Back from my travels

I got back from my visit to the Sydney Quilt show on Sunday night.  Very tired, and found the new Hewlett Packard computer unpacked and sitting up on the table, ready for action.  I am not at all in the mood for this, but I have to do it.  Yesterday I managed to load Photoshop, which is the DH's favourite.  He does not have a smart phone, and takes photos with the camera, then uploads to a file.  I told him all those files are gone, and he has to get a smartphone.  Will see how that eventuates......I also some how managed to load the email programme, and it worked, so big tick there!

This is my Return to Paradise quilt hanging in the Sydney Quilt Show.  No ribbons this time, but I still love it and loved seeing it hanging.  The best part of the show for me was the Red and White exhibition.  You can see the winners HERE.  This was made from a pattern by Dawn Collector with a Needle.  NSW Quilters Guild Blog has more photos.

I had a big week....Visiting family, and then my friends arrived  -  one from Adelaide and two from Queensland.  I had arranged our accommodation, and I was a little anxious about it all.  I had booked at a good location through www.bookings.com, but you never really know until you get there if it is ok or not.  We were very happy  -  we had 4 seperate beds in 2 bedrooms and 2 bathrooms.  Hooray for the bathrooms:-)  4 girls and one bathroom does not work very well at all.

Bev, Penny, Marilyn

How about this double perfect Rainbow.  Has to be a good sign

 Sydney, being my home town, is a wonderful place to explore and took my friends to a few special places.

This is Marilyn on one of the staircases in the Queen Victoria Building

This building is amazing.  When I was a teenager in the late 1960's working in the city, this building was ready to be demolished.  Unbelievable, but true.  It is now the most outstanding shopping/eating/picture taking spot in Sydney.

 We had a few nice dining experiences.  One night we went to the Spanish end of town, and indulged in sumptuous Tapas.......and many glasses of wine.

We accidentally found this little pub in Annandale while looking for the quilt shop Quiltsmith.  We sat inside from the rain, and this is the view into the back garden.  No, that is not a quilt on the wall!  It is mosaics.  It was so nice, we went back after our shopping to recouperate.

Yes, we did find the shop and they were having a sale.......surprise?  No I knew it was on.  They always do the sale on the same week as the quilt show.  Did we buy anything?   Did we ever!  Some people bought bolts!

I posted mine home.  I was going to post home my dirty clothes, but thought the fabric was heavier.

The parcel arrived today, and I was happy to see it and the goodies inside.

Does anyone know what these horrid looking things are?  they were in jars in the Chinese shop next to our hotel.  I am not going to say what they looked like, but they were grey and hard.  Any ideas?

Star and 4 patch

I went poking through my box of odd blocks yesterday, and found an 8" variable star and 5 4" 4 patch blocks.  They are the blocks for this months "sew-along".

The instructions are on the RHS of this page, and you can print them off.  Pretty simple little collection, that makes up to 12" when complete.  You just click onto the photo and that takes you straight to the file.

I feel that I am lucky to have got them done this month at all.  My computer is about to die, and once I transfer the files to my expandable hard drive, it is being pulled down.  I have bought a brand new all in one, WiFi Hewlett Packard computer.  I expect to have some teething problems, and hope that the handy BIL will sort that all out for me.  It will certainly be re-training time for me, so I might not be able to do photos and files for a while until it is worked out.

On the bright side, I am off to Sydney this Sunday, and next week visiting my relatives and friends, and the Sydney Quilt show.  Hopefully all the boring computer stuff will be sorted by the time I get back.

I have been working on my Kim McLean Flower Pots machine applique.  Almost completed assembling the parts.  There is one more border of  2" squares, but I am thinking that maybe I will not do that one.  I quite like the way it looks now, and have some nice red fabric for a binding.  Sorry about the photo.  It is on the sofa bed and hard to get a full photo in a small-ish room.

Right, now off to do the stuff on my list before my trip away.  Hope you like the new block.

Quilter's Camp

What is it about a camp that is so appealing?  Is it getting away from home?  No cooking or cleaning? or just spending time with "like minded" people?  All of it we say!

Adare House, Victor Harbor, South Australia

A few weeks ago I happened to see a post on Facebook from the Coromandel Valley Quilters saying they had a few vacancies in their up-coming camp.  A few of their members could not make it, and if they did not have the numbers, then it was all off!  Tragedy!  I asked my friend Mary if she was interested in going, and it turned out that she had been invited anyway.  So all set!

The location was one of the historic homes in Victor Harbor, Adare House, on a hill overlooking the ocean.  It is about an hour's drive from Adelaide.  Far enough away to think you are escaping, and close enough so the drive is not tedious if it is cold and raining.

