Necessity and Invention

Great title eh, its hard to think up titles you know.   Today I decided to change the sewing table I was having difficulties with the height of the bench in the sewing area so have moved the sewing machine (the pfaff quilter) into the other room.  I decided that I could make a bench on the arms of the couch that is in there with some panels I had in the outbuildings which would be the right height..........and they are perfect - the right height and can use the knee lift etc......its making the sewing go a lot quicker.   This is not perfect of course BUT as soon as I can get rid of this couch and the two chairs that go with it that reside in my bedroom at the moment LOL  Hubby will build me a proper bench to this height in the corner of the room so I can put both machines there ready to go which will be great as the light in there is really good the windows are behind and let in heaps of light midday. 

 

Am getting along with the strips for the quilt now, have cut out the next three batting strips and backing so its all ready to go and am now sewing up all the strips - fingers crossed I can get these first 5 panels done in the next few days and can then move onto the straight panels which are once colour and will be quilted maybe in some sort of loopy loop quilting - I will try and see how I go 

First Panel done on the quilt

I have modified this a bit as I found the "sew, flip and iron" method was just not working for me and was slow, so I have sewn the panel together and then put it together by stitching in the ditch on the seams of the coins.  I would rather stipple than stitch in the ditch I have to say but now I have started the coin panels like this I will continue for the rest and do a design or stipple in the plain panels in between the coin ones.       Got to say my stitch in the ditch is pretty bad, but hey this is for me on my bed so I am not unpicking (which I normally would do)........ Hard to get good pics of the whole length as this is going to be super queen size OMG....hehe

Busy Busy Busy LOL

Well I have been super busy today - first time I have got out to the sewing room for a bit and I was really hanging out to spend some time playing.  Yesterday I downloaded some really cool Quilt as you go patterns for quilts from Joy at Joypatch which looked really interesting as I have been wanting to do a quilt for my bed.  These are done with Jellyrolls which unfortunately are just far too expensive to buy here in NZ they are approx 75 - 85 dollars which is just too much.   Soooooooo  I thought heck make my own so have been cutting up 2.5 lengths of material all afternoon....... some from fat quarters which I have on hand just because I wanted to LOL and some from some fabric I had in the sewing room as I decided to use what I have for this quilt - Its just for my bed so it doesn't matter if its a bit scrappy to test out this technique.    I also cut out 5 inch squares and 4 inch squares as well as I was going along to add to the stash (cardboard box)  which I intend to fill up eventually for making scrap quilts and runners and bags.  So all in all a really busy day but productive.

Smallish pile for the quilt

Pile getting a bit bigger LOL

All Done and ready to go

Some fat quarters cut up

Box which I intend to fill up as I go with all the fat quarters which have been just sitting in the room for ages 

First panel with the backing and batting together ready to add the 2.5 lengths to - don't look too hard at the backing -  I got half a bolt at Spotlight a while ago for 2.00 so am using up what I have for the backing as it will take a bit and I am using what I have in the sewing room for this one- I used basting spray for the first time so will be interesting to see how that goes.

Hubby (AKA Captain Caveman - AKA Crafter)

My Hubby (affectionately known as Captain Caveman)  is the poster NZ man who wears the black stubbie shorts, black singlet and gumboots who also fishes every weekend he can get away with it LOL....... 

Yesterday he disappears out the back of the house for the afternoon saying  he had things to do - he popped in side to ask me if I had any bits and bobs that were of a rustic nature in the "shop"  (AKA craft room) LOL... 

So after that comment I thought I had better go and see what he was up to.......  and here below is what he was making for a friend to hang on the front of her house at the beach.  Very surprising as he is not known for patience - actually has no patience normally at all -  things fly about in the air when he is fixing something LOL.........

Not bad for someone with no patience LOL.......mind am not sure about this new crafty side to him, there has been mention of a trip to Spotlight to have a look - I am not sure I want to share the crafting money two ways LOL LOL