Inspiration

Thanx for all the comments (from email & blog) re my two Churn Dash quilts!  
I am going to chat with Annette @ Wild Cotton Quilting tomorrow about quilting options for the cot quilt .....I have in mind something swirly but we'll see.

 I just love getting things in the post & last  week I got a new book - "Liberty Love"  by Alexia Marcelle Abegg. There are little & big quilts to make,  plus accessories like pincushions, tote bags and a rather cute classic kiddies dress from the '60's.    The quilts, while having a vintage background, have a modern twist to them ...... using solids and subtle cream/white prints.

The pattern for the Marcelle Medallion Quilt is in here too - and, judging by the interest I've seen lately , quite a few people having been making it!!!   Inspired by a vintage quilt, and with lots of piecing, and grey & white low vloume backgrounds!!!!

Yesterday I  found a new magazine at my local  stationery shop.
"quilty"  fresh patchwork & modern quilts. ......

A magazine  devoted towards showing quilts with a stong emphasis towards the newer quilter. 
And, I guess,  the more modern quilter?!?!?!??!   There was a good article about the pros & cons of joining a guild.......one awful experience can be enough to put anyone off, but  I must say politics & clickiness aside, being with like minded quilters is always refeshing & inspirational. 

I have also been catching up with other blogs this weekend.......  http://littleislandquilting.blogspot.co.nz/
She entered into the QuiltCon competition &, on reading the judges critque comments she recieved, I think  this is why people are v.reluctant to enter their quilts in judged shows.  Check out her blog.

Anyway, no sewing for me  this coming week - I  have a hair appointment / then dentist appointment/ then doc appointment / and , of course, have to go to work too !!!  (4 morning shifts this week !)   (& that means getting up at 5:45am !!!)

Sunday sewing

I saw a modern version of the Churn Dash block over on Crazy Mom Quilts.
So a few weeks ago I started  my version using Ann Kelle Remix Ovals & Bella solid white. You know....sometimes you think it'll be a good idea then, .....when you actually get down to the sewing it's not.  I stared at it for days, really trying to get enthus'ed!! but I hate it!!!
I notice NOW that all the geometric fabric should be running the same way.  If you look closely you will note that my fabrics had a mind of their own!!!!!   Anyway, I decided that I would stop after 6 blocks so as not to waste any more fabric & turn it into a cot quilt. I think it could take some serious quilting now.

Determined to try again I then played around with some "low volume"  (pastel?!?!?) fabrics.  This turned out to be much more fun - there's just enough blur between the prints & the background to make a wee contrast thingy happening.

I think I'll keep going with this

the colour brown

I have continued to cut out a few more hexagons - it's really kind of addictive!
I am using mainly Kaffe Fasset fabrics from my stash, & you only need a little bit for each segment of the hexagon. I'm also auditioning for the border, but so far I think I need to keep an open mind. Anyway realistically, it'll be ages before I get to that stage!!!

In between time, I have caught up on  reading  lots of other patchwork blogs. 
There is an interesting read over on http://littleislandquilting.blogspot.co.nz/2013/03/housekeeping.html ......... about the use of the colour brown !!!  and how she sees not "just brown"  but purple brown, chestnut brown, chocolate brown, caramel, golden, etc. I know I tend to avoid browns. And earthy colourways don't really seem to show up in modern quilts either,  but maybe our next Monday Modern challenge could be to use a bit of brown?!??!?!??

Another interesting read  is over at  http://aquiltisnice.blogspot.co.nz/. .........about  "low volume" quilts & using the good old traditional Churn Dash block. The result is really quite lovely!!    Low volume quilts, using predominantly white/light/or neutral background fabrics, have been catching my eye again just lately.  I made a wee cot quilt not so long ago using lights,  pastels with small prints and larger scale graphic prints.   I think I would find a larger quilt with this overall soft, almost ethereal, effect quite easy to live with.   

 I'm off to sort some fabric!!!

