Colouring In - what a wonderful pastime

I was talking with Chris who is just about to begin her Raconteur journey....nothing in particular and lots about this and that. You all know how conversations have a tendency to wander. Keeps ones interest, or checks if they are paying attention :0

Anyway whilst typing up a response I had a thought.... perhaps Chris can quilt. I know that is a skill I'm lacking in and it does affect my designs at times. Well I picked up the idea that perhaps Chris could do more than a mean walking foot and so decided to try out an alternative border plan.

Rather than framing each collection in the same colour/fabric if the separate bands took in both sides of the outer border strip it would allow someone with some quilting skills a wider strip to work with. I did a quick colouring of the layout sketch for king size layout and the theory looks good. Wonder what it would be like in real life. Ah so many ideas and so little time.

Feathered Stars

	I have been having some fun lately working with the feathered star. The versions below are ones which I made in previous attempts but my latest is definitely my favourite. So much so that I have even cut out the fabric for six more. I have drawn up the foundation papers and when I buy some paper I will get stuck into printing the papers and that will only leave finding time to actually sew the pieces together.
Another project for when my attention refocuses here again Isn't it amazing what a different colour placement makes. All of these blocks are identical but for the different placement of the background fabric and the feature fabric.

More design ideas

I was cleaning up my files last night and found this one.I went to the symposium in New Zealand with a couple of friends and they did a class with Carla Gulati. Now admittedly both she and my friends can draw a lot better scrolls than this but hey I figured it wasn't bad for first try and with very little knowledge. This was made using some of those skills Robbi Eclow taught me.... where will I go with all of this knowledge? Hopefully beyond the drawing stage:)

Layouts- How Many Blocks? Post 2

What is a layout? 

Ok firstly a quick summary here is terminology that I regularly use when talking about 
Raconteur - The Storyteller's Collection (aka RSC)  This is the original quilt with 363 blocks joined together into 59 collections
A block is a single miniature hexagon
A collection is a set of seven miniature hexagons joined together and framed to make a larger hexagon.
A half collection is a pair of two elongated miniature hexagons joined together and then two fillers are added. This is then all framed to make a larger half hexagon that is used along the edge.
A corner collection is a single elongated miniature hexagons joined together and then two fillers are added. This is then all framed to complete the corner blocks.
A layout is a bed size quilt. Layouts are available for lap quilts, single, double, queen and king size quilt.
Raconteur 141 is the enlarged version of RSC. No one has yet finished this quilt so I can't honestly tell you how many blocks or collections there are in this quilt, but I will tell you what my computer tells me.

Now to the follow-up post...how many collections do you need?

First let's revise calculations for the original Raconteur quilt. If you look here you can see my photoshop efforts to show you the wallhanging, lap quilt, single bed quilt and double bed quilt
The individual blocks have a side length of 2 1/4in, while the large collection is 7 1/8in.
By my calculations, and Photoshop/Illustrator's help the number of collections and blocks that you would need are

• wallhanging - seven collections which is 49 blocks
• lap quilt - 17 collections which is 99 blocks
• single bed quilt - 27 collections equalling 157 blocks
• double bed quilt - 33 collections which is 199 blocks
• queen size quilt - 45 collections which is 271 blocks. There are two different layouts offered for this size
• king size quilt - 59 collections which is 363 blocks.
  Personally I would change the king size layout and make it with 61 collections, one row longer but one row narrower. To do this you could make extra blocks of those you enjoy or simply hang around long enough for me to make a few more blocks and then I will send these out to you.
  Carol has made three of her own original blocks and I have made another collection so she is only four blocks short on the better number for king size.

