I got to play with some Sochi fabric today.

I got to play with some Sochi fabric today. 

I have resigned from work and only have 2 days left. Due to the nature of my work there are many team members that I will not get to bid farewell in person. Today I worked and extra shift and was surprised to see ALL the staff. On top of that, one of them had been to Sochi as a volunteer and came in with her Winter Olympics uniform. 

This is Sabrina. Sabrina is a very talented and driven woman who has volunteered for several of the international games and events including the Australian open over the last 10 years. Amongst all her talents you will find that she also speaks 4 languages and a smattering of Russian. I struggle with my 3 (English, a little Italian and baby talk!). 

I had read on several blogs that the games fabric designs were patchwork inspired and this in turn inspired many quilters in their own designs. I had seen images of the flags and other items on tv and on the internet but I must admit, they were nothing compared to seeing the fabric up close. 

Beautiful. 

Sabrina tried finding out more about the design and it's background story and she was told that each diamond represents a different region in Russia. What an amazing and inclusive way to represent your country at a high profile, international event. It's no surprise that this has formed the highlight if my day. So much so that I've dropped everything to write this post!

Happy Sewing. 

HappyNess

I'll find out soon enough

I found I was not getting much sewing time, especially since I had to cancel my sewing classes, so I called up my best friend and my sister and we committed to a Monday night sew along. We had our first get together on Monday night and it was brilliant. I miss my girls and our sewing nights will ensure I get to see them often. 

As tempting as it was to start something new I pulled out an unfinished project instead. It's a large quilt and I'm machine quilting it which is proving difficult for its hard to push it through the neck of my little Brother NS30. But I'm persevering. I'm too scared to attempt free motion quilting so I'm doing the best I can with shadow quilting on my little Brother. 

I'm halfway there with quilting the main panels. I need to find a pretty design for the green borders. I've got a couple of patterns but none that are really screaming out to me. Any ideas?

I started this quilt 3 years ago (almost to the day) and now that it's out again I'm determined to finish this one by the end of May. This year.  

This one is for my niece and I think it will look great in her newly painted and furnished room. Miss S loves green and she is a girly girl so hopefully she likes this one. I'll find out soon enough. 

Thanks for stopping by. 

Happy sewing. HappyNess. 

So I had to get out my step ladder.

So a few things fell out of the sewing cupboard yesterday, none of which tickled my fancy so I had to get out the step ladder and go a-rummaging.

This is one of 2 top shelves in my laundry. You can see why I'm so looking forward to my new sewing space (aka My Happy Place) and finishing off my unfinished projects. 

I have a few with possibilities but one stood out more than the others. Mainly because I HAVE to finish it in time for my nephew's (Master J) 10th birthday. In September. My first reaction is "no worries, you have plenty of time girlfriend!". My second reaction is "get real, you're only getting 2 hours of sewing in a week". So I take a deep breath and pull out what I need. 

6 jelly rolls of Jellies Solid Blue I got from Spotlight at half price. Yay! I love a good bargain. 

Luckily Master J loves blue. So I found some blue fabric in my stash....

....and plied through my books for some design ideas.   

I then had what turned out to be a very short discussion with Master J. So much for all that research! He was very clear on the design he wanted. Squares. Plain blue squares. But when I emailed him my version if blue squares he became very excited. 

Sorry for the fuzzy photo but you get the idea. 

So I set to thinking "yay for jelly rolls, not too much cutting involved. I'll be sewing in no time."  Wrong. I'm finding I need to "fix" each piece. This is the first time I've used jelly rolls and I was under the impression that they would be cut and ready for sewing. Did I just get a bad batch? Is Jellies brand renowned for poorly cut fabric? Are my pre-cut expectations just too high? Hmmmm. 

Anyway, here are the blocks so far. I've sewn up 4 of each of these. I've got at least another 5 different blocks to make and I need enough to make a double bed sized quilt. 

Im not sure if I want to line up the blocks so I have all straight lines or if I should offset each row to make it more interesting. A decision for later on I think. 

