Quilt Basting #2

A little follow up from yesterdays post.
The basting spray that I purchased was from the June Tailor company, so I can only comment on that particular product as it's what I used.
This product is odorless and colourless, I did however have the front door open just in case but there was no smell, the only problem I found was that I forgot to shut the door and the dog got out...... The spray is removed by washing once the quilt is finished and is recommended for use with 100% cotton fabrics and batting. It's also recommended that you spray directly onto the batting, not the quilt backing or quilt top. I didn't have any problems with it gumming up my machine needle and it was extremely easy to quilt. It's extremely easy to re-position any of the fabric if you get a little wrinkle and it holds for up to two months. I used a queen size sheet on the floor to grab any over spray.
It's available in many stores, my first choice was just to go to Hancock's and grab a can, then I found it on special at Joann's. Once I'd purchased it I found it at Walmart for a fraction of the price. So it's worth shopping around for the best price, why pay $13 a can when you can get it for $7.00.
If you are interested in reading about the various brands available you can find a wealth of information here, just type in spray baste into the search. This is the site that I used to decide which brand to use after reading all the comments.

Happy Stitching.

Quilt Basting

How do you baste your quilts ready for machine quilting?

I used to use this method, loads of safety pins everywhere. This method takes me hours and you end up with an extremely sore back and numb fingers from closing all those pins. Then of course there's the taping the quilt backing to a table or two that's hopefully big enough to accommodate said backing.

Today I tried a new method (for me) that took a total of 30 minutes. I did a little research before I attempted this new method, searching out the preferred product at the best price. I'm sure many of you have tried quilt basting spray before.
After reading a lot of the reviews on the various brands I decided to go with the June Tailor spray as it has no fumes. I also discovered that the best price was at Walmart, oh well.

I was amazed at how quickly I had the quilt prepared for quilting, and it makes the quilting process so much easier and so much faster. None of those nasty pins to remove. The quilt is now ready for me to stitch the binding down .

So what's your preferred method of preparing a quilt for quilting?

Happy Stitching.

Claude and Maude

Otis and Ruby have finally convinced Claude and Maude to come out and play under the tree. Although Claude and Maude are much more comfortable up a tree, than at the bottom of it.

Because Maude thinks that Claude is such a handsome hunk, she didn't want you to see all of him all at once, just in case you got ideas for her man.
So here's some little peeks of Claude, just so you can be prepared for his handsome rugged looks.
Maude loves his ears, he can hear her when he's up a tree, miles away.

Even though his tummy is rotund, it ,makes her smile.
Now Claude is a bit of a show off, especially when he's up a Eucalyptus tree, and has had quite a few run-in's with the pavement, so his nose is a little grazed at the moment, and he's a real sun lover so he has a super duper tan.

Now isn't he a handsome dude?

Maude on the other hand is a little more refined and not so much of a show off as Claude.

Although she enjoys the sun, she's more aware of the damage the harsh Australian sun can do to a girls complexion, so she's been using sun block on her pale sensitive skin. Although her ears are a little pink from an afternoon playing in the yard with Otis and Ruby.

Her apron is never far from her reach as Claude has such a huge appetite, as evident from his tummy.

She wanted to stay in the shade for this photo opportunity.

Don't they make a lovely couple?

Otis, Ruby, Claude and Maude will all be going to live at Hollie's house waiting the arrival of her baby........GIRL!!!! We found out yesterday what it will be. Now I can get into the pink sewing mode.
Happy Stitching.

Merry Monday

It's that time again, time for a little inspiration for all our Christmas swappers. I think Stephanie and I have the stockings and sacks well covered. So it's time to move on to some ideas of what you might like to put inside those stockings and sacks.

Let's start with some basics.

You can never go wrong with good quality long quilting pins. I personally like the glass head pins as they have a nice fine point, but you can also get flower head and neon pins. A google search will find you plenty of stores to shop from.

Hand quilting or applique needles, if your partner enjoys doing either.

Good quality threads to piece and hand stitch with. Aurifil is my personal favorite, and if you want it at a good price then this is the place to shop from. For the Australian ladies Rasant is exactly the same and you can find it here.

Safety pins for sandwiching quilts, these seem to come in all sorts of shapes and sizes these days, and there are also covers available.

Pack of bobbins

Bobbin thread holders

Bobbin saver (plastic ring to hold bobbins)

Does your partner enjoy applique and use Steam A Seam ?

Current issue of quilt magazine

Packaged pattern

FQs

Pigma Pens
Quilt hangers

Embroidery threads.

DMC

Weeks Dye Works

Gentle Arts

Caron

ThreadworX

That should give you a few ideas to start with.

Happy Swapping.

Meet The New Kids Under The Tree

I'd like you to meet Otis and Ruby. Otis is very self conscious about his feet, he retains fluid you know, and has trouble walking some days, plus he has a toe condition, poor chap.

