August Challenge Piece

          I have started my August Challenge piece and I decided to try and crochet a panel in Freeform Style. I bought this kit at the Craft fair in Hobart in June and thought that because I can't knit well. Problems with tension and me being a control freak I just can't stop unravelling and redoing it.  But with this it doesn't matter, its all part of the design. And also I hate doing repetitive items -  2 sleeves really painfully. I was told once to knit two sleeves at the same time but one would be fine and the other not. Gave it up as a bad joke.
        Any way back to why I'm posting, I intend for this to be A4 in size and I began this in August so enough said, here are a couple of photos of it so far

So far its about half way done. I will post it again when finished.

Have a great week and enjoy your craft :-)

Family Year Challenge

        Well so far I am up to June and totally forgot about April.... Not good and I can't for the life of me remember much about April except going to Agfest so it might just have to be about that.
The next photo is my May challenge piece. I did this while on retreat with Tangled Web Quilters. I was luckily to go for two days and two nights, some of the other girls went for five days they certainly accomplished heaps and had a great time.  This was shown to me by Sherry and Suzanne who I think saw it on craftsy. It is stitch and slash - brilliant idea... but I think I need to select more fabrics that are a little less bright. This might not come over in the photo but it could glow in the dark...Hehehe....not really but for me this is bright.

           You start by having 4 fabrics all face up on the back of the fourth fabric draw a design, leaving about 1 inch on either side of this line. You then stitch in a small stitch this design. Sewing finished. Next you slash the top fabric, leaving a 1/4 in on either side on stitching line. The same again leaving a 1/4 in of the second fabric and so on until you reach the fourth fabric do not cut this.  Depending on what you like I left a few solid number 2 fabrics and number 3 fabrics for a bit of contrast. But that is entirely up to you . (Maybe take a class on Craftsy, it has some great classes and tutors and better instructions on how I did this).
         My first Fabric was Dark purple and black batik, Next was a chrysanthemum in pinks and pale orange, then a mid range pink and then a pink, purple and maroon large floral pattern on the bottom. To try and tone it down I placed 3  random black pieces here and there, so as to flatten the brightness abit.
I decided that I am going to use this as the backing as well as the front for May to remember a great weekend with some lovely ladies.
Now for next month......I hope this will get easier....:-)

Have a great month

Alison

March Challenge

Well here is March Challenge piece, a little Easter egg. I have hand buttonholed seven sections of the egg on to calico and then continuous picture quilted rabbits, grass and the sky in a variegated thread. Quite a simple design but I enjoyed doing it.

 

It needs to be cropped but I am hoping it will look good when I bind it.

February Challenge

   Well it's been an eventful month but nothing more than Richard breaking his collar bone in 2 places OUCH!!!. Apart from the collarbone he was fine so I made him some colourful slings to wear so he could heal properly. I think he enjoyed wearing them, I know he got a few questions about them LOL.
The first one was just plain blue, the next was Dr Seuss and finally the last one was Black with silver skeletons that look like they are falling to pieces. So for my February challenge, I only had a small amount of fabric so I stripped what was left and sewed them together. The blue cross on top was what I used to bind and use for straps, this was an old ratchet strap, very handy and strong. I will end up quilting it but unsure what just as yet.

Not very  exciting but it was something that happened in February............

  

Monthly Challenge

Mum, Suzanne( sister ), Kate( niece ) and myself  have a year long family challenge that will produce some interesting pieces ... we hope. The challenge is to create an A4 size piece of art work using anything and any technique you like to depict what has been memorable for that month, it can be something that happened briefly or over the entire month ie what the cat did was extremely funny or maybe a holiday/family event etc. It is only limited by any happenings in that particular month. So in February you create one for January and so on. So in January next year you will have completed 12 blocks of your year, that could become a book or a quilt as you go quilt.

Well here is my January challenge piece. I have used trapunto, free motion quilting, applique and added a small amount of angelena for smoke effect. This was to depict what Richard made for Mona Foma in January ( see previous posts ).

I haven't blogged for a little while as life as been a bit hectic.

I have started a new job, Bookkeeping, which now takes me up to full time employment ( 2 Jobs).

So I really have to manage my time well to give me any time to sew, as I don't  think I told you out there in blog world I am also Southern Rep for the Tasmanian Quilting Guild for this year.

 So this year is going to be busy, and just cap things off my dear Husband broke his collar bone in two places.  Squashed between 2 vehicles but he's fine except for the breaks.This all coincides with our busiest time of the year with all the festivals all at full steam (as my husband works for a sound company ).

I have also been learning to do trapunto from a very skilled quilter, and learning all that I know re Fabric and thread has changed so much I have to be a little rebel and try to break all those rules that were drummed into one so long ago. I'm also a bit of a control freak.....I hear laughing.......so it's going to take a while but I'm told it could be fun.....So what the heck.....   I haven't any photos as yet to post but I will very shortly of our Family challenge, which is a Monthly Highlight Challenge. We have to depict something that happened say in January and create a A4 quilt block or page in February. So I have done one for what My hubby did for Mona Foma in January ( see last blog). When I'm finished I will show you the results.



Have a lovely week and enjoy your time with family.



Alison

The Performance....

               Here are some final photos of Tunni's & Cliffe's Art Exhibit for  Mona Foma at PW1. All the guys did a brilliant job to get it ready in time....So here they are..

After the sun set

Part 2

                    Well here are some more pictures of the finished car. They have installed lights and speakers in the engine bay and boot. There are a few buttons and a joystick to play with and different sounds blast out and the lights respond to the beat of the music etc.

