Finally I settled on the right fabrics for the borders of the birdy quilt.  It took me ages!  I think I took about 10 photos trying to get the right LOOK.  I think I was distracted by what the original quilt looked like, instead of focusing on what I thought looked good to me.

 The fabrics that I finally chose really work well with the colours, especially the reds, in the centre applique.

The black I love as it frames and contrast everything you put with it.

You will notice that I did not mitre the corners.  As I like my quilts to look like old quilts I do not mitre them.  People have pulled me up on this at different times. The quilt history people will tell you that the mitred corners became popular in the 1970's or 80's with the resurgence of quiltmaking.  I have lots of books on antique quilts, and it is very hard to find a mitred corner.

 A lot of these fabrics came from my friend Penny.  Penny has a online shop Pennylane Patchwork, and is getting ready to open a real shop in Victor Harbor in South Australia.  We did a little fabric swap.  I won some fabric pieces from a show I had entered into.  The fabrics were nice, and good quality, but not the types of prints I would normally use.  Both the black fabrics were part of the swap, and this print to the left I got from her once before.  The red wavy fabric was in my stash.  I love serpentine fabrics, and buy a bit when I see it.

 This is a little close up of what the fabrics look like all together.  I think they are a good match.

While I am in the mood, and before it gets too hot again (eek!) I think I will get this basted and ready to quilt.  My plan is to follow the idea of the original quilt, and do parallel diagonal lines in the borders, and echo quilt the inner part.

I am going to try a new batting.  For several years now I have been a huge fan of  Quilter's Dream cotton batting, and use it exclusively.  I buy it in from the distributors in the USA, to resell on my website.  With the price of shipping now, and the exchange rate, it is getting very expensive to get the big boxes in.  I am going to try 50% cotton and 50% bamboo batting called Legacy.  I just love the feel of it, and I think it will quilt nicely.  More on that as I progress.

 Just so you don't feel like you missed out......the following are the  "audition"photos

this was a favourite and nearly won

 

love this as well

I hand pieced the first border to make sure it was on the lines correctly

 Can't believe the top is finally finished!  It sat in the "To Do"box for about 4 years.  No need to rush these things, is there?

A little gift for you all

I have been trying to think of what I might be able to do next year as a gift to you all......a BOM, or similar to what we had last year.

I have come up with an applique block of the month.  There is no charge for the blocks, but you will have to get it quick.  I will put it up on the top RHS of this page, and it will be there, free of charge for one month.  After that time, it will be on my website, still as a digital pattern, but with a small charge.  Just click on the image, and it *should* take you to the drawing. 

It will print out as an 8"block if you set your printer to "actual size".  If you want it larger,  then you will need to adjust the configurations of your printer.  All printers are different, so you will need to sort this part out for yourselves.

This first block is called Clover and Spades.  It is a very traditional block, and all the blocks will be, and they will be of a similar style.

My plan is to have each new block ready for you on or about the 20th of the month as I have done in the past.

The name???  Red and Green Again!  of course.

Happy sewing everyone. 

Thanks for your support during the last year.  I love to hear from you and get your feedback.

Wendy

The Birdy keeps flying

 Despite the heat in this part of the world, I have managed to get the centre of my latest project completed.  We usually do not get such hot weather until January, or February.  So far with have broken all the December records for the heat.  Today is 42c....which is about 110F.  HOT!

 The flowers are all appliqued by needle-turn.  I just cut the flower out, and left a small turn under.

 The original quilt was done using a blanket stitch

 I used 3 of the flowers all from the same piece of fabric.  Instead of appliquing stems for the flowers, I used Valdani perle 8 thread and did small chain stitch.

 Unfortunately, I ended up with a lot of wasted fabrics.  Hopefully I can find another project to use this on.

The photo of the original quilt is HERE.  Next job is sorting through the large assortment of borders to choose the right combination.  I am sure just the right ones are in the offering.

I have been going to swimming classes during November and December.  I did learn to swim as a child, like every other child in Australia, but needed an update.  Skylar and I go and swim laps together.  We have a fabulous indoor aquatic centre very close to us, so we are very lucky.  I have never been keen on the beach, and think that is mainly because of my fair skin, and aversion to being out in the hot sun.

