Catch our latest post on our new blog

Don’t forget that we have recently migrated our blog to a new location.

You can read our latest post at Always Thread Wise.

This will be the last reminder that we will send so please choose to follow us on the new blog NOW so that you don’t miss anything in future.

Wishing you a Merry Christmas & Happy New Year

Please follow us at our new location

Have you noticed that we moved?

We recently decided that it was time for a facelift to match our new business plan so our  posts can now be found at:

Always Thread Wise

Apart from the occasional accident we will not be posting here so please join us at Always Thread Wise and keep up with our ideas and thoughts about patchwork, quilting and other textile related activities.

I look forward to seeing you at Always Thread Wise

 

A Miniature Version.

Quilters are always making quilts for others, sometimes for loved family members and dear friends, sometimes for charitable causes, and sometimes as commissions. A couple of years ago I made a quilt for a young family member who was facing some traumatic experiences.

To read the full story go to https://alwaysquilting.wordpress.com/2013/11/15/made-with-love/

Much love went into the quilt’s construction and after the quilt was with its new owner I decided to make a miniature version for myself. Not only does the mini quilt help to decorate a spot in my quilting studio, but it also serves to remind me of the person who received the full-size version.

I made the miniature quilt from four mini-blocks, using four of the original feature fabrics, plus the white and grey background fabrics. The mini blocks are 6 inches square, so the quilt measures 12 inches square.

The large-size version was quilted with white thread (Aurifil Cotton Mako’ 40, colour 2024), but for the small quilt I chose a soft grey (Aurifil Cotton Mako’ 40, colour 2615) to tie in with the grey fabric I used on the back.

I quilted it “in the ditch” on my domestic sewing machine. The back looks like this:

I purchased a little hanger to display my quilt. (Buy yours now with a 30% discount from the Always Quilting online store. http://alwaysquilting.com.au/product-category/quilt-hangers/)

My mini quilt is ready to hang.

Migrating

We were running out of space & it was time for a new look so our blog has migrated to a new location with a new name.

Always Thread Wise

Please stop by and add us to your reading list or, even better, subscribe to receive an email when a new message is posted.

The blog will still be written by the staff at Always Thread, so it will continue to be a varied mix of projects and interests with special emphasis on our favourite Aurifil thread.

Are you quilting for a Hawk or an Eagle?

I’ve lived in Victoria long enough to have become accustom to a public holiday for a horse race but one for a football game was a surprise.

Now I am not a dedicated follower of the AFL so I am making the most of the day to play with thread …. Aurifil of course and in particular Cotton Mako’ 28, our favourite quilting thread weight.

But some at Always Quilting are followers, so here is a test that they set up for the committed AFL spectator.

Are you a Hawk?

Or an Eagle?

So was that a Hawk?

Or an Eagle?

So hope you enjoy the game, and still find some time to quilt.

Just Because….

Most of the projects I make involve fairly intense hand work, such as needleturn applique and English paper piecing. Here’s one of my current projects.

Even under “optimal conditions” (no housework, no paid employment, neglected hubby and family, and little sleep) such projects progress slowly. Much as I love this activity, it’s sometimes nice to have a change of pace and produce something that goes together more quickly and with less effort.

I have recently made such a quilt.

While distracted (i.e. browsing on the internet) I saw a quilt which I thought had an interesting layout. There was no name or pattern, but that did not deter me as I simply drafted my own, using dimensions of my choice. I had some suitable fabrics in my stash so I was able to begin without delay.

The blocks are simple and require only two seams.

The trickiest thing is to ensure the correct orientation of all the blocks once they are pieced. Check and check and check before joining!

I used the red sashing fabric to add a border around the edge to frame the quilt and bound it in the same fabric to maintain the framed look. In the photo below, I am trialling the position of the blocks and the border.

With my long-arm machine, quilting my projects is straightforward.  My quilting business, “The Quilt House” is located in Vermont South, Victoria. Check out my website :  http://www.thequilthouse.com.au 

I decided to use an all over quilting design (edge-to-edge) 0n the quilt, in this case I chose Lorien’s “Twirly Feathers”. It’s a really elegant design.

For this type of quilting, I use Aurifil 40 weight thread on my Gammill quilting machine. I chose a red thread to match the sashing fabric. It provides a nice contrast with the gold coloured backing fabric.

And here is the quilt used as a topper on my bed. I called it “Just Because”………well, just because!

Another sewing month

While some of my work colleagues have been on holiday this month to warmer climes,  I’ve had to put up with cold Melbourne weather with only the occasional breaks in cold Melbourne temperatures.