              Cute little car isn't it...... Mona Foma starts tomorrow so we will try and get photos tomorrow night of it in full colour, pity I can't do sound here, so you will have to imagine that..............

My VERY Talented Husband

                Well my husband Richard has found his artistic streak finally. I am so proud of his work I thought I would share it with you all. He was asked by a visiting artist to cut shapes out of a 1953, 2 Door  Ford Anglia bonnet.  Apparently it is going to have lights in the engine bay to highlight the cut outs. I will post photos of the finished exhibition later but  I thought I would show some now...............

Richard hard at work with a Plasma Cutter

               Looking forward to seeing the finished exhibit :-)

Have a good week
Alison

Pretty Flowers all in a row

              I have just finished the borders on my Pretty flowers all in a row quilt finally.  I have previously posted this quilt with just the centre finished, I decided on a another two borders to gain extra width and to frame the centre better. What do you think......

Note the mitred corners...

                         This was very difficult to photo so when its quilted, some time in the distant future, I will get some-one to hold it up so I can photograph it a bit better. This quilt is actually for ME, as I bought the fabric while I was at home recovering from giving blood and they split the nerve in my forearm resulting in over 3 years of pain and no recovery as yet if ever......... So it is a milestone for me to have finished this top at all as my sewing these days is so slow, bits and pieces only. But I won't give it away it's my stress relief cure, I'm sure you all know what I mean.

Anyway have a lovely week and enjoy it.

Alison

Teddy Bear Quilt

                 I have just received back from my wonderful mother, my teddy bear quilt, she has HAND Quilted it and done a beautiful job.  I made this quilt a few years ago but stopped after Felix, my grandson was born (stillbirth). It has taken a while to finish it and mum to quilt, but I'm happy with the finished result. Have a look at some of the photos I actually took this time :-)

             The applique is hand buttonholed in a material matching colour and the quilting is done with a variegated thread. The pattern and material was from Kids Quilts.    
           I am still intending to send this quilt to my son Nick & Tegan,  and hope that they like it as well.

MERRY CHRISTMAS

             Wishing everyone a very

 Merry Christmas and a safe New Year

Hoping your name hangs on the nice side but if not I'm sure you will try harder next year

Love and hugs

Alison

and all her family

I can show you now.........

      Here is the makings of my latest Ghost Imaging. I made this for a friend for a Secret Santa gift, its her face and I know she likes birds so I used both images.

This was the first stage finished getting all the small pieces in the right order.

Then came all the quilting, which I echo quilted and then bound it in the backing fabric

  The last photo is of it drying as I soaked it in Paverpol, a waterproofing and non-fading solution, so Roxy could hang it outside if she so desired. I hope she likes it....

         

Stuff I have done lately.....

                      I haven't posted in a while due to the fact I didn't want to show presents too early, just in case.... but I have found some photos in my phone and thought I would share them. The first is a polystyrene head covered in buttons for my sister.

 

        I didn't take a photo of it finished but hopefully you will get the idea. I carried the hair down to look like a ponytail and drape down the back and the scarf draped over both shoulders. I really enjoyed playing with the buttons but doesn't everyone......

      Next is a gift for a really close friend, this is the top of  a letterbox it depict a view of her home and beautiful garden which has to be seen to be believed. Here are another views of it......

    Sorry about the photo, it was very very sunny . So we will see if she likes it in a day or two.

                     Anyway hope you have a great week and hopefully post again very soon.

Celtic Knot Tree

                    I have taken a while to post as it's been a busy year. I made this wall hanging for a friends 40th birthday present back in June. I firstly made the smallest bias and attached with a gold thread to look like the foliage and the constructed the trunk from beautiful batik fabric. I then coloured in the foliage area with Inktense pencils and fabric medium. I attached small brass leaves all over and made the ying/yang symbol, traditionally black and white, out of the trunk material. I think it gave it a more natural feeling. The braid around the border is made from endless bias  to demonstrate that life is endless... 
                     These aren't the clearest of pics but they are all I have. I forgot to take one finished.

A Cup of Tea anyone......

                 I was a participant in a Mothers Day Swap with the girls in Quilters Cove. My Secret sister was Tassie  (Judy from Bagdad Quilters).  I have been experimenting with the ghost image and colour wash technique, that I have shown here before and I thought that this was an excellent time to do a steaming cup of tea.

      
                                 I had alot of fun playing with this and trying to get the fabrics right, I think I got it right.  I know that Tassie liked it (she told me so).
                             Next project I'm going to try and do a selection of green leaves with rain drops or possibly sun rays. We will see what I can find.

Wedding Day

    Glenn and Sarah were married at 3.30pm on the 24th March 2012 at Corinda Gardens in Hobart Tasmania

Wedding Quilt

                    Today I presented my wedding quilt to Glenn and Sarah ( Son and DILTB).  They are to be married on the 24th March 2012, but I wanted to give them this early.
                    I started this quilt 2 1/2 years ago, before they got engaged, I found the pattern for the centre and decided to would be great as a wedding quilt centre. A couple of months later they announced their engagement  and off I started getting fabrics. The butterflies are hand dyed  fabrics hand sewn on in a variegated thread. A soft muted blue for the sky sewn on point. The border was foundation pieced in various greens to give the impression of lying on the grass looking up and seeing butterflies fluttering by in the wedding ring formation. My mother (Glenn's grandmother) hand quilted it for me. She has done a beautiful job of outlining the butterflies and grass. Not bad considering she is 80 years young. I finished off with a scrappy binding of leftover fabric from the grass.  I am very happy with the end result.