my cotillion girls.

Happy Stitching to All

Terry

To Bead or Not to Bead

That is the question. My dear friend Kaite gave me this beautiful hand beaded pin for my Bday.

She also sent me a selection of beads to compliment the meager selection I had along with proper thread and instructions.

After a couple enquiries as to weather I had done anything with the gifts other than wear the beautiful pin?

I decided to try my hand at a small pin while all my found wool garments were shrinking in the washer.The Blue Beauty is the pin Kaite made for me.

Gorgeous isn't it?

The center is a small opaque shank button. It might be my GM's not sure. I started with it at the center and added at random keeping the green theme.

I am stitching onto a scrap of my handmade felt.

So far so good.

How much longer? Are we there yet?

Most of an afternoon and some of the evening later I had beaded a circle onto the wool.

Yippie

I did it ! My finished beaded pin. To Bead or not to Bead?

Unsure at this time

I'm not sure if I'm a beader but this one was challenging and the results are pleasing.

Thankyou Kaite for the push .

Terry

Lightening Strikes

A quilt made by quilters in different places using the fence rail block and a Singer Featherweight sewing machine.

My new Featherweight.

Ria and Nat are both using vintage Featherweight machines. Mine is a new version of the old machine.


Sewing with my new Featherweight is a joy. It weighs 11lbs like the original and is great to take to quilt group.


The blocks are laid out 2 light strips and 3 medium to dark strips.


All the strips are cut from scraps. Some date back to quilts and garments made in the 1980's.I found a box of little bits that needed to be used while cleaning out sewing room.


The zig zag pattern created by the placement of the blocks is called streak of lightening .
I'm looking forward to seeing how the scraps go together.

Terry

Lightening Strikes the Fence

Friends

Friends are people who's company you enjoy.

Natima is certainly one of those people. Visit her at Notjustnat for an excellent overview of my visit to her this past weekend.Photo taken just before the trip back to Sydney.

Too short a visit.

The creative hub of the weekend.

Cutting out ,stitching and beading were all on the menu for a great time.



Natima gave me a crash course on crazy quilting.


The basis of Wool Crazy is felt so I have been searching for resources. These are my Father's wool ties. They are currently in the washing machine. Check out the gorgeous naive stitchery of Wool Crazy at Pumpkin Patch Primitives.

Thank you Natima for a great visit and teaching me a new quilting technique.

Natima also gave me a crash course in blogging. My new look is thanks to her and I hope to keep on improving.

So much to do So little time.

Terry