However, my garden did tell me spring is on the way with bulbs coming up

and when out walking, the park showed me this

enough for the hay fever sufferers reach for their tissues and medications.

So, I haven’t got much to show for this month’s blog – other than some sewing.  My colleagues, will of course, have blog entries from all sorts of travel locations in the following weeks!  (sense a little envy here on my part?!).

First up is my work on the Quilter’s Newsletter Christmas Quilt (as reported on in my blog post last month).  I only have to make 20 of these little charmers – and that should be done in a week before the next download pattern comes available. No pressure here!Then I’ve been sewing a challenge quilt – can’t show much of that, except for the fabrics which were purchased in July and the deadline to get this one done is November:I’ve tried to do some more on my  ” Birdsville” by Wendy Williams:and help make blocks for a raffle for next year:

and make a block for the guild’s retreat I attend each October with the theme “Step back in time” :

In between times, I have completed a ‘modern’ baby quilt for a yet to be born first baby.  I can’t show the finished item yet, as it is a ‘surprise’ for the mum (and dad) to be:

I have brought out the tiny hexagons for another airing at the wholesale trade fair in November.  We are organising our display for the Aurifil booth:

And finally, I have started my Christmas sewing (yes, it isn’t that long to go when you make gifts):

All in all, I think I have done a little bit of work this month – but the pile of unfinished items still seems to grow!

The Farmer’s Wife 1930s Sew Along Epidemic!

I admit it! I get very excited about patchwork and quilting. Sometimes I even finish some of the projects I begin with this unbridled enthusiasm.

My current passion is THE FARMER’S WIFE 1930’s SEW-ALONG. There is a ‘one stop page’ for all the information curated by GNOME ANGEL. (gnomeangel.com).

My book arrived last week and I am busily preparing my patterns and choosing my fabrics for the September 28th start date.

The Farmer’s Wife 1930s Book and Fabrics

I know I have promised some unique results from the 200g of scrap swap….

Scraps Become a ‘new’ fabric

Half Square Triangles created with these great papers from Quilters Barn

…and I will finish that project…
BUT, this is a SEW-ALONG and I have never done a SEW-ALONG like this before. The group has its own Facebook page and there are already over 2500 members. Can you picture the diversity and cleverness of all these Patchworkers sewing along? It quickens the pulse.
My bobbins are full and my needles are new.

Fabrics, Bobbin and Needles

Come on and join the world wide project that has developed a life of its own! You know you want to…think of it as using up lots of fabric you already have to make room for new fabric that hasn’t even been designed yet…..ooooo aaahhhhh.

The Wow Factor Quilt

Some quilts just have a “WOW” factor!

Carolyn was in the showroom a couple of weeks ago to choose the threads for this quilt, so I was thrilled when she came back to show it to us finished.

The soft sheen from the grey thread, chosen to blend into the grey fabric, highlights the quilting design perfectly so that the trapunto and background stitching “pop”.

Carolyn opted for a soft red, rather than a pink, to quilt the floral fabrics.

It has worked so well across all the blocks and looks stunning on the back of the quilt.

See more of Carolyn’s quilting on her instagram page:

Free Bird Quilting Designs

PS: Carolyn used Aurifil Cotton Mako’ 50 to quilt her quilt, the best choice for heavily detailed, show quality, quilting.

Dare I say it?? Christmas is approaching!

I subscribe to Quilters Newsletter magazine.

They had a ‘good deal’ on their subscription last year, and so I treated myself to a one year term.  It has proven to be a good read as well as a good deal.   The most recent issue had a foundation pieced Christmas tree that caught my eye.

As it can be done week by week, it made me think it could be a do-able project, and if I caught up with the sewing I could complete it by the end of October.

I decided to download the weekly patterns, and use the Christmas fabrics in my stash – of which I have quite a few acquired over the years.

It is interesting looking back on the ones I have accumulated – from the ‘traditional’ reds and greens and golds to the more modern and the ‘country’ look.

They will all work – I hope.

For the past few weeks I have been foundation piecing like mad.

It is a messy business!!

It’s made me search out some small prints and not use the bigger ones in this project.

But the results are fun!

 I have been searching out some very tiny ‘conversation’ prints:

And I have been sewing with Aurifil Ne 40 (the green spool).  For me it has the strength to cope with patterns printed on paper.

I hope to be able to show the completed top by the end of the year.  I guess this means I have started another project – darn!