Merry Christmas Everyone!

Rrrriiippppp!!!!

I unpicked and resewed DS’ Serendipity quilt on Saturday.  By the time I had finished, I had NO idea where I had gone wrong…..only that I had fixed it!

Since DS had requested in the ditch quilting, I thought it would be just as easy to use my sewing machine as my Sweet 16…HA! I was so giddy with excitement that I’d be able to finish it by Tuesday this week that I didn’t check how long it had been since the needle on my sewing machine had been changed.  Then wondered why the machine was sewing so noisily.

The upshot was I spent a good part of Sunday afternoon unpicking all the quilting (just under two metres), as it puckered like crazy on the second row.  I thought it was better to unpick the lot then, rather than possibly having to unpick again, possibly even more!

At the time I was disappointed that I couldn’t finish making it, as I wanted to send it to my DS for Christmas.  That was until The Voice Of Reason (The Missus) reminded me the original plan had been to have it finished for his birthday…..when the weather will be more appropriate for quilts.  Now I’m back to the original plan……which is a much better idea, as the forecast for Christmas Day where he lives is 36C (97F)…not really quilt weather! lol  It IS on the “to do this week” list.  ;)

I started Lizzie*Kate’s Christmas Love from the JCS 2010 Special Christmas Issue about a month ago.  I got up at 5am on yesterday morning to finish it, as I was meeting the recipient that morning!  It was when I was sewing it into a cushion that I found out how blunt my machine needle was!  I was sewing it with baited breathe!  Now I am on a worn needle purge and I’m checking all my embroidery and cross stitch needles, too. 

I recently bought a copy of The Art of the Quilt 2013 calendar.  I was also given a copy, which means I have one too many now!  I’d be happy to do a swap for something quilty related from your stash.  Maybe there is something you have doubled up on too! lol  Please let me know if you are interested.

Cruising Down Easy Street With GPS

My favourite way of making a block is foundation piecing.  I've never made one flying goose before, let alone 128, so I decided to draw up one page of ten geese.

Then scanned and printed thirteen pages, cut them into individual geese.  (Which are so small I think of them as goslings!)

I am using sixteen different red fabrics and eight neutrals.  Instead of cutting off the extra lengths and putting them in the scrap box to be cut up later, I cut up strips, then put them through the Sizzix machine and got two things done at once.

Now they are tucked away in a box, all ready to be made into geese.....Maybe before step three comes out, maybe not!