2019 Online Quilters Meet & Greet

I was very honoured to be asked to participate in the 2019 Online Quilters Meet & Greet.

If you are new to my Blog welcome I hope you find something here to keep coming back.

A little bit about myself.  I have sewed and done all sorts of craft for as long as I can remember.  This was encouraged by my Mum and my Nanna.  It wasn't until I got married that the quilting bug hit and I took my first quilting class with ladies that are still my good friends 23 years later.

A few years ago I opened my Etsy shop and designed quilts and patterns.  Every year I try to design a Block of the Month Quilt which I host primarily on my blog.  The patterns each month are usually for free for a short period of time and then are for sale in my Etsy shop so you can catch up if you miss out on one of the months patterns.  I usually try and make each quilt a bit different and give you a few options of how to finish the quilt off.    You can check out my past Block of the Months here and find the patterns in my etsy shop.

My favourite quilt at the moment is Flowers for Alison, it was a block of the month I ran a couple of years ago.  The quilt was designed with my mother in mind, she died when I was in my early 20's and I designed it at a time when I was getting to be the same age as her when she died and I had reached that milestone when she had been gone more than half my life.  So there is a lot of nostalgia in this quilt.  The quilt also won a 3rd place ribbon at the Royal Adelaide Show that year.

Probably my 2nd favourite quilt is Blueberry Botanicals picture below which features stitcheries and well as piecing.

My current Block of the Month is probably going to surpass both these quilts for being my favourite.  I am just starting out on the Borders but the centre of the quilt is all finished.  I'm a bit behind on pattern writing but I should be able to get in front soon.  We are up to Block 3 which you can download for free here until 7/9/2019, if you want to join in.  Blocks 1 and 2 are for sale in my Etsy shop.  If you want to know a bit more before you jump in use the link above.

I hope you enjoy your little look around and you will visit me again, especially for a freebee once a month.

Make sure you enter the contest to be in the running for all the great prizes and visit all the other quilters for more chances to win.

15 Minute Challenge and Class with Judy Newman

Another 7 out of 7 this week.  Have lots to do on borders that is going to be my main focus for the foreseeable future.  Here is the first border progress.

There is only 3 more weeks until Mo leaves for Japan, I'm a bit concerned about their Hong Kong stopover.  I don't think they will be going through customs there so hopeful all will be well.   Apart from my worry I think we are pretty much organised I just have to top up her travel card with spending money.

Back to sewing.  On the weekend I did a class with the lovely Judy Newman, who is very giving of her time and expertise.  Everyone worked on different projects and spent way to much money on fabric, patterns and templates.

I planned to start a new quilt with her this time as I had lost the plot on the last quilt I started with her and just didn't want to go there.   The quilt is called Sugar Plum, and I managed to finished 1 block the quilt has 25 don't know that mine will be that big.   I took my box of liberty prints and  I had purchased the backgounds and the main fabric a while ago.  Judy's classes are all hand piecing which makes it a lovely weekend without the whir of sewing machines and everything is slow paced hand work and you can work on whichever quilt of Judy's takes your fancy and she imparts all her know how.

As I said I finished 1 block.  I plan to just cut up a heap of pieces and pack them in bags so that I can just put blocks together when I need a break from all my other projects.  It will be very scrappy and I'm not going to plan the blocks to much just grab a piece and stitch.  I have lots and lots of fat 16th liberty to choose from.  All the background are soft muted checks and spots which will offset the business of the liberty prints.

The block is surprisingly easy to piece by hand, though the outer square can be sewn in by machine, but I chose to do it by hand this time.... that might change down the track.  2 straight days of stitching was so much fun and I have put my name down for next year as well.

So how is you challenge going.

The Quilters Meet and Greet starts 3/9/2019 so make sure you come back tomorrow and click enter the competition.  

Block 3 Springtime Romance Free BOM

Hows your stitching going.  As you may be aware it is time for Block 3 to become available for free until 7/9/2019.   This completes the first row of the quilt.

I am just about finished the block 5 pattern and that should be posted soon.

Stitching wise I’ve started stitching one of the side borders.  There are lots of hours to stitch in the borders, but I know I am probably going to have to come up with some alternatives if you don’t want to do that much applique.   The patterns for the side borders will be a bit different too.  As they are so big and involved I will only be supplying the backbasting full size pattern.  I have to limit the number of downloads and the size of the files so that is the compromise.  It will be easy enough to make templates from the back basting pattern and it will be easier for you to keep track of all the shapes and placement.

So Block 3 The Tulips.  Tulips were a big part of my wedding bouquet so they needed to make it into Springtime Romance.

Springtime Romance Requirements (please note that there has been a change in the amount required for the large borders).  I managed to get it out of 2.4m with some creative joining but I would prefer you didn't struggle.

Free pattern has now expired.  You can purchase block 1 - 3 via the links on the Springtime Romance page.  

