Bella Butterfly for Donna

I wasn't going to make anymore... but I can't say no.


Here are the pattern pieces.


Bella's wings were pieced together then sewn onto the body pieces. The antenna was tacked onto the head. Then the two pieces were placed right sides together and sewn around leaving a gap for stuffing and turning. Once stuffed and the gap closed with an over stitch , I quilted between the body and wings with perle5 cotton. This gives a little shape. The face was embroidered on with back stitch and a colonial knot.

The fabrics for Bella were "left over" from the quilt, I'm currently working on. Hopefully I'll get photos up on the blog today.

Happy Mothers' Day everyone. I hope you get treated to a little pampering.

Timmy Turtle

" I knew you'd have to make me, " said Timmy with a grin.
" Umm. I think it was that 10th rendition of "100 Diet Coke Bottles, sitting on a wall", that forced me into it," said I.
"You shouldn't drink so much of that stuff," said Timmy. "It's left big holes in the grey stuff in here. Did you know there isn't too much of that gray stuff left?"

Here are Timmy's pattern pieces, once more my favourite design material A4 paper.

He's made from scraps. The flippers are made from the backing of the quilt I'm currently working on. The quilt is now quilted and the binding is on and Melissa has given me the ok to show it off on the blog and ..you'll just have to wait until tomorrow to see it. I'm still appliqueing in the center panel.

"I look very handsome" said Timmy smuggly admiring himself in the mirror.
"Yes, you'll make a great pin cushion, Timmy," said I with a wicked grin.

"WHAT!!!" screeched Timmy in a not so small voice.

Until tomorrow,
HooRoo

Lawrence Lion

That Cheeky Monkey has been as rude as his owner and I need someone strong enough to keep him in line.
"I can do the job," said Lawrence. "If he's too naughty, I'll eat him", Lawrence said with a grin.

A4 paper is so wonderful! The perfect proportions for a Lion. Lawrence needs 3 sheets. One for his body and head, one for his face, ears and tail and the last for his mane.

Catching that mane into those seams wasn't the easiest thing I've ever done. I couldn't find the orange felt so he ended up with a yellow mane.

Michael got scared, when Lawrence roared at him! Poor Michael let out a blood curdling scream (it was just naughty mummy pretending!) I'll have to ensure James keeps Lawrence away from Michael. we don't want him traumatised by a stuffed Lion.

Ah finally 6 softies done for my six kids....
"What about me?" says a shy little voice. "I want to be made to."
"I have to finish this quilt," said I.
"If you don't make me I'll sit in the back of your mind and nag you," threatened the voice. "you don't clean up in here very often do you," observed the voice.
"I don't clean up much any where," said I.

Cheeky Monkey

"It's not fair!" wailed Liam. "You've made one for all the others."
Liam forgot that James also doesn't have one.

"I want a monkey", Liam demanded, not in his nicest voice.
"There's already a cheeky monkey in this house," said I glaring at his rudeness. " I don't know if I could tolerate two monkeys in the house."

Out came another 2 pieces of A4 paper and I got busy drawing up a pattern.

Off I rummaged in the tubs of fabric looking for more left overs. A piece of herringbone wool, a scrap of taupe weave and some more felt for his face. His ears came out of my quilting stash.
His ears were made first. Sewn right sides together and turned through, then tacked into place on his head. His face was sewn onto his head. Then the head pieces were attached to his body pieces right sides together. I sewed all around, leaving a gap to turn him through and stuff him. I pinked his seams and clipped his corners. Turned him through, stuffed him and over stitched him closed. His features were embroidered on and I sewed some wool on the top of his head.

As soon as Cheeky was finished he ran off! And is now swinging from the light fittings in the lounge. I think I'll just leave him there and the other Monkey can chase him when he gets home.

Missy Mouse

Rose and Clarry Cat love each other lots. After Rose headed off to school this morning Clarry was bored .. "No mice to catch around here", he said. "Make me a friend."
"No", said I, "I've got this quilt to do."
"Please," said Clarry.
"Oh, all right" said I.

Missy Mouse started as an A4 sheet of paper, recycled of course!

The head and ears were from left-overs but the body came from my fat-quarter stash. I like sunflowers. Missy Mouse's head and body are joined with a curved seam. And I managed not to pucker it! Her ears caught in the seam and were made by tracing off 2 pieces of the fabric for each ear, sewing them together and turning them through. Missy Mouse's tail is a boot lace.. (umm ...No Peter I haven't seen those boot laces you bought and left in the kitchen unattended...)

