Finally I've been in the sewing room - November update

This year has been a very bitty one for me, so this post covers the last four months of occasional forays into the sewing room.  I have completed some projects so I'm very happy about that.

Back in July, during a short time at home, I finished off Amelie's quilt.  Amelie is the granddaughter of a good friend.  Mainly fabrics from a fat quarter pack I've had for a few years, as well as some from my stash. The back was made from stash fabrics also.  Simple walking foot quilting - I was on a (self-imposed) deadline for this one.  Finished size:  52" x 77" (132cm x 195cm)



Apologies for the poor photos.  The quilt was pegged (sideways) to the clothesline; my tall helper wasn't home. Also a photo of the quilt top before quilting.

Some time ago, a friend asked me to make her a table topper, from a pattern in American Patchwork & Quilting (Oct 2009 issue.) I think she saw the picture on Pinterest or similar.  Called the Stepping Stone Quilt, it is sewn from some of my many batiks.  I had fun with the pattern.  No binding strips, just a knife-edge binding which I hadn't done for years.  And I didn't stuff it up!   

Finished size:  33.5" (85 cm) x 25" (63.5 cm)


 

I've been working on a few other projects, although none are finished yet.  Here's a few snippets.

     

 






In October, we were in Canada where I visited two patchwork shops on Price Edward Island and supported their economy.  I bought a few Canada-themed fabrics, as well as some Anne of Green Gables fabric.  It added up to 6.5 m.  I haven't acquired any other fabrics since July.



November 2025 fabric tally

Finishes since June:   Amelie's quilt = 5 m; Gail's table topper = 1.25m

Purchases since June:  Canada fabrics = 6.5 m

Fabric used:  - 6.25 m         Fabric acquired:  + 6.5 m

Running tally for 2025:  + 9 m   



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Scrap Happy Day - November 2025

ScrapHappy Day

better late than never!

This year has been a busy one of travel for me, which is great but it means I haven't had much time in my sewing room.  But I have got something to show for Scrap Happy Day this month - even if I am posting late.  I actually did this back in August when I was home for a couple of weeks.  

My daughter has had a fabulously bright knitted coat for many years.  It is warm and cosy and she loves it.  So did their new puppy!  who chewed through the zip, a section of the knitted outer and the felt lining, and made a mess of it.  I volunteered to fix it and found it wasn't as difficult as I thought, just took time.  I removed the half-eaten orange webbing binding from the front of the jacket and replaced it with scrap binding from my stash - two different colours but I didn't think that mattered with a rainbow coat.  I added a piece of scrap felt over the chewed pieces of lining.  Using scrap embroidery wools from the stash (leftovers from long stitch kits made 30 years ago - remember those?!), I knitted a patch that filled in the missing knitting nicely.  Although it doesn't match exactly, it is pretty close.  And in my box of zips, I found one that was just the right length.  How lucky was that?!  The drawstring from the waistband had been chewed - a long black shoelace replaced that.  The shoelace had been used in the waistband of an old pair of tracksuit pants which finally went in the bin, so was scrap.  I also made a replacement knitted toggle for the end of the drawstring from scrap wool. 

The repaired jacket, with the paws of the naughty puppy in the top right hand corner.  

My piece of knitting to replace the chewed area.  I didn't have all the right coloured wools.

Green and blue binding replaced the orange down the front of the jacket.  

The pale toggle and the drawstring shoelace are replacements.  


I felt very virtuous indeed!  All from the stash and scraps.  



ScrapHappy is open to anyone using up scraps of anything – no new materials. It can be a quilt block, pincushion, bag or hat, socks or a sculpture. Anything made of genuine scraps is eligible (including food). If your scrap collection is out of control and you’d like to turn them into something beautiful or useful instead of leaving them to collect dust in the cupboard, why not join us on the 15th of each month? Contact Kate on katechiconi@gmail.com and she'll add you to the list.  We welcome new members. You don’t have to worry about making a long term commitment or even join in every month. Regular contributors will receive an email reminder three days before the event.

Here are the links for everyone who joins ScrapHappy from time to time (they may not post every time, but their blogs are still worth looking at).

Kate, Eva, Sue, Lynda,
Birthe, Turid, Tracy, Jan, 
Moira, Sandra, Chris, Alys,
Claire, Jean, Dawn, Gwen,
Sunny, Kjerstin, Sue L, Vera, 
Ann, Dawn 2, Carol, Preeti,
Viv, Karrin,  Alissa,
Hannah and Maggie

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Scrap Happy Day - August 2025

Late post for Scrap Happy Day - sorry!  

