Antique Sampler and threads

I just finished the latest 8 blocks of this project.  I now have 40 finished!  they are so easy to make, and I am really enjoying playing with the colours.

This is the latest - 4 of two different blocks.  One is English Paper Pieced and one is appliqued

Something interesting I found out while I was appliqueing these blocks.  They all have different colours, and it is darn annoying changing needles or threads all the time.  I found that I really only need one thread!  I am using the Aurifil thread in the colour Fern..  It blends with everything.  I even tried it with the black, red and dark blue - you can't see it.  Not sure it would stand up to judging if there was a really picky judge doing the rounds, but I am happy not to have to keep changing.

Here are all my fniished blocks - 40 of them. They are so addictive, that I have to ration my time with them, so I can get a few other things, like the Cherry Tree Blocks and the Circuit Rider done. 

There are still 2 places left in the Antique Sampler BOM, and the Circuit Rider is ongoing.

Email me at Wendy@legendandlace.com or visit the website.

I am also working on a new scrap quilt for my collection,  As I drag out an old piece of fabric for the scraps, I also cut a 7" piece for the sampler blocks, saves time, and I get to re-vist all my old fabrics.

Australia Day

Happy Australia Day!  I can still hear the fireworks from the banks of the Torrens River.  Today John and I collected DGD Skylar for a day out.  We left the car at the railway station and got our free ride into Adelaide.  We walked down to the banks of Torrens River, and hopped on the tourist boat Pop-Eye.

It was a wonderful day!  Perfect weather.  So many people were out enjoying the day.

 You can hire these little paddle boats and do your own cruise of the river.  I said we could do that another day when we had "Mummy" with us as she is a bit stronger for pedaling than Pop.

 This is the city skyline in the background.  The river has a weir at one end, so it has been created into a lake.  The boat took us right up to the weir, so we could see the water running over, then out to sea.

 this is Jolly's Boathouse restaurant.  Nice place to eat if you come to down.  Also a favourite for weddings.

After the ride on the river, we got out near the zoo and walked back along the river to the University, then through the grounds, to North Tce.  We wanted to go to the Museum, and I noticed this old building, beautifully preserved at the back of the Museum.  It was part of the original Adelaide hospital, and a children's home.

Cherry Tree block 16 and all those circles!

Anyone following the Beyond the Cherry Tree BOM from Sentimental Stitches, will know that block 16 has about 120 circles!  All in one month - that is lots of work.  I started mine by ignoring the circles, but I thought I would plan to do a few each day.

 this is how the block was looking yesterday - leaves in place, and some vines

If you look close you can see where I put a pencil dot where each circle should go.  I said "should" as I do not expect to make my circles just the same as the original.  Mostly I do back-basting applique, but for the circles and embroidery, I have marked the front of the work.

 I use my trusted and well used, Karen Kary Buckley Perfect Circles.

I roughly cut out around the shape of the circles, leaving more than 1/4", do a running stitch and draw up the fabric around the circle.  I have chosen about 3 different sizes, in the 1/2" to 3/4" range.  I am now using the Karen Kay Buckley Scissors which are great for applique.  They are short and pointed, cut all the way to the end of the point, and are slightly serrated, which means less fraying.

 Press the circles.  I let them set a minute or so before taking  out the circles

 Take out the circles and gently pull back the threads to form circles again.  You can use spray starch at the stage if you fabric is a bit bouncy.

Beautiful perfect circles ready to applique.  I say Perfect, but I am not really a "perfect" kind of person - more of a "make do" person.  In the whole scheme of the things, perfect is not worth the effort.

So this is what the block looked like when I went to bed last night.  I did 2 sets of circles, with 3 different fabrics.  If I can do that each night, and a bit more of the vines, I should have it done by the time the next block is out.

New Year - New Design

I thought I would have a play with the the new design features of Blogger.  Lots of fun!  Found all the colours I love and want to share them with you.  Hope you don't feel the need to put your sun glasses on!  But I LOVE colour and the old colour scheme was getting a bit dull.