He's also aware that his ears don't always do want he wants them to, especially when it's an extremely windy day.
He knows it's time for a lifestyle change as his tummy tends to rub on his feet.

In his favorite spot.

Ruby has her issues as well. She's very embarrassed about her extremely thin legs and lack of muscle condition.
She has a habit of accidentally hitting others, as her arms have become quite stiff.
She would rather that you didn't stare at her ears, like Otis and his ears, hers just won't do what she wants them to, no matter how hard she tries.

A quiet nap under the tree.

These two spend a lot of time under this tree.

They have two new friends Claude and Maude.

Claude's a little shy though, and doesn't want everyone to meet him until Maude has her new outfit finished. Then he's promised Otis and Ruby that he'll come out and play under the tree with them and Maude.

Happy Stitching.

Retail Therapy

It's been busy in the sewing room, still stitching baby items. Today is a day of cutting and preparing. So while I'm busy doing all of this I thought I'd share some of my recent purchases to help the economy, with you all. Before I forget, I'm still working through the emails, so please don't think I'm ignoring you, I just have so much to do, I'm trying not to spend too much time on the computer.
Don't you love how stores present your orders, nicely tied up with a bow?

These arrived today from Z&S Fabrics. All on sale which was a bonus and all for particular projects.

Sweet little brown rabbits for the backing of the rabbit quilt.

Every Aussie baby needs an Aussie icon, a pair of cute and cuddly Koalas. This pattern came from Kathy at Pink Chalk fabrics, super fast service. The charm pack was "just because".

Happy Stitching.

Mark It Off The List - Spring Swap

Remember this pattern? I bought it for a nappy/diaper bag for Hollie.

The last few days I've been working on getting it finished. I quite like Quilts Illustrated patterns, they are simple and easy to follow. I did make a few changes, to give a better finish.

Lots of roomy pockets, both inside and out.
A nice wooden toggle button.

And a clip to hang keys or phone from. I see I need to trim a few more threads.

And finally a wet pack for those wipes.

So that's another thing I can mark off the list.

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Spring Swap

We have seven ladies left to receive their parcel then we can say the swap is finished. Can you please email me once your parcel arrives.

Happy Stitching.

Ready For The Rabbits

I'm sure you remember these lovely patterns that arrived from Melanie. I decided that they had aged long enough, in particular the pattern on the left.
So last week I busied myself and got the background cut and pieced.
Sunday evening I sat and embroidered the words.

And yesterday I spent the day making this terrible mess (sorry about the poor quality of the photo).
To create this.

Now all that's needed is for the border fabric to arrive, and hand applique the rabbits and it will be ready for the machine applique and quilting.

Happy Stitching.

Polka Dots

Ahh squishy mail bliss, that's what it was here, on Friday. I found a box on my front porch Friday afternoon. Now I have to tell you I ripped that puppy open before I even thought of getting the camera. But I'm sure you've all seen a box before, right?

Does this little signature bow and card give you a clue as to who the sender may be?

Then maybe this sneak peek that was shown last week may give you a clue.

Divine spots in gorgeous shades of blue, red, orange, white and green set on a soft strawberry pink, teamed with yummy red and white stripes and tiny little blue buttons. Beautifully hand stitched Dresden plate with such a cute little pink bird taking centre stage.

A lovely long handle (she must know I'm tall) finished off with a cute bow and toggle button. I'm sure you must have guessed by now! Yes the lovely Stephanie sent this divine creation as a thank you for the Spring Swap.

Thank you so much Stephanie, I just love it to bits. It had it's first trip out only minutes after it arrived.

Thank you to everyone who responded to by bouncing problem. It's now solved. DH and I spent yesterday afternoon rearranging the sewing room, and the machine is back on the wooden table, no problems with bouncing now.

Happy Stitching.

Bloggers Quilt Festival!

Amy from Park City Girl is hosting a week long bloggers Quilt Festival and as I'm in the middle of so many projects I thought this would be a great idea to fill in some of my gaps in posting. The idea is to do a post on your favorite completed quilt project, and the story that goes with it. So the first quilt that came to mind was the one I made for (ds) Luke last year for his 30th birthday this year. Poor kid still hasn't received it, but that will change tomorrow.

A quick trip to the post office will solve that problem. I seem to get stuck coming up with things I can post back to Australia that don't cost an arm and a leg, (I failed miserably on this one). As it was a big birthday for him I wanted something that he could keep, and since it's been five years since I've seen him I wanted something that would last and remind him of how much I love him. So hence the quilt. I worked on each block as a single block ie: quilt as you go, and then joined all the blocks together. He has a love of Asian, (martial arts, and the arts in general) so I decided to go with the red, black and white. It's finally been given a name, "Red Centre". For those of you that are not from Australia, the Red Centre is also known as the Northern Territory, where you'll find Ayres Rock, also known as Uluru.

I know Luke will understand the name behind the quilt. If you'd like to see more of the natural beauty of the Australian outback, click here, and if you'd like to either join in on the festival or see the posts from other blogs then check out Amy's blog.

