Lulu Carter

my swoony bed

Its done! I must admit to being a little bit in love with my bed right now

those corner scraps that get cut off? I couldnt bear to waste them

my scrappy binding that I am so in love with

Ihad to stop for days at a time due to the punctures in my finger tips. I should use a thimble. I know I should. Its just faster to keep going you know? She says.

have you noticed how the baby is everywhere these days?? does......not......stop......moving

The Monster Quilt

Now a sensible person would have shot this before it was strung up too high to get a good angle. This is not what happened as, after months and months of quilt work/angst/co-ordinating and tossing in the corner in spectacular denial, I was so eager to get it out of our house that I tucked in that last thread, rolled over it with the defluff sticker roll and popped its head on a stick. So to speak.

The corners are our music banner broken up. The applique and embroidery on these pieces are some of my favourites. Probably because I was starting to think it looked like a giant school uniform.

This is the back although its more of a second front. There is a large cedar tree that is as old as the school and I felt that was a beautiful way to represent the growth and nurturing that lives within the school. Back in the day, our school was known in the community as 'The Friendly School'. How lovely.

I asked the younger children to do some drawings for me which I then embroidered onto this side. I do love the giant pigeon!

I then hung books from the tree and popped a friendly face on.

Everyone is so happy with the finished piece which is such a relief. I had started to get really anxious about the design.Some wonderful helpers worked on this at the beginning and helped me bring my design to life. Lots of sore fingers! Aside from the actual piecing together, the entire quilt is hand sewn. A very slow process but worth it!

Time to get back to the Swoon!

xxx

 

Swooning bigtime

Having never made from a quilting pattern before this was an excercise in following instructions. Not my strong suit. Even with a clothing pattern I tend to , shall we say, venture off the beaten track? Cant help it-its my background.

I have been diligently measuring, cutting, lining up and sewing these enormous blocks and they are making me so happy. Really. Its ridiculous. They're also making me terribly happy because making these means I am not working on the school sesqui quilt.

Thats called denial.

Denial can be a beautiful thing.

You get swoon blocks.

The background is Robert Kaufman quilters linen in grey. Can not tell you how much I love this. Its gorgeous. I knew I wanted grey rather than white but I also didnt want a flat grey. This linen look is perfect.

The fabrics are a mish mash as commitment gives me the heaby jeabies. I cannot be faithful to a range. 

I have mixed Anna Maria Horner with Kaffe Fasset and Sarah Fielke, then there is Amy Butler, Heather Bailey and some randoms picked up from Calico and Ivy in the pile waiting.

 

 

Lily pads for Blossom

Have a gorgeous weekend won't you! I'm playing with all kinds of 'pretty' over here and I'm not budging.

quilty love

I finished Charlies quilt the other night. Putting the top together was fast if you remove the enormous indecision (if I put this print here,will that over-ride this one and does that blue really work against this one and are there too many rabbits). Hmm. Stitching all those rows was not so fast. I am SO pleased with it though and glad I quilted more than I had originally thought I would.

I'm waiting for the big boys to ask where their baby quilts are. In my head??  They were seven before they got their first quilts. I always thought a baby quilt lifespan was too short to justify the fabric usage. Perhaps more a fear that I would use loved prints, the quilt would become too small in break neck speed, and then I would be unable to get much loved fabric anywhere at all. This time around I intend to make all the things I wished I had for the other two. Charlie is in danger of being swamped in handmade motherly love. Mel made the beautiful remark that this quilt is so very "me" that it will be as though he is all wrapped up in a mummy cuddle. Isnt that the most gorgeous thing to say? For me thats exactly what a quilt is for. Something to keep someone warm and safe and wrapped in love.

The big boys are now at the stage of more mature quilts for their beds. Especially Henry although he disagrees. Maybe I'm the one ready to make a more mature quilt?

I really find fabric turnaround waay more stressful than trying to keep up with fashion. Ive learned my lesson-if you see a top you love buy it. Fabrics I'm a little slower to remember not to wait. But it and but several yards because when its gone-poof. Gone. The back of this quilt is AMH garden party.You might remeber that I was hunting desperately for it last year to finish off our quilt? Well theres a discount fabric store that I didnt know existed! Isnt that always the way? Amy seems to know where to find pretty much any fabric i think. 

This quilt is also less gender specific. I couldnt help but think that it will never be used again once Charlie's done with it so I'll put it aside for his babies. Thats the Aquarian in me. Its diabolical this 'over thinking' business.

Next on my list is a hexagon garden quilt for my niece, then the Swoon quilt. Yes I will actually be following a pattern with that one. A miracle.

Are any of you swooning? Katy has a Swoon-along going if youre interested.

How are you enjoying my other blog? Anything youd like me to hunt for sepcifically of see less or more of?

If you need me I'm here.

I cant believe I just put this photo on here. It makes me realise how desperately I need to go to the hairdresser!

xxx

manic ticking over here

Hello! Thank you for your emails.Nothings happened yet- I've just been pacing myself. Fever pitch hit last week and the other day found myself dusting the top of cupboards (suuuch a cliche) and fossicking through the roof storage for throwouts and the like.