The lead photo is my Rail Fence quilt, which is about to be featured in Australian Patchwork and Quilting Magazine.  I had this quilt machine quilted by Elaine from Quilting in the Vines  at McLaren Vale, South Australia.  Elaine did a lovely Baptist Fan pattern which I thought was perfect contrast to the straight lines. This was my first venture into commercial machine quilting, and it will not be my last.  What a time saver!  As the quilt is going into the magazine, and Elaine's business would get a "mention", she was pretty pleased as well.

Antique Sampler

I have now completed the first 4 months of this project, in just one month.  They are not real hard to make, and look so pretty.  The first months packs of fabrics will be cut and posted next week.  You can still join in.  Got to the website and register

Don;t you love the way you can fussy cut the fabrics!?  I wish I could work on these blocks only, but have the Circuit Rider's quilt blocks as well, and the Sentimental Stitches "Beyond the Cherry Tree" blocks.  Everything is being rotated.  Also working on 2 machine projects.  No, I am not sitting about painting my toe-nails, thought I did do that yesterday as well.

We are also looking for a new car, which is a horrendous experience on it's own.  We think we have found the right one, and will make a decision on Monday.  Fingers crossed - as it is going to be "MY CAR".

Time management up the creek!

As some of you may know, I gave up work last year, after 30 years working in banking.  Phew!  Now I get to do (mostly) what I want.  I have commissions from the Australian Patchwork and Quilting Magazine, Quilters Companion Magazine, and Teaching assignments booked until almost the end of the year.  Who needs a job!  Well, I think I need it to keep on top of things.  When I was at work I had this daily electronic diary pop up and show me what I had to do.

AP&Q had commissioned my Chimney Sweep quilt, made from blocks collected over a year or so 2005-6.  The Editor, Elaine Rose, had only seen a collection of blocks.  I had to turn it into a quilt by the end of January.

 Last Sunday, I decided I had better get it basted, and start the quilting.

I only had time to machine quilt it.  I am not very good at machine quilting, and tend to stick to cross-hatching and in the ditch.  I plodded along and got all the blocks quilted.  Thought I had better check the date.  What!  It is due on the 20th NOT the 30th - and it was the 13th.  Panic Mode!  I had not even written the instructions, and it has to go in the post....... 

Yesterday I spent the whole day writing the instructions, and trying to decide what to do about quilting on the border.  I settled for free machine quilting, around the shapes of the print.  In a close up it looks bad, from a distance ok.  Just as well the magazine photos don;t show the details.

Then I had to bind it and decide if it needed to be washed to make it look flat.  this is what I had when I went to bed last night - plus a really sore spot between my shoulder blades.

I just noticed some left over markings on this block.  My first idea with the blocks was to do a free-motion design over the top.  I chose the template and marked it on this block.  I did the quilting and it was REALLY BAD.  It took me ages to get the stitches out, and then I settled on the straight lines with the walking foot. Better get those marks out before I send it off

These are some of the blocks signed by by lovely friends.  I made a heap of blocks and took them to the USA with me in 2005, plus Sydney in 2006, and some were sent to me from in Europe, and some from my local quilt group.  Nice memories while I was putting it all together.

I just have to make a sample or two, and hope to get it in the post this afternoon, or Monday at the very latest.

Fabrics received this week

In this last week I received two parcels of fabrics that I had been waiting weeks to arrive.  They were ordered mid December, and were coming via Global Express - usually about a week.  I thought they must have been caught up in the Christmas mail.  However, this is what went wrong

This is the first parcel and you can see that it has been in water.  You can hardly read the label.  Australia Post put a sticker on there saying that it was received by them in this condition.  Inside was some fabric I bought as a backing, and it was in a plastic bag.  I took it out, and despite the plastic bag, it had a dried water mark.  i washed it, and it was all ok.

Surprise surprise, along came another plastic bag parcel, 4 weeks after I ordered it.

this one had actually split open!  I ordered two seperate shipments as I knew it would not all fit in one envelope.  However, the seller put it all in one parcel, and this is what happens.  Luckily it was in an internal plastic bag. 

