Ruffles!

I finally finished this curtain for my bathroom.  It sure wasn't the most fun project, but I am happy with the final result.  I found this curtain fabric to be a challenge to work with as it is slippery and frays easily.  I can't wait to get back to my lovely quilt cotton fabrics! Here are a few pics.

This window is on a north facing wall and gets blazing sun in the afternoon.   I'm hoping the room won't get quite so hot now.   debbie

Washing the Pips

This is one of my all time favourite quilts. The charm squares are 5" Sherbet Pips by Aneela Hoey.

The white squares are bleached muslin that I cut myself from yardage. Today is a pretty day. The sun is out and there is a nice sea breeze, a  perfect day  for washing a quilt. Here are the Pips drying on my deck. This quilt measures a very generous lap size. I made this about a year ago and this is the first washing.

 

 

The red check border fabric is from the 80's. I remember my grandma made an applique apple  quilt for my second son and this red check was left over.  He was born in 1987.  It goes well with the Pips though.

 

 

The backing was a lucky vintage sheet find from my local Vinnie's Boutique. It is super soft cotton.
It looks "wrinkly and tucky" here, but there are actually no tucks.  My machine quilts beautifully!

I pieced this quilt on my basic model Janome. I machine quilted it on my other Janome 6600P.  I prefer NOT to prewash my fabric before quilting because I think texture after washing  is one of the best parts of quilting! I believe the more texture, the better!  I used a lightweight batting that is actually  made from recycled water bottles.  I have made 3 quilts and several table runners  so far using this batting and I am very happy with it. I use this quilt almost every day, no matter if it is winter or summer.   Pips just make me happy :)  debbie

Ruffles

I bought a ruffler attachment for one of  my sewing machines  a couple of  months ago. It works nicely  for a few inches, then jams the machine. It has given me plenty of grief and no instructions came with it so I have not had any idea of what settings I  needed.  Which one you buy has to do with if you have a high shank or a low shank.  I am lucky to have two machines here, one a high shank and one a low shank. I have been sewing since the early 70s, and have always wanted a ruffler attachment. In the past, I have always made my ruffles the old fashioned way, with gathering stitches.

Today, I had a friend available to help me transport the machine and accessories so we could get things checked out. 
 The very nice lady
Cathy, at Northside Sewing Centre, tried to get it to work too and it was not working for her either.  The final outcome was that she swapped that ruffler out for another one.   In her test trials, the new ruffler made much less noise than the first one I bought and she said it seems to be working better too. I am tired tonight so I won't be trying it out,  but I am hoping to get familiar with the new and hopefully working well ruffler sometime tomorrow.  Have you had a hard time with the ruffler attachment?  Any advice is welcome because I love ruffles!!! debbie

Stitching

It's been stormy weekend here, complete with wind, rain, and small hail.  It was perfect stitching weather.

I worked on two WISPs.

This one is a border for a 9 patch quilt. The 9 patch part has been done for an unmentionable amount of time.  :)  I've made other quilts since then though.  I struggle with this because I am so slow at blanket stitching.

I find this type of stitching more fun.  I prefer Shabby Chic rather than Primitive, but this design is really cute.  It is coming along nicely.

I've also chopped a bunch of veggies and made a mix of them in small bags for the freezer, so it will be quick to make a pot of homemade soup.  I made homemade mayonnaise (it's quite easy to make at home) and potato salad too! I had tomatoes, celery, potatoes, and carrots that all needed to be used soon.  I had a busy but nice day and I hope you did too.   debbie

A Busy Day !/ FNSI time too!

Hi Everyone,
It's that time again, FNSI. Won't you join us? You can sign up here.

It's just after noon  and I am nearly ready for a nap.
I was woken at 4ish by the birds.  No chance of a sleep in where I live, for sure.
I've needed to do a shop for some necessities for some time now, so I showered early
and was out the door by 0730 so I would miss some of  the school traffic.
I found some good bargains today, mainly, batteries in multiple sizes : 9v, AAA, AA, all
on clearance nearly half price.  I found some beautiful mangoes too (they are in season now)And then there THEY were right in front of me......... Double Chocolate Raspberry Tim Tams.  Oh. my. goodness. I didn't know there
was such a thing... (not on special but came home with me anyway).
I  was lucky to find  specials on two of my favourite things....Doritos and green tea. YUM.
The docket says I saved $37 on special offers.  This makes me happy as my income is limited
these days and every little bit helps.
I bought a bag of potting mix so I can sort out some plants that need attention.
The tomatoes are doing well and I have even had enough to share with friends so that makes me happy too.
I came away with a fuel voucher for 15 cents off per litre too. I was pretty low on fuel and
it cost me $58 to fill up instead of the usual  $70 when I am that low. Happy!

I have several options for FNSI.  I have the cloth doll bed about 50% done. I also have a summer dress that is nearly done but needs a casing/ drawstring around the neck and a ruffle hem.
I have several stitcheries in various forms.
I've nearly finished the new curtain for my bathroom. It is hanging now but I won't be happy until
it has one more ruffle.
I need to make a start on De's Christmas dolly.  We have a tradition between us. Birthdays we make a bag, Christmas we make a dolly.  It's a lovely way to celebrate our friendship!
That's all for now and I hope you are having a good day too.
debbie

Anyone else having a Sew-In tonight?

I've just had a lovely day with dear De.   She helped me with a couple of things around the house, and then we went out for a very tasty lunch.  We went to the local Thai restaurant here in Brighton.  They are super nice there and the food was delicious!

We've both had a tough week, so we decided to have our own sew-in tonight.  It's the best therapy ever.  I am thinking of trying  a new to me old pattern for a dolly bed made of fabric  and De mentioned making more ruffles for a mini quilt. 

We would love to hear if you are joining us! Please let us know what you are making too.

debbie and De :)

I didn't sleep so well...

Last month,  I posted this picture and story about how I was lying on the couch half asleep one night  when I looked up and spotted this up near the ceiling  by the light of the tv. 

 

 

I turned on all the lights, chased it with bug spray, and finally it gave up.

 

Yesterday morning,  I spotted this in the shower.  Well, this is what is left of it now.

 

 

I grabbed the closest aerosol....air freshener.... which didn't faze it, even trying the drowning method.  So, I grabbed the hairspray and saturated it.  By this time, I  was so distressed, I went to the kitchen to try to calm down and wait for the hairspray to dry.  Some minutes later, I went back to remove it and it was GONE!!  There was a sundress draped on the side of the tub, so I flicked it, and this creature came flying out of the tub across the floor straight for me.  I sprayed and sprayed more hairspray until there was a dinner plate sized area surrounding it, which finally stopped it.  I then started thinking, "hmm, I wonder if these are those famous "huntsman" spiders I have heard so much about".  
So, I "googled".  BIG mistake.   I found this  video on YOUTUBE, credit to LEOKIMVIDEO.
This guy has lots of spiders at his house and has posted lots of other spider videos, if you care to explore his world further :)
When I looked up "huntsman", it said they are common in my region, they come out when the weather starts to warm up, and they are super fast.  I've also heard they can be as big as dinner plates here in Australia. shivers!!! This 3 inches was more than big enough for me!!  I am presuming that's what these are...does anyone know for sure?  debbie