Category Archives: Inspiration

I want a new project

I want to start a new project! And yet there are so many on the go.

This one …

Sock Progress

And this one …I have to say I’m not feeling the love for this anymore.

Altar Steps Block

 

Not to mention this one …

Swatch_Sm

 

And the quilt I am making out of the girls’ baby clothes.

Cutting

I want to start something else. I want to make something with this yarn. Not sure what yet – but I have 12 balls of it, so I should be able to make pretty much anything I want!

IMAG0595

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Free Motion Machine Embroidery

I have signed up to do a free motion machine embroidery course at Craftsy.

I’m only up to Lesson Four (of eight), but I am very impressed. You can watch the videos whenever you want and then complete the home work in your own time.

I’ve already picked up some useful tips: You can just use over-locker thread as bobbin thread (must be cheaper than the special bobbin fill) and you can use non-woven interfacing as a stabiliser.

I haven’t got any pictures to show yet because my free-motion leaves a bit to be desired, but I’m definitely improving and I have learnt it is better to go slowly rather than super fast!

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Filed under Free Motion Quilting, Inspiration, Machine Embroidery

L’uccello Haberdashery

I went here while in Melbourne last weekend – it was fabulous. Heaps of things I wanted to purchase, but I was attempting to travel light (only carry on baggage). Above is what I did buy. I plan to make the girls head bands with the ribbons and the fat quarters? Well you can never have too many of those.

I’d love to go to some of their courses … but it doesn’t seem very likely – can’t wait for the online store to be up and running.

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knitting

According to the Family Circle magazine, you burn 400 kj per hour knitting…

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Quilting Again

I’ve begun quiting this quilt – I’m free-motion quilting using a double heart pattern (it’s from Quilting Arts magazine June July 2011). See below

It’s coming together quite nicely, but I have trouble covering the quilt in a fluid direction (I have to stop and start).

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Filed under Free Motion Quilting, Inspiration, Quilting

Knitted Dinosaurs

As you’re probably all aware, Miss P is a huge dinosaur fan – we have a quilt, a cushion and a T-Shirt, so when I saw this book at Dymocks I just had to have it. You can find more about it here.

Both girls have requested this dinosaur …

On a cursory reading it seems OK.

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A New Quilt Design

I’ve got a few projects on the go, but I am waiting for supplies. This quilt needs wadding, but I don’t want to take Miss A and P to the fabric store – too much nice stuff that they want and it always ends badly, and then this cushion for Miss P needs vliesofix, which I have ordered online.

So while waiting for these supplies I have designed another quilt.

It is going to consist of 12 blocks each 10 inch square. The two edge strips will be white (and will work like sashing). I’ve been inspired by the Fenced In quilt in The Practical Guide to Patchwork (By Elizabeth Hartman). The remaining four pieces will be one of six fat quarters (in the image above).

My plan is  to rotate alternate blocks by 90 degrees (as happens in the Fenced In quilt).

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Filed under Inspiration, Quilting

Sewwitty’s 2011

Where did 2011 go?

Last year I made

  • Four pairs of socks (I was aiming for 12)
  • Two quilts and a quilt top
  • Two dolls
  • A skirt
  • Finally finished Miss A’s birth sampler
  • Embroidered and Appliqued four T-Shirts
  • Finished knitting my scarf
  • Made an apron for the school fete.
  • Made fourteen hair clips
  • Two cushions
  • Knitted a jumper for Miss P (although it was too small)
  • One set of quilted coasters.
  • Machine Embroidered cards
  • Designed 4 machine embroidery foundation pieced quilt blocks

When I look back over the year I am pleasantly surprised by how much I achieved. I would have liked to have done more, but at the time I felt like I wasn’t achieving anything.

I meet almost all of my 2011 goals (see here).

2012 is going to be the year of finishing things – I have the dinosaur quilt to finish, an applique dinosaur cushion to start (bit of a dinosaur theme) and I’ve just started a pair of toe up socks (but more of that later).

I’m going to keep working on my machine embroidery designs, challenge myself with my knitting and try to use the stuff in my stash!

 

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Filed under Inspiration, miscellaneous

Book Purchases

Yesterday I bought two books from Amazon (the Australian dollar is doing so well).

Modern Top-Down Knitting by Kristina McGowan and

Elizabeth Zimmermann’s Knitting Workshop.

Reviews to follow in due course.

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More Progress

Slowly working away on my knitting. I’m intrigued by knitting in the round and I’m quite keen to try a big person version. Maybe something like this or this (although this my be beyond my current ability).

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