Progress with the Nightdresses!!

Close up (ish) of my plans so far!

I have decided that the "star" in the 4th block - as yet white on the plans because I don't know how many of the other blocks I can make - will contain a point from 4 each of the nightdresses, and a white patterned border. I am waiting to confirm this after seeing how much I have and how many of the other blocks I can make. I want to make minimum 4 each of the first 3 blocks. I can play around with borders etc if I have that many, and still get away with a Queen sized quilt, I hope.

Overtaking the kitchen table - cutting, fusing, calculating numbers of triangles and squares I have enough to cut so far



Fabric looking more like...fabric...

 This is the result of my first night's measuring and cutting. I ended up being able to buy a roll of fusible web stabiliser for $9. It was a 10m roll and the lady at Spotlight suggested it instead of what I was about to buy following a chat with her, and she saved me some money. I'm glad about that because I also had a look at the queen sized wadding packages and they're not cheap... plus I think it will need to be professionally quilted to do it justice when I've finished... will see about that. I need to try to finish the quilting on the single bed sized quilt I have made (Spaceranger) and from which the idea for this quilt top has come.

I didn't fuse the pink fabric, but it was starched as I went, and I *think* it will be ok not backed. It's going to have to be I think unless when I start to sew it looks shocking in which case I will carefully have to back the strips and even more carefully cut them back out again. I don't think they will be accurate enough if I do that.

Backing the white fabric (the absolute thinnest and worst quality in sewing terms of all the dresses bar the other white pattern) I discovered that cutting the strips slightly wider, then backing them, then trimming them to the width I wanted was the most accurate way of getting the strips right.

The strips I am cutting are 3 1/2 in strips for the corner squares, and 3 7/8 in strips for the triangles. I've tried this both ways with triangles - first time I did le Moyne Star (first memory quilt) I was advised by a quilt shop assistant to cut them to 4in, and then do the triangles, and then trim to size at the end. This allows for problems with accuracy. But I am accurate when I sew and actually I just found this frustrating and more work. So the next Le Moyne I did (Spaceranger, as yet a UFO ha ha) I cut them exactly to 3 7/8 and the blocks were perfect. Am hoping they will be something like that again. ;)

I've since (because blogger's been down) cut some more and backed some more... and now the green fabric has been transformed into strips of 3 1/2 in and 3 7/8 in. I have labelled the strips on scraps of paper, measuring how many squares I can cut out of each strip (because of course the strips are not uniform length having originated from nightdresses rather than a nice roll of fabric!) and pinned the information. I am keeping a record of how many squares and triangles I can make from each one. I will then sit down and work out how many blocks  I can make. It seems a bit Heath Robinson to work it out as I go along like this but as I am not working from a pattern that tells me how many squares and triangles I need (and even if I did know that, I don't actually know how many each nightdress will yield).

I will decide on the border widths and fabrics once I have made the blocks and discovered how many I can do. I am hoping for 20 blocks, 4 across, 5 rows, and then thin borders between them, larger border round the edge.

Now I have the strips nicely starched, backed and pinned with the papers - they 'look' like fabric now and I am actually looking forward to cutting and piecing the blocks. It really has transformed the fabric and reassured me that I have enough (which I was worrying about).

I am reserving judgement on the bridesmaid dress. I had thought, looking at my plans, it might make an acceptable border, with the red section being the squares pieced into the border. But I looked at the dress again last night and I am just not sure. My neighbour is a dressmaker. When I have the blocks made I will lay them out with her, get her opinion on whether I should cut up the dress and use it or not. I don't want to cut it up and not use it!!!!! Wouldn't care if it was mine, or Op Shop in origin but it's a sentimental garment and does not deserve that treatment!

So my progress and process is charted. Nice to keep track of a project in this way, and actually it is helpful in keeping me accountable to making progress. I am working on it daily at the moment, in the evening. I will retreat back to the sewing room when I've done the cutting but for now, I need the bigger table, ironing board, and am enjoying the company with Matthew while we watch replays of Australian Masterchef on the computer. Can't abide the adverts so we are watching it online after the episodes have been put up.

