some things ticked off

It's amazing what clearing your sewing table does for your psyche!

Some annoying little things that keep hanging around like a buzzy mozzie - Look at me, fix me, finish ME!

Okay!! Sheeesh! I can now that I have some semblance of a working table.

The ollllld pair of flanny pjs that were so torn and shredded - now a summer pair of pj shorts!

The self-made printed linen piece now hemmed into a tea-towel!

A very quick and quite nice if I do say so myself pillowcase - made using this great tute for a 15 min pillowcase with French seams - oolala

this will be a Chrissy present for some very lucky person in my family - I have ideas for more super lucky people to receive my heart's labour of love (cough, splutter, grin)

Must only use super soft fabric like Art Gallery and possibly some double gauze Heather Ross I have - oh definitely some old but treasured silky smooth HR poplin

Treasured cheeks need to rest on treasured fabric!

Easy Peasy Blocks

My School Auction Quilt is made up of a very simple block using lots of scrap fabrics with one joining fabric (the aqua pindot).

I thought you may like to see how the block (called Mary's Triangle block) is made.


Take your scrap fabric and cut a

3 1/2 " square piece.


Take your joining fabric (the aqua) and cut a

3 1/2" x 4 1/2" rectangle.


Sew right sides together at short edge of rectangle.


Make another pair.
It doesn't matter if the scrap pieces match, they will end up in different blocks.

Sew together along the long sides of the two (extended) rectangles,
with scrap pieces at either ends, like so:

Flip the whole piece over to the back and snip Very Carefully just to the edge of the seam
(Not Through the seam)

Press the now two seams in opposite directions (towards the joining fabric)

Flip back to RS and press

Now cut another scrap piece to 6 1/2" x 7 1/2"

Make sure it does not match the other smaller scrap pieces.

Take your sewn block and on the WS, take your ruler and line it up to the top left corner,

going just through the corner seam of the Right hand scrap block

(see near the 5 3/4 mark on the ruler)

With a light pencil or fabric marker,

rule the line all the way from the Top Left Corner of the block,

just past the top most seam corner to the other side of the block,

1" from the bottom of the block.

Keep the block the same way and do the same with the Bottom Right Corner of the block,

just through the bottom left corner of the seam and up to the other side,

1" from the top of the block.

This is how the lines should look:

Place the marked block RS together with the large scrap block you cut out previously;

the two blocks should measure exactly, pin and sew along the lines.

Take it nice and gently through the very corner of the seam:

this will give you beautiful finished points!

Chain piece for some very quick blocks:

Here is the block with the two lines sewn:

Take your ruler and line it up 1/4" in from each line

Cut through the middle of the block:

Take your ruler and measure 1/4" from the other line and cut again!
Throw away the scrappy bit.

Open out the two triangles left and press the seam towards the large scrap triangle

Et Voila! Easy Peasy Lemon Squeesy!

I found some other examples of what this block can produce:

here

here

here

If you make something, show me -I would love to see it!

Birds of teal

Lookee here! Green Kitchen has the most adorable pincushion wristlet tute and giveaway!!! Such a clever girl!


Also love love love Tula Pink's new range called Nest - oh, must have!

This is probably my favourite - 'Bird boxes'

Has anyone else noticed the influx of 'teal' lately - so good.

Quick tute and cups

I've been looking at my Kaffe quilt on the floor of my bedroom for some time now - Hubbie is very gracious and does not say a thing about it - though when I finally started to put the thing together, the smile on his face said it all!

I thought I would attempt a smallish tutorial on how I go about putting something like this together; ie lots of squares need to be sewn in a particular order, so that the overall pattern remains 'sporadic' and well mixed and not two colours/patterns ending up together!

Firstly: have pins with coloured heads.

Work from left to right in rows.

Start with far left block and add ONE pin into the block; this is No. 1 , okay?

Fold No. 1 block over onto the next block to its right (right sides facing) and place a pin perpendicular to the seam which will be sewn. Put this pair aside. ( I have purposefully misaligned the two seams so that you can see two different blocks right sides together)

Go to next block in row and pin TWO pins on it. Repeat right sides facing, pin seam, put aside.

Keep going depending on how many blocks you have in your row.

I have an odd number in my row, so the little one on the end doesn't get a Numbering pin, only a side seam pin, so that you know which side to sew. This I place on the bottom of the pile of blocks.

Keep the Numbering Pins vertical so that you know which way is up and place the blocks on top of each other to take to the machine. Keep these pins in as you sew the correct seams together, as you will need to know which subsequent seams to do next. Pair No. 1 to Pair No. 2 etc.

Gorgeous set of 4 cups and saucers from MS Shop in Glen Waverley for $5. Classically retro and in perfect nick. Crown Lynn from New Zealand - anyone heard of it?