Christmas in the sun.

To all my blog followers Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.

Sunshine and blue skies for Christmas. We are expecting 5 days over 30C and Christmas Day - 35C

                            
I made a small wallhanging from Cheri Payne. She has the pattern free on her FB Friendship Group.
It is cotton and wool and needs to be sandwiched and quilted.

November already.

This year has flown, the shops are full of Christmas already.
I often wonder if the biscuits and cakes, on sale now, will be
stale in eight weeks' time. November for me is Birthday time,
there are five in the family to celebrate before I think about
Christmas.

Meantime, I have been sewing. A new bag by Yoko Saito.

I bought her new book and there are several quilts and bags

I'd like to make.

I don't normally hand piece but as each block had curved pieces it was necessary this time. The first few blocks took quite a while to make until I work out the best way to join all of the block pieces together. Several of my Taupe fabrics frayed at the edges which did not help but by the last 5 blocks I was hand piecing the curves and sewing the straight seams on my sewing machine.
Here are photos of both sides.

Another project I've been working on is Lori's Madder Mystery quilt from Humble Quilts .
It has been a joy to make using my Madders both light and dark with Shirtings. I still have the half-square-triangle's border to attach around the outside.
Close ups of two of the blocks.

And the quilt itself.

It's so good to finish

Another border sewn. The leaves always take some time to sew, but I like how they look.

and then the final border. I think this is the perfect place to use the Pillar print.

The next top has been on the go for many, many years. I started these blocks 10, maybe 12 years ago and found each one to take quite a number of hours to needleturn so it only got pulled out when I had nothing else to sew. After getting it out a couple of weeks ago and finding I only had two and a bit to finish it I set to and got them done. All the fabrics are from the Lancaster County III and unfortunately I have now discovered all the reds bleed. When the weather improves it will go into the washing machine with a bundle of Colour Catchers and fingers crossed.

A sewing machine project with some bright and modern fabrics. So much brighter than it looks here. 50 made and 50 to go. I need to decide if I sash the blocks or not and what colour to use. The same background grey if I need it larger or a colour or white. Mmm.

There's been a bit of progress on a few items.

Back in March I finished making this quilt, Mrs Millar's Journey and sent it off to be quilted.

Absolutely beautiful, with the centre detailed and feathers around and between the applique.

I entered it into my Guild quilt show. The photo has turned out rather dark but it lets you see the whole quilt.

This is a quilt by Wendy Williams and the pattern has been/is available in the Quiltmania magazine month by month. I bought the whole pattern just before the magazine started having it. The  designer made the original quilt with wool felt.

I had intended to make it using the hand dyed and felted wool that I have, but then decided to make it using my Japanese Taupes so it has ended up totally different with the needleturn applique.

I only took 2 photos while I was making it, which is most unusual for me. One after I had finished the first half and one as I was about to sew the binding on.

I made the pattern in two pieces so that it was easier to applique without having a handful of material to hold all the while.

This is the second photo hanging up outside while the sun was shining. 

 and the last photo was taken at the quilt show where I won the ribbon for Best Use of Colour. This was so exciting and totally unexpected.

   

Busy Sewing.

I started making the Ann Randall quilt last year, just sewing a bit of it now and then. The pattern is by Rhonda Pearce. I don't have any photos of the centre while it was being sewn, so I start with the finished centre. The pattern has sawtooth borders around the edge of each section  but I decide to make mine a solid sashing in dark brown and I'm pleased with how it looks. 

The tumbler border added, after a bit of fussy cutting.

                               The second border.

                             and the third border.

I'm working on the next border which is the same as the second border but as it's bigger it has so many more  leaves and it will take a bit of time to do.  I like to work on a few things at the same time.

At long last

I discovered if I deposit my camera roll photos on my blog into the Picasso Web Album I can then post them straight into my blog. Yay!

