Tip Toe Through the Tulips and more

I am all up to date with my patterns, and Tip Toe Through the Tulips BOM, is now complete!  Yay!  I wrote this pattern ages ago, but had not turned it into a PDF which then can be used as a digital pattern.  It all takes time, and I just did not have enough of it to go around.

At least I got it done before the end of July......it is now there to download if you want to have a look.  This is the final part, and it covers the corner star, and then assembly and quilting of the quilt.  The cost is $4.95 and you can find this final part here.

photo of block 1, but pattern of block 9

photo of block 9, but pattern of block 1

Another job done today is the Pom Pom Tree block 9....this is all done, but I am not quite so proud of my efforts with this one. 

Once again I made the quilt ages ago, but did not write and photograph the blocks until I was ready to upload them.  However, earlier this month I completed blocks 9 to 12.

Today, yes just today, I realised that I had switched photos of block one, and block 9.  As you can see above, they are very similar.  That is my excuse, and that I am only a quilter not a desk top publisher or editor.   I know there are a couple of ladies who will notice it straight away, and I thank you girls for your diligence in keeping me on my toes!!  My apologies.  But it is only the photos that are the wrong way around.

Please let me know with any of these digital patterns if something does not work properly for you or if you can spot an error.  I am still having problems with Pay Pal in that you might get an error message, but please ignore it, as the payment does go through ok.

Baskets and more

Ok, back to business.  I have had my trip to Sydney and my lovely win there, and the Stitching and Handcraft show is over, the 12 basket blocks are done.  No more excuses.  This week I started a new project.  This one is to be a "hand made" workshop that I have had in my mind for a while.  The first part is a hand pieced basket/vase.  The block will finish at around 20"

 I started to piece the block last night, and thought I would show you what the back looks like.  Where the pieces join,  you can flatten out the seams.  Makes them sit nicer.

 The sides are next

And then the top. It is starting to take shape now.  It does look a bit vacant, but there is more to come

 Broderie Perse seems to be the "flavour of the year" and I have heaps of ideas for the top of the vase.  If I use just these flowers, then I will need to do some appliqued stems to start with.  Some of the flowers will sit over the top of the vase.

 If I use these flowers I can almost use them as they are, as there are a few stems and leaves amongst the pieces.

Now, this one is an interesting idea.  I really love this fabric, and it will look entirely different once the background is cut away.  Do you love the birds?, but not for this one.  I want this to look like a vase of flowers.  The birds will have to wait!

This is going to look more like a vase of flowers.  This fabric I bought a few years ago, and never used (of course!) It is from the Winterthur Museum, Sarah Pearce collection.  This one, and photo 1 at the top are my favourites.  I will just have to play around and see what I come up with.  Finish sewing the vase, add the top triangle and then play with the fabrics again.



As it is for a workshop, I really need to find fabrics that are more easy to come by.  It is a "design" kind of class, so I do not expect each piece to look the same from everyone participating.  However, people do want to make just what you have made.

The Little Sisters - few close up shots

After a really hectic couple of weeks I finally feel like I can relax, and then I got a cold!  Enforced rest for me.  It is only a cold, but it makes you stay inside and take it easy, with a bit of hand sewing and reading.  Currently I am reading "The Book Thief" which was made into a movie, which I have not seen.  I will finish the book, then see the movie if it is still on anywhere.

Some one asked me for close up shots of the Little Sister's quilt.....I guess to inspect my curves, and quilting stitches :-))  I have done my best for you, but the camera is old-ish, and not taking as good photos as I would like.  But lets give it a shot anyway!

The photo above shows one of the side motifs, one of the stars and some of the quilting.

 The background quilting I drew free hand with blue wash out pen, then quilted and sprayed it with water before washing.  It is mostly trails of vines, leaves and flowers.

 These little suns are 4" across, and the centres are 2".  Each one I hand pieced using template plastic, and drawn on the back with a pencil, then hand pieced together.  The centre I made as a circle over a Perfect Circle 2", then appliqued over the centre of the legs of the stars.  The completed stars, were then drawn up over one of the Larger Perfect Circles and pressed, then appliqued in place between the feather/fans.

