Warrnambool Retreat

This is me packed up and ready to go at home...after I had a bit of a cull, to make sure Lisa and I both fitted in the car.  As it turns out, my stuff fitted in exactly half of the backseat and boot.  

We left for Warrnambool on Thursday morning and got there after lunch, after a lovely relaxing drive with a stop for coffee and cake, as you do when your on holidays!

 I was trying to blog on my phone so l could join in Chookys virtual sew along the same weekend :)  but it did NOT work!  Might be something to do with me needing new glasses, as my 0 birthday creeps up!  Or my lack of IT skills ; )

WARNING 3 New projects commenced!!

This top was one of two I kitted up before we went.  I found sufficient pre made four patches in my novelty stash, as well as cornerstones, I just had to cut the sashing.  Sashing was a new purchase from Spotlight while they had 40% off patchwork fabric.  I had taken some fabric for possible borders, but decided to wait and see if I liked something better at home.

I had also pre cut all the parts for these Vivid Grid blocks, from my pre cut 2.5" strip collection.  I had oodles of blue and red but not so much yellow.

Luckily when we went to visit Ann at Periwinkle Patchwork I found this bundle of joy...bargain scrap bag!  All pre cut 2.5" squares, perfect for adding to my blocks.

I got all the 10" blocks made, but not sewn together.  So when put together this should be 50 x 50" which is a decent size quilt for a kids charity quilt.

I made another Eye Spy top, from a different sized collection of four patches - all blue, with blue sashing from my stash.  This is also going to be a  kids charity quilt. once it has some borders.
There was some bag construction, some further retail therapy, lots of chat, coffee and time spent relaxing reading books and magazines brought to share. 

Happy Quilting Sue.

Kids quilts progress

Opps sideways picture!

You get the idea!  I keep finding UFO's in the pile that is my sewing space which is jammed in the corner of my lounge room.  So I stuck a border on it and now its a flimsy finish - a lap or kids sized quilt top made from left over sashing strips (see below) and I spy fabrics.

A proper finish!  These are the I Spy  four patches that my friends help me make (and donated fabric for) back in March.  Finally its quilted and bound.  I literally picked out the dark blue and black bindings from my scrap binding collection and sewed them on.  While I was there I had a bit of a clean out ... no point holding onto 5" of scrap binding ... cut them into 2.5" squares instead!

I found this wonderfully loud lime green and blue spot in my stash and it worked perfectly as a border on this kids quilt.  I love the fact that happened...because the rest of the quilt is out of the stash as well!  I have purchased some backing and which just needs piecing and then this top goes in the pile for quilting.  While my shoulder is much improved, I am not game to do any quilting and upset it again after months of discomfort and physio.

And this is the view from the top of Mt Arapiles, where you can see the canola flowering in the paddocks below.  This was a short walk only...you can drive to almost the top of this mountain, which is perfect when the weather is threatening to rain!

Spring has arrived! Wattle flowering in the Mt Arapiles State Park.  

Happy quilting Sue

Slow and quick stitching

In desperate need for some quilty gratification I spent the day adding sashing to these I Spy blocks we made back in March. 

That makes for a decent sized quilt for favorite kids charity group, so not adding a border.  Went to Spotty and brought some nice green fabric as backing on sale.  Then at 5 am this morning when I woke up and decided I was going to sort backings to quilts and deliver them to my long armer....I changed my mind.  So stripy backing it is!

The applique all got finished for the four corner blocks this week.  I made a couple of design changes, to these blocks, minor but just made life easier.  

The most obvious one is that I used a star centre on two flowers in pink and a yellow circle on the other two.  Just liked it more!

No motivation to work on this quilt further at present.  I dread squaring up blocks and that is what has to happen next.  So off to distract myself with backings for now.

Happy quilting Sue

Rainbow Scrap Challenge for January was Light Blue

The Rainbow Scrap Challenge colour for January is light blue and I have been snatching small amounts of RSC sewing time here and there.  I had a small amount of pre cut scrap, but fortunately after visiting my uncle and aunt, I acquired a bag of my aunts scrap and there was oodles of light blue!  I have cut the pieces up and been mainly chain piecing half square triangles, as I was completely out.

