A Finish and a Start

I finished all that can be done at this moment on my Crib quilt. I want to put a border along the top, about 4"-6" deep but will wait until I know, is it a boy or a girl.

 

Time to make a start on a new pattern I bought at the Aust. quilt show recently. It is called Message in a Bottle by Irene Blanck.

 

I will use my Japanese Taupes as I have a large bundle left over from making Yoko Saito's 'Houses" pattern and I've also been buying more as I saw them.  I'm waiting for a few more to arrive via the postman and there will also be quite a few 'linen' fabrics included.

 

 

Here are sections 1 - 2 - 3 & 5.  I like to get the backgrounds ready first and this pattern uses several in each block. Putting the main background fabrics aside, so that I don't use them again, the next job is to trace onto freezer paper the applique shapes. Now comes the choosing of each fabric for each piece and this is when time just disappears.  Mornings, afternoons and evenings.  I found a large bag of bias/stems, bits I haven't used up when making other quilts so I will be using them. They are all cotton fabrics but by choosing the ones that are in the 'taupe' colours they will fit in fine. I really like to prepare every block and then as one is sewn/appliqued the next one is ready waiting.

Time to get back to it.  

 

 

 

 

 

Doll Quilt Swap

I took part in Lori's Doll's Quilt Swap and today I received my quilt from Randy in the mail. I couldn't get the envelope opened quick enough so that I could see it. It is just beautiful and I love it.

 

 

My swap quilt has also arrived at it's destination but I'll let her show it to you. I think Lori is having a photo gallery when they all arrive. I'm really delighted with mine so I hope everyone gets as good as I did.

 

Happy Easter

I picked a Reproduction fabric from my stash to use for the sashing and borders of the Big Top blocks. It is a chocolate background with a small design of a bright blue, yellow and cheddar which picks up the colours in the blocks. It also makes the blocks stand out.

 

and I've started the trimming of this lot of HST's and made 9 blocks. Just 19 more blocks to go, a daytime job as I like to sit and applique in the evenings.

 

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Forward and Backward

I have a 'few' projects just about finish and decided it was time to just get on and finish them. My Coxcomb and Star quilt has been waiting to be put together. Trimming up the 36 1/2" squares had been the cause of the delay. Not one of my favourite jobs on large pieces, when neither the ruler or the cutting board are big enough. That done I attached the centre sashing and was not happy with the look of what had been supplied in the BOM for it. As there had been plenty of fabric supplied I cut new ones from a lighter fabric left over from an earlier month. Of course, this meant the first ones had to be unpicked. Need I say more! Not a favourite either. Then the borders went on. Yay!  Well, until I looked at these photos and realised the left border is facing the wrong way.

 

Next job, get the HST 's trimmed. These ones were 11/2"

 

and these ones 13/4".  I always make them bigger and trim to size.

 

 

But this was the result. One more block for Lori's quilt.

 

and today, with all the HST's made I also completed the ninth and last block.

 

 

 

I won't tell you how many squares and HST's I have left. Maybe I'll make some dolls quilts with the squares. I like the look of the centre of the last block.

 

Now, while on the subject of HST's I have this bundle to trim for 28 blocks.

 

 

 because I still have this quilt on the go. I have the Crossroads blocks made already so after the Birds in the Air blocks just two more rounds to go .

 

I just have too many bits and pieces on the go at one time.

 

p.s. I've unpicked the border and it's stitched on,  the right way. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

There's been a lot happening.

This week after the workshop at Linda 's I went to an Antique Quilt Day also at Linda's . Many old quilts to see and fabrics to oh! and ah! over and a wonderful lunch and great company as well. Here are just a couple of snippets.

 

 

 

This weekend was our Quilt Show for the Australian Quilters Association

 

 

and I was delighted to win Viewer's Choice with my Mary Brown quilt. A shocking photo of it but you get to see the one it is. There were 150 quilts on show plus 26 blocks for a Challenge quilt and several quilts using the Elizabeth Legacy' pattern. A wonderful exhibition altogether.

 

 

 

 

Meantime I have been working on Di Ford's Mystery quilt BOM and have finished getting the border done and attached.

 

 

 

and I've also been sewing the Crib Quilt from my workshop with Marg Sampson-George and it's coming along. Most of the outer elements still need to be appliqued.

 

 

 

Now back to sewing, I've never had so many projects going at the same time.

 

 

 

 

Another busy weekend.

I've had another busy weekend this time at a 2day workshop with Marg Sampson George. This is the time to raid the stash and find all those bright or spotty or geometric fabrics, the ones that normal live at the back of my cupboard. I do enjoy seeing how an expect views fabrics and how she cuts them up to form wonderful shapes to applique. The first photo is a great  example.

