Bowtie Block Quilt

The Bowtie block lends itself to so many desings and styles and it's so quick to make.
I have used it in so many quilts, I am beginning to think it's one of my favourite blocks.

I made this quilt for a male friend who loves browns and blues.  I think it will look fabulous in the decor of his study.

All the fabrics came from my stash and I have been keeping the brown background fabric for a long time; it's the perfect choice for this quilt.



The photo below was taken indoors, so the fabrics look different with artificial lights.
It's been so great using the HQ18 ; having the option to quilt my own larger quilts has removed completly the hesitation in just starting a new project, knowing that it won't just sit as a UFO.

Because my friend lives outside Australia, I decided to do the back of the quilt with an Australian flavour. He'll certainly appreciate it as he has visited here before a couple of times and was very inpressed with this art.

So, what should I work on next ? Still have a few tops to be quited, Farmer's Wife Blocks to make into a top, Barbara Brackman's blocks from last year's blog to make into a top, want to make more bags, pincushions, other cushions, mini quilts, etc, etc.... Love it all !!!!

Bag and Cushions this week.

I haven't made a bag for a while, so picked up these fabrics recently and there you have it !

 

The pattern is a modified version of the pattern "Frenchy Bags" by Ami Butler I had purchased years ago.  The button is ceramic hand-made from my collection.

 

I also made a couple pincushions using a fabric folding technique I learnt many years ago; I want to try a few other blocks which resemble origami techniques.



When I completed my Swoon Quilt  recently I had lots of leftover blocks which I used to make up this cushion.  I have a lot more left to use on further projects.

Noddy wants to show you my newly purchased fabrics.

My friend Lynne who works at the fabric store enjoys tempting me when she gets new fabrics .  I got a lot of their perfect quality discounted fabric for backings and a selection of different styles from Riley Blake, to fresh modern, Reproduction and even non-traditional Christmas fabrics.   What can I say; I just love them all !

Fun weekend of sewing !

 I had a fun time this past weekend. No work commitments just sewing and socializing with other quilters. The group was small enough to get to know people and it was lovely to see girls I had not seen for a very long time and looking at everyone's projects. 

 

 

The girls from The Quilted Crow came down from Tasmania and organised a fun day they called "A Gathering in the Barn" at the home of the well known "Quilts in the Barn" exhibition, in Wonga Park, Victoria.

The shop specialises in Civil War Reproductions and wool applique. They brought along many of their quilts to display, fabrics, kits and other goodies to tempt us.  

We were given four patterns and a needlecase kit  and I ended up buying a large quilt kit and some wool pieces for my stash.


Most of the girls completed their needlecase kit but I had another wool project I had prepared at home.  I don't know if you can see it in front of me what it looks like ...

So here is a close up of the flowers after I completed them at home the next day..

 

Sunday was mostly another sewing day but this time in my studio. I had a well known quilter for company.  Can you tell who she was ?

This is Bonnie K Hunter from Quiltville, who does a Quit-Cam and links up via her blog with anyone who wants to see her sewing, giving tips and talking to us. This is the first time it's been recorded, so it's great to be able to view on demand for those who can't be online when she is live in her sewing room. So while she sewed and chatted to us,  I sewed these blocks and actually completed them and they are ready to go into my next quilt.

I guess it's fun to share our passion with a friend... that's what my daughter does with her kitty Noddy.... He looks like he's enjoying the practice session.

More Quilting and Kit Top Completed

Quilting, binding and label done on this quilt I made for my mom.
I'll be visiting her in a few months's time in Portugal and presenting it to her. These are her type of colours and will suit her home decor.

 

I freehand quilted these blocks and stitched in the ditch around the blocks.

 For the stripped border I did a freehand scallop but for the large floral border I used a continuous line pattern that I used with the stylus.
I have been going through my stash and setting aside large pieces of fabrics to use for backings and in spite of this one not being one of my favourites, it was  put to good use.

So, another quilt done, 10 more (and counting) still requiring quilting.
I am pleased that with each quilt that I complete, it has better workmanship than the previous one and I have increased my skills and techniques.
I have to accept that while I spend time on the Handi-Quilter, I can't be completing tops at the same rate and it's better to take my time and enjoy the process...

Having just said that, I did complete a quilt top;  the medallion is hand applique but the rest of the blocks were done on the machine.

I had purchased this kit years ago at the International Quilt Festival in Houston so it was about time I made it up.