Lots of travel this year has meant that I've spent little time in the sewing room for a few months.  I did spend the equivalent of one day doing some scrap sewing during July.  It was just to get some mindless sewing time in without having to think about what I was doing.  

So a few blocks made using either 1 1/2" squares in a 16 patch block or 1 1/2" x 2 1/2" rectangles for a potato chip block.  I already have lots of these blocks in a box and have now added heaps more to the collection.  Although I've had a few ideas for quilts using them, I will have to do some more planning so I can work out what size quilt/s I want and how many blocks I will need.







ScrapHappy is open to anyone using up scraps of anything – no new materials. It can be a quilt block, pincushion, bag or hat, socks or a sculpture. Anything made of genuine scraps is eligible (including food). If your scrap collection is out of control and you’d like to turn them into something beautiful or useful instead of leaving them to collect dust in the cupboard, why not join us on the 15th of each month? Contact Kate on katechiconi@gmail.com and she'll add you to the list.  We welcome new members. You don’t have to worry about making a long term commitment or even join in every month. Regular contributors will receive an email reminder three days before the event.

Here are the links for everyone who joins ScrapHappy from time to time (they may not post every time, but their blogs are still worth looking at).

Kate, Eva, Sue, Lynda,
Birthe, Turid, Tracy, Jan, 
Moira, Sandra, Chris, Alys,
Claire, Jean, Dawn, Gwen,
Sunny, Kjerstin, Sue L, Vera, 
Ann, Dawn 2, Carol, Preeti,
Viv, Karrin,  Alissa,
Hannah and Maggie


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July 2025 - what a busy time I've had!

A little bit of shopping was done while I've been travelling the last three months.  This will mean my fabric tally will not be looking good - again!

In May, I had a great time on a two week textile tour - Textiles of the Lesser Sunda Islands with experts, Sue and David Richardson.  It was my second time on this fascinating tour around the most eastern Indonesian islands and I enjoyed it just as much this time around.  I didn't buy as many textiles as the first trip and did try to get samples of different designs.  (I'll do another post with photos of the woven textiles I picked up.)  These textiles won't be included in my monthly fabric tally but I did do some reportable fabric shopping.  With time between arriving from Sumba in the morning and departing for Melbourne that evening, I took myself off to my favourite patchwork batik fabric shop in central Denpasar on the island of Bali.  Dewi Mas has a range of batik fabrics, including dressweight material, so I had much fun there.  A group of Australian women, patchworkers, on a mini-bus tour were shopping up big as well.  My haul included two 5m lengths of dressweight fabric, 9m of various patchwork batik fabrics, and two jelly rolls that I couldn't resist.



Our son lives in Georgia in the USA so we trotted off in late May to visit him.  I always like to visit local patchwork shops so dropped in to two shops in Marietta, north of Atlanta.  Tiny Stitches was the first shop.  From the street, it didn't look too big but it was actually quite large.  And then I saw downstairs!  The building was on a hill so the large workshop and longarm quilting spaces downstairs  could be accessed from doors at the back to a carpark, as well as via stairs from the shop.  The shop was really well stocked, with lots of sample quilts on display.  A large range of notions and threads was available and a couple of racks of pattern books.  The staff were very friendly and helpful.  The problem with just dropping in as I did, is that I didn't have any specific needs in mind.  However, that didn't stop me picking up a few fat quarters of cat fabrics I didn't have as well as other bits and pieces.  As a new customer, they gave me a welcome gift, which was very kind of them.  I certainly intend to visit again next time we're in the USA to visit our son.  


The Southeastern Quilt and Textile Museum in Carrollton, Georgia, was a great find.  A small space but excellent exhibitions when I visited in early July.  They also had a small shop of donated patchwork items, including fabric and patterns, so I spent a few dollars and was very happy with my purchases.  We stopped in Englewood, Tennessee, for a lunch stop and at a small fabric shop there, I bought a 1/2 yard of fireworks fabric as a reminder of the 4th Juy fireworks I'd seen a few days earlier.  


So I'm very happy with my holiday shopping sprees.  


July 2025 fabric tally

Finishes in the month:   sadly nothing finished!

Purchases in the month:  Indonesian batik fabric = 21m; USA patchwork fabrics = 7.5m

Fabric used:  - 0 m         Fabric acquired:  + 28.5 m

Running tally for 2025:  + 8.75 m    

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Chookshed Challenge - June 2025 update

   

I’m still away travelling so updates on my blog are a bit limited sadly. 