This is a relatively new block for me, one I have resorted to as I have more half square triangles then I do 2.5" squares.

I cobbled together enough squares for these stars.  And then I ran out of light blue half square triangles!  I have to  keep reminding myself that the idea is to use it up!

 So then I went  to making four patches. I already have a good collection of these, but not decided what to make with them yet.  Looking at this picture I am tempted to make 16 patch blocks.

 And last but not least I have a flimsy finish. 

 

I found all the four patches already made during a clean up of my stash. I like colour coordinating my eye spy fabrics, it makes the overall quilt less "busy", especially with the white polka dot sashing breaking it all up.  I have made a quilt in the same design previously (see here), but I think this one is going to remain borderless as it is already a good size.  I have made a backing for it, and its going into the pile to be quilted - when winter comes, far too hot here to contemplate quilting!
Happy quilting Sue.

Round up of my finishes for 2017

Finishes for 2017 = 10 quilts, 1 wall hanging, 9 mini quilts, 2 table runners and 2 bags!

 Red and white pieced Dresden (double bed)

Midwinter churn dash (double bed)

 Meet me in Barcelona (single bed)

 Scrappy red/green Log Cabin (single bed)

  Vivid Grid (single bed)

Snowball quilt

Photo quilt (commission)

 

I Spy kids quilt

 Cot quilt

Log cabin neonatal quilt

Wool wall hanging (Linen Closet design)

Star mini quilt (x 3)

Mini churn dash by Red Button Quilt Co.

Jo Morton mini (nine patch)

Jo Morton mini (framed toile)

Jo Morton mini (cabin corners)

Spools mini (Thimble Blossom pattern)

Mini rainbow repro Dresden

Spring table runner (Jacquelynne Steves pattern)

Applique table runner (Norma Whaley pattern)

Green sheep cot quilt

Makers tote bag

Sew Together bag

I spy quilt finish

Generally when I need mindless sewing I don't quilt!  

But this quilt had been pinned for at least a month and it go the better of me.  Stitched in the ditch everywhere except the border where I stippled.  I changed my Bernina BSR foot attachment from transparent to open toe and found it much easier to see.  Plus did the stippling in the daytime, so the light was better.  

I will be donating this quilt to Very Snuggly Quilts (Victorian Quilters) program, but only after I deal with the threads on the back!

Happy quilting Sue.

   

I Spy kids quilt top finished

After resewing all the four patches into their background colours I laid them out as a top. 

I did not want sashing that was too light or too bright.  The polka dots was just right!

 And the stash revealed 2.5" novelty squares perfect for sashing, some of which had previously been fussy cut - others were just too cute to throw away, even if I did cut off half the kite!

 

I auditioned a few options for borders, but it had to be red in the end!  

Ta dah!  A lovely kids quilt - not large, but the majority out of my stash.  And although incoming fabric (sashing) was more then outgoing fabric (completed top), the sashing will go towards another top in the same style, but next time with bigger squares.

Now back to stash browsing to find a backing!

Happy quilting Sue.

Rainbow Scrappy challenge - Sea green progress

The declaration that February's colour of sea green/ aqua - colours not quite blue and not quite green, sent me into a spin!  Immediately I could picture the polka dot aqua I had used as a background, so I knew there were scraps, but a variety, absolutely not!  Liar, liar, pants on fire, I found a good variety when I went digging - not huge pieces, but enough for the job :)

 I decided to use my scraps wisely and just make star blocks. I already have blocks made in RSC from 2015, but definitely not in aqua. 

 I managed to squeeze out four star blocks from my scraps.

 Digging through my endless boxes stored around the house I found more UFO's!  These 7" four patches made to use up my novelty fabric - bits of aqua here!

I took to them with the unpicker and re sewed them into "colours".  I just find "I spy" quilts so much easier on the eye when laid out like this.  

 So without intending to, I have unearthed a forgotten UFO and resurrected it - just need sashing now but nothing suitable in the stash - opps more shopping!

It is hot here, really, really hot.  Too hot for anything except mindless piecing under the struggling air conditioner.  

Happy quilting Sue.