Custom quilting catchup......

I noticed there are still a few pics in the files of recent custom quilting, so perhaps it's time to post them.

First up is a small quilt made by Joan, who is trying to finish some of her UFO's. She decided that she wanted a bit more than allover on this quilt,........

.....so I found a block pattern that fitted in with the background and coloured fabrics which made the job a lot simpler.

I posted a photo of Jean with her quilt in the exhibition reports, but here is a closeup of the quilting.

 

I used 2 different patterns which fitted the hexagon shapes and that just left the grey pieces where I used a simple continuous curve. The border was piano keyed.

Here is my Casa Felix quilt (called Chris' Crossings), and it was a very last minute job just before the hanging up deadline. Due to the time limit I had, it crossed my mind to quickly do an allover pattern on it and call it done. Finished is good. But, ever since I made this in 2020, I had been mulling over the quilting designs and sketched a few ideas on a photo of the quilt. And because I could, I went with the custom option. After loading this quilt, I quilted straight lines through the diagonal blue squares and also through the blue triangles across and down, which had been in my original drawings. I knew I wanted to CC through the patterned fabrics and the next step was to decide on a border pattern.

With this fabric I wanted something a bit more modern looking and found this pattern, which is a bit hard to see in the photo.

I found a pattern for the centre blue squares and after that I needed a design for the yellow area, and used the border pattern and the wonderful features of Creative Studio to create something to fit. Using the divide, rubber stamp, mirror and node features I used the elements to make a triangular pattern.

The grey sashings came next and I repeated the circles in these. I do like to find patterns that all work together and look as though they are "friends" with each other. I try not to have too many different things happening, and here I have circles, straight lines and continuous curves. (And not a feather in sight, which is a bit different for me).

This quilt was made by Prue using her collection of 30's fabrics and is a quilt for her daughter, so she wanted something a bit more special. Hearts somewhere was a request so I was very happy to find the border pattern you can see.

Lastly I have Pat's quilt to show, that won Viewers Choice at the exhibition. 

This quilt was designed by Michele Hill as an applique quilt, and I posted about this some time ago when I quilted Michele's. (Photo below). You can see how different this looks.

Pat used the patterns from Michele and hand embroidered all the elements instead of applique!! (Note, she did not do the patterns in the border and triangles).  I can't comprehend the hours spent on this!

That covers all the recent custom quilting. I am slowly working on some allovers as I ease back into things. There are more customs ahead for next month.

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It has been an interesting day today as storms went through the area. About lunch time the thunder was very loud, and so close that I turned off Max and unplugged at the wall, in the middle of a quilt. I have heard too many stories of damage to risk using it in a storm. I expected the power to go out, so quickly made some lunch and a cuppa just in case. About an hour later after some rain, all was quiet and the sun tried to shine again, so I turned Max back on and finished the quilt. Looking at the clock I thought perhaps there was time to get another smaller one done and got busy loading it. But not long after the thunder rolled in and the rain came down, so all was switched off again. There endeth my quilting for the day. Time to sit at the computer and sort photos for a couple of blog posts.

Tonight's news had reports of much damage in some areas, including north of the city and the Barossa where family live. Messages received include some water in the house, and one family member receiving severe hail damage to their car. Many areas are without power. Another friend's son now has a pergola with many holes in it. I am sure the insurance companies have been and will be inundated with claims for damages. There is a strong, severe wind warning out for tonight, so stay safe everyone. An area north of our town received large hail today and heavy rains, although I am not sure of damage yet. Some farmers in this area also recorded frost damage to their wheat crops last week. As I am typing this, I can hear thunder again, so it looks like it's not over yet.

Blessings, From Jude 

This and that catchup............

Another week has come and gone, so must be time for another newsfromjude catchup. This post has a little bit of this and little bit of that going back into the last month, as all I seem to have posted recently is about the quilt show. Going back into the photo files is where my memory was prompted concerning the events that I haven't talked about yet.

First up was the celebration last month of a special birthday for Pat where we enjoyed a lovely lunch at a local hotel. Congratulations and what an amazing cake it was!

Out the front footpath of my place there is a lovely patch of dandelions that have been flowering. It was a few days before the mowing man came to do his thing, and Miss Bridie came for a visit. When we lived on the dairy and my children were small, it was a custom to pick the dandelions and make them into a chain for them to wear, so I decided it was something that Miss Bridie should learn how to do..........

..............and here she is wearing her necklace. 

It was about the same time that I received this photo from Melbourne where DD3 has given the same lesson to Miss Billie!

When I was a child and living on the farm, it was usual to milk a cow and separate the milk to make cream. Desserts were often bread, jam and cream and we loved it. (Perhaps that is one reason why my bone density is good and I have that padding to save me when I fall). Forward to married life on a dairy and for my children, jam and cream was often on the menu too. In Melbourne recently DD3 introduced her 2 to bread, jam and cream for the first time, and they loved it!! While it was often on the menu when I was a child, I think perhaps it will be special treat for these 2!

