Email Tags

I have over the years enjoyed many tags that people include at the bottom of their emails and have decided that I am going to try to find a new one every week.

For the past few weeks I have been using -

If pain is natures way of telling you you’re not dead yet,

I’d much prefer an email or even a quick SMS

this one was sent to me by a dear friend Bruce.... some days are not so good while others are just plain bad! 

Have changed the tag over...will update next week in case you didn't receive an email from me this week.

Where does the time go?

Well today is Richard's 21st birthday?  
Where did the years go?  
Richard is my baby and he is studying in the US.
Here is a photo he recently sent us of his trip to Norway.  Isn't he good looking? 
No I'm not biased in the least.

Just two days ago he began the second year of his masters in biostatistics at Harvard.  He is now living with some friends in South Boston - crime central for those of you who don't know the area:)  

To celebrate his birthday he planned to spend the first few hours on the phone talking to us, his brother in England, his girlfriend in Norway... it's a different world these days isn't it.  

Sydney Guild Challenge entry

Well I would love to say here is my entry for this year's guild suitcase challenge.... all finished and da dahh!!! But and this is a big but I muffed it.  Made the star months ago.  Finished the quilting about two weeks ago.  Bought the binding. Cut off the excess.  Sewed on the binding.  Found the entry form and started to fill it in..... read the challenge guidelines.. reread them.. went looking for the original entry form... read those.... OOPs  

My delightful quilt, which I struggled to find an extra piece of fabric when I was short one 2in square in the making is a well balanced 16in by 18in which makes it just a mere 6in TOO SHORT!

Phooey!  Oh well no rush now to finish the binding off is there.  Unfortunately I think it is also too small to go into the regular show as it isn't a miniature... win some you lose some.

At least I now know how I will need to modify my colour placement for my feathered star bed quilt which has been in the planning for only six/seven years!

Quiltmaker 100 Blocks

Well I know this is a brag but hey this is my blog and if I can't brag here then where can I brag?  I have just received an email from Carolyn Beam the editor of Quiltmaker saying that one of the blocks I submitted for their next 100 Blocks magazine has been successful!  Woohoo!!!

I don't know which block it was but  am over the moon.  Both blocks were designed for friends/students who wanted to make quilts for family and couldn't decide on a design.  I had designs which had been floating around in my head for ages and didn't have time to  make them so a deal was struck.

My friends make the quilts and I get full publishing rights on the finished product.  Wait till I tell them their block will go international with their name.  One block was Yvonne's Mystery designed as a mystery block for none other than Yvonne; while the other block is Isobel's Flight designed for Isobel.  I will have to find a photo of the blocks and upload it.... I don't know if I ever organised myself about photographing the blocks... shall see.

So when will the magazine be on sale?  November 16th.  I don't know if that is the date for Australia and actually suspect that we will be later than that but I am really looking forward to it.

To accompany the magazine publication Quiltmaker also organises a blog and website tour over a few weeks to coincide with the release.  Will have to get organised on my blog and website and actually update them a bit more.  Mind you that has been a bit difficult with going back to work.... oh for a lotto win :)

Friday Flaunt

Well I hadn't realised that we had reached the end of the month until I checked the emails tonight and discovered everyone was flaunting. 

My biggest flaunt has to be Turkish Delight.  Although I have flaunted it before my flaunt is the fact that it won an award at the recent Sydney Quilt show, for best use of hand dyed fabrics. 

I used almost 300 different coloured fabrics and all except those in the outer row of stars were my own attempts. 

Some might say shows what mastery that I was able to get so many different colours.  Personally I would say shows what skill that I could repeat my recipe numerous times - exactly and yet obtain a different colour each time :)

As for actual sewing this month, well last month, I have actually had a productive month although not a lot is actually completed.  

 My tie quilt, which is one of my 10 in 10 targets would have been finished except that I have now decided it needs a border... so back to the WIPs pile it goes.   I have since taking this photo though added another row and joined all of the blocks together using red strips, looks quite smart.  Hopefully it will be finished this year.

