Tag: Scrappy Blocks

2014 Quilting New Year Resolutions

I’m not normally one of those resolution-kind-of-setting people making plans at the beginning of each New Year and then failing two weeks later…

So when I made up my mind to set out some quilting resolutions for 2014, I made sure I would choose goals that I knew I would happily follow through on.

(I may regret this!)

 I start so many new projects each year, each month, each week, each day that it’s absolutely ridiculous!

Worse yet, three quarters of these projects don’t get finished or are ever seen again!

This year, that changes!

I have a total of six quilts that I’ve ‘started’, all at different stages of the quilt-making adventure, that I resolute to FINISH over the course of this year.

I may even go to the point of saying that I need to get all these finished before I start a(nother) new project! (Oh no! Can I take that back??)

 So, there are four quilt tops that are ready to be sandwiched and basted ready for quilting and two stacks of completed blocks that need to be pieced together.

 Some of these quilt tops may seem familiar…

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From top left to bottom right –

  • This is a small lap quilt or baby quilt I began two years ago using the Rail Fence block along with some sweet polka-dot fabrics that I was madly in love with at the time. I’m thinking, once I’ve finished it, I’ll put it up for sale in my madeit store. Watch this space!
  • The next one is my Scrap-Happy String Quilt! I accidently made this quilt a whole lot bigger than I originally intended to last year after ‘trying’ to demolish the never-ending growth of my scrap fabric! I freely admit that the size put me off from ever wanting to get it finish. And yet, I know that when I do get around to finishing it, it’s going to be B-E-A-utiful!
  • Two years ago, I tried the endless struggle to not let my fabric scraps overwhelm me! (See previous quilt top!) So when I discovered an awesomely scrappy-kinda-quilt PDF pattern by Anna Maria Horner, I sung out loud the Hallelujah Chorus and pressed print! I have no idea why I didn’t get the chance to finish this little gem: the size is like a lovely cozy lap quilt and I simple adore the crazy mix-match of the prints together! (Hmm, that’s a head scratcher!) But the ball has been set into motion again and this little sweetie will be finished!
  • This would have to be the BIGGEST quilt I have pieced together! Seriously this quilt will be a beast when it’s finished! I remember I found the pattern to this quilt when I had a craving to tackle a quilt featuring curved piecing as well as one where I could only use block colours. Bingo! This quilt was perfect! The original design for this quilt came from Jen Carlton Bailey and her quilt 5-HTP Squared. I started this quilt (named Colourplay) this time last year (January 2013) and I distinctly remember that as it got to the part where I needed to baste and proceed onto quilting, the harsh Australian Summer decided to get even. In that week alone we suffered through 40-45C+ heat. Every. Single. Day. Because of this, I was put-off from quilting it (which I was also internally dreading because of it’s size!) and conveniently forgot all about it until a few weeks ago when I decided to commit to some silly New Year resolutions lark! I know completing this quilt will challenge me. I know that I’ll need to be as strong as an ox to quilt it. And I know that I’ll need to be so much more patient than I already am to reach that moment of completion! I say: bring it on!

 And now onto the quilt blocks that are ready to be pieced!

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  • At the top is my stack of Craftsy’s 2012 Block of the Month blocks that have, so unfortunately, been sitting on my sewing table over the past year, yearning out to be finished! This was and still is my very first Sampler slash Block of the Month type of quilt. It symbolises a lot of new skills that I learnt along with some simply wicked modern fabrics that I do and will always love!
  •  Although I identify myself as an Australian, I’m also a self-obsessed Anglophile and absolutely adore the thought of quintessential British living! If given the opportunity to live in another country apart from Australia, I would choose England hands-down! From Sydney to London is my ultimate dream. Full. Stop. Thank you very much! So to help immerse myself into that dream, I started to make some Union Jack paper-pieced blocks with the intention to make a tip-top Britishy quilt all for me! Yeah…obviously that hasn’t happened yet. My quilt in progress was inspired by this quilt made by Amy Smart at Diary of a Quilter.

 Alternatively (833 words later!), you can watch me display and chat about each of these quilts here…

Other Quilting-related New Year Resolutions I’ve got in the bag include –

  • Entering local quilt shows, in particularly the Sydney Royal Easter Show (application form submitted this morning!!) in April and the Sydney Quilt Show in June.
  • Challenging my quilting skills by attempting block patterns that force me into a spinning vortex of stress and anxiety!! *Falls into a foetal position*

 Sooo, watch this space for these WIPs or ‘Works-In-Progress’!

I’m pumped and ready to get going!

 Have I inspired you to get your unfinished quilts and projects out and onto the road of completion? Let me know and we can discuss our progresses together!

Happy Sewing Friends!! xx

PS. Happy New Year!

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You’re truly truly scrumptious!

Just thought I’d share something I’ve been working on over the last few days…

I was inspired to make this after I found this free downloadable pattern from Annie Marie Horner on her website slash blog called Spinning Stars.

The mix-match of coloured print fabrics she used in her version of the quilt drew me in, causing me to have this following light-bulb-moment – this would make the most perfect scrappy quilt!!

I have so many left over scrap fabrics that I knew I would have plenty to make six of these quilts! But, I did manage to control myself to make only one quilt top, with four Spinning Star blocks.