15 Minute Challenge and 2019 Online quilters Meet & Greet

Another 7 out of 7 this week which was truly amazing because I felt like I was running in 10 different directions all week. I was so glad when it was over.

The 2nd tulip block got finished because I didn't have time to print off the applique pattern for the side borders of Springtime Romance until mid week, I'm only 2 and a bit months behind now.

I've started stitching Springtime Romance but there isn't much point in giving you a picture until more of the flowers are stitched its just a group of leave at the moment.  I found that the fabric I used was pretty light on the back which meant I could use a permanent black marker to outline the appliqué shapes which will be fantastic in the long run as I don't after go back over the design everytime I add to it.

Also on the agenda this week was to start on Mo's homestay pressie for her trip to Japan.  On my sewing weekend last month I purchased a box of Aboriginal print fabric,  Mo is going to make some scrunchies and I made these little bags, put some fancy zippers on them.  We also got some socks with Koala's on them and Mo has made some little charms from polymer clay, and I think she will probably make some Australiana stickers.

In other news I am participating in 2019 Online Quilters Meet & Greet.  There are prizes if you visit my blog and use the link on the post to register.  The more blogs you visit the more you can times you can enter.  It kicks off on 3rd September.

So how did you go this week with the Challenge.  Head to Kate's to see everyone's progress.

15 Minute Challenge GT&SB

Although it was a solid 7 out of 7 I didn't get as much sewing done as what I would have liked this week.

The plan was for this week to be back on to the borders for Springtime Romance but all I have managed to do is piece them.  I also underestimated the amount I needed so the borders are slightly more pieces than what I would have liked and I will have to revisit the requirements list.  The extra joins will able to be hidden behind appliqué but I had planned to have them in single lengths but I forgot that you can only get 3 full lengths of 12 1/2" not 4 from a piece of fabric.  The patterns for the borders are based on 10" width so not so big a deal on the requirements list.

This week I got back to the Green Tea and Sweet Beans BOM. I'm a couple of months behind, and it took me a couple  of nights to cut out the 2 of the tulip blocks but I only managed to stitch 1.  There are lots of pieces, but it went together beautifully.

So how was your week? Hope you had plenty of stitching time.  Head to Kate's to see how everyone is travelling.  

15 Minute Challenge and Lots of EQ this week

If I can count EQ as sewing I have another 7 out of 7 this week if not it will be 5/7.

The Eq chewed up quite a few hours this week.  I still get that polygon error every now and again (which according to their website is rare but I've had it 3 times this weekend so maybe not).  To make sure I don't lose anything I have been saving multiple copies of the project and making sure that I save the blocks to My Library each time I finish one so that I can import them into another project easily.  I can't put my finger on anything in particular that causes it but I think its always appliqué patterns that trigger it.

I've headed back to Green Tea and Sweet Beans BOM this last week.  The 2 blocks I am working on have about 10 templates and it has taken me all week to cut the block.  I will be stitching them this week and then hope to start on the borders for Springtime Romance on the weekend.

Mo has booked the Mum taxi all day Sunday as the Uni's have open days this weekend and she wants me to go to ask all the questions.  Her boyfriend wanted to go with her alone, but she says that is pointless because neither of them will ask anything and they have already done that tour, so that's why she is dragging me along.

Back to Springtime Romance here is the finished design.  I leaving that top border to do last, just looking at it makes me feel tired but I think its going to look wonderful in fabric.  I will probably tackle the sides first and I am probably going to have to get creative about the pattern download for my etsy shop, either have it in 2 parts or work out a way to cut down the size of the templates oh the joys of dealing with technology.

     
How did you go this week.  Head to Kate's to see how many of the group met the challenge.

15 Minute Challenge - Centre Finish Springtime Romance

This week was a big week on the sewing front.  I finished Block 4 of Springtime Romance see below and put the centre of the quilt together.  So it was a big 7 out of 7 for the 15 minutes but there were a couple of days where it was way more than 15.  

I've got to say that I am pretty happy with how it all looks sometimes you do something in EQ and you wonder if it will work in real life I think it did.  You can still get Block 2 for free in the previous post until 7/8/2019.

The script fabric I used for the hourglass blocks is has Jane Austen quotes from her various books.  Persuasion is my favourite Jane Austen book and I love seeing the quote from it in the quilt.  It is the part where Captain Wentworth declares himself still in love with Ann.  

I have a lot more work to do though, 7 patterns to write and the borders to design which I have pictured in my head I just have to get them into EQ without corrupting the files again and print them off successfully.  

Mo is putting her white charcoal drawing in the school exhibition she is also entering it in another external exhibition which is a huge step for her. For one of them there is prize money as well as a chance to sell the art itself.  She is wanting an ipad pro for drawing and the money will come in handy for the Japan trip which is fast approaching.  

How'd you go this week.  

Head to Kate's to see how everyone else went this week.