Like a diamond in the sky

 I love stars. When my eldest was only a baby, I had dreams of lots of star themed things for his room. You know, back when you have the time to dream about all the things your child is going to love when they get older and how their taste will be impeccable of course. I even crocheted a giant king-single size blanket with stars and his name on it. He’s 4 now. He doesn’t like stars. He likes fire trucks. And police cars. And ninjas. And dirt. And mud.

As for my youngest… she’s 2. She plays dolls that eat like this: “Num num num BURP hehehe”. She’s all class. She also copies everything her big brother does. So no stars there either.

So I guess I have to make the star things for me. What a shame, right? So here is my latest paper pieced offering – diamond stars. Because they are like a diamond in the sky. Or something meaningful like that.



I drew up this design to have it set on point. If I made the design in a normal square, there’d be a seam in the middle of the points and I wanted to avoid that. Plus I like on-point quilts. Even if I haven’t made too many of them.


Imagine this picture but with sashing and pretty cornerstones. This is what I had in mind when I drew it up:



But I haven’t settled on purple and blue now. I decided to go with a “favourite things” theme. I.e. I’m using some of my fave fabrics for the centre of the stars, outlined in matching solids.

A bit of Good Fortune by Kate Spain

Some Wrenly by Valori Wells

And a bit of Terrain by Kate Spain. Again.

So now I’m having a dilemma. Do I continue making stars in these lovely cool colours? (Though I may have to buy more fab purple prints as they are lacking in my stash). Or do I make a rainbow of stars using all my favourite prints? Oh the dilemma!

While we’re talking purple, here’s Marieka’s version of the star, in Terrain prints. She was kind enough to test the pattern for me. Gorgeous isn’t it? Look how beautifully the swirly frond bits match up on the outside of her star! Impressive!



So now it’s been tested, I’m sharing this pattern on my blog as a freebie. Though I would love to see if you make it! You can find the pattern here.
 
Make sure you pop back here on Wednesday too! We’re kicking off the Practically Paper Piecing Blog Hop!



As extra incentive, I’ll be offering a little charm pack for a giveaway – you wouldn’t want to miss out on the chance to win fabric plus get great paper piecing ideas would you?! Thought not! See you on Wednesday! Make sure you wear your lucky pants!

Peacocks in the Garden – it’s finished!

Okay so after my last post whinging about having this WiP still hanging over my head… I finally got busy and unpicked the wonky quilting. Then I thought hmm, maybe the puckering is caused by lousy basting. So I rebasted it. And requilted it. Only to have the same puckering occur. Damnit! So at this point I convinced myself that vertical lines only worked perfectly. I seriously need to make friends with a long arm quilter.

Anyways, there’s more to the tale of woe but I’m not going to let it spoil the pretty. So let’s just forget the dramas this quilt caused with it’s cheeky bad behaviour in the quilting areas and enjoy how pretty it looks.



The pattern is Garden Fence by Hyacinth Quilt Designs. Gorgeous pattern and easy to do. I made mine with a charm pack of Cuzco for the centre squares. Love the peacocks and flowers in this line.



The back is pieced too. That’s a personal preference – I love a pieced back – I think it just adds something extra to the quilt. Why should the front hog all the pretty anyways?



The polka dots look quite cute too. They are a dark pink which almost matches the dark pink solid.



So the quilting is just vertical lines, through the white sashing and straight through the middle of the blocks. Very ordinary but it does the job!



I bound it with more white fabric. I found after I had quilted this for the second time, that my backing wasn’t big enough. It fit perfectly for the top half, but it seems the cut of fabric I had wasn’t exactly straight. Yeah and there was no way I was unpicking that quilting again! So I trimmed the quilt down a bit and lost some of the white border. But that’s okay. The binding being white hides it nicely.
I also tried a new binding method. Completely by accident hehe. I normally sew the binding to the back, then fold to the front and sew, which leaves a line of stitching around the edge on the back of the quilt. I don’t mind that. I claim it as a design feature.



But for some reason with this quilt, I sewed it to the front first, only realising my error when I went to sew it down. On the back. Argh! I didn’t want the line of stitching on the front. So I stitched in the ditch on the front, and managed to catch the binding (only just in some places!) on the back. I did have a couple of small areas that didn’t catch but with a touch up, everything is sewn down nicely.



Had enough of the photos of the Peacocks in the Garden quilt? I’m just showing off now because I’m so pleased it’s finished.

Linking this up with TGIFF which is over at Stop That Owl this week.


And… did you know there’s a new linky party in town?  Diane at From Blank Pages has started one to share your GunnaDo projects. Okay that’s not her word, it’s mine. You know those “I’m gunna do that project one day”. This linky party is a celebration of projects yet to be created! Do you have some of those? I have a few.

Here are my next three immediate ones. So I don’t have a lot of WiPs but I do have a lot of GunnaDos.

