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

show & tell from the peninsula

My friend Glenys has been busy over the past couple of weeks. We were finally able to meet up yesterday, at wine o'clock, and she showed me what she had been up to. First up, her finished quilt top. She joined in with the mystery QAL fun, the Laundry Basket Quilts 2020 Mystery by Edyta Sitar, using fabrics from her stash.

- progress pic from Glenys during lockdown 

"Completed my 60 blocks, all finishing at 6"! I love the centre - this quilt gave instructions from the outside working in towards the centre, so didn't really know about tones, just told dark, med & light blues, not best choices for zigzags ... but done now!"

And Glenys also finished this bright jellyrainbowquilt too. It's a fun free pattern from rubystarsociety. Her quilt is now half way down to Wellington, a quilty hug for her grandson.

Back soon with what I've been up to too,

Linda

a scattering of half-rectangle triangle blocks

My latest quilt project was initially inspired by a vintage crazy quilt made by Elizabeth Lilian Neilson Mitchell, 1873-1948. Elizabeth lived in Melbourne, Australia at the turn of the 20th Century with her husband and eight children in a small two bedroom cottage. Her husband worked for a fabric manufacturer and would bring home small fabric samples for Elizabeth to stitch.
Her quilt has more recently been featured on the cover of  Making Australian Quilt by Annette Gero & Katie Some, a lovely book of Australian historic quilts.

I remembered too, seeing a version of this quilt when Jodi from talesofcloth posted her one back in 2015, see below pic, upper R)hand corner.
And, I had also downloaded 'sidewalkchalkquilt' pattern by Meghan from thencamejune sometime ago, so I decided to combine all these ideas.

I played with the measurements, and my half-rectangle triangle blocks ended up at 5.5" x 7", slightly different to both the sidewalkchalk pattern and Jodi's measurements. It was the first time I had made these HRT's, so I did a bit of research, and thanks to Susan from patchworknplay I found a video by Melanie from southerncharmquilts - excellent & easy to follow.
I also found another resource here @swimbikequilt well worth reading.

As I was deciding on fabrics, I worked on a rough ratio of 70% assorted peaches & cream, and the rest blues & black with a tiny bright hit of gold. And, like the vintage quilt I wanted the colours scattered randomly over the quilt. I opted for four rows of those HRT's and the other rows were a combo of ideas from Meghan's pattern.
I shall no doubt play with the orientation of the rectangles for a day or so, before I sew things all together. Here's a peek at how it's looking so far down on my 'design floor'  . . .

Linking up with Cyndy for 'oh scrap' here

Until next time, Linda

"blueberry crumble" - a quilt top

A little crumb progress over the past few days,
totally inspired by @afullenglish and @laurie3.14

With this next batch of 10" blocks,
I started to experiment a bit more with my fabric choices & combos.
I mixed in mum's old bright pink apron,
a shirt from Mr D., and a shirting remnant from Leeanne from quiltmekiwi

Then I made up a few more blocks, slightly more restrained in colours, to scatter around the quilt

30 crumb blocks made and joined up together, 
 "blueberry crumble" quilt top done . . .

Linking up with Cyndy for 'oh scrap' here @ quiltingismorefunthanhousework
and with Kelly for 'needle and thread Thursday' here @myquiltinfatuation

Until next time, Linda