So, now I have one week to get ready to Christmas.  It is going to be very hot again, so we will be having cold food, inside my cool house (I hope).

The birdy made me do it

Last week I resurrected an older project.  We all have this happen from time to time.  When we start we just love it to death, then something goes wrong, or you get side tracked, and it goes in the "too hard"basket for a while.  That is what happened with the bird.

I first saw the original of this quilt in the North Carolina Quilts book.  If you do not have this book, it is worth looking out for.  There are some stunning applique and pieced quilts.

 To me, there is something so elegant and peaceful about this bird in flight.  I loved it from the first sight of it.  I just knew I had some of that similar Column or Pillar type fabric, and my interest just grew from there.  It was made around 1830-50.  There is a story about the family in the book.  They are not actually sure which member of the  Brandon family made it.

In the book there is a close up if the bird in flight, and you can see the background quilting as well.  All the applique is done as blanket stitch, with very fine stitches.  You need a magnifying glass to see it in the photos.  I am doing mine as needle-turn.

The next challenge was to find suitable fabrics for the Broderie Perse floral motifs around the bird.  I have a box of BP type fabrics, but none were "just right" -  some were too big for the space, others had a dark background (which makes it hard to make the applique stitches invisible) some the wrong colour.  So......I had to buy some more fabric!

I ended up with this fabric.  it has small, medium and larger flowers, all that I can use, and isolate them to be cut out.  I already had this fabric with a blue background, but that would not do!  In case you want to find some for yourself it is Arabesque by Petra Prins and Nel Kooiman for Dutch Heritage.

The other really interesting part of this quilt is the array of borders.  There appear to be 4 borders in all.  I raided the stash for this!  I buy unique border fabrics whenever I see them.  Then they sit, for years sometimes, waiting for the right project.

I have no idea what I will be using on the borders yet, but just playing around. 

I am alternating between doing this applique, and quilting my Maltaville Album quilt.  Depends on the weather.  We are still getting some cool nights so, that is great weather for some quilting. 

You can not actually see the stitches, but I have quilted in the ditch next to the sashing, and now I have started going around the shapes........long way to go yet!

Towards the next finish

I was having a little tidy up in my sewing room this week (read that as trying to find space on the floor) and found my bag of Maltaville Album blocks.  I started making these blocks ages ago, from a pattern created by Margaret at Quiltstaion.  The original quilt is in the Smithsonian Museum.  I decided also that I was not going to make all the blocks, and stopped at 36,

I rifled through my stash of fabric, and found something for the sashing, and started cutting and sewing.

I have enough of the sashing material to use it on the cross length, then I can use a double width (two stripes) for the border.  I have never sashed an applique quilt before, but I have always loved the look of it.  The fabric  for the sashing was one I bought on sale *somewhere* and thought it would like nice in *something*.....well the time has come.

Adjustable Ruler

Just when you thought you had seen every quilting gadget imaginable, Karen Kay Buckley, has brought out something new......a Perfect Adjustable Ruler.

I am not at all surprised about this, as it is a natural follow on from the Adjustable Square, with the same interlocking pieces.  One of my friends, who had bought the square, told me how she had used the pieces to take to an interstate retreat, when she needed a long ruler.  The conventional long ruler did not fit into her carry on luggage.

So, the rulers come in 3"wide and 6"wide and it locks together to make rulers 6", 12", 18"and 24".  All the pieces go into these beautiful little pouches, made from purple and green felt.

There is a Youtube video link that shows you how it works.  If you click HERE you can see it.

I put the same link into the Legend and Lace website but it refuses to work, so I am at a loss.

So far, I have sent a few of these off to some Australian quilting magazines for a "test run"but they are fresh off the plane.  Hopefully we will see some reviews soon.

Almost a Mystery

The last couple of years my friend Mary Rothe and I have conducted a Melbourne Cup Mystery quilting day.  This year we are doing "Almost a Mystery".  You can see what we are making, but the way we make it is the mystery.  There is no foundation piecing, no special ruler, and no templates.

I have made mine in the red, with black and white prints, and Mary has used her collection of light and dark Kaffe fabrics.

Here are the details:-

Tuesday 3rd November

10am to 3pm

St Paul's Lutheran Church Hall, McLaren Vale, SA.

