Reporting in again

 

I don’t know just where the days and weeks and months are disappearing to, and tomorrow is the last of another week! And another month rolls over again and March will be here on Sunday! I feel like the merry go round is going too fast, and I want to get off just for awhile.

This is what is on the machine at the moment, and you can see I have lots of SID in my future. I should have finished it by now, but the week has had it’s share of interruptions. I hope to be finished ready for a delivery on Tuesday. All lovely needle turn applique!

Recently I started to think about the fact that the written word is almost a rarity these days, as people send letters by email, and print things from the internet. If you want to find a recipe often we go and “google” it and print from the website, or save it on our computers in a folder somewhere. On another blog I read, the quilter always signs her name on the label so that future generations can see the actual handwriting, along with the date. I find it interesting to look at the handwriting, and try to imagine details about that person. The sending of greeting cards at birthdays and Christmas is not common anymore. In my recent decluttering and sorting I found lots of cards received over the years, including engagement, wedding, arrival of babies, special birthday and more. I found it great to go back and read them, and it was sometimes a reminder of people no longer with us. I have kept quite a few special cards.

So I have done some detective work and located the recipe books of both my grandmothers,that have been in safe keeping with various relatives.

I have scanned lots of pages of these books this week and saved them on my computer. I have also obtained written recipes from my mother, and dug out one of my books that I don’t write in very often these days.

Below is a page from my father’s mothers recipe book.

And this is from my mother’s mothers book.

I bought some large notebooks, and found various fabrics with pictures of various fruits and vegetables, and made a crazy patchwork cover. I even used the alphabet on my sewing machine for the book title. And now the recipes have been printed and glued into the pages of this book. (Quite a few of my family members will be receiving one of these books when their birthday rolls around!) There are 3 generations in so far, and hopefully when I send them on to the recipients they will add 1 or 2 more generations to the book. And maybe in years further on, another generation will be able to look at the book and wonder about the people who wrote the recipes. I know that school children are using IPads more and earlier than ever. Who know, do they even learn hand writing anymore?

I had another special delivery of fabric this week, ready to be put into Paper Bag Mystery quilts. If you might be interested in checking out Susanne’s ebay store where she is selling the stock from Val’s Mundulla store, go to http://stores.ebay.com.au/kikifabrics

I shall put a link onto the sidebar of my blog when I can work out how to do that.

It was lovely to spend time with family this week, although the reason for the visit was not so good. Former school friends gathered this week to farewell one of their class members who died last week. A life cut short and a reminder that noone knows the number of days allotted to us.

Well I think it is time for sleep, as I have lots of the quilt to get done tomorrow. It is going to be hot again after a few nice days this week. I still have lots to do in the garden at The Sanctuary this week.

I am looking forward to the Statler Users Gathering in a week’s time. Still a space if any Statler owners want to come and join us.

Blessings, From Jude

Catching up again

 

It seems that over a week has elapsed since my last post, so I will endeavor to catch up on the Newsfromjude. I have been reminded by email about a lack of posting. There has been much quilting going on, the weather has not been very nice, and the watering and tidying in the garden continue.

I have also been trying to cut back my computer time, due to warnings from my provider that I am getting close to the limit of my allowance, and last month I actually went over, and the shaping that occurs, was not real easy to live with. So I don’t want to go there again. It’s amazing how fast we thought the internet was when we first got dialup, and now we are so spoiled with fast access. It is a bit like when microwave ovens first came in, and it was so quick to boil a cup of water, and now we think that 30 seconds seems slow!

Following are a few quilts that I have quilted recently. Firstly a Christmas quilt that is rather lovely, with custom quilting.

This is Lorna’s candlewicked quilt, that has a simple custom over it. The borders will be scalloped. The colours don’t look quite accurate in this photo.

Also made by Lorna for a young girl, with nice bright colours and quilted allover with Dancing Hearts.

This is made by Sherrel with Oriental fabrics and quilted allover with Asian Fans.

A pretty quilt made by Heather and quilted allover with Pearl Flower Vine.

While the weather has been so HOT on the last 2 weekends, I have moved my laptop onto the kitchen table near the lounge aircon, which is much more effective than the one in my work room. And because I got behind with my bookwork again, (after saying for the last 2 years that I was not going to let it get like that again), I can now say I am on track. Since the 40deg temp of last weekend until today, I have worked my way from July 2014 until end of January 2015!! Today has been over 40 again, and tomorrow is expected to be similar. I go out early in the morning to water, and hibernate inside for the rest of the day. Tomorrow I will be working on the Paper Bag Mystery quilts, writing some patterns, and starting on the cutting of the fabrics. June is coming fast, and I want to be ready.

