A Blue Finish

A few years ago I made this top with a sort of Rolling Star variation. I used all vintage fabrics, and I really like the way it turned out, and I do plan to quilt it....one day.

The block was so easy to make I decided to see if I could use a heap of blue scraps to make a two colour quilt. I have trouble limiting myself to two fabrics, but I thought I could manage sticking to a variety of blues.

I duly made thirty blocks (obviously had more scraps than I thought) and put them on the design wall. I originally thought I'd use light and medium blocks as well, but they seemed to make holes in the design, and so I moved on to other things. Making the blocks seemed so easy, and then the agonizing begins, on settings and placement and the overall effect. I can get stuck for years deciding on this stuff.

This year I decided to move some old projects along and pulled this out, vowing to just replace the light and medium blocks with new ones, and get it done. Somehow, I rejected enough blocks that I can now make another complete top, but I'm not in a hurry to finish that. At least I was happy enough to set the blocks together with a 3/4" sashing (1 1/4" cut) and get a border on

Upon seeing this for the first time Keryn mused " It's very...Blue, isn't it?" Yep, it's pretty intense in person but it's in one piece, and I can put it in the "For Sale" pile at the shop, finally.

I may have started a pink version that sort of crashed along the way, but 

I think I've come up with a setting plan for that too.

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I recently completed the snowball blocks for this long-term project and set them together. I've always loved the effect of snowballs but didn't particularly like the waste triangles that resulted. I finally bit the bullet and started cutting up my lovely reproductions, in particular the large, hard to use patterns that I'd avoided, or hoarded because they were so precious.

This will eventually have a couple of borders, but it's not going to be a big quilt. probably about 65 inches wide. I'm just happy that I can cross this pattern of my 'One Day' list.

It was great actually using them at last, and I'm vowing to reproduce more of the amazing antique quilts that I truly love and always meant to start. 

Keryn and I have been on a kick of making more modern quilts with brighter colours,  buying lots of fabric that is cheap, or is the only thing available to us within 100 kilometres. I still like to actually touch the fabric I buy, so I don't shop online these days. But the bulk of my stash is the beautiful browns and double pinks, the cheddar and indigos of the nineteenth century. I should be making good use of them now, instead of just buying fabric because it's cheap. (Who am I kidding, I'm going to do that as well..)

The antique quilts are what makes my heart sing, so I'm going to go through the thousands of quilt photos I've saved over the years and pick a few projects to actually start. And maybe finish one or two of my old ones that have stalled for one reason or another

Delicious!

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Scrappy Trips

Keryn and I managed to acquire a lot of fabric last year  that was very affordable and thus our respective stashes grew , um, quite a lot. Most of this was not the reproductions that I truly love but modern brighter colours that were still really appealing. Now we have to try and use it all!

I decided to make a Scrappy Trips, from Bonnie at Quiltville , found in the free patterns tab. I limited myself to orange, blue and green and a bit of yellow.

Hmm,so far so good, I liked the jumble of different patterns together, even if it was a bit chaotic.

However I wasn't such a fan of the blocks all set edge to edge like this. I tried different layouts but because I'd only made twelve blocks they all looked unbalanced. I was already sick of them and didn't want to cut any more out, so the diagonal orange lines seemed the only solution. And yet it was so busy I just wasn't satisfied. Plus it was too small.

So I scouted through the stash and found a soft yellow that sort of calmed things down a bit and put space into the chaos.

A suitable blue was finally found for the border and this top was done. I don't know why everything was so hard to decide on this project,  but at least I saw it through to completion. I made this pattern years ago and thought it was a real no-brainer to use up random fabric. I think I might need to go back to my browns and reproduction pinks for a while, at least I know how to use them without a struggle!

I looked at the cut offs from the end of the strip sets I'd sewn, and put them together into this little mat.  I like the random placing of the pieces and the different widths, it was good to use them up instead of putting them in the bin.

 

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Border Fabric Found

The stash yielded a half metre of this pretty blue green that suited the blocks perfectly. And it was also half price when I got it, which made me happy. I wish I'd bought more, it seemed to go with lots of other projects too, perhaps a trip back to see if there's any more available?.

