Sewing holiday fun

With a new arrival due very soon it has been time to start work on a new quilt.  These days many people find out the sex of their baby but the couple for whom this quilt is for, are leaving it as a surprise.  When you know the sex of the baby it certainly makes deciding on a quilt design easier but I have always loved that joy of finding out if it is a boy or girl till when you meet them for the first time.  So I thought that this Dr Seuss fabric would be just perfect for either a boy or a girl.  I have just cut 5 1/4 inch squares and sewn them up as a play mat. 

I had originally planned on cutting up the squares to become like the Disappearing 9 patch squares but with the designs on the fabric I thought that you would loose too much of the details and characters in the prints if they were any smaller.  Now to quilt and bind it.  I have chosen a red and white stripe to use as the binding which I think will just finish off the quilt nicely.

Well over a year ago I started this quilt.  In my strong aim to finish all the unfinished projects that have been laying around my sewing room (and only starting those needed - like new baby quilts!)  I have been working on this quilt again.  It is a Janelle Wind design - called Candy Girl.  I will show you more progress as I go - but hopefully I will be able to make a good dent in this these school holidays.

A little treat for myself - I have loved this Washi fabric for a while now and decided that I deserve some so bought it from Pink Chalk Fabrics. 

At night I have been loving my crochet.  This Blooming Flower Cushion from Attic 24 has been on my to do list since picking up a crochet hook.  After a lovely morning with friends we had the start of the pattern nutted out and then I was not able to put it down after that. 

I can not tell you how much I love the Brown Sheep Cotton Fleece I  used in this project.  The colours are so bright and I love the texture of it.  You can pick some up for yourself at Tangled Yarns.  I think there may be few of these under the Christmas Tree this year.

And with a special friend almost about to have a birthday I couldn't go past making her a Liberty Bliss scarf.  I used Rowan hand knit cotton in shades of blues and greys and a sweet Liberty print with tiny blue flowers.

Term 2 - Sewing Class Schedule

TERM 2 CLASSES- 2012

IT'S OUR BIRTHDAY !!!

Sew Along turns One in term 2 and to celebrate you are invite to join us for our

Social Night on Tuesday 8th May at 7pm.

It should be a great night with lots of past projects to look at. Bring a sewing project if you would like to or come along for a catch up.

Sewing with Oilcloth

There is so much yummy laminated fabric and oilcloth around at the moment. Choose to make 2 projects from storage boxes, a fancy peg bag and insulated lunch bags.

This class is NOT suitable for beginners - sewing experience required.

3 week class - $140

Tuesday 15th, 22nd and 29th May - 7pm - 9:30pm

(Venue - Mt Lawley Tennis Club)

Wednesday 16th, 23rd, 30th May - 9:30am - 12pm

(Venue - Mt Lawley Tennis Club)

Patchworking and Quilting Techniques

Following on from the success of our first quilting class in term 1, this new class teaches how to machine piece, machine quilt, hand quilt and how to put on binding. Choose to make a simple cushion or for those more adventurous there is a quilt to make.

3 week class - $140

Tuesday 5th, 12th and 19th June - 7pm- 9:30pm

(Venue - Mt Lawley Tennis Club)

Wednesday 6th, 13th and 20th June 9:30am - 12pm

(Venue - Mt Lawley Tennis Club)

Sew Along for the Table

This class was such a hit last year that we are doing it again. Come and learn how to cut using a rotary cutter and machine piece a beautiful table runner and placemats.

2 week class - $90

Tuesday 26th June and 3rd July - 7pm - 9:30pm

(Venue - Mt Lawley Tennis Club)

Wednesday 27th June and 4th July - 9:30am - 12pm

(Venue - Mt Lawley Tennis Club)

A long, long long time ago ......

A long, long long time ago last year I was keen to learn to crochet.  I took on a project from a Better Homes and Gardens Mag and thought - sure I can do this!  Well - totally overestimating my abilities I ended up with close to 300 squares of varying sizes (as per the pattern instructions) and well they just wouldn't come together.  Since taking a few classes I have learned about so many of the mistakes that were plaguing my blanket but not wanting to just set aside the squares as a bad mistake - I have persevered and came up with an alternative version. 

My blanket is now 48 squares  - all the same size.  I made some of the smaller squares larger and vice versa to end up with a blanket that I am actually quite happy with.

All this Brown Sheep Cotton fleece came from Tangled Yarns and was lovely to work with.  I love the range of colours available and the matt look to the cotton rather than a fluffy texture you get from wool.

Aside from dabbling in some crochet I have been quilting too - this quilt is a cot size quilt that I have named Rainbow Fizz and is one of the projects for Term 2 Sewing classes together with Claire Turpin Design.  After using a Kona Solids Charm pack from Pink Chalk as the inspiration I set to turn the squares into triangles.

