Applique cushions.

The corner baskets was added, green with blue. The batting and the backing of the blocks are cut and these blocks need to be basted and quilted next. The pattern for the blocks are Diamond Hill by Esther Aliu from Australia.

French General fabrics, collected a few over the years. 

Love all the reds.

Decided against making them into the original quilt,  instead making cushion covers for the lounge.

Sunny Tuesday.

Yesterday was chilly, woke up to sunshine and clear skies today. Practiced with the walking foot to quilt in straight lines.

The back of the quilting. This is leftover fabrics from the Sugaridoo QAL quilt. 

Made a pillow case with it.

It is finished and will be joined by the Sugaridoo QAL quilt as soon as it is done. 

Windy weekend.

We had a windy, rainy cold weekend. We even had snow come down at seven pm.  In total four big blocks, all different got done to this point. Will add the green vases to the blocks today. Then they  can be layered, basted and quilted for the cushion covers. 

The mariners compass is stitched in place. Doing baby steps, even when I wanted to just roar ahead has been the best medicine for my shoulder. Will be doing a little bit of Hand work everyday, more machine work until it is fully recovered. Practiced a stem with some chunky thread. 

Basted this piece to machine quilt, it will be a quilted pillow case, for the Sugaridoo QAL quilt. All straight line quilting.

Rainy sunday.

Made these blocks for Diamond Hill quilt,  except the rest of it never wanted to happen. Bought the green for the vase corners. Then the eruka moment arrived. We need new cushion covers for four cushions, perfect! Bought enough of the blue star fabric for background fabric, which will be used as the backs of the cushion covers.

This will be done by machine,  my shoulder will not be taxed too much giving it more time to recover. So everything is happening in small doses.

This eyelet for the top of the thread holder was stitched by machine.  Next step will be to use an  awI to make the hole in the fabric before using a blanket stitch to finish it. It is surrounded by oranges and green leaves in a circle.

The puzzle just need the sky, then it is done.  

 

Greens done!

It feels amazing to know that the green scraps for Omygosh quilt blocks has been made this month for the RSC21.  It was a challenge with the frozen shoulder.  Thanks to an unexpected bit of help, they are done.

One of the blocks, not perfect.

Seeing the little stacks of blocks pile up, made me happy.

The pile so far for the year, 46 high!

The pink, yellow and green four and a half inch blocks.

Slowly does it.

Found some partially made blocks for Omygosh quilt.  This was made at Quilt retreat a few years back. It was a lovely surprise.

Unexpected help has put the nine patch blocks in green back on track.

Nine patch blocks done. Now they just need to be assembled into the four and a half inch blocks.

Tulips growing, with the rain here the grass will start to turn green as well.

Blue Iris.

Yesterday when I  was outside, Anna gifted me some blue iris plants. She is moving them and doing something new where they were planted before. Every Spring they pop up and it is just this amazing patch of blue flowers. When they do, they are arresting because they are blue and not purple. Will take a photo when they bloom.

This is a slow process, but the nine patch blocks is started. My shoulder will only allow me to hold the ruler in portion for a short while.

We did manage to get a walk in later in the day which was wonderful way to end the day. 

Cats and Chipmunks.

Treasures found in a box, this was me playing a few years ago with some scraps leftover from finished quilt tops. My shoulder is not there yet, managed to do a short bit of raking of the lawn in the front yard during the day. Moose came by and said hello, he does not like things with wheels, cars are fine but not rollerblades, skateboards and strollers. Funny how dogs know what they like and don't like? 

The green strips needed cutting, so the one inch strip die was put to work. It was a slow process and the best way to cut the fabric.

This allowed me to get the green and white strips sewn together.  Will cross cut these when the shoulder is better and make the nine patch blocks in green. 

The cat discovered where the chipmunk has its front and back doors so to speak. The chipmunk came out to play and the two had fun for hours in the garden yesterday afternoon, so much so that she was exhausted and promptly went upstairs and fell asleep,  she had lots of fun.

Kitten rescue auction.

Remember this pincushion, needle book scissors case and fob, it is being sold for the Kitten rescue. They have two auctions a year. All the support help them to continue to do the amazing work they do. 

Monday exploring...

Yesterday we had a sunny day, it was beautiful outside and the breeze was slight without the bite. Perfect for pottering around in the garden.  The spring bulbs are growing and green leaves are evident everywhere. A sign spring is here according to nature. The lavender bushes got their trim, found chopping the summer growth back in the spring instead of the autumn works better for the plants.

Played with the stitches on the sewing machine, the buttonholes was doing this weird sequence.  On the third attempt it went back to the correct sequence of order. The eyelet stitch is something which I forgot about, it will be used soon very creatively. 

My shoulder exercises is working, it is going to take time to get back to normal. So another Rubbermaid was opened.  Found this collection of fabrics,

Blocks...

Pattern in it. Perfect for machine applique,  raw edged and fused, exactly the same as these animal blocks.

 

Smiling spring.

This block got the last three green leaves on it to complete it. Yesterday was a good day.

My sewing machine is back home after going to Reza, at Triangle Sewing Centre for a service and to fix it. Thank You! We are very grateful for talented Technicians who can doctor and repair our trusty steed, sidekicks. Imagine what it was like for most people before the onset of the sewing machine? We are very blessed.

While collecting the trusty sidekick, which has now been named Betsy after 21 years. I could pick up some red thread, forgot to take a piece of the red fabric with. Guessed what shade would work and got some thread for the embroideries,  it is a thicker thread.

March is green colour for RSC21,  pulled the scraps out and this is what I have. The other thing which followed me home was a new blade for the rotary cutter. 

The smock dresses needs buttonholes,  to complete  them.

This month has flown by, so glad Spring is here. My charm row got no work this week with my frozen shoulder, it has required me to slow down and rest it. So not a lot got done this past week. 

The finished block, started this seven years ago many more to go...

The original pattern is very muted colours, changed it to happier brighter colours after seeing one finished at the quilt show in the happier colours.

Happy Dance!

A Grandmother'sflower garden started years ago with some Liberty of London fabrics. 

They are big blocks. The idea was to reuse the freezer papers. 

All the fabric hexagons are cut out,  the diamonds are traced on the back of the blue fabric.

Blocks at different stages of the process.

They will be connected with the blue diamonds. 

Happy International Quilt Day!