Sydney Quilt Show 2014 – 3and3quarters

Bloggin’ Old School & A Fabric Haul!

For today’s post, I’m harking back to my earlier days of blog writing and am just going to write about everything that’s been happening in my little sewing world!

Sound good?

Excellent!

Right, let’s start with a WIP!

January this year, I uploaded this video. Here I chatted about my intended intentions (say that ten times fast!) of getting all of my WIPs finished this year!

I was keen and ready to jump in!

And seven months later, I’ve finally decided to begin honoring this New Year Resolution! (As you do!)

Monday night I felt restless and itchy to get my mind and hands stuck into some sewing. So instead of starting something new like I always do, I reached out for one of my WIPs.

And it was this one I chose…

I only had two more paper-pieced blocks to make until I could begin piecing the quilt top together. So that’s what I set out to do.

At about 9.30pm (which is pretty late for me to be sewing), I dug out a pretty floral and some sweet pastel fabrics from The Stash and begun piecing together.

About an hour later I had made this…

Out of all 11 blocks I’ve made, this is my favourite! Uber chic and girly – LOVE IT!!!

This afternoon/evening, I hope to tackle the last block for this quilt. I’m still umming-and-ahhing over fabric choices but I have a fair idea what I want this block to look like.

Bring on my wild Saturday night! Whoo!!!

Speaking of fabric, I took advantage of a great End of Financial Year Sale at Kelani Fabric Obsession during the week and treated my self to some b-e-a-utiful fabrics!

Here’s a list of the fabrics I bought…

#one

Cherry Dot on Blossom Pink | Oh Deer! By MoMo for Moda Fabrics

#two

Memoir in Zest | Alchemy Quilting Collection by Amy Butler for Rowan

#three

Pineapple Slices | Acacia by Tula Pink for Free Spirit

(My first ever cut of Tula Pink fabric!)

#four

Vivienne Stripe in Blush | By Alexander Henry

#five

Toyland Twinkle in Orange & Blue | By Alexander Henry

#six

Sweet Tweet in Pastel | By Alexander Henry

#seven

Simpatico Minty Staws (100% Organic Cotton) | By Cloud 9 Fabrics

#eight

Minimalista in Confetti Turquoise | By AGF Studio

I can’t wait to get stuck in and use these little beauties… I don’t know what for yet… But a day will come when I was glad I spent a small fortune on a lovely array of fabric!

And lastly, although it was uploaded this time last week, I wanted to share with you my latest Weekly Vlog.

This particular week I made a visit to the Sydney Craft & Quilt Show where my little Golden Trail Mini Quilt was on show.

I didn’t get to film much of the show due to copyright etc but I did manage to capture some awesome footage of the Harbour Bridge, the Sydney Opera House and the city!

We also celebrated my Dad’s 68^th birthday! It was wonderful!

So I think that’s about it at the moment.

A WIP is on its way to be completed (sorta) and I’ve soothed my fabric lust for just a few days!

Hopefully I’ll act get my act together and show you a finished quilt top in my next post…

HA! Don’t hold your breath!

Happy Sewing Friends!

‘Golden Trail’ Eye Candy!

My Golden Trail mini quilt is that next step closer to be completed.

All I need to do now is sew on the back: a hanging sleeve and label to be Show ready!

Happy Sewing Friends! xx

Excuse Me, My Quilt Nerd Is Showing!

I tell ya, there’s nothing like receiving Quilt Show entry forms in the mail to get you back into the swing of quilting again!

After a lull of about three weeks or so of near to no sewing or quilting, it was a wonderful feeling to get back on the machine.

I admit that over the past weeks, I’ve been giving more of my time to my YouTube channel than to my sewing machine. This is due to –

a) a lack of enthusiasm

b) the horrid Australian humidity that’s been hanging around

But once that burning desire to get stuck into some quilting rose up in me early this morning, I was truly back in my ‘happy place’!

So over the course of the day I got lickety-split into finishing my Sydney Quilt Show entry.

Before basting the mini-quilt up, I instagrammed a photo of the heart-racing intricacies that are on the back of the quilt-top.

So divine! So intense! So lovely!

I absolutely love the way that the shapes fit and conform next to each other as well as the differing lines and textures the seams create! But at the same time you can differentiate the shapes that form the block… (Excuse me, my Quilt-Nerd is showing!) It’s these little things that capture my heart and passion for patchwork (and quilting!).

After today, I believe I can honestly say that I am hands-down, cross-my-heart in love with making mini-quilts! They’re easy, fast, non-fussy and oh-so cute!

I tried to capture just how small this little mini is when I was quilting by comparing it with the size of my hand…

This quilt is itty-bitty and I love it!

I’ve decided that the quilt will be entered under the name Golden Trail – I think that works best.

It’s currently hanging up to my left ready for me to lovingly finish hand-stitching the binding and hanging sleeve!

Excitement is at its maximum tonight!!

Oh gosh.

I just love quilting!

Best hobby ever!

Oops! There’s my Quilt-Nerd showing again! 😀

Happy Sewing Friends! xx

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

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