This one is actually printed and has the fabrics chosen to try out. A little paper pieced train to go with my transport themed patterns (you can see some of the others here)



This one is for a soon to come Blog Hop I’m joining – no more details yet but it’s going to be like totally rad!


And this one is just in quilt layout at the moment while I play around with EQ7. The lovely Marieka has offered to test it for me though so I better get a move on and make it into pattern form.



How about you? Have a yet to be created project to share and chat about? You can link it up over here!

Ai oo ai oo ai oo

That my friends, is the sound of a siren, according to a 2 year old. Go on, make the sound. It does sound like a siren surprisingly. My youngest calls fire trucks Ai Oos. It took me awhile to figure out exactly why. Of course – it makes perfect sense if you’re 2.

So that siren noise? We hear that sound a LOT in my household. No, my children are not juvenile delinquents requiring police escorts. Yet. But they are obsessed with fire trucks. Well Mr 4 is and Miss 2 is by default as it seems whatever the older sibling does, the younger sibling follows. 

So since I started playing around with paper piecing patterns, a fire truck was one of the first things I wanted to do. But the wheels got me. How to paper piece round wheels? Or do you paper piece the rest and applique round wheels on? That sounds like extra work. So I compromised in my design. Not quite round, not quite square wheels. If you squint, it works well ;)

Voila! A paper pieced ai oo!


I’m pleased with how this one turned out. I’m less than pleased though that this is the last photo proving it exists. Both the children were quite taken with the block and it has now disappeared, never to be seen again. Thank goodness I took a photo of it –before- I let them see it. If only it came with sound effects, I might have a chance at finding it. This pattern’s currently with Alyce for testing, then I’ll add it to my little collection of transport themed patterns.

Today got off to a great start! We had a little sewing/Lego playdate today with Marieka. So lovely! We sewed, the kids played Lego. I think everyone had fun! I took a little paper pieced project with me (what else would I take?!). Another little paper pieced umbrella. You can find the pattern for the umbrella listed on Craftsy and has three variations of brolly for the price of one! So you can make one with points or without – your choice!

I chose to go without. It was much quicker than the version with points, and still cute I think. I also halved the pattern size – this is a 4” block, rather than the standard 8” block in the pattern.  I used up some scraps I had left from my Half Moon Modern charm pack from my Red Herring quilt. Boy did I get my money’s worth out of that charm pack!



Loving it! So cute and colourful! This little block is destined to be my project for the Practically Paper Piecing Blog Hop. I’m first cab off the rank – so come back here on the 1st August to see what this turns into!



The Peacocks in the Garden is starting to become the unmentionable WiP as it still hasn’t been touched. The screwy quilting has stolen some of my love for it. I will get to it soon though as having a big WiP hanging over my head is driving me a little crazy! Guess I’d better stop with all the fun paper piecing and finish the big quilt – because then I can reward myself with more paper piecing right? Yeah! There’s some motivation right there!

Texting while Sewing

I saw this challenge over at During Quiet Time and thought, huh text in sewing, love it but I don’t think I have any ideas so I’ll just watch from afar.

Then I had an idea – inspired by Mama Said Sew. I love that fabric line – lots of cute text prints in there too – all quilting related. The contest is open til the end of August but once this idea got into my head, it had to be made. Like right now. So I’m an earlybird. Maybe I’ll have to make another block or two to enter – if inspiration strikes!

Anyways, this block. Inspiration struck for this. It combines two things I love – quilting and reading. So what better than a little paper pieced block I drew up that I’m calling The Quilter’s Bible.



Reason #603 why I love paper piecing.


I can make stupidly small blocks (2.5” small) that I would never be able to manage with regular piecing. And feel free to call me crazy for such small paper piecing. It wouldn’t be the first time hehe.

Reason #1 why I hate paper piecing.

Unpicking. Need I say more? Ok details – I unpicked this three times to try to get the seams to line up just right in the end. Still not perfect, but I think the block is at least recognisable as an Ohio Star.



A bit of text print for the captions…


And some text to represent directions on how to sew the blocks plus some selvedge love for a bookmark…


So I may have taken the Texting while Sewing challenge a little more literally than most, but I had fun and that’s the important thing right?!



Plus now I have a heap more of Mama Said Sew charm squares to play with, and a bit more of that gorgeous Salt Air (red background fabric). I’m thinking this block needs to be made into a project bag for quilt group.



And while talking about paper piecing (seriously, when I am not talking about paper piecing?) I have finally gotten around to adding the Songbird pattern to Craftsy. Thanks lovelies for your interest in it! If you make one, please let me know – I’d love to see it! I love seeing how blocks look in different fabrics!

Stashing on a Sunday

Apparently I like buying fabric. Somehow, if you’re reading this post, I have a feeling you can relate. Lately there seem to be some fab sales and deals going on – which make it worth the $17 postage from the States.

