Don't you hate waste!

I think I have just started the most wasteful of all my quilting projects!  I first saw this quilt in Quiltmania magazine a couple of years ago, and just loved it.  However, when I started reading the pattern, I thought there was something seriously wrong with the instructions.  At the time, I could not be bothered mucking about with it, but just abandoned the idea.  The photo recently popped up on Pinterest, and I thought I would have another look at it.

I dutifully followed the instructions, cutting the required number of strips of fabric across the width of the fabric, sewing them together, and cutting.

Can you see how the template A is only along one side of the sewn strip?- well that is all that is used.  The rest is wasted!  I thought I must have read it wrong, and tried to use the other pieces as well, but it did not work at all.

 I can get this set, but does not have the alternate centre pieces

 this one has the alternate pieces, but there are only 6, not 8, wedges

this one has 7 wedges, not 8.

I expect I could use some of these pieces to make the 1/2  "paperweights" needed for the sides of the quilt, but the rest does not work.  So, today I have abandoned it again....temporarily.

The pattern is available https://au.pinterest.com/pin/16184879880648569/ so I have taken the step of ordering the pattern.  I might be wasting my time and money, but thought perhaps the original pattern had been mis-interpreted by the magazine.

Any cleaver ideas out there, or has anyone else tried this pattern and found a solution?

PS I just thought I would have another go, and re-read the instructions.  There are definite errors ie. each fabric for the centre needs a 4" x 24"piece, except that you have to cut it 2 1/2" wide - does not work.  Will wait for my pattern to arrive.

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.

Craft Cruise

I wrote about this event when it first came up, but now it is only 5 months away

 In April next year I am teaching on this Patchwork Cruise.  We are leaving Sydney 3rd April, and cruising to New Zealand with 5 stops around the islands. Returning to Sydney April 13th.

 The ship is the Celebrity Solstice, which looks absolutely magnificent!  There are a number of workshops to choose from and you can see them all HERE.

These are the workshops that I am doing.  You will be familiar with this baskets and roses quilt "My Rose Garden".  This is a 2 day workshop, doing 2 hand pieced baskets and 2 applique blocks.

Then there is the Prairie Star quilt, which I totally love, even after all this time.  This one is a one day workshop, machine pieced.

And, the Bling Bling Baltimore.  This one is a two day workshop, and we will do one block only - the one on the top left hand side.

With all the workshops you will be supplied with a kit to complete the workshop, and pattern and instructions to finish it when you get home.

If it is a machine workshop, the machines will be supplied for you.  There are lots of different workshops to choose from with 18 different tutors, each offering 2 x 2 day workshops, and 1 x 1 days.  They are all listed HERE

You can contact the organisers on Tel: 1300 385 080 / Outside Australia +61 3 9021 8192
or email enquiries@needleworktours.com.au

I hope to see some of you join us. 

Long time - No see!

Did you look at the date of the last post? 1st August!  I can not believe that I have been absent for 2 months.  Mind you, it has been a hectic 2 months in one way or another.  There is a lot of catch up to do

In July, my friend Penny, opened her new shop at Victor Harbor, PennyLane Patchwork.  The opening was on the windiest coldest day this winter.  We all snuggled inside, and greeted the customers.  The photo above is the new Block of the Month I have started to make for the shop.  It is in Jen Kingwell "Lollies"fabric, and will be ready next year.  All the blocks are circles of one kind or another.  Some simple, some more complicated.

 Then in August, I went across to Melbourne, and stayed with my friend Janet O, and was the guest speaker at the Victorian Quilters Annual General meeting.  That was a bit of a treat for me, and I hope they enjoyed the quilt show and tell I had for them.  While in Melbourne, I visited the National Gallery of Victoria, to see the Making the Australian Quilt Exhibition.  A few of the quilts are shown above, but I think there are restrictions on showing them, so I had better be good :-) You can read about it on the link.  It is a must see exhibition if you are in Melbourne until 6th November.

 So, we get to September, and we have SPRING!!  Yay!!  we had the wettest spring on record, with gale force winds, and floods across the state.  It is still raining now, but we have been promised sunshine by the end of the week.

In preparation for Spring, I started to make these sunshiny blocks.  They are made from a Layer Cake, but I added a few other fabrics that I had picked up along the way.  The blocks are "Dresden Squared".  I am making about 20 of these, or more, as I think they would make a great workshop idea.  Simple cutting and sewing.  The trickiest part is appliqueing the centre circles.  This I am doing on the machine as well.

I got the Noughts and Crosses quilt finished.  I posted about the start of it back here .  It is all done, and hanging on the clothes line (along with the washing!) so I can take a photo.  I had it machine quilted with an all over Clamshell design, by Helen Campbell at the Quilting Room.

Also, forgot to mention, that during all this time, I had taken on a part time job!  It is finished now.....what was I thinking of???

