Christmas Day 2011

For us Christmas has come and gone
We celebrate on Christmas eve

I had my Parents, Sister and her children and all 3 of mine with their "attachments"

It was wonderful!!

Today,Christmas Day, we are going to my eldest daughter for lunch

I am currently doing a Christmas Day Mystery and have managed to do 3 clues

I will be doing the rest this evening

Cannot show pictures as it is a mystery!!

As soon as the top is done I will post a photograph

Enjoy this Christmas Time with family and friends

Quilty Hugs,

Susan

IT'S OFFICIAL

Today my middle daughter took her Speech and Language Pathology oath.

It was amazing to see her all grown up and ready to face the big world out there.

I have almost finished quilting top number 5 or is it 6?

I am having so much fun quilting for myself .

There is no stress and my machine behaves like a dream

I still have one more small top to quilt for a friend.

Then that will be my lot for this year.

Happy quilting

Susan

Happy Holidays

Life has rushed by with such speed

So much has happened since my last post.

My youngest daughter has passed her drivers test

My middle daughter has finished her studies and

will be moving away from home for a year,

to work in a rural hospital

Eldest daughter has adopted a new dog, Basset #2

AND

I have closed my books for the year to catch up on my UFO's

I have already quilted and put the binding on three tops

and will load #4 tomorrow.

My youngest sister has been visiting from California

and it was wonderful to see her and her family 

I have expressed a desire to visit her next year and

hope to combine the visit with a quilt show 

Happy quilting 

Susan

Sad Day

Today I got called out of my guild meeting: 

Granny Trixie had passed away peacefully at her Frail Care facility.

Such a wonderful dear sweet lady!

My family and I will miss her dearly.

RIP Granny Trixie

Tuesday 18 October 2011

Just got in after taking my car for its 60 000km service.

It was an early start as I needed to be at the service point at 7.30 in the morning so left home at 6 am.

As I was waiting for the vehicle I had a manicure.

My hands feel and look better.

I am off to load another quilt on the frame and hopefully get it done before Thursday.
I have been nicely busy since I opened my studio and I am enjoying quilting for others.

I will be taking a break in December and will hopefully finish off all my UFO's and quilt all my tops.

Photos to follow

Happy quilting and sewing

Susan

Design wall

My wall is a bit late as I have just returned

from a weekend quilting with 120 other like minded ladies.

It was such fun and the best part is no cooking or washing up!!

I did a class called "Whirling Windmills". only managed to complete 5 blocks.

I will be making a second one and donating it to charity.

Happy quilting Susan

What a day!!

Today has been wonderfully busy!!

I did visit the guild this morning and did my thing 

The ladies were so accommodating and they loved the block

There were two new members who had not made the bow tie block before.

This afternoon my regular sewing ladies arrived and we did a  bit of brain storming

Our local museum turns 100 next year and we have been asked to make an A4 sized quilt

depicting our own personal "Memories of Pietermaritzburg"

As a child, my parents owned a business making and selling ornate window guards and I always remember the cats playing amongst the stock.So I hope to represent this image.

Watch this space!!

I also finished a customers quilt and have already loaded the next one.

I am so grateful to be so busy.

Until next time

Happy sewing 

Susan

Design wall 5 September

My eldest daughters friend is expecting a baby 

and has requested a quilt with creams , browns and teddy bears.

I have a set of embroidery designs of Patchwork Teddy Bears from Hatched in Africa 

They are really cute!!

Sorry I cannot manage to rotate this picture :)

Visit Judy to see other design walls.

Happy quilting 

Susan

Design wall 29 August

I am so excited to see that Judy has a design wall up!!

Visit her site and see what other quilters are up to

She has been without one for so long and

I know this new one will be put to very good use.

Bow Ties Shweshwe

On my wall: Bow Ties

I have been asked to give a small demo at a local guild

  and thought I would show this block. Actually a 3-D bow tie.

I am quite nervous but I am sure I will enjoy it

Much love '

Susan

MIA

Life has been so hectic which is wonderful.

My business has really taken off and I have a pile of tops to quilt for customers.

For this I am truly grateful.

I have had such support from family and friends which has made the BIG step into the quilting world so easy.

All my love Susan 

Design wall 25 July 2011

No quilting or patchwork on my design wall today.

I have an order for 4 tablecloths for the Music department of the

school at which my eldest daughter teaches.

They are almost ready to be delivered tomorrow.

They were such fun to do.

Musical notes appliqued on each corner.

Visit Judy for more Design wall Mondays

Tomorrow is my guild meeting and I have 2 quilts for show and tell.

It is always inspiring to see what others are doing

Until next time 

Happy quilting

Susan

Good and Bad Thursday

Today was both of the above.

First of all I was the vendor at our Midlands Guild meeting.

That is always so wonderful.

I love showing the ladies the new fabrics I have and of course the sales do help.