Research

I asked on a forum for advice about stabilising the night dresses for the quilt. I had a reply helpfully suggesting that I go for a lightweight knit fusible stabiliser.

Now I just have to find one. I am going to ring around today but I just googled and found this very useful page on Pellon stabilisers:

http://www.pellonideas.com/SubSections/Interfacings_Apparel.aspx

Very helpful resource, actually, gives me some different options to ask for. And something else to google! I am just hoping it isn't too expensive.

Branching out. Maybe.

I am attempting to make one of these: Wool nappy cover

I have never felted anything before, so I have thrown one of Matthew's jumpers in the washing machine, and am hoping for the best. Well actually years ago I felted a lovely pink Next cardigan (or my mum did) but I wasn't in the know enough to know at that point that it could make some beautiful craft. So the first attempt will be (hopefully) blue felt. But I am vain enough to want to dye it a more girly colour for Little Miss August 2009 if it works.

Time will tell.

New Project...

I've been procrastinating, partly, before beginning this next new project. It's going to have to be "design as I go" to some extent because I am upcycling, to coin a term, clothes into a memory quilt. It is for a friend of a  friend. The fabrics are predominantly patterned nighties of her late mother, 2 PJ tops of (I presume) her children, and a bridesmaid dress.

So it's a challenge, for sure. I have been thinking about how to do this for some time, and have settled on Le Moyne Star, mainly because I have done that block a couple of times before, and I think it will work ok for the nighties, as I've already done it out of mens' shirts before for my first memorial quilt.

I'm not sure, as yet, how to use the bridesmaid dress - originally there was a design I fancied using that did ask for a silk to go on the blocks. My issue with this is that the quilt was a bit too small to be useful and I think the recipient really has a bed quilt in mind.

So this is going to be my first "Quilt Process" pledge project. I'm going to be a while making it, perhaps, and it is interesting (and brave) to track it as I go along.

First photos are the original clothes I am working from, then the fabric  and buttons, lace and ribbon I am left with after cutting the seams open and harvesting the fabric and buttons last night.

Planning stage:

• So now I am using graph paper and trying to work out the design and how much fabric I have.
• I also need to research how to stiffen the fabrics I am working with. The fabric is (unfortunately) poly cotton, emphasis on the poly! My experience with the shirts tells me that simply starching this fabric isn't going to be enough. The poly cotton shirts were terrible to work with.
• The other reason I need to do something to the fabric is that especially the white fabric is very flimsy and will be somewhat transparent - it will show the seams, the batting, and just needs a denser white behind it. I am hoping that this isn't going to prove too expensive. I am going to have to find some sort of iron-on solution - interfacing?
• The bridesmaid dress is offwhite - not fantastic seening as 2 of the nighties are white based patterns. I also don't know how to use the red without totally drowning the quilt. Mmmmm quite a challenge then.
• The little PJ shirts will probably have to make tiny squares to go within the border. I am thinking the bridesmaid dress ivory fabric ought possibly to be used in the border.
• I may have to buy a co-ordinating quilt fabric to make the materials go further. And probably for the border / definitely for the backing.
• The finished quilt will have buttons on it in some form, and I'd also like to use the little ribbons I cut off last night when I was beginning the fabric preparation.

Next post - early planning pics.

Not that I am taking the pledge too seriously but it is important in this case I think for me to keep track of my planning, and possibly interesting for someone else to see how I work. I am totally self taught so have no idea whether there are better ways of doing these things.

This quilt is to celebrate life. Family life. Remembering a loved one and joining with the present. It's what Sew La Vie came from - a real burden for Life. I'm praying I can do a good and fitting job to bless a dear friend's dear friend...

Are we there yet??!

I had an idea for Mother's Day for MIL and produced this quilted photo last week. I finished it today by adding a label on the back.

It is called "Are we there yet?" because that is the book LittleH#1 was reading to his sibs in the photo - a lovely photo of them all together, and Grandma and Grandpa are just about to go on their own little adventure seeing a bit of the outback, so I hope the choice is a good one.