The weekend before the exhibition I had the pleasure of looking after these 2 little cherubs while their mum and dad went to a party. They are very busy little people, but we found plenty to occupy them...........

................and my fairy makes a perfect granny, helping Mr Tate set up his dinosaur collection.

We were also blessed to have a surprise visit from these 2 special people. It's always special to spend time with you both, and thanks for calling in!

I did say that we had an angels day recently, and I sat and pieced a few blocks together. Pat and Helen placed them out on the bed, and Pat picked them up and webbed them together in rows and into a top. Borders were cut ready to sew another day.............

It sat on my sewing table for days and I just looked at it, until one day last week I stopped watching the world go by and stitched the borders on............ and Ta Daa, now it's waiting for that slack quilter!

I found this photo that "someone" took of Val handing over her card for me to practice processing a transaction on my "Square" gadget.

This photo came through to me last Thursday as Miss Bridie was ready for Sports day at her school. You might work out that she was in the green team, and was looking forward to the running races and hoping to win! (She came second). - Her sporting genes certainly don't come from this grandma.

As well as watching the world go by in the last 2 weeks, I have ventured out into the garden for brief periods. I could spend a lot more time out there, but can't hurry these things can you?

I managed to get the path weeded all up to the the end.......

..... and noticed that the honeysuckle bush has spread out past the brick edging and almost to the concrete path..........

...........and then realised why that had happened.......the fencing that it was supposedly climbing on had broken from the fence and the hedge was now collapsing.....what to do??? It is about to flower, and it smells glorious with the honeysuckle blooms, so I am leaving it as is until the flowers are finished, and then it will be severely cut right back, replace the supports and see if it survives to bloom again next year?

While out in the sunshine I took some time to 'smell the roses', which are looking at there best right now.

I did state that I was having a week off of work, but that seems to have translated into longer. I found it very easy to watch the world go by and potter around with little jobs, and get to the end of the day with out doing anything much at all. I read one book and had another 2 lined up, but even that seemed too much effort.

This container was full of papers, which had accumulated over time and needed to be filed.......and I did start to sort them out, and now they are in sections and need to be added to the filing cabinet. The only trouble is that it needs a bit of thinning out  before I add any more papers into it......but I did make a start, does that count?

It was a lovely sunny day when these people called in, so good use was made of the pergola.

It had been more than 2 weeks since Max had been turned on, and each day last week I thought about it. I had a few allover quilts sitting out ready to go..... but each day I walked around them...... and then Thursday I loaded this quilt......... but then a distraction came and the moment was lost.............. until Friday about lunch time I finally started!! 

In the couple of weeks before the quilt show, Raylene was looking for something to do, and we pulled out the scrap basket of odd sized pieces and she made blocks like this. They were supposed to all be wonky blocks, and some are, but she had a lot of difficulty "doing" wonky. And the basket of these oddments is as full as it was when she started! Why is that?

There were 35 blocks made and on Saturday I thought I might do some sewing!! (Now that was a real progress feeling I might tell you). I cut some sashing pieces and cornerstones and set about joining the rows together.......

...............I was just doing the lucky dip method and picking them up to make the rows, until I got to the bottom and all of a sudden there seemed to be so many reds...... perhaps not such a good idea??

..............but luckily I hadn't sewn the rows together, so managed to spread the reads I think.

My machine tells me when I am about to run out of bobbin and I can usually sew a bit more, and ignored the message, but whoopsie, that wasn't such a good idea either as I almost got to the end before checking...................

Anyhow, I persevered and pushed to the end and had the top finished while watching a movie on Saturday evening!!

Perhaps this week will bring more progress and less pottering? I doubt that as I have some appointments this week to attend to, and some bookwork that really is a priority. 

In other news it was reported last month that Melbourne and surrounds experiences an earthquake and my Melbourne family felt it too.  During the quilt show weekend sources tell me that Bordertown also felt an earthquake about 3 in the morning. I had no idea until listening to the radio in the morning but a couple of guests in my house apparently felt it. One lady thought that the noise she heard was me working in the laundry next to her room...... at 3 am?? I don't think so.

I do have more to post, including a trip to the beach last month, and some custom quilting pics, but that can wait for another time. 

I will finish this post with a funny story, well I think it is! My clothesline is on the wall at the side of my house, and this narrow spot does not get a lot of sunshine, so things take longer to dry. (In the winter when it's cold, I usually hang clothes on the airer in front of the wood fire). But on this particular day they were hung outside.........and you can see it was in the shade..............

......I happened to go outside later in the day to get the washing off the line and look what I found......... "someone" had decided they wanted their PJ's to be dry for night time, and needed some sunshine, so pegged them to the hedge in the garden, where the sun was still shining!! - Had to record this for posterity!

And just in case you think that I crack the whip on my fairy  to keep her busy all the time, I took this photo just so you know....... 

..............it's possibly more accurate to say she cracks the whip, wanting to know what's the next job on the agenda. Thankyou for all that you do, I do appreciate it.

Blessings, From Jude