January Efforts

Well January has gone and I didn't write another blog post altough the intention was there on many occasions. I just need to be more disciplined.
I did however have some finishes which I am happy about.

I'mFirst up is a Stripie Quilt for my soon to be born great,great nephew. My great niece is expecting her first baby in March. She is very particular about what she likes and dislikes so I got her to choose fabrics from the stash. Love how it turned out and the look of the quilting on the flanalette backing. I had pieced this before Christmas and quilted and bound it in January .

After a busy time before Christmas with family issues then going to Australia over the festive season I needed somthing quick to get me back into the sewing room and onto the longarm so I was in the groove when I started customers quilts. I had purchased a Black and White Jellyroll on holiday so added some red and voila a Jellyroll Race 2 quilt- pattern from Missouri Star Quilt Company.

The only fabric that suited and I had enough of for the backing was a black fabric and I quilted it in a red thread. Pattern is Diamonds are forever by Patricia Ritter and I love how it turned out. Unfortunately I don't seem to be able to get a photo to show the black properly.

I also quilted a customer quilt with the same pattern but neglected to take a photo.
I also managed to finish sewing the top for another of the Elephant Quilts I have made before using the free pattern Paisley Splash from Wyndham Fabrics. This is number four and I have one more to do. Again the customer (a work colleague) chose the elehant fabric and the black and the rest is from the stash. I love making these quilts and they all turn out differently.

Now to quilt it.

Off to the machine.
Happy Quilting
Marlene 

The Year of 2017

Welcome to 2018. A year to return to blogging after a years absence.  

For those who may be visiting for the first time  Welcome. I live in New Zealand in a small town about an hour south of Auckland. I work in a large, very busy hospital 3 days a week as a midwife. On the other days I am on the golf course or eiter at the sewing machine or longarm quilting. I have a trusty companion in the form of Maisie, my 7 year old cat whoappears from nowhere the minute the longarm starts.

Feel free to skip through quickly as these photos are for my record but hope you enjoy a glimpse of 2017.

2017 was a mixed year for me but in it all I made some great new friends in quilting.

I have renamed my blog from CatsandCapers to honour my Black, Fatcat aka Bella who I sadly had to have put down in Jan at the age of 17. I  have also started quilting for others, on a small scale, and called my services Blackcat Quilting

MI

Bella

Feb saw me in Australia for my brothers 60th birthday. He has cancer but is holding up well, and better than predicted, and next month will see his 61st.

Sister, Brother, Me on right.

In March I got gorgeous little Marlow from the rescue centre in our little town. She had the most lovely personality but could never meow or purr, and her back legs never workedas they should. I had her checked 4 times at the vets who declared her normal. Very sadly in Sept she had an aspiration pneumonia  (probably due to an abnormality in her throat the vet finally declared) and she had to be put down. She had a great 6 months with me and was loved by all who met her. My 7 year old cat never ever liked her and now is the most loving thing, so obviously wants to be an only cat.

Marlow

July saw be in Bali at a Quilting Retreat hosted by Wacky Jacky of Australia. Wow what a wonderful 10 days of Batik fabric making and dyeing, cooking class, snorkeling, sightseeing and best of all new friends. I was the only Kiwi but hey people to visit-mini reunion at the end of March.

View from villa

The Master helping draw my outline with wax

After many dye baths the finished product. Now stapled on a canvas and hanging on wall.

Next up printing our own fabric.

We chose our piece of dyed fabric and our design that was then dipped in hot wax and stamped all over the fabric.  The fabric was then overdyed with our colour coice then the fabric was rinsed off in boiling water.

Finished piece although colour washed out here.

Our last fabric experience was painting a pre waxed design. The fabric was white and we painted the designs the choe our background colour and painted that.

Getting a helping hand

Moving on to September and it was off to the New Zealand Quilting Symposium in Christchurch.  I went with a group of eight, most of whom I had never met before and we had a fantastic time. This is an event that is held every two years and lasts for five days. You register your choice of classes and hope you get what you wish for. I did such a happy dance to get into Jacquie Gerings two day Design with Lines class-oh my that was so much fun. Jacquie is such an amazing woman and a fantastic teacher.

Next was a class with Luke Haynes on Log Cabins.

 We started by sewing wedges together then folded, cut, folded, cut then sewed.

My piece coming together

My final class was an Animal Thread Painting class with Sonya Prchal,  a Kiwi artist and this was such fun and something I had never done befor. We sent Sonya a photo and she printed it on fabric and sent us a list of the coloured threads we needed. I chose to do a Cockatoo, a bird I love to see and hear when I visit  Australia. Love how this turnec out.

I have just returned from spending Christmas in Australia with family and friends so now ready to start 2018. Back to my job as a midwife at the end of the week.

Wishing you all a happy healthy and productive 2018.

Start to 2017

I know I'm a few days late but HAPPY NEW YEAR to all my blogging friends.
I worked in my midwifery job again over the New Year and had a New Years Day to remember when I had the priviledge to deliver a set of undiagnosed twins- a healthy boy and girl. We did have a good laugh with the mum when she said 'this only happens in movies! I feel like this is all a movie and we are in it'!!

I have been so impressed reading blogs and seeing how so many have already completed projects in 2017. Well Done everyone. I am not one that makes goals of projects to complete as would rather just go with the flow, so we will see what this year produces.
 I have not spent any time in the sewing room so far this year, but hope that will change in the next week. I have however spent time on my longarm instead ( and that lives in the garage!).