 

 

Having bought the fabrics to make the Crib Quilt at last year's class and then making the Jane Pizar instead I decided to start it at this year's class. Here is a photo of Marg's Crib Quilt. 

 

On the second day I went with newly acquired fabric and changed the design on my quilt much to Marg's delight.  Here is just a small section of what I'm doing. There will be a new addition to the family in September so the colours and designs will be for either, boy or girl.

 

 

 

This is some of us engrossed in the 'quilt show 'that followed at the end of class. 

 

and not forgetting the prior weekend here is my Sutton Grange that I started with Di Ford. Plenty of applique to keep me busy for quite some time.

 

 

 

 

 

 

A Weekend Away

Back home again after a wonderful weekend filled with quilts, fun and friends. The first photo is lunch at Kyneton on our way to Maldon where we stayed in a lovely old Guest House. Below are Bev, Linda, me and Randi. Moreen joined us on Saturday.

 

 

Saturday, was up early, well for me anyway, breakfast and off to Threadbear to do a bit of shopping before the workshop with Di Ford and Margaret McDonald started. I bought a Yoko Saito book called Daily Quilt with quilts, bags and a few stuffed animals. There's an elephant I'd like to make for a new addition to the family due later in the year.

Arriving at the venue we were given a bag of 'goodies' which contained a large bundle of fabrics to use in the quilt we were there to start ,while learning applique skills and fabric use. The bag was full of many good things. In the morning session we had Di Ford and her version of the quilt and this is where we sat with her quilt in the corner. The fabric for the inner sashings is no longer available but Di had brought a number of fabrics that would be suitable for the job, some turned on point and cut diagonally would be spectacular but my eyes don't see what Di's eyes can see in a fabric before I'm shown, and this is a great ability that she has. This is one of the reasons her classes are wonderful.

 

 

re note at bottom of post, I now have a couple of photo's one of the centre.

 

 

 

and one of the 'fussy' cutting and the applique sashing.

 

Here is a photo of Margaret McDonald's version. The centre is the same but she has different surrounds and borders and we spent the afternoon with her. Again techniques  were shown for appliqueing pieces with curves and how to tackle smaller pieces and pieces that overlap or go under adjacent shapes. It was all very interesting and we had a wonderful day. 

 

 

From there it was onto the Quilt Show and here are a couple of photos. The first one, the Antique Wedding Sampler and Moreen standing beside her quilt. This is her first quilt! and it is stunning.

 

 

Here is Bev beside her quilt which is gorgeous and the colours are soft and wonderful.

 

 

To see a large range of photos from the quilt show please visit Buddy and Me and Every Stitch blogs.

 

Sunday was a lie in and then a visit to the shops in Maldon before a few stops at old-time country cottages for photographs and a visit to the first school in the area, now just very old ruins.

 

but surrounding it was the biggest delight, as none of us had seen Gum trees like these before. The bark had peeled off, as gum trees do, and the trunk was now a spiral of light and dark colours. It was amazing how it ran up the tree and along the branches and all the trees around the school were the same.

 

We then returned to Castlemaine and had a wander around the shops, going to Habadash, the button shop, and the  Castlemaine book shop,[one of the best] and the Restorers shop and also another trip to Threadbear before leaving to come home.

 

p.s. if I can work out how to get my IPad photo's to transfer across to this computer I'll show  some close ups of Di Ford's quilt and all of her 'fussy 'fabric cutting. At the moment it is not cooperating with me!

 

 

 

 

 

Cotton and Chintz.

I've been waiting for the cotton chintz to arrive at Somerset and it did when I was there on Friday. I am making Karen's quilt which is on the front of the 100th edition of  the Quiltmania  magazine and here is a photo of mine. In the centre is the Chintz Tree of Life panel surrounded by a mixture of  Dutch Chintz fabrics and cottons for the hexagons and bordered by Petra's new cotton chintz.

Another item that has been finished is the last border for my Coxcombs and Stars quilt.

 

and the last item that has been sitting waiting to just be stitched together is Block 7 for Lori's quilt. Just as bright as all the others.

 

 

I'm away with the 'girls' next weekend. First a class with Di Ford and Margaret McDonald on Saturday at Threadbear in Castlemaine and on Sunday a visit to the Applique quilt show. I'm thoroughly looking forward to both.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Another piece finished.

First item to be finished was the 4th centre block for my Coxcombs and Stars and now I'm working on the bottom and last border. This is a large quilt and laying on the floor was the only way I could photograph it while still in pieces. The bottom border matches the top one and I really want to get this finished in the near future.

