chamomile quilt

Here in NZ we are in the middle of a heat wave
. . . almost too hot to sew
However, I do a finished quilt top to share, with lots of photos

- guess where this quilt is going to end up!

Quilt top stats:
Chamomile quilt
20 x16-patch blocks made up from fabric scraps with lots of low colour value
49 sashing units & 30 cornerstones
{he,he if I'd added things up before I started, I might not have gone down this road!}

Finished size: 69" x 84"
All ready now for basting & quilting

Pop on over to woodberry way to get the pattern

Linking up with Kelly for 'needle and thread Thursday' here at myquiltinfatuation
and with Wendy for this week's 'peacock party' over here

lots of low colour love

Lots of progress photos today. I made my 16-patch blocks up from fabric scraps with lots of low colour value, a great mix of light fabrics that actually seem to add some major interest.
To save some time I strip pieced most of the blocks and joined them with a random layout. However, I also added in a selection of pre-cut squares which I had found in my scrap basket, it took a bit longer but added to the variety.
Piecing simple units together like these squares is such a great scrap buster, and a favorite way to use up some of my itty bitty fabric stash. And while it is repetitive work, I do find it relaxing and rather satisfying.

Once I had twenty blocks made up I decided to sash them inspired by a quilt made by Allison from woodberryway .  'Chamomile' quilt, so pretty & soft, is a pattern I've ordered but it hasn't arrived here yet, snail mail to NZ I guess {head on over to woodberry way to get the pattern}. So I just went with what I had, I worked out the maths and started making up the sashing strips, {with fingerscrossed}.

I joined up one long row of five blocks today, and it worked! 

. . . onto joining up more rows this week

. . . it's getting exciting

and now for something completely different

Taking a break from sewing with the bright saturated colours and contrast that are usually just what I love. Lately though, I've been tempted by a few softly coloured quilts, ones with lots of scrappy low volume fabrics, like this one here .. and here .. and over here too.
I rummaged around and selected a few pastel fabrics and assorted 'greys' to start off with. I cut out strips and also sorted through my scrap basket and found a bunch of pre-cut squares, perfect. It's a real mix of leftovers, odd bits, and new, so long as it has a low colour value it's going in.

I've made up six 16 patch blocks so far. Loving the simple repetitive process of piecing these, even very pale fabrics have subtle light & dark value differences. It's looking fresh & sweet & pretty . . . and it's a nice change to work on something that's so completely different from my 'red' quilt.

Linking up with Wendy for the 'peacock party' here 

and with Cynthia for 'oh scrap' over here after the weekend.

RED

I've been back working on my blocks for the  #uanduqal inspired by @therootconnection this week. After making up a few more of the 4" corner blocks and a few more string pieced rectangles, I started joining up some of the strips as I was keen to see just how things looked. 

It's all still up on the design wall in my last photo. I have the lower half of the quilt top all joined up so far. There's a few things I need to tweak, but the top half is all ready for sewing up now too.
I've played a little with the blocks, some form those octagons nicely, while with others it's a bit harder to work out. And, I'm also wondering if I need to add two more rows to the bottom, to make a row of more 'complete' blocks? or do I just leave it looking random? hm-m-m-

Anyways, it's time to clean up my sewing room, there's little strips of fabric everywhere! 

Follow the links above to see what others are doing, heaps of variety happening. 

first finish

I have a colourful scrappy quilt to share today, my first finished quilt for 2019.

You may remember my 'feeling plummy' project from  back here? Well over the holidays I had it machine quilted by Leeanne from quiltmekiwi and it arrived back home this week. The edge to edge quilting pattern is called 'fishnet' and I love how it flows over the quilt. I'm not sure if it's because of the quilting pattern, or the wool batting, or my perfectly imperfect piecing {redoing some of the centres to display the fussy cutting did add to the 'fullness' in some of my blocks}, anyways, this quilt has a real cuddly puffy feel to it.

I chose a pretty Tilda fabric for the binding, one I'd used for one of the blocks in the quilt. Stitching the binding on used to be my least favourite part, sometimes I'd put off adding it for ages. Lately though, I've started really enjoying this. Choosing the binding gives me one last chance at highlighting a colour or fabric, a way to frame things and add some finality to the quilt making process I think.

I've also been working on getting a nice amount of 'volume' in my finished bindings, a binding that is sturdy and has pretty tidy corners.
I hand stitched the back of the binding down in the cool of the summery evening yesterday, sitting outside on the deck, with glass of vino and looking back over all the fabrics. Love to hear if & why you enjoy stitching the bindings down too. 

Linking up with Cynthia for 'oh scrap' here and with Kelly for 'needle and thread Thursday' over here

RED is my new neutral

Making a start on this today. I'm joining in with Sujata @therootconnection making a quilt from the book #unconventionalandunexpected. Sujata has kindly drafted patterns and instructions for the 'overlapping octagons' quilt, but I have altered mine a little . . . couldn't bear the thought of making 2" quarter square triangles!

I'm using scrappy bits of Amy Butler fabrics and then I tried a few options for the bigger blocks. I almost went with a variety of plaids, but then suddenly I tossed in a red solid . . . and it looked great, so I'm teaming up the prints with assorted red fabrics from my stash.
I wondered about how to get the octagon effect to show more, things seemed a little lost with the four quarter square triangle blocks, so I made up a couple of simple HST blocks too which I plan to scatter around to lead the eye.

I'm not too sure yet where this is going yet, it's all quite mix-and-don't-match right now. However, I'm enjoying making this quilt in a contemporary colour way, it's much brighter than the vintage version. And I guess it fits the brief for both the uanduqal and the recent adhoc: improvquilts challenge too.

• 
  

• 
  

dipping my toes in

I'm following along with Sujata from therootconnection and the #UANDUQAL with great interest. For my first venture into the quirkiness of these delightful scrappy quilts, I've chosen to make a flying geese quilt. It's inspired by one from Roderick Kiracofe's book, Unconventional and Unexpected pg.60 a cotton 'flying geese' quilt. 

I decided to revisit an earlier WiP and started out with a bunch of already made flying geese blocks, half the work done already! Of course I sifted and sorted a bit, rejected quite a few blocks, and made up a few more to fit in with my colour palette.
Made completely from my stash, lots of Denyse Schmidt  fabrics which seemed to work really well and I added in a few solids to help get 'the look'. Improv is a wee challenge for me, and working without a pattern, but hopefully working around these blocks gives me confidence to branch out more and maybe try Sujata's 'overlapping octagons' later on. All ready now for basting & quilting.