from my place to yours

On the design floor: When the scrap basket is overflowing I default to making a scrappy quilt. Every. time. I'm busy making making wonky, scrappy 11 1/2" log cabin blocks at present. 

I'm using lots of neutral strips and muddy medium fabrics. To avoid a really murky quilt though, I'm including light lights and a selection of dark darks too... so yep, it's a bit of everything really!

I'm using vintage blue/green for the center blocks, in a wildly scrappy quilt like this, it can be nice to have a little touch of continuity. 

Linking up with Cyndy for 'oh scrap' here. Still many more blocks to make yet, but here's a wee peek . . .

A little stash enhancement: Way back at the beginning of May I ordered an18 piece FQ bundle called Wildflower Fields Bundle, from Melanie from Meander & Make, I guess not that many planes flying back & forth between the States & NZ at present. 

However, some happy mail finally arrived this week! A sweet selection of florals & solids from various designers. I'm loving the peachy pink with gold combo! With a healthy scattering of neutrals, they could all work beautifully together {the 'moon goddess' quilt here caught my eye}.

From my Aunty: As some of you know, I've had a busy month helping my 94yr old Aunty downsize from her house to one bedroom. It's been a sad & difficult time for her, but we did have a laugh when we got to sorting out her wardrobes … so many vintage bits & pieces, and so many stories & so much history. 

She was in the RAF in England during the war, and at the end they were all given a section of parachute silk. Her mother stitched Aunty's section up into a delicate soft petticoat & matching knicker set . . .

I did see 'quilty' potential in her blouse and her green & white striped skirt though. I must pop back to LeeAnn from niftyquilts blog soon, she uses recycled clothing bits & pieces in her improv work, so inspiring. 

And Aunty's {new & never used} vintage sheets will be perfect for quilt backings, and of course she had heaps of doilies. Here's a few things I've washed so far and made a special 'from aunty' shelf in the sewing room for . . .  

Our son & his wife live in Melbourne, and it was heartbreaking to hear the news yesterday, 

they have gone back into sudden lockdown for six weeks.

To all, stay safe, sending hugs & love your way. 

Linda

#lindaslogcabin - a solo sewalong

Hello, hello. I decided to hit the overflowing scrap basket under my sewing table again and see what I actually had in there. As I sorted, I tossed up for ages about maybe making an all-one-designer quilt from my AMH strips & strings. Nah, been there, done that! 

Then I looked around at the mess surrounding me on the floor. Little scrappy strips of fabrics all tossed together, a real mix of designer, bark cloth, gingham, and a healthy dose of Denyse Schmidt fabrics, lots of cream based neutrals and muddy mediums. I loved the look, add in a few darker fabrics and it's a quilt just waiting to be made! 

And so off I went… making wonky, scrappy 11 1/2" log cabin blocks, with a palette very much inspired by Jolene from blueelephantstitches

I used my favourite shade of vintage blue/green for the center blocks. In a wildly scrappy quilt like this, it can be nice to have a little touch of continuity between the blocks.

Of course there are several layout opportunities, 

here's a few I faffed around with while I pondered my final decision. 

dark with light

light with dark

pinwheel

this way creates rows of mini mountains

fields & furrows

Love small patchwork piecing, the repetitive kind. 

Cut, stitch, press, trim … again and again.

and steadily sewing along, with four more today . . .

Aren't scraps amazing fun!

Thanks for stopping by, Linda

the easiest one in the book

With a little clash of pattern and some strong colours to stand out amongst the others … this little quilt top is done. The finished size is 126 x 162cm (49" x 63").

I've had Brigitte Giblin's "Feathering the Nest 2" book for ages now, the quilts are delightful. Her designs are inspired by vintage quilts, with a little more colour here & there. 

'Quilt dos a dos' is Brigitte's back to back quilt. The front is a scrappy combo of hourglasses, HSTs and squares and the back is the strippy quilt. They must be the easiest quilts in her book! And just perfect for what I feel like sewing at present. 

I decided to make the strippy quilt using an eclectic mix of fabrics from my baskets, including Liberty, checks, Kaffe, and anything else that I thought would create depth and interest. And with those sashing pieces cut in long strips, I’m hoping it will look like some wild striped wallpaper, adding to the handmade vintage feel.

Until next time, Linda

on the design wall

One nice outcome of all of this extra time at home - I have had more time to sew. If you stop by often, you will already know that I tend to flit from one project to another, and I also start new projects before finishing things too, as lots of ideas continue to bounce around in my head.

Now & then, I am also trying to pull out and make a little progress on some of the other ideas from the past few months as well. Quilts I started 'just because', not for the end result or to use up the fabric, but for the pleasure of making, and making what I love.
I remembered when & why I started each one of them, and how much I love the creative process of making a quilt - the fabric choices, the cutting out, the piecing, and the moment when it's all up on the design wall, so close to looking like a real quilt!