It was the first time I have attempted mitred borders, and I am pleased with the end result, though there were a few tears last week and I "rang a friend" (well, friend's mum) but in the end I worked it out myself and managed it. I kind of kick myself when I try out something new on a project I need to get right the first time but it's my personality. I don't practise much in life, I tend to like to try to do it for real the first time, and want to get it right. I don't really have enough time anyway to spend sewing things that aren't actually going to turn into things, if that makes sense!

So, I finally cut into my stash of fat quarters that came free with a magazine subscription, they've been tempting me for some time. I puzzled over how (and whether) to label the back but decided it was important and in the end bought some new fabric pens, and used leftover border to make a border for the quilt label. I am as pleased with the back of the 'photo' as the front! I did google for ideas but (although I doubt my project is amazingly original) could find nothing similar on the internet so I just decided on the size and design myself. I am really pleased with how it's turned out, a nice "different" thing to do with a photo, instead of sticking it on a mug like everyone else. Nothing wrong with mugs but I can't compete in the photo stakes so am not trying. :) Maybe if I make a few more of these (my mum's next on the list!) I will begin to be able  to justify a new camera. Although the quality of my sewing photographs probably in itself does justify a new one...

Flying the Flag!!

Couldn't resist making some applique union jack tshirts for the 2 children who didn't have one already, yesterday. Last minute, day of wedding but really they were easy and didn't take long!

Bit scary doing something so permanent on a tshirt in case it inadvertently flies upside down (sign of distress, though not treason!). Had a panic once they were finished but no, I got it right. That would severely upset my perfectionist streak though no-one else would have a clue, I should think! (But you'd be less likely to see a photo on here!).

So - here are the 2 I did:

This was the first - I was going to leave the blue triangles to the imagination as the background was blue, but the artistic decision was made by LittleH#1 who wanted the flag to look authentic rather than artistic I think. Fair enough!!!!

Here's the second. I am happier with this one, and it was much quicker. I left the white to the imagination on this one, so it was much quicker as I only had to bond and applique the red and blue pieces. The original idea comes from a tshirt that I bought in a charity shop before we left England 2 1/2 yrs ago, and has been well loved in our family too - first by LittleH#1 and now LittleH#2, who is sporting it in the photo below.

So here they are!! All my lovelies watching the royal wedding in very appropriate attire.

Crafty notes:

• For some reason the method used to trace onto the fusible web and then iron on to the tshirt resulted in a problem with the red strips. Must be that it creates a mirror image, so I should have traced them the other way around. The instructions didn't say to do them the other way, but that's what I discovered. It's only the second time I've done applique - the first time was about 5 years ago. 
• The second tshirt was better sewing because I realised I should have swapped the needle. Had to quickly google to find out which Janome needle it was that I needed for stretchy fabrics, so now I know it's the blue tipped one.
• I have run out of white thread. The whole thing was done from stash, and the red, blue and white all come from old baby tshirts / pjs. The fusible web was already in my sewing box (result!) so now everything is sorted it was easy for me to lay my hands on what I needed. (And I remembered from last time that I had no white left. Doh!). No-one should ever run out of white thread. I need to remedy that today.
• It's given me an idea for a bigger project based on the union jack so that highly classified project will be revealed at a later point. But I will be looking for fabrics and trying to design something today. ;)
• Oh and LittleH#3 (and now as I mention it, LittleH#2) has asked for a space tshirt next. I am going to do a shuttle tshirt (for each of them, I guess!). Hardest part about that will be finding a plain black tshirt to make it on, I should think.
• So - I can't make clothes, but  I  can decorate them. ;)

Oh it feels good to be sewing again. :) The room was brilliant, and really made it easy to just do something on the spur of the moment.

Sewing Room!!!!!

The Easter weekend has also resulted in the completion of my (our) spare room project - to turn it into a sewing room!! Yay!!!!  I finally have my first space EVER where I don't have to take everything off the table so we can eat / do school.