However, I can say that I have completed June’s challenge (to myself) of #5 in my list.  See R’s quilt at https://patchmaggie.blogspot.com/2025/03/march-is-complete.html


I’m not thrilled with the border on this quilt but it is done!

So here is how my list looks at the end of June  

  1. complete strip sets for blue strip twist quilt
  2. quilt and bind A's quilt (March)
  3. second backstitch embroidery kit (for while I'm travelling)
  4. quilt and bind S's quilt
  5. quilt and bind R's quilt
  6. continue flower blocks for J's quatro quilt (January)
  7. complete bunny Fat Quarter Mixer quilt top
  8. Start on Amelie’s quilt
  9. backstitch embroidery kit (for while I'm travelling)
  10. quilt and bind Mason’s quilt
Deana has drawn the challenge number for July and it is #9. Which is handy as my #9 is a backstitch embroidery kit - while travelling. I brought three backstitch embroideries with me and two have been completed, so I’m happy. (Completed means that all the sewing has been done. Of course there is still the washing and pressing, and then inclusion into a frame or something else to be done when I get home.). I have so many small kits/patterns bought/acquired over the years, it is about time I was doing something with them. 





So two of the embroideries are done, one Nikki Tervo design (a mandala about 5.5” across), and the other from Hatched and Patched (a bunny about 4” square). Neither very big but perfect to carry while travelling for when I need a sewing fix.  
The third embroidery I brought with me isn’t started yet and is the biggest, but I have more travel to do this year, so it will get done. 
So July’s challenge is completed and it is only the 2nd of the month!  How’s that for commitment? 🤣
I’ll report back officially at the end of the month. 

Check out some of these other participants in the Chookshed Challenge. 

Chookshed Challege 2025 - Deana from Dreamworthy Quilts is one member of the Chookshed Quilters.  Each month in 2025, Deana will select a number from one to ten and quilters work on the project with the corresponding number from their own list.  The main rule for this challenge is that there are no rules, which should work for me as I am away for large chunks of 2025.  For example, if the number six is chosen, and that particular month is a bit tricky to work on that numbered project from my list, I can change the project!  And a goal could be just making minimal progress on a particular quilt.  I like those sorts of rules.  

Here are the links to other participants:



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Chookshed Challenge report - May 2025

  

(Here's my challenge list at the end of April:
  1. complete strip sets for blue strip twist quilt
  2. quilt and bind A's quilt (March)
  3. second backstitch embroidery kit (for while I'm travelling)
  4. quilt and bind S's quilt
  5. quilt and bind R's quilt
  6. continue flower blocks for J's quatro quilt (January)
  7. complete bunny Fat Quarter Mixer quilt top
  8. start on Amelie's quilt
  9. backstitch embroidery kit (for while I'm travelling)
  10. quilt and bind Mason's quilt (February)
May's number was #8 - and my rulebreaking planning is working out as I worked on Amelie's quilt in early March.  I reported on the quilt in https://patchmaggie.blogspot.com/2025/04/more-happened-in-april-than-i-realised.html

So far - so good.  

For June, Deana has pulled the number #5.   
My number #5 is to quilt and bind R’s quilt. 

So this is how my challenge list looks so far. 
  1. complete strip sets for blue strip twist quilt
  2. quilt and bind A's quilt (March)
  3. second backstitch embroidery kit (for while I'm travelling)
  4. quilt and bind S's quilt
  5. quilt and bind R's quilt
  6. continue flower blocks for J's quatro quilt (January)
  7. complete bunny Fat Quarter Mixer quilt top
  8. Start on Amelie’s quilt
  9. backstitch embroidery kit (for while I'm travelling)
  10. quilt and bind Mason’s quilt
No photos in this post as I’m travelling and find it hard to update posts on my phone or iPad. 

Chookshed Challege 2025 - Deana from Dreamworthy Quilts is one member of the Chookshed Quilters.  Each month in 2025, Deana will select a number from one to ten and quilters work on the project with the corresponding number from their own list.  The main rule for this challenge is that there are no rules, which should work for me as I am away for large chunks of 2025.  For example, if the number six is chosen, and that particular month is a bit tricky to work on that numbered project from my list, I can change the project!  And a goal could be just making minimal progress on a particular quilt.  I like those sorts of rules.  

Here are the links to other participants:




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Finally I've been in the sewing room - November update

This year has been a very bitty one for me, so this post covers the last four months of occasional forays into the sewing room.  I have comp...

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         I’m still away travelling so updates on my blog are a bit limited sadly.  However, I can say that I have completed June’s challenge (to...