Border Worries

I can't believe how much trouble I've had with the border of the Doll Quilt 2 Swap quilt! Normally I have a pretty good idea what I'll do for a border, and usually it works out most of the time with no real dramas. But this one... First I auditioned about 30 % of my Repro fabrics (which is a significant number I'll tell you), and when I finally decided after a couple of days of looking at this, leaving the room, looking at that, leaving the room and coming back to it I finally decided.

Then the real trouble started. I think the main problem is that I made the central part of the quilt square. I didn't really think it through, just made it up as I went along, and then had to stop because of the size constraints. I should've put one extra row on the top to give it a better shape. Anyway, too late for that, so I thought I'd do what I see on many doll quilts, and add an extra strip of fabric on the top and bottom before I put the borders on. I cut it out, laid it out - it looked terrible. I tried a diffferent fabric for the extra bit, and off it started again.

In the end I got a bit fed up with it, and trimmed down the side borders, didn't add the top and bottom borders, and I think I'm ok with it now. Talk about fiddly! I suppose I'm used to the proportions of the big quilts, and it took quite some time to down scale it all in my head. I'm pretty happy with it now after leaving it alone for a few days, and I have cut the single thickness binding in the spot so hopefully that will give it a lift.

It's a bit hard to see in the photo, but there is a sort of 'self inner border' with the dark triangles, so framing it with a skinny border might've helped on another quilt, but I didn't want to take away from that look. So now to put it together, bind it and it will be done. It has been good to do - it has taken quite a bit of work for a tiny quilt, but because it is small it has been do-able. I think I will definately make some more Doll Quilts. The swap invited you to try something different, and I have to tell you that this is the first quilt I've made on point! The 4patch UFO will be on point, but as that isn't finished...

Weather is lovely and cold here with westerly winds, but the sun is shining. We had 4 inches of rain last week and on Thursday I did the big run over to the Mainland with the Van and came back with some huge bags of dogfood, fertiliser and firewood stacked to the ceiling. I had better go and get the last bit out.

Doll Quilts & Dog Coats

I have nearly finished the first doll quilt I have been making, and have made some progress on the Swap quilt. I haven't felt much like sewing the last few days, which is funny as I've been on a real roll lately. I did some more knitting last night on a jumper (pullover) I started for my nephew when I needed something portable to do, but I'm making a real dog's breakfast of it. I can't seem to concentrate on the row counting for increasing and decreasing. I finished a sleeve last night, and it was rather perplexing as when I had finished increasing up the sleeve it said to keep knitting until work measures 38cm. Well it was already 41 cm. So then I had to start decreasing straight away. I don't know - I'll keep going for now, but if it is terrible I won't give it to him.


Simon has really been feeling the cold, so I bought him a cheap jumper at the discount store, which of course was too small for him. He wore it though, and despite not being able to look at the camera for a photo, he seemed to appreciate the warmth. So I made him a rough coat out of flannelette that I had in the stash, and he seems to like it. He has been giving me a bit of extra love and tail wags.

It has been raining here today and is very overcast, but at least the cloud is keeping the temperature up a bit. My tank is full, so I have the hose on one of the trees out the front. I'm sitting here trying to remind myself to go and turn it off, and not empty the tank, which is easy to do if you forget. I woke up in the middle of the night once remembering that I hadn't turned the hose off, but it was too late then.

I just feel like getting into bed with a book and turning the light on, but that is a dangerous plan.

Poor Swampy

Poor Swampy. I feel a bit bad about the photo from last post, as it did make her look a bit like a maniac. Here is another photo to show that she is indeed a nice looking dog. Her Mother is a shaggy black and white Border Collie X Australian Cattle Dog, so all I can say is that Dad (commonly known as The Surfer's Dog) must have been a Staffy X Ridgeback, or something similar. Her working dog instincts are alive and well though, as Simon can confirm. She rounds him up, and generally 'supervises' everything he does. Luckily he is a laid back character who knows his place in the pack - right at the bottom.



My swap partner was in my mailbox this morning, and luckily she likes Civil War fabrics, so the little quilt I had tentatively started is full steam ahead. The identity of your partner is to be kept a secret, but I'm not sure if the quilt is to be a secret. I've noticed that some bloggers are offering hints only, whereas others are posting full photos. I will show this little section only...


In other quilting news there will be an International Sigh of Relief I imagine when I report that the Girl Guide Quilt is finally finished. I'm not a good finisher, as you all know. Anyway it is done.