 Here is a bit more of the quilting in the background.  On this quilt I used a YLI quilting thread coloured Ecru....actually I use Ecru on everything.  It shows up the stitches well.  I am about to move to Auriful for hand quilting, so will see if I like that as much, better, not as much?......I bought the 20wt in a similar colour.

 This picture is not so good, but it shows some of the legs of the feathers, and the vines between

 One of the corner motifs.  I made these seperately to the rest of the quilt.  Cut out the templates and pieced by hand, then turned under the edge of the block and appliqued in place in the corners.  Then I cut away the back of the block.

More close ups of the stars and the quilting lines

 The border is lots of smaller fans/feathers/leaves...what ever you want to call them, on a 1" wide vine.  I did some quilting in the feathers, and just lots of different motifs around.  I used hearts, paisleys, leaves, flowers etc

Where the main part of the quilt joins the border, I put in this skinny 1/2" border, and quilted right up against it so that it would stay flat, and put a few other motifs about the place.

There was no plan at all with the quilting, except for the wavy vine that went all around the large feathers.  The idea was just to fill in the space.  And, now that I have it home I can see more spaces to be filled.

 This is the fabric pack that was a part of my prize.  Very pretty but not really the fabrics I would choose.  I plan to make a quilt for my granddaughter, Skylar.  I saw this Paper Doll Quilt in a Kaffe Fassett's Quilt Grandeur book, and I think it would be perfect.

These are the very fancy rosettes I got to bring home.  I gave them to Skylar to wear last weekend when she came to visit me.  She thought she was just the ants pants!

Edit.....there is a full size photo on the website of the Quilters Guild of NSW Here

and on my post July 12th here

Adelaide Sewing Stitching and Handcraft show

After my big week away, I am now spending this week getting ready to attend the Sewing and Stitching Show.  I went last year and took my small business, including all the lovely Karen Kay Buckley Scissors and Perfect Circles.  Yesterday I started sorting things to take with me, and today I am pricing and checking I have everything I need. BTW, all prices have been reduced for the event, so you will get a bargain as well.

My daughter, Natalie, is helping me to set up on Thursday, and work with me on Friday, which was the busiest day last year.  Then my friends Mary and Marilyn will lend a hand Saturday and Sunday.  Natalie was so funny last year.  She is not a sewing person, and had no idea what half the things were for.  By the end of the day she was saying, well I don't know what it is, or what you use it for,  but I do know WHERE it is and how much it is!

If you are planning on going, come and see me at Stand S25.  We will have the samples for our upcoming workshop on August 8th on display.

About the next part for the Tiptoe Through the Tulips and the Pom Pom Tree......they are late!  So please forgive me, I have just taken on too much this month.  I will have them done by the end of next week.

surprising week

Last Friday, 4th, I went to Sydney to visit with my family for a few days, and catch up with a few friends at the Sydney Quilt show.  Lots of exiting things happened.  A few weeks back I had posted my Little Sisters quilt to be in the exhibition.  When you send these things off you never really expect (but often hope) that they might like it enough to give you a little award.  Because I am a teacher, and I earn some income from quilting, they make me enter as a "professional", so it gets harder!

On the night of the judging I got a phone call from the president of the Guild asking if I was likely to be at the awards presentation.  Well, I said I expected I could be there, and she said "I highly recommend that you attend if you can".........intriguing wouldn't you think?

 I received 2 awards.......one as 3rd place in the Traditional Quilt category, then I was awarded "the Best Hand Made Quilt" in the show! 

My friend Maureen was sitting next to me and had been involved in the judging day, not as a judge, but as a helper.......and she knew!  After I got the smaller award, she suggested I not relax too much.  It was really a huge surprise and a real treat.

Maureen's Big Birds

It is also my birthday week, so I bought myself something to celebrate.


I have more photos from the show, but I have to get permission before I show you.  I do have some Sydney shots though.  I stayed with my cousin at her beautiful harbour-side apartment.

How would you like to wake to this each day?

This is my niece Julie, sister Di, and me....out to lunch on a windy day in Newcastle

For more images from the Sydney Quilt Show you can go to the website