My disaster was my Longarm

I have had endless problems with the Stitch Length Regulator.

Teeny tiny stitches and no response from the SLR.

Eventually the Husband found the connections to the encoder wheels dirty and and good spray and clean has proved the trick.

So all is well again in MY quilting world:)

Until next time
Happy, happy quilting
Susan

Design wall 18 July 2011

This is the beginning of a new sampler top.

I hope to do classes for beginner quilters. 

First 6 of 36

Until next time

Happy sewing

Susan

Back to Varsity

We have just returned from the airport 

after leaving daughter #3 to fly back to

Stellenbosch for her third term.

It was wonderful to have her home since June the 3rd.

and hopefully we will be able to visit her in August.

At Uni in her room

Until next time 

Happy sewing and quilting

Susan

Busy day

Today was spent, where else but in my Studio!

I have loaded a customers sampler quilt.

I need some inspiration for this one. 

Sampler quilts are not my favourite.

I would love to be able to pantograph across it but feel I can do better.

Any advice is welcome

I have finished the Christmas Redwork top.

I think it looks stunning

My next project is to do a quilt to display to advertise for classes.

Happy sewing

Susan

Design wall 11 July 2011

Sorry this is a bit late.

I have been fighting a cold which became laryngitis.

I have had a nasty cough and no voice since Saturday.

I did manage to start a new top.

This is my second Christmas item.

I have progressed quite far and have all the rows done

I will be putting it all together this afternoon

Until next time

Happy sewing

Susan

All Done!

The table runner is done.

I am really pleased with it and hope it will look good on

my table at Christmas time.

I have a customers 2nd "Sisters" quilt on the frame

and hope to do that tomorrow

Susan

Progress on table runner

Two of the 5 blocks done

I have managed to start adding the corner triangles to the blocks.

The inside designs were machine embroidered. I will 

be using the same fabric for the triangles and the binding.

I am hoping to complete a customers quilt today as I have 3 waiting as well as wanting to do a few of mine to catch up. 

Susan

Back Home

After the quick trip to Hibberdene I am home

I did manage to complete the 5 blocks for the table runner

Will post pictures later tonight

Now I am off to my guild meeting

Susan

Design wall Monday 27 June

On my wall/cutting board is the beginning of a Christmas table Runner.

I am off to the house at Hibberdene so it is going with me.
I hope to get the blocks done
Sorry I cannot seem to rotate the picture:)
Susan

Anna's Quilts

At last I have completed 2 quilts for Anna's family.

There were more than 360 blocks in the box

and we managed to make 2 quilts out of them.

Thanks to my "Tuesday Ladies" for all their help.

Burgundy and Green quilt

Blue and Black quilt

Design wall monday 20 June 2011

Fast and No Match Stars on my wall

Made with 8 Fat Quarters plus 1 extra

Very quick!

Visit Judy at http://www.patchworktimes.com/ to see what other have on their walls

Susan

Fathers Day

Today I am having the family for lunch and then my parents will come for tea and to see the new Studio

I have been very busy with customers quilts and have only had time to do my "homework" for my embroidery class which is on Tuesday.

I have completed a table runner and a centre table cloth with in total 10 designs. It was a lot of sewing but most enjoyable and I did manage to crotchet the beginnings of a blanket for charity.

I hope all Dads out there have a wonderful Fathers Day

Susan

Thursday June 9

Well today is officially one of my off day.

Shop hours are Monday Wednesday and Friday 9 to 2.

I did manage to add borders to my "going green" snowball top 

while waiting for a customer to bring a top for quilting.

It was then off to His factory to pay accounts and check the books.

Yesterday I did go down to "Toti to visit with a shop-owner who

was very helpful and encouraging.

We drove through the most horrendous downpour but got there safely.

Pietermaritzburg is currently having real winter weather and we are freezing

This is a good time to sew!!

Until next time

Susan

Sewing Time

Yesterday was MY sewing day.

In the morning I had a lesson with my local Bernina store.

A rather complicated lesson on cutwork using 6 designs in a circle.

It is amazing how dull your brain becomes when not doing Math all day!!

The embroidery needs to be complete in 2 weeks time so that we can do the hems.

I have completed one table runner and hope this next cloth will go as easily now that it is all marked.

In the afternoon I had 4 friends come past to sew.

We offered to complete 2 tops for a fellow quilter who had recently passed away.

She had half completed projects in a box. They are Japanese folded squares which will completed and then joined together. These tops will be passed onto her grandchildren.

I hope to show you something next post.

Until next time 

Happy sewing and Quilting

Susan

New Studio

The Studio is up and running.

This is a before and some after photos.

What a difference!!

I am just loving it!! 

Until next time

Happy sewing and quilting

Susan

Design wall monday 6 June

This is on my wall today

5 rows of 10

Until next time,

Happy sewing and quilting

Susan

New Day New Blog

Today was the "first" open day of my new Studio!