Misguided nesting - baby sprinkle day

My husband has been hoping the nesting instinct would kick in so the "spare room" which was mostly filled with fabric, notions, trims, and tools might begin to look inhabitable by the new baby!

Well, I was preparing for the new baby, but my nesting got a bit misguided and turned into quilted teacups for the celebration of this baby's birth with my sisters and close friends. A high tea, affectionately named by my bestie as my "Baby sprinkle". Not quite a baby shower seeing as it's the second baby, but somewhat the same.

I told you about these and began showing you, but it's today and they're all finished! (ok, if you're a sewist you probably know that's a lie, there are three tea bags that don't have the word "tea" embroidered onto them, but "finished" as they're probably going to get haha).

Here I am this morning finishing some embroidery on the last tags whilst waiting to go.

I love them all, seeing as I made each one unique. I decided I'd show every single one:

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Just a reminder I bought the pattern from Patchwork pottery, here US$12. It's a little fiddly so I wouldn't say suitable for beginner, but if you've ever sewn a zip before you're experienced enough.
FYI I also found these cute play tea bags yesterday

and pinned them but the post isn't in English so you just have to make it up yourself I think.

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Here's my idea of "hand sew the opening closed" haha. Too lazy for that, it's in the lining anyway pfft! Brother NS20 to the rescue!

Getting pretty good at those zips after churning out ten in short succession. Just sayin'.

Top quilting is 'daisies' on the picture above.

This quilting's kind of 'steamy'

This was my first one and I don't like it much but it was popular today. I *do* like the blue ricrac though :)

Some meandering quilting.

This quilting's kind of pebble style. I loved getting to use my decorative stitch on this blue ribbon.

More pebble quilting and another decorative stitch used.

Love hearts in the red, using variegated thread. The leaf pattern stitch was a bit lost in white on the gingham ribbon, but I still love this country cup pouch.

This divine fabric by Robert Kauffman (I believe it's called Florentine or Florentine 2 3 or 4) stole my heart, if I could use only 3 fabrics for the rest of my life I think this would be one of them!
I followed the fabric's lead when quilting this one. "Oh fabric, take me away!!"

Above is the scalloped quilting which was easy and effective, and I got to use some cute trims I've had for years, on the ones above and below.

And Danielle brought all these goodies to fill them for each guest:
And made this adorable canvas for baby's room! Thank you!

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Until next time, wishing you lots of stitching time.
Love Cass

FMQ practice on teacups

Next on the calendar now Christmas is done, is to have a baby. Schedule:whenever baby 2 is good & ready.
My good friend is coordinating a high tea get together to celebrate the impending birth.
She would've loved our second babies to come in the same year, and there's still time for 2013, but for argument's sake we were pre naming them Thelma & Louise!
She made the baby a Christmas gift. Isn't it adorable?



I'm making some tea cup pouches, hoping they'll be done in time so the afternoon tea guests get to take one home each :-)
It's good free motion quilting practice.
Here are some I've quilted, to show you my quilting.






Isn't this fabric (hope cove) just divine? I love it.





I love this Anni Downs fabric called my favourite things, I had to show u both sides of the teacup!

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Felt shooting stars - free tutorial

I have made 10 of these inexpensive shooting stars for little ones in my circle.

They're kind of addictive, and really easy and quick. Let me show you how I made them....

MATERIALS:

• About 40cm each of 5 ribbons (or more than 5 and varying lengths!)
• Two pieces/scraps of felt over 10cm square (or fleece would work too)
• Contrasting thread
• Filling - I used long grain rice. Mine took about half a cup each to fill.

METHOD:
1. I began by cutting out a star template (using a piece of cardboard which was ready to go into the recycling bin) about 10cm at the widest point.
Mine wasn't perfect, once they are stuffed it hides your dodginess a little hehe
2. Trace your star shape onto your top piece of felt. It doesn't hurt to mark a start/stop point (now) to make sure you remember to leave an opening for stuffing. I recommend leaving open a whole "valley" between two points.
3. Embellish the front with any personalisation before the next step
4. Prepare your ribbon lengths together to create a tail. I simply pinned mine together near the top.
5. Sew the front piece of felt to the back piece (right sides out, you won't turn through), ensuring you have the ribbon tail in place at the bottom, and leaving the stuffing opening.
6. Fill with rice or other heavy filling, sew opening shut.
7. Cut out the star and let the kids chuck it about!

