Sweet Fabric [Search results for quilt] 

Last night The Quilt Project quilt was displayed at Abbotsford Convent. Lots of lovely folk came to have a look at our beautiful quilt. It really is something special. Our online community have worked together to make something really amazing.

I feel immensely proud of all of us. To quote the smalls...

"We did a big achievement".

On a personal note...

When the project began I felt confident that the community quilt we were creating was going to be something special and I thought it would be a bit of fun. Certainly, both those things are true but The Quilt Project has meant so much more to me than just a bit of fun.

As each block arrived I traced the designs with my fingers and imagined the maker hard at work. When each row was stitched together I stepped back and nodded and thought yes, yes that looks good. It wasn't until I sewed the last row onto the quilt, draped it over the couch and let it spill onto the floor that I was fully aware of the magic that is this project. It took my breath away. Each of these squares is a moment in time, a piece of each maker's life, a memory anchor.

I will be eternally grateful to all who participated for trusting me with these very precious squares, thank you.

The Quilt Project now has it's own space. I hope that it's a space that the contributors will be proud of and one that everyone interested in making can enjoy.

Two extra special thank you's to Bec for travelling to be there & to Nikki for being a fabulous support.

is something special.

I have co-ordinated 3 community based friendship quilts and loved so much the sense of belonging & the unity & the thought of many hands working together to make one "something".

I've been stewing on The Quilt Project for a good long time now. Everytime I look at my Great Grandmother's Redwork quilt I've thought about it more & more. I feel a connection with those women. Women who made time to stitch these intricate designs in only red just to share a piece of themselves with someone else. It gives me goosebumps. I'm the only person who really gets to enjoy my piece of redwork history & so I thought I'd like to have a go at organising a contemporary redwork piece that once complete will be published online so that everyone can enjoy it.

About 18 months ago I purchsed a huge stack of calico squares all overlocked in red. I've got 50 squares to post out & I'd love you to be a part of it.

I thought about sending personal invites, but you know...you never know where the gold might lie. I want participants to be as passionate & as excited about this project as I am. You don't have to restrict yourself to embroidery. There are some more ideas & information included with the PDF info sheet.

If you think that this is something you'd like to have a crack at then visit The Quilt Project page & download the PDF. See edit in red below.

To secure your place you need to return the 2nd page of the PDF to the email address provided on that page.

Places will be allocated in order of email receipt of completed sign up sheet.
Edit: We're over 50 - thank you to everyone who's signed up.

Thanks.

The Quilt Project is now complete & has it's own site here...

The Quilt Project

You might remember ages ago I got all inspired by this lovely girl & layed out my PJ quilt on the carpet.

I had the very best intentions of actually stitching it up BUT all the pieces got in the way & I had to pile them up again. Once that was done I lost all enthusiasm & they have sat in a nice neat pile ever since.

I've been slowly working on my granny square quilt/blanket & everytime I go to make up a new square I lay all the blocks out to see what I've got & what I need (or don't).

Then I stack them all up again.

So yesterday I made this piecing "quiver". I'm quite pleased. I've just safety pinned them on & then rolled the whole affair up & stowed it under the table in the pool room.

Be lazy with me...

I just used an old double bed doona cover & a couple of broomsticks from the hardware.

I layed the stick on top of the doona & "measured" the casing for each side. Pin & machine stitch into place.

& for the ties along the centre fold (wrong side of doona cover). Pin & machine stitch into place.

Then I marked lines for a cot sized quilt & a single bed quilt

& just ran lines of stitching. The doona cover I used had lines already printed on it ... a stroke of accidental genius.

Once all the machining was complete I fed the broomsticks into their casings & then I pinned my blocks to the doona cover.

Note: there's overhang at the top which I just folded down when ready to roll.

I folded in half so that the sticks met

& then rolled the sticks toward the mid line.

I tied the ribbon loosely & stored.

Disclaimer: This method would not be recommended by serious quilters I am quite sure...but it works for me.

Also: if you know of anything similar to this please let me know - I'd like to check it out.

I'm very happily back to Melbourne drizzle. It was lovely & cool on the run this morning.

This is my most recent pair of Asics. I did actually head into Active Feet before I headed out of town & am now sporting a new pair of runners (toe not yet worn through). My shoes were stitched by hand which I thoroughly enjoyed. I used stem stitch, running stitch & chain stitch for the shoe. I chose to french knot the tongue & the ankle cushioning which was very time consuming but very satisfying.

Perhaps not the best time to take off ... I arrived home yesterday morning to a mountain of quilt project blocks. Each of them are wonderful & I am very much looking forward to sharing the completed "quilt" with you. I am horribly behind with the Flickr commenting but you might like to see some of the amazing pieces worked in red that have been sent in here.

If you've been following the project & if you think you might like to see the completed quilt in person ... you might want to mark 23 October in your diary. Details coming soon.