Major problem that needed tackling whether I got my own room or not (did I mention I DID???!) was storage of stash. The spare room was the only candidate for a room with a possibility of some cupboard space for that. and  I am sick of having the stuff in crates (even semi-organised), stacked on top of each other and pretty much totally inaccessible to me without Matthew's help (and me making a lot of mess). So a while back I decided I'd prefer drawers or something like that, and have been resisting Matthew's offers to take me to IKEA because I wanted to sort the stuff a bit first, decide what I needed, and decide what furniture / storage we have already that can be re-used.

Shock tactics first. Here is what we were working with. Bear in mind, we've not long moved (OK, 6 weeks, but  I AM 30 plus weeks pregnant with baby#5 so things happen a bit slower... plus the room's been full of different things that have been sorted and put away, the sewing stuff is the last major "spare-roomy" problem).

So - the BEFORE photos:

Left hand cupboard, stacked boxes (inc dress ups - now a better home has been found for them in the children's bedrooms!)

Right hand cupboard - much stash and sewing table which is awkward for finding a home at the best of times.

Just general mess from sorting!!

So. Now the results.

I am glad we waited. I had the idea of using one of the children's Trofast IKEA cupboards redundant since the move inside one of the sliding door cupboards, taking its doors off and having it as an open shelving unit. Matthew thought we should keep the doors on but now he's seen what I had in mind also agrees it works really well. I have all my stuff I need to access when sewing in there on the shelves, so i will be sitting in front of it and can just turn around, get things, and put them back. (Note to self: Put. Them. Back.).

Trofast cupboard adapted for storage in the left side of the fitted robe (and new plastic pots to organise everything into useable pots), new hanging storage from IKEA containing small projects, fabric bits and bobs, etc. Also a hardly visible new little table top ironing board that I discovered by accident also has a hook to hang up on the clothes rail above the cupboard.

Right hand cupboard:

The stash has all been sorted and put away so I can access it. In the cupboard on the right we have recycled the wire basket drawers the boys had been using before we solved their wardrobe problems, and I have different bits and bobs of larger fabrics in there, with all my smaller fatquarters, childrens print bits and leftover plain quilting fabrics at the top. So I can choose what I need from there no problem. Have also got a mending drawer (or 2) full of boys’ trousers from last winter which was particularly hard on their knees, and a few pairs of trousers that can be sacrificed to mend the others. When I choose to!!!!!

I have only one crate in use on a higher shelf - full of IKEA "as-is" purchased heavy cotton drill, which I don't need to use a lot but do need to be able to get at it easier than if it were stored in the garage. (Bag next to that says "Quiltaholics" by the way, one of my favourite hang outs and where I made my first project. That's the only "...holics" round here!).

So - the table has been commandeered from the playroom (we don't need a separate table for school work in this house) and the angle poise lamp is another new IKEA purchase. The table is drop leaf so can be kept down when the machine is not up and being used.

And finally, the room also doubles as a retreat for any of us needing some time alone for reading, music, prayer... Wicker basket contains books and bits and bobs to use during those times, and the CD player is for the children, really, for audio books. I plan also to have my iPod dock set up in here for watching podcasts / listening to music as I sew.

So we enjoyed some audio story Bible time in there before the children went to bed!

Voilla!!!

Easter bags...

A number of years ago, I was given this fabric from Jo-Ann's by a friend when she went home to the US for a trip. I used a bit for a project but last night turned the stash upside down and inside out looking for it(following moving house) and the dining room and kitchen were covered in boxes, wadding, fabric, and the traumatic sight of a few unfinished projects. Cruelty to crafters, getting all the stash out at once. But I was grateful for Matthew's help cos the boxes are heavy and we are going to re-organise everything so I can a) get to stuff and b) use it.

Anyway, Easter egg print is useful once a year, and last night was going to be it or I would have to wait till next year. And I wanted to give the little easter Haigh's choccies a little differently. So here they are. VERY quick to make, and tied only simply with ribbon round which is sewn on one seam. I've used that idea for childrens' party bags in the days I wanted to have a "no-landfill" gift bag for the children but also had time to make 25 bean bags to go in 25 party bags. Mind boggles. This year they got a tennis ball each and no bag!!!

