Crazy About Wool

I am so enjoying visiting all the crazy wool people on this blog hop. I love to knit and crochet but I also love to make things with wool fabric and wool felt. I fell in love with crazy wool pincushions when I joined in a round robin sewalong a while back. It is still my favourite working pincushion.

Then I made a whole one myself.

The pattern is here.

For today I made an Aussie Christmas decoration to share. Summer is marked by noisy cockatoos flying over our house so it only seems right to have one on the Christmas tree with the robins and cardinals.

Here he is hung on the mango tree out back. And it just happens that the real cockatoo called in the other day too.

I scanned in the pattern. I am not sure if it will come out exactly the right size but close.
You can download it as a PDF.

I free motioned around the pieces in matching thread.
I trimmed the red square next to the bottom edges of the cockatoo piece first, then the top next to his crest, then the back to make it square.
I sewed the red square to a green square.
To give it a good swing as it hangs I added two washers from the tool box to a second green square and sealed them in with some iron on vilene.
I folded a piece of ribbon in half and tied the ends in a knot. I then sewed on the second green square sandwiching the ribbon.
To get the pieces to stay in place while I sewed them I used my trusty spray baste. I quick squirt on the back of each piece with an A4 piece of paper as a drop sheet.

I really wanted to get my knitted dolly finished for today but she is not quite done and she will have to make her debut another day.

Make sure you visit the other blogs in this Crazy About Wool blog hop. Today's list is below and you can see each day's schedule at Pieced Brain. Thanks to Denise for hosting this fun hop.

Tuesday, September 24

Quiltscapes

Marla's Crafts

Secretly Stitching

Marjorie's Busy Corner

Sew Many Yarns

Val Spiers Sews

Quilted Crow Girls Design

Happy Quilting,
Val

A Christmas item or two

I have just looked through some of my magazines with Christmas projects. There are so many nice little things. However , I decided to look in my Christmas pattern file and found a nice star. I wanted something quick so I opted for all machine sewing and made up a couple of tree decorations. They are about as big as my hand.

Narelle at PinsandWhiskers has a list of elves in her side bar so you can see what others are making. Thanks to Narelle for hosting.

Happy Quilting,

Val

 

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iPad Stand

I am always using my iPad upstairs in the sewing room to look at tutorials or design ideas. It can be a real pain to view it while it is flat or only propped up a bit as the cover does. I finally made myself a stand based on this great design and tutorial from Sewn Up by Teresa Down Under. Not sure why she is down under. I can only find that she is in Paris.

The catnip quilt scraps were just sitting there. It takes 12 squares. I stuffed the point with wadding then added some rice for weight then more stuffing. It is perfect :)
I should have been making something for 1 xmas item a month over at Narelle's blog :(
Maybe next month.

Linking up to SewDarnCrafty

Happy Quilting,
Val

Christmas house

I have managed to make a felt decoration to put away for Christmas in between all the cleaning of the house and boxing up my home. It is so weird in the house with just the furniture. The only personal items I can see are some treasures I have left in my display cabinets. After the agent takes the photos I am definitely putting my tea things back out in the kitchen.

I so love my felts and I couldn't resist the gingerbread house that I found on Pinterest. It is a free pattern at Craft Ideas
I did it in thin felt so I will have to prop it up a bit with some cardboard inside.

I have been adding progress posts on my Summertime quilt blog. It is a wonderful felt quilt. I posted some house pictures on my housework blog. The routine has suffered a bit with the extra packing up and some maintenance required to make the house perfect. I will be falling back on the routine to keep things looking great til we sell.

I am definitely going to start a new free stitchery BOM called Adventure found at Pretty P and Mamma B Designs

We have another sewer joining the North Pole QAL. Donna has just got the book and is keen to start. When I looked at Donna's blog I saw that she is crazy about BOM's and she is making some wonderful quilts. She has a thing for Christmas quilts too. Check out her blog.

A big thanks to Narelle of Pins and Whiskers for hosting 1 Xmas Item a Month. It is like a Christmas sew along and really helps me to focus.

I have just been thinking...
I tend to use my computer a lot:

