A project a day keeps the doctor away

Those of you who read that whole last whingey whiny post will know I have been reasonably unwell of late.

Today I self medicated in the sewing room. I worked a little bit on my gifts for my Pay It Forward recipients...

and started to feel a little better but I knew it was just a brief moment of well being and a relapse was right around the corner.

It was time for preventative medicine!!

What was needed to combat this horrid flu was a new project, of course.....what better way to fight germs and disease than the thrill of riffling through the stash waiting for inspiration to strike!

I did think of all those Unfinished projects but I knew they just didn't have the appeal to really get me well again. No a new (preferably with no purpose) project it had to be............ and off I went.......

Quick and cheerful !!!

The answer - a little doll sized or miniature quilt with vintage chenille. Twenty little 4 1/2 inch squares and it was as easy as winking.

Now the boys of the ric-rac household are off to see Silver Chair and Powder Finger in concert tonight, in Ballarat, in a big top, in the rain and it is currently about 8 degrees........hmmmmm.


Those of us left behind will be nanna-ing it up on the couch with a bit of Australian Idol, lemon tea and the binding to hand sew.

and we are as happy as happy can be about it !

Crafty week

It's not that I don't craft through the week (some people would say it is ALL I do) but getting photos just proves to be beyond me. Ballarat has the deserved reputation of being somewhat cold and gloomy so by the time I get home from work there is usually no light left at all. Certainly no photo-taking light left in the day.

Monday / Tuesday

Those ball animals are still rockin around inside my head but I think I have nearly exhausted all options now. This little hedgie is my newest love. His name is Edgar !

Wednesday

A quick trip to the localist of op-shops revealed this little haul.

• A glass buckle



• a set of Brand new Japanese hankies (coming to handbag pattern near you soon)



• Some little spring loaded button studs



• a little brooch handmade by someone with more patience than I


• a purse frame that did have a daggy pink plastic purse attached but I removed it for an experiment.

I have also been working on a few bags through the week and will be able to post those tomorrow. I even had a go at a bit of free-motion quilting and I didn't totally suck at it so that was a bonus.

Here is a fuller picture of little whiplash quilt. for those who asked. Now I am off to Spotty for some canvas !!!!

Whiplash challenge.

The hardest part of this challenge may be me trying to get the whiplash button on here !!!

As part of the Whiplash challenge on Whip up I have made a doll quilt or miniature quilt.

I had so much fun with this that I thought I'd show you how I did it. (Mind you it is so easy I am sure you could just wing it).

Yep.... thats right its all made from selvedge !!! I just love how it turned out !! I am soo excited by this I am planning a bigger project !

1. 
   
   

   Step 1. Cut the selvedged edge off your fabrics leaving 1/4 inch of fabric (this becomes your seam allowance.) Then with right sides together sew two pieces together and press open, showing selvedge.



2. 
   
   

   Step 2. If you have nice thick selvedge you may be able to join one pair to another pair - giving you four (or more) joined togetherwithout losing all the details.




3. 
   
   

   Step 3. When you have pieced a few strips together you can begin to foundation piece them. I cut (ripped) a piece of very light cotton to the size I wanted and then simply began sewing the strips on. Sew as close to the very edge as you can but remember that this is the selvedge so it is not going to fray.



4. 
   

   Step 4. Continue on adding your little pairs of selvedge strips ( or bigger ones) until you have the size you require. I used my walking foot for this part.

5.

Step 5. When you have pieced all your strips , turn over your work and trim the edges, squaring up if you need to.

Step 6. I used cotton batting in this little quilt and I quilted it very simply by running some lines of stitching across the quilt in a "stitch-in-the-ditch style. My finished quilt is almost fat quarter sixe measuring approx 18 x 20 inches. Then of couse a bit of binding and your done !!!

I really love this project and am keen to do a bit more with selvedges. I have been chopping them off every scrap of fabric in the stash.

The added bonus to this project is, when asked about all the fabric in the stash I can honestly say "of course I use them all I have put almost all of them into a quilt !"

Miss Eloise says it is very snuggly !