Another one on the clothes line.  This one is our Spring into Summer workshop for 11th November.  It is a Jelly Roll quilt, or in my case, 2 1/2"strips from my stash.  I used only brown and brown prints, plus the solid blue, and I just love it!  It makes the brown look like gold.  It has gone off to be quilted as well.  There are spaces on the workshop if you are interested.  Email me for details.

 Last weekend we had the South Australian Quilters annual Festival of Quilts. I had a shop stand there, and can you believe, I did not take one single quilt photo!!  I was far too busy serving customers.  thanks to everyone who called by to buy some of my goodies, or just have a chat.  We will be back next year.

You know what happens at a quilt show, you get inspired to do new things.  Like I have not got enough UFO's to keep me busy for a while.......but I have had an Arabic Lattice quilt idea in my brain for a while.  This is a simple and tricky block, and it has danced with me for about 15 years.  Now it is about to get done.  I drew it up on EQ and this is the result.

 It starts with a 4 patch centre, and then you wrap triangles around that.  You can only partially sew the first triangle in place as show about.

 Then you can add the second triangle

 add the third triangle

 you are left with the first triangle, still flapping about

and finally you can sew that in place.  

I have made 3 of these this morning, and cut out a further 3.  The placement of the colours, will give you a number of different designs.  Wait a while and I will show you what they all look like sewn together.  I have made them 9" so I am thinking 20 blocks, plus a border, will give me a good size quilt.

Thanks for taking the time to read all my catch up news.  Sorry to have neglected all this time.

My Rose Garden

Many of you participated in my free block of the month for Baskets Galore, and the Rose Garden applique blocks.  I have assembled my blocks into a completed quilt, and have finally added these instructions to my files.

You can download the PDF by clicking on the above photo, or the one on the right had side of this home page. I will leave it there for a while so that anyone can get it if they want it.

These instructions are pretty basic, and mainly focus on the amount of fabric needed for the whole quilt, sashing, borders etc, and how to assemble it.  It is not suppose to be a "shop ready"pattern  -  just notes.  Use it as you please.  There is no charge for it.

Better late than never - My Red and White Quilt

Last year I attended the Sydney Quilt show and was totally enthralled by the Red and White exhibition.  I had actually started a quilt to enter into the exhibition, but did not get very far with it.  Since then I have started 2 and finished one of them.  The finished one is here for you to see.

Under usual circumstances I would have hand quilted this little quilt, but I just did not have the time as I needed it as a class sample.  Also, I did not want to spoil the whole thing by trying out my machine quilting!

I asked my friend Chris if she would be at all interested in quilting it for me.  This was not a random request of a friend who is a "good machine quilter".  Chris is a spectacular Prize Winning quilter, who has only become a machine quilter in recent years.  She has always been an exquisite hand quilter, but decided to expand her skills  -  with breathtaking results.  I made the request on a business basis, and it appears I am her first customer...lucky me!  You can see the results here.  Beyond the call of duty I would say, don't you think?

Should you be able to attend the Australian Machine Quilting Festival, later this year, you will find Chris O'Brien as one of the Tutors, and there may be a vacancy in one of her classes.  I signed up, as I want to get a bit more confidence and learn a few of the expert tips.

This festival is not just for professional machine quilters - it is for everyone, and there are great lectures, and market stalls, for those who love to shop.  I have no connection to the Festival, other than a participant.

On the workshop associated with the little red and white quilt, I will be teaching for Victorian Quilters on 14th August.  I am travelling to Melbourne on 13th August for the Annual General Meeting, and teaching the workshop the next day.  I will also be teaching the Rose Garden quilt.

which is hand pieced and hand appliqued blocks.  If you are interested in attending, please get in touch with the Victorian Quilters about vacancies.  Hope to see you then.

It has been a while

Did you miss me??  I have been to China

This has been the holiday of a lifetime!  It was a wonderful experience, but I will be very happy to stay home on Australia for at least a year.

 We have come home exhausted, and with a cold that is not shifting very fast at all.  This afternoon I head down to Victor Harbor for a quilter's retreat.  I expect that lots of good South Australian red wine, and the company of like minded women will help a lot!

Before I left on 9th May, I was able to get the next block ready for you from the Red and Green Again Block of the Month.  If you have not found it yet, the free pattern is available by clicking on the photo at the RHS of this page at the top.  The pattern is different to those already shown.  It had never been my strategy to make these patterns in a similar cross-over style, it just happened that way, and now I have been able to find a few that are a little different for you.

Start with the circular background, add the leaves, then the layers of the flowers.

As part of our tour of China, we took a cruise on the Yangtze river, and visited the 3 Gorges Dam project.  They have built a series of escalators so that you can actually go to the top of the mountain, without having to climb!  on the way up I found these hollyhocks growing.  I grow them in my own garden, so could not resist taking this photo.

There were beautiful gardens everywhere we visited.  Here are a few for you to enjoy.  I don't know what I expected to see, but not this.  Everything was clean and shiny.