Flying Fancy Quilt

I had an email from Jan Soules this week.  She was asking permission to enter a quilt that she had made from one of my patterns.  It was the Flying Fancy that was in Australian Patchwork and Quilting Magazine Vol 16 No. 3. 

This is Jan's version that she is entering into the Des Moines, Iowa show in October. She made it in French Fabrics.  Beautiful! She tells me she won a prize in the California State Fair last month.  I get a real kick out of seeing my patterns done by others.  Love to see how they are interpreted.

This is my orginal.  Done in Reproduction fabrics.  The quilt is based on a Blind Man's Fancy quilt in a booklet I saw about New York State Quilts.

Beyond the Cherry Trees - Block 11

I was hoping this block would be released in time for me to take to the retreat last week.  I kept stalking the Sentimental Stitches site hoping....anyway, it did appear a couple of days later, and what an ugley little block it looked!  I have no idea how Gay managed to interpret the block.  It is just about falling apart! 

I chose the prettiest basket fabric I could find in the hope it would give it new life.  There are a few more baskets to come in this quilt, and I get to use my other pretty fabrics on those I hope.  We hae only 14 blocks to go, and a whole border.  Hope I can keep up the pace.

Port Elliott Retreat

The last two years we have been invited to a retreat at Douglas Scrub, south of Adelaide.  This year we did not get an invitation, so Penny and I decided to organise our own retreat, with our own friends.  We rented Irene's beach house at Port Elliott for the weekend and invited Sheridan, Marilyn, Donna, Jan, and Cathy to join us.  We all brought along lots of food, wine, nibblies and sewing.

My plan was to get those corner fixed on my Little Sisters Quilt top - and hooray - that is done.  Tick!

My next plan was to get some hexagon's made for the English Basket Quilt.  Another tick, plus a few stars as well.  Going well I think.  I also took along a quilt to baste and started the hand quilting on that one.  Plan is to enter that one into the Adelaide Quilt show in November.

This was the only machine project I took - the Hawaii Sunset - which I will rename, but not until it is done.  Can't think of anything.  I made 4 blocks, and only 4 more to go to get it finished.  I am not making a square quilt, but a rectangle, so need less than the photo.

Sheridan thought my fabric box looked a little messy.  She was looking for cheddars and the only way to do that was to fold and sort the whole box.  What a friend, eh?  She did a great job too.  I am now a bit frightened to mess it up in case she finds out.  She invited her self over next week to tidy my other sewing boxes and look for more cheddars.....I am happy to oblige.

Dosn't it look pretty?

How about this for breakfast?  Penny treated us all to a cooked breakfast on the first morning.

Donna is learning to hand quilt and this is her first project.

Very busy ladies with their cutting and planning

This is the result.  Penny's design Fabulous Fat Quarter Quilt.  It is made of 12 fat quarters cut up and sewn back together.  Penny says it can all be done in 3 hours.......ok......

Sheridan had some success as well, and got her Spinning Charm quilt top finished.  She is very please with herself.

Wonder we got anything done - everywhere you look there is a full or empty glass of wine.

We all agreed that we need to do this again - possibly twice a year.  Think of all the UFO's we would get done.

English Basket Quilt

Do you remember this beautiful quilt?  Someone has saved me the trouble and written the pattern for it.  What a lot of work!  I bought the pattern from Corliss at Threadbear in Castlemaine in Victoria, and ordered fabric from Hancock's in the USA.  I am going to use the Moda Bella, which is the same fabric I am using for the Circuit Rider's quilt.  The colour I have chosen is Paper Bag for the Brown and I will use maybe Parchment for the lighter areas.  Still have not worked out an easy way to make all those hexagons though.

Circuit Rider's Quilt - 12 blocks completed

Over the last couple of days I have completed blocks 11 and 12.  So, all the blocks for the BOM are complete, and I can now just make them for myself as I please.  Still working on a few other projects and getting my head full of new things to make.  Wish I could stop being inspired long enough to finish something.

Block 11

Block 12

all 12 blocks layed out

I have had a fabric buy up on reds and greens. Always looking for beautiful greens and can't resist when I do find them.

I have been inspred by something else just recently as well.  It is the Roseville Album quilt by Kim McLean. Kim has made hers in Kaffe Fassett fabrics, which I think are fabulous.  I am planning on using red, black, green and prbably yellow for mine.  I purchased the Sophia Range from Windham Fabrics fat quarter pack, with nothing particular in mind.  This I think is the project.  I ordered the pattern from Material Obsessions in Sydney.  Hope I have it by the end of the week as I going on a retreat for the weekend and would like to take it with me.