And we have a winner(s)....

First up, a massive thank you to everyone who took part and left a name suggestion for my latest quilt.  I had a lot of fun reading them and thinking about them.  I love having an online community of quilters and artists who can have a bit of fun together, or solve a problem together, or provide a bit of support  for each other.

Moon Flight by Charlotte Scott

I've decided to call it 'Moon Flight', which I think sums it up perfectly.

So, on to the winners!

My random number generator picked 12, so the twelth commentor is Maree, congratulations!

I also put the competition on to Kiwiquilters, a Facebook group for New Zealand quilters.  And lots of people left me suggestions there.  I decided to be generous and do a drawing for them too.  The random number generator picked 3, and the third commenter was Biddy, congratulations!

I'm also going to send a bundle to Gretchen, because her suggestion, Moonlight Flight, was so very close to the name I eventually picked.  Congratulations!

Thankyou everyone, I hope you had fun coming up with names.  I know I enjoyed reading them all.  I'll be in touch with the winners shortly.

Name That Quilt!

Every step in making a quilt is a little step closer to a finish.  But there is 'finished' and then there is 'finished, finished'.  Too often in the past I'd breath a satisfied sigh when I'd taken the last stitch in the binding, then I'd put the quilt down and never get the other little finishing tasks done.   I now consider a quilt to be finished when it is named, labelled, has a hanging mechanism, and is documented and photographed.

When I talk to other quilters and artists, each has a least favourite part of the process of making their work.  For some it's the cutting out, others hate binding.  Some claim they don't dislike ANY part - but I'm sure they're telling fibs!  I bet there is one thing they they always put off, even if just for five minutes...

My least favourite bit varies.  Quite often it's the photography.  I'm getting better at it, and I've got lights now, which make the whole process easier.  But it's just so much faffing around!  I'd much rather sew, or dye, or audition fabrics, or anything else really.  I can't say that sewing labels or hanging sleeves has ever made my heart sing, but I actually quite enjoy hand stitching binding on, when I know it makes many people groan!

Anyway, this last week, my least favourite bit has been the naming of quilts.  I'm trying to come up with a name for my lastest finish.

Untitled as yet by Charlotte Scott 36cm x 55cm

This quilt is relatively small and was started with offcuts from the larger quilt that I'm working on.  

(In case you were wondering about my 'restart my making mojo' process that I was going through - well, it was a success!  I've been working away steadily, and now it's just the usual challenges, like time managment etc)

Here's the larger quilt still in progress:

This one will need a name at some point too, but at present its working name is The Heron Maiden quilt (the HM quilt).  Have you ever read any of the classic Japanese folk stories about cranes turning into women to return the favour of being rescued from a trap?   I've been telling myself those stories as I've been making the quilt, but twisting them into tales about a New Zealand white-faced heron turning into a maiden, then turning back into a heron after she loses her love, or perhaps after she tires of him, depending on how I feel on the day.

 

Can you see how the nameless quilt has connections to the HM quilt?  The branch in the nameless quilt is the cut-away background of the branch in the bottom right of the HM quilt, and the heron is a third, brighter, version of the two herons behind the girl.  The overlay of silk organza on nameless is the same piece of fabric that is used in the sky of the HM quilt.  So they are nicely related.

But here is where you come in, dear reader!  I'm at a total loss for a name for the untitled quilt and I'm hoping you'll help.  Hit me with your ideas and help spark my naming mojo!  Just as a little incentive, I'll do a random draw from all the people who leave me a suggestion in the comments section below and I'll send the winner a bundle of my hand-dyed fat quarters (and I'll send it anywhere in the world too).  You'll need to be a reply-enabled commentor or add your email address to your comment so I can get in touch if you're the lucky drawee.  I'll give you a week, so will be drawing on Saturday 21 April 9pm NZ time.

Please help me out, and join in the fun!  Names can be as silly or as deep and meaningful as you like, but I'd love to hear from you.

COMMENTS NOW CLOSED.  Thanks for all your help!!

Giveaway Winner

Today is Saturday - giveaway day!  I numbered the comments you lovely people left for me (missing out Helen's PS comment), wrote the numbers on bits of paper and then got my lovely children to draw one out of a hat a plastic cat food container.

