Christmas Quilt delights!

Counting down to Christmas!

I don't know how many times I have answered the age old question, 'how many sleeps to go now?', in the last few days.
Two very special little people in my life are visiting and we are having lots of fun.
Last week I wrapped them in some Christmas quilts for some photo's to put on the front of some Christmas cards.

How the Grinch stole Christmas

The Grinch is not my favorite person..... but, one of the nurses at work bought the Grinch Christmas panel and knowing I was a quilter, thought I might be able to whip up a wall-hanging for the waiting room. All the pictures were different widths and it took me a while to work out how to fit them all together. The stripe was used as an accent and the black as a border. The stripe reappears in the binding. The quilt is now being raffled for $2.00 a ticket and will be drawn the day before Christmas. If you want a ticket, let me know, deposit some money into my account and I will grab some for you!
Have a Merry Grinchmas!
Penny
anpv@ozemail.com.au

Hallet Cove Quilt Show

In 2005 a small group of quilters displayed their work at an exhibition in a church hall.  I was tidying my cupboard this afternoon and found a disc with the photo's on it, never seen before.  Several quilts by a beautiful friend who passed away unexpectedly a few years later brought back memories of a special time spent with these ladies....

Our Raffle Quilt- Pattern by Mary Rothe- the money went to the SOUP organisation (Supporters of Uganda's Poor)

The quilt our group made and donated to 'The Little Livers' to raffle

Quilts by 15 year old Jessica (my clever daughter)

Marie made a queen sized quilt for each of her children when they turned 21. These were the two boys quilts. Sadly her daughters quilt was unfinished when she died two years later  and our group happily finished it for her 21st.

Erica's quilt created optical illusions

Janise' interpretation of 'Man's first step on the moon'

Debby's first ever quilt on the right... fabulous!

Cathy's own design was all handpieced (my cross and nine-patch to the right)

Lyns pastel delight

My 'Double Pink Delight'

My Lone Star

Wendy's amazing Lone Star with applique

Raeleen, Cathy and Rosemary's quilts

Some modern quilts by Andrea and  Jennifer, the charity quilt and on the bed a quilt I made for my eldest son.

At the exhibition we sewed together blocks for a quilt that we donated to a charity. Sewing away on the weekend was our beautiful Marie. Whenever a group quilt was being sewn for someone sick or a charity I could always rely on Marie to be there sewing non-stop until the project was complete.

Block 3 and 4

I have now finished block 3 and 4 of my 'Rose Sharon' blocks by Wendy of Legend and Lace.  They are looking pretty lined up together. Now I'm ready for number 5 Wendy!

And look what arrived in the post from lovely Jan who is making my 'Antique Tile' blocks. Enough fabric to make 4 more blocks. Thanks Jan!

Rose Garden

I have started my Rose Garden Block of the month from  'Legend and Lace' and am still working out if I like these pastels or not. I will stick with them for now, I wanted to use something different to Wendy's turkey reds and double pinks in her blocks.
You can see I got a bit lazy in the second block and left out the circles behind the flowers.
I have the next two blocks cut out and ready to sew, so hopefully I will be able to show them to you soon!
Go to Wendys website if you want to join this BOM.

October Antique Tiles

I have made eight new blocks for October. To show you what the blocks will look like when sewn together I decided to sew 16 of my blocks together. I made one more red block to add to the mix and here's the result.

 

If you would like to join me in this year long challenge let me know and I will send you the fabric for four blocks to get you started. Click on the icon on the right of the blog for the instructions for sewing the block.

Finished Three UFO's

Today I finished the last of the three UFO's I chose to complete before I could start a new quilt.
I made the pieced star block into another miniature wallhanging to join my first two. The little Christmas stockings still need some rusty bells attatched to them. The little bin is already in use!

So what is the new quilt I am about to start. If you go to Legend and Lace's web site you will see a Block of the Month- the "Rose Garden". I have picked my fabrics and will start cutting out pieces today so I can take them to my next HAG'S (Hand Applique Girls) get together. The fabrics are quite pretty and muted, I love trying new colour schemes. These will be quite pretty together.

UFO's

I sooo want to start a new quilt but am feeling rather guilty about the number of UFO's that I have. So I have chosen three that must be finished before I can start the new quilt. The first UFO is 'Threads and Things' a bin with pockets around the sides by Sue Daly. The second is the 'Spinning Star' block I started in Susan Harris's workshop (one block will be enough) and the third are two Christmas stockings by Marg Low, from a pattern I picked up while travelling through Albury.
When I have finished these three things I will reward myself by starting the new quilt, fabrics are picked and the pattern written up so it's just up to me!

