The one I'm really tickled about is the little critter one, here:
Monday, March 12, 2012
Mini-quilt Monday!
The one I'm really tickled about is the little critter one, here:
Friday, March 9, 2012
Finish it Up! Friday - 9 March
And I've finished all the blocks for my latest bento pie quilt:
Friday, March 2, 2012
Finish It Up! Friday - 03.02
First up, a custom twin-sized pirate flag quilt. This one features solid Kona purple and the Day of the Dead-inspired 'Los Novios' print from Alexander Henry:
Second is another finish to a top Jenni created for one of her boys:
He's a very tactile lad, so the backing is unquilted fleece. I quilted the top as usual, with cotton batting and a really ugly cotton print that I couldn't bear to throw away but couldn't honestly imagine using for anything anyone might see!
After quilting it was simply a matter of layering with the fleece, and then binding the two thick layers (quilt and fleece) together. It's much heavier than usual and will be quite warm. It will also require tumble-drying on high!
Monday, February 27, 2012
Tool Talk - Accuquilt Go! 2.5" strip cutter
Friday, February 24, 2012
Finish it Up! Friday - 24 February
But hey, if you remembered to take pictures of anything you've made in the last week (or two!), go ahead and post links below. The only rules are it has to be something you made, and if it's food maybe share the recipe, too!
Tuesday, February 14, 2012
Blog Love - Five favourites

Nadine got the award from Sami, who got it from Giles, who got it from - wait, I do need to get on to the day job at some point, but follow the links and you'll get there too!
The point of Liebster Love seems to be very simply to go out of your way to say thanks to a blogger you enjoy who has fewer than 200 fans, which I think is a worthy way to spend your time. There are so many bloggers whose efforts are worthwhile to me, but I may not tell them as often as I should, so here goes, in no particular order:
Gone Aussie Quilting: Quite frankly I am surprised she has fewer than 200 followers, all though just barely. I'm grateful she still qualifies, however briefly so I have the chance to point out a brilliant modern artist and great person. She has a brilliant sense of play and the way she makes a cacophony of colours and prints play well together is a pleasure to see.
Soul Soup Soap: Izumi is one of those moms who could inspire envy if she weren't so darn human inside her perfect house! Her blog and flickr stream are full of the most delightful lunches and dessert treats imaginable; and how freely she shares her recipes and adventures is inspiring. If you may not have a chance for a holiday of your own this year, pop over and take a browse - you may find your vicarious adventures to the seaside, farms and street festivals with the denizens of chez babykins as enjoyable as I have.
Namoo: I am regularly flabbergasted at the amount of completed objects put out by these two. Insung's quilts regularly show modern quilting in the best light, with a combination of textured fabrics and stitches that make a beautiful quilt a treasure. And the hand-printed design accessories are nothing to be sniffed at, either!
AnneCentral: Anne is one of those truly humbling people who builds up those around her and occasionally makes you wonder what you've done to deserve such a friend. She's riotously funny, warm, witty and takes no guff from anyone. Even if you haven't had joy of meeting her in person, I think a good bit of that comes over in her writing and if you need reassurance that humanity is not doomed, you should pop over and read some of her adventures.
The Broken Needle: Morganskye cracks me up on a regular basis. She's a costume-making, make-up wearing, cross-stitching bucket of fun by night and a closeted accountant by day. Her blog is full of randomness - whether she's turning out a cross-stitched hand grenade or giving Brent Spiner a clay carrot (it's not as bad as it sounds), she's always worth a visit.
Monday, February 13, 2012
Tool Talk - Pressing Matters
So why is it, the first time I had an iron in my hand and had to press a seam I gave it a great sweeping push that distorted the bias? Because I was ironing, not pressing. After years of sweeping the creases out of blouses and trousers with my iron, I had to relearn how to 'press'.
My favourite iron to use for quilting is a small travel iron. For years I used a little yellow GE iron my mother got at the Ft. Devens PX in 1974. That little girl got hot and stayed hot, even after she developed an unfortunate leak in her water reservoir. That didn't stop me from using my favourite iron - the end came when I knocked her off the table and cracked her footing. My husband decided if the plastic was old enough to fracture then the wiring was in an unknown state and I should get a new one. So now I have a petite little Conair travel iron who works just as wonderfully.
The iron is not the real point of all this blather, though - the ironing surface is. For most of my piecework pressing I don't use a conventional ironing board with a punched metal frame and fabric cover, I use a pressing board. There are two fairly popular pressing boards out, one by Omnigrid, the other by June Tailor. I use the June Tailor model, which features a pressing side and a cutting side, both gridded:
There are a couple of great benefits to this tool - besides the obvious value of marked 30-, 45- and 60-degree angles for squaring up your cutting, there's the markings for squaring up your pressing:

