English Paper Piecing

The Paper Piecing for the 4 larger blocks with this design are now finished. I changed the fabrics around quite a bit before I appliqued them to the background. Some fabrics work so much better than others when it comes to fussy cutting them.
The next 4 blocks have applique.

I've also started on my Antique Prairie Rose quilt. I finally found a green I liked.

It is Moda's Bella Solid - Fig Green and after a couple of days cutting  all the pieces out I have the 1st block ready to sew.  The yellow pieces in the three top flowers are reverse applique so they will finish with a lot less red showing. It measures 28" X 29". 

Progress

I've made a lot of progress on my Antique Sampler. The 9 large blocks have been reversed appliqued and I'm onto making the centres for them.

The 3rd one I'm working on.

These are the 64 small blocks waiting now for centres too. I made 2 of each fabric so the quilt will have every colour in it.

The fabric removed from the centres is used for the 'pennies' that are on the outer border. I got them cut and put the paper behind a few.  A good job to be doing when there's something I want to watch on the TV.

I had kept an old magazine with the page marked of this block made with this background fabric and knowing I had some thought I would make it one day. In the magazine it had been framed. I made the block up a while ago and using my fabric glue stick had stuck it up on the door of my cupboard in the sewing room to be able to see it while I thought what I was going to do with it.

Here is the result. I used every last scrap of the fabric I had and the handles have numerous seams to make them long enough.

ps. I won't tell you how many bags I have in every shape size and colour.

A Wonderful Day out

Today was the Castlemaine Applique Society's quarterly meeting and the show of quilts was magnificent. Here are a few of them.

A Sarah Morrel quilt

Megan's quilt was made with Dutch Chintz fabrics.

This was made with tiny bow tie blocks.

The English Basket quilt

Scrappy Clam Shells

Bev's Red & White quilt

We ate, we talked, we sewed, and I won one of the raffle prizes. Barb Adams and Alma Allen's book,  A Schoolgirl's Work. It has photographs and the history of Samplers from the Spencer Museum of Art and also contains projects to make that have been inspired by the samplers. The samplers were made in the 1700 - 1800's and I look forward to spending time reading all about them.

Something New

The buds on my Lily have opened to these spectacular flowers. They are 8" across and the stemens are the green of the stem.

I joined the BOM from Canton Village Quilt Works. The button on the left should take you there. Each month a different blog has the pattern but they have all used the same 5 fabrics. I had a  'layer cake' of the Rounneries fabric and decided to use them. These are the first 2 blocks.

I bought this pattern and have started making it. There is a lot of reverse applique which I have only ever done a little of but I have to say it is very quick and I'm enjoying the change.

The other quilt pattern I want to make is this one, I found it in an old Australian AP&Q. Look at the size of those stems! The quilt pattern was done by Kate Knight and she has told me the flower centres and the vases were yellow but have faded. I will be making mine with a yellow fabric. I have ordered Bella Solid Ivory for the background and I'm awaiting it's arrival.