Who says reproduction fabrics are dull and boring?  Lots of people make that comment when I say that I mostly make quilts using "repros".  I also love Kaffe fabrics, and lots of bright modern fabrics as well. Mostly I love the traditional "olde worlde" prints, and it is surprising how bright you can go.

Look how bright this one is!  I am calling it "Summertime" for very good reason, it looks bright and floraly, and all made with reproduction fabrics.  I don't use as many browns now as I use to, but they are specially beautiful with teal blue, or red, or pink.  I tried not to have "over the top" brightness in this quilt, and it needed a few duller mixes as well. 

So this is the Rolling Stone quilt top, with the extra 5 blocks made.  They are the ones along the left hand side.  It is a pretty big quilt now 75" square. It was too big to get a photo on the floor, so took it outside onto the clothes line, in the blistering heat!  My friend Irene calls my clothes line "the quilt gallery"!

I loved playing with the colour arrangements so much I could probably keep sewing, but I do think this is big enough now.  I am thinking of doing the "big stitch" quilting with Perle cotton on this one.  So far I have done 2 quilts this way, and it happens very fast compared to the "little stitch" quilting that I am so use to.

The final digital block for this month - the Pom Pom Tree - is now ready.  Block 3 is on the Legend and Lace website.  This is another good example of bright reproduction fabrics.  Love this bright blue!

Tulips - part 3

Despite the hot weather, I have managed to get a few of my jobs done.  Today is day 3 of a predicted 5 days of temperatures over 40C.  Today is predicted to be 45 - that is 113F.  Once it gets this hot you just have to stay inside and try and keep cool.

Last weekend I completed part 3 of the Tiptoe Through the Tulips pattern.  These are the "splodge" shapes that I have called Folk Art Circles.  One goes in each of the corners of the centre square.  I did mine in a printed double pink plaid and a directional stripe with brown, red, gold and blue.

 I love this fabric, and would love to get a bit more of it if anyone knows where I could find it

When I was making the pattern for this quilt, I had images of the original quilt maker sitting at her kitchen table using jam jars, and cotton reels to draw the shapes.  They used what they had sitting around.  I expect many of use do that still today.  I use to be quite good at art when I was at school, but lost interest as I got older.  When I was drawing the shapes for the the pattern, I realised that I still had some of the skills tucked away.  Surprising.

The patterns are now available on the Legend and Lace website

.Yesterday, before it got too hot, like when it was on 39C, I cut out 5 more blocks for the Rolling Stones.  I figured I could string piece them through the sewing machine, and get them mostly done in one day.  I have really enjoyed matching up (or not matching!) the fabrics for these blocks.  I kind of started with the centre piece, and found fabrics that went with that to make a frame.  This will be my job this morning.

The heat is on!

The weather forecast for this coming week is 40C+ during the day.  For those of you who live where the weather is measured in F, well this is hot, when you think that 38C is 100F......so all week we will be looking for indoor activities.  For me, it will not be quilting.  Yuk!  maybe a little hand piecing, with the air-con going.

 So far, I have 4 of the Rose Star blocks completed.  It is a little bit of a challenge finding 5 colours that go together, so i have decided to not choose colours that go together, but ones that clash instead,  I think I am getting a more interesting block.  For example, the block at the top of this picture has red, blue stripe, soft lilac, purple and cheddar.  I would like to keep up the stripes in each block, and some red or pink, but that would be the only matching part.

The Rolling Stone blocks are all done - well I thought they were.  I have made 20 blocks and put them all together.  Went of to a sewing/social/lunch day on Saturday and took it for my show and tell.  The suggestion was that I make the quilt square.  if I make it square then I don't have to add a border, which might not enhance the quilt.  Three of the girls there were prize winning quilters and one also a well respected machine quilter.  I am inclined to embrace their comments.  Also, they gave me some ideas on the quilting design to use.  So, it looks like I have to make another 5 blocks. 

It is school holidays still, and my granddaughter came over yesterday to stay for a few days.  She says she will stay a week, but after a couple of days she starts asking to go home.  We just take it as we can. 

Breakfast time now.  Will find those Cornflakes!

We are half way there

The latest of the little basket blocks is now ready for you.  This is a Sugar Bowl.  A cute little block and a 4 patch this time, so I hope it is easy for you.  You can use scrappy fabrics as I have, or make it as you please.

I have made all 12 of the blocks now, but have only shown you 6 of them.  So, if you have been making them all, then we are half way there.  My plan is to put them into a quilt with the Rose Garden blocks from the last Block of the Month.  These blocks are still available if you would like to get them as well.

so this is how they all look so far.  I am going to set mine on point, but they look pretty like this as well.  The choice is yours of course!

Next week I will have the Tulip quilt block done, and the week after,  the Pom Pom Tree, and I will be all up to date!   I will let you know when they are ready.

As always, if you have a problem, or if something does not look right (thanks Lori xx) just let me know and I will fix it.

Wendy 

Rolling Stone update

 It is so hard to get a good shot of a large quilt on the floor!  I tried a few different angles, and these are what I ended up with.

I love making these Rolling Stone blocks.  They are so easy, and the colour combinations can be really interesting.  I am trying to get as much variety in the colour, and depth as I can.  do you like how you get a secondary pattern where the blocks join?  A good reason not to sash these blocks.

So far I have 12 blocks made, and it would be ok to leave it as it is, but I am thinking I will make another 8 blocks, then I can actually use it on a bed.

At this stage people start asking me how I am going to quilt it, and of course, I have no idea.  Probably cross hatch in the ditch on the sewing machine.  Or, I could use my new favourite method, which is the "big stitch" quilting with perle 8 cotton.  Depends on how far I put it down the "to do" list once the top is complete.  Time will tell.

My other New Year project, the hand pieced Rose Star, now has 2 blocks made. I have chosen the fabrics for the next one, but stopped there.  We had the hottest couple of days at New Year, I really felt like doing nothing.  Then we had a little cool change, and got out my hand quilting for a little while just because I could!  Normally I would not contemplate hand quilting this time of year, but I would quite like to get this one quilted by the end of February.