I’m Swooning Over My Swoon Quilt

This quilt has been in the pipe line for a very long time.

Camille Roskelly released the Swoon Quilt pattern back in May 2011.  It kind of went viral, along with the various Bonnie and Camille fabric ranges.  I really liked it all and wanted to jump on the bandwagon.

Fast foward to January 2015.  I participated in a fat quarter swap and the fabrics I requested were, not surprisingly, Bonnie and Camille, with the Swoon Quilt in mind.  I received a variety from different ranges, but they all went well together.  I just had to add a couple more to make up numbers.

There were quite a few designs that were striped or directional and I didn’t want those fabrics to look broken up or going in different directions, so I tweaked the block pattern to suit the fabrics.  It turned out well.

Then, it all sat and waited.  I couldn’t decide what fabric to use for the background.  Procrastination at its finest.  Eventually, I found the one I used.  Not a solid white or grey, but with a nice low volume pattern.

I finally made a start in December 2021.  Then, I made blocks on and off during 2022, finally completing the quilt top in January 2023.  I even worked on it at Scrub Stitchin’ in 2022.  You can read about the progress here, here, here and here.  

While piecing the blocks, I had stitched extra half square triangles.  After the top was completed I even started to use those offcuts to start a Leader and Ender project.  Sadly, it hasn’t really progressed from this state.  I will get back to it one day.

Originally, I had considered using the Quilt as You Go method to construct the quilt.  However, after purchasing Monique I changed my plans and intended to quilt it “once I was good enough”.  Another that remained in the “To Be Quilted Queue”.

Now that I am comfortable using Elly May, it was time to finally finish this quilt.  The question was what design to use?  Having looked at lots of Swoon Quilts on line there ares some stunning custom quilted versions using rulers and free motion.  Very, very nice, but not going to happen on this one.  I just want to finally get this quilt finished and be able to put it on our bed. There were versions with swirls, florals and feathers, but none of them really grabbed me.  If not being custom quilted, I felt it needed movement, but the blocks need to be the stars of the show, not the quilting.  

Therefore, once again, I chose to use the Baptist Fan design, which creates a nice texture, with curves to counteract the straight lines, without dominating the quilt.  I’m really happy with how it turned out.  

I used yet another wideback that was sitting in my stash.  I’m really getting through them at the moment. This one worked well with it.

It is a rather large quilt and too big for my resident quilt holder upperer to manage, so I recruited a couple of ladies at my stitching group.

This is a nice fresh quilt to have on our bed in the warmer months.  It will get used straight away.

QUILT INFORMATION

Measurements - 80" high x 80" wide

Pattern - Swoon by Camille Roskelly.  

Fabrics - Bonnie and Camille from Fat Quarter Swap 2015

Quilting Design - Baptist Fan

Batting - Bamboo/Cotton

Backing - Wideback from Spotlight in stash

Thread - Glide - 10000 White

The Continuing Saga of Loading Photos to My Blog

You will recall that last month I posted about my inability to add photos to my blog posts on my iPad since the latest Apple update.  Here is the post, if you are interested.

Well, during our Zoom sewing day on Australia Day, a few of us had a bit of a brainstorming session and came up with a work around.  It is not ideal, as it is slow and cumbersome, but better than nothing.

Of course, if you use any device that is Windows based there is no problem, so using our desktop or laptop computers work fine.  My main issue is for when we travel and I only take my iPad.

The solution is to email your photos to your blog.  Yes, that is something that you can do.  I have never needed to previously, so had to have a crash course.

SET UP ON YOUR BLOG

Firstly, you need to go into the settings on your blog.

• Scroll way, way down until you get to the EMAIL section.
• Click on the POST USING EMAIL heading.
• Click on the SAVE EMAILS AS DRAFT radio button
• You need to create an email address.  The framework is shown in grey text.  It will be your email used in Blogger, with a blank in the middle and then blogger.com.  You select what you would like in the middle section.
• eg. for me: mick.jan.xxxxx@blogger.com (just an example, not my real address).
• This is the email address you send your photos to.
• Click on SAVE.
• That is the set up in Blogger complete.

