Groove is in the Heart - A Finished Quilt

 

Over the past few days I have put the final stitches in my Groove is in the Heart Quilt.

I started this project in October 2020, and in October 2021,  I finished sewing the blocks together to finish the top as well as making a vibrantly bright scrappy backing with some of my favourite fabrics.  I've decided that life is too short to save them all and they deserve to be used. 

As with most of my quilts,  I seriously debated hand quilting it, but with a change to my work hours (I'm now full time not part time) I realistically came to the conclusion, I just don't have time.  Once again I sent it to my friend  Leeanne to work her magic.  She was given a few ideas of quilting styles I liked, and I very trustingly put my faith in her picking the right one for the quilt. She picked E2E design Sugar n Spice and I  couldn't be more happy with the quilting design and how it looks.  

Binding was not the relatively simple choice I thought it would be,  Initially, I figured because of all the colour on the back and so many low volumes on the front, that a solid black/charcoal colour would frame both sides, but they looked flat and dull. Luckily a lovely customer at my local fabric store was happy to pull out bolts of fabrics and offer suggestions, till we found one that worked.  A vibrant pink/orange splotchy dot from Kaffe Fassett.

I love the look of this quilt and am so glad it is finished and ready to use this winter. Meeka has already given it the seal of approval.

Pattern is Groove is in the Heart from BlueMountainDaisyQuilts.

Fabrics are from my never decreasing stash.

E2E Sugar n Spice Quilting by Quiltmekiwi. Batting is a poly/wool blend from her too.

New Year Thoughts and Happenings

Happy New Year!

Enjoy the beautiful dahlias currently flowering in my garden.

We're currently six days into 2022 already, and I've decided I'm not really setting myself a lot of new goals or challenges this year. I have increased my work hours and have come to the realisation that trying to achieve everything, while working and still being chief house cleaner, cook and gardener is not really a healthy option.  I need time for exercise - (walking, hiking, yoga) and the hobbies (reading, sewing, quilting) that bring me joy too.

• I would like to finish my Groovy Hearts Quilt - it needs basting, quilting and binding.

• Another project I would like to complete the flimsy of my Midnight in the Tulip Garden Medallion Quilt - I suspect it will not be as big as I had originally planned, but finished is better than sitting in a dark cupboard.

• There will definitely be some sewing of clothes - I am thinking my big challenge here will be to make some tailored trousers suitable for work.

The day after New Years Day, The Scout and I went out to Huia on the West Coast of Auckland.  I have never been out here before, it very beautiful with wonderful beaches and sea views and native bush.  We did the Huia Dam walk from the Lower Huia Reservoir up to the Upper Huia Dam. The water looks rather revolting but apparently is is something to do with the dam being dug out of soil with a clay base. There are still a lot of tracks closed in the Waitakere Ranges due to the risk of kauri dieback disease spreading. All up it was about 8km return.

Hopefully I'll still manage to do a couple of blog posts per month, but I do post a lot more regularly on Instagram now - I can be found there under justjulielou.

More Lockdown Sewing

 

I'm almost 10 weeks into our lockdown, vaccination numbers are getting higher, but there is still away to go before we get back to a somewhat new normal type of life.

Along with walking, hiking and gardening, sewing is my other sanity saver, and I have been doing continuing to work on some projects.

I decided I did need another six hearts to make my  Heart Groove is in the Heart Quilt look more balanced. It was also a chance for me to add a few more colours that I felt was lacking in it.  I'm really pleased with it now.

After the success of my scrappy chair and sewing machine cover,  I decided to make a giant version, which I am going to use as the backing for my heart quilt.  This way I get a reversible quilt and use up a lot of my stash.  The fabrics were all cut into various lengths and are six inches wide.  I'm quite delighted with how it looks, though the only downside was all the seams I had to press.  Ironing is not my favourite activity connected with sewing, nore of a necessary evil.

Now, if you're wondering why you're seeeing two pictures of me wearing the same shirt, it's because I made myself another one.  When I made the shirt on the right last year, it was a little tight around the armscyes, so ended up being given to my Mum.  When I found some more of the same fabric, I had to get some so I could make a Bonn Shirt for me out of this wonderful dandelion print.  This version is a size 6 and has tiny little mother of pearl buttons.

Should our lockdown continue, I have another couple of garments planned, and I probably should look at finishing some smaller handsewing projects that have been in my WIP pile too.

Fingers crossed, I'll actually get to go back to work soon though.

Hopeful Hearts

 

One benefit of lockdowns, is the time one gets to sew, (I'm lucky cos my kids are now independent teens, so when I'm not doing work things, I get quite a lot of free time), and create and play with our quite substantial fabric stash.  Sometimes instead of starting a new project, old works in progress get finished.

This is the case, with  my Groove is in the Heart Quilt, which I started here almost a year ago.  I had the majority of these large blocks made, and stored in a box.  Over the past week I finshed off the last six blocks I had waiting to be sewn, then stitched them altogether.

The pattern itself had 49 blocks, however I made this up using 36 blocks.  It's quite a large quilt already, but after looking at the photos, I have decied to make another six blocks, so I have a slightly more symmetrically balanced quilt.

Now, that the top is finished, and I have stepped back and watched it flapping in the wind, I am quite pleased with how it has turned out.  I think this one will be a keeper.

