I'm Back!

I bet your thought I was dead and buried, or won the lottery and moved to the moon, or some other exotic place.  No, I just got lazy, and sucked in by Facebook and Instagram.

It has been since November 2016....almost 2 years and I wonder what I have been up to.  Today I found this in my cupboard.  An old friend that I think I started....hmmm....15 years ago.  I started the quilting and for some reason decided it was not good enough, and I would have to unpick.  Today with a more experienced eye, I think it is ok, or at least fixable.  Will work on this as I renew my friendship with you all.  This is an opportunity I think.

a few ripples in this quilting, but if I wash and block when complete, it will be ok.

What else have I been up to?  Well it is the beginning of Spring in Australia, and in my part of the country, we have had plenty of rain, so the garden looks pretty good.  It is a bit later than usual, but maybe it will pick up.

 These trees I saw on my morning walk.

and the Jasmin on the fence.  Always flowers 1st of September.









In the sewing world I have been busy.  No more Block of the Months for quite some time, but I am thinking of something, I just have to get my Mojo working again.

I fell into a bit of a deep hole last year when my DH John, took sick while we were travelling in Burma.  Beautiful country, but horrible place to get sick.  It was a long way home, and he ended up with heart surgery at the end of November.

While he was convalescing I had a lot of time on my hands, and managed to make a quilt that really inspired me.   It is from the pattern by Susan Smith called Stevie's Garden.  I called mine Midnight in the Garden for obvious reasons.

 It was made entirely from my scrap bag, and the background and the border was in my stash.  The Blue Ribbon was special....I had never had one of these before!  Right now i am doing a lot of knitting, and looking at UFO's and hoping to find some inspiration.

I know it looks funny, but this is a shawl I am knitting by a talented German lady Martina Behm.  The yarn is silk and baby camel, and divine to knit.

I have run out of oomph today, so will find a few more things later in the week.

Thanks for stopping by,

Wendy

Red and Green blocks - number 12

I have just completed the LAST of the Red and Green Blocks.  That is 12 of them that you can download by clicking on the image to the right of this page.  They are free for at least one month, and sometimes 2 months- depending on how busy I have been.  After that time, you will be taken to my website, where they are $2.50 each.  That is Aussie $'s, so if you live in another country, it might cost you a lot less.

As yet, I have not decided if I will continue with a new free block programme for next year.  So far, nothing has really taken my interest, but I will keep thinking on it.  I have been trying (as always!) to get a few things finished, but keep getting side tracked by thing that inspire me.

You know the Civil War Brides quilt?  I saw a photo of some blocks made with a dark background, and using Kaffe Fasset type prints.  The blocks were made by Patty Harrants

I have tried to contact Patty to let her know that I have been overwhelmed with how beautiful her blocks are, and that I intend to make similar ones.  So far, I have not heard back, but I will show you photos of mine so far.  I have done mine with hand needle-turn applique, and Patty made hers with machine applique.  I am totally sucked in with these blocks now.  I am using the book "A Bountiful
Life"by Karen Mowrey.   I have had the book for ages, but never intended to make the quilt....until now!

Anyway, these are a couple of my blocks.  So far I have made 2, and part finished another one, and have one drawn up to go next.

I had a very small stash of Kaffe type fabrics, and have been asking my friends for donations, and going to the quilt shops (of course) and buying 25cm strips to add to the stash.  In time I hope to have enough to make all the blocks I need.

You probably know that I use Back Basting for my applique, and people ask me how I cope with a dark background like this one.  I say "use a light box" as you will be surprised at what you can see through it.  I am also using a white gel pen to draw the design on the fabrics.  It stays there, does not rub out, and does not damage your fabrics.  Not the "iron out"kind as I want it to stay for the duration.  I use the type you buy at the stationary shops.  They are only a couple of $'s.

I hope some of you might join me in this new project.

A little Red and White

Last year I went to the Sydney Quilt show and they had a really spectacular Red and White exhibition.  I had planned on an entry, but never quite got it all together.  However, the idea never left me.

I am always looking for ideas for workshops/classes, but I only want to make things to teach that I really like.  It was September last year when I showed the first couple of blocks HERE.  The designs are based on the German paper cutting craft Scherenschnitte.  You really have to work on your applique skills with this one.  You get to do inner and outer curves, inner and outer points, and cut outs.