I can’t think of any more news, and it’s too hot to think, so will leave it there for this time.

Hope you are staying cool in the South of our country, while it is wet and flooded with the cyclone in the north, and probably still cold in the northern hemisphere.

Blessings, From Jude

A winner and a visit from the Angels!

 

As promised all the names of people who left comments during the last week were put into a draw. (Not a drawer, as I wrote the first time!!) The winner of this bundle of items is “Hellie”, who did make a google account for herself and left me a comment on the blog. Hellie often comments on what I have written, but usually it is verbal or email or text. I thank all those who “came out of the woodwork” and commented, as well as those who often leave me messages. I might do this again another time as this was fun.

Today was our monthly Gumnut Angels Sewing Day. We use donated scrap fabrics and make a quilt with them, to give to local people who are not well, or going through hard times, to let them know that someone cares. It was a good attendance today, for the first meeting of this year. There was lots of sewing, trimming, pressing, laying out of blocks happening. The laughter and banter was good to listen too. It was a bit tricky when there were several conversations happening at the same time, and you listened to one and thought it applied to you, and acted on it, and it was really meant for the other person! It was one of those, “you had to be there” moments.

Quite a few quilts were worked on today, some completed, and some still in progress. Now they just need to put some pressure on the quilter that does their quilts for them!

This quilter has passed the half way mark of the candlewicked quilt that I loaded yesterday. So you know what I shall be doing tomorrow.

Blessings, From Jude

I am still here

 

Just checking in to let you know that I am working on quilts. Have a few deadlines to meet this week.

First up is a quilt made to showcase the fabrics from the Woodland Creatures range. If you would like some of these, you could contact Jennifer Meek at Nhill and I am sure she would be happy to help you.

And this is the beauty that I loaded today, and am gradually working my way through. I am stitching in the ditch on this one first and will come back to the blocks and borders, mainly because I am still thinking about what I shall quilt. Lorna does not want it heavily quilted and the border will be scalloped. Tomorrow morning I hope that it has ‘talked’ to me!

I said I would collect names from those who left me a comment for a week, and this is closed tonight. I have the names in a container, and tomorrow I expect a visitor or two and shall ask one of them to DRAW a name. I have succeeded in getting comments from quite a few who don’t usually have anything to say, so that has been great. Thankyou to all. Some comments were left on the blog, and some came by email, and one who reads, but does not email has sent a text message. Love to hear from you all. All will be revealed tomorrow, and I have found a few items for the giveaway.

I have been working on the designs of quilts for the Paper Bag Mystery, and sometimes it is difficult to find a fabric in the EQ library that is close in colour and pattern to the real fabric. So I decided that I really needed to get out the user manual and work out how to scan my actual fabrics. After a few tries, and with input from 2 friends who also use EQ, I have succeeded. This will make my pattern instructions look much better, so I am very happy. I also discovered a few things about my scanner that I did not know before. Amazing what you find when you “click” around in the programmes!

I have downloaded the latest update for Creative Studio to my Statler, and I look forward to another learning curve. All this modern technology does take some keeping up with.

The weather is heating up again and forecast to be in the 40’s on Saturday. Looks like early mornings watering, and then some quilting, and maybe a job by the air con in the afternoon.

Blessings, From Jude

Do you have this fabric?

 

I have been searching online today for this fabric, and not coming up with anything. So I thought I might ask any of my readers if they have this, or know of a source that might have some. It is a Robyn Pandolph fabric (Forever Yours) and I purchased it back in 2005.

I know it is very pink, and the pink are just not the same colour match anywhere I have looked. I would really love some for my Head to the Border quilt, as I still have 2 borders to go yet and there is not much of this left. And my quilt is getting larger!

I would love to hear from you. There must be some out there in someone’s stash?? Or maybe you think like I do now, and that it is far toooo pink.

Blessings, From Jude,

who is about to go for some DEAR time! (Drop Everything And Read)

A new venture

 

As promised in my blog post End of an Era I now have more information on that story.

A few months ago, I blogged about my DD3, who was learning to sew and making clothes for herself.

She has really enjoyed this new hobby, and the thrill of making something for herself. There was talk about the possibility of making clothes and selling them online, or going to markets and selling items that she had made. 

