Student's Quilts Success

As I have been flat out lately I haven't finished anything so when AP&Q did a call for possible projects for 2012 I did the only thing possible..... submitted quilts made by some of my students. Well the good news arrived today that they want one of the projects for which I had submitted three different versions.

This is Judy Newton's quilt which they want for the project instructions.   This is only her second quilt and she has even practiced some free motion quilting on it.
	Here is Elaine Sawkins' quilt and even though it looks nothing like Judy's the difference is due to the layout but the technique is the same.  Elaine still needs to finish her quilting and is expecting a busy Xmas break as the quilts are due in Sydney Australia Day.
And last but not least is Judy Sheehan's quilt.  Yet another layout but again same quilt.. mind you Judy did use a layer cake whereas the other two quilts were made with six inch strips of fabric.

Isn't it amazing how different they all look.  I can't wait to see them in the magazine... I think it will be the June magazine.

All three students were over the moon... particularly as I had simply asked for photos of their quilts without elaborating as to why I wanted them.... simply said I needed to photograph them...... Just love trusting friends:) .

TAST again

Well I would love to say that this little seahorse is mine but that would be a humungous lie.  I just pinched him from Sharon B's blog Pin Tangle and if you click on him it will take you there.  Now why did I flog him and am I sending you there you may ask?  Well the reason is obvious.. there is something fantastic happening over there!!!

Starting January 3rd Sharon will be hosting  a stitching program called Take a Stitch on Tuesday (TAST for short).  In case you don't already know about Sharon she is a superb embroiderer.. the little seahorse is just one of her fantastic samples you can feast upon if you go to her site.  Anyway in an attempt to spread the enjoyment one gets from embroidery Sharon is going to be introducing a new stitch every week for a whole year.  She not only shows you how to  make the stitch she also shows you some variations and from her blog you will find links to many other people who are also joining in. what inspiration. 

I started TAST a few years ago and so am already up to lesson 11.  Yes I know that isn't even three months in but this time I will make it further.  Anyway click on the link and join in.

On my Mind

Well I have decided to join in on another blog activity.  Rhonda whose blog Down to Earth is just full of home made solutions for everything you can think of has an activity called simply 'on my mind'.  Every Friday.. or any Friday that you can get around to it you simply take a photo of something which is on your mind and write about it. 

So today on my mind is this little scissor fob which I made about a year ago.  I have felt like getting back into stitching for a while and although my stitching is only simple I love it.

Richard and by lines

My youngest son, Richard has a delightful sense of humour and it is always interesting to read his by lines from his email.

This poster is his latest.  I don't know why he chose it but it makes me smile.

World Capitals

Yes I must agree with what several visitors to my blog said.  It is amazing how poor our general knowledge is of other places in the world.  When asked what was the capital of Canada, I thought, "Nasty!"  Why?  Because of course I had no idea.  I am the same as many of the visitors to my blog and simply assumed that the capital must be the only large place that I knew in the country.... Vancouver.... and I was of course WRONG.  The capital of Canada, is in fact Ottowa.

My knowledge of the world has improved over the past few years, no thanks to my own research or the net but thanks to the fact that I have two sons who are studying overseas and who have traveled extensively... but it is sadly still lacking.

Thank you to all of you who had a guess at our capital.. which is Canberra and which was chosen  for the fact that it wasn't Sydney or Melbourne and in fact was built about halfway between those two major cities and placed in its own territory just so that it didn't lie in either of the two major states of the time also... good reasons...hmmm!

Blog Tour winners

Although I am still waiting for the Australian blog tour winner to respond to my email I have received a response from an excited Janis Truesdell   from Oregon who was the overseas winner.
Congratulations Janis and thank you to Quiltmaker for their generous support with sending Janis her own copy of the latest 100 Blocks magazine.  I am certain Janis will enjoy it as much as I have already..hopefully she does more than simply oogle and hope to make some of the wonderful blocks,which is usually all that I achieve :)

Yvonne's Mystery

Yes here it is my block from volume 4 of Quiltmakers 100 Blocks, Yvonne's Mystery.  Yvonne is one of my students who after making several of my quilt designs wanted to make of Flying Geese.  Figuring this was too easy for her I offered to design her a quilt which incorporated the Flying Geese.  

Her first lesson was paper piecing of Wild Goose Chase, which is simply four rows of Flying Geese all flying into the middle or out to the corners of a block which is placed on the diagonal. After successfully completing those blocks I then showed her the next part of the design.  Although I had planned it to be as per my block Yvonne preferred more blue in her design and so we changed some of the value placements, resulting in a more traditional Feathered Star.  Next was the simple sashing and the cornerstones of nine patch were Margaret's idea.  