I spent quite a bit of time mulling over what to take to sew......you got to make serious use of the time.  I was thinking of something that had a deadline, or a UFO.  I settled on the Kim McLean "Flower Pots" quilt that has been sitting in the box for about a year.  All the main parts were finished, and I just had to get the borders and sashing sewn.

This is my first machine applique project, and I was very pleased with the way it had all turned out, being a beginner and all......It has turned out reasonably well.  I am quite pleased with the result.

I figured I needed a plan for the weekend, so i started straight away on the Friday afternoon and got one whole border strip appliqued, and several strips of 2 1/2" sewn together, ready to be cross cut into small strips of 2" squares.

By Sunday morning I was able to start the assembly of the parts.

Border Strips complete

 

 I hope to have the whole thing assembled within a week, if I keep up the pressure

centre piece

Top section

Second centre piece

 

 

The house we stayed at was really beautiful.  It is now owned by the Uniting Church and run as a business for camps and retreats.  The interior is beautiful as well, with many stained glass windows, stair cases, and open fire places

View from the dining room window

I tried to get the window, but too much light

We kept seeing quilting designs in the windows

This is one of the breakfast nooks

Needless to say, I did not sleep well, and was exhausted last night, falling asleep in the chair before 8pm.  I slept well in my own bed, but still really tired this morning.

Thanks to the Coromandel Vally Quilters for letting me come a long to their camp, and I certainly hope I did not behave too badly, and might be invited back again next year!

Sew-a-Long is up and running

On the top Right Hand Side of this blog page is a photo of the first block combo.  If you click on the photo it *should* take you directly to a PDF file for the instructions.  You can print this off .  It is pretty basic instructions, and made for rotary cutting only.  If you want to hand piece, then after rotary cutting, you can just mark a scant 1/4" seam with pencil.

Here is the photo of my block combo.  You can use any colours you like of course, but this will give you an idea.

I will add to the files as I make them, but will not leave them there for more than one month......so get in while you can!

AND, don't forget the photos!!

Happy stitching

I have a new idea for a "Sew Along"

You can tell that I have completed my major project, when I start looking for new things to do.  Just recently I had a request from a couple of magazine editors for something they could commission.  First place for me to look is in my UFO boxes!  It would be nice to get  a few things out of the boxes, completed, and a few dollars into my secret sewing account.....you all have one of those, don't you?

I did find a few things I would like to finish, but not necessarily ones that could be published.  Do you have a heap of odd blocks?   I do, and have come up with a plan, and I am going to let you share it, and join along if you like.  Many years ago, one of the first quilts I saw, and admired greatly was one of those "odd block" quilts.....where you add blocks together randomly, and somehow they all match, and look fabulous.  I want one of those!

This is the plan............each time I will show a collection of blocks that adds up to 12".  That might be one 12" .......or one 8" plus, a few 4" blocks,.......... or nine 4".......or any combination there of.  When the time comes to put them together they *should* all fit as the governing size is 12".  Do you get it??

Pictures help.....this is an 8" block, with five 4" blocks, and together they make 12" when all sewn together.  There will be some pieced blocks like these in the photos, and some applique (as that is what I found in the mystery boxes).

If I get enough people, who might want to join in, then I will post the instructions here on my blog.  I am trying to work out how I can do that as a "click on" side bar thing, but if I can't work it out, then it might be just typed in like this.  I am hoping to do one a week.

Are you up for the challenge???

Footnote......I just worked out how to do it as a "side bar" link!  Happy!

Ooops!

I hate it when I make a mistake and you all have to tell me about it!   I did make a keying error when I set up the last block, and did not realise it.  Sorry everyone, but a space does make a difference, and that is what I did.....I put a space where there should be none.  So simple!

Try again please!!  http://www.legendandlace.com/index.php?act=viewProd&productId=292

I was really worried that it might have had something to do with the changes I mentioned in the last post.  So glad that is not the case.

Thanks for being patient.

Oak Leaves - Block 8

Are you keeping up with these blocks?  this one is a little tricky, but it had to be done!

The tricky part is working in and out of the fingers of the leaves.  I found it easiest to leave them as a whole shape, and then just slit down between them, leaving smaller seam allowances.  You need to use smaller stitches as well if you are doing needle-turn.  The rest of the centre I did with the red all one piece, and then just added the gold melon shapes over top.

You can find the pattern on the Legend and Lace website, as a free download.

Now on the subject of my Website.  I have had a few problems, and I did not even know it.  If you are a new customer, and you have been trying to register (which you have to do to get these patterns) it has been asking you go enter a code....code?  what code?  I did not know anything about a code!  I thought my new customers were going a little whacky, until I looked myself and saw this new box.  It is a new security feature added by the Cube Cart people who run the design of the basic site.  I tried to fix it myself, and could not work it out so sent an SOS to my lovely website lady, Christine Abela, of Gecko Gully, who fixed it in a flash.  Thanks Christine....I love you xx.

