A final decision

 While working away on my quilt I've been trying to decide what fabric I would use for the very centre. I have cut and tried many fabrics and finally made a decision.  I've finished all the applique on the outside ring  so the next job is to attach it to a background.  'not what is showing just now'.

 

 

Here is a close up of the centre. I ended up using a floral piece of chintz. At the workshop Marg Sampson told us not to make it too prominent or it would become a bullseye. I think I've achieved that.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Thursday

I've been making the 2" basket blocks with the pattern from Temecula Quilt Co. Blog.  It was their Summer project to make a basket a day in July and August but I only got as far as making 21 of them. To finish them up I've done a simple alternate block with sashing and a border. They are definitely not perfect but at 2" I'm happy with it. They have another little quilt about to start if you're interested.

 

Also on the go has been my Jane Pizar centre. As you can see the next round is attached and I'm busy appliqueing the motifs on top. Still a few to go.

 

 

 

Last Saturday was the Applique meeting in Castlemaine. The photos of the quilts shown can been seen on Buddy and me and Secret Sewing Sisterhood Blogs. so I haven't put them up this time.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Something different

I'm trying something different. I don't normally hand piece and I don't usually use modern fabrics so I'm not too sure how it will look when finished. I am making a quilt designed by Sandra Boyle. The centre has these 4 Peony blocks  with a single fabric as the alternate block throughout. Then there is a row of Stars, followed by a ring of Birds in the Air,  Crossroads, Square in a Square, Stars again and finished with a border of Half Stars. Phew!   

 

I then completed the first Stars of many.

I have spent the hours doing this- and many more hours to come.

 

so that I can eventually do a lot of this. 

 

 

When I was at my sewing group on Monday surrounded by hand piecers and I mentioned how long it had taken to draw the sewing lines and cut the pieces out ,there was a laugh of knowing, funny how they had all kept this bit of information to themselves.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Some things take longer to do

Back in May, Lori from Humble Quilts  had a small quilt pattern to download with an applique centre surrounded with blocks and borders. I prepared the applique but didn't get to stitch it until this week. I also found a packet of small blocks I had made for something else in my cupboard, so I have used them to surround the centre. I think it turned ok and I'm happy I have one less UFO.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Just a couple more.

 

 

Just a few of my favourite ones.

 

 

 

 
These two last quilts are minatures. They are just wonderful. The hexagons in the border were 1/4" in size. The labels show their size.

 For some unknown reason the last label will not turn.!

A Trip to the Quilt Show

Yesterday I went to the Melbourne Quilt Show and I had a wonderful time and met and saw a lot of friends, visited the many stands with wool and knitted garments. The mohair and alpaca were beautiful to touch. There were many stands with Japanese fabrics especially Taupes this year and I bought quite a few pieces. Last year when I wanted them for the Yoko Saito pattern I couldn't get them. I also got a few new patterns and some very nice fabrics. As usual I spent more than I intended, but then one only gets there once a year. It was lovely seeing friends with winning quilts. Here is Linda receiving her prize and ribbon for her beautiful quilt.

 

 

 

and here is her quilt.

 

 

 

 

These are a few of the ones I photographed.

 

 

This was amazing. One fabric and one piece in each block. 

 

 

I'll put some more up tomorrow.

Baskets

I've finished sewing my baskets and got them all sewn together.

 

I'm off to the Melbourne Quilt Show tomorrow.

Flowers

This week I've gone back to sewing the baskets of flowers. Two small baskets for the sides and three more for along the bottom. It's getting there. I pinned up the inner border fabric to see just how it all looked together and I like how it is coming together.

 

The other flowers are in the garden, with a lovely sunny morning but cold, I love how bright the yellow is in the rather wintry garden.

 

and  another splash of yellow is the overladen lemon tree. The netting behind is there to keep the possums out of the veggie garden.

 

 

 

 

 

 

How Many Hours

 

How many hours does one spend making a quilt. Does anyone every count? I know I've spent more than usual this week but I've had a good reason. When there's a whole round to be completed to see how it looks, it's hard to stop before one's done. So I finished the inner one and although there is a small centre circle sitting there I have to admit I've cut 5 different fabrics ,so far, for it. I'm not going to make a final decision which one I use until the rest of the centre piece of the quilt is finished. Monday the brown triangles got made, Tuesday I stitched the round to the diamond round and I'll admit with a bit of fudging. I made it in two halves with a decent seam allowance to allow for this. 

 

 

 

Tuesday evening I picked out the raspberry fabrics and cut them out. Today I 'Roxanne' d them in place, so tonight I can sit and applique each one. Is my stash too big when I can find 32 raspberry fabrics to use?  LOL!

 

 

Temecula Quilt Co 's blog has the pattern [30th June] for these  little baskets to be made and the challenge, I thought, was to make one every day for the months of July and August, but no, the real challenge is the basket block is only 2 inches in size.   I made one and then made some more. It is easier to do a week's worth in one go and on the machine, so I'm up to date until next Sunday.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Photos

I had only ever taken one photo of my Mary Mannakee although it hangs in my Living Room on a quilt holder and I see it every day. Forgetting just how large this quilt is and not having helpers to hold it up the photos are of it on the floor.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Six years old and I still haven't unpicked and  sewn the date the right way up! In the class I went to the other participants didn't like the original centre so it was changed. This is a Summer Throw and does not have wadding, backing fabric or quilting. I stitched the blocks and borders together using French seams so there are no raw edges The outer edge has a 1/4" hem.

 

 

 

 

 

 

A Week of Different Pursuits

Last weekend I attended two wonderful days at a workshop by Marg Sampson George. The first photo shows Bev, in the centre, who arranged the workshop and on the left of her, Linda who was our hostess.

 

 

 

Here is Marg showing us one of her quilts and talking about colour combinations.

 

 

This next one was one of the quilt patterns we could make. I don't normally do 'bright' but this one like her others contained so many varied pieces of fabric and just to see what was included was wonderful.

 

This is Marg's centre to the Jane Pizar quilt, the one I am attempting to make. The whole reason that there has not been anything happening with my blog or in fact any of my other sewing pieces.

 

 

It has taken the whole week but here is my first circle with the pattern for the centre and the next ring.

 

 

 

and sitting on one of the background fabrics. A better photo with the flash off. ?

 

 

I did manage a couple of baskets before the workshop.

 

and just to show you what I meant by the fabric Marg uses in her quilts here is a photo of part of her English Basket Quilt.

 

 

 

Absolutely amazing. I kept going back to look at it and every time  my eye was  caught by another wonderful piece of fabric. Thank you to my friends for the wonderful weekend and all their hard work involved in bringing it about.

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The End of another Week

I have been totally absorbed with these little baskets. .

 

 

It's such an enjoyable pastime.