But number three was my sister's comment!!  Urgh!  That smacks of nepotism and I was going to send her some threads anyway (because she's my sister and because it's her birthday soon and because she's much, much older than me....he he he)

So girl child drew another number - number 2 - congratulations to Helen!  I'm going to email you to get your postal address Helen.  Helen said:

Hi Charlotte
Congratulations on your quilt being pictured in the latest issue of Quilt Mania. Well done!
I am hoping this year to get better at using my quilting machine. Actually what that really means is I hope I find some time to use it :-)

PS I love the teal colours

I hope you get time to use your machine too Helen.

And yes - much to my surprise, my quilt "Life Encircling" was pictured in issue 98 of QuiltMania, a French quilting magazine.  The article was about the Taupo Symposium.  Thanks Helen and Raewyn who both sent me a heads up.  And thanks QuiltMania - exciting!!

I'm busy working on a quilt to enter an exhibition.  Unfortunately I'm not allowed to show it :(  But seeing as the deadline is a week away, I'll have something else to show you soon enough.

Have a good weekend everyone.

Crafting While Camping

I like to have my hands busy.  Sitting still is hard for me and I get itchy if I haven't sewn something for a couple of days.  Anyone else like that?  So camping for three weeks without my sewing machine was going to mean a grumpy me if I didn't have a plan.

I saved up all my hand binding projects, I took some of my hand-dyed threads and an embroidery hoop, I planned to learn how to hand spin and knit and my mother in law took her spinning wheel.  I also planned to take my hand-cranked sewing machine.

Well, best laid plans and all...

Belinda, my hand-cranked machine, just WOULDN'T fit.  So I thought I'd come home again (we don't camp far away and I come home every now and then to do washing and check animals etc) and collect her once I'd finished all my other work, but I never got finished!

We couldn't get the spinning wheel going.  We think it's warped out of alignment as the wheel and the bobbin wouldn't line up and the cord that runs between them (I'm sure it has a name) kept jumping off.  So that wasn't happening either.

And the knitting didn't even get a look in......maybe next year.

But the embroidery got started and was fun.  I loved seeing the colours form up from my hand-dyed silk/cotton threads. It went slowly though because every time I started I had four little nieces wanting to stitch too.  I got them all going on their own little projects (they are all getting embroidery hoops next time I see them), but had to spend time re-threading needles, tying off, and just a bit of untangling!

The hand-binding projects kept me satisfyingly busy and I'll show pictures of them separately as they were mostly samples for my beginner quilt making classes.

And I found a photo my MIL took of me hand spinning with my spindle!  I think I've got the hang of it now.  My yarn is looking less like dreadlocks and more like yarn, but I'm far from finding it relaxing!  I aim to spend a few minutes spinning each day to try and build my skills....I'll let you know.

Thanks for all your comments on my hand-dyed thread giveaway.  It's neat to read what everybody plans and hopes for 2014.  Remember to leave a comment by this Saturday if you want to win some threads - as you can see above, they stitch up into loveliness!

100 followers must mean a giveaway!

So when I logged in today, Blogger told me I had 100 followers.  Wow.  It still blows me away that there are people out there interested in my quilts and what I get up to from day to day (I mean apart from my family who are kinda obligated to be interested!)

Just to celebrate the New Year and life and the fact that I'm apparently interesting, I thought I'd have a little giveaway.

I've become a little addicted to dyeing thread and I thought some of you out there might like some of my hand dyed, silk/cotton embroidery thread.  It's not quite the weight of perle cotton but makes a lovely embroidery stitch.  You could also use it for big stitch decorative quilting.  I've tried separated it into two strands for a finer stitch, it doesn't separate as easily as stranded embroidery thread, but it will.

And it's luscious!!  It's soft and strong and sews beautifully and, being silk, has a wonderful lustre to it.

Each bundle has 10 strands of thread in it.  Each thread is 1.3 metres long, so you get 13 metres in each bundle (I can't call it a skein because it's not continuous, but I'm not sure if there is a correct term. Anyone know?)

If you'd like some of these threads, here's what to do:  write me a comment telling me what you hope 2014 will bring for you, and what kind of colour bundles you'd like if you won.  You must be able to be contacted by email so make sure you add your email address into your comment or be a reply-enabled commenter.  I'm happy to post overseas.

On Saturday 25th January 12pm New Zealand time, I'll pick a random number for a winner.  Then I'll contact the winner by email and send that lucky person a parcel with five different bundles of thread in it, inside one of my hand printed zip pouches (I'll try and match the pouch to the thread colours).

And if you don't win but would like some of this unique thread, I'm going to be adding some bundles to my Etsy shop very soon.

Good luck!