A friend told me she cut out the stars first, and then sewed them. She used straight stitch which would be even faster.
But I like to sew first, fill, then cut. It's the perfect excuse to use those fancy stitches you never get to use, keeping that rice in nice and tight, and if you use *my favourite* variegated thread it shows off more, the wider the stitch width! Less room for error sewing off the side by accident too.

If you make one (or 10! or more!) please email me a pic to cass@cassthecoolest.com or put it on my facebook wall, I'd love to see it! I don't care if it's a midnight pic using a flash - how else do we sew for the kids hehe.

I would recommend it from ages 18 months to about 3 and a half - older if you want to play piggy in the middle or something!?

New logo & a completed quilt top for sharing

So excited, I got given a new logo by my bestie who runs Virtually Perfect as an awesome office assistant and webdesign and the whole sh'bang!

What do you think?

and she made one for my facebook cover too.

I just had to share because they're SO cool, I can't get over it.

While I'm here I'll show you a quilt top I don't think I've shared. Finished in October (2012), it's for my husband's brother's girlfriend, Hannah.
The original intention was to finish it and send it to her while she's staying in Austria to remind her of all of us. But seeing as postage is so expensive from Australia to Austria, and they are travelling about anyway, I decided to keep it at home in the end.
It's probably the girliest quilt I've ever done. I used a pattern from the book Think fast, by Swirly Girls Design that I bought from Blueberries, my LQS.
Meanwhile, in our town a cupcakery opened and I used the cutesy scraps to make a little wallhanging for the owner, Melissa, as a little gift. She made the cake pops for my 30th birthday and her creations are so delicious.
Kiss My Cupcake, 1 Alison Rd Wyong

Thanks for joining me XO
Cass

Back to the BOM

I began a BOM (block of the month) quilt kit when my almost 2 year old was only a few weeks old. Or maybe before that? Anyway, it was 12 blocks, 12 months. Yes, I know it's been more like 20, but I'm still working on that final block lol.
Any sewist will know that projects get moved around on the priority list (and I have a tub of things I once started). BUT! I got my final block out again this week, after finishing a quilt top for my friend who got married this year. (U like it?)


I designed it to make the most of a fat quarter stack a friend gave me. The triangles were supposed to look all uneven but I'm so anal I had to make them all 45 degrees and 60 degrees. So now they just look like bad seams. Ah well.
Anyway, I'd embroidered the word that goes in the final block, so I thought I was further along in progress than I was.
Albeit disappointing to find I was at the beginning, familiarising myself with the block reminded me of how much I had a crush on the fabric range and I fell in love with it all over again.
I wrote this whole blog post yesterday, but in the cyber trip from my phone to the net it didn't survive. The good news is I've already fused and sewn much of the block in the meantime. Next stop is three Ohio stars which I like the look of, but don't really like the constant need for pressing and cutting a bunch of pieces. Anyway, [thinking positively], they're the last ones I'll have to do for a while.
It just so happens that we get our new bed tomorrow, so I will need to get this quilt finished and soon display it on our new bed!!
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I'm really excited because two close friends are getting new sewing machines for Christmas!
Mums is an upgrade, and my bridesmaid is beginning to wonder what hit her in the sewing world as it's her first ever machine!!
She is so excited, she is already planning blogs and pages and logos for sharing her creations. I can't wait to share more details with you, but I'll simply have to.

What else I've been up to......
I've been updating with brief sentences and photos on my facebook page rather than blogging. If you're on Facebook, be sure to join me and hopefully I will make you laugh with something relatable or a crafty picture!

Other finishes:



I made a bunch of rice filled shooting stars for my mother's group friends



I made this adorable quilted teacup pouch using an instant download pattern from patchwork pottery. I want to make more, aren't they cute?!



Some fleece shapes filled with rice for my family currently travelling Europe. 25sec in the microwave and these will help keep fingers toasty inside jacket pockets on those days where the weather forecast begins with a minus symbol!



Here are my friends from Wyong Patchwork & Quilting enjoying the festivities.

