Japanese Blocks

I have done these Japanese flavoured blocks to go into the centre of my Sashiko medallion quilt I am working on.

We are meant to be putting it together next Tuesday week and I am very much behind with my ‘homework’.
It will all come together eventually, I am sure.  Just when, I am not so sure.
I am very happy with how these blocks came out.  They are from this gorgeous book by Susan Briscoe which I have shown before.  If you have this book, note, there is a printing error on Page 51 in the cutting. Luckily I had plenty of the fabric left to cut another piece.

There are also some very nice applique patterns in this book.  May have a crack at some of those too.

Frustration Mounts

My frustration with my sewing machine is mounting to the point where I am on the verge of purchasing a new machine.
This is my machine and is about 20 years old.  Up until the last couple of years it has been brilliant.

Then, every now and again this started happening.  Looping on the back!!  Grrrrrr!@@##$$!!!

Last time the repair man looked at it, of course, it worked brilliantly for him and he suggested I was threading it incorrectly.  What was I doing any differently?
It usually happens after doing quite a bit of sewing.  Sometimes an oiling and a ‘little rest’ helps it and it will just start up sewing properly again. 
Then today……after re-threading the bobbin a couple of times, it decided to sew again.  Go figure.  It must be the way I am holding my tongue or is it that there is some fine tuning to be done on my bobbin threading on this machine??  Will have to ask the mechanic about it next time I get it serviced.
Does anyone else have this problem with a Pfaff??
After I got the machine revved up I was determined to repeat the japanese block using a cream homespun fabric.
As I am definitely not a  ‘piecer’, imagine my delight when it nearly came out at the correct size of 9”!!       Happy Dance

No – it is not perfect, but it is mine.    At least the cream fabric didn’t warp and stretch but it is annoying me with it’s fraying.  Maybe I won’t be doing too many pieced blocks for my Japanese quilt after all.      

On another note – our SIL bought some sand crabs on the way home from Brisbane and we enjoyed crab sandwiches (on fresh bread) for dinner on Sunday night.  Yummo!!
It is a wicked day here today – and I don’t mean the new speak wicked – I mean wicked as in awful.
South westerly winds bringing the chill factor down low and overcast periods.  Maybe sleet?  I don’t know because I am not going outside for love nor money to find out.  My poor hubby is working out in it, so will ask him when he gets home.  In the meantime, I am going back to the sewing room to hibernate!!

Doing my Block

After the family left today I dashed into the sewing room to do a Japanese block for my up-coming sashiko quilt. 

It was a struggle due to the @@##$$! cream fabric which was a monstrosity.  A very open weave fabric which, of course, had a propensity to fray badly and stretch out of shape.  I bought this fabric because the osnaburg fabric I was originally going to use was too open weave.  I should have saved my money!!  Next time I will back the fabric with some special interfacing I bought recently so I could use the osnaburg.  I sure was doing my block!!  Don’t think I will use this block in the quilt.


The block called Yamato kasuri igeta comes from this fabulous book which I love – author, Susan Briscoe.  I plan to do many more blocks and sashiko pieces from this book.

Family snaps from today.  Our daughter, Bonnie, visited for the weekend from Brisbane.
(Left) Bonnie with Dad who is out of hospital now and feeling much, much better.
(Middle) Gorgeous Bonnie in the squatters chair.
(Right) Bonnie and Lilian on the swing Grandad made for her.
A beautiful Autumn day here today with warm sunshine and just a hint of crispness in the air.

Starts and Finishes

Just as one thing finishes in the sewing room, she goes off on a tangent and starts something else.  That is just the way it is around here.
This one is finished and was only started about a week ago.  Finished in record time!!

This is the quilt block keeper which Teresa has done a wonderful tutorial on over at her blog “All Things Vintage”.  Thank you Teresa, your instructions were so easy to follow and I got it made up with no probs at all. You can find the tutorial here.  At each end of the tube, I used yo-yos and glued a nice gold button on to them.

What beautiful fabric you are thinking?  Right?  Well, the fabric came for my birthday from Judy across the seas at Michigan.  Judy has a really delightful blog and she is one kind and generous lady.  Go visit her  at CJ’s Stitching and Blooms.  I just love how the fabrics made up, and the quilting feels gorgeous and soft on the inside piece.  Hope you like what I have done with your beautiful gift Judy.

Now my Sashiko blocks (one of my starts)  won’t be all crushed up like this because I now have somewhere to store them.  I started another large piece of sashiko last night.  Something to do in front of the tele.

Another start has been February’s art journal quilt (yep, I am a bit behind with these….. ahem).
Another finish is Bonnie’s Quilt.  Even got the label on!  I have tied this quilt with the same thread I did the herringbone in – Perle No 7, I think.  Just wish I had doubled the thread to tie it now, but it is too late now.  She will love it anyway, and I hope she doesn’t read this, as it is going to be a surprise for her 27th birthday in July.  So, this time I am actually ahead with a project.  Good Stuff.

And apart from the starts and finishes there are a lot of works in progress.  Oh well, can’t sit idle can we?