Hasn't the whole quilt come up beautifully? And pretty good for someone who has only been quilting three years.

Now there are two copies of Quiltmakers 100 Blocks Volume 4 to be won. If you live in Australia simply leave a comment with your name and a guess as to the closing date for entries in Quiltmakers 100 Blocks Volume 5..... one clue it has already past... yes there will be another of these great magazines being published in six months... what a top resource if you have them all.  
Btw you are still able to buy copies of the previous issues from www.quiltmaker.com
If you are non-Australian please leave a comment to the post below.
Good luck and thank you for visiting my blog..

Non- Australian's chance to win a copy of 100 blocks

Only if you are NOT Australian would you mind answering this question...without looking up any sites... I am not interested in knowing if you actually know but I am interested in knowing HOW MANY non-Australians can correctly name the capital of Australia.

My son works for the United Nations, which one would assume would know minor things about the countries of the world.  Anyway his girlfriend is doing a job interview and asked could they please change the location from Afghanistan to Australia as she will be here when they are due to be held.  She was told OK, she could do it in ......... , the capital of Australia.  Yes you guessed it they gave the wrong city.  This city is often listed as the capital of Australia and so I am curious which city/cities non-Australians think is our capital.

Leave you guess below to be in the running to win your copy of Quiltmakers latest fantastic 100 Blocks magazine.  If you don't know you can write that also.  If you don't wish your response to be published just tell me in your comment, you will still be in the draw for the magazine.

Or if you prefer you may simply click on one of the options  in the panel beside and then leave your name below.  I am unable to get the text colour to change for the options but if you highlight them you will see three of the most common options.

Thanks and good luck

100 Blocks Volume 4 tour starts today

Well here it is the first day of the 100 Blocks Volume 4 blog tour.  Check out the main page by clicking the button and it will take you to a list of today's featured blogs, where you have a chance to win your own copy of the magazine.  

Don't forget to also leave a comment on Quiltmakers own blog as they have a fantastic draw at the end of the week with amazing prizes from each of the sponsors.

Check back here on Friday for my give away and also a photo of what one of my students did with my/her block..... it really was her bock as I designed it for her when she wanted to make a quilt with Flying Geese.

Shifting Sands

Well another 1600 quilt.  This is in fact the only one for which I actually bought a regular jelly roll.  It was also my first attempt at following the instructions... I ended up changing a few here and there as I didn't like some and then I found out a few more errors, like how you have many similar colours lining up together.  I was able to remove some of these by cutting the strip apart and rejoining but even better I figured out how to line up the fabrics before sewing so as to minimise the problem.  If you check out last Friday's blog post Hilde's Camels you will see that I have a more even spread of the colours.  Mind you I still like this one, particularly how the borders turned out, they are in reality straight and even... I am a better quilter than I am a photographer:)

My binding will be the same colours as the first border and the purple really stands out so it should provide a good contrast.

I am really enjoying getting back to blogging.  It is a pity when life gets in the way of fun.

Striped Pyjamas

Well I could lie and say I just whipped this little beauty up over the weekend but that isn't quite true.  While it is true to say that it is a quick quilt I actually whipped the centre up about three weekends ago, the pale light outer border two weekends ago and the final dark border this past weekend.

The whole quilt was made from a few Moda scrap bags which I ordered earlier this year and so it cost me the grand total of less than $20 which I think is fantastic.  The scrap bags weigh half a pound each and are filled with lots of selvedge strips each being about 32in long and with a usable width of 2 1/4in. For me this was perfect as I prefer to have my strips cut parallel to the selvedge as there is less stretch that way.  
This was actually my first attempt at the 1600 quilt although I didn't have 1600in worth of strips.  I might have had that much but I only wanted to use the stripes in the central panel.  I had been trying to work out a quick easy design since the fabric arrived about February and when all of this talk started about the 1600 quilt I thought it was perfect.  
I am really pleased with the finished product ...well it is a topper and that for me classes as finished ..until quilting motivation hits and that won't be anytime soon as I am working on my entry for the Sydney Quilt show next June:)

Ooops wrong day

I just found the correct schedule for the 100 Blocks blog tour and my day isn't Tuesday at all.  I am one of the last on the tour and my blog will be featured on the Friday.  I would tell you who else will be on with me but I don't know if I'm allowed to but it will definitely be worth checking out the others..there are some big names. 
If you like intricate paper pieced blocks then you may like mine...but I can't reveal it yet..so drop back in on Friday 11th November for a chance to win your own copy of 100 Blocks volume 4.  All of the blocks are brand new.