A little bit of felt for her eyes and nose and some thread wiskers and she's all done waiting for Fern to come home and save her from being eaten by Clary. Clary was supervising the construction of Missy Mouse and was very quick to chase after her when she was finished.

And I got back to work on the quilt. It's coming on beautifully. The top is together and tonight after Michael settles I'll lay out the backing and batting ( a yummy bamboo out) and pin up my quilt sandwich. I can't share any photos yet as I need to get permission from the customer first.

And Jane ... I think a Lion may just have to come and visit soon. James is complaining I haven't made him a friend yet!

Clarry and musings on the muse..

Clarry also started life as a piece of A4 paper, with a tail cut from another piece.

He does look very spiffy in his ribbon and bell. I had to put the bell on so he doesn't scare the birds. I hope he's a good mouser ..we need one around here. Ollie is too aristocatic to actually catch a mouse!

The fabrics, once again, were left overs and these also came from the op-shop. Clarry's face is made of felt. With colonial knots and embroidery features. Clarry is going to be Rose's special friend. I hope he gives her lots of cuddles and makes her feel better about her poor chipped tooth and the visit she had to the dentist this morning.

Toohey isn't happy to have another cat around the place.

I've had a commission for a memory quilt sitting there waiting to be done for the last few weeks. The inspiration just hasn't been there to start. Peter has edited all the photos in Photoshop. He dropped them all into black and white and brought back some colour in each of them. The photos have come up beautiful. They are all printed onto fabric and have sat and sat for 3 weeks waiting on me. Well I finally took them in hand this morning. Having no idea what I was going to do with them. I started by just cutting them up, then I thought they need a border ..so I've bordered them with 2 inch strips of fabric and that is as far as I've got this morning. But now I've actually started the muse is talking.

How arty farty of me to talk of muse. I'm really not the arty farty type. I'm pretty level headed most of the time. I find through that quilting for me is almost a spiritual activity. It's being connected to something outside of myself. When I start a new quilt I have no idea what's going to happen, they seem to make themselves. Weird hey! Once I actually start a quilt I get this huge rush and excitement to finish to see what it will become.. I find this really strange as I'm the one creating it! My quilts are a lot like my children. I may grow them and nurture them but they become there own unique individuals in the end.

Funny Bunny

Funny Bunny

Made in the same style as the Babooshka doll.

Once again I started with an A4 sheet of paper and did some folding to get my guide lines. I searched through my bits and pieces and found a piece of stripped patchwork, just perfect for this little fellow's body. I used that oddment of calico that had the fusible web already applied, for Funny Bunny's face. And his Head was left over from some fabric I used to back a quit.

I love to use my Pinking shears to trim around the shape.When I was little I would take mums and cut paper with them ..shhh don't tell her! Only now as an adult I get why she didn't want us near them.

I don't think Ollie is too impressed!

Michael has done really well today. I fed him at 9am and managed to distract him until 12 when I fed him again He had a wonderful little nap for an hour in which I made Babooshka. He fed again at 3pm and after a little cuddle settled down for a nap at around 4.30pm and he's still asleep now at 5.45pm! WOW I can't believe it was that easy ..(touch wood)

Babooshka Soft Doll

I've seen a few of these Babooshka style soft dolls around the net of late. I drew up a simple pattern for one this afternoon. I started out by folding an A4 sheet of paper into thirds length wise to mark the proportions of the head and body of the doll. Then I folded it in half width wise. I drew a half pattern onto the folded paper, putting the head in the top third and body in the bottom third. Then cut the pattern out. I cut the pattern into two sections. One the body and the other the head and shoulders. I then took the head portion and folded it back in half and cut a half oval out to use as the pattern for the dolls face. Using the pattern for the face I drew the hair pattern on a separate piece of paper.




I cut the 2 of the body from some fabric I'd found in an op-shop a while back and 2 of the head from some gingham I had in the stash. I added a 1 cm seam allowance all around. The face was cut from some calico which already had some iron-on web attached to it from a previous project. The hair is a scrap of felt.

I sewed the face and hair to one of the face pieces. Then I sewed the head sections to the body sections then placed the back and front pieces right sides together and sewed around the figure 8 shape, leaving a 5 cm section to use to turn the doll though and stuff. Once stuffed I closed the opening with a ladder stitch and I embroidered her face on, with Lilly asking "is she finished yet?" every few minutes! I added a piece of trim which has been lying in my sewing bits and pieces for ages, it was the perfect size too.




Lilly is totally in love with her new doll.