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.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

How the time flies...

I am very slowly quilting my Trailing vines and sewing my Coxcombs and Stars but I noticed a friend sewing this pattern, The English Basket Quilt and remembered I had started this when I bought the pattern a number of years ago.

 

It was a pleasure to find that I had actually had quite a bit done. The blocks and borders are all cut, as are all the templates, baskets and stems. The baskets and stems were attached to their blocks and I had sewn two of them. The fabric for all the flowers, butterflies and leaves I had returned to my stash. Not to worry, as long as I pulled out fabrics that matched the border fabric it would work. It is really quite good as I now have many more yellows in my stash compared to when I started. This is a photo of the first 3 blocks, my borders and the bundle of baskets on blocks still to be done. I have made changes to suit me. I'm not a hexagon making type of person so the dark background in the pattern I've replaced with light and the border fabric will replace all those hexagons etc. Can you imagine how it will look?

 

 

 

A few Sundays ago it was Mother's Day and my Daughter ordered a copy of the catalogue for me, for the V & A quilt show being held at the GOMA in Brisbane from now til September. It arrived yesterday and it is a beautiful book of Quilts and has plenty of detail and reading inside. Thank you Nicola.

 

Meanwhile I have splashed out and bought 2 new ranges of 'modern' fabrics. I have an idea in my head what the top range will be used for

 

and this range will be for applique. I do like the Marg Sampson-George quilt on the front of Quiltmania No 94. I think this may have to wait.

 

My new header for this month is my version of the Sundial quilt. I used a pattern from Karen Cunningham when she had an online workshop. I changed quite a few of the blocks to some in the original quilt which I will get to see when I visit the V & A quilt show in Brisbane later in the year.  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

On a cold Autumn Day

It's good to sit under a quilt and sew. This week I've finished the first block of Coxcombs and Stars and

 

 

started on the Top border. This shows half of it. So many berries.

 

 

and then I got out the next block from the Marriage quilt I started last year and got the shapes cut out and attached to the wool ready to be cut out and placed on the background.

 

and then this arrived back from being basted so that I can quilt the stems on the vines. This has now become a long time project as I find quilting very hard on the fingers and I will only be sewing it in small quantities.

 

 I also got my Grand daughter's quilt back from the quilter and it requires the binding to be sewn down. Just the thing to sit on one's knee and stitch when it has been so cold. When we got up this morning it was 3C Brrrrrr! How long do I have to wait for Summer, I'm not a Winter person. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Looking at my UFO's

I've been going through my baskets of projects started and trying to decide whither I will continue, finish it where it is or put it back in the cupboard for another week, month, year.
Why did it end up like this? Did I just find a nicer quilt to make? Were the fabrics the wrong choice? and will I ever get around to completing it? I'd love to hear what you do with your UFO's. 
At last year's Symposium, run by my guild, I started a Red and Green quilt being designed by Sandra Boyle. I had a Moda Layer Cake of fabric I decided would be fine with a few greens added. I decided last week to finish it where it was and cut the remaining fabric into squares to be the sashing.  

 
I have nearly finished the applique on the 1st block of Coxcombs and Stars. I now need to prepare the top border as this is the next piece of the pattern and it will be nice to have it ready to go. 

This weeks meanderings

It's been a little of this and a little of that, this week. First picture is Lori's little quilt from her blog, Humble Quilts. This was fun to make.

 

 

and this is the centre of her latest quilt. If you go to her blog the patterns are available.  I've still to stitch it.

 

and a little bit more of Coxcombs and Stars. I showed you a while ago and then it got put on the back burner. I took the freezer paper off the front and ironed it on the back of the cut pieces and tried the technique of folding over the seam allowance with starch and not glue. This method worked well as the starch doesn't stick like the glue pen does and the paper came out soo easily. Paint the liquid starch on with a small brush, fold over the seam allowance with the fingers and iron as you go. The edges are crisp and ready to sew. I will use this method again. It's a great way to get a nice point at the end of the leaves. The stars were a bit trick-ier [?] as they are a brushed cotton and a very soft fabric. I'll straighten them as I sew them.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Quilting

Yesterday I picked up my Sundial quilt from my Long-arm quilter, Katrina. As usual she worked her magic and my quilt has been enhanced with the designs she has quilted on it.
I asked for a 'less is more' approach to her choice of quilting it and It has been achieved and my quilt is soft and beautiful.
I took some photos to show some of the quilting and I just love how the centre looks with it's cross-hatch,swirls and feathers.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I managed to get the binding  stitched onto the front edge, ready now to be rolled over and slip stitched down. A label and then onto my bed for the coming Winter. 

What's been going on

Last Thursday I went to the Australian Quilt Show. I had a good look around the traders and bought some fabric and threads. The fabric is a linen,spotted and wider than the usual cotton patchwork fabrics. I have a pattern in mind that needs wider than 42" and think this may be ideal. The threads are for my X-stitch. The quilts on show are from previous shows that have won Best of Show awards. Here are some photos of the ones that caught my eye. This is called Southern Stars by Karen Malone. The cheddar and green together is wonderful.

 

Moving House Blues by Judy Hooworth

 

Cock of the Walk by David M Taylor

 

 

Oh Dear Mrs Thompkins by Helen Hayes

 

 

 

 

Zig Zag by Mylene Pijpers

3384 Yoyo's

 

 

Flower Basket Medallion by Pip Scholton

and Tracy Browning

 

The quilting surrounding the centre basket was amazing. It is a Kim McLean quilt  pattern.

 

 

My Swoon block are all sewn together and I took this photo as I was pinning the outer borders on. It is Large.

 

I have finished painting the laundry walls and I have just the door surrounds to do. Looking around the house I need to continue painting, just to freshen it all up.

 

Not much to show.

 
I don't have much to show. I have been busy though. Here is a photo of the last block ,I've still to sew it together but it lets you see how the block is made with 1/2 square triangles and flying geese. I did get the stripe running in the one direction without having to cut extra pieces which I was happy about.

 

 

and here are the 11 finished blocks hanging up on my craft wall. I had to stagger them in two rows to get them all up, each one being 24". Any trimming and sashings are next.

 

 

 

The other job that has kept me busy is painting the laundry . I've undercoated the ceiling and the walls and would like to get the ceiling painted this week which means less time for sewing. Today my DS and DIL moved back into their renovated house so I spent the day with a bit of babysitting and bed making. Maybe tonight I'll get the last block sewn together.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

What else can a girl do

First there was the long weekend of Easter and then the builder arrived to update and replace the plaster on the walls of the laundry. The walls were covered with cement sheets that contain asbestos. So what else can a girl do when you stay home for workmen but SEW!   Yay!
This a photo taken yesterday after the old walls had been removed and today the new plasterboard went up and tomorrow the cornice and architraves. Even better he expects to finish on Saturday.

Here's a sneak peek at what I am sewing. Not my usual run-of-the-mill project or fabric colours but then, it's not for me. The pattern is called Swoon by Bonnie and Camille. The blocks are 24'' and are made with a fabric range called Ruby. There will be 12 blocks, big enough for a kingsize bed. I've made one each day so there are  5 hanging up finished. This makes two quilts, in a row, sewn by machine. This one has gone together beautifully but I must admit the second block took twice as long to make because I didn't realise the green fabric is directional and there was a fair bit of unpicking to turn the pieces around in the right direction. Can I add at this point that the fabrics cut out for Block12 are both
stripes. That one should be fun to put together.