A quilt finish that I forgot to post

I finally finished the binding on this quilt and completely forgot to blog about it. The pattern is called Vivid Grid, and was from the Spring edition of 2017 Quilts and More Magazine. 

I now have a massive pile of quilts to donate and it ended up in the pile without being photographed first.  I think I have said before that this block is much loved by me a) uses 2.5" strips and squares b) easy pattern to follow c) makes a decent size bloc and c) looks good no matter what colourway you use.

This is a variation on the original pattern though, as I added sashing and red cornerstones, so the plus signs stand out more.  I dont like excessive background fabric normally, but that is my own fault as I normally use white.  I am super pleased with this bright blue and wish I had brought more. 

The weather was ridiculously warm for a short spell August, to the point I had to wear shorts while I was gardening.  So adding a few garden photos to my post which has been sitting in draft mode for more than a month, apologies, full time work and family (plus domestic drudge, gardening and a bit of sewing) have been taking priority.

 

Happy quilting Sue.

Fishing camping quilt version number 2

Yes you have seen this quilt before!  This is the second quilt using the same fabric and pattern (that seems to be a theme for me this year) but I had to use a solid green from my stash for the sashing. 

Pattern by Elaine Theriault, published in Quilts and More magazine Spring 2017.

I had to also piece a backing but still very happy to make two teenager sized quilts out of this original purchase.  There is a little collection of  scraps, which hopefully I can stretch out to a quilt in a different pattern for a smaller child.  I quilted this one myself, and was very boring and went for straight lines, because that is what I feel most comfortable doing. I can do some basic FMQ, but I lost my nerve just picking a thread colour for this quilt, so stuck with straight lines and a different thread colour to match each block.

 

Very happy with this finished quilt and that the charity pile to give away is growing! 

Happy quilting Sue. 

Quilts n more Spring 2017

This is the Spring 2017 edition of Quilts and More magazine.  It has been on my coffee table for at least six months and to be honest doesn't stay in the book case very long.  Hence I have ended up making a LOT of projects from this one edition, and many of them this year!

The main reason is the Vivid Grid pattern (page 46!) which has become a favorite pattern because; a) easily made with stash, scraps or jelly roll, b) only uses 2.5"stripes and squares" c) is not complicated pattern to layout or piece, hence quick to make.  

Sorry terrible photo taken at night, but this is a cot sized fourth version of Vivid Grid that I changed up slightly by adding sashing.   My first Vivid Grid was pretty and bright, using a combinatino of stash and scraps, in 2017 after I brought the magazine.  It was gifted to my husbands niece.

Second version was made using a jelly roll Collection for a Cause and finished in early 2018.  I took the quilt to  UK and gifted it to a friend Jim, who we visited on his family farm that year.   

Third version was made from stash using up red and blue and a scrap bag of yellow pieces I brought when on retreat in 2019 at Periwinkle Patchwork.  Can you see the millenium fabric in red (LH corner)...I have just used some of the last 2.5" squares in the fourth version, LOL!

Page 72 is Natures Guide and I have now made this quilt twice this year!! (at this point your allowed to think the pandemic has sent me crazy!)  This is version one (half size  pattern), and version two is very similar;  a different sashing fabric and quilted by me instead of a professional long armer.  I will blog about version two soon.

Page 86 is A Bit of History, a mini quilt by Ann Hermes using antique fabric.  My version is made using very bright reproduction scraps instead. I wanted to make something for me and another project from the magazine, plus I am a fan of Ann's patterns.  

Page 58 Top your Table: Spring table runner  was a project I finished in our spring 2017....which is fall in the northern hemisphere!  I love seasonal themed projects to decorate the house, but I think I only finished one other from this series....I need to rectify that!

So that still leaves a few projects unmade from this magazine, including a large and mini Shoo Fly and a gorgeous chocolate and pink log cabin that is not in the photo, but very tempting!  I have decided if I am going to go whole hog or not, LOL!  That might depend on how long this pandemic and my period of unemployment run for.  

Happy quilting, Sue.

A special quilt to comfort

This pattern is called Nature Guide by Elaine Theriault and was published in Spring 2017 edition of Quilts and More magazine.  This magazine has been living in my sewing lounge for months as I was using another pattern to cut charity quilt kits - so I didn't have to look far for a big easy pattern!

We heard recently that  our son friend B  had been diagnosed with leukemia.  At a time when the virus has changed our world, its hard enough, let alone to find out your child is so ill.  It took me a very little time to realise that the only way I was going to make sense of this was to make him a quilt.  I figured this pattern might work best, because I wanted novelty prints.  Not generally my go to for a teenager, but when your stuck in a hospital bed and cannot do the outdoor things you love, then I figured camping, fishing and farm novelty prints it was!  