I’ve christened this little lap quilt ‘Truly Scrumptious’ because…

  1. I had the song in my head while I was sewing (you know, the one from Chitty Chitty Bang Bang?) and
  2. the fabrics I used are (I think) truly truly scrumptious!

This week, I hope to find time to venture into my local Spotlight store to buy some batting for this little newbie quilt as well as for my Jacob’s Ladder quilt, in which I still need to complete the pieced backing I have in mind for it!

Happy Sewing!! xx

Hexi Fever and Scrappy Memories….

Argh! Hexi Fever has arrived at my house and there’s no cure! I’ve cut out over 100 hexi’s in the past 12 hours (with more to come!) and have got them ready for some good basting. This, by the way, is all for an unpredicted, self-indulgent and slightly crazy Scrap Hexi Quilt I’ve got in my mind to complete.

Who knows why I’ve gravitated to this technique so quick and easily. I think it grabs me as I get to work so finely with my hands, to simply stitch with a needle and thread and finally have a reason to rummage through my scrap tubs – just the thought of it makes me giddy with excitement!

Going through one’s scrap tub is like a walk down memory lane. You discover fabric remnants from long past quilts you’ve made for family and friends, tragic remains of projects that went totally wrong along with that once favourite fabric you used over and over and over again only to cast away it’s skeletal remains to the bottom – long forgotten. The projects that you vowed to make one day are trudged back up into focus when you find that one fabric you planned to use. Words like ‘Oh yeah! I totally forgot about that one!’  Or ‘Oh! I used to LOVE this fabric!’ escape from your mouth, eyes wide opened with excitement!

Then comes the discovery of the abandoned mistakes. These little numbers are usually hid at the bottom; HST gone wrong, Pinwheel blocks that look more like a Drunkard Path, attempted curved blocks puckered and misshaped and left over applique pieces that didn’t make the final cut. One can learn of the Quilter’s journey from their scrap tub – the years of learning from mistakes, reminiscing over that one quilt that could never be made again, that other quilt that tested your patience like non-other and then there are those special projects that you knew would light up that one person’s life because you made it specially for them. Now that’s the best memory and feeling one can gain as a Quilter….

A few sneaky peeks of a few special projects on the way….

First is the Butterfly Cot Quilt I’m making for a friend. This is the central panel or block of the quilt and everything is sort of being constructed from and around it.

Hand embroidered, the pattern is from an awesome book by Aimee Ray called Doodle Stitching: The Motif Collection. It’s the perfect book for those who want to start stitching cutie little projects for their kids or add some whimsical touches of embroidery to home décor items, clothes or gifts. It comes with a CD-ROM that has all the patterns on it ready to be printed off along with some sweet and easy projects to make.

These next sneaky peeks are some Embroidery pieces for a few very special people in my life who have nurtured and encouraged my love and passion for quilting and whom I respect and will miss very much. One is half way completed the other is next!

Both designs I found on Urban Threads who have one of the most amazing online libraries of embroidery designs I’ve ever discovered. Plus I just love just how funky and contemporary they are! I have so many designs sitting in my to-do tray it’s not funny! I think I’ll be an old woman of like 96 before I reach the end!

Last, but not least, I’m drawing up and finalising my quilt design for an Australian Quilters Guild Quilt Challenge: 2012 Under 35’s Quilt Competition How Does Your Garden Grow. I’m basing it off a beautiful flower I had growing all over the summer months.

I was drawn to the colour and lines that this little guy has and plan to make the quilt based around a colour wheel constructed design. Can’t wait to get started!

Oh, can’t forget the Regeneration: Contemporary Quilt Textiles 2012 Exhibition starting this weekend! ‘The exhibition showcases some of the best work to be seen in the art quilt world. It will be an opportunity, not only see the finished artwork, but in most cases, to also see the processes used by the artists to achieve their vision and response to the theme ‘Regeneration’, via individual display boxes. This will include the artists’ sources of inspiration, photos, sketches, samples of fabrics and techniques.’ It’s open free to the public from 27 April to 4 June 2012 at the Manly Art Gallery & Museum. Yay! Can’t wait!

Happy Sewing Friends xx

 

 

Just.Keep.Quilting.

It’s time again to share my next two blocks from my Craftsy’s Block of the Month! Yay!! This month was foundation piecing, which I had never done before, and I created the String block and the Broken Spider Web block. These blocks were quite simple and fun to make, especially having the opportunity to to rummage through my fabric scraps tub! An afternoon of sheer delight finding old scraps of some of my favourite fabrics!

During the week I started quilting my Zigzag quilt and I love the progress so far! I’m thinking of doing a few things differently than I had first planned; I was originally going to quilt the whole top following the zigzag line but now I’ve decided to leave calculated spaces quilt free enhancing the lines I’ve created with the zigzag line quilting. (Does that makes sense?!) If not, once I’ve finished I’ll post a picture and explain it again!

Although I haven’t quite finished my Zigzag quilt, I’m onto yet another new project! I just can’t help myself!! This one is for a friend who has a new baby due in June! I love, love, love making cot quilts; beautifully sweet prints and colour pallettes, endless creativity and cuteness all around! Here’s a quick sneaky peek of what’s to come….

There are those spots again! I just can’t seemed to get enough of spotty fabrics!

So that’s it at the moment! I hope to sit down for a few afternoons after Art School this week and Just.Keep.Quilting. until finished and ready to bind! Hurrah! Oh and maybe do some more of my new cot quilt project!

Happy Sewing xx