By the way all of the layouts include instructions for putting your quilt together along with the quilting designs which I used on the original quilt. There are line drawings showing you different layout options and allowing you to work out your own colour layout so you don't end up with the wrong size and colour arrangement (like I did). Colouring pencils are a simple to use tool which when used with a line drawing of the layouts allows you to decide the colour frames if you intend to do a design such as say Grandmother's Flower Garden.
Once I am organised the different layout options will contain all of the options up to and including the one that you are making, so it is easy to make a smaller one :)

Next we talk specifically about the Raconteur 141 Collections.
When joined the seven collections should have a theoretical height of 20in and width of 17.5in, note these figures came out of a computer drawing and through real life sewing I have found they could be out by up to 1/2in which I figure isn't enough to worry about. For some reason, when I sew things the size is never exactly what the computer tells me it should be but it has always been such a minuscule amount I haven't worried about it.

141 Single Bed Layout	141 Double/Queen Layouts
141 King Layout - option 1	141 King Layout - option 2

I haven't actually made up these quilts and you may find that when you lay out the blocks it is better to make more blocks and go either one block wider or one block longer. Nothing beats actually looking at the blocks laid out together to decide what is the best way to go.

By my calculations, and Illustrator's help... no help available this time from Photoshop:( the number of collections and blocks that you would need are

• wallhanging - seven collections which is 49 blocks
• lap quilt - I couldn't get this to look right, or to something I was happy with so it will need to be a trial and experiment affair if you are making this size.
• single bed quilt - 12 full collections and four half collections equalling 92 blocks. This gives a design area or approximately 52in x 80in and then you would need to add borders.
• double and queen size bed quilts - 18 full collections and 4 half collections which is 134 blocks. This gives a design area or approximately 70in x 80in and then you would need to add borders.
• king size quilt (option 1) -  although this one should be the best by calculations it doesn't 'look right' and so I worked out option 2
• King size quilt (option 2) - 27 full collections, four half collections and two corner collections, which is 199 blocks. This gives a design area or approximately 86in x 95in and then you would need to add borders. To balance the appearance for this size an extra row had to be added longer than the bare mattress length.

Sorry about this being such a long post but there was a lot t0 say....and I like to talk.

Layouts - How Many Blocks? Post 1

As this is becoming such a long post I have decided to split it into two. This first post discusses things that need to be decided upon when making any quilt, not just Raconteur 141, or even Raconteur - the Storyteller's Collection.

C6 Crystal Dreams

Some things that effect the number of blocks can be

1. colour arrangement - my original Raconteur quilt should have had one extra row but because of how the frame colours were laid out it meant I had to change too many of those for the colour pattern to lie as I wished. I had had enough of the quilt and so I left it. I could have planned the colour arrangement well before the five year mark..talk about leaving things for the last minute. Planning could have been done with just pen and paper.
2. the amount of overhang you like - mattress heights vary not only in different countries but also throughout one country. Now in Australia there are three different mattress heights. I have one quilt which now fits perfectly on our bed since our new mattress has a greater height than the previous one. Previously the quilt touched the floor. There are also available different height castors to raise or lower a bed height.
3. still to do with the amount of overhand is whether you want some of your design to go over the sides or if you only want it on the top of the bed. I like my design to go over the sides so I don't have to spend forever getting the quilt to lie just right so that the design is centred.
4. the number of blocks you want to make - there are seven blocks in each collection and sometimes you just reach  the limit of how many blocks you want to make. I had about thirty blocks leftover when I called it a day on my layout so I only needed to make another 12 blocks and I could have had the row I needed...such is life
5. the size of the borders -  I don't have a preference for border size. My method is to finish the quilt and then try different size borders until I find what suits the quilt. This does have a major downside in that some of my quilts turn out decidedly bigger than I originally wanted but such is life at least it looks balanced, in my opinion that is.

I will write up the next post later today if I get the chance, or else tomorrow and then post it with the calculations etc.

New Zealand Symposium - Red Exhibition

	While in Taupo there were several quilting exhibitions held around the town. One of these was the red challenge and as you may well guess from the numbers on these quilts there were MANY entries. I selected a few of my favourites I hope you enjoy them also. Isn't it amazing what you can do with such a simple theme. Oh these quilts were about 12in square from memory. Personally I love the quilt just to the right of this.
	And what do you think of the rose?

