half-square triangles – Page 3

WIP Weekly Update | #3

Okay.

Confession time.

I haven’t done as much as I had hoped for this past week on the Rail Fence Quilt.

I did do a few more lines of quilting here and there over the days but not to the point where it’s worthy for a WIP photo opportunity…

In the moments after I finished writing the previous sentence, I had a quick squizz at my quilting efforts on the R.F Quilt and felt compassion. (Weirdo alert!!)

So here is an up-to-date ‘progress-report’ image…

Yeah….there’s not much difference from what it looked like last Monday.

I also must confess that I have been giving my time to another (new!) project.

I received an email Saturday morning from the NSW Quilting Guild containing information and forms for this year’s Sydney Quilt Show.

A more-than-mild wave of panic washed over me at that moment.

I hadn’t at all begun planning my entry for this show; the thought had always been at the back of mind but nothing else!

Although the Show isn’t until early June, it’s always nice to have things on-the-go from an early start!

Of the categories in the show, one or two stood out: Amateur Small or Wall Quilt (minimum size 40cmx40cm) as well as an Open category named Miniature (a quilt with a scaled down pattern with a perimeter of 200cm).

So early Saturday afternoon, I picked out a bunch of pretty and modern fabrics and raided my quilt book library for some block inspiration.

I had the thought of pairing two contrasting modern fabrics together and patch them together into a ‘traditional’ block formation.

In one of my favourite patchwork/quilting books, 130 Mini Quilt Blocks by Susan Briscoe, on page 46, I discovered an itty-bitty version of the Snail Trail Block that had a finished block size of 12.7cm or 5”! Perfect!

I have made this block before a few years back so I felt pretty comfortable tackling it.

Start to Finish | Mini Snail Trail Block

I quickly drew up a sketch to make sure the colours would sit well together – and they did!

The next hour or so I cut out all of the tiney-tiny pieces and begun sewing mini squares and HST together.

Four blocks were completed by yesterday; they were quickly sashed together and the quilt top is now ready to be quilted!! Whhhaaattt?!?!

(You know, I’m really liking this Mini-Quilt making thing – it’s quick, easy and non-stressful!)

The size of the quilt top measures 46cmx46cm or 18”x18” and fits into both Show categories as previously mentioned. I’m just not sure which one I’ll choose yet.

I’m also torn on what I’ll name this sweet little mini; I have two in mind…

Golden Trail

— OR —

Yellow Brick Road

Which one would you choose??

So there we have it.

Perhaps next week I’ll have more progress on my R.F Quilt to show and not have to confess that I’ve been distracted (again!) by other things.

Happy Sewing Friends! xx

Here We Go Again…

…And off I go again, making some more mini Double Wrench blocks on this glorious Spring morning!

This setup looks familiar... — This setup looks familiar…

If I didn’t think making 42 mini blocks was enough, I finally made my mind up to add another 14 blocks to the mix; totalling the block count to a grand total of 56! (That’s a whole lotta little 1.5″ squares!)

Lots of little squares... — Lots of little squares…

I really didn’t plan on making this quilt bigger than what it is now slowly becoming…

…Oh well.

It has been a while since I’ve actually pieced and finished a big quilt – the last one being my Jacob’s Ladder Quilt, which I completed in December last year! (Ohhh, I just love that quilt!)

So the iron’s ready to go, my blocks are lined up ready to be pieced and a great playlist of songs are ready to be (badly) sung along with…

…And off I go!

Happy Sewing Friends! xx

Manic for Mini Quilt Blocks!

A few weeks ago, I had a hankering to immerse myself into making some traditional blocks.

So I whipped out my 130 Mini Quilt Blocks book by Susan Briscoe and found the Double Wrench block hiding in the Country Classics chapter.

A must-have book for any quilter's library! — A must-have book for any quilter’s library!

Bingo!

‘That’s the one I want to do!’, I whispered to myself.

I plan to create a quilt that predominately features a traditional block design but is constructed with bright and colourful modern fabrics that have differing scaled prints and designs.

And I think I’m on my way to achieving that…

Perfect little blocks... — Perfect little blocks…

So far I’ve made 35 14cmx14cm (5 ½ inch) squares with 7 more to go to complete the size quilt I want.

When preparing the blocks, I found myself patiently taking the time to cut, piece and iron each little unit that makes up one block and finding it hard to resist taking some scrumptious photos along the way… (and flooding my instagram and twitter feeds!)

