Double Nine Patch

Just now I finished putting the rows together on my Double Nine Patch quilt top. My goodness, working with these leader and ender blocks has been a lot of fun!

This is probably as far as I'll get for a little while. I need to decide on the perfect inner border fabric for it, and then as you'll see in the next picture, I have a little work cut out for me for the next border.

I'm just learning how to use EQ7. I have never used any of the EQ programs before, so I'm on a little bit of a steep learning curve. Despite that, I was able to draw this project up, and I've elected to do a pieced border.

Having said all that, it's my Mum's birthday really soon, so I may decide to put a more simple border on, quilt it and give it to her as a gift. I have a week to decide - and a girl just can't rush these decisions right? :-)

Ordered!

There has been precious little sewing in this house in the past week. Apart from being busy (something that doesn't usually stop me from a little time in the sewing room) I don't have any good answers for my inactivity. Let's hope the situation improves in the coming week!

There is some exciting news though, I made a final decision on the fabric for my curtains - the fabric you see in the picture. I have also placed the order, the company I have ultimately chosen quoted a full three thousand dollars less than the last estimate I received. And I have it on good authority that they do great work, so it's a win win for me. Four to six weeks time and I'll be able to show off my newest purchases.

Next on the agenda is to scour auctions and estate sales for an eight person dining suite for the main dining room (I'm looking for something vintage). The hope is to have it all taken care of before Christmas. Part of the fun is the thrill of the chase :-)

And in other news, how sad that Bloglines is going to be shutting down. It was my RSS reader of choice. I've now moved onto Google Reader and I'm really happy with it so far. If you use Bloglines, be sure to export your subscriptions while you have the chance! Chatter soon :-)

Green Nine Patches

A while back I was working on these nine patches as leaders and enders, and because I simply couldn't decide what to do with them, I put them away for a little while.

On Saturday I got busy playing with EQ7 (because I really need to learn how to use it), and came up with an idea for setting them together. I've put three rows together so far, and have two more to add. That will probably be the limit for the time being, as I have devised a simple (but heavily pieced) final border. I'll need to really scour my stash for 2" green strips, as this project really whittled them out of my 2" scrap box.

Love this scrappy piecing. Once I've finished this top to the final border stage, I'll get busy again on my pink and purple bow ties. They're super fun too!

Winners!

We have winners! I have drawn three names via a random number generator, and here are the names:

First place: Comment 6 by Martina

Second place: Comment 20 by LC

Third place: Comment 2 by Cheri

I will be forwarding your name and email addresses to Barbara Cline, and she'll be in touch with the details of your prizes. Thank you so much to everyone for participating in the blog tour.

Star Struck Quilts Blog Tour

I'm the last stop on the Blog Tour for Barbara Cline's new book Star Struck Quilts. Leave a comment on this post, and you will be in the running to win the following prizes: 1st prize is a copy of Barbara's fabulous book, 2nd prize is a gift set, including pen-style Chaco-Liner, Flower Head Pins and Mary Ellen's Best Press spray. In addition, one winner will be drawn for fabric from RJR and a $25.00 gift certificate to Patchwork Plus.

Barbara has been kind enough to write a guest post for me, so here she is:

Hello quilting buddies,
I am Barbara Cline from the great Shenandoah Valley of Virgina. If you have been following the blog tour you can tell I enjoy designing, piecing, quilting, teaching, family, friends and fellowship. I will try to include pictures which will help you get to know me better.

First I am a wife and mother of 5 children. They are very close in age. The youngest is 19 and the oldest is 23. O no, now they are leaving home so fast.


Yes, I really enjoy my quilt life but there is still work to be done around the house like canning, cleaning, washing and fixing meals.


Here are a few pictures of some of the patterns I have designed and you may order on my website Delightful Piecing http://www.delightfulpiecing.com/




A highlight of the year is when my sisters and I have a sewing retreat. This includes our Mother and nieces. We sew, laugh, cry and just have a wonderful time together.


I do have a blog site. Stop by and let me hear from you.http://quiltingal.xanga.com/

Tazzie here again :-) Be sure to leave your comment, and I'll draw the winners on Saturday evening. Good luck everyone!

Quickie Post - Turning Four-T

Hi everyone - just a quick note to let you know that my Turning Four-T quilt will be in Australian Patchwork and Quilting magazine, issue 19/9. The on sale date is October 27, 2010, but for those of you who subscribe, you'll get it a few days earlier. How fun!

Blog Tour - Starstruck Quilts

How exciting, this is a first for me :-) Barbara Cline has released a new book called Starstruck Quilts, and asked me if I would be interested in being part of her blog tour. Being me, I'm late to the game, but still very happy to be involved.

Here are the blogs involved in the blog tour:

Julia Graber - August 23
Polly the Patchworker - August 24
Quilters Corner - August 25
Dorcas Smucker - August 26
Canton Village Quilt Works - August 27
Deb Girotti - August 28
Spun Sugar Quilts - August 29
Quilternity - August 30
Burgundy Buttons - August 31
Little Lady Patchwork - Sept 1
Tazzie Quilts - Sept 2

So lucky for me, I've had the chance to check out her book, and can highly recommend it - her quilts are stunning and the directions so clear that you'll be making your own 'starstruck' quilts in no time.

And lucky for you, you'll have the chance to win a copy of the book and other treats at each stop on the blog tour. Be sure to pay me a visit on Sept 2nd so you can participate in my giveaway, and you can hear from Barbara too. Happy blog hopping!

Curtains Maybe

I've just come home from checking out some fabrics for curtains. It's for my lounge and dining rooms. Three large windows in total. I've wanted to have them made up for the longest time, and for many reasons (such as indecision and allocating funds elsewhere) they have never yet fallen onto the radar.

Here is the front runner of the fabrics I looked at today. What do you think? The curtains will be pinch pleated with pelmets, and the bottom of the pelmets will have lovely coordinated cording. I'm thinking it will be really nice, and brighten up the room so much. Now I just have to sit back and wait for the estimate. I've a feeling it's going to hurt. A lot.