SENDING A PHOTO TO YOUR BLOG

• I found that I can only send one photo at a time in an email.
• DO NOT select a photo in the photos on your iPhone or iPad and try to email it.  It won’t work.
• You have to CREATE AN EMAIL in your email program and ADD THE PHOTO AS AN ATTACHMENT.
• The SUBJECT LINE of the email creates the TITLE OF YOUR BLOG POST.
• You will be asked if you want to “reduce image photo” or “keep original size”.  I have been keeping original size, but that is a personal preference.
• Give it a couple of minutes for the post to be created.  If you are already in Blogger, I find that sometimes it helps to get out of the program and then back in.
• The photos arrive left aligned and not very large.
• The first thing I do is edit the photo.  I like my photos to be extra large, so I select that first. Then I go in and centre it.
• Even if I don’t want to change the size, it doesn’t seem to allow me to centre the photo until I change the size, so for some logos, I change the size and then change it back again.  Like I said, cumbersome.
• There will also be some text at the end about the email.  I go in and delete that as it is in a different font, as is the blank line before it.
• You can now go and create your text around the photo.

ADDING MULTIPLE PHOTOS

• As I said earlier, I can only send one photo at a time.  To add multiple photos to a post I send each photo as a separate email.  I just put anything for the subject line, usually a random letter or number.
• Once the email has arrived as a draft post in your blog, open the email and COPY the photo.
• Paste into your actual post and edit as above.  As you can imagine, with the number of photos I sometimes include this is a right royal pain.
• Once you have completed your post and you are happy with everything, go into the draft posts with just the extra photos and delete them.

I hope this helps some of you.

Feel free to reach out if you have any questions.

It really is not ideal, but all we have been able to figure out so far.  If anyone has any easier solution I would love to hear it.

Rainbow Scrap Challenge Done For February

I’m happy to have ticked the Rainbow Scrap Challenge blocks off my list for this month.

Firstly, my five black and white potato chip blocks.  They look a bit drab here, but when they are mixed in with the other colours they will look much better.  There will also be a lime green month later in the year, which will add a bit of pizzazz.

Next, I have my three crumb blocks.

And, finally, the solid crosses blocks.  I’m really liking these and think that this quilt will turn out really well.  I can see another version in the future using prints.

I’ll be linking up with So Scrappy at the end of the week.

Green Strip for Betty

It was time to make another strip of scrappy blocks for Betty’s group quilts.

As the colour for Rainbow Scrap Challenge this month is green, it made perfect sense to make a green strip.

Once again, all fabric came from my little scrap tub.  The useful pieces in there are now rather depleted, which isn’t a bad thing.  I think it is nearly time to have a sort through and throw out the really tiny pieces.

I’m linking up with So Scrappy.

Now to finish the actual RSC blocks.

An Adopted Orphan

The things people throw out is sometimes amazing to us that do craft, but for others are just junk that has to be discarded when someone has to move from their home into care at short notice.

This was the story of one lady that lived in the same complex as one of my stitching friends.  My friend literally retrieved many items from a skip bin, all in their project bags.  Some went to op shops, while others were offered to those of us who may be able to finish them off.

I was happy to take this rug, as it won’t take much to get to size to donate to Wrap With Love.  The crochet has been nicely done.  The rug is already long enough and wide enough with three blocks.  I just have to finish off the three extra squares, do a couple of borders and weave in lots of ends.  The lady has joined the blocks with crochet as she went.  It gives a really nice finish and will now be a new technique for me to learn.  

Hopefully, I will have this completed before long.  I’m sure there is plenty of yarn in my tubs to finish it……of course there is.

There were the start of a few more squares, so they may be the starting point of another rug.

A Fun Day Out at the Sunflowers

On Sunday we had our first Fun Day Out together for the year.

Last year, after the event, we heard about a sunflower farm being opened to the public to raise funds for charity.  It was the first year of the event, so when we heard that it was on again this year we put it in the diary to go and have a look see.  Sunday was the day that finally worked for us.

After several days of temperatures in the high 30s and low 40s, Sunday was a bit better, with some rain about the district, not that we received more than a sprinkle here at home. It did however, make some stunning scenery of the summer grasses against the dark sky.

Our first stop was at the pub in Newbridge for a nice counter lunch and a mosey in the craft and bric-a-brac store next door.  Mick found a vintage LP and Wilbur Smith book and I found a metre of 1970s cotton to add to my growing collection.

We knew roughly where to find the sunflowers, at Hobbys Yards, but it wasn’t until you were nearly there that there was any signage.  You can’t see it from the main road, rather you have to turn up a very minor country road.

