What next?

Two weeks ago my fellow quilters went on a shop hop - what a great way to spend a Sunday! We had scheduled a visit to three shops, the first two in McLaren Vale - The Patchwork Cow and Mallee Country Crafts and Gifts and the last in Brighton - Patchwork by the Sea. Because I had already left DH with the boys the day prior I just visited the first two shops and these are my purchases! The rainbow of fat quarters have been cut into and attached to my herb embroderies as sashing, and the pink (on left) is now the backing. I found suitable fabric for a border in my stash (surprise surprise!) and attached that last week at 6am when everyone else was asleep - there are good reasons you wake up before the kids! So its all pinned, quilted in the ditch and I am just pondering how to quilt the borders. The cream print with red stars is in the cupboard with the other cream/red prints I am collecting for a log cabin quilt....when I finish more of my UFO's!
SO now I have to decide what to tackle next? Hmm please note my side bar as I have been making amendements to completed and UFO lists eg Harvest table runner will NOT be getting anymore quilting, the end of the year is too close!
This is the challenge quilt I started with Eastwood quilters (NSW), perhaps in 2006? There were nine instructions of which I can find only 8 (please help Karen!), which were; 1. start with a star (done that) 2. Add a nine patch (outstanding), 3. try semininole (done that, with the emphasis on try!), 4. Add something floral (started that) 5. Add some diamonds (well I am going to cheat and say they are in the star), 6. Frame it (outstanding), 7. Curves (outstanding) 8. Stripes in two colours (yes, under the floral applique) and 9. well I dont remember exactly but we either moved to Adelaide before I got the last instruction or I have just forgot to write it down. Either way I have drafted a picture of what I want to do on the next two borders (incorporating #2, 6 & 7), but would like to know what #9 is before I start.


These four pointed star blocks were a gift from the Eastwood Quilters, for our wedding, so I would REALLY REALLY like to make them up, as we will celebrate five years of marriage this month. I have tried, the red/cream patterned fabric top centre has been cut into and I sewed it all together (on point), only to decide it looked awful. So I unpicked it all, brought more fabric (top right hand side - red check) and decided that perhaps red wasnt the right colour. Hence this project ended up in the UFO box. So now I just need some inspiring fabric that will make these stars work or I need a different layout, perhaps just join them all together? Or should I use a narrow sashing to break them up?
I hope to make a decision this week (on which one project to start next), as my oldest son has started to ask if Santa can bring him a bike for Christmas, so I am already feeling the pressure of the end of "The Year of the UFO" being just around the corner. Happy quilting Sue SA!

Red is best

Our new doona cover.Collection of cushions and dolls.

Our new curtains
Are you getting the picture? Yes I have decorated our bedroom in red! Thats without the drastic step of painting the walls, but trust me with red curtains on floor to cathedral ceiling windows, I dont need red walls!
Happy quilting Sue SA !



Car Cosy




I am still trying to complete as many UFO's as I can before the year runs out... because it just dawned on me that Christmas is only three months away!
BUT it was one of those days, when I ran out of thread and the binding was JUST that bit too short ... argh!!!

However I did muddle my way through and I now have the binding and label on my Harvest Table runner. BUT I cannot help thinking that a little bit more quilting is required, so I havent put it on the table yet! I am sure that if I leave it in my sewing room long enough I will forget my good intentions and start using it!

This is a shot of a "Car Cosy" I made two for my boys before our last trip interstate to visit family. They are well used by our car crazy son's and so I decided to make some more as gifts, which I just posted off last week. There are six pockets for matchbox cars to live in and road to drive them on, then you just flip the road over and roll the whole lot up for carrying around EVERYWHERE - when your a 4 yr old its your equivilent of a handbag!
The pattern was a tutorial from My Little Gems blog and was easy to follow. I changed the pattern a little bit to suit what I had in the cupboard, my only regret being that I didnt have lightweight interfacing as the heavy stuff was a bit too stiff.
Happy quilting Sue SA.

Kim Diehl star in a churn dash blocks

I was just popping in to read some of my favorite bloggers, after a six month absence!  Then I saw that there was this draft post, so figure...