Out with the old, in with the new

After spending the whole public holiday on Wednesday packing all my kitchen stuff into the new kitchen cupboards and having a go at ironing in my new space on Thursday, I decided to put a pause on this ‘good wife’ act and spend some time in my sewing room as I really wanted to finish the hexagon barstool covers to match the black, white and silver of the kitchen. Hubby offered to buy new chairs for the kitchen (in a brushed steel look) but even so, these little barstools always come in handy whenever I have a group of quilters over, so I might as well do something quilting-related with the covers.


Daughter-in-law who often claims she cannot cut, cannot iron and cannot sew (rather dumb for a teacher??) was proven wrong as she simply had to help – in exchange for wine…. there has to be a pay-off with this little one and did very well cutting, ironing and sewing. Just wondering whether I am creating another quilting addict?

These weren’t made in the tradition English paper piecing method, merely cut out, ironed to an interfacing backing and then sewn over the edges with a metallic thread using a zigzag stitch. Finally finished I got the 2 men in my life to staple these on Christmas Eve!!

Completed: 24 December 2009

My N-R-M-T days

As a rule I am a very organized, very tidy and list driven person but as I get older I’ve noticed that I occasionally have these “no-rules-multi-tasking” days and I am enjoying these all the more. Where, on ordinary days, I would get up, get dressed and work my way through my list not allowing myself to wander off even in thought, my N-R-M-T days are so totally different and I am afraid I have to admit to my ‘o-so-organized’ self that I actually get more done on these days!!


I don’t GET up, I WAKE up nicely, dress in the most basic, skipping the hairdo and make-up part and step one is taking my coffee and retreating to my sewing room where I decide what I WANT to do today instead of what I HAVE to and I would start, sorting fabric, looking for  or working on patterns, adjusting tension on my machine or whatever comes to mind and when nothing comes to mind………… I will take a walk (in the house) start the washing machine, make the beds, do the dishes and believe me, while doing these HAVE TO’S so much comes to mind and I would stop there and then going back to what I want to do.
Late afternoon when I really need to take a shower I am amazed at what I have accomplished not following a single rule or working from a list. I would either have started, finished or at least got an idea for a new quilting project, the house would be tidy, bedding replaced, mattresses vacuumed, insect repellent sprayed at the doorways, laundry and ironing done………. much more than I would have done on a regular day.

Unfortunately old habits die hard and after taking a shower, doing my hair and make-up, the sewing room (in a very messy state by now) would be cleaned immaculately, ready for my next ‘list’ day.

Shirts for dad

Another BOM pattern by Iessie Steenberg that I started working on in February this year and managed to complete before the year ends. 

Amidst slow progress on the renovations to the kitchen with dust and dirt most everywhere I am seriously trying to finish my sampler quilt with PowerPoint slideshow instructions for the 2010 beginners.

Quilt completed:  10 December 2009

Freemotion Sampler

Marie, local PFAFF dealer and quilt group leader, asked me to suggest a project for the group to work on in 2010.  This was just after I discovered a lovely freemotion quilting blog and have been playing with some of the patterns for a couple of weeks, so the obvious choice was to suggest a Freemotion Sampler, reversible and done 'quilt-as-you-go.'  So no less than 3 techniques in one quilt (or then 2 if you take in mind that it can be reversed).

The group Golden Threads (directly translated from the Afrikaans, Goue Drade) had their final get together at a local restaurant where my completed quilt was shown.

Everyone in the group is rather eager (I hope!!) to try their hand at Freemotion quilting and our target date or deadline before being fined a course fee is beginning May 2010. 

Even while having wonderful cake and drinks we managed to work through a Freezer Paper (now available at PFAFF, Bloemfontein) tutorial and we rediscovered English Paper piecing done with Freezer Paper and everyone went home with enough paper to complete a small Christmas decoration.  Looking forward to the new year with this group!

Completed:  1 December 2009