Some Unplanned Stitching

When we came home from our trip Michael gave our back verandah a good clean up ready for the warmer weather........Well, that hasn't eventuated as yet.

Anyway, the cushions on our outdoor dining setting were looking decidedly second hand, given that they are now six years old.  No worries, we'll just wash the covers.  However, the cover on the inserts were falling apart, so that wouldn't be very successful.  No worries, we'll just buy some new ones.....at $25 each, that is $200 for the eight.

Mick then said, "You can just make some covers".   That's not my favourite type of sewing, but I said I'd have a look.  The cushions have separate gussets around the side and a zip at the back.  There's no way I'm doing that.  

I found some heavy weight fabric and had an attempt to make a cover, just with one seam around the sides and boxing the front like the bottom of a bag.  I would then just sew the back seam by hand after inserting the existing cushion and somehow work out a way to use the existing ties.  It didn't look too bad.

Time to go shopping at Spotlight.  I found some suitable outdoor fabric and worked out that I could get away with three and a half metres of fabric, if I had some joins in the bottoms of some of the cushions.  Fortunately, it was 40% off, but it still cost $73.  If it was full price I would have just gone out and bought the completed cushions.

It was rather novel sewing as fast as my machine will go while neatening the edges of the fabric and sewing the seams.  I completed the hand stitching while watching the Bathurst 1000 car race on TV.

Anyway, they turned out OK.   

Hopefully, they will last for a few years, after which I will go and buy some new cushions.

My second little item is a pouch to hold our little rechargeable blender we take in the caravan.  Until now, I have just wrapped it in a tea towel to stop it getting rubbed and scratched. 

My brother gave me two personalised tea towels for the van for my birthday.  I have retained one as a tea towel and made a little pouch with the other.  The embroidered section is a pocket to hold the charging cord.  it is a bit rough and ready, but will do the trick nicely. 

It's good to have a few finishes for OPAM at the end of the month.  Yay!

Now to get back to my fun sewing.

Just About Ready to Leave

We are just about organised to head off on our big adventure tomorrow.

Fortunately, we haven’t been too badly affected by all the wet weather.  We only received about an inch of rain, but as the bulk of the rain was upstream, our river rose rather quickly, closing the low level bridge. It has now receded to just below the bridge level.

I couldn’t resist doing a little bit of sewing while I still had access to my sewing room.

For quite a long time I have been wanting to make a little pouch for my nail scissors etc, but have not got around to it.  Ideally, it would be a zippy pouch but I compromised.

Years ago I made a little pouch to hold a pocket sized packet of tissues.  It is now looking rather sad, with pen marks and general grime.  

I used this idea for my new pouch.

A bit rough and ready, as I forgot to add the elastic as I was sewing the outer and lining fabrics together, but it will do.

Now I at least have a little finish for One Project a Month.

I’m also testing how to go about preparing a post while off line.  Sort of OK, but I may have to work on it a bit more.

Friday Night With Friends and More Camp Oven Cooking

Friday was the evening, arranged by Cheryll, to stitch with all the other girls.  For a change, I was quite productive.

It was a good opportunity to make a start on some Santa Sacks to send to Jan Mac.  

I have quite a supply of Christmas fabrics and ribbons, some of which have been sitting there for a while, so this is a great way to make use of them.

Over the last little while, my Janome sewing machine has been giving me some grief with tension and being a bit noisy. it was a bit worse on Friday night, so in the end, I have packed her away until I can have her serviced.  Hopefully, that will be in mid October, when things start to open up again.  

I decided that Mum's Elna could do with a bit of a work out.  I haven't used this machine very much, as Mum and Dad gave me my little Elna Stella shortly after Mum bought this machine.  It was a bit stiff to start with, but after it warmed up, it ran like a dream.  It's good to get the old girls out occasionally and give them a run.  My Stella will be next in line.

I ended up with five Santa Sacks.  The sizes varied according to what fabric pieces I had.  My plan is to fill a prepaid 5kg post pack with as many as will fit.  I thought this may fill it, but there is still loads of room, so more to make.  Not a problem, as I still have plenty of fabric and ribbon.

We've been having a bit more of a play with the camp oven. 

I was going to make some rock cakes, so why not make them in the twelve inch camp oven?  

A trivet would be good, but the one we have is one Mick made for the ten inch oven.  I know, there is an old cake cooling rack in a drawer in the kitchen.  Let's try that.  Made to measure.  Bonus!

Now having the twelve inch oven as well is very handy, as the bigger size if much better for some things.  Best of all, the smaller one nests nicely in the larger one for storage.

Using the heat beads has been great, as we have been able to cook in the shed, out of the rain that kept blowing across.

The mix fitted perfectly in the oven.

Half an hour later they were ready to eat.