I will be making these blocks again, a fullsize quilt would be pretty, or a child's quilt with novelty fabrics fussy cut for the centres....Every project sparks new ideas for future ones, we can never run out of ideas, fortunately!
 

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 I've been sewing away at various projects and making progress on all of them but had no finishes to show for my effort. I just seem to switch horses when I run out of cut pieces or get stumped on a decision. Lots of blocks being made, even new projects started but nothing being finally dealt with.

I count the top as a finish because Keryn and I sell a lot of projects as tops or sets  of blocks, some that I never intended to quilt. I just want the fun of trying the pattern or playing with fabrics outside my comfort zone.

I tried out this puss in the corner block as a way to use some "modern" scraps I had (as opposed to repro) and I made enough for a small top. They finish at six inches, using two inch strips.Twenty was enough to give me an idea of whether I thought they were a good idea, and I did like them. Super easy to piece and fun to combine the different prints.

So I sewed them all together with a scrappy white sashing and now I'm scrabbling through the stash to find a suitable border.

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Goodbye 2025

Well 2025 had a few more events to make life memorable, including emergency surgery for eldest son to remove his gall bladder and Matt having to spend a night bogged in a claypan in the desert (which he now says is an inland sea because of all the flooding rains they've had) until he could be rescued next morning. It would be nice if 2026 was peaceful, happy and with no major upheavals unless it's me winning the lottery.

I spent a week setting a pile of happy blocks into tops. 

Some of these might get borders, but I haven't decided yet. There were 150 of these super simple blocks sitting in a box and some are still left. 

It's a great way to use up scraps and requires no mental effort to cut or piece. I always have a container of cut pieces ready to sew if I don't feel like doing anything else.

I wasn't too sure about the really bright colours, they're not my style at all, but I enjoyed working with them.

My repro fabrics are calling me though, and I think I'll have to pick up one of my 'good' projects and play with my browns and pinks and cheddars for a while.

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Update...

 In excellent news, Matt and Tina got to their new job fine, navigating back roads to avoid flood damaged roads, and settled in. Yay!!  However a fishing trip along the way resulted in an infection developing in his hand that quickly became very serious. Fortunately the Royal Flying Doctor Service has a clinic right on the spot and arrangements were made to fly him to a hospital in Adelaide to get on top of the infection. To say he was not happy is an understatement. Two days of driving and weeks of planning to get up there, and whoosh, he's transported out.

The bacteria entered through a mostly healed three week old wound, ( from an angle grinder!) which upon investigation the doctor found to have partially severed a tendon. A fifteen minute tidy up turned into a two hour joint  and tendon repair. These country type stoics who won't go to a doctor and brush off injuries as "nothing much"  are so frustrating.

After a few days being pumped full of painkillers and antibiotics he was flown back to the job. He has to wear a brace so he can't bend his thumb for at least six weeks and I hope he's going to be sensible, but who knows? Let's hope there's no more drama, anyway.

And people wonder why I do so much sewing? Much better than meditiation or drinking to forget your worries. It honestly keeps me sane.

A set of log cabin blocks on the esign wall, plenty of calming sewing here.

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Back again

 Oh my goodness, I would love to say that 2025 was a better year than last, but that has not been the case. More prolonged hospital stays for some members, housing and job uncertainty for others, health concerns and lots of angst and worry. The only way out is through.

Son Matt and partner Tina have been living with me for a while, but have landed a job in remote south australian outback, twelve hours away. They intend to drive up on Saturday, but due to flood damage part of the road is closed to all tourist traffic and only accessible by 4Wdrive. thats ok, they have a land cruiser, but who knows what they'll encounter. Another section is closed to all traffic but they have permission to go through because they're getting to their job. Who knows what that will entail either. I'm trying not to worry but this is harsh country and the weather isn't co-operating. Send up prayers for their safety if so inclined!

I've used my piecing as sanity therapy this year, more than ever. Some might say I've been compulsive about it, and I'd agree. I can't say I've finished a lot of tops but there are piles of blocks finished and lots of new starts, and lots of fabric used.

Little star top, it's only crib size but I was sick of the blocks hanging around.

Garlic Knots,which was so easy to piece, very quick and satisfying.