Except when you shop at Fabric Shack and postage is only $8.50. Oh yeah international quilty gals, that’s how you save money so you can buy more fabric! So want to see what I got? Yes, yes you do.



Ooh look pretty pretty Wrenly. I bought a charm pack of this ages ago that I just occasionally pull out and admire. I’ve decided to make myself a quilt with it (oh I just apparently decided while typing this post that the quilt will be for me – my inner quilter is somewhat selfish it appears).

Anyways I got the five top fat quarters to supplement the charm pack, and then the bottom piece is a yard for some kind of pieced back. However it may sit in the stash cupboard for a bit longer while I admire how pretty it all is. And decide on a pattern which I think will include a paper pieced songbird on the back.

 Then I got a bunch of solids for when I tackle my grand Iris Garden paper pieced wall hanging. Which again is for me. Yes, I really am that selfish. Can you blame me?



 Half yards of Kona in various shades of purple and green. Aren’t they going to look so pretty? Unfortunately I didn’t consider my background fabric to order at the same time. So this hasn’t been started yet either while I ponder what to use for the background.

 And because I had room and wanted to fill up the envelope, these FQ’s snuck their way in.



That’s a little bit of Sea Garden from Cosmo Cricket’s Salt Air and a little bit of Ruby from Bonnie and Camille. I need more red and grey in my stash. These fit the bill nicely.

 Then of course there were a few bits and pieces from the Travelling Stash that arrived earlier in the week. They were practically free as I traded them out for some bits and pieces from my stash.

Now isn’t that a picture to bring a smile to a quilter’s face. And due to further fabulous sales at Stitches N’ Giggles and Paper Thread Fabrics, there may be a little more fabric on its way. But in my defense – one of those packages I split with Jane, so that’s not so bad right? It’s not all for me! Plus I promise to use it for good and not evil. I may even make something for someone else!!  Now to just wait for it to arrive…

 Linking up with Sunday Stash over at Finding Fifth. Because we all like to have a bit of a sticky beak when it comes to fabric.

Rainy Days – Finished

Oh yes I have a finish this week! Okay so it’s not Peacocks in the Garden which still sits folded up, shoddily quilted, and not touched for a few weeks now. I will get to that eventually. Once I can bring myself to unpick the crappy quilting.

Instead I have finished my Rainy Days mini quilt! Thanks folks for the suggestions on how to quilt it! I so nearly went with my standard stitch in the ditch quilting, but I didn’t! I was brave and tried something different! It’s still straight line quilting, but I actually quilted over my umbrellas. Yes I know that’s what you’re supposed to do but I haven’t really done it before because I’m scared my quilting will screw up my blocks.



But I was pleasantly surprised! Instead of mucking up the blocks, I think it adds to it beautifully. Now it looks like rain on the grey day umbrellas. The poor corner brollies are copping a soaking with that dreadful sideways rain – you know the kind that drenches you to the skin and makes you wonder why you’re carrying an umbrella in the first place?



The other umbrellas are getting more sedate straight-from-the-sky-rain.



Though apparently the rain on this umbrella is acid rain as it’s done something weird to the handle. Clearly not my poor lining up of seams. Let’s blame global warming. Or something.

I may have gotten a bit crazy with the basting on this. But I was determined this sucker was not going to move!



And it worked! Each umbrella behaved itself perfectly. Even the cheeky orange one. I think it’s reformed now.



Loving this little mini! Has lots of little bits of favourite fabrics mixed in – some Lush, some Hoo’s in the FOrest, Good Fortune, Cuzco and some good old Spotlight specials.

Final measurements are um approximate. Yes because I didn’t take final measurements. Let’s say it’s 14.5” square. That sounds like it was formally measured. Yes well. Let’s move on from my shoddy maths and measuring. Did I mention this mini is reversible?!



Decided to use my 8” test umbrella on the back! Yay! One less orphan block! Woohoo! (Got orphan blocks? Join the rest of us on 1st August for the Practically Paper Piecing Blog Hop – blatant blog hop advertising).

And I think I’m finally getting the hang of this binding thing. Ironing it over to the front makes such a big difference. I didn’t use a single pin when sewing the binding on (compared to the gazillions I used to use and still ended up with wonky binding!).



I use the machine binding method suggested by Amanda of Crazy Mom Quilts – it means you get this extra line of stitching on the back but I consider it a design feature. :)



Gratuitous collage photo because I love this mini so much. I have no idea what I’m going to do with it now but I love it. So next on the list – a big umbrella quilt for rainy days! Want to try your own umbrella quilt? I’ve popped the pattern on Craftsy (yes more blatant advertising – I’ll stop now).

So there’s my Friday Finish! Pop over to visit Beth at Plum and June to see some other Friday Finishes!