These are the beautiful fabrics I received!  A huge selection of backgrounds and shirtings, and a parcel of "reds".  They are kind of reds - so pretty.  These I will use in the Circuit Rider's Quilt BOM as well as the greens I got last week.  The backgrounds will be used in the Antique Sampler BOM

Civil War Blocks

Barbara Brackman has created a new blog http://civilwarquilts.blogspot.com/ and will be publishing a new block every week for the whole year.  Sucker that I am, I have joined in.  My first block is made - it is called Catch Me if You Can.  They are 8" blocks, and this one was pretty easy - just half square triangles.  Hope they are all just as easy.

I have a grand collection of very old and some new Civil War fabrics, so plan to use up these as best I can.

Circuit Rider's Quilt - Block 16

No, I have not been working during the night!  I just finished this block today, and block number 15 was actually done weeks ago, but I forgot to post a picture.  I just did this while waiting for the next of the Cherry Tree blocks to appear - should only be a couple of days off now.  In my desire to rotate projects I can now do the next two blocks of the Antique Sampler, and some more on my current scrap quilt machine quilt.

Extra treat!  These lovely green fabrics arrived in the post today.  They are part of the Sara Morgan collection from Blue Hills.  I kind of forgot that I ordered them.  I had ordered way before Christmas, but it has been taking ages for things to arrive from the US.  The Post Office manager said it was something to do with the snow and flight delays in the US.  I did not take that into account.  Still waiting on some more - one parcel of reds and one parcel of shirtings.  The reds and greens are for the Circuit Rider BOM, so anyone doing that with me will have a treat coming up.  These fabrics are delicious!

Circuit Rider's Quilt - Block 15

This poor block almost did not make it!  I was working on the block, and had it on the arm of my chair.  Decided to do some vacuum cleaning, and had the nozzle set to suck at the back of the cushions.  I looked away for some reason, and turned back just in time to see something white disappearing into the cleaner.  Ok, wonder what that was?  Did I imagine it?  maybe it was just a tissue.

Later on that evening I was looking for my sewing.  Now what was it I was working on?  yes, the block, and realised that it must be in the cleaner.  OMG - I expected I would have to throw it out and start again.  I dug deep - YUK! - into the dirt (gosh , did not realise I had so much dirt about the house) and got it out.  Washed it carefully, laid it out to dry, and here it is - hardly worse for wear.  I can still see some grubby marks on it, but it does not show up in the photo.  When I finally finish the quilt and wash it again, then I know it will be just fine.

Antique Sampler update

I got these blocks made last week, some while I was away, and the rest on my return.  Each month we have one applique block and one paper pieced block.

 Don't you love the way you can fussy cut the fabrics?  It makes the blocks so interesting.  I am really enjoying making them.

So far I have made 24 blocks - 4 of 6 different designs

this is the six blocks - cute eh?

Since I discovered the Sewline glue pen for paper piecing it is a breeze!  No more tacking with thread - just a little glue on the edges, and fold under.  You can then flip out the papers once they are all joined.  Come join me with the Antique Sampler Block of the Month.  We start later this month.

Visit to Port Vincent

Between Christmas and New Year we went and stayed a couple of days with John's cousin, Bob, at his beach house at Port Vincent on the York Peninsular.  Bob had asked us a few times and we just had not got around to it.  No excuses this time!  We loaded the car and took off for the 3 hour drive (yes only 3 hours - but a world away) at 7am on 29th.

How's this view from the kitchen window, eh? 

 Low tide

 view from the back gate

 High tide - must be fishing time

 looks like nap time to me

 While the men were out fishing I got some work done on my sampler blocks.  Love doing these paper pieced blocks, and the fussy cutting

This is the Marina only 2 minutes walk from the house

 Two handsome lads- John on the left and Bob on the right

They have a wind farm on the lower part of the York Peninsular.  We went for a look just on sunset.  Beautiful!