Frenzied Felix

Now you must agree Felix is the cutest cat you have ever seen?  
I found this lovely book in the local library on crotcheted cats and couldn't resist.... have since bought several other books with different crotchet projects and am having a ball.  I can see a new hobby starting here.  
Paul looks on in amazement at these things and wonders where it will stop and what will I do with them all... who cares it's fun:)

Frenzied Friday - Hilde's Camels

Well I have finished three quilts in my quest to knock down the number of UFOs and I now plan to make a start on Hilde's quilt.  Hilde is Richard's girlfriend and when they were recently in Dubai she saw a quilt she fell in love with.  Richard, being the loyal son that he is said that he didn't think it was as good as what I could make and so I am now in the process of designing a camel quilt.I had lots of ideas and sent these over to which he responded she wants identical camels in plain fabric on plain background with plain borders framing every block just like the attached photo.  
 Well thankfully for me, if not for Hilde, my supply of plain fabric is nonexistent and so I figured I would go with tone on tones instead.  

 Hopefully she will like that, as I am certain there is no way on earth that I would ever finish a quilt which only used plain fabrics combined with plain fabrics and which had applique as the main technique.   Although my sons know I love quilting I don't think Richard has registered that applique is not my favoured technique.  Oh well shall give the machine applique a go.
I have used the 1600 quilt technique and am very pleased with the spread of the colours.  Do you like my jelly roll... only took two hours at the local quilt shop to cut all of the strips:)

Khanam's Surprise

Well here is my quilt from the last blog tour.  I had lots of wonderful suggestions from blog surfers, and even tried a couple of them, but nothing seemed to work and so I finally opted for the easiest solution for finishing a quilt...plain border:(

Hopefully I will get it quilted sometime in the not too distant future.  Terri, my basting friend has returned from America and so one day we will get together and baste all of these tops I have been making.

100 Blocks Volume 4

Woohoo I have had a block selected for inclusion in the next volume of Quiltmakers 100 Blocks.  

There will be a blog tour running again in which surfers have a chance to win their own copy of the magazine simply by visiting various blogs and leaving their names ad a comment.  

The blog tour starts on 7th Nov and runs until 11th.  

Each day new designers will be featured on the Quiltmaker site and you can check out their different blogs, simply click on the join me button to go directly to the blog tour centre.

Besides the chance to win your own copy of the magazine you have the chance to win other amazing prizes from Quiltmaker and their sponsors.  Each day they have minor prizes with a major prize usually on the final day from all of the daily entrants.  I'm not sure about the details of this as nothing has been said yet but it happened with the previous tours so fingers crossed.

My blog will be featured on Tuesday 8th so make sure you check back then as you will have a chance to win a copy.... I  can't wait to see the magazine.  
Don't you just love the penguin on the cover?  I wonder who designed it?  So far I have chosen two designs which I will make if I ever have a granddaughter, the penguin will make it three... perhaps there will be more.

Name plz

Well I have finally bordered this quilt.  I had finished the middle ages ago but just getting that border on has taken me about five months.  I decided a couple of weeks ago that rain, hail or shine I am going to knock my UFO numbers down.  I was hoping to get to single digits but will be happy if I can get to under 20.  I have decided that I can't start any more new quilts until I either finish a quilt... that means quilting it as well and is highly unlikely ...or that I finish at least three toppers... so the challenge is up.  

Now for this quilt I need a name..nothing has hit me yet and so it will languish on that front also for a while I am certain.  Most quilts usually suggest a name by themselves but this one hasn't yet.

This small table runner is also another project from the UFO pile.  The little bits hanging off each corner are there because I haven't yet worked out how to mitre them.  I had initially tried to make false mitres on each corner but they looked horrid as the fabric is slightly thicker than regular patchwork fabric... so the brain kicked in and figured I could go with the old fashioned real mitred corners.... only one problem..small that it is .. I can't work out how to turn them.  another job for another day.  Btw the central bits that looked blood stained are actually beautiful roses.

Two toppers down and I only have the binding to join and then I will have another two toppers done... yes I consider the sewn binding to be part of the topper as well as the backing made.  That way when the enthusiasm hits me I only have to quilt them.

Dah dah - cheese making

Well am I good or am I good?  No don't be truthful!  Just go with one of those two options.  What you see just to the right are the results of a perfect afternoon.  

OK let's be totally truthful... an afternoon and the greater part of the evening.  

