Call of the Elephants

I was inspired to make this small wall hanging from my collection of African prints.




The majority of these fabrics came from several African countries.
The South African prints were purchased when I travelled there a few times. I really like the one with the image of Nelson Mandela.


What I love about these fabrics are the vibrant colours, the designs and the symbols they represent.



For this quilt I selected a few of these fabrics and made a background in a crazy patchwork and then machine applique the elephants.
This quilt is a gift for someone who loves Africa and animals; hope he doesn't see the blog before he receives the quilt.

Summer Quilt

These blocks have been on the go for a while.
With the exception of the blue fabric, the squares are from my scrap 2" bin and other scraps.

 

The design was inspired by Bonnie Hunter of Quiltville. 

 I made this quilt for my daughter to celebrate her going into year 10.

As it was a nice day today and for a change I lay it on floor in front of my studio; notice Penny was watching every move I made.

 Some of the fabrics I have had for many years and I don't even like them but placed with other newer fabrics it all looks good.

 I did not have a large piece for the back of the quilt, so I pieced several blocks to make the backing.

Penny had to test it but jumping on it !

 And 'her' comment was "I like it "

 

 

And I had to agree with such a sweet face....



 



The New Year Begins .... 2016 !

I haven't made any significant resolutions nor do I have major events planned such as a major holiday to the USA as I did last year.
But I am sure there will be plenty of goings on...

We ended the year with a new addition to the family;
Meet Penny; our 11 week old kitten.  She came from the shelter and from the moment we saw her we knew she was the one.  Very alert, playful and so cute. 

She has made herself at home trying to play with our boy (cat) and girl (dog). I think they will eventually get along and will get used to such an active little creature. She is fully toilet trained, eats well and follows my daughter wherever she goes.  And of course made herself a little nest in one of my fabric scraps basket.

The past six months I haven't done much sewing.  I have spent my time doing a fair bit of gardening, including trying my hand at growing flowers from seeds and doing quite a lot of  home decorations and renovations as well as reducing the excess things in my home. It's quite liberating.

On the quilting front I completed the 2015 Summer Block of the Month, hosted by Craftsy and taught by Kimberly Einmo.  It didn't seem to take much effort as we only had to complete 4 similar blocks per month.

So here it is, the photo was taken a few minutes ago.

 

The fabrics came from my stash of batiks and it was real fun working with these....

I will not be quilting it just yet as I have a quilt I need to finish off for a 60th birthday coming up in a few months time.