The story behind this is that the lady owner of the property wanted to plant some sunflowers, so last year they planted five acres, just for fun.  When there was quite a bit of interest, they opened it as a fund raiser.  This year their charity is Motor Neurone Disease, with the aim to raise $1,000.  They are confident of reaching their goal.  So what do they do with the sunflowers after they have finished flowering?  They let their sheep into the paddock and they make short work of eating them all.

When you get there, there is a paddock for parking and just the paddock of sunflowers.  There is an honesty box for donations and a bucket with a couple of pairs of secateurs for you to pick some flowers.  They are open every day from sunrise to sunset.

The flowers are looking a little worse for wear this year, as the weather has not been very kind.  It has been so hot and dry that they are suffering.  However, they are still lovely to visit.

We had a nice wander around.  We were surprised that there were only a couple of other cars in the car park, so you felt like you had the flowers to yourself.

The bees were enjoying themselves.

We took the obligatory selfie.

And picked a small bunch to take home.

It was a lovely way to spend the afternoon.

Our bunch of blooms are making the kitchen look nice and cheerful.  

To cap off a wonderful day, we were treated to a firey sunset.

My February Wishes

February will have a bit more going on than January, so my wishes will be tailored accordingly. 

MY MAIN MONTHLY GOAL

My main goal for the month is to finish my Swoon Quilt.  The top was completed in January 2023. Another quilt that was added to the quilting queue for when I was brave enough to quilt it on Monique. The binding had already been prepared, but there was no backing fabric with it.  Fortunately, there was a suitable wideback in the stash. Now is its time to shine.

RAINBOW SCRAP CHALLENGE AND BETTY BLOCKS

The colour this month is Green.  It won’t take me too long to get these pieced.  I have plenty of green scraps to make the crumb blocks and to make Betty’s strip.

USING ELLY MAY

The Swoon Quilt is the only goal for the month.  It would be nice to do some more, but any will be a bonus.

STITCHING DAYS

I really don’t know what I will work on.  Now that my Christmas tree skirt stitcheries are done I have to made a decision. I’ll let you know at the end of the month.

KNITTING AND CROCHET

Once again, there are no plans set in concrete.  I have a few options that I will consider, but I do want to work on something.

SECRET STITCHING

I have something in the back of my mind that I think I would like to make, so would like to make a start this month.

15  MINUTES A DAY

Of course, I would like to work on something for at least 15 minutes each day.

As you can see, my goals are rather vague and fluid at this stage.  Hopefully, there will be plenty of progress to share as the month progresses.

NON STITCHING WISHES

They are pretty much the same as usual:

1. Try a new recipe.

2. Read a book.  I still haven’t finished the half read one sitting beside my chair.

3. Have a fun day out.

4. Finish my jigsaw.  It didn’t get finished in January.  It really needs to be completed so we can reclaim the dining table.

It is a short month and we will be heading away for a few days, so we’ll see how we go with everything.

Other Happenings in January

Other than stitching, there were a few other bits and bobs happening in the background and I had those other few wishes to achieve.

Let’s start with my wishes.

TRY A NEW RECIPE

Yes, I made the quiche with the wrap instead of pastry.  Very simple, but ticked the box.

READ A BOOK

Well, I never did finish the book sitting beside my chair.  I still need to get back to that one.

However, I did listen to two audio books.  They came up on the list on Borrow Box when I was looking for something else.  They were both very light hearted, but a nice listen.  I have reserved the third in the series and hope it becomes available soon.

They are the Tea Lady series, set in the fashion district in Surry Hills, Sydney in the 1960s.  These are cosy murder stories.  I’m finding I prefer that style rather than gore and guts lately.  An interesting look at how things were back then, and incorporating some current happenings that affected the way we lived.  The narration really made them.  I think the audio books would be better than just reading them.

HAVE A FUN DAY OUT

That didn’t really happen for me, but Mick had one.

While watching Day Four of the Sydney Test Cricket, it became apparent that there would be a fifth day that could prove to be interesting.  At short notice, Mick and his brother decided to drive down and have the day at the cricket.  Despite being a Test Cricket tragic, Mick has never been to one.  They had a fantastic day out.

It was extra special, as it was the last day that Usman Khawaja played for Australia.

We did go for a nice walk along the river, here in town one morning, before it got too hot.

There were a couple of water dragons sitting quietly beside the path.  They weren’t the least bit disturbed by us walking past.

We did notice a lot of corellas having a drink.

COMPLETE THE JIGSAW PUZZLE

That hasn’t happened.  Mick has put in a few pieces, but I have done very little.  I really need to get it done and off the dining table.

