FMQ... Bring it on!

The medallion quilt is all basted and FMQ has started!  With a pre-Xmas deadline... this one will be a tight finish, as I'm not known for my quick quilting skills :o)

The backing fabric is a pretty wide back from Spotlight.  Even though I really like it, and it works terrifically with the front - I can't help but wonder if it is slightly creepy.

Although the Invisifil thread I've used on the centre white section broke ALL.  THE.  TIME.  I finally got this bit finished stitching at a seriously reduced speed.  So hard to get nice curves and even stitching going this slow.

Switching to another thread, I did a variety of fillers on the butterfly wings... spirals...

Feathers...

Sort of a greek key design...

And a stipple following a wiggly stem...

The grey border/sashing I have done a couple of FMQ wiggly lines.  I'm thinking about making this three lines, although you can hardly see it on the front, hence the back shot.

And the threads... a grey Wonderfil Invisifil 100wt in the sashing and a pretty pastel 40wt Gunold thread in the butterfly border.  The thread that keeps breaking is an off-white Invisifil on a cone.  The grey thread has been fine.  One of the mysteries of FMQ.

The first day of the school holidays is traditionally tree trimming day.  Nadia was in charge this time, although I heard Dylan giving his opinion along the way.  This year it is all about the tinsel and the lights... hardly any decorations.  Well... it does look pretty!

The Calm before the Storm

You all know I'm talking about Xmas being the storm...don't you?

The opportunity to get away for an evening - without children - and spend a few hours participating in a Xmas related mystery project at my favourite patchwork shop (The Country Yard) was too good to pass up (even though, if you are a regular reader, you'll know I'm not a huge Xmas project person, OR all that big on small fiddly projects).  As this happened on a Friday night, coinciding with their regular once a month Saturday stitching, meant I scored a bonus get out of jail free card - and stitched away to my hearts content on Saturday too!  Bliss.

So what did I get up to?

Well, the mystery Xmas project was a felt stocking kit. 

Beautiful box

With everything that we needed inside

 Blanket stitch, back stitch and french knots are all within my abilities, and while the stockings are smallish - a few chocolates or lollies will fit nicely inside (or a pair of glasses as another participant discovered - and she was going to make one for her husband and I came up with some other suggestions of what he could fit inside, which she ignored but, hey, it was getting late and I was eating chocolate and drinking coffee past my bedtime) - they weren't too small to cause warnings on my "this is too fiddly" antennae.

There were spot prizes and a team relay challenge - involving Hershey's kisses and oven gloves, but we won't go there!  There may be Facebook pictures - you have been warned.  Needless to say, a lot of fun was had by all, and I seriously recommend taking advantage of such activities at your own local shops should you have the chance.

I came home with some new fat 1/8th bullets to add to my collection

and scored a decorated hand towel for travelling the furthest.

Of course, no evening would be complete without a small amount of shopping - so I added to my small Xmas stash a new pattern book - some delightful Gail Pan stitcheries and projects.

Saturday was my project day, and after much thought and procrastination, I had brought along my feathered stars.  I made pretty good progress considering it has been such a long time since I did anything on this that I couldn't remember any of the sizes, and had left my pattern instructions at home.

All fitting together so far.

I had cast my eye over quite a few odds and ends that desperately needed to come home with me - thread and needles being particularly necessary, the charm pack and fat quarter were just willing add ons, and I bought the rest of the background fabric I need for my modern double wedding ring quilt that has been on hold for several months waiting for this fabric to arrive.

You do not want to know how much this bundle cost :o)

I also collected my Viewers Choice package for my Berries and Bluebirds quilt.  A runner kit, scissors and thread!  Thank you Kerryn for being so generous!

My large scissors are well over twenty years old - so I'm well overdue for a new pair.  So exciting!  I don't know if I would ever make this particular kit - but I have no qualms about adding the fabric into the stash... very useful!