I said to Keryn I had this weird superstition that every time I posted, more bad things would happen, and that put me off. She pointed out that the bad things were happening anyway. Thats true, and I don't really believe that because it is just superstition.

However  I have to be careful not to talk about other people's stories because they are not mine to tell, even if they have a huge impact on my life. So I'll try to just concentrate on the things that give me joy and keep me sane and hopefully I can resurrect the blog as a journal, as Keryn seems to be doing.

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Happenings

Shortly after I finished that last blog post my eleven year old grandson Max was in hospital, also diagnosed with type one diabetes. It seems unbelievable to me that there should be three people in the same family with it, but that's the reality of it. He too now has a pump and is coping very well. He's the same age as Rob wnen he was diagnosed but there is such a lot of support available now that it's a big help. 

With all the research I'm sure there will be a cure in ten years or so.

I spent Christmas with Rob and the boys and then came home to enjoy lots of reading, cooking, gardening, sewing and jigsaws.

The new year was spent quietly and I made a few resolutions and some plans. What was completely unforeseen was a woman in a work truck speeding through a Give Way sign and writing off the front of the car I was driving. I had fortuneatly seen she wasnt going to even slow down, so I jammed on the brakes and she hit the front of the car instead of the drivers door. I would probably still be in hospital, or not even alive if I hadn't.

I was a bit shaken up, but my main feeling was one of anger. I coud have had my grand daughters in the car with me, so many aspects could have been worse, so I was grateful for that, but still angry. Now Keryn and I are sharing her car, for which I am also grateful, but it makes life difficult. Hopefully the insurance will be sorted out soon and I can have my own wheels again.

I'm still sewing and cutting and had one finish very early in the year. This is a pattern I made years ago, but I sold that quilt and thought I'd make another. It's very easy to sew and used up a heap of scraps. I meant to make it bigger, but decided to make it a couch size, just so I could get a finish under my belt so early in the year. I must have five quilts awaiting borders, so I could really have  quick finishes, if I just worked on them. The lure of starting a project is strong though, and I'll probably give in soon.The weather is horrible, the garden is dying and being holed up in the sewing room seems the most sensible thing at the momment.

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Marjorie in the comments said that it had been a long time since either Keryn or I had posted, and hoped we were all right. We're still here, still sewing and quilting for a select few customers but we've wound back our work commitments drastically.

My family has had a few medical knocks this year, Matt my youngest son had a stint in hospital, being flown from Arkaroola by the Flying Doctor, an absolutely wonderful Aussie lifesaver for those in the outback. Soon after youngest grandson Eddie (8 years old) was in hospital and diagnosed with type one diabetes. Just like his dad Robert, who was diagnosed at eleven. This is not as common as one might think and the doctors were very interested in this happening. 

Diabetes care has changed so much and Eddie now has an insulin  pump, a continuous glucose monitor and an app on a phone that lets the parents know what his blood sugar is. So much better than the thousands of finger pricks that Rob had to endure. 

Then Rob has had some issues that required medical intervention and I spent some time in Adelaide providing moral support for him and today I learned Matt's partner Tina had to be flown to hospital from Arkaroola, sheesh! I never say "What next?" because I don't want to find out, quite frankly.

John was in another fantastic musical, The Adams Family, as Gomez, which entailed months of rehearsals and much work behind the scenes, so I spent a lot of time supervising the girls so he was free to concentrate on that. It was the best show he's done and totally worth it, but it's still a huge commitment for the whole family.

I'm feeling a bit exhausted as the end of year approaches, with school concerts and christmas to be arranged and the holidays to be navigated amongst the family. I can't believe that 2025 is rushing towards us, where has the year gone? 

Sewing is still keeping me sane, even though so many of my plans have been disrupted this year. Even if I can't manage to finish my quilts completely I can still sew tops, if I can't finish tops I can make blocks, if I can't finish blocks I can sew smaller units, if I haven't got time for that I can cut fabric and make kits. It really is my therapy.

This top came together quite quickly from a desire to use some odd prints from charm packs; those large prints that don't make sense when cut into 5" squares and other randomn fabrics  that didn't fit into any particular group except Big Print/Floral. All the nine patches were scraps that had been cut into 2" squares and the cream was bits of seeded homespun.