It feels good to be home, I'm looking forward to catching up on all your news & having a chat.

Just to prove I haven't dropped the ball.

The mini quilt top is pieced.

Just as expected I like the back more than the front. I'm aching for lack of a mini clover iron & think I need to get in touch with the pigeon to get my seams looking the goods.

My original plan was to leave the edges raw. Apart from the fact that I love raw edges the quilt is an irregular shape & I frankly wouldn't have the foggiest on how to bind such a thing. I'm not entirely sure that my partner is going to get behind the rawness. So...do I forge ahead with the original plan or rethink*? Maybe I'll just go on as planned...post...& promise to replace with something a little more conventional if she hates it.

*if you say "rethink" then please point me to a tutorial for binding an irregular shaped quilt...thanks muchly.

Edit: You might want to show Pip what you're making.

Well, it's the first of the month...a beginning. I did have a grand plan for today but I've been foiled by lots of work this week. So it will have to wait.

Since my smalls were born I've saved every pair of PJs they have ever worn. They are stashed away just waiting for the right quilt project. I've tried a couple of times & then given up because how to you make such a weird mish mash of fabrics, patterns & colours "work"?

When I saw this quilt I thought maybe just maybe it might be the IT quilt but then decided I probably didn't have enough fabric. A bonds grow suit doesn't yield much in the way of usable fabric you know. I am determined to make it though & just need the right fabrics to appear on my Op Shopping adventures. Hmmm....maybe vintage sheets?

Then last week I read this post & started thinking...then Fiona posted it again along with Allison's "finished is better than perfect". That is a philosophy I can get on board with!

I've been inspired to pull out the MONSTER size red white & blue striped bag (you know the kind you get from the $2 shop) and have a crack at laying out a bit of a tester.

I think it's a winner & it makes me feel quite emotional thinking of those sleeping babes in all these historic & well loved PJs. These will be treasured forever & much loved I know. I love the thought of them wrapping their growing bodies in their PJ quilts. So this weekend I'm getting out the rotary cutter!

You might remember I purchased this quilt from the antique shop a couple of weeks ago.

I had a really good look at the construction & now I'm making my own squares. I won't say for sure they going to turn into a quilt because the big granny project is driving me nuts!

Anyway, I thought you might like to make your own. It's really easy, quick & fun.

I've made a really naff video as a how to. I warn you it's pretty bad - I won't get a gig on TV but I thought some of you might enjoy the "accent". You probably only need to watch the first 5 seconds & you'll get the idea.

The square I'm making in the video uses the scraps from the Rummage Obi & Skirt I made. The project & 25 others in Meet Me at Mikes book by Pip.

Happy weekend.

Did you know that I'm part of the Down Under Doll Quilt Swap? It was organised an embarrassingly long time ago by the gorgeous Kate.

In true kootoyoo style I've left it & left it & left it some more. Don't get me wrong...there's been plenty of think time & in my head the finished quilt is really, really beautiful. In reality I have one (yep 1) block pieced and another cut out. Not a fabulous start eh?

No more new anythings until this piece is finished so I'm going to share my in progress shots. If you catch me wandering off course do you reckon you'd prompt me with a comment like "Hey Kirst, haven't seen much on the white quilt front...what's up with that?".

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In other news...
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I've been included in Kidspots Top 50 Bloggers which is hugely flattering. Considering this is a "just for fun" gig for me & there are heaps of professional writer types included I'm quite chuffed. Thanks a bunch Kidspot.

There's the opportunity there to win a holiday to Dunk Island which is pretty cool so maybe check out the list, see if you're favourites are there. If so - click to vote.

I've got to say that I think that the craft blog community is pretty under represented on the list. So many beautiful, thoughtful, productive, positive, creative women I love who haven't been represented.

A big hearty thanks to those of you who have voted for me & saved me from left-on-the-shelf embarrassment. Muchly appreciated. x

The convent is located at 1 St Helliers Street Abbotsford in Melbourne.

More information about how to get there here.

What better venue to have our quilt stitched by (mainly)women displayed than at the convent?

If you've been following the project & you're available on the 23rd we'd love to see you.

Just RSVP by replying to my RSVP comment on this post or if you're shy you can email.

The Quilt Project site will be launched on this evening also & will be live on the 24th of October.

I'm a roller!

When I learnt to embroider from my highly skilled neighbour she was most emphatic...

"embroidery works in progress should always be rolled"

I'm all about the kit, I have kits for every craft project. So, before I could begin stitching up my quilt project design I had to make up a special quilt project kit.

I thought I'd share with you the step by step.

I think these would make a great (& almost free) gift for any stitchers in your life.

So no more scrunching or folding people...it's all about the roll.

PDF how to available here.

How To Fabric Covered BoxView more presentations from kootoyoo.

in about 1/2 an hour the blocks fell away from the quilt.