• I have been using Google plus just to make a quick post about something I think my blog friends might be interested in. 
• I have been using my quilt diary blogs to post about every little bit of progress I am making with my quilts this year. 
• I use my housework blog to make me feel good about the work I put in to make my place clean and comfortable. 
• I use the right side bar to remind myself of things that I must buy or must make.
• I use Pinterest to collect 5 lifetimes worth of things I want to make.
• I also use my 'save image' a lot on my ipad to collect pictures of finished items and ideas to save in 'Photos' in lots of 'albums'. A bit like my own Pinterest but I don't need the links.
• Paypal also gets a bit of a beating and I just love internet banking.
• I use Flickr to store most of my blog photos. Even with the free version where you can't see all your photos they still show up on my blog posts because the link still works. I recently took the free upgrade to Pro for three months that they offered as a Christmas present and will probably pay to continue it. I have uploaded lots of photos of my possessions to keep safe for insurance purposes in private sets and will most likely upload all my photos to store online as well as keep a backup on DVD.
• I am considering buying a drawing tablet so I won't need to have visual diaries for my designs.   Shelf space is hard to find.
• I have just thought that I really need to scan all the design bits and pieces I have into the computer. I have trouble working out which folder to put things in. Then I can't find them later and just forget about them. It would be much easier to have a nice written list of categories for folders on my computer and it is also possible to search for files at the click of a button. Would I be game enough to throw away all my paper pages then? I will definitely have to think about that before I do it :)

Time for a computer break now.
Happy Quilting,
Val

One Christmas Item a Month

How can it be 25th Jan already! Luckily I have been working diligently on my cross stitch items to make little Christmas presents for the ladies at my quilting group.

I was able to make up a finished piece into a needle book to show off today. It is so useful to have the 1 Xmas Item a Month group again this year. It gives me just the right amount of motivation without feeling I have to submit an item every time. Thanks Narelle.

I have worked out that I can make the inside cover with two pieces of fabric so that I can sew all the way around the outside edge.

With the front cover closed I cut two pieces 1/4 inch wider.

Stitch all around, clip the corners and turn through the gap in the spine.

Stitch the gap by hand.

I stitched close to the cross stitch on the front then did  a square on the back as well, then stitched in the felt pages.

There is a list of Christmas elves participating on the right side bar of Narelle's blog.

Happy Quilting,
Val

1 Christmas Item a Month

I needed something quick and easy this month so I made a few coasters to go with the place mats I made last year. I used the big baubles printed on the fabric and put in a bit of wadding. I also interfaced the top fabric. I made a jigsaw wadding piece from my scraps and did the same with my interfacing scraps. They probably wouldn't withstand machine washing but that is OK.

Raw edge. Wadding can be seen.

No turning. Just sew around the rough cut pieces then trim close to the stitching.

You can see what others are making over at Narelle's blog Pins and Whiskers.

This is an automated post while I am away. I will enjoy reading your comments but I won't be able to reply this time. I am just trying to cut down on the emailing while I am busy touring :)

Happy Quilting,
Val

1 xmas item a month

 
I have been concentrating on getting some little gifts ready. Playing with a few designs. Many years ago I was given a shop made book page weight. It is like a mini pyramid doorstop. It has dried lavender in it so it males reading a more relaxing past time. It is used to stop the pages turning while the book is on the table. Very useful for reading hands free. You can hold your cake plate and read at the same time :)
It would also make a nice nice little paper weight for the desk. I have finished one but I would like to make at least two more. I have to get some more tassels.
Narelle at Pins and Whiskers is the lovely host for this group. She has a list of all those joining in on her side bar. There are usually lots of great ideas.
I have made a little pattern for my pyramid. Click on the image then download it.

Happy Quilting,
Val

Festive Feline

Since the unofficial theme for Christmas dinner is "Garnish/Embellishment" I wanted a fancy centre piece. I love all those twiggy things. There are lots at our Christmas Shack shop but they are quite expensive. I was looking through my Christmas craft books and came across this cute kitty by Mary-Anne Hogan.
I am trying to use what I have in my stash so I pulled out the blanket I got from the op shop for $3 and found an old scarf that I could cut down and also use to make the hat.
Since cats are not traditional Christmas fare I didn't think it would hurt to add a sewing theme with some of the embellishments. He is not quite as 'primitive' as the one in the pattern but he looks cute on the table.

Happy Quilting,
Val

Obsessed with the quick finish

You may have noticed that I have been making all sorts of little things lately. My big star quilt is lying idle and my new Nanna's Farm quilt is still a pile of fabrics.
Yesterday I finished four Christmas cookie decorations made from felt...

They are only little.

...then last night I made the little stuffed bird I got from Cookies and Cream. Little stuffed toys are not high on my list of quick finishes. They are way too fiddly. Then ...

...this morning I was browsing around and found a tutorial for a zipper bag at Joypatch. It is a basic pattern and I have made it before but looking at the construction triggered a need to make it out of plastic. The bound edges were perfect for plastic. I folded the raw edges in on the binding then folded it in half as described in the pattern. However, I placed it over the edges of the plastic and sewed both front and back edges at once. I didn't bother with a zipper gusset. I just sewed it straight into the binding then put the end tabs on. The construction is similar to the felt tea bag I made before. Though felt doesn't need the binding. I can see some more plastic things in the near future. Maybe even today :)

Here are the cookies. The small ones were a bit too small I thought so I have included 120% cookies as well. Click on the image, save it then print it.