I am managing to get through the list a little, which is a relief.

So far:

A birthday present delivered and a happy little girl frocked up.

 

A top for me in my favourite Liberty print.

I finished the monster.

 

Tree skirt complete.

The all important pram chain.

Organised a bit of baby space.

A rattle snake -because babys need knitted goods of all kinds.

Outfits for the home journey.

 

Sling made and saddle bag adopted for baby usage.

The beach was rediscovered after the cold winter.

And bump is still here!

So with less than two weeks to go, I am well and truly at the end of the road and a newish path will begin.Wow.

I must say, I cannot wait to meet these great big feet that like to reach around my side and drive me crazy!

xxx

 

Movie Night quilt

A long time ago in May, I went away for a heavenly weekend with Belinda, Mel and some other fabulous women.

During that weekend , after I had made the requested pajamas and robe and oohhhed and ahhhed over everyone elses sewing goodness, I knealt on the floor and cut out some squares.

Not sure what I'm doing here, I remember thinking. Not sure that I like this fabric  ( purely because everyone else did-slap me ). But I cut and I pieced and by the time I came home I had the beginnings of a quilt for..... for what? I wasnt sure.

The boys didnt need another. I didnt want to make something for the baby yet which was still very new and I didnt want to make it and give it away because, to be honest, once those squares were all happily side by side, I completely loved this fabric.

So movie night quilt was born.

Every Saturday,give or take, we rent a movie for us all to enjoy and make far too much caramel popcorn and something easy for dinner. The boys and I all squish on the sofa snuggled up and husband settles into his big old chair and we enjoy family movie night. We've done this for over a year now and its a lovely family treat. Up until now, the only with a quilt for snuggling was the person in the chair!

But this quilt has languished on my shelf next to the one I started for our bed.

Until I wrote my list that is.

You know those great big scary hairy lists you write before your baby is born? All the things you simply must get done because you cant see them happening if you leave them until after the arrival??

Yep. One of those lists.

So I am in tick off mode and this is the first cab off the rank. Just now.All washed and completely crumpled (I need a dryer!) just for you.

Although none of that explains why there is a reclining bunny in some photos and much less, why he is sporting a bowtie. I think he needs some pants........

xx

 

pootling

I love that word.It was the word used to describe skirt and sandal wearing leisurely upright bicycle riding by a friend recently.In my mind it applies to so many moments in life.Early morning market strolling, coffee in hand and pastries in basket.Afternoons at the park enjoying the warmth of the sun and doing,well,not much at all.Tinkering around in the kitchen cooking something not tried before or curled up on the sofa with the cat and some knitting.Pootling.Perfect."To go in a relaxed and leisurely manner".

So,thanks to two very generous ladies,Louise and Sheridan,I got back to the slow and steady pootling act of finishing my quilt top.

I appreciate the help of all those who had a hunt for those fabrics! 

Now to begin the backing.

Have a wonderful weekend.I am very excited to be heading off to these markets tomorrow which happily enough coincide with a regular food market.

And I will indeed be pootling.I hope you get to do the same.

flash

Thats how time travels.Whoosh and another month has gone by.Do your feet touch the ground? Do we notice how fast the year is going already and yet we've only just begun it?

I feel like I am chasing my tail some days just to keep up.Still.I managed to spend a whole lot of money at completely rebuilding the insides of my machine- although when using it I can still smell the carnage from that afternoon.

Thank you all so so much for your suggestions!!

Do you know not one of you suggested a Husqvarna which is the old beast I use? I thought that was very funny.In the end it was just cheaper to get this old dame redone than buy a new basic machine and, because really we all lust after the fancy pants machines that do everything just shy of make cups of tea and feed the cat,it made sense for now to do just that.Which meant one month without a sewing machine.

You don't miss something until you can't have it do you.All my wool love that was oozing from the couch suddenly became an aching desire to push my foot down on that pedal.

Sigh.Actually it was more of a grrrrrr.

So I began a little tv folly.

Until I got back the old dame.I began a quilt for our bed.This has been a half hearted desire for some time but I put so much pressure on the fabric choices and the design (wanting to try something more challenging and dare I say "mature") that of course all I did was over think myself into a corner and not start at all.Do you do that?

Then I made a decision.To just start.

So I have.And I LOVE working on this quilt.I have now run out of two of the fabrics as I used much loved older prints (why do that to yourself?).So day is fabric hunt day.

And tomorrow is of course a long tv marathon.Will you join me on the couch for the wedding? If you are lucky enough to be having a street party do tell! I would love to hear the details.

Until then lovely ladies.xx

 

This is how tomorrows birthday boy is spending his last ever day as a six year old.Sick!

While I watch and wait and take temperatures, a batch of these are in the oven.For me you understand.To keep my strength up.

Anyway he has to be better in the morning as there is enough STAR WARS lego lurking in my 'not such a secret anymore' secret treasure trove to launch a whole new epic adventure.

Be honest though-its the quilt hand stitched by his mother that will be most loved and squealed over.Right??

Ok I'm off to pop this on the back of the birthday quilt.Happy as.
 

 

And then I intend to merrily burn my fingers on some raspberries : )

xx