My first photo is the centre of a quilt which is a pattern from the Jane Leary book recently available in shops here. The centre 'chintz' fabric is an old piece I bought from Mary Koval while she was here in Australia, the borders are large and really shows off the beauty of several fabrics

Here is a current photo. I still have one border to add but it is already large and I would like more wide than length at this stage. To give you an idea of the size of the borders, the flying geese on the outside are 10" long and 5" wide. Enormous but quick to make. It is over 80" square at the moment.

I have finished the Crib Quilt and it is now hanging up. I thoroughly enjoyed making this small quilt.

I spent the weekend, Friday to Sunday at Millrose Cottage in Ballan with 10 sewing friends. We had a wonderful time filled with sewing,chatter, laughter and food. Shopping next door at the Millrose quilt shop was a dream as they have a large selection of my favourite Japanese Taupes. This is a bundle of  my fabric shopping.  I also bought some light cream linen for use as a background. I just need to find a pattern.

I haven't worked out how to turn the photos round yet. That's my next job!

Now that I know how to load photos again I hope to show you my other pieces soon.

It's been a while.....

and I've been busy sewing but my photos won't show up when I send them from my IPad to my Pictures on the computer. I also can't get them to go to a new Post when I try to write the blog
with the IPad. Why when they are photos I took with the IPad, I have no idea.

2015 BOM

Here is a photo of my Sue Spargo 2015 BOM. It was very enjoyable to make but a lot of work each month. I finished it off by hand quilting it and in the borders used one of Sue's variegated blue threads.

Here are a few individual photos. Each month we received the pattern for 3 blocks and wool for the background and the animals, flowers, houses etc. Each block is 6" square and there are 30 blocks.

Some of the pieces couldn't be sewn until the next block was joined as they crossed over the seam.

I have never sewn so many bullion stitches. One of the trees had 98 bullions.

I learned to sew many new and varied embroidery stitches.

I'll add some more photos when I've worked out the Windows10. Trying to download from my camera is almost impossible. Somehow yesterday Windows 10 started on our computer and I'm stuck with it and it's hassles and how slow it starts up. etc. etc. etc. 

Doll Quilt Swap

Here is the Doll's quilt I received today from Beverley. We took part in Lori's, Humble Quilts blog, Swap which she arranges each year.
I love how a simple 9 patch can look so good and the fabrics are lovely.
Thank you Bev so much and thank you Lori for all your hard work setting the swap up.

 

 

 

Golden

Australian Uncovered.

The exhibition of 28 Australian quilts are now on show at the Rocky Mountain Quilt Museum.
 I was delighted to be asked by Janet O'Dell for one of my quilts, the Civil War Bride's quilt, being shown along with 27 other quilts from different Australian quilt makers.
I hope if you live in the vicinity of Golden, Colorado you will be able to visit and see the exhibition.

Time Flies when I'm busy Sewing

I've had a picture of a 1830 Crib quilt stuck on the door of a cupboard in my sewing room for years. I took the photo when I saw it in a book as it really appealed to me.

 

 

I was delighted when I saw that Susan Smith of Patchwork on Stoneleigh had drafted a pattern for the little quilt. This is what has been keeping me away from the computer, as I just had to make it there and then. I have thoroughly enjoyed making this quilt over the last few weeks. I had Susan's pattern reduced in size because I wanted it to be a little quilt. Here is mine, the background is a very pale cream, not white, as it looks here.

 

 

Another project I have started. I've been going through and throwing out old patterns, magazines and books no longer wanted and came across this pattern from a magazine that I had kept, as I had intended to make it for my Grand daughter. I'd ever bought the fabric for it. The project has grown somewhat as I now have three Grand daughters. You guessed it, I now have three to make. I have made one and I'm onto the second one. They are not too fiddly to make. The carry basket comes with a mattress, frilled pillow and a quilt. I think they  will like them as the girls are 4 and 3 years old.

 

Autumn has arrived and the Camellia's are flowering. This one has so many flowers and looks like fried eggs. They don't last long but leave a carpet of white on the ground.