Happy Stitching.

Join In On The Fun

Have you heard about the week long Bloggers Quilt Festival hosted by Amy from Park City Girl starting tomorrow? Go check out her blog for the details, it should be loads of fun, and bonus she's giving away prizes.

Bouncing

I did a bit of rearranging in my sewing room a couple of weeks ago, and moved my machine from a wooden table to a table like the one pictured below.

Now as much as I prefer this bigger table to work on, (read more room to make a mess) I find that my machine bounces around like the EverReady bunny when I put my foot down and fly (speed). Any suggestions to get rid of this bouncing problem? I've tried a piece of foam rubber underneath it, and all that does it make it bounce with less noise.

Happy Stitching.

Spring Swap Revealed

My Spring Swap partner received her parcel yesterday, so now it's safe to reveal what some of those sneak peeks were. As I told Helena I tend to struggle with what I'll make for any of my swap partners, hoping that I'll find a fit for their tastes. So here's what was included in my parcel to her.
"Dive Into Spring" This one was so much fun to play with, not my usual quilt, but when I found the pattern I just thought it was cute and different.

I'm sure I put a label on the back of this one, but I can't remember what I called it. This too was a lot of fun to put together, colours I normally wouldn't work with, but am leaning towards more now.

Finally a tote bag, for shopping.

If you check out the links on my side bar you'll see a number of lovely Spring Swap items that have been received.

Happy Stitching.

Bright Bunnies

Another week already, where did the weekend go? I spent time on Saturday and Sunday evening finishing the floor quilt for Hollie's bub. I had a piece of fabric that had rabbits, baskets and birdhouses scattered across it that I thought could be chopped up and used in the blocks. Unfortunately the pattern wasn't printed on the grain, so I had to decide what I could do with it. Ahhh leaning logs....lol...
None of the blocks are the same, none of them are centered (which is a feat in itself as I'm such a perfectionist). After looking at them for a while I thought, it's only for the floor, to be sat on, spilt on and played on, so it doesn't have to be "perfect", just bright and happy will be fine with me.
I love the way a quilt gets all soft and wrinkly after it's been washed.
I've been working on my Christmas in July swap items, started three and decided all three just won't suite. So it's back to the drawing board. I've also been working on another pattern, and still have more baby items that need to be stitched. I definitely need another pair of hands, a new mind or perhaps more hours in the day. Maybe all three.


I stumbled across another new to me blogger yesterday. Jenny is from Australia and has created some lovely stitching /applique designs that she's sharing with bloggers. So pop on over and say hello and have a look at her pretty blocks.



Happy Stitching

Merry Monday

Time for a little Christmas in July inspiration, but first just a couple of reminders. This swap is a secret swap, so please NO emails to your partner. The person you are sending to is NOT the same person who will be sending to you. If you need to ask your partner a particular question then send your hostess a quick email and we'll be happy to ask your partner on your behalf. Sneak peeks are wonderful and encouraged but again please do NOT reveal all of your finished project on your blog until your partner has received it. Stalking umm I mean lurking on her blog is advised and encouraged to get a feel for your partners tastes and likes and dislikes. As we have 14 weeks to get our stockings/sacks and handmade gifts made, do a little shopping to add to the sack, Stephanie and I don't think there's any reason why any of us should be late in mailing the parcels. Unless of course there's an emergency.
I feel like I'm flogging a dead horse here, but I can't emphasise this enough, Thank You, Thank You, Thank You. Once you've received your parcel please be polite and personally thank your swap partner with either an email or a thank you card. Just posting on your blog will NOT do.
Let your hostess know when you have received your parcel. these may seem like simple things, and they are...... but........ I speak from past experience, with upset swappers who don't receive a thank you, just a read it on my blog type comment, and as a hostess having to cruise all the blogs to see if parcels have arrived.
Ok now on to the fun stuff.

Last week Stephanie shared with you a variety of Christmas stockings, so I thought this week I'd share some links for those Christmas sacks/gift bags. So let's get started.

Let's start with a terrific tutorial from one of our Christmas swappers Rachel. If you visit Rachel's blog, you'll find the tutorial in a PDF format on her sidebar. Or if you would prefer it straight from her blog you'll find it here, Thanks Rachel.
Pattern from Debbie Mumm.

The Wandering Sack made with Christmas fabrics could be very cute.

Elizabeth Hartman of Oh, Fransson! has two cute tutorials that you can find here and here, just think Christmas fabrics.

Bagsket Tutorial

Fabric Gift Bag

Lunch Bag Be imaginative and create a terrific Christmas bag

The Blue Wren's Nest tote by Natalie Lymer of Cinderberry Stitches here.

These links below are for patterns for purchase.

Bosa Nova Bags

Santa Sack

Crazy Santa Sack

Now that should get your creative juices flowing.

Happy Stitching.