This is the backing of a customers quilt and is rather hard to see but it this is quilted with a lovely pantograph called Whirls and is done in an orange Glide thread called Mars. This is the first time using this panto but I love it so need to make a quilt just so I can use it again.

The front of the quilt is a Jellyroll Race and the photo of that does not show the quilting at all.

The first time I quilted this, it was not until it came off the frame that it was obvious there were alot of pokies on the back so days of ripping followed. There had benn blue variegated thread on top and black on the back. We changed to her second colour choice and all is now good.

On the machine now is a quilt made by my sister, for her 18yr old granddaughter. The pattern is the Disappearing Hourglass from the Missouri Star Quilt Co. It is 75 1/2 inches wide and 89 inches long.

Quilting with pantograph Leaflet by Lorien Quilting and using Glide thread in colour Shadow (both chosen by my sister). Probably two more passes and it will be finished.

Now it's back to three shifts in my midwifery job before I can return to the quilting.

Thanks for visiting.

Moving Forward.

Wishing you all a Very Merry Christmas and look forward to 2017 and all the quilting fun that will involve.

I hope you all have a great festive season with the ones you love and that 2017 brings you good health and happiness.

I have been MIA on the blog for a couple of months as have been very busy both with work, quilting and playing in alot of Christmas Golf Tournaments and family visiting. Time on the computer has been minimal but thought I would do a quick post before the festive season, in which I will be working and welcoming new ones into the world.

A little of what I have been up to. In November I was a pattern tester for Joanne over at Canuck Quilter for her pattern that she has just released-Tic Tac Who?

The pattern includes the choice of an owl, a duck or a dog. Joanne gave the option of which block to do and we could make either just the block or the quilt. I was lucky that I was able to make the owl and although ther are alot of very small pieces, Joannes instructions and illustrations make everything very clear and easy to follow.

I used my stash to make this blue take on the quilt and used fat quarters rather than yardage. This now sits in the pile waiting to be quilted.

If anyone wants a quilt for a little one I would highly recommend this pattern. I will definitely make another one.

I have been busy quilting some customer quilts and totally underestimated the time it would take to custom quilt one of them but loved it when it was finished as did it's owner. This was the first quilt she had ever sent out to a longarmer so I was very nervous.

Here is a sneak peak until I ask her if I show the whole quilt.

.

Another thing that has takenn up time is that I have sold my Funquilter- I noe have my Nolting Pro so the Funquilter was not being used. I have new neighbours and her mother is a quilter ( and is now my new quilting friend) and saw the machine and so I said why not come I will show you how to use it. This is her first ever quilt on a longarm-and what a great job she did.

She loved the machine and has now bought it and it is installed at her house. She lives in the same town as I do, so I have been visiting  and helping  her out and we are having alot of fun.

That is a quick catch up and photos of some of my latest activites.

Wishing you all a very Happy Holiday Season. Take care and keep safe

October Finish

My October OMG was to sew these fabrics into a quilt top.

Not only did I achieve that but it is now quilted and bound and although finished  I am not in love with it. Sandra over at www.mmmquilts.com suggested it may be that the orange is too bright and until she said that I hadn't seen it but I think she is right. My sister saw it today and thought it didn't pop as the focus fabrics are all too similar so fade together. Looking at it now I think it is both those but it is finished, it is not a disaster and it will keep a little one warm on cold days and nights so all is not lost.

It is quilted with Glide thread in Seafoam, and a Pantograph called Cascade by Lorien Quilting and quilted up nicely.

And of course a Dot Minkee fabric in light green o the back.

Back Again

Oops been awhile but here is a little of what I have been up to on the quilting front. Life, gardening and a little golfing trip away all happened. After weeks of rain the sun is shining  and so it is time for the garden makeover for summer. Yay I love summer!
So back to the quilting-
This gorgeous pile of Batik Charm squares arrived on my doorstep after a long journey from USA-think they must've travelled right around the world to get here as they took a while after posting to arrive.
Going back to before Bloggers Quilt Festival there was a Shadow Block Mini Quiltalong that was run by Janice at Color, Creating and Quilting and while I didn't participate I did comment on a couple of blogs. Then one morning I got an email that I  had won a giveaway-but hey I haven't entered any giveaways so I  thought it was Spam mail!!! It turned out that there were some giveaways for those who commented (I didn't read that part!!) and I won these wonderful charms from Jennifer at Dizzy Quilter and look at the wonderful card that was included as well.. Thank you so much Jennifer and to Janice.

For those who have visited before this may be a 'I've seen that before ' moment but this is the second quilt that I have made in this pattern and colour way (by request) but this one is quilted differently to the first. (it does lie flat just not in this photo)The woman I made it for is about to become a grandmother for the first time and she loves it.

 Nice pink dot minkee on the back

Then this is a peak at the customer quilt that was on the machine for awhile and I can say it is now in the hands of the recipient who let me know she loves it, which always brings a sigh of relief.

My October OMG is now a top (and being quilted) but I can't say that I am in love with it. I have used these fabrics in a Strip Quilt and thought it was great but this design doesn't do it for me. The colours in this photo are a bit washed out and it was a battle with the wind to take a photo.

Soft green dot minkee for the backing and Glide thread in Seafoam.

So that's the rap for now. I'm off out into the garden while the sun is shining. Back to work tomorrow and then we have rain forecast so hopefully I get the garden finished today.

I'll leave you with the first Passionfruit Flower on my vine this season-

I'm hoping for many more followed by the fruit.

Happy Quilting

Thank You for visiting.

OMG October

Getting in just under the wire.
My plan for this month is to turn these  fabrics-left over from other projects-into a Plus Quilt for a baby due very soon.