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!

Starting a new quilt!

I have started putting together a new quick quilt, ready for a workshop. I am using modern fabrics but repro's will look great in this design. This is the sort of quilt you can make as big or little as you want to. Just add rows until the size is right.......

Email me at anpv@ozemail.com.au if you would like to join Wendy and I for a 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

Some shopping and decorating

DH and I have been travelling to surrounding towns on our days off and doing some exploring. On a recent trip to the town of Esk I picked up some lovely things.... an old perfume spray bottle that sits nicely on my bedside table and a soft and pretty companion cushion to go with the one Elaine made for me when I moved.

There are five windows in our main living area and the blue curtains that were behind my couch were irking me every time I looked at them so I decided to hang a quilt over the window. I think this is much more pleasant to look at don't you?

Beautifully Quilted by Elaine from Quilting in the Vines!

And finally, in the finishing off mode that I am in, this block I designed a few years ago when teaching a needleturn class made a lovely cushion for my armchair.

'Block To Block' BOM by Sue Daly

Finally the fabrics have arrived for a new Block of the Month by Sue Daly. I picked the latest range by Blackbird for Moda as the basis for the blocks. The range is called 'Meadow' and according to the designers the colours reflect the “earth, sky, wildflowers, and grass.”
The extra fabrics needed have been selected to compliment the fabrics in the range.

 Unfortunately I was only able to purchase enough fabric for 8 participants so if you have already signed up for this it won't be long before it will be heading your way!

My first two blocks

 
Product information from Sue Daly:  
Block to Block Fabric Club

Runs for 9 months
$40 for Month 1
$25 per Month for months 2-9
+ Postage & Handling

The new Dual Purpose templates are for cutting your fabric. You then have the choice to Hand Piece, Machine Piece or if you prefer you can English Paper Piece. Pre-cut papers are available for each shape with the exception of the Large Triangle in which case you will need to cut the 4" squares in half diagonally.

'Trick or Treat' Basket quilt

'Trick or Treat' is a little hand appliqued basket quilt in Barb Adams and Alma Allen's book 'When the Cold Wind Blows'. I started stitching my baskets a few years ago but haven't looked at them for a while. A visit from my friend Sheridan prompted me to pull them out again. Sheridan has finished piecing her top and is in the process of hand quilting it.  As well as hand appliqueing the baskets and leaves, Sheridan decided to hand piece the squares together as well. It's absolutely gorgeous.

Sheridan with her finished top

 I laid my squares out and counted them.... still a lot of baskets to do.

Do you like my idea for a large basket in the centre or should I stick to just the little baskets?

 I have a large stash of cheddar fabrics now, plenty of choice for zinger fabrics in future scrappy quilts. I think I might have too many handpiecing projects on the go at the moment..... must make sure I don't start any more until a few are finished!

Heading to the Gold Coast

It has turned bitterly cold here in the last couple of weeks but we are heading to the Gold coast for the weekend and I am hoping its a bit warmer there. I am taking my applique with me. I have attatched the striped border with mitred coners around the centre applique and marked in the scallops. Now I need to applique them. Then there needs to be about 6 more birds placed in the gaps.
I probably won't get anything done but I always take some handstitching with me just in case!

Workshop with Susan Harris

I spent a lovely day doing a workshop with Susan Harris. The quilt I chose to make was "Spinning Stars" and is all handpeiced, hence the reason I did not get much done. I ditched my green fabric at the beginning of the day and picked up a lighter, brighter green from the "Sew Creative" girls. This lifts the star which was going to be too dark.

                                                                   

Susan Harris wrote a book called 'Classic Quilts' in 1998 and I am
trying to get my hands on a copy. She has been reproducing antique  quilts  for a long time and her work is lovely.

The day finished with a great meal of oven cooked pizzas cooked on the spot by 'Crumpy's Crusts" a mobile wood fired pizza caterer. The pizza's were delicious.
Thanks to the 'Sew Creative ' girls in Gatton for organising a great couple of days.

The Penny Quilt

I have finished putting the borders on my Penny Quilt. Now to applique 104 circles in each of the cream squares.

I have collected my fabrics together for a workshop with Susan Harris tomorrow at Sew Creative in Gatton. I am doing a quilt called Spinning Stars and hope I have something to show you tomorrow!

Asian Images

 25 Asian prints cut into 9 1/2" squares suitable for use in my pattern "Asian Images"
Individual squares are $1.50

The pattern is $14.50. Contact me  (click on contact me) if you wish to purchase fabric or patterns and I will let you know how much the postage will be.

Breaking the rules!

I decided to make another version of my design "The Penny Quilt" from the new book compiled by Pam and Nicky Lintott, "Jelly Roll Dreams". I am using a beautiful Jelly Roll by 'Collections for a cause' called "Comfort".  I have to admit that I always change things until I am happy with them. I know ladies who think they have to use all the fabrics supplied in a Jelly Roll just because they all came together in the Jelly Roll. Rules are made to be broken. If a colour or pattern of one of the fabrics isn't to your liking ditch that strip or strips, and then feel free to add a few strips of fabric from your own stash that you prefer................



That is what I did with this range. Some of the stripes and big florals were too busy so I removed them from the required 40 and added some from my own collection.

The centre of The Penny Quilt

 I did the same thing last year when I stitched a '1600' quilt with the "Dilly Dally" Jelly Roll by 'Me and my Sister'. There are three black and white strips in this range. I decided that I needed to either remove them completely or add more black and whites for a better balance. I did the latter and also added a few extra white background fabrics with spots. This meant the quilt ended up being a little wider but not longer  than the original design. See the '1600' quilt here: Heirloom Creations

I am always changing a design until I am happy with it and love to see students of mine add there own touches to something I have taught them. I even encourage them to do this, it is the first step towards them creating their own designs.