Two finishes.

It has been a long time coming, but I have finally finished Joseph's Coat quilt top!

I began this quilt during an online quilt-along with Kellie Wulfsohn of Don't Look Now blog. I was lucky enough to take some classes with Kellie when I first started the quilt. After making lots of the circles the quilt was put on the back burner while I made (started!!!) a few more quilts.
When I finally got the circles back out again I had to figure out how to put them all together! I decided to applique them to a background. Luckily I still had plenty of the background fabric.

The quilt is all hand appliqued. Each melon was prepared using a wash away backing, cut in the melon shape, which was ironed onto the fabric. I then used a glue stick to glue the edges of the fabric around the melon.The melons where then hand appliqued down with matching thread onto a background square to form the circle shape. A photo of a single circle can be found at the top of this post. I cut away the excess fabric before appliqueing each circle down. Half circles where made to fill the gaps. There was lots of preparation time before I put the top together!

All the fabrics in this quilt are designed by either Kaffe Fassett, Brandon Mably or Philip Jacobs.

This quilt will be for my DD and her DH.

I will back it with one of the more blue fabrics.

While trying to decide how to finish the quilt, we did think about making a scalloped edge following the shape of the blocks, but decided to keep the quilt a rectangle and maintain a border of white around the blocks.

I did also consider hand quilting it, but I want to finish it before the decade ends (Lol!!!), so I willl be machine quilting it!


Just a sneak peek of my other finish. I will have lots more photos after I given the quilt to its recipient.

Swooning Southern Belles quilt is finished!


Happy New Year to everyone!!

A big thank you to everyone who visits my blog, reads any of my posts or leaves a comment!!

May 2014 bring you all that you wish for.

Miriam.

Edited to add.... Katrina, who quilted my Sarah Morrell quilt, has just posted  about how she quilted my quilt, see here.
To see more photos on my blog of my finished Sarah Morrell go here.
Lots of progress photos in several posts here.

Chester Criswell Quilt Block 16

I got this block finished earlier in the week, before the rush of Christmas festivities really start.

Luckily Sharon chose and easier block for this month.



Confession time....

...remember that little foundation piecing project I mentioned in my last post???

Well, I chickened out! Lol  Foundation piecing just does my head in with all the flipping of fabric and making sure you have all the pieces and seams covered! I did make a practice piece with scrap fabric. It turned out veeerrry wonky, and the fabric I wasted!!! Oh my!! Must be the (very watered down) Scot in me! Lol

So, I hand pieced it!!

My flamingo is still missing an eye and I did have to do some unsewing because I made him late at night! He is around 3 inches by 4 inches.

A little gift stitching too.

Pattern and instructions for the tea cosy on the Liberty Craft blog here.

Countdown to Christmas top finished and more

I had a late night sewing session last night and managed to get my Countdown to Christmas top all sewn together! I love how it looks and I just had to keep stitching till it was done.  Hopefully there are no bloppers there because I was stitching way past my bedtime! Lol

The quilt will finish at roughly 32 by 40 inches, depending if I add a narrow border before the binding.

In my last post I mentioned L'ucello was having a shopping event. Well, I went and I was lucky enough to win one of their prizes. I chose this book...

The book is aimed primarily at a beginner, but it has a variety of projects. I have been crocheting since I was a slip of a girl and there is plenty in there to inspire me.

I also purchased the fabrics under the book. They are from Mas d'ouvan and had just arrived in the shop. I also found this one, also from Mas d'ouvan.

All these fabrics have a polished finish, similar to the Dutch Chintz fabrics, but are they are finer. I haven't tried hand stitching with any of them yet, but I will let you know how I go.

Late last week I had another trip to support the local economy and headed down to Amitie.  There I met Cathy (Cabbage Quilts) and Andi (Patch Andi). Cathy and I had a lovely stroll around the shop and I came home with a selection of red fabrics.

 In my last post I had a little sneak peek of a small project I was making. This little purse was a birthday gift for a friend.

I found the pattern in an old issue of Quiltmania. Several of these fabrics were recent purchases from here.

Our Friday sewing group has been issued with a challenge. We were each gven a little stack of fabrics and a pattern (all the way from Houston, USA!) to make a rug mug.

Mine is a flamingo, hence the colours! Wish me luck because it is foundation pieced and I am waaay out of my depth with that technique! I am looking forward to learning something new!

It is supposed to be summer here in Melbourne. Three days ago it was close to 38 C (100 F), today it is closer to 11 C (52 F) with heavy rain, thunder and hail! The perfect weather to stay at home and stitch!

Stitching lots of little pieces of fabric together...

Take some of these..

 Two inch stars.

Add a few of these...

lots of 4 patches.

Make some of these,

some of these,

add one of these,

and keep stitching until you make this.

I have joined in with Temecula Quilt Company's Countdown to Christmas stitch along. I still have   some stitching (and a little more cutting out) to do to get my top done.

Here's a little peek at something else I have been working on. Almost finished!

Its the first time I have made this style of log cabin.

Last week I visited my favourite shop in the city.

I came home with a little fabric.

From tomorrow they are have a Christmas shopping event

 (no affiliations, just a happy customer)

Today I also bought these from Vicki.  Great to catch up with a fellow blogger!

I can't wait to use those French General fabrics!

I have also made a little start on a crochet project.

A long way to go on this one.


I am still plugging away at quilting Swooning Southern Belles. Almost there!!