$65 for the day, which includes your class, lunch, and morning and afternoon tea.

Spot prizes, and give aways.

You can use a "layer cake"as long as you get the light and dark contrast, or you can use a scrappy collection of 10"squares, and you can use one main fabric (as I have done) plus 10"cuts across the width of the fabric.

If you would like your name to be on our mailing list, you can  add it by way of the "subscribe to our mailing list"box, just below the Facebook link on the Right hand side of this page.

Email me if you would like more information Willywd200@gmail.com.

Past Reflections - Block 12

The final block of the Past Reflections group is now available.  If you go to the RHS of this page you will see the photo.  You just need to click onto the photo and it takes you to the link.  The photo is slightly different to the block pattern.  Very good reason for this. 

I started making these blocks from the Circuit Rider  book, and then decided I wanted some different ones, so found others that would fit in.  This block above, is one from the book.  I can not copy the drawing from the book, but I can make my own.  In reality, it is a very traditional block, and the blocks from that original quilt have been reproduced many times, but I made my own drawing for you.  Hope you like it.

Once you have completed all the blocks, you can trim them down to 12 1/2"and put sashing or blocks or what ever you want to make them into a usable size.  Or, like me, keep looking for more patterns that will fit into the quilt.

I am working on some ideas for next year, so will call off the free patterns for a short while.  Hopefully I will have some brain waves, and something will come to mind.

I now have two blocks made for my red and white sampler.  I really love doing these cut out block.  The fabric is Moda Bella solid.  I started using this as I had it in the cupboard for another project that never happened (does anyone else do that?!).  The fabric is surprising good for applique, as it turns under so well, and hardly frays. In the past I have used it as a background for the Past Reflections blocks, but never as a design fabric.  The colour range is excellent as well.

First of the Hollyhocks

Sweet peas on the print gate

Spring has sprung in my part of the world.  The garden is looking really pretty.  However, they have predicted quite high temperatures for next week, which may in fact burn off a lot of the spring flowers.  We never seem to be able to get it right.  With school holidays on now, we do want some warm weather for outings.  Next week we are going to the zoo!

Back from our travels

We have come home from our wonderful tour of Vietnam and Cambodia.  We had nearly 3 weeks away.  It was exhausting and enlightening.  The weather was hard going, with very high temperatures, and high humidity.

During the time away we celebrated my DH John's 70's birthday, and our wedding anniversary.  This photo was taken in Phnom Penh, in Cambodia. We visited the silver palace in the middle of the city.  This palace was a beautiful place, in the middle of a country once ruined by death and destruction.  the people are wonderfully resilient.  I am still worn out after a week at home, and hope it will pass soon.

We hit the ground running.  As soon as we got home we found that there had been a power cut and our refrigerator was now really stinky with mouldy food (the small amount in there) and the freezer had gone rotten.  No knowing how long it had been out......maybe a week......certainly long enough to make a real mess.  We are making a claim on our insurance.  I have cleaned it 3 times and can not get the smell out! 

Some of the beautiful images from Angkor Wat.  We climbed to the top.  I am still amazed at how I did it. 

Very unattractive "after"photo!

So now, I am back in the real world, and trying to get things back to normal.  I was away for the Royal Adelaide Show and had my daughter drop off my quilt for entry.  I found that I had won a second place.

I was not able to take a photo, but there is one here at Hettie's Patch

The best news this week is that my baskets and roses quilt is on the front cover of Australian Patchwork and Quilting magazine.  That was a nice surprise!  I knew it was coming up, but could not remember how soon.

I am trying to "take it easy" and just get some hand sewing done, working on the red and white cut outs

these blocks are smaller than the one I did previously.  These are about 13" square, and slightly less complex.  I am thinking of offering these as workshops, learning how to do reverse applique.  I am making  4 different designs using the "paper cut" technique.

This large one (I have made 2) are 24" square, and will be part of a large 9 block quilt.  Love this Moda Bella range for applique!  It just turns under so well, and does not fray.  They are great for travelling, as you only have to take the one piece with you, and one thread and needle.  Takes up little space.

There is one more block to go in Past Reflections, and hopefully I will get that done some time this week.  Keep an eye out.