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!!!!

Charm Squares quilt

Our Monday Modern group meet this coming week and a few of us have been making little quilts to donate to the families who were affected by the cyclone at Hobsonville earlier in December.
I took a wee break from sewing the "big" quilt & made this little baby Charm Squares quilt to donate.
I've made several of these to give away and I have found that using a variety of fabric combinations makes each one just that little bit different. This time I used some of the fabrics from the "Nursery Versery" collection by Heather Ross, along with a few other assorted stripes/ginghams/dots. All I need to do now is sit down tonight & hand sew the binding in place.
So simple, so quick, and yet so cute!!!!

Wordless Wednesday

good old Log Cabin Quilt!!!!

The Log Cabin quilt has always been a real favourite of mine!!  be it traditional, vintage or modern.

At present, I am working on a version called "Converging Corners",   http://www.filminthefridge.com/2012/02/23/converging-corners-block-a-tutorial/    which was Glenys choice for our Monday Modern group a few months ago. http://www.flickr.com/groups/2067596@N21/pool/with/8152145995/#photo_8152145995

My daughter has requested a "large" quilt for her king size bed, so I thought this would fit the bill nicely.

It's a lotta large 15" blocks......with a lot of white......and using up a lot of scrap fabric too!!!!!