I also finished two baby quilts.  One you can see here, while the other I posted to my nephew on Monday when he announced that Bailey Kate had been born. 

They were very impressed that I was able to whip up a pink quilt so quickly.  I did mention that although it was an easy quilt the only reason they received it before the child's first Xmas was because I had made two, this blue one and the other pink one.

Other than that all that I can flaunt is approximately 2,000 1/4in hexagon papers which I have cut in preparation for my next long term project.  I didn't photograph them as it really was depressing when I worked out how many I had... my calculations are that I will need at least ten times that many for the project.

Friday Flaunt - Feathered Star

Well I would love to say that I have finally finished my feathered star but alas that is not the case.  However I have finished most of it and so figured I would post a picture with requests for quilting ideas.


As can be seen from the photo (hopefully) I have echo quilted the inner sections but I am unsure as to what to do with the outer sections.  I have drawn several lines trying different ideas but haven't been happy with any.


Now as may be seen from the quilting I am slightly, ok let's be honest greatly, restricted by the fact that I couldn't free motion quilt to save my life or even yours.  Thus the quilting will need to be something that can be completed with a walking foot!


What do you suggest?
PS just noticed that I have posted the photo sideways it should be in portrait setting with the two part lines going across the bottom :)

Friday Flaunt

 
Well it has been a while since I flaunted but I have been busy.  I know you will find this hard to believe, but I have now finished four of my 10 in ten projects.  

Over a month ago I finished the quilts for the twins so 5 and 6 were gone;  I completed a calendar quilt a couple of weeks ago so there goes 9; and the biggie of them all is Turkish Delight, number 3, which I will finish today.... I wrote this post last night and by the time that this post is uploaded I should be finished ... or well on the way to finishing it.  

I had parts of it professionally quilted and then added extra bits which I felt  it needed and all in all I am now very pleased with it.   The pictures that I have here are of the back which shows the quilting up beautifully I feel.  

So four down and only six to go. 

Friday Flaunt - Highways

 

 

Well I have finally done it.  

I have had numerous requests for this pattern on my  website but when I explained that it was king size and not easily modified people asked if I could design a similar quilt for queen sized beds.  Here it is  - Highways!

Well actually the photo is still of the original king size quilt, Trails.  I must admit that although I have finished the queen sized pattern.. and had it checked over I am still in the process of actually making the sample.

Highways has only 16 circles and 24 paths and so it has to be quicker to make than the  original.

  

I am hoping that one of the people who buys it, works faster than I do.  If I am very lucky  when finished they will also be happy for me to use their quilt photo on the website.  We will have to see.

Anyway even if you don't want to buy a pattern check out the website.  I like it!

New Website

Well in case you haven't seen Christine Abela's latest email about her newest website the news is "it's mine!!"
Christine has been working VERY hard to iron out some 'small' (well big really but I hate to admit it :) errors which I somehow incorporated.  After a few very late nights.. thank you Christine, my web site is now live.

If you have some time to spare, check it out and let me know what you think. Personally I love it AND I am totally unbiased, well maybe a little bit.

I still have a lot of patterns to write up and so am planning on uploading a new one at least fortnightly but hopefully weekly until I finish.  I really should have put my head down last year and done it while I had the time off but the year just flew by.

By the way if you are thinking of having a website made I recommend Christine completely. She is very professional and works to what you want.  Very helpful and prompt.... hey you know she is one of those people you like to work with.
 

So go and check it out... http://www.cinziawhite.com

Friday Flaunt - Yvonne's Mystery

Once a month I teach at the Quilters Garden in Albion Park and one of the students has been doing a variety of my quilts throughout the last 12 months.  Anyway last month she selected one of my Flying Geese designs.  However,  I felt it would be too simple for her and so offered to design a mystery quilt with Flying Geese for her and she was quite happy to go with that.  This is the first block in the quilt.

Yes I realise you can't see any Flying Geese there but they will come I promise... in the border!

Oh forgot to say the twins were born Wednesday morning sometime between midnight and 2am!  Both are healthy and happy and mum is going well