Penny's Antique Tile

The 'Antique Tile' is an old block that I love. I have decided to make two blocks a week for 50 weeks to gain 100 blocks for a perfect 10 X 10 rows. With 6" blocks it will make a 60" square quilt (that is a 150cm X 150cm) Below are the instructions for the method I use to make my blocks. I am using up bits from my stash and making it a Scrappy Reproduction style quilt.

 For each block you need:
 Fabric A- 2 1/2" Square
 Fabric B- Strip 10 1/2" X 1 1/2"
 Fabric C needs to be a shirting
 Fabric C- Strip 10 1/2" X 1 1/2"
               - Strip 6 1/2" X 1 1/2"
 Fabric D- Strip 6 1/2" X 1 1/2"
               - Four 2 1/2" X 1 1/2"
                  rectangles

Sew the two 10 1/2" Strips together lengthways 

Sew the two 6 1/2" Strips together lengthways 

Recut the long strip into four 2 1/2" X 2 1/2" segments 

Recut the shorter strip into four 2 1/2" X 1 1/2" segments

 Lay the pieces out as in the diagram. 

Sew the segments together into rows and then sew the rows together.

Eight blocks laid out start to form a chain-like pattern.

If you would like to join me in this year long challenge let me know and I will send you the fabric for four blocks to get you started. It is the beginning of September  and I have made my eight blocks for this month already!

Getting ready for Christmas!

August is a great time to start a new Christmas project to ensure it is ready to show off in December. Here are a few of the projects I will have for sale at the workshop, or anyone can order one from me and I will add postage and mail to you. Workshop girls can order and I will bring it with me.
The first is a redo of my simple Charm Square quilt from last year. Add a new set of charm squares and you get a very different looking quilt. Kit $40.00 Pattern FREE!

This years fabrics, "Joy"

Charm square quilt in last years fabrics

Next is a gorgeous panel by Kate Spain in the 'Joy' range. Two generous sized Stockings for you to make as well as some present tags. Cost $20.00   NOW $18.00

Last for now is a very quick, sweet little wall hanging, great for a gift. All the squares are a little different but the border fabric is the same. I am still to bind this in the same fabric as the first narrow border. Size is 30cm X 74 cm. Cost for kit including binding $12.50

Contact me at anpv@ozemail.com.au if you would like to order any of the above!

Cob Web Quilt

My top is finished. I will put it in the mail to Elaine from Quilting in the Vines this week so she can finish it off for me. I pretty well trust her to pick the thread colour and design of the quilting, she has a better idea than me about what will look good.

Wendy's quilt for the day is called Spider Web so you can see we have a theme happening as we usually do. Hope you can join us for the day.
Email me at anpv@ozemail.com.au if you would like to join Wendy and I for our workshop on
August 31st, 9.30am - 3.00pm in the Lutheran Church hall, McLaren Vale, SA
Cost will be $40.00. Morning and afternoon tea supplied, bring your own lunch.
Watch Wendy's site for details of the quilt she will be teaching, Legend and Lace

What to do with an old quilt?

Many years ago my sister returned from a holiday to country NSW with a present for me. Knowing I was a quilter she couldn't walk past an old tatty quilt in a back room of an Antique shop. It was dirty and stained and torn but for twenty dollars she thought she would purchase it to for me just in case I saw some worth in it!

 A torn corner

Ink stains

Tatty edge

Stained edge

Well I love this old quilt but what does one do with such a thing? It's 88" X 96" (225cm X 245 cm) and it's not hard to tell it is really old! I am guessing 150 years old. It is a beautifully handquilted wholecloth and the stitches are so small and neat.

Can you see how many stitches to the inch?

No binding, just turned under edges

Two pattered fabrics are joined for a backing and show deterioration where the patterns are printed

  The design is 'Medallion-like' with three borders around a central rectangle. The design elements are lovely and though not complex are not simple either. A traditional feathered oval surrounds the central six petalled flower with 1/2" diagonal lines behind them.

Central flower and feathered oval

First border, a vine and leaves and swirls

Second border, diagonal squares

Third border, vine and leaves

 Any ideas on what I could do with this treasure of mine will be gratefully accepted!