Skipping Along The Quilting Lines♡

Hello lovely lovelies♡ I woke up this morning......and you were on my mind ♪♩ ♫♫♪♪......because.....'tis Sunday♡ And....we all know what that means??!! It means 'tis the day of flower overload....and a little slow hand stitching; from my happy little place♡

How has your week  been?? Mine flew by....again. I am supposing yours flew by, too. Actually, some days I didn't know what day it was, such is the cadence of late, of the days, the weeks. Thank goodness for calendars and phones; and the like, to keep me on track. February has arrived. I am reminded that it is the last month of summer (not that I need reminding) and I had better make the most of my balmy, February days.

The garden has gone bonkers! 'Tis wild! 'Tis overrun! Both the flowers; and those dastardly, pesky weeds! But I will pretend I don't see the sky-reaching weeds and just focus on all the pretty flowers. We will get to those nasty garden interlopers eventually and dig them up, sending them to the great abyss. Oh my goodness; the flowers! The armloads of beautiful bouquets picked to fill pretty vases! Our home is overflowing with vases of hydrangeas, dahlias, roses, gladdies, sweet peas.....cosmos. There is a potpourri of delicious scents wafting throughout the rooms.....intoxicating! Also, from every window there is a vignette of flowers nodding and swaying in the breeze. 'Tis rather heavenly♡

In the garden the hydrangeas are still blooming beautifully, but I have noticed  ever so slightly, the petals beginning to nudge me that the time when hydrangeas begin to  change into those soft, pastel hues of autumn, is not far away. Not a lot.......but the seasonal cycle  of the hydrangeas are a-changing...just a wee bit. I suppose over the coming weeks and months the softly-hued pastels of the hydrangeas will be become more apparent.

In the sewing room, the fernery....and wherever else I placed my gluteus maximus I have been hand quilting my Hydrangeas Cobblestones quilt.  Gosh, it was a pain in the royal proverbial to sandwich all the layers together. Now I know why I very rarely piece the backing of a quilt. You have to try to place the front aligned with the backing design, seams etc etc. Such a pain!! I don't know how you ladies who always seem to have a pieced backing do this; perhaps you could enlighten me. Even now, I don't really know if it is perfectly lined up, but you know, at this point I don't really care. I know, shocking!! But, this queen size quilt took such a long time to prepare for quilting that I am soooooo over it. Me thinks I will look at the back of this quilt wearing my rose-coloured glasses. I will perhaps turn a blind eye to the misalignment; if indeed there is any. Yep....wilful blindness, will be my defence.

As for the design for the quilting; simple, simple and even more simple! I am quilting diagonally in both directions through the  octagons with the quilting stitches kissing the corners of the squares as they skip by. Super easy, and I think will be super quick. Well...it should be...shouldn't it???? For the border, with the hydrangea flowers do-si-do-ing around on the butterfly fabric, I will quilt randomly around the outline of some of the butterflies with meandering quilting every which way giving a sense of the butterflies fluttering here, there and everywhere. But the border will be quilted lastly, so I need not worry about that just yet. For now I am just concentrating on the central panel of octagons and squares. I love skipping along the quilting lines, the needle burrowing down and up again....in, out, in, out; in a meditative fashion.

Cheerio from my happy, little, flowery place♡ Hopefully, I have beamed some flowery deliciousness into your little part of the world. For some of you the spring bulbs will soon be popping up their pretty heads, and for us downunder, the trees will soon begin to change into the gorgeous autumnal frocks. But not just yet. There is still day after day of summery loveliness for me to soak up; to immerse myself in. This coming week I hope to enjoy skipping along the quilting lines of my Hydrangea Cobblestones. Sending you all a little summery love♡ Have a fabulous week♡ Don't forget to see the miracle in the everyday♡

Until the next time............

  

 

Linking up with Kathy's Slow Sunday Stitching, Judy's Design Wall Monday and Frederique's Quilting, Patchwork & Applique

Girls Just Want To Have Fun♡

Hello lovely lovelies♡ I hope you are all travelling okay. Down here at my flowery little place, where sweetly fragranced, rose petals fall into heart shape patterns, it has been day after day of  happy sunshine and lovely warmth.

