Scraps!

I've been wanting to make a quilt using newsprint fabric for some time but hadn't been able to decide on a pattern.  Then I read on Bonnie K Hunter's blog about her leaders and enders challenge for this year.  Spool blocks!  I couldn't get my fabric out fast enough!  

Then I read that her blocks are only 3.5".  I want to make a reasonable sized quilt, and the thought of hundreds of tiny blocks made my head spin.  I decided to make my blocks 4.5".  I'll still need heaps of them but I think this is more realistic for me!

I bought the newsprint fabric from Spotlight.  It's adorable, and not too expensive.  I've already been back and grabbed some more!

The trick to making leaders and enders quilts is to be organised and have the pieces cut out well in advance, and keep them next to the machine ready to sew.  It takes me a long time to complete one, but it is very gratifying to watch them grow as you make other quilts.

I hope to use a heap of different scraps so that my quilt is very colourful, with the background giving it some calmness.  I am not a huge fan of 'scrap vomit' quilts, I find them too busy.  Some quilters are able to make beautiful scrap quilts, I am never confident with lots of colours and different fabrics.

Here are my first few blocks.  I love traditional blocks made with modern fabric.

My friend Sue is also sewing along, she is going to make the smaller size block.   We are going to keep each other on track.  We live a long way from each other and it is so nice to be sewing along together with this project.  Quilting friends are the best friends!

A Gift And A Few Films

Every year I take a few day's off work and travel to Melbourne for the Melbourne International Film Festival (MIFF).  I see as many films as I can, usually 12 in a week.  I love movies and it is such a treat to see some international films that may never be shown on the big screen anywhere else in Australia, let alone our small country town.

I stay with a lovely friend and I like to try to take her a handmade gift.  Last year I gave her a quilt, which was also a thank you gift for helping me by looking after Indy during the floods.  I was pleased to discover that she still has it on her bed and loves using it.  This year I made her a zip pouch.

The fussy cut dog is the closest I could find to her own dog.  He is so sweet (I mean the real one, although this Heather Ross dog is cute too). 

I am loving text prints at the moment and fussy cut this little phrase.  I included a couple of coffee cups as she loves her coffee.  

The lining is a ticking that my sister found at Ballarat Patchwork.  It matches nearly everything.  I would love some more!

I had a great time, only walked out of one film and can recommend most of the others.  My favourites were The Sessions and Jayne Mansfield's Car, and both of these have Hollywood actors in them so they are fairly likely to be aired at more places.  I'm already looking forward to next year's Festival, for me it is so relaxing to disappear into a dark theatre and enjoy a good movie.

Swedish Cobblestones

How did I go last weekend with my long list of things to do?  I finished one quilt top, quilted my Step in Time quilt, started and finished a back for my wonky cross and worked on a few blocks for my mother's quilt, Improv by the Sea.  I've got quite a few blocks made for this but still seem to have a long way to go - tonight I intend to actually draw up a rough sketch to work out how many I will really need!  Yes, maybe I should have done that before I started.

The quilt top that I finished is Cobblestones from Alissa Haight Carlton's book, Modern Minimal.  I've called mine Swedish Cobblestones because I've used some Stockholm fabric by Robin Zingone in mine.  As with all the quilts in Alissa's book, the original was made using all solid fabrics.  I decided to use a few pieces of these fabulous prints.  I bought half yard pieces so I still have quite a bit left for another quilt.

Red and pink is one of my favourite colour combinations.  The improv panel in the centre was time consuming to piece but so effective.  The rich pinks are so gorgeous.

I still have to trim the threads off my Step in Time, and bind it.  Tomorrow at our Sunday Stitchers day we are making a large overnight bag - I've cut out my fabric so I'm hoping I can sew most of it tomorrow.  I'm also still eyeing another pattern from Modern Minimal that I am itching to start.  It really is a beautiful and very practical book which I recommend for everyone interested in quilting.

A more ambitious project

I've been enjoying Katy's quiltalong on Flickr 'Swooning on a hop along', where participants post photos and offer hints and encouragement to each other as they sew three different quilts designed by Camille Roskelley.  She's an amazing designer and it's well worth a look at her website 'Simplify'.   Katy's blog also has more information.  There's another quiltalong on Flickr, 'My Precious QAL', where participants are challenged to cut into their favourite fabric and make something.  Most of us seem to have fabrics that are too 'precious' to use, but isn't it nicer to see those fabrics made up and being used than to keep them in a bundle on a shelf?  Kelby is running this QAL and you can go to her blog to read more. 