 

 

and the trees are changing. This is a Crepe Myrtle.

Decision made.

Continuing on from my last post.
I decided in the end to switch three of the blocks around. Looking at my quilt like a 9 patch, [ my 9 blocks]  top central was the culprit having it's background fabric upside down to all the other blocks. I left it where it was and moved the left bird block to the bottom centre, the bottom bird block to the right side and the right bird across to the left making all the bird blocks' background face a different direction. Not what was planned but at least it looks better and I'm happy with how it looks. I didn't really have much choice in the end as I didn't have enough of the fabrics to redo it.
Today the borders went on and it is ready for quilting.

 

 

The pattern for Mrs Millers Journey will be available in a month time from the Australian designer, Liz Willing. She has a Facebook page for contact at the moment.

 

 

 

 

Would you re-do - or take the easy way out ?

I finally finished the last corner block for my Mrs Millers Journey quilt. I've trimmed the edges and laid it all out.
The background fabric is directional and I was very careful to mark the right way up for each block but not quite careful enough. I got of them the right way and one of the basket blocks upside down.
Would you re-do? 
It means removing all the applique and sewing it on again. I have enough of some, of the fabrics, to just re-cut the piece but not enough to recut all of it.

 

 

This is what the background looks like in 8 blocks.

 

and this is how it looks in 1 block

 

 

I have an easy solution. I can change the 3 correct basket blocks around then all 4 would be in one direction and the middle and corner blocks would be the other way.

 

I haven't decided what I'll do yet.

 

I bought a vintage doll's quilt top quite a while ago and finally decided I would make it into a quilt. I used a plain cream fabric for the backing and the binding and did a few diagonal lines of quilting. I'm happy with how it looks.

 

 

 

 

 

 

POST

A wake up call from hubby as he went out the door to the gym this morning, and I'm rolling over to snooze again when I hear feet running up the driveway and the loudest bang on the front door and I realised right away the parcel post had arrived through the air as it was delivered from afar [ thrown from the driveway ]. I'd been waiting for this parcel of loveliness.

 

Four, mixed bundles of twelve,  Fat1/8ths of Japanese Taupes.

 

They were on sale at HomesteadHearth and I asked for four different bundles if it was possible. One never knows what is available at Sale time and I couldn't be more delighted with the selection of 48 different fabrics.

 

 

 

Sorted into their colours.

 

Meanwhile I've been trying to finish off a few things.

Putting my Under the Cherry Tree together and I'm now making the borders. I used the K.K.Buckley square ruler pieces that click together to the size needed for trimming all the blocks to the same size. This made the job of squaring them up so easy. It was the first time I had used my set.

 

Sorry not a great photo.

and yes I know exactly what I'm using the Taupes for but I need to finish a few things first.

 

 

 

 

Summertime.

Summertime in Australia and the Christmas break is over and the patchwork shops re-open and run Summer School in January. Sometimes a workshop for a day, sometimes over several days for a new pattern. I went to Sue Ambrose's workshop at Somerset Patchwork for a workshop on her new quilt - Sweethearts.

 

 

It's hard to believe that I found so many pale, floral, sweet coloured fabrics in my stash but I only needed to buy a couple of light coloured background pieces for the melon shapes' block. The Stars, Flying Geese and 9-patch I machined and the Melons, 1/2Circles, and Button block I hand appliqued.

 

I'm busy hand quilting my Sue Spargo 2015 BOM quilt, when I finish I'll show you.

 

 

 

 

 

Australia Day.

2016 Australia Day.
 a good day to start blogging for a new year.

I have been busy sewing while watching the Summer tennis.
Here is a picture of the quilt I made. It comes from Edyta Sitar's book.

I saw the quilt in November and just wanted to make it.
There was no thought of putting it in the pile of 'to do' patterns. All the fabrics came from my stash and it was lovely deciding which ones were in and which ones were not. It is a large quilt with a width 94.5" and a drop of 80.5"