I have held off on starting the Zig Zag Quilt, so I might try and run with this finishing mood and knock over another UFO. I have been talking to Holly about her QAYG Log Cabin, which brought to mind my Denim Quilt which only needs 2 borders and binding. Maybe I might do it. Can't rush these things.

Soup Weather

It's soup weather here at last. Two weeks ago it was like the middle of summer, but today the wind is blowing and it is a little bit cool. We hardly get any winter compared to most places, but we aren't really prepared for it. All the houses are designed for the heat, so when it gets a bit cold at night we go into shock.

I love the cold weather, and often wonder why I don't live down south, but here I am. The garden doesn't know what to do, and as you can see I still have basil growing. In lieu of a big dollop of pesto, I stirred some fresh leaves through, and if I say so myself it was quite nice!



I'm still waiting for my Doll Quilt Swap partner, and I'm getting a bit concerned in case I'm over the whole idea before it starts. I'll wait another day or two, then I'll email. Amy has all but finished her quilt already. I've started something that hopefully will fit in with my partner's likes and dislikes, but if not I will be happy to keep it. I won't show a photo just in case, but let me tell you that there are lots of little triangle ears gathering on the floor under the ironing board.




I'm going to put this photo of Swampy in, not because I want to embarrass her - and she does embarrass easily - but to show this crazy cattle dog look that she has. She stares at me sometimes with this look, and I'd love to know what's going on inside that little, very bony, skull. Poor Swampy. She's not the smartest dog in the pack, but she tries very hard.

Quilts 4 Leukaemia

Jen (Hedgehog) and I have been talking with Clare about trying to organise a way to help out with the 'nuts and bolts' parts of her quilts. Lots of quilters have very kindly sent blocks, but batting and backing fabric are also needed to complete them.

We talked about lots of different options, but as Clare is in France there are obvious logistical problems, and of course postage costs. We thought of collecting money for a bulk order of batting to be sent from the US, we enquired at French LQStores, and so on. In the end we found that at Quilter's Quarter, an online store in the US, there is an option to buy a Gift Certificate that can be emailed to Clare, which she could then use to buy batting and backing fabric. Quilter's Quarter accepts PayPal, and we agreed that quilters, if they were able to donate, would be confident that their donation would go toward quilting supplies and not toward a bottle of wine! (Clare does live in France!)

There is a US$10 Gift Certificate, but if this were too much I hope that Quilter's Quarter would be happy to accommodate a combined payment from 2 quilters for example. Don't quote me on that, but so far they have been very helpful with my many enquires. I regularly buy fabric from them and they have been very reliable posting to Australia.

Please consider this a suggestion only, and don't feel any pressure to donate. If you haven't been to Clare's Quilts4Leukaemia blog, please have a look. The young people that she has made quilts for have been very grateful to receive them, and many have blogs so you can follow their progress. David, the recipient of the first Quilt passed away recently.

Thanks for considering helping out, and for Clare's email address please visit her blog profile. She will give you her snail mail address which is also required by the store.

Doll Quilts

With the Doll Quilt Swap II coming up , I thought I'd better start thinking about what to make. I got out my 2 Small Quilt books for some inspiration, and thought maybe I'd better try one out. I love this design, but I think the finished quilt might be an inch or two outside the swap rules, so I started it for me. For the 4 patches I used bits of scraps and strips left over from other things, and the blue and mustard are from the stash. Some of the little squares were eked out of scraps barely big enough for the 2 in square, which gave me a great feeling to be making the most of my fabric.

I will put a small border then a wider one and bind. Very exciting and so fast, even factoring in the stuff ups I made. I wasn't really thinking and just glanced at the drawing with the instructions, and ended up without my diagonal pattern. Really, when I look at it, the book doesn't give the full instructions, so I imagine most people would make the same mistake and have to undo half of the blocks. I do know better and probably should have picked it up, but I was on autopilot, and did what the book told me to. We live and learn!

Now downstairs to the TV to watch my footy team get thrashed by Tracey's footy team...

Another Dishcloth

I'm sure the quilters are thinking "I thought this was a quilting blog?', but I can't help myself. Isn't this dishcloth cute? So quick to make, and if you get a bit slack with your row counting well it doesn't really matter, does it? Not to mention you can use crazy colours that you probably wouldn't use to make something bigger. I never thought I'd be one to say that knitting is fun - just goes to show how we change as we get older.

Trip to the Footy

I went to the footy on Saturday night. It was pretty cold, but I love that - part of the atmosphere. We don't get that much cold weather in Queensland, so it is fun to feel like you are in Melbourne and pretend you are at the MCG.



For those who are not Australian, this footy is AFL or Aussie Rules as we call it, and is similar to Gaelic Football played in Ireland.



