It's beginning to look a lot like...

Last December I had made my first quilt ever. Just 2 months after buying my FIRST sewing machine, I used some scraps and put together a table runner.

My mum (who is a veteran quilter) and I were out at a fabric store and saw this  tree skirt made from Michael Miller modern Christmas prints. I have always wanted a tree skirt but not feeling confident enough my mum quilted this one for me. 

There was enough fabric left over for me to make into something else. I had just found the great tutorials on YouTube by Missouri Star Quilt Company. They had an 'adorable' quilt-a-you-go Christmas table runner that I followed to make one for my table.

I had enough triangular-shaped off cuts to make bunting. You can never have too much bunting in your life. It makes me feel happy when I see it.

And then there was an unfinished quilt that my mum gave me. I was not convinced to make it into a wall hanging and so using the non-binding method, I turned it into a Christmas table cloth.

Then there are multiple other Christmas table runners and hanging quilts that my mum has made for our family.

Then there are the ones she made to give to her friends...

Putting up the Tree

I am learning the tricks of organisation steadily. This year, before I pulled out the Christmas decorations, I had the presence of mind to photograph them all first.

 That way I can attach a photo to the box and repack things so that they fit in again.

I also took some advice from Organising Made Fun's, Becky and purged a few of the decorations that I no longer wanted to hang. http://organizingmadefun.blogspot.com/2011/12/christmas-organizing-clear-out-clutter.html

Last year I bought some really gorgeous handmade felt tree decorations from clever ladies on Facebook  - Kim from 'A little Birdie Told Me' and Lidya from 'Little Molly Designs'. So I didn't even bother getting out our old wooden ones this year. They are off to the op-shop soon.

Tristan spreading out the needles - the longest job

I usually dread putting up the tree....mainly because I am the one who gets stuck doing it all by myself. I was in for a pleasant surprise when my kids wanted to get involved on the first weekend in December. So I relinquished my desire to control and let them help out.

They really did help. I left it to my eldest to assemble the frame. Then, with the box of branches, I sat just outside and worked on spreading out the needles.  Then the 2 boys would insert them into the frame of the tree. Even my daughter was able to give this a go. She also supplied daddy with a steady stream of branches  while he sat on the couch watching rugby.

Duncan puts the last big section up.
Sorry about the blurriness - I dropped my camera
and it won't focus on mid-range anymore.
Hoping Santa finally brings me a digital SLR this year!

The team - Fran, Tristan and Duncan

It takes me a little while, sans kids, to drape the lights on the tree. Then we get out the decorations and trim away.

Then we get out the santa sacks full of stuffed soft Christmas toys (all supplied by grandma) and place them around the tree. 

And there it is all splendid in its finery.

The topper this year is a santa that my eldest made at school as our fairy is missing!

2011 Quilts

I have now finished ALL of the quilts I had planned to make in 2011...and so all of December is free to make stuff for me...I think I might make some cute sewing projects and no quilting ones. I thought I might make a list of finished quilts of 2011:

'Tranquil' flood quilt - finished October

World I-Spy quilt - finished February

Boy's Wilderness flood quilt - finished February

Girly flood quilt - finished March

'Vinnies Rebirth' flood quilt - finished July

#1 Owly flood quilt - finished March

#2 Owly flood quilt - finished April

Aeroplane I-Spy - finished August

'Very Hungry Caterpillar' - finished May

Coasters and placemats

#1 Boy's  I-Spy cushion - finished September

Girl's  I-Spy cushion - finished September

#2 Boy's  I-Spy cushion - finished September

'Bats on  Parade' finished October

'Jackolanterns on  Parade' finished October

'Liberty Cross' finished November

'Summertime Happiness' finished November

One for the MOPS Babies

I have been involved with a local MOPS group since 2009. MOPS stands for 'Mothers of Pre-Schoolers' and it is an international organisation. It allows mums the opportunity to meet with other mums whilst their babies, toddlers  and preshoolers enjoy time with carers.

For about 3 months this year, our three newborn-12 month carers had no one to look after. Then halfway through the year 3 new babies were born to existing MOPS mums. They spent a lot of time in their prams and being cuddled. But now they are looking to have tummy time and rolling time...the carers have started bringing their huge doona and pillows again. Now they are serviceable but not very baby-ish. Last year I determined that this year I would make them something special to lay upon. 

Late last year I found some cute panels with the 'Noah's Ark' animals and characters at 'The Crafty Lady' home quilt business. I bought 4 panels as all were on sale at the time.

Then this year I gathered as many pastel coloured fabrics to cut into charm squares. I found some at local op-shops, some donated from my mums old stash and also from some charm packs from 'Keepsake Quilting'.

I had used some of these in a custom baby quilt for one of the aforementioned newborns in June.

Getting ideas for quilts is

I sewed the charm squares into strips and attached them to the panels. I had to trim the charms to make them fit the panel both vertically and horizontally. It was a bit tricky because maths has never been my strong point.

Now basting is never much fun but when I team it up with episodes of  'Deadliest Catch', it makes it something I look forward to.

I had decided to use wadding with a high loft to give the babies more padding from the tiled floor. In hindsight I should have used a LOT more basting pins, especially towards the edge of the quilt, because the thickness moves the fabric on both sides around a lot more.

I ended up zig zagging around the entire edge of the quilt and also straight quilting about an inch from each edge. This seemed to help stabilise the quilt as I shadowed the ditch of the charm rows. Despite the unavoidable gathering of the fabric towards each corner I think that the high loft gives this quilt the softness that it needs for the purpose it needs to fulfill.

I used up some scraps to make the binding 2 1/4 inches wide. I love scrappy bindings but you need to use them on the right quilt.

I have been using the 'Red Pepper Quilts'  binding method to sew my bindings on the machine completely. The last two quilts this month I have bound using this method and had lots of success. But this time I had many spots where the binding had gaps.

I have reached the conclusion that a 2 1/4" was too narrow for the higher loft of this quilt. I had to re-sew quite a bit of the binding this time.

But I got there in the end.

The back was pieced from some up-cycled sheets.