About Me

- Jan
- Lower Hutt, New Zealand
- I have been stitching forever it seems and now do this just for pleasure,My DH and I are retired so I have lots of time for my hobbies--sewing Gardening and walking my dog. Have 4 grand-kids aged from 18 to 11 One lives in Australia and the others are very close to where we live. Hope to contribute more thru this blog. Kiwi Jan New Zealand
Monday, June 10, 2013
Just trying this out.
Well so far it's working I don't have a photo to try and add that as yet....one thing at a time.
Right now I am in Melbourne Australia ...aa surprise for my daughter ...who had a big birthday surprise evening out arranged for her... We went to Draculars for dinner and their show..a very good night out must admit to ringing in my spears for some time after.
We now have a week staying at my daughters in Scorsby
I will try and add some photos later if this goes thru ok.
More later
Kiwi Jan
Friday, May 10, 2013
White and Stripy quilt
Some time ago at Pinestream Quilters club night I won three pieces for fabric. Pale and pretty, one was flowery, one stripsof colour and the other spots. I took them out of the cupboard many times but they did not sing to me. Then one day tral lah lah I added more pale fabrics plus a main background white----I decided to use the technique quilt as you go. Sewing the strips direct on to the batting and backing.
But first was to play with these strips on my design wall.
these are not sewn yet just pinned., ready to stitch—oh dear not enough need to cut and pin more.Before I could start sewing to the backing I had to make the backing.
Lots more stitching and here we are all finished
Back
and a little label
This is another quilt suitable for a little person. Very little!! Crib size .
Thanks for looking
Kiwi Jan
Jan Cotton
Quilts for little people
Kia-ora to whoever is reading, Fudge and I have been busy quilt making.
I had been given some fabric off cuts , all these lovely pieces begging to be made into a quilt for a little person. Naturally this meant a trip to the local quilt shop –some yummy stripes caught my eye and I was then all set to go. Lots of pieces, lots of measuring, trimming, sewing, pressing and the quilt was finished.
The blocks left over were used for the backing of this wee quilt for a little person
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In all the years I have been quilting possibly around 15 or so I have never made a Eye Spy Quilt and now was the time.
Small problem. I did not have the fabrics needed. Being quilters we help each other out with swapping fabric –I helped out a couple of friends and they helped me out with the Eye Spy fabrics. Many thanks you two, you know who you are.
I did have the fabric for the corner blocks and away we went again, Fudge and I. Lots of cutting and stitching and pressing and measuring and more sewing and the Eye Spy quilt took shape.
Among the fabrics given me was the delightful fabric I used on the backing. I am sure a little person will have much fun Eye Spying this quilt
Of course there were blocks left over and I felt a big pillow case would be great –to help the little person sit up or ---
The backing of the pillow case is the same as the edge’s on the front.
Thanks for looking at my stitching –more to come.
Kiwi Jan
Jan Cotton
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Sunday, April 28, 2013
My Mark
At Queenstown Symposium 2011 -- the classes I took were all hand work. There was no way I was taking Fudge with me – she would have taken all my luggage allowance not going to happen. So Fudge stayed at home –while Irene and I went to Queenstown for a whole week stitching stitching and more stitching!!!
The piece below is the last of my three class samples to be finished.
I have used a piece of old calico that I rusted several years ago. I found some of the rusted marks were in fact in the shape of a heart. So what better shape to use as my mark then a heart.
This wee quilt is my life. Hearts joined , new hearts added ,hearts broken,colours represent my family and are colours that played big time in my life. Blue for boy that’s easy.Red for Girl red you ask red rag to a Bull!more hearts later in life.It has taken me a while to finish this definitely must be in the right frame of mind to work on this .Not a big quilt but one with feeling.
The top has a Battenberg lace table centre as backing and then is set on a finished quilt both these just happened to be something I had and were exactly the right size.
The label has been tea dyed again by myself.
All the work on this top is hand work. Fudge sat waiting.
The quilt backing was made using Fudge
A special top for a special daughter.
Kiwi Jan and Fudge.
Janome challenge
On the Janome challenge forum one of our challenges was to use take your initials [ two] mine are JC, find two fabrics whose names started with the same initials as your own and make something using just those two fabrics. or use your initials and find a colour that started with them.
Would you believe almost every piece of fabric in my collection did not have a name. Find a colour that started with J!!!! C was easy Cream comes to mind.
OK lets go shopping and this is what I came up with.
I chose the black and white and the coloured stripes and decided to make a pin cushion. One can never have too many pin cushions ---can they!!
These Janome challenges –are one every month and sometimes we have little ones in between . The challenge is to actually do these we are not judged in any way but have to complete so many challenges each year to stay in the Forum.One learns such a lot when involved in these challenges.
again thanks for looking.
Kiwi Jan and Fudge.
i Pad case.
Yes at last I relented and want versus need won. I have a i Pad and love it but admit to using my laptop for some things like my blog.Mainly I guess because I am more confident on my laptop – the i Pad is very touchy haha!Of course I had to make a case for it and what better colour then green and again used Fudges Deco stitches as embellishment
First photos -- the back
Flap opened up
Next photo are the front with i Pad inside and case open
Last photo is front of case closed
Goes with my green accessory bag—s!!!so now what else have Fudge and I been making!!!
Check out it out
Thanks for looking at our stitching.
Kiwi Jan and Fudge.
Fudge and I have been busy.
Kia-ora or hello, as the title suggests Fudge and i have been busy sewing up a storm as the saying goes.Since finishing Kerri's and Alexa-Mays bag we have been away to a family wedding in Queenstown and had several visitors.In between i have kept Fudge busy with different projects and started a online free motion quilting class, more on that one much later.
for Christmas made my daughter and daughter in law sets of place mats photo coming and my DIL asked me to make her a oven mitt to match. Sadly no fabric the same anywhere so with a little improvising here is her oven mitt, the red strips represent the flower on the placemat.My DIL was delighted.
I have been working on a accessory bag one to keep chargers and batteries, and cords and all things that are required to help run these electronic gadgets we all love.
When going away I thought it would be great if they had their own bag. Took me a while to perfect the pattern one of my own and maybe it will become a good bag for a class at my local quilt club
The first one I used Deco stitches on Fudge.[Janome 6500]
The next ones were for a Janome forum challenge using crazy pieced blocks and again embellishing with Deco stitches .I had to do a little improvising here again as my blocks were a little small –I added a piece across the top and bottom to make it big enough for this bag.
These ones are for one of my stitching friends. Some time ago Jann stitched these scraps together and then had no idea what to do with it. I said I would make something out of it. Must admit it took me a wee while to think about what to make.
this is the sample for a class hopefully and I made one the same fory friend in Florida. no its not pieced –super fabric which I quilted using a sparkly thread.
the bag has a shaped side, when looking at it sideways its rather like a waist line across the middle of the side.A little unusual but a good size for those electronic bits we have to take away orkeep in one place at home.
Enough on bags for now.
Who likes my Accessory bag?
Thanks for checking out my blog.
Kiwi Jan and Fudge.