I made the effort to go to the game as Aker, a player who was booted out of my team (The Brisbane Lions) last year, for spending more time big noting himself in the Media than actually playing the game and being part of the team, was returning to the Gabba with his new team. All expectation and hope was that the Lions would thrash the Dogs, and give Aker a bit of a hard time on the field (sporting of me isn't it?). Sadly the worst happened and the Dogs won, but the Lions played badly and didn't deserve to win. Aker got a bit of 'attention' from his old team mates and a fair bit of attitude from the crowd, but he got the last laugh.

I wore my handknitted footy scarf, which was knitted with lots of good thoughts for the Lions and bad thoughts for all opposing teams, but obviously my attempt at mind control didn't work. Someone hung an Aker Voodoo Doll over the race where the opposition players came onto the field, and that didn't work either!


I looked like a bit of a tourist taking photos, but these are the things a blogger has to do. In this photo the net is still up for practice goal kicking, but they take that down during the game. I didn't catch a ball coming through, but close.

Back to crafty matters, I have cast off my Chevron Scarf, but not finished it as such. I will post a photo then. I have also been very strong and have yet to start the Zig Zag quilt. I 'could' be developing a bit of a conscience, as I have the guilts over not finishing the Girl Guide Quilt. Today, I swear!

Dishcloth Knitting

I found myself sitting at the kitchen table at 10 am today knitting a dishcloth like Grandma used to make. Is this what I've become? I tried to think of some positives, and all I could really come up with was that I was saving the environment by not buying more throw-away kitchen sponges. Hmmm...

As soon as it was finished tonight I tossed it on the sink with a defiant flick of the wrist as if to say "see, I am using it and aren't I good?"

But to all in the crafty bloggy world, who can be told almost anything, I can honestly say that it was most enjoyable to make! I have made one dishcloth in a chequerboard pattern before, but it is an insipid beige-pink colour, and I've never taken a photo of it. I love cotton yarn, and it hardly took any time at all to make which means a finish, and I could sure do with a few more of those.

I think I could have used slightly smaller needles, and I thought I had variagated yarn until I got half way up it. I looked at the label again, and it does say Anchor Magicline, so I guess that should've been a bit of a hint.

I was sitting in my knitting office (in front of the TV) tonight, when I noticed the state of the coffee table - this is how it seems to look all the time now. I have really only had the knitting bug for a month or two, and already I have 5 projects on the needles. I did finish Mum's scarf, & 1 out of 6 is about average for me when it comes to quilting, so why did I think knitting would be any different? It's a curse.

I will finish off with a still life I like to call Beagle With Dishcloth and Flowers, which really cements the questions about my suspect mental health!

I really have to get out more.

Super-Generous Swap

Cathi from Crazed Quilter (now Celtic Knots) in Ireland and I had a swap recently, which resulted from a discussion about Civil War fabrics. Cathi has made a Dear Jane Quilt, and I am making the Civil War Diary Quilt, and we both love reproduction fabrics. Cathi offered to send me some of her scraps from her Dear Jane and said she would love an Australian quilt magazine in return. I said I'd send some fabric as well, and an idea was born.

By the way Cathi has renamed and moved her blog so if she has dropped off your bloglines, that's why. But I see that she already has 35 subscribers to her new blog, so lots of people already know.

My parcel arrived today, and Cathi has been so generous. Not only did she send heaps of squares and strips of fabric, but there were also some fat quarters in there too. I mentioned to Cathi that I needed pinks reds and blacks, and look at what I got! Not to mention the Italian sock yarn and the Guinness magnet and chocolate. I went to Ireland when I was in my early 20s, and hardly ate for 2 weeks as I'm convinced that all the 5 food groups are covered in that glass of black magic.

The parcel was a bit squashed when it arrived - someone ought to tell the Postal Services of the World that they need to take more care when there is valuable fabric in the parcel - so I lovingly ironed and sorted all the scraps for the photo. My mind immediately went to the books I recently acquired on doll and little quilts, and I might just have to put some of this fabric to immediate use. It was interesting to see a few fabrics I already have but in different colourways; it makes me realise that I must stop buying green, brown and blue. I have far too much of it. I recently bought some mustard yellows which have nicely filled a gap in the stash.

So as you can tell I'm pretty excited and feel incredibly spoilt. Thanks Cathi. As I buy most of my fabric from the US I have to buy a half yard of each, so you end up with fewer fabrics as a result. This is like Christmas.