I added in some white homespun and then hand quilted all the white squares in a co-ordinating Cosmo thread.

Also finished recently was this Music Box - Oliver and S dress.  My little one just loves it and it can't be washed and ironed quickly enough. 

And with Easter coming up I have been busy hand sewing lots of cute little Bouncing Bunnies which make great gifts at Easter time - especially as alternatives to chocolates and as great presents for all the teachers.  You can get your hands on some in my Etsy Store.

But if you are feeling crafty or want to get the kids involved you can buy kits to make them for yourselves

Finally Finished!

Well I have finally finished my Don't Look Now - Love Birds Quilt.  This was the first time I had a go at some Raw edge Applique and while certainly time consuming I am happy with the end result.  I especially think that once quilted it will even look better. 

The border is different from the original pattern as I wanted to create more of a framed picture look to the quilt design. I decided to treat myself to having it quilted by a professional.  Now to decide where to hang it!

In my last post I showed you some Rowan cotton and Liberty fabric for a new scarf - well here it is all finished. 

And with the help of the lovely Susan I decided that I should have a go at a Granny Square Blanket - I have used Debbie Bliss Eco Baby Cotton and have enjoyed working this lovely pattern. 

Granny Square Blankets are very close to my heart - I was taught when I was a kid by my Nanna how to make these as she was a mad crocheter as well.  After she died I found it very hard to continue to make these at it had really been something we shared together.  Many, many, many years on I am loving how with each round I make I am so fondly thinking of her and all the times we would spend crocheting.

Also a special thank you to Mhairi who suggested the Crafty minx Blog - this has been so helpful especially with some good tips and demos on blocking.  Thank you for sharing.

Liberty Bliss Love

At night time I have been watching lots of trashy television series and working on my crochet.  I am getting very good at this Liberty Bliss scarf.  So far this is about as good as my crochet gets.  I am looking forward to some lessons coming up on how to make Hexagons.

This scarf was finished for my dear friend's birthday.  I love picking a Liberty Tana Lawn print first that I think suits the person I am making it for.  Then I choose the four colours to go with it. 

For this scarf I used Rowan Handknit cotton from Calico and Ivy.  One of my favourite shop here in Perth.  The cotton was delightful to work with and I am using it again in another scarf.

This scarf is for another close friend whose birthday is coming up.  This is Biggan Yarn - it is a Merino wool and much fluffier than the cotton. I bought this wool  from Tangled Yarns.  If you have not checked out this shop - you should - Kelly and her team are so inspirational and are always so helpful with my many, many crochet questions.

This wool - also the Rowan handknit cotton is currently being crocheted as we speak - will show you when it is finished.

Holiday Sewing

With some time off over Christmas and as it is school holidays I seem to have a little extra time for some sewing.  I have been taking the time to catch up on some of my own projects that have made their way to the bottom of the pile throughout the year and now I am working my way through some unfinished projects.

This is the current state of my Love Birds Quilt.  I have done all the flowers and now just the ladybirds and birds to go. 

I recently got my hands on the A+ Skirt Pattern from Make it Perfect.  I even loved the fabric so much that Toni used, I tracked down some of the same Echino and made my own.

For my special friend Claire for Christmas I made these sweet Apple Felt coasters using the Tutorial that I found here at Purl Soho. 

I have been meaning to make for ages now some new Table runners to give my kitchen a fresh look.  I changed the black and white Table runners to this Green and linen look and love how it has brightened up the bench.

And just to leave on a tease!  I have been working with these bright orange Kaffe prints on a secret project!



Kids Holiday Classes

During January, Claire and I will be running some classes to get the kids stitching, sewing and creating. If you are in Perth you can email me at tiedwitharibbon@gmail.com to book places for your children.

Monday 9th January - 10am - 11.30am

HAND SEWN FELT BIRD MOBILE

Age 7-10

$35 includes kit

Monday 9th January 12.30pm - 2.30pm

CUTE OWL SOFTIE

Age 10+

$60 includes kit

This class is not suitable for an "absolute beginner"

Monday 16th January - 10am - 11.30am

FELT HAIR CLIPS & HEADBANDS

Age 7-10

$35 includes kit

Monday 16th January 12.30pm - 2.30pm

FUNKY NOTEPAD OR DRAWING PAD COVER

Age 10+

$55 includes kit

Age 7 - 10. These classes will focus mainly on basic hand sewing skills & will give kids the

chance to play with fabric, felt, buttons & embellishments.

Ages 10+. Introducing basic machine sewing skills as well as hand sewing skills.

CLASSES ARE HELD AT THE MOUNT LAWLEY TENNIS CLUB

LIGHT REFRESHMENTS WILL BE PROVIDED