This year I thought it might be fun to hitch my caboose to the monthly, mini quilt train, over at  Wendy's place of The Constant Quilter. I thought it would be delightful if I joined Wendy and her merry band of mini quilt makers, and fashion a mini quilt each month. Fashioning a mini quilt, monthly, sounds doable and rather pleasant. I rather love the thought of designing and creating on a mini scale every month. It would be a delightful interlude from the everyday of making my bigger quilts. 'Tis always fun to have the thought upmost in mind of going with the flow and seeing where my playing takes me because when one skips down the path of creative play, you never quite know what will eventuate. AND...I'm rather taken with the thought of stitching small and only taking a month in which to reach the finishing line.

What to make??  What will I fashion for my first mini quilt?? With only a week till the end of January; yes I left it to the last minute; I decided to fashion a mini quilt with a vase of flowers taking centre stage. 

Two years ago, before the world went into lockdown, I went to a Rachael Daisy, of Blue Mountain Daisy fame, Whizz Bang workshop, where we learnt all things burr cone, or as some might prefer, prairie point, pretties. At the time I bought Rachael's book, Whizz Bang  which is a fabulous source of inspiration overflowing with wonderful ideas on the how-to's of all things folded triangles. Arranging triangles is really playing in the truest sense of the world. One folds triangles from an assortment of fabric strips and then plays; placing triangles around and around in dizzying, gloriously hued circles, ovals, rectangles, squares; or indeed any shape you can dream up. But, we will chat that about a little later.

I decided prairie point triangles skipping around the edge of the quilt would be rather fun.  For the background I chose a pretty fabric with a collage of hearts, bows, roses, music, butterflies etc etc; all with a nod to Valentine's Day which lovers the world over, celebrate in a couple of weeks time. A perfect fabric. A fabric which was leftover from a knitting bag I made for a dear friend last Christmas. 

But before I could begin making the prairie points I first needed to design and stitch the vase and flowers. From a suitcase overflowing with lace remnants I unearthed a lace curtain remnant.

The remnant had some vases and flowers which would be perfect for what was swirling around in my imagination.  I carefully snipped a vase and flowers, placing these to the background fabric. Mmm....a tad bare, perfectly fine for some, but for me, a little flower magic from my 'Aladdin's cave' suitcase would definitely be needed.

Being a gal who considers more is never enough,  I began to add flowers, leaves and whatever else was needed to make the floral arrangement pleasing to my eye. I happily played, placing  a flower or two here, a leaf there, until what was before me caused me to smile. I had a party of a time as I hand stitched each sweet little flower and leaf wherever it landed. It has been an age since I have embellished with all my pretties. I have missed it. It is always a joy to reacquaint myself with all my vintage pretties. 

BUT!!!! When all the flowers (probably a 'few' too many....if I was to tell the truth....but hey....you did not hear that from me!) were flourishing in the vase the more I looked at what was before me, I didn't necessarily see a vase of flowers per se; I saw what could be a girl's face with flowers flourishing all over her head!! Perhaps one of those fabulous vintage, flower-covered hats?? How fun!! Now, would I continue on with what I had originally imagined, or, would I play a little more?? Mmm.....what to do, what to do?? I am thinking the girl notion might just win by a nose. =) Funnily enough, while I was adding the facial features Cyndi Lauper's song, Girls Just Want To Have Fun, popped into my mind, so that is what I named my quilt, of the funky girl with the flowery hair....or hat....I cannot decide. Mmm....the hat has it! A mod 1960's girl wearing one of those fabulous hats which only a 1960's hip young thing could get away with! I must say though, the 1960's girl's lips look a bit pursed for a girl who's supposed to be having fun! Perhaps the weight of her flower-filled hat is heavy on her mind!! =D Poor darling, she looks positively worrisome!

Just look at those eyelashes♡

With all the stitching on the girl and flowery hat finished, I then hand quilted around some of the sweet hearts that appear on the fabric. I then proceeded to make the prairie points adding them to the edge. The prairie points dancing around the edge as a frame adds to the whimsy. For the back I found a polka dot fabric in a pretty green and machine sketched Girls Just Want To Have Fun on the back. For the binding I again chose a Tilda fabric.