When Val mentioned to me that she would like to sell all the stock in her shop as a total package, I was really interested myself. All those ribbons, and laces and braids and shiny fabrics I could put to good use in my Embellished quilts classes! And the patchwork fabric that I purchased for the Paper Bag Mystery quilts would be great to have at my fingertips. But, I felt a bit like Val, and the thought of sorting and packing up all the stock in the shop was a bit daunting and exhausting. And I was reminded of an earlier post this year, where I talked about the balance in my life and sorting out the …. should do’s, and the …. want to do’s etc. I know that I am already busy enough and had to say no. I still haven’t found that “get up and go” that I lost, and no one has found it and brought it back to me either. But I did think about a much younger person who I knew that might be interested.

When the chance came for Susanne and Dan to purchase the stock, they went into “overdrive” doing their homework based on photos taken of the stock at the shop, and investigating online selling. This may be a “bit” bigger than she had thought about when talking about selling a “few” things!  And I don’t really think that the photos quite prepared them for when they actually walked into the shop and saw all the “stuff”.

From the time when they learnt about the option, then said yes, then hired a truck, drove from Melbourne to Mundulla, loaded the truck, drove home and unloaded the truck and returned the truck, it was a total of 6 days. And I don’t think that their mind’s have hardly stopped thinking about fabric and “stuff” since.

In the last 2 weeks, they have been busy organising their stock purchases and trying to work out the best way of selling it. There are lots of options and it will all take time, and at present she is testing the market on eBay. If you are interested in purchasing any stock, please contact me and I shall let you know further details. In the near future they will be setting up an eBay store, and I shall post details of how you can check this out.

There are lots of exciting times ahead and I shall update you occasionally. I still know where all those ribbons, braids, laces, buttons and gorgeous fabrics are and have some ideas of my own!  And while the patchwork fabrics are not “at my fingertips”, I know how to find them too! Meanwhile I wish them all the best in their new venture.

Blessings, From Jude

Just off the machine

 

I have had this quilt here for a few months now, and it was time this week to get it done. Some quilts just tell you how they need to be quilted straight away, but others just take a bit lot longer! (I was fortunate that the client kept telling me that there was no hurry!) I hung the quilt up behind my machine, where I can look at the quilts while I work, and hope that ideas will come. This one has been hanging for awhile, until I finally took it down and put it away after I had photographed it. That way no one had to know that it was still here?? But I printed the photo and have been auditioning ideas on it.  Sometimes I spend longer coming up with a design than I do on the actual quilting, (which is not ideal for the bank balance!)

There is a whole blank canvas in the centre of this top, and not a lot of colour except in the corners and the border. So I thought it needed something in the middle to take your eye to. I thought I would show you the before photo first, and hope you can see the difference.

I have used a light blue thread in the centre, and maybe it could have been darker, but I did not want it to shout too loudly as the quilt colours are soft. Second photo is the quilt hanging up, and the third is the quilt on the bed with the light coming across so that you see the quilting much better.

It is due for delivery tomorrow, so hope that Sue likes what I have done. Most ladies just leave their tops here with little instructions, although I do have a couple that tell me exactly what they want quilted. I Sue did give me some guidelines to help with ideas.

Our power went off this afternoon, without warning, and it’s then that you realise just how dependant we are on electricity. I was able to use my laptop on battery for awhile. I was in the process of downloading the latest software update to my Statler and had almost finished when all the lights went out. I was very thankful when the power came on a couple of hours later, and the update went smoothly and all seems to be working without any problems. Have loaded another custom Christmas quilt with lots of needleturn applique. I am keen to try out some of the new features in the program.

The weather has been so mild this summer, except for a couple of rather hot days up to 46. But mostly we have had glorious days, with temperatures from 20 through to about 30. The forecast for the next week is for more hot, and up to 40 for a few days next week. I feel exhausted just thinking about that. I have been spending time in the cool early mornings attacking my cottage garden, which has got a bit unruly and very “uncottagey”!? But with a hot spell coming, I shall cease cutting back until the next cool spell and concentrate on the watering.

Thanks to those who have left me comments from the last post, and also to the “spelling police”, who correct my mistakes in the blog posts. I shall continue to add further comments to the DRAW for the next week. Meanwhile I better find something nice for the giveaway!

