Wheat and Woods quilt finished

I started this one in July last year - all appliqued apart from joining the sections by machine. The aim was to design and stitch a quilt with lots of hand applique but with enough variety in technique to keep it interesting, and then to hand quilt it. 

About 80 inches square (2 m)

There were some challenging moments but I loved the process and the fabrics. I wanted to get some structure in there without actually doing any piecing. The repeated lattice of leaf and squares looks simple enough but required quite a bit of care. I was worried it might look more 'organic' than precise in placement but worked out fine in the end (see posts from August and September last year for more detail). In contrast, the random placement of the broderie perse (or tile applique) in the outer border was great fun to do and much more relaxing. I'd like to do more of that in a future quilt.

The binding is a fabric I've had in the stash - the ombre stripe seemed just right. 

The backing is also an old repro that's been in the stash - a large border stripe. I'd been 'saving' it for a border but not sure that time will ever come. So ...it's now a backing. 

It's been a long while since I updated my progress with my Sarah Fielke BOM (started January). The 12 inch blocks are getting more difficult - as you'd expect with a quilt that is a series of classes in different techniques. That's exactly why I signed up - to get more proficient in areas where I am deficient! While it is not strictly my style of quilt, it is a great source of practice and I am in awe of Sarah's sewing skills. She has stitched three of each block (using different colour ways) and that is quite something, what with the difficulty of some recent blocks. 

The foundation paper piecing has required maximum focus. Sarah was kind enough to provide an applique circle to cover the meeting of 16 points in this block - phew!

Another foundation pieced block

And an applique block - this was more my sort of thing! I used back basting prep and needle turn here. 

And a few made earlier that I've not yet posted ...

There are 24 of the 6" star blocks in the quilt and I've made a point of hand piecing those. That has improved my hand piecing no end. I'm still not able to perfectly 'eye ball' (as Jinny Beyer says) a scant 1/4 inch seam - but am getting there!

Here's my design wall so far - might not be the final layout. Should look better with the wide dog tooth border that goes around the outside - in red on cream?

It was warm enough yesterday to sit for a while and enjoy this little crabapple tree flowering in the garden. Glad I did because today it's blowing a gale and there may be no blossoms left on by tonight!

Hope your week is going well :)

Ann Randoll centre borders

I've been enjoying watching the Winter Olympics - some thrilling events I had no idea even existed!  And this has been 'sit-and-stitch time' for my Ann Randoll reproduction quilt project ( started in an inspirational workshop with Rhonda Pearce - using her pattern instructions). I'll probably for ever more think of these Olympics whenever I look at this quilt...memories get somehow ingrained in the stitches don't they?

First sawtooth border completed

Last report I was at the point of appliqueing the first saw-tooth border - quite tricky to stitch as the peaks are less than 1/2 inch high. My applique is far from perfect - there is an element of wonkiness in there! But I am happy with its 'handmade' look - consistent with the charm of the original antique quilt. 

I knew I had to get a brown thread, and a fine one - hoping it would disappear into the fabric.  I tried two YLI threads - the silk #100 and the Soft Touch cotton #004. They are both very fine which helps on small zigzags where you don't want stitches to become too much of a feature! I think it is just a personal preference which to use of these two (and am sure there are other great threads out there too) - both stitched beautifully. I prefer the cotton as it seems to 'grab' the fabric better - not so slippery - so the applique is held down very firmly . It does have a tendency to shred if you use a long piece of thread though. So short lengths it was! 

Next step:  to add a pieced border of tumblers. I decided to do this by foundation paper piecing by machine. - just because I have found it very accurate and stable ( which my normal piecing is not). I made foundation strips from foundation paper - using the piecing pattern from the workshop.

Preparing foundation paper strips

Foundation papers ready

Just testing that the papers fit around the quilt border - yep OK

Stitching the fabrics to the foundation papers

Trimming the edges of the pieced strips - paper still attached

Sewing border strips to the quilt - papers still in

Then  to remove the papers . I had used a small machine stitch so the seams were held firm, and the papers easily removed.

Centre with tumbler border attached

The next border has more small saw-tooth edging and corner feature blocks, as well as an appliqued bias strip with leaves. I made the bias with a 1/4 inch bias maker and appliqued it between the corner blocks. 

Placement of the bias - will be tucked under the corner blocks

And this is where I am at now - applique of the leaves - nice relaxing hand work:

It is so good to have had some useful rain in this part of Australia at last - my water tank has been empty for quite some time. So sad though to see too much rain has caused devastating flooding  in the lovely villages and towns of England - places I lived in and visited as a child. Do hope it eases very soon. 