So plenty of projects to keep me busy.

Hope you are finding lots of stitching time! :)

Catching up with CCCQ Blocks

Well, I took the centre block, block 13, with me on holiday, but, as often happens on holidays, I didn't get much stitching done while we were away.

I got it finished just after we got home.

Block 13 will be 24 inches square.

Block 14 was relatively easy after this one and only took a few days to finish. I think I just squeaked in before the end of October finishing this one.

Block 15, Alice McClellan's block was finished last night.

All caught up, at last!!

Visit to Laos - Part 3 Boat Festival (Festival of light)

Our visit to Laos was timed to coincide with the Festival of Light and the Boat Festival.

This festival is held over two days and takes place on the full moon at the end of the rainy season.

Vientiane is host to many visitors; most from towns and villages in the countryside and some from overseas like us. It was so busy it was very difficult to cross the roads on foot during the afternoons and evenings!
For a week before the festival people pour into the city and there are hundreds of colourful stalls set up along the river. They sell everything from shoes, clothes, food and drink and games to play. There is lots of loud music and huge crowds, especially at night.

Some describe it as celebrating the end of Buddhist Lent because it is the first day the monks come out of their temples after 3 months of seclusion. (Lent is probably the closest description in terms of a Christian outlook because people often give up meat and alcohol for the 3 months.)

Very early on the first day there are ceremonies held at pagodas and offerings are made.

In the evening of this day my DH and I were lucky enough to be taken to the  local temple of a cousin of my DH for another ceremony. It began with chanting by the monks, the novices and all present. The monks knelt on a platform and below everyone else sat dressed in white. We didn't have white to wear, but joined in anyway...at the back.

Next the head monk spoke giving advice to all the novice monks present. While this was happening the sun was setting and the full moon rose. Every now and then we could hear fire works going off in the distance.

Next everyone was given a bouquet of flowers with candles in incense. The candles were lit and everyone walked around the temple clockwise,  3 times. Near the front of the temple was a long boat-like structure where everyone placed their flowers and lit more candles.

Sorry about the bad photos, but it kind of gives you an idea of what it looked like.


After the ceremony one of the lady monks (yes, there are some ladies there. They have shaved heads like the men, but they wear white, rather than the saffron robes) spoke to us explaining some of what the evening was about (Unfortunately I don't understand Lao, so I have to rely on everyone else's memory....and a little bit of Googling!)

She told us it didn't matter what colour we wore on the outside; it didn't need to be white, it is what is inside our hearts that counts.


The festival is said to pay respect to nagas which are serpent like creatures that are believed to protect the Vientiane and Laos. There are depictions of nagas around many buildings.

Next we drove back towards the city and the Mekong river. Along the way we could see many homes and businesses with similar, though mostly smaller, boats at the front.  Ceremonies where candles were lit and placed in a boat, just along a fence or gate, had taken place all over the city. We stopped to buy our own "boats" from one of the many stalls along the road.

Our "boats" looked like this. They are made from banana tree trunk decorated with banana leaves, flowers and candles with incense. Others were smaller and some more elaborate and boat shaped.

 

We took these boats down to the Mekong river and joined hundreds of people by the riverside. We descended stairs to the water's edge and lit the candles on the boat. Unfortunately it was windy and all the candles blew out. Young men took everyone's boats and waded out into the river to put the boats in the water.

It is believed that the boats will float away any bad luck and bring good luck.

All the while there are fireworks and some people launched candle lanterns into the air too.

It was an amazing day and I feel very lucky to have been able to experience it all.

The next day boat races were held on the river. Because we were leaving that day we didn't get a chance to see any of the races live, but I did see some broadcast on TV from another town along the Mekong.  The boats race 2 at a time and there are women's teams and men's teams. It looked very exciting with some close finishes!

I have one more post about our holiday. This one will be all sewing and quilting! :)


Lastly a peek at what I have been stitching for the last few days.

Just the start! I have joined with Sheryl of The Temecula Quilt Company for her Countdown to Christmas Project. I still need to make about 10 more 2 inch stars and lots and lots more 4 patches.
Lots of fun!

Sarah Morrell is finished!

Its over 4 years since I started the quilt, but it "only" took about a year and a half to complete the top.
I purchased Sarah Morrell as a BOM from Threadbear.  At the time I had no repro fabric stash and no idea how to put together fabrics to create a quilt like this!
I was lucky enough to take some classes with Di Ford at Needles and Pins while I was making the quilt. Di's help and inspiration was invaluable!

Now for some close ups of a few of the blocks. (Lots of photos!)

Katrina did a wonderful job with her quilting.

I love the feathers...

And on my favourite block

Love his extra feathering.

All of the blocks were hand pieced or hand appliqued, except for this triple Irish chain. I chickened out and machine pieced this one! Lol Those pieces are 1/2 inch squares!

 Some blocks were appliqued using needleturn.

Many others were stitched down with hand buttonhole stitch using a single thread of Gutterman cotton.

I love broderie perse!

Lots of fun with fussy cutting many of the pieced blocks.

My very first experience with hexies!

My first flying geese!

On the back I used a strip made with some of the left over fabric.

I am very glad I stuck with this quilt, made every block and finished the whole quilt! It was a wonderful learning experience which has led to a renewed love of hand work, a new way of looking at fabrics for fussy cutting and lots more quilts (well, the start of many quilts! Lol)



The roses are in full bloom in my garden.