Lookie! Loookie!! I made a cushion.

It was developed from one of my thumbnail sketches.  Up until now, there has been no real correlation between my sketchbook and my textile work, so I'm a little chuffed and hopeful that this is the start of something good.

I had some fun with the back. The buttons are from my tiny button stash which was a very lucky find at one of those discount shops a few years ago. A beautiful and interesting selection.

I did have some hassle with the buttonholes. I can't find the manual for my sewing machine (bloody hell!!) But after 1/2 hour of crazy searching I decided to just jump in and figure it out myself. Worked first time! I LOVE my automatic buttonhole foot thingy now.

I really like the mismatched, unevenly spaced buttons :-)

Before I go, I would like to officially record here that I have finished the first bed quilt I ever started. According to my photo records I finished piecing in late 2004 (I'm sure I started it way before that).

By the time I finished piecing this quilt top I had discovered dyeing and started to have pipe dreams of creating my own designs and perhaps getting into art. I had also just started this blog and soon after learned how to spin and knit. So I sort of fell out of love with the thing.

I couldn't be bothered to quilt it myself either, so at great expense I sent it to a long arm quilter. The quilting is ok but the backing she used isn't very nice (at all!). So it sat in my cupboard waiting for binding for YEARS.

But now we are living in NT we prefer to sleep with a thin quilt and last weekend I noticed that my beloved 'Tasmania' quilt is starting to show wear... so I bit the bullet, made the bias binding (ugh!) and bound the thing!

I quite like it now.

More 'studies' for the hallway.

In the last month I have changed the way I read blogs. After ignoring the idea for yonks, and now out of necessity due to our cruddy internet access, I use an RSS feed compliler.

It has sort of revolutionised the way I spend time on the net and I can read heaps more sites much more quickly. I'm using google reader which is working out very nicely.

Some great blogs which have been added to my blog 'stable' are:

A Stitch in Dye is the blog of Malka from Texas. Beautiful dyed / batiked fabrics. I also love the quilted cushion covers. I'm really starting to become inspired and excited and will definitely get out and do some dyeing soon.

Auntie Cookie is the blog of Shannon from Melbourne . Another fabric designer who writes like I talk, I like that!! I really love the colours she uses in her work and like Malka's blog above, I liked the cusion covers she has made. Does it sound like, maybe, I should be sewing cushion covers to deal with this cushion obsession??!

And a big welcome back to Claire of Loobylu... I missed you and I'm glad you have re-entered blogland!