Hexagons

I have had a couple of hand made blocks up on my small design board for quite a while now... you know....for when you are sick in bed & can only just do hand piecing!!! 
I keep thinking I should make more, so today I finally got busy cutting!  I'm using plastic see thru' templates for a curved star hexagon - just another way to play with hexis!!!  I wanted an overall soft pastel look, so ages ago I had picked out a variety of random lights from my scrap basket. Today  on re -looking at it, I decided that I needed to throw in a sprinkling of darker fabrics just to make all the lighter ones sparkle. Sometimes its actually good to leave things for awhile b4 rushing in!!!!!

And,  the other thought I had was that if & when I get tired of all the hand sewing, I could just maybe throw in one or three one fabric hexis just to help fill the gaps!!!  maybe?

sewing verus gardening!!

I still have a few more days holiday & I still have a long list of things to do!

It's defintiely too hot to garden, yes? - so I thought I should try tidying up my fabric stash in the spare bedroom, now my sewing room!   I had planned to get order, a  system of sorts ?!??!!?

But, I got sidetracked!

I found this quilt that I had made some time ago & then once I had it professionally quilted, I never got around to binding it. It was a vintage pattern that I purchased even longer ago when in Australia!

It's made from a soft combination of mushrooms/pinks/creams with a hint of red every now & then.

I had used a v. sweet Japanese linen fabric a couple of times as a focus point

and there were a few old liberties thrown in too!

You can't really see it, but it is quilted in an allover clamshell pattern (machine quilted by Annette /Wild Cotton Longarm Quilting Services). I went on a mad hunt to find something to bind it with.... watch this space! 

Needless to say, the new improved storage system hasn't yet taken shape in the sewing room!
Maybe I'll wait for a rainy day now!!!

FABRIC!!!!!

I have just had lovely  "extra"  week's  holiday down at our bach at Waihi beach!!  
The weather was great, swimming every day, lots of walks, and, of course, just a tenny wee bit of shopping!!
We visited "Katipatch"  in Katikati, a patchwork & quilting shop in a wonderful spot just as you enter Katikati.
Also checked out Cushla's patchwork shop in Waihi township....

When I had a look in our very seriously over endowered airing cupboard at the bach, look what I found - very old vintage pillow cases & a sheet!.......

And then, when I got back home, in the mail was more fabric!!!...................

A pack I ordered from Amitie/Australia "Green Tea and Sweet Beans" by Jen Kingwell.

and more fabric!!!!!.............
Material Obsession's  "Pretty" fabric pack that I thought I would check out.

A huge variety of fabrics just ready for cutting up!! 

Lately I have been enjoying using traditional blocks and combining fabric from my stash with some of the more recent modern fabrics.  I have made quite a few baby quilts using more solids /whites /greys than I ever had in the past 'cos they kinda fit in with what new mums want. And I have just loved making them, trying out new ideas, & the internet has been a great source of inspiration!!

Vintage, or scrappy, or modern, or mix & match, with a clear negative space somewhere for quilting, whatever !!!!!  I love it all.    (but I have to say.....I just  don't do "brown"  or batik !!!!)

We all put so much effort, & time, & money, & decsion -making into our next project,  so just make what you really enjoy making!!!!  There are no rules.

AND there is such a lot of lovely fabric out there!!!!!!!

Houston we have a problem!!!!

I rushed this!!!! 
We are all busy making Bee blocks for Laurina /Monday Modern group,  and I just jumped in without really thinking this thru!.  oops, silly me as the instructions were oh so clear, but I ended up with 8 pie segments rather than 6 ....I had used the wrong ruler, the 45 degree instead of the 60 degree ruler!!   Too many rulers!!
So I had a wee panic and then thought I'd better make this right!!
Luckily I had some of the green fabric and was able to supplement the black & white fabric from my stash, and so I started again. Slowly......with the right ruler.......

...and ended up with two lovely hexi blocks, 6 pie segments in each!!!!