 

I bought this Japanese Taupe fabric last year at the quilt show. It's more of a dark grey than brown and I had the handles and the big black button in my stash already.  The next photo is the fabric I used for the lining. Nice and bright so I can find things when I fill it up. It always seems harder to find the keys at the foot of the bag if it has a black lining.

 

 

 

Block number 6. The 2nd orange border is not dark or dull, it's just the turquoise is very bright.

 

It feels good to get ahead and finish off some pieces and there's a very good reason too. Next month, March I've booked myself into, not one, but TWO workshops. That's two new projects and I'm looking forward to both of them but they both involve choices of designs so more about that later.

 

 

Not a lot of sewing

I managed to get another of Lori's blocks finished. I like to make the HST's by sewing two squares diagonally together on either side of a centre line and with so many fabrics to choose from I try to make enough to have a complete round with no doubles. The bonus to doing it this way is that I then have enough for the next block, as making them this way yields two HST's from each one. I then press them flat, trim  to size and join them together for each side with chain-piecing, so that all four sides are done at the same time. So this is number 5 and I also made the centre 6"block for the next one. 

A few nights with the Winter Olympics, Friday at Somerset and today at the Applique Guild meeting I've made a bit of an inroads to the 4th centre square of Coxcombs and Stars. Not ready for a photo -yet but it's coming along.
I also have Foxtel [Cable] on my IPad and watched all 13 episodes of Season2 of House of Cards. I did thoroughly enjoy it and may watch it again before this offer runs out on the 13th March. The only downside to this, is the fact that I can't sew while my IPad sits on my knee.  I'll have to work on that.  LOL!    Have a good week everyone.

Hurray!

I'm saying Hurray because I've been without my computer for 10days. Today it came home with quite a bit of work done to it. Everything is now working again so I can let you see what I've been stitching. First up, is Month 1 of Di Ford's BOM, the centre. I made so many hexagons for the corners but each time I made them into a rosette the colour or the design of the fabric just didn't look - right  but with the paler fabric, finally I'm happy with how it looks.

 

 

Second, is a photo of my Chintz hexagons. I'm waiting on some more white, cotton chintz to arrive before I can do any more. It's turning out to be a bright coloured quilt.

 

 

 

and Thirdly, I made another block for Lori's  Big Top quilt, another bright item on the craft wall.

 

 

We have a long spell of extremely hot weather and some days have been over 40C so even with the A/C on it's been just too hot to sew. Today we had a cool change and a temperature of 26C - tomorrow, it's back up into the 30C's for a few days.

 

Washing

With the weather being so hot yesterday, I decided to wash a couple of my quilts. I never treat them as if they are 'precious',  I just put them in the washing machine on a Woollen setting, with cold water, some Wool Mix and 3 or 4  Colour Catchers. These pieces of paper work their magic and catch any colour that runs especially if there is red fabric in the quilt. My Antique Sampler hadn't had it's wash when I finished making it so it still had it's Rosanne glue and chalk markings on the quilt.  Hanging it outside in the warmth with a good breeze blowing it took 20mins to dry.
The reds are red and the whites are white.......

 

 

........... I can't say the same for the Colour Catchers.

 

 

 

 

Australia Day

Today , the 26th January is Australia Day. It's about celebrating the fact that we live in the 'lucky country'. I came to Australia in 1966 and I was amazed at how big and blue the sky could be without a cloud in sight. I still love those days, when the sun is out, the washing on the line dries in 20mins and the magpies strut across the lawn as if they own it.

 

I've been sewing a bit more of my BOM. Now come the hexies in the corners. 

  

 

 

and one more Oak Leaf block.

 

 

 

When it's hot - Sew

We are all breathing a sigh of relief now that the weather has changed from unbelievably hot to our much cooler but more normal summer weather. I think most people living in Melbourne, Aus  melted during our four days of over 40C temperatures this last week. Yesterday dropped to 19C which felt a tad cold but today at 24C is beautiful. Long may this last.

It gave me the time though, to sit with the Air conditioning ON , to watch the Tennis and Sew. I started Di Ford's BOM , in Quiltmania. and here is a picture of what I have done so far. If you've seen it in the magazine you'll notice I've used a different fabric for my Broderie Perse. I'm already making a quilt with the Chintz fabrics and didn't want two with the same. The places where the ring of scallops sits, I've marked with an iron-off pen so they won't show once I have them placed  - and pressed. The background is a creamier colour than is showing in the photo, too.

 

 

 

and I'm still working with the Chintz and the hexies. It's turning out quite bright.