Another top done!

I finished the Plusses quilt top this morning before setting off to Quilt group. I think it will look stunning when it's been long arm quilted.



















At quilt group Linda showed her Cowboy Boots quilt which her son took to the states and got quilted for £35, just a stars and loops panto, but great to get it done.

Then when I got home there was an email from Jenny with a picture of the block she has made for her Sampler quilt, following on from the Rattlesnake class I taught. She had to  reduce the size of the pattern to make the block fit her scheme. It looks really good on point, and I love it when students take the technique and go off and do their own thing!

Just the label to do..

Here is the quilt I've been working on to celebrate a friend's wedding.
The pattern is called Winding Ways and I love making it with lots of fabrics so that the mediums interfere somewhat with the continuity of the big dark and light circles and make them seem to move. It gives the quilt surface so much more interest.
On the off chance this is a bit bright for the bedroom, the reverse is a lovely soft pink dot which shows up the quilting by my friend Mandy Parks to perfection.

Serpentine curves

I've made some more blocks, but this is still a work in progress!

Serpentine curves

Star spin experiment

I've been trying out the Star Spin block, I made a template wedge of 18 degrees and used fabric pieces from the scraps table, actually leftovers from a quilt Izi made for her daughter.
I machine appliquéd a circle on, I drew round a cup for that as my circle templates are all at home. Trimmed to a square and machine quilted in a spiral.

Cushion top.

I learnt something new today. We all bring books and have a mini library and in one of them I found instructions for machine sewing hexagons. These are quite small, and are joined together with a faggoting stitch. They would be good appliquéd to a bag.

Raffle prize!

Look what I won in the raffle! Isn't it lucky when your name comes out first!! Beautiful jewel colours.

Wheels done

Wheels are now all joined up into a top, set on the diagonal I only need nine blocks.
Never again will I use cheap fabric for the background. There is no give in this poplin and it pulls and tries to pucker.
The overall design is pleasing and I hope it will look much better when it is quilted. It is about 53" square before quilting.

Finished!

Eccentric crosses quilt finished! I machined the binding to the wrong side and turned it over and machined to down on the front. Must be the only time I've bound a quilt in a day, usually takes me weeks. Very pleased with the end result.
Finished size  58 and a half by 75 and a half. iPad doesn't know fractions!
Fabulous quilting by Mandy Parks www.quiltswhiskers.co.uk

Wheels.

Two wheel blocks completed yesterday.

One using stripes, and one from 5" squares
Three more almost finished and some book covers.

An easier way...

At quilt retreat and an in auspicious start as the new Kath Kidston ironing board cover leaked colour onto my white fabric argh!
Well a piece has been removed and will be replaced.

One using stripes, and one from 5" squares
Three more almost finished and some book covers.

Chain piecing.

But I think there is an easier way to do these wheel blocks - I am reverting to my default mode, piecing, rather than paper foundations which then need to be removed

A Quiet One

Not everyone shares my passion for bright colours so I thought I would make another sample in quieter colours, less contrast, not so shouty, and am surprised by how much I like it.

The strips were from Kaffe Fassett, beautiful designs with subtle colour combinations, but printed on poor quality, soft, loosely woven fabric. A complete contrast to the batiks I have been using, and tricky to work with. I found greys from my stash to make the backgrounds; it measures a bit under 17 inches so would make a stunning cushion cover.

Rattlesnake

Today I am putting borders on my Rattlesnake quilt top ahead of the class I am teaching on Saturday.

Now I'm wondering if I have time to make some more blocks using ordinary patchwork fabric as the batiks are printed on poplin, a very tight weave originally made as a hardwearing garment fabric... remember school shirts anyone? And patchwork fabric is more loosely woven and easier to handle.
But I love the colours.

New fabric.

Beautiful weather the last few days with signs of Spring everywhere. The pussy willows have opened their catkins and weeping willows are colouring up as the tiny leaves start to appear and there are new Hawthorn leaves brightening the hedgerows - my grandfather called them Bread and Cheese and maintained thet country folk put them in sandwiches!

I've been buying fabric this week ahead of quilt retreat which is just over a week away.
I got some Kaffe Fasset strips and a Scrap bag from Hancocks by airmail and then some lovely modern fabrics by post from Gwen Murray who trades as Celtic Fusion Fabrics 
just delicious aren't they? I particularly like the pale blue/grey Essex Linen, I'm going to need more of that.
And the three on the left were a surprise bonus!

Then today I went to the Quilt Show at Duxford and bought some more...

These from Secret Garden Quilting
and those below from a supplier near Newbury where my daughter lives, called Juberry Fabrics

the turquoise in the middle is one of the range called Road 15, and I bought some of those for myself too.

Telling DH on the way back to the car I said its only like you buying a new Golf Club, and he replied Ah but you didn't part exchange an old one, did you?

He had me there!

February work

Batik bright crosses

 I seem to have spent time working on crosses!

Oakshott eccentric crosses

Double cross tesselation

Pinwheel crosses

Wheel 1

Wheel 2

Wheel 3

Suffolk Puffs cushion

and circles... strange as the Area Day I am organising is called Noughts and Crosses...

Linking up!

I've collected these two buttons from Lily's Quilts,  hoping to link up with some other bloggers.
Later I'll add some pics of what I've been up to this last month but find it a trial to do it from the iPad!