Wednesday, April 30, 2014

BOM 17 - Clover of Friendship

Collection 17

I have never enjoyed appliqué and this block was made in my attempt to have at least one sample of every technique included in Raconteur. wouldn't you just love to be able to appliqué points and curves as well as Merelyn does. I am able to do this only with a machine but Merelyn can do such using needle turn..and probably with her eyes shut :0

Sunday, April 27, 2014

New Project


The pale background came from the left overs from a friend's quilt. Lucky the spikes weren't any wider or there wouldn't have been enough fabric.
Well there is a good reason why I haven't been doing much lately.  PJ and Khanam have announced their engagement and so I have been busy sewing some blocks for a possible wedding gift. I have always wanted to make a New York Beauty quilt but finding the time and getting stuck into one just wasn't getting anything happening. A wedding in the new year is definitely an impetus and so I thought I had better start. 
 This was the first block I made. The spikes were fun but deciding on what colour to make the arcs was a difficult choice. 
This is an interesting photo in that the arcs appear to complement the spikes well but depending on the light this is not always the case in real life..... interesting.

Two years ago I won a F8 pack from Moda and thought I would base the quilt on those fabrics. I have since been given other fabrics and although I thought they would all go together when I put them to the test they didn't marry well...so a stash trawl was needed. Personally I love the brightness of these colours

Will be seeing them both in a few weeks and shall see what they think of the colours or if they would prefer a more subtle colour choice. As it is likely to be used and so would dominate their bedroom, I thought it should be made in their colour choice rather than my usual random selection of everything :)

New Project


The pale background came from the left overs from a friend's quilt. Lucky the spikes weren't any wider or there wouldn't have been enough fabric.
Well there is a good reason why I haven't been doing much lately.  PJ and Khanam have announced their engagement and so I have been busy sewing some blocks for a possible wedding gift. I have always wanted to make a New York Beauty quilt but finding the time and getting stuck into one just wasn't getting anything happening. A wedding in the new year is definitely an impetus and so I thought I had better start. 
 This was the first block I made. The spikes were fun but deciding on what colour to make the arcs was a difficult choice. 
This is an interesting photo in that the arcs appear to complement the spikes well but depending on the light this is not always the case in real life..... interesting.

Two years ago I won a F8 pack from Moda and thought I would base the quilt on those fabrics. I have since been given other fabrics and although I thought they would all go together when I put them to the test they didn't marry well...so a stash trawl was needed. Personally I love the brightness of these colours

Will be seeing them both in a few weeks and shall see what they think of the colours or if they would prefer a more subtle colour choice. As it is likely to be used and so would dominate their bedroom, I thought it should be made in their colour choice rather than my usual random selection of everything :)

Thursday, April 24, 2014

Nursery Rhymes & Collection 4

Collection 4

Blackberry Freedom is another block that has been used in almost every variation of Raconteur so far. I just love the frame of alternating up and down triangles.

New Beginnings...don't you just love the fabric. Unfortunately I only have a small square left of it and so will save it for someone special.
C4 Blackberry Freedom

C4 New Beginnings

Saturday, April 19, 2014

Carol and Collection 47

Collection 47
Carol must be getting close to the end of her blocks. Can't wait to see how she combines them all
C47 Whirlpool
C47 Lightning Ridge
C47 Independence 

C47 Stars in the Jungle
C47 The Vultures Circle
C47 Team Lindsay

Tuesday, April 15, 2014

Nursery Rhymes & Collection 3


Collection 3

Just as these blocks featured in early collections in Raconteur so they have been early blocks in the Nursery Rhymes quilt.

For Nursery Rhymes I wanted blocks with strong features and a good contrast so that they would show up well in a child's quilt.... although it now appears as though it will be too big for a child's quilt  ... such is life. Perhaps next time I will more of the layout rather than one block :)
C3 After the Showers

C3 Burning Bright

C3 Ketchiken Jewels

Friday, April 11, 2014

Carol and Collection 45




Collection 45

As one can guess from the title blue was Grandma's favourite colour. It did look good on her, but then so did most colours. I suppose it was of her happy disposition that she always looked good.
C45 Lights of Dwali

No idea where the title Fizzle came from. I just liked the block and liked the word.
C45 Grandma Wore Blue

I was working in a year 2 class when I made this block and they were studying the religions of the world. Amazing the information one can learn when you approach a new topic with an open mind.
C45 Fizzle

Did Carol choose these fabrics for Easter which often occurs in April?
C45 April Showers

You can see the reeds and plants of the pond so easily here.
block 5
C45 Chillies in the Pond
Can you pick which block is February in the original collection? Amazing how different a block looks with a change of fabric value.
C45 Dancing Flames

Doesn't the lively fabric in Carol's block suggest Dancing Flames in the campsite  fire.


C45 February

Saturday, April 5, 2014

Carol and Collection 43

Collection 43

Again Carol's colours are so much brighter than the original quilt. I must say her points are fantastic which, according to Carol is easy with EPP...hmmm!
C43 Flying Free

C43 Love is Blind
C43 Round Two

Can you see the bee?
C43 Just There
C43 Level One
C43 Ebony in Roses

C43 Bottled Lemons

Wednesday, April 2, 2014

Collection 16 - Where Did That Name Come From?


Collection 16

Still Too Small was my second attempt at this block and it was as the title says still too small. Solution just add another border.
C16 Still Too Small

Yvonne's Mystery was designed for a friend who wanted a quilt using Flying Geese... well the geese did appear in the outer border!
C16 Yvonne's Mystery

I always thought of a play pen as a gaol and the bars through the middle of this block gave me the same feel :) Warped sense of humour I suppose you could say.
C16 Bull's Eye

What other name would be appropriate for Bull's Eye?

Does the name Tim Tam Spread really need explaining.. just think of the effect of a glorious afternoon or two relaxing with a packet, or two, of the food of all foods.
C16 The Playpen

Rhonda is a friend I quilted with for several years. The name Ravishing Rhonda came from Margaret when she was trying to find a way to have Rhonda's name appear at the top of her R names in her mobile phone.
C16 Tim Tam Spread


Or imagine what happens when two dozen packets of Tim Tams split out of their box after travelling across the world in a box poorly packed by a younger brother!
Ravishing Rhonda

Margaret is a wonderful friend who 'loaned' me much of the pastel fabric  for Racontuer. I wanted to make a pastel quilt and there was only one thing stopping me .. an almost total lack of pastel fabrics. Magaret's Choice was one of the first fabrics Margaret 'loaned' me.  
I wonder if she wants them back?
C16 Margaret's Choice

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