Quilt 4 – Stitches for Africa

Got up early this morning to finish up the last bit, so after work I could square it up and cut binding strips.

The backing and batting for this quilt was cut before I started quilting the Wild Colours quilt, so when the quilter fetched yesterday’s quilt, I already had this one loaded, so no time wasted on preparing the other 2 layers BUT look what I got as payment for my quilting….

If you are not South African you may not understand my excitement but with our lockdown came the total ban on alcohol and sadly I drink wine like most people drink water, so this gift is EXTRA special.

  The screwed up part about these bans and or laws for COVID is that our lawmakers themselves don’t abide by their own rules.  Yesterday on the news it showed an ANC funeral with heaps more than the allotted 50 people per funeral, no social distancing, people smoking – obviously had to take off their masks (against COVID law) but will anything come from this?  I doubt it, the ANC in South Africa is untouchable and still, the world lends them money to apply for ‘irregular expenditure’…. their fancy term for theft by their own people but enough about these spineless beings.

I decided to only do hand guided free motion on this quilt – this will be the first of 3 made with exactly the same pattern, so I’ll have to get creative in getting them to look somewhat different with the quilt motifs.

For the borders I chose a simple loop, the triangles were filled with alternating swirls and a continuous line, popping in a regular loop filled the hexagons.

It saddens me to see the condition of my cutting mat after having cut batting on it.  When done wit these quilts for charity I think it needs a long soak and scrubbing.

Wild colour quilt

As promised I refrained from quilting on Sunday, to give my back as well as my shoulder/ear (these two somehow go together) a break.  I did finish the binding on Quilt 3 mentioned in my previous post but that was outside, relaxing with a glass of wine.  I also prepped batting in joining and cutting these into equal-sized blocks just to make up when needed for a specific quilt.

I also decided to spoil myself a little this week by ordering cooked meals delivered to my door.  So no, coming from work and having to start chopping onions for supper.  Monday night we had Biltong, feta and peppadew quiche (it was good and they weren’t stingy with the biltong) and a green salad (so I did have to chop onions for the salad!)

This is not the name I gave to this quilt but the way the male quilters’ wife described it to me.  Wild or not, I think he did extremely well and this is not his first quilt and from the looks of it, definitely won’t be his last. She arrived late afternoon to drop it off and I managed to load all the layers after supper but didn’t want to start quilting so close to my bedtime.

Today after work I did the laundry and took out the delivered oxtail and I just cooked some pasta rice to go with it.

I finished this quilt just in time to heat the oxtail, do the ironing and get ready for supper, the news and bedtime.

Quilt 3 – Stitches for Africa

This quilt was the same as the second quilt (presumed the same maker) just in different colours and I didn’t want to repeat what I did on the previous quilt.  I decided the 9 patch blocks will stay a continuous line but I wanted something different for the large squares.  I found a motif on Pinterest printed it and made a cardstock template to trace around. 

I’ve found the blue water-soluble pen the best to mark light fabrics and have several marking tools for dark fabrics but recently bought Pandapencils.  I’ve started with my chalk pens, tried the rolling marker, soap sliver and then opted for the Panda pencil.  What a difference and the best part is unlike chalk the panda pen will stay intact until washed or ironed.

Done with marking this quilt had to take a step back for the table runner, I mentioned in my previous post.

When done with the runner, I dug through my batting scraps and decided to join some for this quilt and luckily these aren’t that big and the job is not as cumbersome as joining for a double bed or larger.

I had this little adorable all to myself on Friday afternoon and she and her mom slept over meaning we had more playtime from 2 am and then this little madam fell asleep again after little more than an hour while I was wide awake.

I got going with the quilting on this while the little lady took her early morning nap and mom caught up on some TV time and even though marking a stencil repeatedly on a quilt is extremely time consuming, it does make for an interesting look.  I however could feel the lack of sleep after 10 am and decided to give quilting a break before I have to unpick anything.

Caught up on some sleep during an afternoon nap and was good as new after that and finished this quilt.  I think the backing fits the front perfectly and it is nice to find such a gem in your stash without having to shop for any.

I am taking today totally off from quilting as I can feel my back being extremely tired/tense from standing long hours behind the frame and I have another customer quilt arriving on Monday.

Table runner

I almost forgot about this booking.  The quilter was to bring it to me last week Tuesday but forgot the quilt on the farm and when she phoned this week, I had to admit that it slipped my mind totally.  This is a small runner and I do love quilting these smaller projects/quilts.  Just before you can get bored with repeating motifs, all is done.

There was a huge contrast between the backing and top colours and I didn’t want to use a light thread on the darker bits on the top.  This would distract from the piecing and put the focus on the thread and quilting.  Now to prevent any possible light pokies showing up from the bobbin thread on the dark top, I decided to change thread colour to match the top.  This means changing the bobbin thread colour too.  I haven’t done it before and it will be interesting to see how the backing turns out.  The rule of thumb, however, is to choose a thread colour to match the backing, so backings should somehow match the front.