I spent four days and today, Sunday, petting my flowery pretties, placing and hand stitching them here, there and most definitely everywhere! I have a feeling I got lost in LaLa Land where vintage, lacey flowers were raining from heaven. It happens to me sometimes. =) It was fun to just play. It was fun to change course midway and skip down another path to see where it led me. AND.....it was fabulous to sew on a mini scale. In my crystal ball I can see a few more mini quilts in my future. I have put my suitcase burgeoning with vintage lace pretties away for another day when lacey inspiration will again swirl and swirl around my muddly head. Hoping my mini quilt is acceptable to add to the monthly mini quilt party. I wonder, at 20 inches by 17 inches, if my pretty is mini enough. Well, for me who always seems to make queen size quilts, I should think this quilt is downright Lilliputian in comparison. I did look to see what was acceptable, and I read there were no rules. Well.....excepting of course the quilt has to be 'mini'. No rules....my very favourite stipulation when it comes to quilt making.

Bye for now. Sending all you lovely lovelies, a little love, and sprinkles of falling rose petals into your day♡ Hoping your week is a fabulous one♡

Until the next time..............

Linking up this week to Kathy's Slow Sunday Stitching and Wendy's Monthly Mini at The Constant Quilter, Frederique's Applique, Patchwork and Judy's Design Wall Monday.

The Funnest of Weeks♡

Hello lovely lovelies♡ 'Tis Sunday again♡ Did you enjoy a pleasant week?? I did. My week flew by in a whirl of birthday celebrations and surprises; and the piecing of the backing of my Hydrangea Cobblestones quilt. Birthdays♡ They are a big deal in my family. Birthdays are always a special event. All stops are pulled out to see that the birthday person celebrates in the way they desire. When my girls were younger they never went to school  on their birthdays. They were treated like princesses for the day. My two girls and I (Pete always went to work......how sad) always celebrated their birthdays however which way they pleased......(well, within reason....=D ). I always said to their teachers that life was too short to have to go to school on your birthday. The girls have fabulous memories of 'wagging' school and enjoying their special day to the hilt. It always involved going somewhere fabulous and enjoying delicious food, worthy of such a momentous celebration. My birthday this year seemed to carry over a few days; morning teas, afternoon teas, lunches, gorgeous gifts, flowers......feel totally spoilt♡ So blessed♡

Between much too many cups of tea in pretty teacups and much too many pieces of several birthday cakes, I actually enjoyed some sewing, too. I stitched the backing of my quilt. I used fabrics from my stash, and also the extra fabrics from the same line of the hydrangea fabric; at the time of purchase. The fabrics are the Cottage Bleu Collection designed by Robyn Pickens; so they all dance beautifully together. At the time of purchasing these fabrics, I had no idea what I was going to do with them, so I purchased 1/2 metre lengths of some of the co-ordinating fabrics. When my eyes first espied the hydrangea fabrics, I just had to have them with not a clue what I would make. Thankfully all fabrics have been utilised, so all's well that ends well.

I stitched together large patches of fabric together in a fairly haphazard fashion. When the stitching of the backing was finished, I then hand stitched hydrangea octagons along some of the seams to add a bit of visual interest. I am that gal who never really over-thinks the backing of a quilt, as to be honest, no-one ever really looks at the back.......do they?? Of course, I suppose those with judgmental, imperious and exacting eyes, who pick up a quilt and inspect the quilting stitches on the back do, but truly, no-one who has walked along the path of life with me ever has. =) They are always bedazzled by the front (at this point my tongue is fixed firmly in my cheek). =D In saying this though, I do try to back a quilt with a complementary fabric, but I have been known to use the odd old sheet or two.

Oh dear, I did get a little carried away with the happy snaps didn't I??!! But, put a camera or in this case, a phone, into my hands and I get lost in a gazillion scenarios of capturing that one perfect short....or two...or three...or...!! But you kinda expect that from me; right???? Who knows, by the time the next birthday swings around again, my enthusiasm for capturing happy snaps will have been curtailed.

Who says that flowers are the prettiest when in a vase?? Certainly not I. Me thinks beautiful gift bags, boxes and the like, are the perfect receptacles for a flower or two♡

Thank you for your beautiful visit and taking the time to have a bo peep at what I have been up to this week. Perhaps this week there will be less cake and a little less tea......but then perhaps I will just keep on partying....as there is still a lot of cake. Wish oh wish I could share a piece or two with you. But I cannot, so it just means me and My Pete will just have to see that it is not wasted. Goodbye waistline.....not that I have one! =) Have a beautiful week. May you bloom a little, each day♡

Until the next time.......

Linking this week to Kathy's, Slow Sunday Stitching, Judy's Design Wall Monday and Frédérique's, Quilting, Patchwork and Applique.