Scrappy Log Cabin Cushion

Also from the scrap bin mainly from the birthday quilt I made for my cousin Moana. Also hopefully another gift.

Blue Wonky Stars

Given how well the first wonky stars cushion turned out, I made a second. Found the perfect bright blue stripe for the binding. I hope we will use this one as part of some staff appreciation gifts once we return to school.

Wonky Stars Cushion #1

Sticking with the what's on the shelf theme, I still had one Treehouse Textiles Cushion Society kit on the shelf from last year. It was one I wasn't sure about, even though I should know by now to trust their selections!

I modified it a wee bit as I could not be bothered precisely cutting the pieces. I re-found an old wonky star tutorial and used that. That meant I had to add a few fabrics off the shelf.

It is now another new favourite.

The Emperor Pigeon #1

Today is either day 47 or 48 of our current lockdown. By lunchtime on Tuesday 17th August, we were pretty confident we'd be going into Level 4 lockdown that night. We emailed staff advising them to take their laptops home and half-jokingly said, see you next term. I called in to the bakery on the way home to stock up on chicken pies for the freezer and the diary next door for milk, bread and eggs. 

I have spent the last six weeks doing school work Monday - Friday. I have prepped a tonne of resources for the Year 10 team which I hope saves them some work over the holidays and next term. I've been sewing in the evenings since there is no gym at Level 4 or 3.

My biggest finish to date has been a hexie quilt named The Emperor Pigeon by my nephew when I was working on it last school holidays.

This was going to be gifted as a charity quilt, but the Monday Modern girls convinced me it was a keeper so I hand quilted it.

Given lockdown conditions, I used a mixture of about three threads off the shelf. I particularly like the way they weave together on the corners.

This one is definitely a keeper. Or a keeper within the whanau at least as I think I will gift it to my niece for Christmas.

My Next Hand Sewing Project

I splurged on a lovely Linladan cushion kit from Amitie Textiles in Australia last week. Google couldn't find them in NZ.

It comes with no instructions just 24 stitch diagrams. Eeek! I plan to just follow the picture and see how it goes.

More Scrap Busting

Inspired by Carolyn's hexies I started some 9.5" squares with 1.5" hexies. I am attempting to coordinate them with the garden rabbit fabric cut from the edges of the Circle Game quilt. The backgrounds are left over from a dress I made a few years ago, and from a dress I cut out back in summer but didn't sew up.

I started using Weetbix box homemade hexies, then I read about the washaway fusible pieces so I have used them. Saves the glue basting, sewing through cardboard and then removing the pieces. Hopefully, they all wash away in the end!

I am also being a bit lazy and not sewing the inner hexie. I plan to straightish line machine quilt the finished project right over the hexies.

Finally, finally The Circle Game

Six and a half years after making this quilt, it's quilted. Fully quilted. I went back and added an extra row of quilting around each of the semi-circles using an off-white thread. Just for extra stability with the wool batting.

The background came from Spotlight. Surprisingly. It's one of their Cloud 9 fabrics. I chose it because my mum hates rabbits digging in her garden!

An Octagon Cushion

I didn't care for one of the patterns supplied in last year's Treehouse Textiles Cushion Society. It was too unsymmetrical for my liking. I repurposed some of the fabrics into an octagon cushion inspired by another  of the Treehouse patterns.

I took the paper pieces and fabric home for Easter and then left it there as I was working on my Circle Game quilt at the same time.

I finished it when I was home during the school holidays, and left it there to live on the couch at my Mum and Dad's new house.

I have one kit left from last year. I am looking for an alternative way to make the stars. That is. a faster way to make the stars!