Good to use the sewing machine again though! I plan to be strict with myself and mend some of the boys' trousers that need knees patching because there are a lot of nice pairs with holes in the knee that didn't even last the whole winter last year. I am glad we've moved to a house with carpet (but now don't have a useful wooden floorboard living room to tape down my quilts while I baste them). Somehow I think it will be a while before I need to embrace that problem. :(

News Flash.

I. Am. About. To. Make. Something.


:)

\0/

Quilter's Block.

I have a SEVERE case of Quilter's Block. At least that is what I am calling it! I haven't made anything since January. The panadiere was the last creation (and I was desperate to make more). We've moved house instead. So that was the original block - needing to pack sewing and everything else away, find a house (that bit was the trickiest, we were 2 weeks away from homelessness), and then move into it.

The "Block" now is my conscience. I have to teach the children, though yes real life is doing a lot of that too. So in all conscience, with boxes (still) to unpack, homes for things to find, little mouths the feed and Little Hs to teach... I can't exactly spend every spare (ha ha) minute sewing. I have lots of ideas, and do need to make an ideas list. That will help with the Quilter's Block no end. Cos I will feel like something is happening and I will have some sewing time soon. I'll carve it out from somewhere. With Little H-Joy due in June, if I don't do some sewing soon it's going to be AGES before I do any more and I did have big plans for this sewing year.

Just had a realisation, though, that I don't have a nice hard wooden floor any more for pinning out quilts before, well, quilting them... I guess I will have to look at how other people do it. I doubt you can do it on lino. And I doubt even more that the lino in the kitchen would EVER be clean enough...

Panadiere... Could catch on!

This is a Panadiere. Of sorts! I had seen something like this ages ago on the internet when looking for crafts to make for Christmas, or hostess gifts, or whatever. But could I find it yesterday when I was finally inspired to make something out of the IKEA stash of "As Is" fabrics I bought last year??! So I googled, didn't find any instructions detailing how to make what I wanted to make, but I did find pictures of some that I liked a lot - so I have designed my own (not difficult really, is it?!). I have quilted too close together as a result of positioning the quilting arm on my machine too close and not realising how many rows I would have to sew on the fabric so I will quilt the next ones much further apart!

I made the binding and the fabric ties from offcuts from the Le Moyne Star quilt, they were thin lengths cut from the fabric after I had basted it with pins on the floor. I don't throw ANYTHING away. :)

Anyway. Apparently they are french bread baskets, or Panadiere.  I have a few more to make now! This one is a gift for a family birthday this week. :)

Christmas Craft...

This Christmas (despite having messed around till late November not finishing Little H#1's quilt) I have made a lot of fabric bits and bobs (would still have liked to do more but there you go!).

Cafe Apron present gift for a 2 year old!

Fabric gift tags (can later be used as tree decorations) with names embroidered on them - a spur of the moment last minute creation for everyone in the family here in Adelaide!

A Christmas Table Runner! Each of our mums received one, this is Matthew's Mum's runner in use on the Christmas Coffee Table!

I made each of the children a Christmas pillowcase. The idea is that they have their presents in it on Christmas day, and then sleep with it on their beds for the rest of the 12 days of Christmas! They love them and they are all on their beds so I can't take another photo yet!

Unfinished business...

Here's the Le Moyne Star Quilt that I have made but not quite finished yet. I have had a bit of a problem with the quilting - am just not used to quilting something so big. It is single bed sized. It is for Little H#1. The quilt is a kit I bought from Fons and Porter - the name of it escapes me!

It's going to be fantastic when it's finished though. The star fabrics actually glow in the dark as they are printed in a special ink. I held my breath when I washed the fabrics before I started... but they still work so hopefully they will still be in some sort of glowing order when Little H#1 is FINALLY presented with the finished product x months after his birthday!

