A Couple of Inbetweeny Projects.

The wait is over !!
Yesterday my new sewing machine arrived.....

and here it is.  the Janome 1600P.   What a beast of a machine !  So far I am loving it but have to wait a day or two to try FMQ becasue the dealer forgot to include the quilting feet set.  I don't mind becasue it gives me a chance to get to know the machine.

Before it arrived, I was still sewing on the wee cheapy supermarket machine.  I made this oversized mugrug / small table topper for my Mum.

Here is a close up of the teeny feathers ....

...... and the appliqued flower

Also last week, I got this cushion finished for my daughter's bedroom.  Its just been decorated so she needed some new soft furnishings.

Some close ups of the feathers...

These two pieces were quilted on the little machine, which has been unceremoniously shoved to the side!..

Today I have several hours of working on these ( masonic sashes - my day job )

....before I can go and play with my new machine......but happy days are here again!
See you all again soon.
Rhianon..

Stars and Butterfly Quilt - Part 1

Hello everyone,

I missed posting last week but I was just so busy with work and family stuff and kept putting it off, but I have been getting some sewing done despite having an inferior machine to work with.

I actually started this quilt before my machine broke but was able to keep piecing on the stand in.

It started with this block, taken from Carol Doak's book Simply Sensational Stars.  Have to say it is an excellent book especially if you like foundation piecing.

Mine was a gift from a quilter friend - thank you Irene!

I made 4 of these blocks and set them on point around a center block with a butterfly.

I love this blue fabric with the big flowers on it and I didn't want to cut it too small so it was perfect for the setting triangles.

I don't know about mixing batik and non batik fabrics in a quilt, but I'm doing it anyway.  This is a gorgeous rainbow stripe batik.

Next up I added a border which was also foundation pieced.

                                                     
                                                            Close up of the border.

It's getting bigger and look at all that space for the applique!

More foundation pieced blocks joined to gether to make the next border that will frame the applique.

.... and this is the story so far. 

I am still waiting for my machine to be repaired and returned to me so I am hanging off doing the applique. I love how this quilt is progressing - it looks just like the picture in my head.  I did do a small sketch of how I wanted it to look but forgot to take a photo. Next time.

Before I go I'll just share my good news.  DH has bought me a new machine (from a different dealer). I've opted for the Janome 1600P.

It's being delivered on monday and I cannot wait!
Enjoy your weekend.
Rhianon.

A Friday Finish - Tablerunner

Hi everyone.
I hope you all had a great start to the new year.
Can't say I did as my sewing machine broke down on New Year's day just when I was looking forward to a full week of sewing.   DH reckons I have worn the motor out so it is on it's way back to the dealers for repair as I've only had it 14 months.

What to do in the meantime ??  Well I hot footed it up to my Mum's and borrowed a machine from her.
Even more basic than my machine but at least I was able to get sewing again.
I am making a tablerunner as a birthday gift for a friend....

Her living room has a lot of gey in it, so I hope this will go nicely.

It's not been much fun sewing on this machine and I really miss an extension table.

If I'm honest I've been pretty miserable but I have made a decision to save for a new machine.  There is no way in the world I can afford the Sweet Sixteen, so I have set my sights on something a bit more realistic.  I keep coming back to the Husqvarna Saphire 875 - it has a huge 10" space.   Extremely appealing.

Still managed to do some pretty feathers in the border.

I also tried a slightly different flower this time - they have rounded petals.

. Rmember the continuous feather filler sample?   I turned it into a little cushion .

Today I have the whole day to work on another quilt I've started. It involves lots of foundation piecing and applique.  I'll show you that next time.

Thanks for stopping by.

Rhianon.

Linking up today with Richard and Tanya's Quilts for their finish party and TGIFF

Happy New Year - 2012 Review.

Happy New Year everyone!!

First off, I'd like to say a big thank you to all of you for visiting my blog throughout the year. It makes me feel all warm inside to know that so many of you like my blog enough to keep coming back to visit regularly.

I have a lot of fun doing my posts and try to keep it interesting for you.

2012 was just the best year for me.
In February, I took up the Free Motion Quilting Challenge and have not looked back.  I finally mastered quilting feathers and it has had a huge impact on my work.  It is all done on a domestic sewing machine.

Here are just a few of my favourite peices from this year:

                                                                      Butterfly quilt.

                                              Fishy Wall Hanigng

                                            
                                                 Oranges and Lemons Quilt

                               
                                                     Batik Prairie Point Quilt.

  
                                               Big Star Quilt with Feathers.

                                       Experimenting with quilting and painting on silk.

                                                     
                                                       FMQ Feathers.

                                                                   Geckos

And my proudest moment of 2012 ?.......  Winning my first ribbons..

....... at the Scottish Quilt Championships.

Can't wait to see what's instore for this year. Bring it on!!

I wish all of you the best for 2013 and hope you will continue to visit.

Thanks for all your encouragement and kind words.

Rhianon.