BRIAR ROSE QUILT

Pattern:  Briar Rose by England Street Quilts www.englandstreet.blogspot.com.au
Material:  Batik Jelly Roll

Linking to:  WIP Wednesday by Freshly Pieced and Let's Bee Social by Sew Fresh Quilts

I haven't blogged for quite a while as all I seem to be doing is chasing my tail and starting projects but not finishing them (naughty girl)  When I started to quilt, I said to myself, only have two projects on the go at once, but somehow there are so many wonderful things to make I got lost along the way.

Of course going on an overseas holiday to Canada and USA for 6 weeks didnt help my sewing projects at all.  I dragged poor hubby to as many quilt shops as I could find and even came home with another project quilt to make of Alaskan animals, as my souvenir.

Sometimes I am just like a Bower Bird and attracted to bright colours and before we left, I did manage to finish a quilt top from a batik jelly roll that had caught my attention.  I loved the mix of colours and teeming it with a white homespun, worked out quite well.

I asked my girlfriend Mandy from www.seamssewtogether.blogspot.com if she wouldn't mind quilting some feathers in the white crosses while we were away and then I forgot about it and went about enjoying the holiday.  Mandy messaged me to say it was finished and then all I wanted to do was see it.  She wouldn't send me a photo, said it wouldn't do it justice and she was right......

Never in a million years did I think my humble quilt top would turn into a beautiful work of art but IT DID.

What a transformation !!  Mandy did a wonderful job with her long arm machine and I think the bright colours really make it POP and grab your attention.  You can check out Mandys blog to get her explanation on the technical side of the quilting but I just love it.

All I need to do is stop looking at it and put the binding around the edge, then I can begin to use it.

Thanks Mandy, it was a good team effort  xxxxx






  
 

TRAPUNTO BABY QUILT

The up-coming arrival of our first grandchild was always going to be a big occasion and I purchased a printed baby cot panel with the intention of trying out the technique called Trapunto.

On the reverse side of the panel, I laid down some pieces of bamboo batting and then using my walking foot, sewed around the balloons, and each individual animal in the boat.  I then cut away any excess batting, which gave the balloons and animals a plump look.

Then I continued as for a normal quilt using batting and backing. I outlined stitched all the pictures and then stippled the main background of the quilt.  I also did horizontal stitching on the blue top rim of the boat and pebble free-motion around the name.

 I could have done heaps more free motion on this quilt but in the end, was more than happy with the result.

Stack and Whack

Another Patchwork class that I have attended at Kates, was the Stack and Whack.  After choosing 5 complementary colours and then a contrast for the border, it was just a matter of cutting and sewing.   It was a long day full of sewing but at the end of the day, I had pieced together the top of my Stack and Whack Quilt.  It was then off to get assembled and quilted.  The quilting was done by a local lady and came up wonderful.

Log Cabin Quilt for Dad

My dear old dad is currently in a nursing home and I wanted something nice to look at each time he woke up, even if he didnt remember who gave it to him.  I wanted a nice bright quilt nothing depressing, so a range of blues was the choice.   There was no real pattern just 2" stripes sewn together in the Log Cabin pattern.

I arranged the small blocks into a variety of patterns and then took a photo with my iphone so I could compare them next to each other.  Each one appealed to me but in the end I chose this one and sewed it up for dad.