Freshly cut and pieced mini HST...ah, such delight! — Freshly cut and pieced mini HSTs…ah, such delight!

Mini units ready to be ironed and pieced together!

The construction of these blocks are easier than you think and I find that as soon as I’ve begun making one, I was onto constructing the next within minutes!

My set up | Organisation is the key to success!

So when time permits, I’ll sew up the last 7 blocks, piece them altogether and save and save and save for some batting and then get this baby quilted and bound!

Yay!

Happy Sewing! xx

A Summer Zig-Zag Quilt

So a few months ago, I started a new quilting project – my Zig-Zag quilt, with colours inspired by Summer.

Well, after being purposely left folded in some dark dingy corner of my sewing room as well as being unfairly subjected to my procrastinating ways, it’s finished!! Yaaay!

Although testing the limit of mine and my darling sewing machines patience, I’m truly glad and satisfied with how my first attempt at (my own type) Echo Quilting went.

The back view shows the quilted lines the best. I did all of it on my gorgeous Brother NX-200QE Domestic Sewing Machine – the little machine that could and does.

Think me strange. Think me weird. But I’ve named my machine Queen Elizabeth as it’s a Quilter’s Edition sewing machine and I was playing around with the initials Q & E. She is very regal and powerful in stature and rules over all in and around my sewing table! I think it’s a very fitting name! And yes, I am a weirdo.

In other sewing news, I finished the embroideries I made for two special ladies who I work with (well won’t be any more as I’ll be finishing my very last shift at Spotlight this weekend and heading onto a new job and career path starting this Monday!). So I ironed, trimmed, framed and wrapped them, then realised I hadn’t taken photos. Dammit! Hopefully when I give them out this weekend I can quickly snap up some pictures and share them with you.

I’ve been working away on my Hexi obsession and inspiration is flowing and building in my mind as I’m stitching away. Who knows what the final outcome will be as I’m always changing my mind and thinking of new quilt designs.

This week I discovered one of the best things ever on the net – Pinterest! Wow! I mean, wow, is this the right website for inspiration or what!? I’m absolutely addicted to pinning anything and everything that grabs as well as trawling through different themes and keywords and seeing how people represent these things through pictures and words. If you haven’t checked it out – DO IT NOW!!

Happy Sewing! xx

Here’s to a Summer We Never Had!

One of the best feelings in the world for a quilter is the spark of excitement you get when starting a new quilt! It’s all about that instant thrill and buzz you get when finding the right pattern, mixing and matching the right colours and prints and then beginning! The first cut into the fabric, the first sight of a crisply sewn and ironed block lying on your desk, the feeling of triumph and satisfaction rising in your chest! *sigh* I just love quilting!

So obviously after that stirring paragraph, I’ve started a new project!! Whoo! Complimenting my addiction for half-square triangles at the moment, I found this very quick and simple pattern from work that we give out for free when a new range of quilting fabric comes in. This was for Denyse Schmidts’ Daisy Mae quilting range we just received, in which I swoon over and must touch every time I’m at work! You can find at Spotlight’s homepage, print it out and make it yourself!

Unfortunately, I didn’t use D.S’ fabric as I’m a poor art student and really need to start using the endless amounts of fabric I have stacked up all over the place (it was very hard to restrain myself from buying new fabric!). I chose a beautiful cool colour palette of lime greens and turquoisey blues with brilliant white homespun. Very summery indeed!

160 beautifully crisp and freshly cut triangles ready to be chain-stitched….what a beautiful sight!

I chose these four prints as each pair complete each other, the colours are similar and I love using different sized prints as they add movement and contrast to the overall look of the quilt. Plus I really like them….

Admittedly, at the point I took this photo, I hadn’t yet ironed my rows or stitched them together to finish it off, but I was way too excited to finally see how it had all come together and look so beautiful! Since sewing all those 160 triangles together, I was astonished at just how quick this quilt came together and at how easy-peasy it was!

Now that Autumn has arrived here in Australia, I’ve decided to dedicate this quilt to the summer we never had. To those who have no clue what I’m talking about, all it ever did this past summer season (the last three months and counting) was rain. I think we had maybe 7 or 8 days of the beautifully hot Australian summer sun and that was it – the rest of the time it rained. And still is. So here’s to a summer we never had!

And now I’m up to the dreaded part of basting….I hate basting! But I’ll suck it up and just do it as I know how ridiculously sweet it will look when it’s finished!

Happy Sewing! xx

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