OK, the rest of the week has been slowly filled with machine quilting.  Remember, I had talked about Imogen's quilt - a group project that I was asked to be the quilter for. 

The batiks and blocks in this quilt just turned out stunning, so the pressure was on to come up with some quilting designs that did the quilt justice.

I decided in the end to frame the applique blocks, using the angle of the stars to form an onpoint square, which cut though the applique in some places. 

Inside the frame I am using a pebble and swirl filler pattern...

I am using the thread I purchased from the Auckland Festival of Quilts - which is running very nicely through my machine, and while it has quite a sheen on it on the spool - it tones down a bit once quilted, and is looking very nice.  Having a built in thread stand on your sewing machine comes in handy for these large cones.

That's my life all caught up for the moment - two more weeks of school/work left before Xmas school holidays - hence the need for the calm!  After a night and day away, I now feel like I can approach the rest of the crazy season with some level of inner peace - well, that's the theory, and I just need to remind myself (repeatedly) that everything will be fine.

This and That

Time has run away with me again.  I always find that this time of year just sneaks up on me, and all of a sudden, I am running to keep up with life in general.

Tomorrow the littlest member of our family will turn 9.  So we've been busy making a birthday cake to take to school... and she's got a fun day planned with friends on Saturday.

We're going to try making a sandwich with jam and then chocolate buttercream icing to top. Yum.

Then this week sees the end of the school term, so I'm frantic clearing my desk at work so hopefully things there will progress as smoothly as possible while I'm away. 

Last night was the open night at the College Dylan will be attending next year as a Year 7.  For the old school... this is Form One Intermediate.  I don't think I'll ever get used to the "year" system.

Last weekend I had a work colleague come around for some FMQ tuition... and this weekend another work colleague will come around to make another Amy Gibson BOM block.

On the sewing front, I've been plugging away at Bluebirds & Berries... now the entire centre panel is quilted.  I think that deserves a Woohoo!!!

I discovered this little filler pattern from Jess at The Elven Garden (it's like a mini clam shell with an echo round)... although she demonstrates a larger version of this pattern, it is super for filling in and around tiny applique spaces... who would have thought?

I also decided to do a wishbone sort of pattern around the first cream border.  I'll probably repeat this in the dark narrow border too.
 

I just winged this one, no marking... the pattern evolved somewhat from start to finish (as they usually do) but I think the biggest change to technique was when I realised I shouldn't be quilting side to side... because the whole quilt was never going to fit into the throat space, and changed to quilting down the border (which made a lot more sense, but affected the style of the quilting pattern).

This is the start and finish meeting point, see how it started quite roundy... and ended up quite pointy...

Now it's onto quilting the first applique border.  I'm thinking about a bit of a doodle mix to fill in the spaces... but at the same time this scares me silly.  It is a large area... crap, what was I thinking??? 

I spent a blissful wee "child free" while petting fabric at my fav The Country Yard, choosing a mix of fabrics to add to the original bundle to match this bunting fabric.  I have been asked to make a cot quilt for a yet to be born baby girl... with the request for very girly. I really like the way this bundle has grown.

Although I love the fabrics with the bunting... I would really want to use white as my background to make all those fabrics pop... but I know it is just hopelessly impractical.  So I've decided to keep the bunting for the back, and use this soft pink spotty speckle for the background.

A what I hear you ask?... well what would you call it?  It looks like a spotty speckle to me.

Once I had the fabrics sorted out, it was just time to find a design.  These blocks are still lying around my studio, and are a block that I absolutely love.  Wouldn't it be cool to just blow this block up to about 36"?  and add a narrow background border...

...and replace the centre framed square with an applique block.  That would be a 12" square - plenty big enough to fit something interesting and girly.  I can't decide whether to use this vase block?

Or this basket one?

 Come on people... give me a hand.  Which one (once it's done in my fresh girly fabrics of course) reads as more baby girly to you?