On the home front, it has been hot.  Very hot.  We can normally get the occasional day reaching the low 40s C, but we have had over a week of it and also lots in the high 30s.  Add in some hot winds, and the garden is really suffering.  We are fortunate that the orientation of our house means that our living areas are not on the north west side, so cooler than it could otherwise be.

Our garden has been providing zucchinis.  The beans have taken a beating.  They may come good again.  We hope so.  There are lots of flowers.  The tomatoes have pretty much failed.  That seems to be the story right across town.  We are getting enough for eating, but there won’t be enough to make sauce or relish, which is a shame, as we are down to our last bottle of sauce.  We may have to buy tomatoes to make more.  That is not good at all.  Anyway, there is nothing we can do about it.  Just hope for better seasons in the future.

So, that is January in a nutshell.  Now to look foward to February.

Stitching Recap for January

I went into January with some rather lofty stitching goals.  I was hopeful, although not thoroughly confident, that I could tick them off the list, as we didn’t have a lot of plans for the month.

I’m very happy to say that everything was done, and even a little exceeded. That can be put down to a couple of Chooky Zoom sessions, on New Year’s Day, the evening before Australia Day and on Australia Day.  The best way to spend time in exceedingly hot weather.

So, what did I achieve?

(Do you like my button border?  I used to paste one I found on the interweb, but I can’t get it to go into my posts now, so created my own from some of my button collection.)

We’ll start with the new projects that I have already started in 2026.  

These first ones are all projects that will be worked on over the next year.

RAINBOW SCRAP CHALLENGE

I started two new projects, the Black and White Potato Chip blocks and the solid crosses blocks, and have added my crumb pieced blocks to the list.

I am continuing to join in with Betty’s group quilts.  We were requested to make a strip and send to her.  Well, I have ended up making three.  Two have been posted (the blue and purple) and the third will get sent down when I have another to add to the envelope.

I have started another project….of course I have…… It is a little Christmas tree skirt from an Anni Downs kit.  The grand plan was that this would be my hand stitching project for the next little while at my stitching days, starting this month. 

Well, thanks to the Zoom sessions, particularly the one on Australia Day, all the motifs have had their appliqué added and have been stitched.  That is more than expected.  I now have to work out what I do next on the pattern.  The motifs will have to be appliquéd down, but I’m not sure how much I need to do before that stage.

Oh, and I may have had another start as well.  I have been seeing some cute Blossie Baskets by Craftapalooza and there is a stitch along.  Of course I had to join in.  It is a nice, quick, simple project.  I started and had all the hexies stitched at my stitching day on Wednesday.  I finished it off on the last day of the month.  So, that is my first start that has already been finished this year.

That’s five starts already for the year.  That doesn’t look too promising for ending the year with less projects on the go than at the start of the year.

Now to the UFOs that were worked on.

First up, the Spiked Granny Square Rug that has been hanging around for too long was finished.  Now I can start a new knitting project, guilt free.

Then it was time to play with Elly May.  Four quilts have been completed and ticked off the Quilting Queue.

Five and Dime

Secret Garden

William Morris

Wensleydale

Last year, while on a day out, we popped into the op shop at Portland and I purchased this little book for $1.  One of those purchases that you can’t resist, but when you get it home you wonder why, as you probably won’t use it.  Well, I’m using it.  It is perfect for recording the details of all the quilts that I quilt using Elly May.  Size and name of design etc.  It has proved to be just what I needed. Happy dance.

The other UFO that I worked on was my Leader and Ender, being Bonnie Lass.  I managed to make a further 40 units.  I now have 220 of the 392 units made.  I could have made quite a few more, but ran out of cut pieces of fabric.  That needs to be addressed. 

Therefore, other than the Leader and Ender, I’ve concentrated on one UFO at a time, and finished it, which is a nice change.

HOW I FINISHED UP

Five starts for the month.

Six finishes for the month!  I consider anything that was not completed at the end of 2025 to be a UFO.  Therefore, I have completed FIVE UFOs!  My goal is to complete twelve this year. Go me! I only completed five UFOs in all of 2025.  

I now have one less project on the go than at the start of the year.  That’s a good start.

How did I go with my wish of 15 minutes a day?

January =   30/31

Year to date =   30/31 = 96.77%

Not too bad.

Finally, I  managed to empty 4 spools of thread, to add to my pretty jar. 

All in all, January was a very good start to the year.  I am under no illusions that the year will continue to be as productive, but I’ll take a win when I can.