A finished quilt for charity

Well this week I posted my last huge university assignment onto the website, so to celebrate I sat at the sewing machine. I could not work out how to quilt this together without affecting the look of the cats. So I just did an all over stipple.

The original quilt top was sent in by Jennifer, my sister then sewed borders and I sandwiched, quilted and bound it. All ready for the orphans at Hope Homes International.

The high winds we have been having stopped us going out in the caravan this weekend so I took Eli out for a date night. We both had a blast. For a total of $40 we went to the movies, had dinner, bought a gift each and rode on the coolest things in the mall.

This finish has gotten me inspired to get on with stuff, so I started finishing a giraffe. Then it stopped hmmm.

Linking to these places

A bit of outside time and a new seat.

When Eli and Aaron were away in Kaikoura Jakob and I went and purchased a huge slab of Macrocapa. Aaron had made two Gambian squares as legs. But now we needed to take off all the bark and start sanding to make it gorgeous.  Chisels and hammers being wielded. 

The weather has been so good we have been able to do this after school one day. Of course the mucking around then starts!

Then the boys tidied up all the prunings I was making. Try spotting the boys!!

A Whole lot of unpicking going on.

Well I have been redoing a quilt for Hope Homes International. I had pinned this out but when basting (stitching in the ditch) the back all puckered, the front tucked up. Disaster. So I took a deep breath and seam ripped the whole lot. Re pinned and now stitched in the ditch all over to secure. But am struggling with how to quilt it. Hmm.

Linking to these places.

Bed ends, now a chair.

Aaron and Jakob headed into Mt Cook National Park and up to Mueller Hut. Eli and I stayed behind and got some stuff done. This chair I made from a bed end and bed head. I finally gotten around to finishing the sanding and giving it a polyurethane coat to finish. Yay

It had originally looked like this when I made it.

Eli had his friend over to stay and I could not get down the hallway without being blasted by Nerf guns pellets. They had so much fun with their barricade and it left me to finish the seat, sew and do my assignment.

 

Up to Mt Ollivier

It is a finish - Red and Grey quilt

Four borders and I am ready to start backing and pining etc. I am thrilled with it. The pieced border is just the left over bits from making the crosses. I sew a quarter inch away from the cutting mark before I cut the corners off. Gives a whole lot of other blocks.

Am feeling pretty good today. Not only am I happy with this but I got 19/20 for my last university assignment and for the first time ever I trouble shooted the computer and fixed internet problems. Feeling like wonder woman at the moment.

Linking to these places.

Who found the best treasure?

The school holidays and it is always important to exercise the boys, the dog and me. Out on our hour long walk around the block (which goes past two sports grounds, the bmx track, the pony club, the graveyard and a good section of the Ashley river).

My sister Ruth taught us the game of "who can find treasure" whenever we are out and about. We had not played that for a while but then when we were out crossing the river, on a gravel island, Jakob found a really high quality builders hammer. So the competition began. Eli found a large manuka pole but then also three fence paling's that he could not carry home.

Morris would not be outdone and carried a huge stick on river crossings, up banks and getting stuck in trees. All I managed to get was a bag of gum bark, leaves and twigs to start the fire with.

 We came home and the boys could finally have some more screen time as they had been out being physical. My sister came for lunch and we had a delicious wholemeal bread, blue cheese and grapes off her vines.

Now it is looking like a quilt

Blocks all finished finally.  I had thought nine blocks would be enough but decided that twelve would look good as it would be a more rectangular quilt. I finished twelve but no not enough so went to sixteen to make it square, I had it all done and bordered and realised it was just too small. So a bit of unpicking and making more blocks, now I am happy with the size.  All bordered with a peek a boo border.  Now I have to try and work out how to finish it. Another couple of borders I think but not sure yet what they will look like. Still loving the grey and red look.