Geese in the Forest

geese in the forest, a photo by Tina ~ Seaside Stitches on Flickr.

I am on a roll!
This looovely quilt by Tina Seaside Stitches is my inspiration to tackle my next Paper Piecing Project PPP!

I have fallen in love with the greens and blues and aquas and limes of these batiks and well, frankly I am going to copy it - well, you know make it my own ;)

The pattern is on sale atm here! :

and I have my lovely pile of ice blues and deep forest greens and tropical aquas and chartreusy limes batiks - all had a throughly good wash and dry and ready for action.

Now I know a few friends had wanted to have a go too - Jeannette and Janine? Want to start one too?

This pattern really is a good one for Paper piecing beginners - just lots of good ol straight lines though you have to make sure you use plenty of fabric to cover the triangles.

Can I also recommend some Foundation Paper for the piecing - I am using Carol Doak's Foundation Paper (100 sheets) - she is the Dame when it comes to PP! I got mine here:

Check out the Flickr group for more Geese in the Forest!

Via Flickr:
blogged about here: seaside-stitches.blogspot.com/2009/10/ready-for-quilt-sho...

Little blue box

Time And Relative Dimension In Space

Just in case you weren't sure what a TARDIS was...

Wow - a paper pieced block that looks pretty complicated, but no, not really.  After being thrown in the deep end with a PP block for a bee member, I swallowed a bit of water, but started to swim and made it.

 I am getting the hang of PP now - it is not perfect, but just a little bit squew-whiffy - not smelly whiffy but warping in or out of space squewy.

Kinda wibbly-wobbly ;)

DD2 tentatively asked me what it is for....of course I said 'For You!'

DD2 gave me the Biggest Grin!

It makes me grin too.

some sneaky peaks

Just a little teaser of how my first Dr Who Along piece is going.....

and how my quilting machine is Finally going....

After perservering with a machine that is temperamental and tantrum-inducing, I may just have it behaving nicely....just very cautious to not jinx it ...I think I do a little meditation before I even look its way....like deep breathing, thinking good thoughts, and trying to be all zen about it.

Hasn't bloody worked in the long past, but...I am surprising myself  by not throwing out the top storey window :)

A little bit of tension tweaking is still needed..sigh...

A Wedding

A beautifully sunny but cold English day

A 12th century church

A bride who's late

Lots of smiles

Lots of hugs

Lots of laughs

Tipis by the lake

Peacock feathers and vintage pianolas

Paella and chocolate brownies

Glowing fire

Sunset

Married

Burn

This is my sister - she may not thank me for posting her photo here - I also had ones with her and me, but I am so ghastly in photos it is not funny and sometimes it is....

unfortuately, her fiance (at the time) was not able to get here in time for gift giving before the wedding, which I so wanted him for.

She and I and everyone there cried and hugged and it was a very emotional gift giving and receiving.  I am so so glad that both she and her man love it dearly, which warms my heart so much.

The Oakshott quilt - now renamed 'Burn' because......

Their wedding quilt - not for 'the bed' as seems so smirkly suggested, but just a couch quilt to snuggle under was quickly designed once a pattern from Oakshott website was seen through a link:H elen Howes Textiles Tiger Tiger - titled from William Blake's poem: Tiger Tiger Burning Bright 

After much play and thought and play and reconsideration of placement of blocks, I liked a more vertical arrangement, making them more as trees (in my mind). I was being led to a more organic state of mind, thinking of sky sun and earth being so similar from both bride and groom's background.

It was my expression of the two countries of Australia and South Africa being one - having so much colour in common - deep blue hues for sky, hot burning yellows and oranges for the sun and earthy reds and browns for earth, touched with cool greens for the flora and blues for the waters.

When my sister told me about her Wedding Exit Song: Burn Your Name by Powderfinger - this I knew I had to incorporate it somehow.

 An iconic Aussie rockband playing in a 12th century english church. I loved it!!

Kerrie from BlackForest Quilting in Macedon came to my rescue after tears of frustration at my quilting machine and helped realise my dream of how I thought it could be. 'Cool Water' was the quilting pattern for majority of the quilt - thanks to Jeannette for this suggestion - it was perfect.

Burn your name right across the sky

So I never forget what the feeling's like

I want every single soul to know

that I love you for what you are

So I sound the bells that praise your precious heart

I have to admit that the end result was Not exactly how I thought it would be in my mind and my finishing mistakes did not help that at all, But,

the faults I know and can see is completely negated by the love felt by her and by me

and that is all that counts.

Love.

Manna from Heaven

Otherwise known as Liberty of London fabric

12 metres of Tana Lawn, Cotton Jersey and Voile bought from Shaukat - a special adventure taken just by me, while in London with my family for my sister's wedding.

Do you think I'd show pictures of the wedding first? No!  The liberty had to come out for first show and tell!

I had to stop buying cos it was getting too heavy to carry hehehe!

The jersey (bottom flowers) was bought for the Vogue 1250 pattern - I can always dream :)

The next few photos are a lovely pile of 'scraps' bought for 2 and 5 pounds - I'll have that, and that, and that...!!

I fell in love with these antique french scizzors

 and nearly died when I found this Victorian era cushion for 5 pounds.  It is very simple, torn and frayed and I just love it.

Is it your thing too?

I left one out!  Make it 15 metres!! Wahoo!!

I had obviously blocked out of my mind how much I bought, but it just makes me extra happy for the price I got it for.

Is it almost worth the horrible flight over to the otherside of the world to go again??

Done and Dusted

A final shot of the quilt that has taken up my mindspace for nearly 10 months

My hubbie heard an audible sigh of relief that it is finished - sewn, quilted, bound, washed, dried, ironed, labelled, photographed, and now, blogged - not fully mind you - cannot show everything about it or give full details....that will come my lovelies ;)

A small history of the Oakshotts quilt is Here

Now, it is homeward bound, where hopefully, it will be loved and cherished.  I think it will, I really do.

Exciting times ahead!

Love Liberty

They must have know it was my birthday this week - my name was pulled from hundreds of entries (if not 1000!) into the Amitie Love Liberty Bundle giveaway

Wow!!

How special are these??

Liberty is not for everyone....I understand that, but each and every print is so beautiful, even when plain - I can't explain it; maybe the luxuriousness of the tana lawn cloth just puts you in textile heaven for a moment

These following are photos of more or less my favourites - Amitie is so sneaky - cos now I want yardage of certain ones in particular for a silky shirt, and they have tempted me so!!

This one makes me grin!!!

I am going to need Your Help with choosing what do to with them - I have no idea!!