Mum liked her scarf, and as it is lightweight I hope she will get some wear out of it in this climate, which is getting hotter by the year. I'm pretty sure Daniel liked his quilt, but it isn't always easy to tell with 8 year old boys. He did agree to have his photo standing in front of it, so that is a good indication. He is getting his first camera for his birthday from his parents, so I have asked for a photo of the quilt on the bed via email. I know he will use it though, as he still uses the quilt I made him when I first started quilting, which isn't very big. This one will cover his bed, so it will look better I hope.

I've had the day off from sewing and knitting today, I've been gardening instead. The weather is beautiful at the moment, if a bit on the warm side for winter.

Binding

Warning: photo heavy post

Thanks for all the comments on the thread that you prefer. It seems that Aurofil is the clear winner. I have finished Mum's Scarf, and Daniel's quilt, and today is Birthday Lunch day. They both share the same birthday. Daniel will be 8 and Mum 73. I am pleased to have his quilt finished as I'm a bit sick of thinking about it, and no doubt you are all sick of hearing about it. I did block the scarf and I'm glad I did now. I pinned it onto a towel on the ironing board, then of course couldn't find the spray bottle, so I had a brainwave and used the water spray function on the iron while holding it well above the scarf. It really does look so much nicer - blocking has always been one of those things that doesn't fit into my philosophy, like swatch knitting, but I really do agree now that they are worth doing. I must be getting old! Next thing I'll be reading the instructions before I start LOL.

I am amazed at how many questions I have had about binding, both in the comments and privately. It seems a lot of people have problems/questions. Having just done 3 bindings in as many weeks, I too have been thinking about what works and what doesn't.

I'll write down a few of my observations in case they are of any help to someone, and I will no doubt learn something from your comments:

First, I have a bad attitude toward binding, and borders, as they are not very 'sexy' parts of patchwork. I always look on it as a boring chore, but I have been telling myself this week that Binding = FINISHED, and that has helped.

I have discovered that the type of batting makes a difference to how well it all goes together. When making a quilt for myself I always use a cotton or wool, and when making for a child or someone who may just toss it in the washing machine (not really worthy of a quilt, but it happens), I always use polyester. The one I have used this week has been what looks like a needled poly - it is quite smooth and dense on the surface - and it has been so much easier to deal with. The fabric just sticks to it.

I tend to make the back too small, and I suffer for it. It might 'just fit', but I really think that I have more problems with a wobbly or puckered edge if it is not at least 6 - 8 inches too big all the way around. After I have finished quilting I trim the batting and fabric down to about 2 inches all the way around, then trim again before hand sewing the binding to the back of the quilt. When the back and the batting are cut together, they seem to stay together better, giving less chance of the back getting caught up underneath when sewing on the binding.

When making a pieced back, make an effort to make sure it is very flat while putting it together. Once I can smell a finish, I'm not going back to fix the wobbly back!

I was taught to cut my binding 2 1/2 wide, but I'm wondering a bit about that now. Perhaps next time I'll make it a bit wider as there hasn't been enough binding showing on the front in my opinion.

I cut the strips as above, do my best guestimate on how much I'll need - others would measure it - sew the strips together, iron the seams open, then I iron the whole strip in half with the right side on the outside. Not right sides together. I also try and remember to turn over one end and sew it for when I get to the end.

I put the raw edge of the binding up against the raw edge of the quilt top, and sew using about a 1/4 inch seam. I use the edge of my foot as a guide.

I always use the walking foot, and I don't bother to pin it, just keep matching it up as I go, feeling underneath every now and then to make sure the back is not getting caught up anywhere.


When I get to a corner, I stop sewing 1/4 inch from the edge, then turn the quilt 90 deg and sew in reverse up away from the quilt into the batting for about 1 1/2 inches. Then I fold the binding so that it is folded in a 90 deg angle, then fold the rest of the binding over the top and towards me to line up with the next raw edge. See photos.


Then when I get to the end I slip the raw end inside the sewn end, and sew the last bit.

Then I trim the batting to about 1/2 inch before hand sewing the back. I have tried to sew it by machine, but it always looks terrible as I can't keep it in the ditch. In fact I don't ever sew in the ditch anymore.


Then I just turn it over and sew just below the line of stitching that is visible on the back. When I come to the corners I just fold and sew - I don't bother to pin, pins are for photographic purposes only.

So that's how I do it, but I'm sure there are other good ways - any other improvements or suggestions?

Better get my act together and wrap the presents and make a dash for the ferry. I must also remember the tape measure so I can measure Daniel's arms for the jumper I am making for him. I have a childhood of memories of being measured by Nana in all sorts of places for jumpers that I didn't ever really want, so no doubt Daniel will be talking about me that way on his blog in 20 years time.