The Delivery

Delivery of 'Muriel' took place in mid July.  Ideally you would take delivery of your new machine and you know, probably spend a couple of months getting used to it but as I had procrastinated so long in the beginning when I actually ordered my machine there were none left in Oz and I had to wait a couple of months for the next delivery from the states.

 My friends opened their shop in  July and so the arrival quilts began.  It certainly was the best way to learn.  I made plenty of mistakes but I always learnt from them.  I was proud of myself for working so much out but at times I certainly found it stressful.  These machines and and the software are so clever but the only downfall is not enough training in Australia.  They have great training in the states though and I'm sure there is so much more to learn yet.

 

 

 

 

 

The amount of boxes was crazy.  There is certainly a lot to this machine!

 

 

My Journey into Longarm Quilting

The last nine months have been a whirlwind.  I have always been intrigued by the quilting process that follows our careful piecing of fabrics into stunning projects.  Early this year I was on a day out with my husband in a regional shopping centre a couple of hours away and happened to spot a beautiful and large Bernina sitting on a frame for quilting in one of the shops.   As we left there I had my 'light bulb' moment and said to my husband 'that is what I could do'.   I had friends that were opening a shop in town with giftware and fabric so it was an ideal time to do this.  From there I investigated the variety of longarm quilting machines and decided on the Handi Quilter Fusion 24 on the large 12 foot frame with Pro Stitcher software.  I called their head office and they directed me to one of their dealers and from there I was fascinated by this huge machine and what it could do and there started my journey into longarm quilting.

The First Six Months of Longarm Quilting

What a whirlwind these last six months have been.  I have just finished the last of my customer quilts and sooooo looking forward to a break.  I have seen so many beautiful quilts and it is so inspiring.  It really does inspire you to want to set up a spot at the sewing machine. ( If only there was time).
I have been very lucky to have the benefits of such a good start to my new venture with both the shop and the clients who have trusted me with their quilts.



I have worked solidly these past months, sometimes continuously over the weekends as well as many evenings but I am grateful to have had the chance and I am having a lovely break until the end of January however and will be caravannning at the beach for a few weeks and I cannot wait.  Although the thought has crossed my mind to take the sewing machine along.  Now there are only four days until Christmas and I still need to finish some shopping.  I also plan on getting my blog started for The Quilting House.  It has already taken me six months. 

Throughout Janary I will be posting pics of all the lovely quilts I have had the pleasure of working on.  Here is just a sneak preview.

A Sigh of Relief for the school holidays

Well thank goodness we made it through term one.  It has been a really hectic term around here as it is in any home with children so a well earned rest is planned for the next couple of weeks (without getting too lazy).  I really think there should be some time for sewing too. It's been a few weeks again since being able to sit at the machine and accomplish something.  But, that I did.  I made a dress for Isla that I was quite pleased with and I would love to do some more although I have been thinking about quilting too.  I also used this pattern to make a top in red gingham but didn't get it finished yet.  Maybe thats a plan for this weekend.  Let's hope we all have a safe and happy school holidays with just enough sewing to keep us sane.

Ladder transformed

Just thought I would put a pic up of this old ladder I picked up some years ago.  It really has been laying around in the shed waiting for some attention for a few years now.  It must have been used for a bit of painting over the years as it had splashes of all colour all over it, so I decided it would be easiest to simply paint it.  Now that it is all painted it looks great with some quilts displayed on it.



 

 



There goes January

The holidays have now come to an end but I think we all need to get back to a routine.  We had a great break, the kids were off for just under eight weeks so we are in need of a reality check.  We managed to get to Brisbane and Gold Coast before Christmas and we had a couple of weeks at Umina in January so we've got plenty to be thankful for.

There was even some sewing done.  I sewed some PJ Pants for Isla and a friend and I really wanted to get the binding finished on the dresden plate quilt.  It seems to take so long to slip stitch so I spent a while searching blogs and tutorials on attaching binding by machine.  I decided to go with Rita's guide on Red Pepper Quilts. I found it challenging but I guess with practise it gets easier.  It's a little untidy but it is on and in not much time.  I would like to practise some more anyway.

 

 

 

This is one of the better looking sections of binding

 

 

 

And the finished product

 

 

 

 

I have also started work on my office/sewing room.  Although most of the time I find it easier to spread out on the dining table or kitchen table.  It is coming together slowly with a couple more shelves etc. from Ikea. 

 

 

 



Looks like I need to deal with the messy cords below the desk.  Basically all the sewing gear is behind the bi-fold doors and I will reveal that when it has been organised (you can't expect too much in one year).

 

All these rainy days were a help to get some inside jobs done.  While QLD was suffering with the floods we were benefiting from some much needed rain.