Sad news on my side is that my little sparrow decided to escape from the big birdcage yesterday and flew away.  It was a lot of work but any new work becomes routine after all and a part of your life.  I still go into the room where she slept and try to be as quiet as possible and when I went to work this morning, it felt as if I forgot something with not having my morning routine with her.  They are however not meant to be in captivity and I have to accept that.

Quilt 2 – Stitches for Africa

The second quilt was a combination of 9-patch and plain (whole) blocks and I had it loaded early morning but sadly the floors desperately needed a mop and I had to do some grocery shopping.  I think during this time of Covid-19, cleanliness in every house should not be neglected but gee whiz, I could boil an egg in my behind as I really just wanted to quilt.

I cheated just a little after doing the shopping and quilted 2 blocks just to see if I’d be happy with the plan made… or that is the excuse I told myself.  As with all good things, the bad too comes to an end and now my floors are impeccable.  I still have the surfaces to clean but I am sure I’ll manage those in-between quilting a couple of blocks at a time.

I decided to do a continuous line design in the 9 patch blocks and ruler work in the large squares. If this ruler design has a name, I simply don’t know it.

I didn’t get to do much quilting on Monday but I started marking quilt number 3.  It was my daughter’s birthday and we were invited over for cake.

Phew, finally done with this one. Some days I don’t understand why I am so dead tired by 8 pm but just looking at my programme today, it does make sense.  

I was at the office before 7 this morning, did what needed to be done and was home round about 12pm, mopped the floor at the entrance as the male dog gets extremely excited when I get home and leaks a bit then I cooked supper, did the dishes, put the parrot to bed, washed and ironed laundry, chatted a little with a quilter who dropped off a quilt, finished the quilting on this quilt, cut and stitched the binding to the front and at 17:20 after feeding the birds poured myself a lovely glass of wine, ready to unwind before 8 pm bedtime.  Writing all of this down makes me understand why I fall asleep at 8.

Quilt 1 – Stitches for Africa

Do you know about this Facebook group?  You can like and follow them and even reach out to help or donate.  I am not going into detail about what they do, so I simply took what is already on their page to tell more.

I follow them and recently saw this message on their page

Seeing that I love free motion quilting, I offered my help and Sheila couriered me 7 tops.  So all the free motion quilters in our country, reach out and help, this is the ideal time to practise and perfect your skills.  You do have to supply the batting and backing and bind the quilt when completed BUT just think about it….. These quilts won’t go to a paying customer, you won’t be judged on your tension, stitch lengths or minor mishaps.  The recipient will only be too grateful to get a completed quilt to stay warm.

When I took the quilts from the bag, I decided not to be picky and take the top one first and deal with it and all pink it turned out to be.

Many moons ago a quilt shop in a nearby city closed down and sold the fabric for half the price BUT you had to make a payment and then they’d select fabric to that value for you.  You could unfortunately not be selective and I took the chance.  I got some very nice fabric but also a couple that I knew I would NEVER use.

Now before my kids simply chuck my fabric in a dumpster after I die, I’d much rather put it to good use.  I started looking at my fewer favourite pinks to join for a backing.  Not too shabby I’d say.

I can’t guarantee that the top will be dead centre, top and bottom, left and right, on the backing but as said, the recipient will most probably not even care.

This quilt was made up using 6” blocks and 4-patch squares but randomly placed, so no use to find a motif thinking it would somehow line up and make a secondary motif on the back, so I chose an all-over motif of echoed hearts to do on this one.

I went to our only local travelling quilt shop this morning to get some decent wide backing but really didn’t need anything else. I, however, made friends with the property cat while waiting for hubby to fetch me.  Back home my daughter and granddaughter awaited us and the best news is that her COVID 19 test (after being so ill) came back NEGATIVE.  So the common cold it was.

Took a mean Saturday afternoon nap with the parrot, woke up to chicken wings hubby roasted on the grill (I had a craving for these) and then got to finish this quilt.  After sewing the binding to the front, this quilt will go to the office for the sales ladies to do the back of the binding by hand…… they offered!

Shuffled bricks

This quilt was delivered late Tuesday afternoon and I had every intention of starting to quilt it on Wednesday however, at the office my daughter, with the flue, and having an equally ill baby, phoned in tears and needed her momma.  Now Covid-19 and all, it’s my child and for her, I’ll die, so left the office to help and try to bring some relief.  Little one obviously felt her mom’s neglect and acted out but by me, she was her ever-so-energetic self and we had a good- good day.  Nobody got miraculously cured but emotionally it was good for mom, baby and even me, who was able to help.