Lots of quilters are joining up to a specific pattern quiltalong, and using their precious fabrics to make that design, so combining it with the My Precious QAL.  I've decided to make Camille's 'Swoon' quilt using a fat quarter bundle of fabric that I have had for years, Chez Moi's 'Posh'.  I think it was amongst  the first fabrics I ordered from the USA.  It's so old I couldn't find any good pictures to link to.    

The blocks are large at 24", and use nearly every inch of the fat quarter they are made from.  My quilt is going to be three blocks by three blocks.

I'm so happy to be using my precious fabrics at last.  I've kept them for so long trying to find the 'perfect' pattern, and I think this is definitely it!

I've nearly finished a fourth block, so I'm almost half way.  They do take a long time to put together, and I've been doing a fair few mistakes that need re-sewing.  Some of my seams are very scant, and some of my points are less than sharp.  I don't think it will be very noticeable once the quilt is made.  It's got flaws but I'm really happy with it!

Once the blocks are made they are then sashed.  I'm starting to think about the quilting already!  

Favourite quilts revisited

Have you ever finished a quilt, loved it, and known in your own mind that you are not quite done with that pattern?

I've revisited a couple of my favourites lately and have a couple of pictures of them as they progress.

This is Kate Conklin's 'There's a Square in There', made with an off white linen/cotton blend as the background and some citron green, grey and red prints.  I've quilted it in a square meander design, and used wool batting so it has more loft than most of my quilts, which have cotton batting.  Once I've finished the hand sewing of the binding I'll get some photos of the whole quilt.

I've wanted to sew another wonky cross quilt for a long time.  I love this block!  This pile is orange, grey and green blocks.  You can see a couple of cross quilts here that I made a while ago - I'm still not sure that I won't make another in the future!  For this quilt, I've made 28 blocks and need 36 so not far to go.  It's fun to make something so simple and effective with a gorgeous stash of fabrics!  All the fabric for this came from my stash too so I'm thinking that gives me a good excuse to go shopping :)

In an effort to keep things real, yes, that is my ironing board complete with the huge hole in the cover.  I've actually bought a new one but every time I think I'll put it on the board I decide I'd rather sew.  I've started using PicMonkey for my photos as I used to use Picnik, which has closed.  I love the effects that they offer, this is 'urban' and has that Instagram look that seems to be everywhere at the moment.  Realy cool isn't it!

Mini Showcase

I belong to our local craft co-op shop, The Makers Gallery, where I sell a few purses and zipper pouches and small things.  I was lucky to be chosen to have a mini showcase of my quilts this month.  Here's a few, well, a heap of photos.

A friend gave us the gorgeous old ladders to use, they look so good with quilts on them.

 My sister and her husband helped me set it all up, I think the zig zag quilt looks so good hanging on the wall.

 I finished the Through The Trees quilt (on the trunk) just in time for the showcase, I'll blog about it soon.

Again I just really think the ladder looks amazing.

 

 A small quilt I finished a while ago.  It's another gorgeous pattern by Elizabeth Hartmann, Frames. 

Seeing all my quilts displayed in this way made me feel quite emotional.  A lot of work, time and heaps of sewing fun went into making these quilts!  Anyone who is local can visit for the month of June, The Maker's Gallery is in the library building in town.  Hope you enjoyed this little look at my showcase!

Blogger's Quilt Festival

I'm excited to be part of Amy's Blogger's Quilt Festival!  Twice a year Amy's Creative Side links up heaps and heaps of bloggers who nominate one quilt to go into the Festival.  To see some fabulous quilts and get really inspired, click on the link:

My quilt is one that I completed not long ago.  I made this quilt for my daughter Indy to take with her to University.  I made her one last year as well but she said she'd like a larger quilt.

She tells me this size is ideal for using to make a 'human kebab'.

I have another quilt which has this block design around the edge of it, I have tried to find out what the name of the design is but I haven't been able to.  I'm sure it must be a traditional block as it is simply another way of laying out half square triangles.  I've called it 'Scrappy Sparks'.

The colours Indy chose were orange, aqua, pink and purple.  I wasn't sure how they would work together, and I added a couple of warm browns to give the quilt more depth.  I also included some prints that I knew she would like, such as some bikes and some hedgehogs.  The border is a Denyse Schmidt print.

It's a simple design that shows off the colour and fabric prints really well.  I was surprised that the colours all look great together!  I am really pleased with it.  There is something so amazing when you hand over a quilt to someone.  Indy was so grateful, she says she loves it!