Memorial Quilt

Here's the quilt that has inspired the name of this blog, the style and reason for some of my sewing, and making it was an act of worship, grief and healing. That's all I will say about its raison d'être.

The quilt is designed (all by myself, first design and it worked!) to represent Noah's ark. The design of the blocks is Le Moyne Star. So the coloured blocks (apart from the middle one) are designed to represent all colours of sky, including pinks and purples, grey and white. The middle block is the one that represents the rainbow - God's promise - and the points of the star are in order of the colours of the rainbow with a bit of artistic licence - required, because I made the blocks entirely out of recycled shirts. The white in the rainbow block also represents the dove. Dove of peace, and God's messenger.

Most of the shirts used are mine, Matthew's, or other family members but I did have to buy a couple from a charity shop in order to complete the rainbow block. The buttons dotted around the quilt at the end represent stars. The buttons were of course harvested from the shirts!!

Works for me anyway! :)

I made a very special label from the back - borrowed Little Miss H's birthday double rainbow to print on a dedication label on the special ink jet printer fabric you can buy (not cheap but a perfect finishing touch to a special quilt).

Technically speaking - the blocks were difficult - I have started my quilting career breaking rules before I have properly learned them (Life's too short) so the shirts were not all 100% cotton. The Marks and Spencer oxford weave shirts were an absolute dream to sew with. The more 'vintage' inclusions were a nightmare: flimsy and frayed easily. I will learn from this and when I am over it I will use fusible web next time to strengthen thinner fabrics before I cut them  - will have to do this on the next memorial quilt I have waiting for my next big project.

I have since made a Le Moyne Star quilt and (tho its not completed yet, still have to finish the actual quilting!) it was much quicker and easier for the experience of having practised the blocks with much harder materials first time around!

This project was very special to me though because it was designed, pieced, and quilted in prayer. An interesting experience and one I believe God has tangibly worked through in my life, though I pray He has done more than just that - not that  I need to know about it - I have let this one go.

Quillows past...!

I have made a collage of quillows (and bags from the offcuts!) I made previously - some for a friend - her choice of fabrics (!) and the tractors one (and hot air balloons) were my choice - tractors for my nephew, hot air balloons for Little H#3. Originally the quillows for our family came from Grandma (Matthew's Mum!) but she kindly let me in on the pattern and I have made a few (understatement) since then for friends and family.

So now I have a collage to show for the pictures (which till now have been jumbled up in various files on the computer!) and I can keep a record of sewing from the olden days (B.J. - Before Janome!).

Have to write separately about my sewing machine but it was a gift 2 years ago (joint birthday and Christmas!) from my parents and oh boy what a difference it has made! For a start, now I can actually sew something in the time it used to take me to battle with thread and tension on the other machine. No exaggeration. Secondly, I can do so much more on the new machine and I know a bad workman blames his tools but in this case, a decent machine is allowing me to REALLY improve my skills. At last. Still can't dressmake in a month of Sundays tho. Maybe that doesn't matter.

Dolls...

I had this thing about not giving Little Miss H an ordinary doll for her birthday. :) So I decided at first I'd make a rag doll - but then was introduced on another forum to the idea of Waldorf Dolls. Just looking at google and the number of sites selling them, instructing how to make them... confirmed to me this was definitely the doll she needed. I had help making my first one - a friend came to spend time and make the doll with me (I'd told her about the dolls and she already makes loads of stuff, including being far better at dolls and other types of sewing!). It was great sewing with someone else, lots of tips and scope for me to decide how I'd do my next one.

The only thing I have bought in order to make these dolls, is the poly stuffing for the body, and the fancy wool for the hair of the second doll. The heads are rolled up pieces of wool wadding, the body of each doll is made from a different baby sleep suit that Little Miss H has grown out of (and they were second hand in the first place!), and an old white Tesco tshirt (I mean OLD - prob about 20 years!) was dyed in tea to make the flesh-ish colour for the face. We made the most of it for homeschool so I had some helpers with the tea dipping process!