I finally got the quilt loaded Thursday after work but that did not mean I could start with it.  House-hold chores had to be done first.  I washed the bedding where the ill patients took a nap and had to fix supper, luckily this quilter requested a fairly large all-over flower-and-leaf motif which isn’t too much concentrating, marking or ruler work.

The ill baby got her first quad bike and doesn’t look ill at all on this photo.

I managed to do almost half of the quilting before calling it a night to do my evening female routines and hit the sack.  After work this afternoon I finished the last bit and tonight I am simply taking a break from all quilting.

Owl pretty in pink and green

This was the second quilt delivered on Friday, 10 July and after ironing the backing wanting to square it, I found this horrible cut by the shop.  In order to square this, I would easily lose 6” on one side.  If it was cheap material by all means but we pay a small fortune for 100% cotton and to simply discard 6” is a terrible waste in my eyes.  While typing this I still need to measure and see if the backing will be enough for the quilt or whether to phone the quilter and give her the bad news.  Worst of all is I suspect she ordered it from another city, so not just a matter of running by the shop to buy an extra piece.  Praying for good news once the sparrow is asleep and I can measure.

I had a wonderful lunch with my family for my birthday on Sunday and got spoilt rotten, even the restaurateur gave me a dozen of yellow roses – he turns out to be my hairdresser as well but if you’re good with what you are capable of doing, do what you can.

Finally measured the backing and it would still be fine although I might have to apply a longarm hack or two in order for the machine not to run into my clamps holding the backing taut.  I was able to load the quilt and play with ideas for motifs before bedtime.

Slipped away from the office earlier on Monday to get quilting as my bookings are becoming rather tense, just to find we have load shedding at home…. so frustrating.

I am not usually a fan of variegated thread as somehow it always happens that the pink thread will end up on the green and vice versa but with this quilt, I decided to take the chance.  It had several plain blocks so whether I chose pink, it would show up on the green and white and if I chose green; it would show up on the others.  So variegated I go, somewhere something will match the fabric.

I got up at 4 am this morning and after my first cuppa, I finished this before hitting the shower for work at 6 am.  Sadly it did not only take me 2 hours to quilt, but the early hour quilting was also just to finish it up. 

Quilt for a 10-year-old boy

A terribly cold week was predicted for us from 10 July but I was up to it.  It was, after all, starting over the weekend, so no need to get dressed early morning for work and I’m just okay with being indoors in my PJ’s for however long it may take for the cold to pass.  I didn’t have any customer quilts, only expected some via courier on Tuesday, so all was good.  That was my mindset when I got a call from a brand new quilter on Friday saying she finished no less than 2 more quilts.  I only quilted her VERY FIRST quilt on 21 June…. Unbelievable!  Just the other day at the office the girls and I discussed how capable we were when younger to achieve the almost impossible, now, at this age, we seem to have adopted the motto of our South African government, do everything as slow as possible for as long as possible, you get paid, so why rush?

I just loved the focus fabric of this quilt and then to see how each quilter interpret what should go with it differently.  This quilt is for her son, so I immediately knew no girly curls or flower petals to be used…. Manly it must be.  She dropped the quilts off just after 5pm on Friday and I could hardly wait for the little sparrow (Mossie) to fall asleep so that I can safely use my sewing room without the fear of any tiny sparrow droppings falling onto the quilt.

Then my daughter asked if I’d babysit on Saturday morning and I don’t mind as their little girl is the most adorable, lively and friendly soul but it goes to show, life happens while you are making other plans.

I ironed and squared the backing, cleaned the wheels and track on my frame and made a quilt plan after sparrow went to sleep as we were warned of load shedding from 8 pm and I wanted most of what I could do done before then.  I anyway go to bed (and almost immediately fall asleep) at 8pm, so not a problem.

I got up early Saturday to at least get the quilt loaded (which can easily take up to an hour) before our next load shedding session at 6am.  We never had load shedding on Friday evening but that didn’t mean much as I was already in bed by then.  I did get my first motifs going on the quilt just to see where I am heading.

Got dressed (even though I didn’t plan to) and started the laundry; fetched the sparrow to eat and after I took her to the other birds, I got back behind the frame.

The kids arrived later than expected with a little one with a nasty stuffed nose but with a little TLC, plenty of fun and trusted old Vicks we got going and they visited until 3 pm.  The load shedding didn’t happen at 6 am but just after the kids left at all power went out.  Luckily we have a generator and life resumed as normal.  I did a little more quilting before it was ‘me-time’ with the little sparrow (my time to at least read blog posts and get updated on whatever everyone says on Facebook).

Up early again this morning as we have a family lunch at a nearby restaurant planned at 12 but I knew I could still get in a good amount of quilting before then.  Glad I did as by 08:30 I took the quilt off the frame for inspection and it is done.