I think you could say that is another success.

Next, to try some roast lamb for dinner last night.

Rolled leg of lamb, ready to go, with rosemary and garlic. No water or oil.

One hour in, starting to brown and time to add the veges.

Done, after two hours.  The veges were cooked through, but didn't brown, so maybe add some more coals on the lid half way through.  The juices in the bottom of the pan weren't burnt on and made beautiful gravy.

The meat was melt in the mouth and the gravy was delicious.  Yet another success.  

We are really enjoying playing with the camp ovens.  A fun thing to do while we can't actually go camping.  I have a couple of other ideas of things to make in the next few weeks.  Watch this space.

A Little Bit of Stitching

I've managed to get a little bit of stitching done in the last day or so.

Yesterday evening was Friday Night with Friends hosted by Cheryll.

I was planning to be very productive, but got sidetracked by a book I was reading.  As I've mentioned before, I'm a bit of a binge reader, so I settled in and finished my book.  After that I went into the sewing room.

By bed time I had made another five bibs to be donated.......except for the snaps.  I will get to those at some stage.

So, not a great deal of stitching, but it was still a couple of hours in the sewing room and more achieved than I would usually of an evening.

This morning was another Zoom gathering organised by Chookyblue.  This time it just went till lunch time, which was still enjoyable.  Quite a few girls popped in and out.  There were often twelve on at a time.

My project of choice for these times has been my little redwork blocks for my Christmas project.  I just about completed my next block while stitching with everyone else and then finished it off after lunch.

This is how much thread I have left.  I still have one more block to stitch, so will have to get another skein, so I'm not sure if I will get the second block completed this month.  We'll see how we go.

I'm going to have to think of another hand work project to work on, as that is by far the easiest while chatting away.

After that I went into my sewing room and made a couple of more caravan decorated tea towels.  They are a fun and quick little make.

Now to decide what to work on next.

July Stitching Goals Wrap Up

Another month has come to an end and we are now two thirds of the way through winter, with the days getting a little bit longer, which is nice.

Therefore, it is time to check in with what I have been working on throughout the month.  You can check back here to see what my goals were for July.

Let's see how I went:

1.    ONE MONTHLY GOAL

Yes, I have the top of my Jocelyn Proust quilt completed.  It is still with my quilting fairy, so no bonus finish.

2.    WOOFA CHALLENGE

I did complete the little baby quilt using my sample Swoon block, but I didn't get around to putting the snaps on the bibs.  It is such a big job....... it would probably take...... minutes....... It will happen, as will making the other eight bibs......  Pop over to Cheryll's to see what everyone else achieved.

3.    ONE PROJECT A MONTH

Yes!  I have a few - the Swoon baby quilt, some pillow cases, two face mask, the crochet scarf and the quilt in a day baby quilt.  I'm happy enough with that.

4.    CHRISTMAS CHALLENGE

Yes, I made one block.

5.    FRIDAY NIGHT WITH FRIENDS

Yes, and I was very productive.

6.    CROCHET

Yes, I made a crochet infinity scarf.

7.    OTHER BONUS PROJECTS

Ah, nope..... I haven't  made any more pencil cases and the Laundry Baskets Mystery Quilt blocks are still sitting patiently to be put together into a quilt top.  I'm actually quite happy for them to sit there for a little while, but I do want to get a wriggle on and get those pencil cases made sooner rather than later.

However, I did make a few other bonus projects - some pillow cases to update from our current threadbare ones, a couple of face masks (but I need to make more) and a baby quilt in a day.  

You can read about all of these projects here and here.

July is usually a fairly productive month for me, as it is good weather to stay inside in the sewing room.  Now I have to have a think about what goals to set for next month.

A Quilt in a Day

I had a dream.......not the Martin Luther kind, but a quilting kind.

I would make a little baby quilt in a day....from start to finish.  I had nothing on today, so that was my plan.  So how did I go?  You know, the best laid plans of mice and men.....and all that.

Mick reckons that if you don't have a plan, it can't go wrong........yeah right.....Well, I didn't really have a plan for this project, I just winged it.  So, it couldn't go wrong, could it.

The only real plan was to use some fabrics tucked away in a little box.  They have been sitting there for thirteen years.  How can I be so specific? Well, my niece turned fourteen earlier this month and these are the leftovers from her first birthday quilt.  I wasn't sure what exactly would be in the box, so I was a little surprised to find a nice roll of binding, ready to go and 21 squares cut to 6 1/2 inches, as well as more fabric.  You can't tell from the photo, but the lemon dragonfly fabric, as well as the purple with silver stars have a glitter finish to them.  There is a pink and silver star fabric and blue dragonfly fabric as well, that are buried in the piles.  That is the main reason I haven't just added these to the main stash.