Funny isn't it ... I know that making feta cheese, that's the square block in the background, takes a minimum of three and a half hours for the first part and then it needs to be turned over every half an hour for the next two hours and then every two hours for the next six hours and then left to sit and further drain overnight on the sink.  

So let's add those figures together and what do we get? 11 and a half hours plus the overnight drain.... OK so that suggests that a good time to start making feta cheese would be sometime in the morning.  The theory sounds all well and good but what needs to be added into this equation is the use by date on the milk carton.

Although I have been pestering Paul for a cow ever since I completed the cheese making workshop last June, it has not eventuated.  He feels that if people object to battery hens there is certain to be greater protests over a battery cow, although I feel our backyard would not constitute a cage!

 Just look at the photos of our yard. The first is our backyard.  In the back is our vege patch to the left the 1m garden bed, which edges the back patio area.  It may appear to the trained or even the untrained eye that this is too small a space for a cow, but you are forgetting our front yard, which you can see clearly in the next photo has a large expanse the size of a foot path. 

Anyway as I don't have a cow I have to buy the milk.  Now the best milk to use is organic unhomogenised which usually costs an arm and a leg.  so when I spied seven litres of this last week in the reduced for quick sale section I just had to nab it.  Being RFQS means it has to be used quickly.

Now you can see why there was the need for making the milk during the week rather than making it on the weekend.

Anyway as can be seen I had success.  Not just with the feta but also with the ricotta, front right and back right, which for the first time in ages actually turned out really soft and light.... dah dah! This really amazed me as the previous two batches have been tough enough to resole your boots with... I really need to NOT make cheese when I am stressed:) 

The final piece de resistance (not sure how that is supposed to be spelt but you know what I mean) is the mascapone on the front left.  This isn't really an achievement as I have always had success with that but it is lovely and is always a by product from my cheese making as there is always left over cream.

The mascapone was made into tiramisu yesterday and made a delicious desert lunchtime today.

100 Blocks winner announced

Well last night I finished off block 40 in my next major quilt and it had 141 pieces and so I have decided that comment 141 will be the lucky winner for my magazine.  

RAW, who likes unicorns (email address gave away that piece of information) and lives in Geneva is our lucky winner.

Thank you to everyone who entered this competition and also thanks to Quiltmaker for organising the tour and providing all of the wonderful prizes.  I am positive that everyone will have picked up lots of fantastic ideas for new quilts.  Don't forget that Quiltmaker is running a further competition every month.  Simply send a photo of your quilt using any of the blocks which have appeared in any of their three magazines to be in the running for the monthly prizes.  Check out here for more details.

Quiltmaker Blog Tour - My Big Day

Well the blog tour is off and running.  There are lots of wonderful prizes to be won.  As a starting point check out Quilty Pleasures blog first and leave a comment for a chance to win a prize.  Every day there will be a selection of different prizes so don't forget to return daily.

Also on that blog you will find a link to the day's featured blogs which also have prizes up for grabs.  This is going to be a great week for anyone surfing.

Here, as promised is a photo of my quilt made using my block Khanam's Surprise. As I said previously my machine pedal has died and I am awaiting replacement so I haven't had a chance to add the borders to add the borders to finish it off.

My quilt also extends further than the photo but the shadow effect was so drastic I had to cut it out... I'm glad I don't make a living as a photographer.

Some of my other designs may be seen on my website Cinzia White Designs. There is even a photo of a qult I designed using a variation of my block, Isobel's Flight, from the last issue of QM 100 Blocks.  I can't wait to see the finished quilt which Isobel has made and will be hanging at the next NSW Qulit Show in Sydney in June.
 

The block design is a compilation of designs from some  mosques.  I was actually working on a third design which I preferred but it wouldn't work and this one suddenly fell out.  The name came from my son's girlfriend Khanam and the fact that when she sees it she will be surprised.  I am sending her a magazine as a gift and haven't told either of them about it.

Quiltmaker is providing one copy of the magazine to someone who enters my 'competition', which is simple enough.. you have the choice.... any one of the following three actions will give you an entry into the competition.  

1.  what do you think would be a good name for this quilt? 

2. what kind of border do you think would suit this quilt the best?

3. or simply leave your name.

Although the winner will be chosen by random number generator I would dearly love help with the naming and/or border design of this quilt.

btw if you don't happen to win a copy of the magazine you can always order one from here if your local newsagent doesn't get it in.  Don't leave it too long as the first issue is totally sold out.  Also if, like me, you prefer digital versions you can order that from the same place... I don't think they are available from the newsagents... well definitely not from my little old newsagent.