Then today, when I was adding the new block for the Past Reflections, I found that it would not show a "thumb" (a little picture) on the home page.  It is listed, but no photo.  Another new "feature" I bet, as I have done absolutely nothing different than every other time I have added these patterns.  Might have to ask a new favour.  Bear with it a while.

Other things happening......I am up to the binding on the Return to Paradise quilt.  It has been a long run.  I can not send you a whole photo, as I have entered into a judged show, and they are getting really snitchy about "publishing" photos before the event.  So again, I can show you some little shots.

A couple of nice surprises this last week as well.   I am "cover girl" on Australian Patchwork and Quilting magazine, with my Rolling Stones quilt titled Summertime.  I knew it was in the magazine, but I did not know it was on the front cover.  Lovely surprise

The other nice thing was from Quilters Companion magazine.  They included my "Bling Bling Baltimore" in their latest "Book-a-zine"  Scrap Quilts.

If you want to buy the book, and see the quilt "in the flesh" it is hanging up at Hettie's Patch, Port Rd, Hindmarsh.  Don;t forget about my twice monthly hand works groups at Hettie's as well.

On the home front, I have had my Brother in Law, Peter staying with us this week.  At the ripe old age of 67 he has just finished his law degree, after a long career in the Police Force.  He has now started on his PHD....something to do before his life is over :-))  and has had to spend a week meeting with people and attending lectures at Adelaide University.  We had the 3 brothers together for dinner the other night.  A rare occasion.

 This is the sort of performance you get when you ask them all to "smile"....they pull silly faces!  Peter on the left, John (DH) in the centre and Richard on the right.  They never grow up!

Past Reflections - Block 7 - Bay Leaf

At first glance this blocks looks quite simple.  I thought so too when I first decided to make it.  However, we have all those points, and all those points have to "just touch" all the other points.   You could do it another way, well a couple of other ways actually.  The first one that comes to mind, is to make the centre a large circle, and applique that kite shape that is the background in mine, Over the top of the circle.  You still have to hide the points of the kite with that method.

The next method would be to make the block, and have none of the the pieces touching......just have them floating.  All the Melon pieces are the same shape (well should be) and you could lay them out on the background.  You may have to reduce the size of the printout if you take this road, otherwise it will not it the background as well.

The Block is available on the Legend and Lace website, as a free downloadable pattern

 I am STILL working on the quilting of my Return to Paradise.  Now I am doing the Baptist Fan on the large border.  So far I have 3 1/2 sides done, quilted at 1" apart.  You can see the stitches (I think) above.  The background of the applique is quilted with echo lines, and about 1/2" apart.  So, when I have finished this last border, I am going to go back and do it all over again!  Crazy?  Yes, but I thought I would do it 1" to start, and then add the extra line if needed, and it does need it, to be consistent.  I have 5 weeks to get it done, and I feel like I am on schedule.

My hands are very sore, and the onset of cold weather has not helped.  I thought I would have a little break today, and drew up the Bay Leaf pattern on EQ7.  Ever done any drawing on EQ?  It is also hard on the hands, so I have a new kind of pain now.

Anzac Day...........Is a very special commemorative day in Australia and New Zealand.  Yesterday was the 100 year anniversary, and we went to the march in town yesterday.  Lots of tears shed by all, and it is painful to talk of it.......so instead I will introduce you to some family members.

 My grandfather William (Bill) Freeman put his age down to enlist in WW11.  He fought in the Middle East.  This is a souvenir postcard he sent home.  The girls on the left are my mother and her 3 sisters, the beautiful dark lady on the right is my grandmother Alice, who died when I was 11 months old.  She was only in her 50's.  So sad.

My mother, Betty, Alice again, and my handsome father Jim (Edmund Sheldrick), who died at the age of 31.  He was also a soldier in WW11, serving in the occupational forces in Japan.  You can see where we all get out stunning good looks from!

Yes, I have been quiet

I have spent all my sewing time concentrating on getting my Paradise quilt hand quilted.  Still sticking to the 2 hours a day when I can.  I suspect that I am about 2/3rd completed

So far I have worked around all the shapes, and done some work in the applique pieces, and now I am doing the echo quilting in the background.  It is very heavily quilted, and a large quilt.  I will be very happy when it is done!  I want to get on with some other applique projects.

In the mean time I have started a machine project. 

This photo on the  magazine cover has been on my "to do' list since I bought it about 10 years ago.  I just loved the yellow setting squares and the simplicity of it.  Then just a few weeks ago my friend Pat from Quilts and Other Hobbies showed a variable star quilt on Facebook, with yellow and pink backgrounds, and grey setting squares.   It is not on her blog, but there are other lovely things to look at.   I thought I could make a few blocks while looking for the right grey fabric.  Any suggestions?