Happy Quilting,
Val

Would you believe 'More Christmas Sewing' :)

I have been busy sewing and playing. I loved the look of some of the cakes in the Woolworths Fresh magazine so I have traced them to make into fabric things at some point.

And then I saw what Teje was doing on Nero's Post and Patch. She is making fabric cards by just sewing around shapes and trimming them close to the stitching. I have been meaning to try this method for a while. Obviously it is not a good plan for things that have to be washed but I thought if I made some coasters like this they could be soaked carefully if need be. So I cut out some teapot shapes roughly, interfaced them and cut wadding and backing. I then sewed around the outline and cut them out. They look really cute. I will have to make a set.

I managed to finish the last three of my place mats and I made a magpie tree decoration. I added some bells to jazz him up a bit.

My desk was a mess with 5 or 6 projects in various stages so I got out another folder and put all my drawings and interfacing pieces and flosses and even a tea towel into plastic sleeves and I feel so much happier.

If you click on these drawings you can save them print them full size.

Happy Quilting,
Val

1 xmas item a month and Christmas through the year

I joined up these two clubs at the beginning of the year in the hope that I would be motivated to make some Christmas decorations and a few gifts during the year. You know what? It really worked! I have made quite a few bits and pieces through the year and really enjoyed it. There are so many ideas out there and everyone is happy to show and share :)

A big thank you to Narelle at Pins and Whiskers for hosting 1 Xmas Item a Month and also to Allie of Allie-oops Sweet Happy Life for hosting Christmas Through the Year. You have both done a wonderful job of motivating me and many others to make Christmas preparations a bit easier.

This month I have made a few things. My place mats are well under way and I made a tote bag for DD2 and two pot holders for my mum.

I usually make something crafty for place names at the Christmas table and this year I have started making some birds out of spare Christmas cards. I have lots of the background cards and they even have a little space to write the name.

While I was at the computer before lunch Tommy made his presence felt. He meows pitifully and when that doesn't work he taps me on the leg. How could I ignore such a plaintive look. Well I just couldn't and he got a nice tin for lunch :)

Happy Quilting,
Val

1 Xmas item a month

Nearly the end of the month and I was looking at all the nice Christmas things so many of you were making and remembered that I joined the Christmas clubs so I would be more inclined to make something. So this morning I got up and went up to my sewing room to make something. I was pulling out a few books when some bags of scraps and loose Christmas scraps fell all over the place. There was also a ready cut wadding square for a crazy block. My pot holder / teapot stand kind of evolved. It needed to be bigger so I added a border. I put woollen blanket inside. One piece a bit smaller than the other so the binding would go on easier. That's why there are stitching lines on the back. I sewed the smaller piece to the back first then sewed it all together. I love the button but it doesn't really go. At least it is finished and can wait til I get a Christmas button. I still have lots of pink scraps so I will make a pink pot holder for the teapot button.
Visit Narelle at Pins and Whiskers and see who has commented. Most will be part of 1 Xmas item a month and have posted about their project.

I made a useful discovery at Lincraft the other day. The fabric I bought had no tag on it and the girl said no problem she would look up the care instructions. Funny how some things just never occur to me. Of course most stores have inventory software on their cash register computer. I would always forget to write down the care instructions and when I got home I would promise myself that I would take my little note book next time. But now I will ask if they can print them out for me.

I have been pretty conservative with my clothes lately. Trying to get away from fussy patterns and multiple colours but I figured I could use what ever took my fancy for the lining of my camel coloured jacket so I bought leopard print :)

Also, the other night, instead of visiting all my blog friends I played with my header picture. I have a few Nitwit collections with lots of background fabrics and notions that are used for digital scrapbooking and after seeing someone's header I stopped blog surfing and made my own header.
I have nearly visited all the blogs in my list. It feels like I have missed so much over the last few weeks.
Thanks for all the lovely responses to Running Stitch Tommy. I feel inspired to make some more cat designs.

Happy Quilting,
Val

1 Xmas item a month

I have been trying to find something to do with these hankies I bought a while back (years ago). I was playing around with one and had an inspiration to make a triangle pouch. Turning it into a lavender sachet was the next logical step. Everyone can use a lavender sachet in their clothes or hall cupboard or fabric stash. I made two for today and think I will make some more for Christmas through the year. I cut the hankie in half then put bias binding at an angle. I did a narrow french seam on the raw edge side and threaded in the ribbon.

1 Xmas item a month is hosted by Narelle at Pins and Whiskers. Why not see what others are doing and maybe join in with the linky.

Narelle had a link to Stitched Sunday which sounds really good. Learn to stitch from scratch every Sunday starting tomorrow with some pre-lesson info.

Happy Sewing,
Val