Higgledy Piddledy Post.

Ta muchly to all who commented on my last post (and if you'd still like to give me your thoughts, I'd be most appreciative). 

Congratulations, Faye of fayesplace!  My bemused hubby drew out Number One from the little pile I presented him with.  I will be getting a little something off to you shortly.

And as a point of interest, I happened to be speaking to a friend on the 'phone the other night and she mentioned she had found rabbit in our local supermarket for.......$24.95 (NZ, of course) for one rabbit!  Gulp!!  Maybe I should look into marketing them a little more seriously.

Now, onto some quilting:

Two little bassinet quilts for the maternity unit at our local rural hospital.  I finished them today using my beloved no-snit machine binding.  And I just happened to be travelling past today and was able to drop them off together with the other three I completed a wee while ago.  The gratitude they showed really polished my ego!

These were made with some leftover batik charm squares from Tulis Textiles.  I am forever amazed at how half-square triangles can be put together in so many different ways.  Might just have to try some more.  And the binding is the border I was originally going to put on my MIL's quilt, but decided it looked better without it.  Waste not, want not.

This is the back, I'm attempting to show the quilting, can you see it?  I'm still trying to decide whether this fabric is cute, or a little sinister....?

And then, because I was showing off big brother's drawings the other day, I just have to show this.  The first discernible 'thing' my three-year-old has drawn.  And she named it, not me!

Aren't scanners fantastic machines?!

Bunny babies at Windyhill Farm.

I would have updated you earlier but my internet access packed up yesterday.  Five little baby rabbits have joined the fray at Windyhill.  Mama is black, Papa is fawn.  And so we have three little black ones, one pink one (who will probably end up fawn) and one splotched black and pink (we'll have to wait and see).  They are all a decent size and, for a first time Mum, five is a good effort.  Hopefully she'll cope well with a smaller number and they'll all get fed.

And if you've got a moment, check out Little Grubs.  She has a bunting giveaway on her blog.  Yay!  I love bunting, but have just never quite got around to making any.

Giveaway over at Elaine's.

Soggy Bottom Flats (don't you love that name?) is doing a giveaway over on her blog.  It's a kit for wool applique and if you've never tried wool before, now might be a chance to do it.

I've never really worked with wool in applique.  I tend to use my old blankets as batting for quilts, especially small ones for children, as I don't like using polyester for kids and because the quilt is small, it doesn't get too heavy.

But seeing some of the lovely wool work that Elaine does, I might just have to give wool a try!

Blog Giveaway

About the one and only time she wore it and yes, it's been ironed since then!

Well, the little giveaway that I did comes to an end today (I almost forgot!). And Kez from Kez's Creations got pulled out of the hat. Good odds, though, there were only two comments! But I'm glad this little dress will be winging it's way to someone who wants it.

Blog Giveaway

I am doing my very first blog giveaway. It's motivated by purely selfish reasons - I want to see this go to a good home, and currently I don't know any little girls that would fit this.



I made this little dress for my daughter a little while ago because I wanted to make something for her, I wanted to make an item of clothing, and I wanted to use the fabrics. Unfortunately, she has a dress dislike and so has worn it about three times :(





It's pure cotton and has a lined bodice. You can wear it with either the pink or blue skirt forward, it slips over the head easily. And as for sizing, well I have to guesstimate. It is just getting a little small for Olivia now and she is two and a bit and she is average to small.



So this is open to anyone, anywhere. If you want to pass this post on to someone who you think might like it, go ahead.



Just leave me a comment and I'll get said daughter to pull a number out of a hat on January the 25th then I'll contact you via your blog (or leave me an email address) to post it to you.



Good luck!

Edit: Thanks Cathie (aka M.E)! It works and now my post is in the right place.

Delayed Blog Giveaway

I am learning new things about blogging all the time. Here's a new one I learnt today: If you don't publish a post straight away, and go and edit and publish it later, it will publish to your blog under the date you started writing it.

I started writing a post of the 15th of December about a blog giveaway, and then I decided that it was a bad time to do it as I was about to go holidaying. So yesterday I published it and today I went and checked my blog and it wasn't there! I found it, of course, on the 15th December.

I presume I could have changed the date to publish yesterday - but that will be next time's step to learn. I certainly can't see anyway to change it now.

So, IF you are interested in a giveaway, and IF you can be bothered to look back to December 15th, then go have a lookie.

And IF anyone knows how to move a blog post date once you've published it, feel free to increase my knowledge base!