Merry Christmas guys, and all the best wishes for 2013!

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Sasha is back where it all began!!

Oh my GOODNESS I can't believe Sasha the original travelling stash has returned home at last!
I've had such an emotional evening watching the big brother secrets show (I'm a massive bb fan!!) And although I was dying to open the parcel I knew I'd want to share it straight away too, so waited til the end of the show to up end it. I just peeked in the top between ad breaks hehe.

Plus being pregnant has just meant I've been crying intermittently from about 8pm from all the excitement lol.
I'm so absolutely stoked with all the goodies in there. I can't believe there's so much!

There are SO many cool patterns including little chooks, a little gnome, it's awesome.
There are some cool things I've always been interested in but never got around to buying, like quilters fingers grips, various needles, squeakers to put inside softies (got in trouble for squeaking those from my husband because I thought they looked like some kind of tailor's chalk spraying item or something and didn't mean to make "wake the baby" noises lol).

There's even a quilter's calculator in there! Can't wait to read how to use that!!!
There's a gorgeous handmade journal I will not be sharing, it's mine mine mine haha.

There are only two items in there that were in the original package which makes me feel really good. My well intentioned gatherings have made it into new loving homes, bar the free pattern I once got from Logans patchwork, and an iron on patch that seems to have brought home some of her friends. Now that I have a whole set I'm probably more likely to use them on a project lol.


Some items are not that exciting but I'm stoked to get them- bias binding isn't something to write home about normally, but a whole pack of navy blue? I will definitely use that up!
I'll be letting my local friends in on it and see if they'd like to take anything. I probably owe them a few paybacks anyway, I'm always getting given things!

Threads and fabrics and buttons oh my!
Sarah O even dropped in a congratulations present for me! A gorgeous pregnancy photo frame Thanks!

I think my favourite at this stage is the quilter's panel that says things such as "6 projects on the go? Now That's a quilter!" And "ok I won't buy any more fabric ...at least not today". I showed my husband who just looked over it all with a plain expression and, at the end, said "that's really cool .....very true" lol. I think it will be uncuttable until one day I get a sewing room and can decorate it with sewing specific wallhangings. So thank you to whoever put that in there, please follow my blog for the next 19-20 years and I promise to post a picture for you lol (kidding). I've got a great quilter's poem that might take up the centre of those panels.
I'd love to share more but must get to bed.
Thank you from the bottom of my heart to each person who took part. You all took the time to pick and replace items, sending it on and in some cases hand delivering.
I'll never forget the transformation of an idea that started so small.
I'm so glad I took the time to begin it and hope it's been as exciting for all of you guys as it was for me!
Love, Cass

PS If you're interested in becoming part of a traveling stash in Australia, there are many beginning all the time at the facebook group "Travelling Stashes - Australia". Join up to see what it's all about and decide whether you'd like to take part.

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Haul from Newcastle show (pics)

The Newcastle show... About an hour's drive, but still local enough that I see a lady from the street I grew up on, two ladies from sewing, Jody from All about sewing, Ally from Quilting Mumma, Jan from Red shed quilting, Leanne from My Vincent quilts, Jackie from Blueberries and I think that's it. Admittedly many of them were at stands, but the list is pretty long.

So I got an adorable astronaut panel and two fat quarters from Patchwork at the bay window. I actually spotted it on their facebook page yesterday.
The matching mini panel thing on the right was actually from Patchwork with Gail B.

I only bought two more pieces af fabric. A Christmas panel seeing as I'm soo keen for Christmas this year. Want my little boy to be up late enough to see the twinkling lights we have around the neighborhood this year.
And a fq covered in all boy or man things that Lars loves like mowers and the like :-D

Here is me, sporting a clever scarf ring thingo


And a few more similar things plus an irresistible brooch.
I had a brooch in these colours which I wore so much ....until it slipped off and dropped under the train one morning. Clearly, I'm still not over it Hehe.


Then in a freak ceremony out of nowhere, Mum was awarded Miss Craft and Sewing 2012....



And then I was, too LOL



Oh yeah, and I grabbed two issues of stitch too. Not cheap but this mag is great so it was worth it.

Until next time :)
Love Cass

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