Changes on the horizon...

Sewing has been a little slow around here!  There has been a lot going on and sewing has been put on the back burner.

The reason for this is that a few months ago we were advised that our roles were being made redundant so they could be sent offshore to India.  This left me with mixed feelings as I have worked and worked hard for the company for over 17 years.  Human Resources will continue to try and source another role for me until my finish date however I have been advised that my location, Brisbane, has no opportunities.

I believe that all things happen for a reason so I have decided to look on the bright side! I have wanted to go to University for quite a few years now but it just never seemed like the right time and I was always concerned about how to fit in studying full time with working full time.  So this has provided me the perfect opportunity to follow my dreams and do a Bachelor in Education focusing on Primary School teaching.

It has been quite some time since I finished Secondary School, actually 20 years, so I am completing a Tertiary Preparation Program so that I am prepared to start my undergraduate in 2014.  I have now started this course full time and there is no time for anything other than study and work.  Hopefully once I've finished work that will give me a little to sew again.

Now for a few picks of what I have done.

I need to sew these into blocks which will become the joining blocks of my Marti Michell BOM class.
I have 60 of the four patch squares and I got the middle squares cut.  I've sewn the flying geese, 60 of each combo and now I've just got to get the 2 flying geese sew together and then I can start sewing the block together.

Latest quilt in progress...

I hope everyone is having a great week!  I have been plodding along trying to shorten my to do list.

First up was to get this quilt basted.  I use the adhesive spray and my parents big outdoor table to baste.  So much easier than crawling on the ground.

The design may look familiar, it is the Rapid City Quilt, design by Elizabeth Hartman.  You can see a previous version I made here.

The pattern fabric is the same as in the last quilt but with a different background and tree colours.  It creates a completely different feel.

Next up was completing another two blocks at my monthly (although I've missed a couple and it's more like quarterly at the moment) Marti Michell BOM sewing class.

Engagement Party block

Friendship Card block

And lastly 60 x 4 patch units which will be the corners of the alternate blocks which go between the other blocks we've been making.

I also have 60 sets of flying geese to sew which is what I'll be working on this week.  I am on track to getting this quilt assembled for a birthday/christmas present later this year.  Here's hoping that continues.

And at some stage I'll get around to quilting the Rapid City Quilt :)

I am linking to WIP Wednesday and Fabric Tuesday.

I'm back...

Hi all, it has been a while since my last post (sorry!) and it's not because I haven't been busy.

I have had a lot on my plate as of late and finding time to get to the laptop has been slim.  I will share more about that in the weeks to come.

Today I am sharing a project which is now a little old (meant to post it ages ago) but these were secret squirrel for a while.

Back in March I did a course on how to make cushions which came in very handy for Mother's Day (in May for Australia) presents.  I had great fun mixing up the designs and matching the colours for each of these special women.

First up I made these red, white and grey combos for my Mother In Law which I think she loved.

The quilting was fairly simple with shadowing the strips of fabric.

Next I made these two lovelies for my 91 year old Nan.  She couldn't believe I would make them for her.  It was very sweet.

For the star cushion, I quilted around the inside and outside stars.

And lastly I made these for my Mum.

The Dresden Plate was quilted around the edge and inside hexagon.

I really love this Dear Stella collection, Piper.

 I also loved that the instant gratification with them taking considerably less time to make than a quilt.

I will have a quilt to share with you in a few days time.  It was also secret squirrel but as my sister's birthday has passed I will be able to share.

All finished...

I have a couple of finishes to share this week.

The first is the Amy Gibson's 2012 BOM quilt.  I am so happy with this quilt.  I am so glad I'd bought the Notting Hill collection and was brave enough to have cut into it for this project.  I really feel the way this fabric works so well in these blocks is a big reason why I like it so much.

The binding is Grand Bazaar by Patty Young.

The other quilt is the Lazy Suzy quilt.  This quilt I did at sewing class with Sew This & That.  It is using Posy charm pack and jelly roll by Aneela Hoey.  I've used Denyse Schmidt for the binding.

I am taking a break from sewing for a few weeks but I will be back soon with some Mother's Day gifts.

I am linking to Finish It Up Friday at Crazy Mom Quilts.

The last few blocks...

Yay!!  I have finished the last few blocks for the Amy Gibson's 2012 BOM from Craftsy.

I have really enjoyed making these different blocks and will definitely sign up for another BOM in the future.

I am linking to WIP Wednesday and Fabric Tuesday.

Joining the Crowd....

I am just another one of the crowd moving across to Blog Lovin and need to claim my blog.  I have been using the feeds for a few days now and quite like it.  I love that I get a recap by email each day so I don't have to scroll through and figure out where I was up to.

Follow my blog with Bloglovin

Thanks
Kirsty

Finished projects...

Happy Easter to everyone who celebrates the holiday!  I hope you are all enjoying your weekend.

I am happy to say I have finished the chevron quilt and it has gone to its new home with a friend who is having a little boy soon.  She absolutely loved it which made me very happy.  She had even bought a cupboard for his room on the week which is the same colour as the bottom chevron (pale blue).  You can see more information on the fabrics used here.

For the back I used this green chevron in a flannel.  It is very soft and cuddly. I really love the grey/white spot fabric.  I am going to have to try and source more of it.

I also made a few more bibs, this time in little girl colours.  These were an order for a friend.  I really enjoy making these with random piecing depending on what scraps I have.  You can find the pattern at JCasa patterns.

Update:  I am linking to Finish It Up Friday at Crazy Mom Quilts.