Corner blocks done.... and some patchwork Christmas cards

Here is my Chintz medallion quilt so far - with applique borders and corners attached.

For the corner blocks: I wanted to make a feature block that was relatively simple and large enough to anchor the corners. 

The circle shape was chosen to echo the circle in the chintz -and I wanted to use more of the stripe fabric that I had used for the inner narrow border. I made a circle template using this handy circle cutter. 

Here is one of the blocks ready for needle turn applique. The leaf is just a larger version of one in the applique border.

Ready for needleturn applique

Now to get to work and plan the next border.

Christmas cards:

Thought I'd try my hand at making some patchwork cards after I spotted this wonderful little tutorial  at Stitch n Sing blog - so clever. After all - she says it is "easier than it looks"...

It is a very clear tutorial and they are a lot of fun to make but quite time consuming.

following instructions on the ipad

I was so glad to have my new ipad on hand to follow the blog instructions step by step - I definitely do not have a photographic memory! In fact I began to wonder if I had one at all.

I love them but that was a full day's work! So I thought I might try some foundation pieced ones next but this is as far as I have got in the design process...sniff. It's a Xmas tree in case you wondered!

Foundation piecing pattern and fabrics

And this one is Santa. Yep - it will take shape once his nose and eyes are added. 

If I tell you that '1' is his face and '3' is his white beard, and '7' and '8' are just background?? never mind - I'll show you next time... if it works.

Starting Simon

This lovely book has been bedside reading for a while - Promenade in a Dutch Garden.  I just love the antique Dutch quilts and the lovely reproductions made by Petra Prins and An Moonen . 

"Simon" is my new quilt project from the book . It looks like the name was chosen because the original antique quilt (below) is in the collection of a man called Simon van Gijn. A good quilt name - Simon - short and sweet.

According to the book this is a very early patchwork coverlet from the Netherlands and is made from Indian chintz and printed European cottons - wonderful fabrics and wonderful colours! Hard to believe it was made in 1775-1800 as the colours don't look faded at all.

After a lot of close squinting at the fabrics on the book  photo I decided the quilt was exactly suited to make use of some treasures from The Stash - some India chintz, a few Smithsonians, some Dutch chintz remnants (from making my Burnt quilt), and a few other oldies: 

The other thing I love about this quilt is that I can make it with English Paper Piecing and applique - my two favourite techniques. Of course it could be hand or machine pieced other ways too - does not look like it is a difficult pattern (famous last words??).

Starting with the centre star I prepared the pattern with some copying and cut and paste. I also made foundation papers just for the centre rosette as it looks like a tricky centre point to piece. 

Not a good photo below but that is my lovely new Light Pad in action - ready to copy the pattern onto the back of the chintz background fabric: 

Below is the star getting needle turn appliqued (using back-basting prep):

11 inch square centre block

Here are some pictures showing the foundation piecing for the centre rosette. All done by hand as my machine is off on much-deserved holiday (service time). Once the two halves were stitched together I removed the backing paper and then appliqued it down onto the block.

I cut out a lot of triangles in thin card to use as 'papers' for the EPP Hourglass blocks. It was great fun cutting fabrics and covering papers and there will be a lot more of that to come. 

I have just won a lovely giveaway from Kyle at Timeless Reflections blog. One of the fabric fat quarters is in this picture -  perfect to use for this project - thanks so much Kyle!

So here is progress so far - the centre star and a row of Hourglass blocks. 

I do have another quilt that is ever so slowly progressing in the planning stages - no pattern for this one hence the slowness! You can't rush the research eh?

I am sure you won't recall the end of this post back in November 2012 .... when I showed a photo of starting planning a "future project" - a medallion quilt around a chintz panel. This was it in November: 

Bits and pieces of fabric, books, photocopies etc have been added as I got some inspiration. So now the design collection looks like this:

Things could be lost for ever and ever in that pile so I really must get a start on this one! 

And now for some cushions. What do you think of this for a starting intro-to-quilting-and-sewing project? I am teaching my good friend Angela how to do patchwork - big responsibility as I don't want to frighten her off. We started on these cushions. She's never done rotary cutting, measuring or piecing so it is right back to basics. We're both thrilled how well they turned out.  Next is a log cabin quilt...very large strips in  simple 18inch log cabin blocks. Wish me luck!