HOQH & Exchange Blocks

Hi there lovelies, thank you all so much for your kind words on the finish of my Phebe quilt top. It was so nice to read all your sweet messages, it really made my heart sing. The top is visiting with Lizzy to get ready for hand quilting, and I'm looking forward to starting that when the time comes.

In the meantime I've been buzzing around catching up on some chores and socialising, and from a quilty perspective, I picked up a slightly abandoned project and also started working on an exchange. Let me share the quilty things with you:

The slightly abandoned project was Honouring our Quilting Heritage by Lori Smith - though I loved working on the blocks, Phebe bullied it's way into being my priority ... it seems to happen a lot with me!

Block 6 - Boxes and Baskets

This was a really fun block to put together, and I was able to use plenty of the scraps I had worked with while stitching Phebe.

Block 36 - Windmill

Some of these fabrics were dug out of my box of 'Donna fabrics' - my USA friends are all so kind to share their stashes with me!

If my records are correct, I now have 36 blocks made and there are a total of 59. It doesn't seem like there are TOO many left to make, but if I know myself there are probably a lot of hard ones left in the mix!

And in other stitching news, I've started working on an exchange that some of my lovely USA friends have organised.

We're making variable star blocks in 12", 8" and 6". And the fabrics are to be shirtings and reproductions - not sure that my backgrounds are necessarily shirtings or if they're too light, but I'll make them again if needs be :-)

Well, that's where my quilting world is right now, I'll check in with you soon as I'm sure I'll have more to share before I know it! xoxox

Block Exchange

For many years now I have been an honourary member of the Quilt Batts quilt group - the members are all lovely friends of mine in the USA, and I love visiting with them when I am stateside. At one of their retreats early in each year they exchange Christmas blocks, and I'm part of the exchange, but usually from afar.

My block arrived in the mail this week, and I was the lucky recipient of a block from Liz:

Isn't the block just fabulous? All those tiny pieces and the precise points. Thank you so much Liz, I just love it!

And this is the block I made for Deb:

Oops, the block is sideways in the picture, but you get the idea :-) I put the block together just after Christmas so I was still feeling festive, and you may recognise the feature fabric as a fairly recent purchase at Hetties.

I have the name of the person I'll be exchanging with next year, and I have plenty of time to think of what I'd like to make them. Happy days! :-)

Caswell Block E4

Whew! I finally finished another Caswell block. It has taken me a little longer than the week that I seem to be taking for each block, but I did get busy working on some other things too. Here's the latest block:

Caswell Quilt - Block E4

I had planned to work on the blocks in order, but I needed to get some hand work ready to take out, and I didn't have any bias strips prepared, so I jumped on the next block that didn't need any. I'll get back in order for the next block. This one was fun to put together, and I'm still having fun mixing up all the greens. I found a couple more in my 2.5" strip box when I was putting strips away so they've been added into the mix. A notable fabric is the one with the large feathery leaves on it, I think that's another super oldie - a gift from Linda in 2000!

One of the reasons I didn't get a block put together sooner is I made up some spiderweb mats for the girls in my Saturday tennis team - our season finished on Saturday just gone, so I wanted to give them a little something:

I always love putting the spiderweb mats together, I truly believe I could make them in my sleep now. Both these fabrics were hiding in my stash, I have no idea for how long, and I have no clue where I got them! The cream print is all gone now, and I have a smidge left of the indigo fabric. The lovely ladies in my team really liked them, and now we're looking forward to next summer season. We'll all continue playing mid-week, so I'll be seeing them around :-)

Last of all, thank you to my lovely friend Linda for sharing this picture on Facebook, as you know from my last post I neglected to take a picture of my finished Christmas exchange block, so here is a picture of all the completed blocks:

Aren't they cute? I still don't know what block is coming to me or who made it - it will be a lovely surprise when it gets here in the mail. How lucky I am to be a long distance member of the Quilt Batts.

Alrighty, I need to dash - I have some chores to take care of etc, and they just aren't going to do themselves! Chatter soon xox

Monday Catch-Up

I've been using my sewing machine this past week (and a little more). Seams are being sewn, and that thrills me! Perhaps my passion for all things quilting is returning to me slowly :-)

So what have I been working on?

I put together a small quilt to help out my dear friend Lizzy. It was using this jelly roll:

I've had it sitting around for quite a while, so it was nice to put it to use. You can see by it's messy state that I'd unrolled it and rolled it up again - never sure what I would make with it. The pattern Lizzy selected was from the Moda Bake Shop, and it's called the Cross Terrain Quilt.

Our cousin Lucy has recently had a baby, and thinking this quilt would be perfect for her sweet baby girl, I decided to make it half size for a cot. Here is an 'over the ironing board in my shadow' work in progress shot:

And then finally, the finished top:

I did end up making the border a little differently to the original pattern, I just didn't have the stamina to cut up SO MANY tiny pieces, but I'm still happy with the end result. Lizzy has kindly offered to quilt it up for me, so I'll be thrilled to hand this one off to its new owner soon :-)

And just this morning I finally finished putting all the rows together for the Rail Fence Variation quilt top that Linda, Donna and I exchanged blocks for. I really like this top - it worked out a little larger than I realised, so I'm not sure at the moment if I'll add borders or not.