Lovely prints, but pretty unuseable as five" squares.

 It felt good to put them all together, and then it was bordered with a soft green and purple large floral leftover from a backing.

 Pulling all that together seems to give me more satisfaction than using my yardge, somehow. It made a pretty little top out of bits and pieces, just as I'm trying to make sense of a very unsettling year of disjointed events.

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 This top was also a kit that I cut years ago. I'd even pieced all the sashes and nine patches, so more than half the work was done. The pattern is called Show Off by Becky of Quilting Twins. She used 9 1/2" squares but I think mine were 7 1/2". That way I could use more of the slightly smaller pieces of shirts.

Jo Jramer quilted a blue one that her daughter Kelli made, and it's beautiful. It's a very easy and striking pattern that shows off the fabric, which is how it got it's name I suppose. It's good for doing in stages too. I cut it all out, large squares first and then the shirting strips for the sashing and the ninepatches. Later I pieced all the sashing, in another session the nine patches. Then I packed it away, knowing that it wouldn't take me long to get it in one piece.

It certainly chewed up a lot of shirts that I wanted to be rid of, and the remainder of my shirt fabric  stash is much more manageable now.

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I started some Jack in the Pulpit blocks years ago, 2013 to be exact, gulp. How can they be nearly eleven years old? I don't understand how time just seems to disappear like that.

 I had fun choosing different fabrics for a fairly muted look, because I didn't want a high contrast between the shirting backgrounds and the coloured portion of the pattern. But when I came to find a sashing fabric anything dark just overwhelmed the blocks and medium fabrics were too wishy washy, so I moved on to something else. Every now and then I'd pull them out, have a play, get discouraged and pack them away again.

 Last year in a bout of complaining to Keryn about my lack of success she suggested this fabric, which is actually a brown print that reads as a warm grey...

Hmmm, maybe....And before I knew it I'd set them all together. We agreed on a large border print to go around it and then life intervened and the bundle sat and sat. I kept thinking how easy it would be to finish the top, now that the decisions were all made, but unless I actually sew the borders on it won't get finished. Duh!!

So the next time you see this it will be sporting a wide floral border and I can tick it off the list. (Fingers crossed)

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 I cant believe how much time has passed since I last blogged. I keep thinking life is going to slow down and become 'normal', but perhaps I just better accept this is the 'new normal.' Looking after the grand daughters for half the week, school drop off and pickup and supervising other activities  while son John is at work, plus my own duties at home and helping other family members. I've been watering two gardens in our summer while Keryn is away and working when I'm able.

So when I tested positive for covid I was actually quite relieved. I stayed home for a week, not even getting in the car once, and it was blissful. I had a cough and a runny nose and a really sore throat, but I didn't have any of the brain fog or tiredness I had the first time. I was able to get  projects done that I'd put off for years.  I went through and filled bags of stuff to take to goodwill, as well as organised the whole kitchen. It felt great to be able to concentrate on my own plans, and gave me a glimpse of what life could be in the future. I won't always have so many nana duties and there are other things I have to learn to say no to more often.

I took a good look at my sewing room too, and realised that I have far too many kits all packaged up on the shelves. Most of them are  cut out, and then they get stacked up and put away for 'later.' What is the point if I never get to stitch them? I say I need them in case I can't cut for a project, then  there will always be pieces ready to sew. Hmm, but if I haven't touched them for years, are they all necessary?

So I pulled one container of pieces for a plaid cross quilt, cut from salvaged shirts and made that my sewing for the week. It didn't quite clear out the container, which was a bit disappointing, but this top used most of the pieces. 

The blocks were cut from 3 1/2" strips,  firstly squares and then 1 1/2" strips to separate them. They were so easy to piece that the top was finished in no time, including a border that was attached as I sewed the blocks together. I love doing the borders like this, it takes all the agonising out of the decisions.

I also achieved a lot of leader ender sewing, making tiny nine patches and finishing some little log cabin blocks.I even allowed myself to sew during the day, something I never let myself do. 

I seem to think I should be doing other things, chores and the garden or work during the day, so the time at the machine was  particularly delightful that week. Im hoping there will be more of it in the future.

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