What I learnt from Robbi

many smiles abounded after fun class	Well here you have proof that 1. I did do a class 2. I did produce something. Yes I realise that last night's photos of quilts in progress look a lot more impressive than my little drawings in this post BUT I can do these drawings in a matter of hours now. Yes I realise that hours doesn't sound that quick but previously it was a matter of days and anyway those hours are decreasing:) In these photos you see the development of my design. Ok being truthful I wouldn't use them in this way but I simply wanted to try everything NOW....sounds a bit like a child in a lolly shop doesn't it.	Gears - central part of the design. Ok so designwise that white spot shouldn't be there but other than that it looks super!
Next ring out - this is made much the same way as the centre but I added a circle to it.  this is really easy to draw!	Scroll - now doesn't it look something else and you wouldn't believe how easy this is to draw...NOW. Previously I have spent days trying to draw something like this and it never flowed. Robbi's method is just so easy.	Theses are the green pineapple heads in the final layout, I only need to place all of the other stuff over the centre to hide it.
Greek Keys - I am going to use the skills I learnt in this part in particular for my next major project. Can't wait to start.	If you spread these flower petals out you will see the final ring	Viola - here you have two days worth..and I don't have any more work to do at home to finish it. Now wasn't this a class worth doing?

Student Quilts from Robbi Eclow class

Well what do you think of these? And isn't it amazing to think that no one had done any designing or quilt making like this before? All of these quilts have at least two or three more rings to be added but it was just so great to get so far in a class. Not only did we learn how to design our own quilts but everyone else even took home a project which was well on the way to being together.		In the class Robbie showed us how to design using pen and paper. She gave everyone a sheet of basic shapes that could be combined in a variety of ways and these are what everyone used to fill their rings. She also showed us how to work out our own basic rings, both in sizes and number of wedges/parts that were to be contained. I learnt how to do this on the computer and I am pleased as punch with my results, which will star in my next post.

New Zealand yet again - Robbi Eclow

Robbi Eclow, who is also known as the Queen of the Last Minute, was the teacher for my second class ..and what a great teacher. These are her own samples which many of the students used to form the basis of their own work. They are all very vibrant and full of life. If you ever get the chance to do a class with Robbi take it.		I again failed the test and didn't make it as teacher's pet here either. When I enrolled in Robbi's class I thought it was a two day design class, but alas it turned out to be half day of design and one and a half of actually making a quilt. I contacted Robbi before the class and asked if she minded if I simply designed for the two days on the computer. She agreed and boy did I learn a lot... unfortunately I didn't learn how to change an Illustrator design into a jpeg for uploading here but will try to photograph it tomorrow.

New Zealand Symposium - Chris Kenna class

Day 1	A few weeks ago, it actually feels just like last week as I have been so busy, I went to New Zealand and attended the Taupo Quilting Symposium. I had hoped to do two classes, the first by Gwen Marston and the second with Robbi Eclow. Unfortunately Gwen was super popular and her class filled well before they managed to process my application. I also missed out on my second and third choices but managed to get into a class by Chris Kenna doing the New York Beauty.
Day 1 everyone, well except for me, made a 7in blocks, and an edge block. As I wasn't going to be making a complete quilt I only wanted to make two blocks and wanted these to be the same size and so I made a 10in block from Day 2's patterns. It is the block in the bottom left that doesn't fit in, in the photo above. There were some real beauties.	Day 1 & Day 2 -  7in blocks
Day 2 - 10in blocks	Day 2 People had the choice of making more 7in blocks or trying more advanced 10in blocks. I made my second 10in block and even managed to join them together. This time they are the two top left hand ones. Aren't some of the colours exquisite. When I came home my two blocks were joined together and then I designed a border for them and joined them all together and made a pram cover for my niece who recently had a baby girl, Annabelle. I posted the quilt off on Tuesday and can't find the photo of it around but if I find it I will upload it... I think it looked gorgeous.