City Sampler

So, I love Tula Pink. Do you? I love Tula Pink so much I bought two of her new books. I gave one to Sally, so now we're Tulaing along together.

Sew Sweetness is even hosting a QAL. Cue Kermit flail. So here's a few of my blocks.

I'm terrible at cleaning the threads off my blocks. Who am I kidding? I'm terrible at cleaning everything.

My husband is naming the blocks. he has a gift for naming outfits. he's never serious, hence 'St.Pussy'. Credit points if you get the context.

Come sew with me.

Why the eff do I have to do this?

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Derby is taking all my time.

Sorry I've been so absent, I've got roller derby up to my eyeballs. I'll be back when this shit storm is over.

Giving it away

The winner of my quilt give away was #25 Gill, she said

I love the grey and yellow combination! at the moment I'm loving anything with grey - especially red and orange!
Thank you for the chance to win your lovely quilt!

Sew Thinky Thursday

Have you seen the new link party over at Mommy's Nap Time? Every Thursday she's asking a new question with a linky party. This weeks is..

When did you start sewing? Tell us a bit about your sewing history. When did you realize you were really hooked? 

I started sewing in high school, my teacher was called Mrs Bartholemew and she loved all things Lady Di. We mainly made clothes although there is one little patchwork cushion that my mother still has. 

Mrs B was the worst champion of body issues, she always added four sizes to what we were, she insisted I was a size 20 when I was in yr 10, I'm still not a size 20 now, so there was many huge shirts to come out of that class. Once I sewed my finger and she took me to hospital.

Many years went by and I studied Garment manufacture at TAFE, this was mainly an excuse to live on the North Coast of NSW, I learned a lot 
about pattern drafting though, a skill which I never use,

More years later I won a quilt in a raffle, now it's grandmaish and dull and dowdy, but OMFG I love it, it's the perfect weight and I've made my husband promise to save it if there's a fire. I got all worried about this quilt wearing out so I decided it was time I learned how to make a quilt. I'd wander into my local quilt store and look at all the fabric and hope that Karyn (the owner) would take pity on me and give me a quilt, she never did. So, one day I saw Blush by Basic Grey and fucking had to have that fabric. I went home and cut and sewed and didn't take off the selvages and just had a ball. I made a top in a day. I had no idea how to quilt it and quilting magazines are less than useful in that area. Luckily I  discovered blogs. OH MY FUCK, how did I not know about this universe before? So with help from Leah Day and Rita Hodge I quilted my first quilt, it's not perfect, but it's still well loved.

And then I was hooked.

Stars in my eyes

Two down, 12 to go.

This is quite a picture heavy post, but I'm pretty bloody proud of this little quilt so suck it up.

Ages and ages ago I joined a Flickr bee called New Bee On The Block. It was heaps of fun and I chose wonky stars in yellow and grey.

I was totally easygoing on the size of the blocks I wanted back, cause I'm so nice and all.

Thus I had to do a bit of extra sewing to join them together, I used two greys, Kona ash and random grey from Spotlight. I really like the effect.

I quilted it on my long arm using Angela Walters as inspiration. One of the stars is shooting star. Extra points for spotting it.

Some of my winner bee mates used their own fabric like this adorable little dog. 

I bound it in a yellow because, seriously, what else was I going to do,

Now sit back and enjoy the pictures.

Oh, I'm giving this away tomorrow. Better comment here.

Let me know if you spot your block.

Selvedge Play

I've been sewing lots and lots of selvages together.

I love the way they all look together. I'm finding it difficult to get them to lay straight, but in standard Ellie dodginess I just lay the next one straighter to sort the whole thing out.

I'm attempting to make Amy Butler's Weekender. Attempting is the important word here folks. I foolishly decided that the strips would have to lay horizontally on the biggest pieces of the bag, queue needing massive bloody selvages, they're hard to find. I've completed one big panel and am just starting the second. I'm thinking of using this selvage print from spoonflower to make the piping. What do you think?

Wish me luck

(Pictures taken on phone because my internet is still up the shit. Think I might need to bite the bullet and get satellite. Sigh)