It struck me that the quilt is exiting my life in the very same way it entered. The blocks have little white stitches as a reminder that they were part of something bigger.

There's still a bit to do but I hope to have everything in the mail by 31 March.

Thank you from the bottom of my heart to the wonderful people who were part of the quilt project.

is buried under 5m x 3m of redwork & so am I!

I may or may not be able to dig myself out to get around to say g'day this week I hope that when you see the quilt either live or via photos on the blog you'll forgive me.

Those of you who were interested in last week's space & my music boxes in progress might want to take a look here.

You can visit my favourite space from last week right here.

Don't forget to pop in & add your link if you're playing along this week.

Bursting with pride!

The Big Girl made this all by herself on Saturday. It's just the best thing ever. That is all.

Square by Jess

Did you know that Flip is coming to Australia? It's going to be available in time for Christmas.

I'm one of the lucky folk who gets to trial the new Mino HD Flips. The camera arrived yesterday & so I decided to make a little Quilt Project video for you.

I have a gadget geek brother who owns an earlier model of the Flip which I've used a bit...you can see those efforts here.

Obviously the quality is far superior using the new flip & the addition of a tripod jack is fabulous as is the mobile phone size. It's smaller than an iPhone & just as easy to use.

The most appealing thing for me is the fact that our videos can easily be stored (if I can do it anyone can) in the same place as our images rather than hanging around on teeny tiny digital tapes which neither myself or The Date know how to manage on the computer.

I guess the main questions are...
Would you buy it? Yes...built in USB (for quick & easy camera to pc transfer), built in battery, super easy to use. Tick, tick, tick.
How much is it? Look here.

So you'll probably see a bit more video around this space in the next little while if I can get over the fingernails-on-blackboard-cringe when I have to listen to my own voice.

The most exciting video news in ages is that Handmade Nation will be released on DVD November 3. This movie made me proud to be a maker of things. If you haven't seen it (or even if you have) signup to receive an email alert to let you know it's available.

you don't know about me.

I was not so recently tagged by the lovely bricolagelife. I'm mixing it up a bit.

6 crafty talents I'm a wee bit jealous of.

1. cathedral window quilt, 2. Kath, 3. April CAL square - Chocolate Delight, in Lime, 4. First Etsy Listing!, 5. Ciabatta, 6. tcb08

I wish I could:

Quilt like Leah (& Vicki if she had a blog).
Crochet like Lara.
Draw like Claire.
Take photos like Angela.
Cook like Pip.
& do anything 1/2 as well as Anna Laura. She is one multi-skilled crafter.

I'm tagging anyone who is secretly (or not so secretly) jealous. Let me know if you play along.

Spending time with circles, sketches & the sewing machine today.

I'm making a start on some more neck pieces & the beginnings of my quilt project square too.

Did you know that someone has already completed their quilt project block? Amazing!

Time for me to get my skates on.

The convent is located at 1 St Helliers Street Abbotsford in Melbourne.

More information about how to get there here.

What better venue to have our quilt stitched by (mainly)women displayed than at the convent?

If you've been following the project & you're available on the 23rd we'd love to see you.

Just RSVP by replying to my RSVP comment on this post or if you're shy you can email.

The Quilt Project site will be launched on this evening also & will be live on the 24th of October.

Yesterday I went to Mixtogether organised by the blogger formerly currently known as 62cherry & Nichola.

It was a lovely afternoon held at Amitie - Yikes that place is exquisite! If you're anywhere even remotely close to Amitie (or even 1/2 a days drive) get your butt over there - you won't regret it.

I was totally spoilt - I got the bag full of handmade loveliness made by the gorgeous KittyB. It was full to overflowing with beautiful, magnificently crafted goodness. My absolute favourite is the neck warmer - it's stunning Kitty I love it.

We worked on our signature blocks for the Mixtogether quilt & drank & ate. It was a gorgeous afternoon. Thanks girls.

Now that the quilt project is out of the space, I'm all systems go, go, go for the house move & for a couple of markets too.

So in the space today there are still more circles, my trusty fade out marker, vintage barkcloth & the good scissors (dropped once too often & now not working too well).

Don't forget to pop in and add your link if you're playing along this week.

This week in the space I've got the beginnings of my long term (very) quilt plan. I've had this idea kicking around in my head for ages but have put off making a start because I know how long the whole thing will take me.

Time to dive in ... rolls of brown paper rescued from under a nice Edwardian that was being renovated, huge t square Opped for $5 & my quilting ruler.

My favourite space this week wasn't on last week's list but I'm obsessed with her space & thinking about it constantly...

the shed

Last week was our biggest creative space yet. It's great to have so many players but I'm trying out a new visiting "system" this week. We'll see how it goes...

Don't forget to pop in & add your link if you're playing along this week.