Blessings, From Jude

Anniversaries

Today is a significant date for a number of reasons, a couple of which are not reason’s to celebrate.
But another is special because it was 13 years ago today, on the 4th February 2002, that my first quilting machine, (which I called Gertie) was delivered to my studio.  It was a very exciting day, and the start of a big learning curve. There was no stitch regulation or computer on my first machine, a Gammill Premier, and I could only quilt about 12” before I had to roll the quilt on. I thank Kaye and Bruce, my dealers, who encouraged me and were always at  the other end of the phone if I had any problems. The machine quilting world was a lot smaller back then. When I doubted and worried about whether I could do this, Kaye would say, of course you can, you’re a woman!! I kept my daytime job for a couple more years, and gradually reduced my hours until I finally went full time quilting.
I called the Premier Gertie, in memory of my grandmother and in the first photo you can see Gertie, in my studio. This room was originally my carport, which was renovated  ready for the arrival of my Gammill, which took 6 weeks on the boat from America. I am looking at just how small Gertie was, compared to what I have now. But I still managed to do some great quilting and win a few prizes along the way.

Now a few years later, the Statler computer was added to the Gammill machines, and I thought this would be rather good. I could let the Statler do the edge to edge quilting, and use the Premier for my custom freehand quilting. So I borrowed some more money and took the next step. The only problem was that my room was too small, so I also had to extend my studio to make room for another machine. That took more money!
And on the 16th February, 2007 my next machine arrived and I called this one Max, and don’t ask me why! And Max was also delivered by Kaye and Bruce. You can see in this photo both machines next to each other.

I worked with the 2 machines for a year or so, until I realised that I was doing more and more on the Statler, and that Gertie was often not being used. I could do things quicker with Max, and I was only one person. While the machine was operating, I could be getting another quilt ready to load, or doing some invoicing or ordering supplies, or having a cuppa, or checking out the computer! I don’t know how those girls who have more than one machine keep up with them. Finally a decision was made to sell the Premier, and I must admit to being sad when I saw Gertie loaded on a trailer and driven away. But I was quite relieved not long after that, because when I had to take time out for surgery and radiotherapy I did not have 2 machines sitting here idle. Selling Gertie also cleared my debt. And in the last photo you can see the difference in the throat space of Max to the first machine. This was taken in 2013, when Bruce was here to service Max.

If you have read this far, I thank you. I have decided to try a giveaway to celebrate 13 years. I am not sure what it will be, but probably something a quilter can use. You need to leave me a message on the blog to participate. I know some of you are not followers and don’t have a google account, so then you can send me an email with your contact details. I know there are a  lot that read and never comment, so maybe this will encourage you to try to sign up as a follower. I shall put all replies into a “hat” and get someone to choose one. I will post overseas also. I will do the draw in one weeks time.
Now it is 2015, and I have been machine quilting for 13 years. It has been an amazing journey, and gone so quickly.
I have met some great people, and attended quilt shows and conferences to learn from some great teachers. And I have entered mine and customer quilts into shows and brought home some ribbons, (which you can see some of on the curtain behind Bruce’s head). I guess you could say that I have replaced the second machine with the house across the road, (The Sanctuary) where we have some great retreats and fun times. And the journey continues…….
Blessings, From Jude

Quilts again

 

Thought I might just post a couple of photos of recent quilts. Top one is Noah’s Ark made by Cheryl. It is on it’s way to her in the post, so hope she likes it.

And this was made by Jo, for her 5 year old grand daughter, and quilted all over with Asti, which gives the quilt a great texture of circles.

Blessings, From Jude

Heading to the border

 

Monday evening was our meeting to show our progress on our border quilts. Not everyone was able to attend, but and some are not quite keeping up. Life seems to get in the way sometimes, but you can see below photos of some of the quilts so far. There were a lot of groans when the next border was pulled out, and read BRAID! I know it will be a challenge for me, as my fabric choices are very limited, and the quilt is getting larger. We have one more meeting in April for the last border, and then it will heads down to get the quilts finished for our group exhibition in October. One lady is doing quilt as you go, so when she does her last border, she will be done. You can see the variety in colour and design.

I have been working hard on quilts this week, and have some deadlines to work to. I did take the day off on Sunday, and looked through my shelves to decide what I would sew. There are a “number” of boxes with WIP’s in them, but I came across some items that needed mending. I thought I would just do those, as most only needed a little bit of attention, and that would make space on my shelves, and look better, wouldn’t it?

I looked at the clock and it was after lunch time, so wondering what I would eat, I opened the fridge door. I found a few things that really needed using very soon, so cooked up a “leftover’s in the fridge” lunch.Just as I was eating that, some friends called in on their way to the pictures. I could not refuse an invitation to join them, as I was having a “day off” wasn’t I? It is a loooooong time since I have been to the pictures, and we enjoyed seeing the Water Diviner.

Time to call it a day, and head to bed. Our KYB Bible Study group starts meeting again tomorrow morning, after a break for the summer holidays. We are studying Jesus of Nazareth, so I am looking forward to that.

Be back soon,

Blessings, From Jude