So I did make my next one for a cousin's baby's first birthday - they were born 5 weeks apart so its a nice special friendship for the babies! For this one I traced around another fabric doll I got in a shed load of second hand toys from the lady I buy all Little Miss H's clothes from. I wanted the doll purely for the shape to draw around, so I took the opportunity when I saw it and actually the body shape of the second doll I made, I was much happier with, and I used far more wadding (just experience and preference these sorts of things I am sure!). So I coveted the second doll a bit but still managed to give her to her rightful owner as a gift!!

I do intend to make some more actually, but there's a queue of other projects in the pipeline at the moment...

Below: Both dolls together. Bottom picture is the second doll.

Midnight Mystery Quilt!

I am sure I could add the word "Midnight" before many of my creations, as could many crafters! So the idea of going to a class at my local quilting shop entitled "Midnight Mystery Quilt" seemed as good as anything else! No babysitting issues, I'd most likely be sewing that time of night at home anyway, but the added bonus of making my first patchwork quilt top with a group of other far more experienced quilters (like, they'd done at least one before!) and pizza and hot chocolate on top (not on top of the quilt) = my dream Friday night!!!

So... it was from a jelly roll (Anna Lisa cut and rolled the fabrics for us in advance) and we had to choose "Country" or "Florals" in advance of the night - the rest was the Mystery! I hovered over the choice but thankfully had read at least one quilting magazine prior to enrolling, and decided Country was it for me. Wise choice (from my point of view).

I did the class about 6 weeks before Little Miss H was born. So it was inevitable I suppose that the quilt would be nearly another year before I finished it. Mostly what stopped me was lack of any help in assembling and quilting (had to look at internet sites to calculate backing, and wadding, and work out vaguely how to baste and quilt). Then a new-old friend (who conveniently identified herself as a quilting geek...) kindly came over and helped me tape the quilt to the floor in my living room, layer and baste it, and then I quilted simply on the diagonal. Just in time for her birthday - I think I had a few weeks to spare.

I had a bit of extra time left over so I made a Waldorf inspired doll from leftover wadding, a baby sleep suit she'd worn, and an old tshirt of mine (face, hands and feet) that the boys and I dyed in tea.

Voilla! Happy girl on her birthday quilt with her doll. Not much else a fourth baby needs for their first birthday really, is there????!

New Year, New Blog...!

I have taken so long setting up this blog that the address isn't quite what I wanted it to be, but hey I don't think it matters (still have a relevant email address set up from last year when I had this idea about getting more serious about sewing!).

First I will have lots of photos to upload of what's been keeping me busy for the past little while as I explore and experiment with patchwork, quilting, and little bits and bobs of ideas for leftovers!

Anyway, I can post my pics, share ideas and keep a record of what's going on here!

Why Sew La Vie? Because my first few pieces have been about Life. My first quilt (picture to follow!) ended up being a wonderful celebratory present for Little Miss H's first birthday (and she is a good girl and one of her earliest words has been to say "Wow!!!!!!!!!!!" whenever she sees my sewing. She'll go far...).

Second quilt - not such a fantastic set of circumstances but my statement about Life all the same. A Life cut short so more of a memorial - but a memorial and a prayer project for me. Spiritual defiance mixed with a journey of grief culminating in a very special quilt I have given away and I have prayed God will continue to use it. My time with the quilt came to an end and I passed it to its intended recipient full of hope for the future. I like the idea of sewing inspired by Life. So that is what I have decided to call my sewing hobby. I am having some labels made for what I make - but again, that's been in the pipeline for a while and I haven't got around to it yet!

The next major project is another memorial quilt. Commissioned by a friend (she's paying the international postage!!!) as a gift for a friend of hers in memory of her mum. I am in possession of garments she used to wear, as well as a bridesmaid's dress, and will eventually receive some buttons... I am discovering buttons can be nice on quilts so because the lady had a button collection, it will be a perfect addition at the end. So I have to get busy designing and making that one but for now I am enjoying messing around with post Christmas craft, finishing a quilt for one of my children, and getting ready - I hope - for another homeschool term beginning at the end of January. So I am enjoying the holiday spirit!