So far I have made 8 with yellow background, and later today  am going to cut up a heap of pink for the backgrounds of some other stars.

Finally, I have block 6 of the Past Reflections Block of the Month ready for you.  It is a simple and elegant Rose Wreath.  If you have been collecting all these patterns so far, you will know how it is done.  But, if you are new here, this is how it is done.  You go to the Legend and Lace website, and create an account, put the block in your shopping basket, go to the checkout, and you do not pay, but complete the transaction.  An email is sent to you with the link to download the pattern.  You get 3 days, and 3 attempts to download it.  If something goes wrong, and you need it reset, just let me know and I will do that for you.

The hot weather has gone now, and we are settling into beautiful Autumn days.  Some of the trees have started to change colour, not no rain yet.  We NEED RAIN!  The gardens and nature strips are all brown and crunchy.

And something nice.  My little Granddaughter, Skylar, with her beloved "poppy" John.  She told her mother the other day that she was going to stay over at "Nanny and Poppy's house" every weekend now.  Not sure how that came about, or what I did to deserved it.

No excuses now

The cool change arrived on Monday morning, but will be short lived.  We will be back to the high 30's by Friday again.  No, it is not humid here.....some small blessing.  Just hot and dry.

 I received my copy of Australian Patchwork and Quilting magazine this week.  I had almost forgotten about this little quilt.  It is a collection of 6" signature blocks that my online Yahoo group - ReproFabricLovers - did a couple of years ago.  I had them in a box, doing nothing. 

 From time to time I receive an email from the Editor, Elaine Rose, asking for projects for the magazine, and I send her incomplete quilt photos, as a motivation to get them done.  She saw this one and asked me for it, and I think I had about 3 weeks to turn the block collection into a finished quilt.  I dragged out fabrics from my stash, and made a little "strippy" quilt.  It is very basically machine quilted as well.  Looks ok in the magazine now.  Glad I did it.

Back to the hot weather.....my granddaughter comes to stay with me when it is hot.  We have an old house and it is much cooler than her home.  This is one way she was keeping cool on Sunday.  Don't you love the pose!  At least she is only 8.....in another 10 years it would be inappropriate.

Something close to completion.   This is a project I put together as a class idea.  It has hand piecing for the basket, and Broderie Perse applique for the flowers and some English Paper Piecing for the border. These little blocks were left over from the Sue Daleys "Antique Sampler" quilt.  I figured I might as well use them.  If you would like to have this class at your quilt group, or local shop,  please get in touch with me.

hot! hot! hot!

I am so glad that I made this block, and created the pattern a few days ago.  I doubt  I could do it today,  It is SOOOOO hot here!  Yes, I know you are having snow storms in the Northern Hemisphere, but we are into our 3rd heat wave this summer.  Yesterday and today it is 40C degrees.....that is about 105F.  We are not doing much around here except sitting in the air conditioning, listening to music and have cool drinks and eating fruit.

This block is called "Hearts and Berries".  It is already on the Legend and Lace website, and a few people have already found it!  As before, there is no charge for the pattern, but you have to register as a customer, and you can have the link sent to you in an email.  So, make sure you type in your email address correctly.

Does it look a little tricky with all those circles?  I use Karen Kay Buckley "Perfect Circles" to make them.  They are for sale on the website.  There are 15 different sizes in the pack, and 4 of each.....60 circles in total.  Have a look at Karen's Youtube video, and you will see how easy it is.

Once we get to back to normal weather......which is suppose to be tomorrow (Yipee!) then I will write a little more about things that are happening.

a little hand quilting

Two weeks ago I collected my "Return to Paradise" from the machine quilting lady who had basted it for me.  When I start on hand quilting an applique project I rarely have an idea of how I am going to quilt it.  I started by going around the outline of the shapes, and 1/16th" out, so you can just see the stitches.  However, in the case you can nor see them!  I have used taupe coloured thread on the yellow print background, and the stitches can not be seem.  Bummer!  In more ways than one I wished I had used maybe a grey thread.  I like to see my stitches on the front, but on the back I used a purple fabric, and you can see every stitch!  I have to be even more precise with the quilting, to make sure the back looks good as well.

 When Dawn created this pattern, she was kind enough to mark most of the quilting lines, and I am basically following that.  I got in touch with her and asked about the background.....wondering what the original maker made done.  I had planned on doing "echo" stitches in the background, and that is what the original maker had done.

 In the border, where I have used solid coloured fabrics, you can see the stitches much better

The holes in the leaves is where I took out the tacking.  They will go away with handling.  On the leaves and stem I will do an inner 1/4" line of quilting as well.

Every day I am doing at least 2 hours on this and hope to have it finished by the end of May.  It is really big, so hope I have not taken on too much.