Here's a peek at what's happening around here, on the design wall & on my sewing table.

On the design wall is my next batch of 'flea market fancy' quilt blocks. Probably my favorite part of making these is the chance to play with different fabric and colour combinations. It’s like making a mini quilt with each block.

And then there were six . . . 

On my table – my cutting and prep station for a few more blocks.

As you can see in the below pic, my 'wagon wheel' blocks are still up there on the design wall. Even though they’ve been put to one side slightly, I’m keeping them out so that I keep working on a block or two occasionally. I’m still really enjoying these blocks, that pink fabric is so pretty, and it would be fun to get this UFO done.

I did manage to get my 'sidewalkchalk' blocks up off the design floor and all together. Loving this random scattering of colour and values

I was tempted to add a few embroidery stitches to this simple quilt, in keeping with the vintage crazy quilt that originally inspired me. However, I decided not to, as my version was always intended to be a more 'modern' rendition.

I did decide to add a little extra embellishment to my 'blueberry crumble' quilt top though . . .

. . . and true to form, I'm still starting new projects! I felt the need to make something just for fun yesterday. I received a small bundle of fabrics from treehouse textiles during the lockdown, a pretty selection of mainly Liberties & assorted plaids. So, with my new fabric bundle in mind, off to my fabric scrap baskets I went, throwing all the shapes and sizes into a pile on my cutting table, mixing and matching colours.

More on my progress with these triangles later in the week.
Linking up with Cynthia for 'oh scrap' here
Oh, and I guess you want to see a full pic of my whole design wall, this will make you smile!

{wink wink} what is it they say about cluttered workspaces?

until next time, Linda

the big quilty finish

So nice seeing lots of UFO’s at the top of everyone's "to do" pile at present. These 3 older quilts of mine have been sitting around here for quite a while now. When I got them out late last week, I remembered why I'd started each one of them and how much I love the creative process of making a quilt.
My fabric choices at the time still make me smile, straight away I found myself checking out for favourite fabrics and thinking about why I'd decided to combine certain prints the way I had.

All three were quilted, just waiting for the binding to be added. Gotta admit though, the binding is still my least favourite part of the process. I usually LOVE picking out the #perfectfabric that looks great with both sides of the quilt, but after that ... I seem to stall. And despite my hopes, no finishing fairy turned up, so I've been busy during these lockdown days making bindings and getting these quilts all properly finished.
Maybe grab a coffee, heaps of photos to follow . . .

quilt #1
I'm really into simple quilts at the moment and this quilt caught my eye first. It actually had a binding on it, but I was never happy with how it looked. For some reason, I didn't want the quilt to end up looking like a 'green' quilt, green isn't really a colour I use alot. Anyway, I added a DS dusky pink & black stripe, but it was wrong, so very wrong . . . wrong colour, wrong effect, wrong everything!

So I've unpicked the binding and added a new one. Much happier now, even if it is most definitely a 'green' quilt! 

The fabrics for this quilt came from a show Glenys & I went to in Sydney many years ago, and the backing fabric was a very old Laura Ashley fabric. {and apologies, I can't remember who actually quilted it, it was so long ago!} Finished quilt measures 52" x 72".

quilt #2
Now this one is a very old make. "Rosy Nine Patch" quilt is a popular Kaffe pattern, nine patch blocks alternating with big blousy florals. And this quilt does have a little quilty story too . . . When our daughter married several years ago, we had a vintage-y theme. We used the quilt top as a backdrop to the pretty vintage cups & saucers and silverware.
I used a scrappy backing of light coloured fabrics and had it quilted by Wild Cotton Ltd Annette de Raat, and it was it certainly time for me to finish this one! Finished quilt measures 72" x 72".

quilt #3
Some of you may remember me piecing this quilt, my not so pastel "Vintage Comfort" quilt way back in September 2017. It's a crazy mish-mash of old & new fabrics, a playful stripe, and lots of improv piecing, and finishes at approx. 170cms (68") x 200cms (80"). I decided on a gently used sheet for my backing and Leeanne from quiltmekiw custom quilted it for me.
Once quilted though, I just couldn't decide on the binding fabric. Every now & then I'd pull the quilt out of the cupboard, audition fabrics, and then fold it up and put it away again!

And in the end, I combined two fabrics for the binding and carefully add them to the quilt borders, a sweet cream & green light print to the green top & bottom borders and a Tula Pink print to the pink side borders.

And there you have it, three different quilts,

quilts that give pleasure both in the making and again now, as truely finished quilts.
Linking up with Kelly for 'needle and thread Thursday' here

And speaking of finishes, 

my latest library book "The Big Finish" by Brooke Fossey is a warm and tender read,

 about the most unlikely people being hijacked by second chances. 

Meet Duffy, an old curmudgeon who lives in an assisted living home. 

Meet Josie, a desperate young woman who climbs through his window. 

Together, they’re going to learn it’s never too late—or too early—to change your ways.

Until next time, Linda