Transformation Challenge Revealed

My entry into the Transformation Challenge is completely finished. I have registered and will now sort the photos to send off.
Drum roll, please!
Here is my entry revealed:

Size: 9" x 12"
Butterfly and background are all painted - I used watered down fabric paint (from the $2 Shop) sprayed onto white sheeting for the background - so much fun!

New Zealand Quilter Publication

In the latest NZ Quilter magazine (issue 76), which arrived in my post box early this morning, there is an article on the Remarkable Symposium ANAZC Banners. Editor Anne Scott requested my In Flanders' Fields quilt for photographing, so, on page 25 there is a photo of the poppies and on page 26 a mention about The Nation's Most Gallant Sons.


Back to the Sewing Machine

I've had three days with Mum and Dad - helping them to downsize. I got a little done and came away with a suitcase of fabric etc. and a head cold!
It's a crazy week at work, so I am 'it' for 3 days and had better be feeling better to manage.
Got to do a little sewing machine time and work some more for the Transformation Challenge. Here's the wing stitched before adding to the background fabric and trapunto-ing.

I have to do at least 5 free-motion quilting designs, so the background is sectioned off to do that. Here are 2 of the designs:

I have even stitched the legs and antennae. Just have to dampen off the outside markings, square-up and bind off. Almost finished - then you can see it completed!

Up to Painting Now

It's kind of like paint-by-numbers, except I don't have numbers and I'm only using 3 colours! I'm using Tsukineko all-purpose inks applied with their fantastix (not a brush).
Progress photos:

Pattern drawn on fabric with pencil

Starting to look like something now

All finished?

I had to play around with the colours to get the correct 'orange'. When I first painted on the ink, I thought that it was too peach coloured, but now that it is dry I think it looks OK - any stitching will add another colour and dimension also.
I'm still thinking about how much quilting to do here. The size doesn't really allow for a lot.
The finished size of the quilt is to be 9" x 12" so this fits within an A4 sheet of paper. I'm thinking of doing a densely quilted background, which will make this 'pop' out.

That P Word!

Yes! Procrastination!
I know that I haven't really been in the right head space, but I've loaded up with protein and the brain is functioning a little better. So I've started on the Transformation Challenge from Leah Day. I haven't yet registered but I figured that since I've had the photo and painted the background fabric and had it on the design wall for at least 2 months - I needed to actually start the quilt before registering.
Well today I made this:

Pattern pinned on layers of organza

Stitching on the back

Front view

Finished piece

 - layers of organza and burning with a soldering iron.
Does it look like what it is supposed to, do you think? Let me know what you think!

Thanks to Yvonne Brown (UK) for teaching me this.

And, I've started drawing out the other shape ready for painting. Now I haven't been really committed to working hard out on it today, but it is a start!
Keep in touch to see how the work progresses!

Winter Is Making It's Mark

OK, now the weather has been quite crazy lately - we have had heaps of rain but not the cooler temperatures. The shortest day is Tuesday and the evenings seem to be quite early, but that could be because of the rain clouds. I notice that the daffodils are fattening up at the ends, but they shouldn't be flowering until August/Spetember, so WHAT is going on?
Thank goodness we had our first frost Friday morning. Perhaps this moon (Wednesday night) had something to do with it?

Full moon June 16th

I Spy .....

with my little eye ...
I was just thinking the other day that my bromeliad (which sits on the kitchen bench) hadn't flowered for a couple of years. But when I looked at it, I found:

and another one just peeking through at the bottom:

How exciting! The flowers last for ages, if you water them correctly.

And Before You Know It ...

I'll have another quilt top made!
I am pleasantly surprised as to how fast it can be to piece blocks - especially when you aren't working hard on it!
I have managed to put this little pile of 9-patches together when doing continuous piecing for the Christmas table runners.

It won't be long before I will have to organise the cutting of fabric for the other block that will combine with these to make a scrappy quilt!
Just think of all that thread I have saved in stitching these together instead of running on to a scrap of fabric!
I'm still fluffing around doing inconsequential things instead of concentrating and designing/making my next 'military' quilt.

I Have Finally Got Things For Sale

Yes, I have bitten the bullet and posted some work For Sale at my Felt shop.  As these are the first items I have posted For Sale, the Felt administrators will have to moderate them, so you may not see them up for 24 hours or so.
But I have put on 2 Christmas Table Runners which I have just completed:

Christmas Table Runner

Quilting detail in the centre

A cot/lap quilt for a boy:

A cot/lap quilt for a girl:

And the 2 New Zealand table runners which I have just finished:

I'm a bit nervous about this, but I figure that I do have to get my work out there somehow.
Enjoy!

A Significant Birthday

My boss had a significant birthday over the weekend and I finally got to give her the quilt I finished last year (nothing like planning in advance, eh?) - see the post here.
Here is a photo of the quilt:

Feathers and Fans

It has been wrapped since last year as well, but I think it still looks nice. The name comes from the quilting I did in the blocks (fans) and the outer border (feathers), not from the particular block itself.

Fun Photos From Today

A couple of photos to share. We have had a bumper crop of Granny Smith apples this year, so after stewing some for breakfast, I had a plate full of cores and skin. Usually this goes into the compost, but today the ewes received a treat:

Rosie with her apple skin spaghetti

Coco

The 'Grannies' have been sweet this year and I still have a wheelbarrow full to go! Yum!
Enjoy!

The Colours of Nature

I'm always impressed that nature gives us such vibrant colours, no matter the time of year (well in New Zealand, anyway). This morning's photo is of our mandarin tree - it's not a very big tree, just less than 1 metre in height, but it packs a punch with fruit and colour.

Here are some big fruit - they look ripe, but don't come away from the tree easily and there is very little taste (another couple of weeks perhaps, especially if we have sunshine):

Mandarins

While we were out walking the other day I managed to get some good shots of the the toi toi flowers. A great feathery look to them!

Toi Toi

It's a Mixed Bag

Things have been (and still are) pretty mixed up lately so I'm feeling at 6's and 7's. There are big changes at work that effect both Derrick and me, but I don't really want to say anything yet, and I'm trying to see that the glass is half full.
Anyway, so much more rain, that it's a bog outside - the ewes keep asking me to shift them - where to? I ask. It's sodden everywhere! I found the other day that they like feijoas - I gave them the skins and over-ripe ones, and they loved it! Made 3kg of Feijoa and ginger jam - yummy!
I started to clean up the sewing room and found some cut strips of New Zealand fabric, so here I have made them into table runners - this pattern is pretty easy, but takes quite a bit of time putting it together (well for it's size anyway).

The second one I got bored with, so didn't add the outside border (it's only 2" narrower). Both of them are quilted 1/2" from the seam lines and the center square has a feather wreath. Just have to add the Care Instructions to the back.
Working on a couple of Christmas table runners, after sorting the Christmas fabric bag. Just simple blocks to use up small-ish pieces of fabric. Will post a photo or two when I've finished binding them.
Hope your week is going well :-)