I rang my friend who has a quilt shop, she directed me to another quilt shop, who directed me to a third shop.  Honesty quilters are the best kind of people.  IN the middle of a global crisis that might see their business go under, they just directed me to the shop that was going to have what I wanted.  Didn't try and sell me what they had!  All the fabric came via a home run patchwork business out of Kaniva called Little Desert Quilts.  The fun bit was I ordered it via FaceBook!  She has photos of fabrics on FaceBook and I tagged which ones I wanted then she put them all together and sent me photos so I could see how they looked together.  I was a bit sceptical about using the green fishing rods for the sashing, but it worked out fine.

I increased the size of the sashing to 1.5" cut, rather than 1" in the pattern, which resulted in a few errors.  The middle row with three blocks was too long, and the top two thirds of the block was then a bit wider then the bottom third.  But never fear, no points to loose here!

The day the fabric arrived was going out to do the grocery shopping and deliver charity quilt kits I had into volunteers mailboxes. So all I achieved that day was the cutting out...and boy was my arm sore that night! But all six blocks were made the next day.  With sashing this makes the quilt approximately 42 " x 63".  The full pattern is twice this size, but I wanted to stick to the recommended size....B is in the children's hospital that I normally make quilts for.  They have stopped accepting donations and distributing quilts because of Covid 19.

I am lucky to get this quilted by friend and long arm quilter Vicki Jenkin.  Unfortunately because of Covid 19 she has not had a lot of work coming in and was happy to fit this all over in between some custom quilting.  I dropped the quilt off in a garbage bag, she let it isolate for a few days.  Then emailed me some patterns and a photo of the thread colour choices.

 I replied and presto the geometric pattern was done in what seemed like no time at all. This is a terrible photo, the backing is a blue black...not grey!
  . 

I dropped it off to B grandmothers place on his birthday...that was the incentive to unpick a corner of the binding and sew the label in.  I am so used to making anonymous charity quilts without labels I forgot!  The doctors have let him out of hospital for a night :) so important positive progress.  Stay safe, stay well and happy quilting Sue.

Spring is here

 Spring is here, officially and because the self sown sweet peas have started to flower....

....along with the self sown Cornflowers.

Then I noticed the first of my daffodils flowering.

Which prompted me to finally finish my Spring table runner!

 

Pattern by Jacquelynne Steves, published in Spring 2017 edition of Quilts and More magazine.

Ironically I have also finally finished hand stitching the binding on this table runner, Spring Blooms.

This is a Norma Whaley pattern called Spring Blooms which you can buy on the Timeless Traditions. website.    A shot of the back, which I pieced to use up some scraps of green and to show off the quilting.  Sometimes my quilting is great, lots of time its just OK.  Fairly happy with this!

Hope your enjoying some pretty blooms at your place!

Happy quilting Sue.

Cave Hill Patchwork Camp

 I started off with a Moda Collection for a Cause Historical Blender jelly roll and some background.  I wanted to make another Vivid Grid quilt, the pattern was originally published in Quilts and More magazine Spring 2017 and is by Sharon McConnell .  With no triangles and only two differnt length stips to cut, I declare this pattern perfect for super easy piecing, when a girl just wants to have fun!

I went home with all my 36 x 10" square blocks completed, enough for a 6 x 6 layout, = 60" square quilt.

All the while I was piecing these blocks I was also piecing half square triangles in scraps of green and neutral, for my newest Rainbow Scrappy Challenge block. I cut up alot of scraps recently into HST to finish at 2.5".  So they got paired with neutrals (this months colour for RSC) and made into this little pile of 4.5" unfinished blocks. 

 And I started making mini churn dash blocks, 3" finished.

I was ridiculously pleased with the first one.  Despite careful cutting and piecing I had found that my mini blocks would often result in lost points.  However after good advise from Janet I swapped over to a different brand of thread, because it is thinner...it made all the difference! 

I spent a lot of time looking for mini pieces, its amazing how quickly they get "lost" because they are so tiny!

 But I managed a finished flimsy (14.5 x 18"), the pattern is called "Little Red One" by Red Button Quilt Co and I brought it all as a kit from Quilters Harvest.  I have yet to do the simple embroidery stems in centre of churn dashes, with mini button's for flowers.

 

 My friend Lisa put these sweet Bonnie and Camille log cabin blocks together over the weekend and made multiple bags/purses, of which I neglected to get pictures :(

 

I was too busy looking at the beautiful view this idyllic location offers, plus eating, talking and madly stitching!

Happy quilting Sue.