Between the three of us, we don't even seem to have too many fabric repeats in the blocks which is a lovely surprise. When I decide on the borders, I think I'd like to hand quilt this one - but of course I'm prone to changing my mind.

And last of all for today (and those of you who are my friends on Facebook will have already seen it), here is the result of my biannual trip to Ikea:

It's always such a dangerous place for me - all those things I didn't know I couldn't live without until I got there. I'm really looking forward to making dimensional gingerbread trees with those cutters - they'll look fabbo with the gingerbread house at Xmas time. Bring it on!!

Chatter soon friends xox

Lucky Me!!

A huge thank you to my wonderful friend Linda, I received a fabulous parcel in the mail today. I feel very lucky indeed :-)

First up, these wonderful conversational fat quarters. Linda knows I snap these fabrics up any time I see them, and they are always reserved for my most special of quilts (like my Turning Four-T). (Apologies for the poor quality I-Phone pictures)

And next up, a couple of my favourite quilt magazines, and the most enormous collection of rail fence blocks for our exchange. Linda must have been sewing for days! I can't wait to start playing with lay-outs. I need to make more blocks, I don't want to fall too far behind!

I just love all the fabrics Linda has used, she has the most amazing stash of reproduction fabrics, I have stash envy :-)

It's just after 9pm here, but I'm printed out a Farmers Wife block ready to stitch before I head to bed. I don't really feel like sewing tonight, but I'm loathe to lose my momentum. Does anyone else ever feel that way? Chatter soon! xox

Big Week!

This has been such a busy week - the most important aspect being Camo's birthday yesterday. Can you believe my little man is 10 already? Where did that time go?!? We're having a birthday celebration on Saturday for his little friends, and then a family gathering on Sunday. Sewing time will be precious indeed!

In Farmers Wife news, I've made another block, a fun one to put together.

 

Block 74 - Ribbons

Block Total: 92 

And for a fun diversion, I made some more of the rail fence blocks. To see how it looks, I arranged a few on the floor just now. It's really funny, I have a hard time telling which ones I made and which ones Linda made. We have very similar taste in fabric.

I have a few chores to do this evening, and then I think I might put a few hexagons together - I can't believe how addictive those little things are!

Chatter soon! xox

Quilter's ADD

On Monday I got busy in the sewing room, and put together another two Farmers Wife Sampler blocks. I'm so enjoying working on them, and can't wait to get some more put together.

Block 55 - Linoleum

Block 88 - Star of Hope

Block Total: 80

And because I was on a roll, I put together a couple more of the rail fence blocks. I need to make a total of 99 blocks, and I think I've made 36 now ... getting there :-)

It's fun playing with all the reproduction squares of fabric I got from Somerset Patchwork & Quilting. It's possible that I may run out of the 10" squares before I'm finished, so I'll have to attack my stash ... *horror*

And here is a little something that I've been working on over a couple of months. I know ... not much to share for that amount of time, but these are the paper pieced hexagons that live in my handbag. I finally finished the second row last night while visiting with Lizzy, and I'm now thinking about what fabric to use for the next round.

This project was inspired by one I saw at the AQC in Melbourne. I really wish I knew who made it - if anyone knows who made the lovely hexagon quilt in reproduction fabrics, please let me know :-)

Who would have thought that hexagons would be so addictive, I had no clue. These hexies are 3/4" size, and I'm just loving the 30's prints for something different.

Well, I better get some chores done, so I'll check back in later xox

Latest Rail Fence Blocks

Over the last two evenings I made up some more rail fence blocks for the block exchange Linda, Donna and I are having fun with. I made fifteen blocks total, five each for the three of us. They go together very quickly, and though I'm using my 10" squares from Somerset Patchwork & Quilting, I know they'd make great scrap-busters too.

My favourite colour combination this time is the pink and black block in the middle at the back. I seem to have used a lot of darker fabrics this time - I'll have to use some more mid toned fabrics in my next blocks.

Most likely I'll be back to the Farmers Wife blocks this evening, must keep pushing on! Chatter soon xox

Rail Fence Blocks

Here are my first five Rail Fence blocks - I've made three of each, so that's 15 out of the 99 we're each making. I'm having a great time choosing fabrics for each block - and let's face it, I have so many scraps to choose from :-)

They're so nice to make, but I have to pay careful attention to my seam allowance. It's very easy to make them too narrow. So far so good!

I think I'll do some Farmer's Wifeing this afternoon - I believe I have quilter's ADD!

New Block Exchange

I'm so excited to be working on a new block exchange with some of my bestest friends, Linda and Donna :-) We're making Rail Fence blocks with a little interest in the middle there.

Here are 5 blocks I've received from Linda already - aren't they delightful? I'm going to make some blocks up today - I have 99 to make, to it'll take me some time. Better get busy! xox