Frenzied Final Friday Flaunt - again!

Well this has been a fantastic month.  I have finished so many things but to top it all off I have also had a block selected for  Quiltmaker's 100 Blocks Volume 3.  

The block is called Khanam's Surprise and  I have almost finished a quilt using it. I will upload a photo of it on Tuesday, which is my day in the blog tour.  

Quiltmaker is organising a blog tour all week and by visiting the blogs of the designers you will have the chance to win a copy of the magazine. Each designer is giving away one or more copies so there are many up for grabs.  I think Quiltmaker itself is running some competitions so don't forget to check out their site either. 

Be sure to check back here on Tuesday for the blog tour as you will have an opportunity to win your own copy of the magazine and also to see how different this block looks when actually made into a quilt.... I only need to add two borders and quilt it by then.  OK let's be honest chances of getting it quilted is Buckley's as my machine pedal needs replacing and I only ordered the replacement yesterday.  

AQC 2011

Well the holidays are almost over and I will need to return to work :(  However I thought I would share a few photos from the recent AQC.  The work was amazing and the photos I have uploaded are just a few from the sixty plus which I took.

 

The first is the chandelier from the Melbourne Exhibition Centre.  I thought I had taken more photos of the centre but they didn't turn out too well but it is a truly impressive building.

The second photo is my quilt,Turkish Delight.  I am definitely over this quilt but it was still a buzz to see it hanging there. 

The next one is a miniature.  Gorgeous colour choice and oh so cute . Although the photo doesn't show it  the   precision in her piecing was impressive.. 

This one was made by one of the teachers, sorry I don't recall her name.  

I just loved both the subject and the colour choice of this quilt.  There were several in this series and all worth another look.  I think I took at least two photos of each and different details... perhaps one day I will try the technique.  No let's be honest applique is never going to feature in my list of enjoyable activities.

 

Now if ever I could have a quilt made by someone else this would be it.  The different techniques which Kay H? used are amazing.   And aren't those mice so lifelike?

If only I could improve my layout skills that would be impressive in itself.

Quiltmaker's 100 Blocks - Volume 3

Woo hoo!! Just received an email from the editors etc of Creative Craft Group.  These are the  people who, among other things, put together the Quiltmaker Special Issues and their next issue is the third in the 100 Blocks series.

This is a series of magazines in which they publish 100 original blocks from both established and up and coming designers.  I was very fortunate and had a block published in volume 2 and now I have discovered that not only will one of my blocks be included in the next issue but also it is included on the cover.

100 Blocks Vol. 3 is at the printer as of early Thursday (US time)! I can’t wait to see it! Designers who have a block included will receive their complimentary copy around the 4th week of April... so only another three weeks to go.  Yes I realise that they said around the fourth week but I am assuming that is for US designers not those of us in the colonies.

So which is my block?  Well if you look carefully at the included photo, my block is the brown and tan one which is the second block on the second row.  I will take a photo of my block when I recharge the batteries for my camera tomorrow to show it to you more clearly.  So why do I still have the block you may ask? Well because my first effort was only 11.75in square and the requirements were for 12in. 

I can't wait to see the magazine.  the last one had so many fun blocks and I am positive this one will be also be full of new exciting blocks.  Actually if I had a daughter or granddaughter I think the one on the top right corner of the shoes peeping out from the skirt is gorgeous.

Friday Flaunt

 Wow I just looked at the date of my last post....Dec 20th and that must have been posted early as I know I was overseas at the time.  

Isn't that terrible but life has just been so hectic that I totally forgot about posting. 
To make up I am not going to post lots of photos of projects I have been working on.... actually I haven't really been doing a lot of quilting and I haven't finished many things either.

However here are two things I have been working on.   

The first is another block from Raconteur - The Storyteller's Collection.  I have now finished about 350 of the blocks and they are looking very cute.  I hope to finish the last of these blocks by the end of April and then begins the major task of joining them together.  

Definitely won't make my original deadline of 2010 Sydney Quilt Show...yes I did mean 2010.

The second is from a class which I attended last year.  The Sydney Quilt guild organised for Jacqueline de Jonge to run workshops on paper piecing.  I wanted to do her Elements of Nature pattern but it wasn't offered and so I did Morning Glory.  My colours were nothing like her sample and that at the above stage everything fitted and looked good.  Unfortunately the next stage was not so successful so I am at present doing a lot of frog stitching.... or will when I retrieve this project from the ignore it and it might disappear pile!