I'm thinking of incorporating the scraps in the backing. I have a few ideas floating around in the grey matter. I won't discuss this with Master J. Some things need to remain a surprise for a birthday don't you think?!

Happy sewing. 

Ness

Just a little bit crazy

Hmmmm, where to begin? Things have been just a little bit crazy here. What with my little L turning 2, continuing renovations and what seems like an eon of relentless scorching weather I just haven't had time to just sit down and take stock. So that's what I'm doing now. I should be working but I'm the only one here and I'm not about to tell!

So Little L turned 2 and I turned my hand to cake decorating. I made 2 practice cakes before finally being satisfied with the results.

Not bad for a first (or third if we're being technical) time. Suffice it to say that she loved it. She wore the antennae for the whole day and cheered herself on when we sang Happy Birthday. I think she is her own biggest fan!!

The renovations are continuing and J is working hard at getting things completed in time for the inspection and prior to him returning to school. Working on the studio and the garden simultaneously is not easy but neither is painting in 44C heat so we do what we can when we can and celebrate the victories no matter how small they are. 

A small victory!!

I have my first finish for the year. Olivia was very happy to have a name plate for her door. Here is a photo taken just before pressing and fixing and wrapping. I had to get the photo taken before all the natural light was gone. 

I used fabrics from my stash bought too long ago to recall where they came from. I used a blanket stitch around the flowers and a very small running stitch for "Olivia's Room". I particularly like the effect of the blanket stitch around the flowers though I do need more practice I must say. 

I decided not to quilt this as it started to look too busy. I toyed with a love heart stencil and even tried the flowers but it didn't look right. So after many takes and way too much reverse stitching I decided to just let it be. Sometimes simple is best. 

I fixed the fabric to a cork board trivet with PVA glue and a little help of a running stitch to keep the fabric even and tight. I sourced the trivets from Woolworths. They come in a pack of 2 for about $5. IKEA have them too for around the same price. 

I would love to say that this was all my idea but alas it wasn't. I saw a version of this on another's blog and can no longer find the name to give proper credit. If you know who it is please let me know so I can give credit where credit is due. 

Well, a small finish but a finish none the less. Next up.....let me see what falls out of the sewing cupboard when I open the doors. Eek.

Happy sewing. 

Ness. 

I'm a fabriholic.

So far so good with my resolutions to date. I've walked into a fabric store (well several really) and not bought anything. I walked by the rolls of fabric running my hands over them and almost wished the next 5 months away. I would do so in earnest if I didn't have so many things to do!! Hmmmm, am I a fabriholic? 

I'm a fabriholic. 

I haven't spent time on any of my unfinished projects yet but I have started a mini project. I'm using fabric solely from my stash so I'm feeling ok about this. My little neice is turning six in a couple of weeks so I thought I'd make her a name plate for her door. My machine is off for a service so I thought this would be a great way to keep my hands busy in the evenings and get some practice in on hand blanket stitching. I may hand quilt this one too; the jury is still out on this one. 

Anyway, this is where I'm at so far. I'll post another photo once I'm done. 

What are you working on right now?

Thanks for stoping by. 

HappyNess. 

WooHoo doesn't even cover how excited I am

So my Happy Place is within reach. J has almost finished building the studio into which he'll move once it's all furnished. We're still at least two months away but it's MUCH closer than it was last year when it was just a plan on paper. 

The external structure is complete (bar a few boards) and work commences this week on plastering and painting. Then the electrician and then council sign off. Once we outfit the studio and move J's office out there I can set up my sewing room. Woo Hoo doesn't even cover how excited I am. I have already a gazillion design ideas, 90% of which I know will be trashed due to budget restrictions. But that's ok for it's been lovely to research storage solutions, design boards, room design.....<sigh>!

For those of you who have embarked on the owner/builder journey you'll understand that two months is no time at all! We started our renovations in July 2009. 4 1/2 years and one baby girl later we are almost done. It's been an incredible journey but one I would not do again for a long time. 

If you have any ideas on room design or storage solutions I should consider id be more than happy to hear from you. 

Thanks for dropping by. 

HappyNess. 

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