Pattern available from Rachel Daisy here

The Joy of Small Hand Sewing Projects

 

Kismet Kiss Quilt

Fresh Cut

Groove is in the Heart

Most winter evenings after I've finished dinner, the housework and various other domestic duties, I like to sit down in a comfy chair with either a book or a handsewing project. I have a few in progress at present: ( Fresh Cut - a wool felt and embroidery project, Kismet Kiss - my new epp project, Groove is in the Heart Quilt )  but have been thinking about why I prefer to work on some and others not so much.

I've decided that I'm not enamored with my Fresh Cut applique/embroidery project.  While I love the look of the finished ones I've seen, and using wool felt, the beautiful threads and making fancy stitches,  I am not enjoying making mine.  Perhaps it's because I'm doing it on fabric rather than a  felt background, and I don't like the fluff from the parlan fusible batting attached to it coming through the fabric.  It could also be because the blocks are large, my last couple of felt applique projects have had small blocks, which make it much easier to have a portable easy to work on handsewn project. Also sewing on black is hard, even more so if your eyesight is not great.  

I think this is why I really enjoy English Paper piecing.  Yes it takes me forever to select the fabric combinations for the blocks, but the pieces are small and easy to sew, and they don't take up as much room if I'm taking them somewhere as a portable project.  It's an easy project to stop and start, I can baste a lot of pieces ready to stitch, and I know that it will be a long term project anyway.

My Groove is in the Hearts quilt is also an easy to sew small hand sewing project, each heart half fits into a magazine, or manila folder which keeps it flat.  I've taken tis project away on holiday, a few times and  They are quite quick and simple to make and I see results quickly.

Unfortunately I think my Fresh Cut Quilt may be packed away for a while (read forseeable future) while I continue to enjoy smaller and more manageable projects.

Things Here Lately

 

Auckland is currently in a one week lockdown, so that means we're back to online classes for Miss B and Mr J, and work zoom meetings for me. 

I figured that meant it's a good time to have a little round up of what has been keeping me busy in my spare time over the past month.

• Hearts and more hearts, I've made 28 blocks in total now,  so I'm over half way.  I'm trying to add some new colours to the background and have some more similarly toned heart halves rather than being totally contrasting. 

• I sewed another Cuff Top - this time in a bright cobalt Frida Kahlo inspired printed viscose.  I used the round neckline hack from The Assembly Line tutorials and hacks page.  While lowering the neckline,  it seems to have made it a little wider on my shoulders, so not sure how it's going to feel when being worn all day.  I adore the colour of this fabric though.

• Books - I have been reading a few books lately - Maralinga by Judy Nunn was one I enjoyed a lot. Set in Australia in the 1950's it is about the atomic tests conducted by the British in the outback.  She researches and writes very well, often about controversial aspects of Australian history.

• Miss B has been semi vegetarian now for over a year, and I suspect when she eventually moves out of home, she will turn totally vegetarian.  I try to serve meat free meals a couple of times a week and one night made a beautiful chickpea curry for the main and a chocolate mousse using the liquid from the can of chickpeas.  Called aquafaba this stuff whipped up like egg whites - quite amazing.  General verdict was that the mousse tasted ok, it had a slightly grainy texture, but that could have been from overheating the chocolate and it was very rich.  Mousse recipe can be found here.

Fingers crossed that the community cases are contained and we are back to normal life soon.

Stay safe, stay home, scan the codes when out, wear a mask.  Kia Kaha

Still Grooving Along

 

I'm slowly making progress with my Groove is in the Heart quilt I started back here.  I actually prepared 14 heart halves that I took away to Mangawhai Heads to sew up, and only completed two, so have been stitching away quietly these past few evenings at home.  I've made 21 out of 49 blocks so far, it's going to be a big quilt one day . I'm feeling it's looking a bit flat compared to the original quilt that inspired me here, so am going to need to work out what it needs to give it a little more pizazz.  Hopefully by the time I've made another few blocks it's looking a little brighter and more me.

Wishing you all a wonderful weekend wherever you are.  Thinking of my friends in Melbourne who are entering a five day lockdown.

Stay safe, wear a mask.

Kia Kaha.

Things Here Lately

 

I may not be posting to my blog as often as I used, but there is still lots of things happening.

• A big event in my life was turning 50 last weekend.  I was quite ambivalent about doing anything to celebrate it, but The Scout secretly organised a day off, so he and I travelled to see my parents and celebrate with them, and then celebrated with his family the next day.  I was well and truly spoilt by everyone.

• I've been reading a lot of historical novels lately, including: The French Photographer by Natasha Lester, set during the end of WW2.  Also Miss Graham's Cold War Cook Book by Celia Rees.  I have to admit that I was quite surprised at the ending in this book.

• My Groove is in the Heart quilt blocks are proving to be a fun distraction.  I probably spend more time trying to work out colour choices for the heart halves.  I think I'm definitely getting a little braver with my combinations now.

• A couple of months a go, I  attended a slab pottery workshop, where we made a couple of small planter pots.  Definitely made for smaller plants.

• Now the weather is warming up, my garden is slowly starting to burst into like, Most of my dahlias are sprouting, cannas are adding a hot splash of colour,  the jasmine is a mass of white flowers with the most divine perfume, which has replaced the clematis that was flowering earlier.  I have also started growing (nurturing) frangipani, which are a plant to test ones patience.  Apparently some seedlings can take up to 7 years to flower, so I am very grateful to at least see leaves on them.  I also have some new zinnia and cosmos seedlings to plant out later.

Wishing everyone a wonderful week ahead.

Stay well, stay safe, wear a mask.