Antique Sampler Block of the Month

Well, I bit the bullet, and decided to offer this beautiful Antique Sampler, from Sue Daley, as a Block of the Month.  I am very excited about this, as I love the quilt, and get to make it myself in the process.  Like I need a new project!! 

If you click on the photo, you can get a better close up of the designs.  It is just lovely.  It will start in January, at $AU38 per month, which includes pattern, templates, papers, all fabrics to complete the top.  The fabrics will be similar, but the prints will differ.

Come join me, by going to the website and registering.

Second Big Star Day

 Sheridan brought along her star from the first day, to get the corners added.  She did not quite get them all done.  This is one of the trickiest part of the quilt - getting those corners right.

 She also brought along her basket quilt from the book When the Cold Wind Blows.  this is all hand appliqued and the rows are joined by hand as well.  It is a masterpiece, and Sheridan is justly proud of it.

 this is our morning tea break.  We know how to look after ourselves!

 Jenni was pretty please with her first diamond

 And lunch.  There were not many left overs!

Australian Quilt Market

I have had a very busy week.  Friday we had another Big Star Day at MacLaren Vale, then Saturday, Penny and I went on an early flight to Melbourne for our first time visit to the Australian Quilt Market.


We arrived at the Melbourne Exhibition Centre around 10.30 am and started walking, and did not stop until, hmmm, maybe 8pm!


Lots of new productions on display, new fabrics, and gadgets.  I am a gadget girls and Penny is the fabric queen.  We bought some of everything I think.  I have ordered new products and will have them on my website shortly.

 We did get to stop for coffee  -  well it was lunch time before we stopped.  The food was a chicken hamburger and coffee.  Very good.

 I really liked the look of this booth.  Loved all the red and whites.  In fact, I think it was the nicest one I saw

 Here we are at Sue Daley's Patchwork with Busy Fingers.  I have a number of these patterns on my website for sale.  the one on the RHS is the Antique Sampler.  This is also available as a BOM and I am considering doing that.

 Another shot of the Antique Sampler

 This beautiful quilt is made from Moda fabrics.  I am busting to get my hands on the pattern!

Our flight home was not until 9pm and we were lucky enough to get invited to a cocktail party to celebrate the 10th anniversary of Homespun magazine.  Not actually sure how we managed that, but it was very good timing.  We also got to meet a few of the quilt designers, and the editors of the magazines.


Finally, I arrived back in my house at 10.30pm.  Exhausted!  The next day I actually had to get out of bed and go to the Glenelg Christmas Pageant with my daughter and grand-daughter.   Poor old Penny had to go to work!  I guess I had the easier task.



 

New Lone Star

I made a lone star quilt ages ago in a workshop with Irene Carrig. Mine was in blue, yellow, red, with applique in the corners. A few weeks ago I ran a Big Star Day with Penny, and one of the quilts we did was a lone star. I got intrigued with this quilt all over again, but was thinking of using 8 fabrics instead of 6, and not attempted to blend them at all.

 I chose these 8 fabrics, at randon sort of, just that they looked good together, and there was light and dark.  All sliced up into strips of 2 1/2"

 You then have to sew 4 sets of strips, with 8 fabrics in each,   This is set 1

Set 2

 Set 3

Set 4

you then have to cut them up, 16 of each set, at 45degree angle.  this is the tricky part - keeping then straight.

I find they are more stable if turned face down.  Use the cutting board and ruler angle to get them right.

Here I have one piece layed out to sew

All sewn together, and pressed.  Pretty eh?

Half of the quilt is completed and I am really happy how it looks.  See, random is ok!!

Now, I have to decide what to put in the corners.  Do I do some excellent applique?  Or stunning hand quilting?  The squares will be about 23", so a lot of space to fill in.  First I have to work out what fabric to use, and I was kind of thinking of a toile, or a tone on tone, then I could do either the applique or quilting, depends on how I feel about it once completed.

Fairy in my Garden

Can't help myself!  Other nanna's will sympathise, I am sure.  This is my beautiful fairy granddaughter, Skylar, smelling the roses.

Hand piecing

 I managed to get a whole block pieced between talking at the quilt show. I made block number 9 of my sampler quilt.   Still have to put the corners on it.

These are some of the fabric I bought at the quilt show.  So rich!   Got these from Somerset Patchwork, Mt Waverley in Victoria who specialise in Reproduction Fabrics.

These are the two class samples I made this year.  The one at the top will be held at Patchwork by Sea, at Brighton on the last Saturday of January, Feb, March and April, 2011.

Once the class is finished,  I am going to take apart the two tops, and put them back together, with the 9th block included.  Should not have to unpick the whole of the sashing, but some I will lose.

Adelaide Quilt Show

last weekend we had the annual Festival of Quilts held by the South Australian Quilters Guild.  I went along on Friday to have a look, and then I had a couple of volunteer sessions on Saturday and Sunday.  I was showing hand piecing and hand quilting.  They set up a little table for me and I could hang some of my quilts  and talk with people.  I like talking!

This my entry.  No winner - I did not enter for judging.

this one is all Suffold Puffs.  Love it.

the colour scheme I like

And this - must have taken ages

this took my eye as well.  Something about Sarah Johnston there.

this was so simple - square in a square

Love the colours.  I want to make one!

this was very clever with the circles up circles

Close up