So it all came to a head this last week when I had to get some project ideas ready for the Victorian Quilters Guild.  I have been invited to go to Melbourne in August to speak at their AGM, and do a workshop the next day.  Ok, time to get cracking on this one!  The border??  I woke up around 5am one day thinking I would do a machine piece zig zag border.  Got the books out for ideas, but changed my mind.  No it had to be appliqued.......and following in the paper cutting idea.

I cut a strip of paper as long as the borders, and folded in in half, and quarters and kept folding until it looked ok.  Then I marked points and made the cuts.  Folding it out, I had the right look.

I had added 4"white borders, and used the paper to draw lines on the back of them.

I put the red strips onto the right side of the borders, and from the back, I stitch on the machine, on the lines.  Here you can see the lines on the right side.  This is exactly the same as doing the "back basting"preparation by hand, but takes a fraction of the time.  Set your stitch length about 4 to make it easier.

I did two opposites at a time, then joined them in the corners with a neat stitch overlapping.

When you start with the applique, it is exactly the same technique used if you had tacked by hand.  You clip the machined stitches, then turn them under, and hand stitch in place.  However, there is a huge bonus in using the machine to tack (apart from the time saved)

Can you see the lines left when you take out the stitches?  They are really easy to see, and work as your guide to turn under.  You can use the machine to tack on any of the applique projects, but it works best of all of course, on the straight lines rather than the curves.  If you are more skilled than I am at manipulating the sewing machine, then you could use it on the curved applique as well.

Add the final 2 opposite sides and your done.  I had this done in two days and ready to photograph and send off to the Vic Quilters for the workshop.  I have to get it quilted now, but I can work on that later.

If you are a member of the Vic Quilters Guild I will be there in August and hope to meet some of you.

Lily block

Did you notice that I am a little early this month?  I am trying to get ahead.  Next month I am going to be away for a great chunk of it,  and I have not yet worked out how to do these block posts on the Samsung Tablet!  So, May's block may be as early as the 5th or 6th.

I was a bit worried with the Red and Green blocks, that they were starting to have another "theme"and that was the "crossing" kind of style.  That was not intention, it is just that I like them.  So, I thought I had better change it a bit in case you got bored. The LILY is a little more complex with overlapping petals and very fine stems.

To do this block well, start with the yellow petals, just appliqueing the outer parts in place, then overlapping with the red petals.  That will make the flowers nice and flat.  Then do the leaves, the stems, and finally the base of the flowers.

Hope you like the block.  You can print it off free of charge by clicking on the image at the top tight hand side of this page.

The block should print off at 8".  If you want it smaller or larger, then perhaps you can adjust your printer.  For the 8" size do no adjusting, just print of  100%.  My intentions with these is to have them print on one page of paper.  Hopefully I have got it right.

Happy stitching!

Tulip Cross Block

Thanks for being so patient.  The Red and Green block is on the right hand side of the page, ready to be downloaded (if you have not already found it!)..

I had it all ready, but had forgot to put it up, until a very kind person asked me about it, and that is when I realised that we were way past the 20th!  Lets hope that it all runs smoothly now.

The month of March was quite hectic towards the end.  Some of you may know that I am the Australian distributor for Karen Kay Buckley products.  I sent a newsletter out to our wholesale customers asking that they might get orders in early if planning to take their shops to the Australasian Quilt Convention held in Melbourne, 14th April.  Dutifully they did so, and I then had to get Karen to send all the goodies to me, so that I had them mid March to fill orders.

This is just part of the 8 boxes that arrived.  I had to take over the spare bedroom, as my workroom was already crowded.  So, over Easter I packed, and organised freight and generally had stuff all over the house in one area or another.  That is my main excuse for being late with the block, I was so otherwise occupied.

Should you be going to the Convention please call into see Punch with Judy, and Sewn and Quilted who are both now stocking Karen's latest Perfect Adjustable Rulers

They come in 6"wide and 3"wide, and can be made up to 24"in length.  Perfect for travelling to retreats and conventions.

On the sewing side.....what am I doing?  Still working on the hand quilting of the Birdie quilt.

All the echo quilting in the centre is complete now, and I am working on the final border.  My goal is to have it completed by the end of April, and I feel like that is now in sight.

Other big news, next April - that is 2017  -  I will be teaching on a craft cruise!  It is run by Needlework Tours and Cruises.  You can get the link HERE.   If you click on "Brows and Book Projects" you will find me listed way down the bottom....it is alphabetical.  The cruise goes from Sydney, around the south Island of New Zealand for 10 days.  There are 5 days of classes and 5 days of leisure activities.


Very exciting for me, and I hope my classes get booked out fast.  More on that one as the time gets closer.

I forgot to add the photos!!