Now I had to decide how to make a quilt using those pieces of fabric.  In the end I used the KISS principle.  Keep it simple, stupid.

I just laid the squares out, with one left over.  I would join them into a panel and add a couple of borders.  Too simple.  I'd have it knocked over in no time flat..............Now, what did I say about the best laid plans?

I'm not sure if you can see it clearly, but the bobbin tension on my Janome machine started to go hay wire.  It wasn't like your usual top or bottom tension being too tight, the bobbin thread was just loose. But it wasn't all the time, just intermittent.  No worries, I could fix that with a bit of a fiddle.

1.    Rethread bobbin - nope

2.    Rethread top thread - nope

3     Fiddle with tension - nope

4.    Remove bobbin housing and give a good clean - nope...and it wasn't very fluffy either

5.    Change needle - nope

6.    Fiddle with foot pressure - nope

7.    Try a different thread - nope

8.    Phone fabric shop to book in a service - nope - the service man lives and works in Sydney and is in lockdown.

9.    Pack up machine and get out Mick's Mum's early 1970s Elna - Yes

The fabric shop did suggest I could bring the machine in and the owner would have a look at it, as she is pretty good with tension problems.  In the meantime, I decided to give it a drop of oil on the wick under the bobbin housing and see if that did anything.

Anyway, after this wasted quite a bit of time, I pieced the rest of the blocks using the Elna.

I then planned the borders - one plain border, one pieced from 6 1/2" x 2" strips and then a second plain border.

I added the first border, worked out the lay out of the second and added it.

Then, I went and checked on my machine.  The oil took a while to soak in, but it eventually did.  I turned it over by hand and it was sounding lovely and quiet.  I had noticed it was a bit noisier lately.  I think it may have been thirsty.  I know to oil my old machines regularly, but don't normally do the Janome.

Anyway, I decided to give it another go and see if the oil made any difference.  Yes!!!!  I did have a bit more fiddle with the tension knob, but I was able to get it to stitch nicely again.  What a relief.  I wasn't looking forward to machine quilting on the Elna, which, as much as I love using it, doesn't have all the features, or throat size of my Janome 6500P.

I added the final borders, basted it and quilted it.  Just cross hatching on the main panel and echo quilting in the plain borders.

Why am I showing you this needle?  If you look closely, you can see it is one of those easy thread needles, which don't have an eye, as such, but you pull the thread through a barb.  I read recently where a lady was using one for burying threads.  What a fantastic idea.  I'm a bit anal, in that I tie off and bury threads when I machine applique and quilt.  It's a pain threading the needle with two threads that are generally different lengths.  I bought a packet a couple of weeks ago and this was the first time I'd tried one.  Oh my goodness!!  What a time saver.  I love it.

Anyway........Ta Da!!  One very simple, but pretty, baby quilt completed in a day.  It measures 39 inches by 33 inches.  The centre blocks finish at 6 inches and the borders finish at 1 1/2 inches.

You can see the quilting a bit better here.

I once again used some flannelette for the backing.  I had one metre of these sheep, and, as it was non directional, it fitted perfectly.  The colour matches the mint green squares nicely.  Happily, I had some left over batting in a tub, which was just the right size as well, with nothing left over.  It was obviously meant to be.

I have never finished off a binding on a quilt by machine before, but I thought this would be a good project to try it on......as the day was marching on and I did want to get it finished before midnight.  I think it turned out rather well and is even not too bad on the back.  Oh, and I just had to add one width of fabric to the binding roll that was already prepared for it to be long enough, so that was rather handy.

I'm not sure how long it actually took to make, as there were some breaks along the way, but it was definitely well and truly finished in a day.

There is probably enough fabric left in the little box to make another quilt.  I'll just have to set aside another day for that one.

Oh, and maybe Mick's theory worked this time..... there was just a little speed hump along the way.

One Project a Month for 2021 and my January Finishes

Kris from Tag Along Teddies is once again hosting One Project a Month (OPAM) which I have been joining in on since 2009. It is such a good motivator for me and I'm very happy it is continuing this year.

If you would like to join in as well, click on the link above, read all about it and then contact Kris to join the fun.

I have two small finishes to start off the year.

Firstly, I finished off the little Christmas decoration I started last month.  This is also my Christmas make for the month - little, but better than nothing.

My second finish was a spur of the moment make.  This cute pattern popped up on my screen and I decided to make it there and then. It is made from 2 1/2 inch squares and took no time to make.  I needed two buttons.  I was looking through my buttons with no luck when I remembered a cute jar of buttons my friend Lou had given me a few years ago.  How perfect are the fabric covered ones.  They were made for it.  It was fun finding some of Mum's old cotton reels that matched perfectly as well.

I have done plenty more stitching through the month and will share in the next day or so.