I found that the triangle border did not quite match although the HST are exactly the way the instructions stipulate. It's not going to be a show quilt so I am not concerned about it. 

I have been meaning to show you a couple of areas in my studio so finally took some photos one evening.

I like being surrounded by things that inspire me.... my fabrics, my music, words....

And looking out to my garden and the sound of the birds....

Next time I am hoping to show you another top I have started and will have another quilt in the frame....
So until next time, be creative and feel free to comment...

More quilting on the HQ18 and a top

I have been very busy with work so I haven't done as much quilt playing as I was hoping.

I had Orca Bay on the machine for over two weeks and this time I used my rulers as well as some free motion quilting.

Because I quilted every block it has taken a fair bit of time and a lot of thread but it's all good experience to develop my skills... plus it's a lot of fun !

I choose stars as the main quilting design on each of the star blocks and smaller stars in the yellow blocks.

 

For the border I used another ruler to mark the scallops.
In some places I attempted to do straight lines without the ruler but at times the line was not too straight.
I much prefer guiding the machine with free motion quilting than ruler work as it is faster and more liberating but it all comes down to what you want to achieve.
Anyway Orca Bay is now finished and ready to be used. Had I not the HQ the top would have stayed folded away for many years to come.

Another quick project which I did recently was this quilt top.
This was a free pattern from Quilting Treasures  called  "Wild Horses" and the finished size is 61 1/2".

My 4th quilt with the HQ

I don't recall if I mentioned before but the main reason I purchased the Handi Quilter is because my tops were just lying around and to send them away to be quilted was becoming quite expensive. So with 14 completed tops and others on the go, I guess getting the machine was a much needed purchase.

I finished this top about a couple of years ago, when I was on a scrap busting mission, using most of my small solid scraps and 'making' fabric for this design.

It's an easy quilt to make but takes quite a lot of time and a lot of thread to join all the bits.
This is what it looked like when I got it off the machine.

This is a close-up of the quilting.  Once again I used variegated thread and the overall effect turned out quite nicely.

I have now Orca Bay loaded on the frame ready to go. Not sure how it's going to be done at this stage but whatever happens I am going to have fun, practice and learn new skills !  Just wish there were a lot more hours in the day for my quilting ...

'Dear Jane' Quilt Show

This is the the Box Hill Town hall where yesterday I went to see the "Dear Jane" exhibition.

To celebrate the 150th anniversary of the Dear Jane quilt, members of the Australian Quilters Association have created an exhibition featuring their own recreations of the 1860 American Civil War pattern.
The original Dear Jane quilt, made by Jane A. Stickle in 1863, became famous for its non-traditional, innovative, geometric design.


They displayed about 50 quilts with some still not fully completed.  

 

They styles of fabrics used made them so unique and yet very recognisable.

Association spokeswoman Pam Hammer said fifty members took up the Dear Jane challenge. "Some have stuck to the very traditional design, and other members have done if differently," she said.
 

People used very bright fabrics, jungle fabrics, Aboriginal fabrics, batiks and other styles.

From darks to lights.

To make the show more interesting, they had other quilts, some clothing and a couple of historical Australian quilts.

It was worthwhile to attend and marvel at the amount of work involved in each and every quilt on display.

More practice on the Handiquilter

I had some blocks I made last year, so I decided to join four of them and make a table topper.
I mainly wanted to practice some more free motion quilting and try out some different motifs.

It's getting easier each time and loading the quilt is now a straight forward but critical part to begin the quilting process.
At this point I had not purchased any rulers and given that I don't have a computerised program (rather expensive), it all comes down to practice, hand and speed co-ordination and getting used to the feel of the machine.

I tried to do a 'fake' trapunto in this block and I quite like the way it turned out. I used the micro-handles for the mini sized stippling in the center.
The heart and circular shapes are also free hand without any pre-marking. 

And this is what the final quilt looks like after adding the binding. I had washed it and it still looks quite good  with a nice feel to it.

Next project (my 4th in about 2 weeks) I am planning to use groovy/pattern boards.
My next quilt is ready and waiting...

Teddy Bear Quilt completed

I have done my first 'real' quilting project on the Handi Quilter. Every step of the way has been fun and I have learnt so much.  From loading the machine, to changing the needle, adjusting the tension and the actual sewing has been interesting.

Also collecting gorgeous threads has been fun (but expensive !).

I did not mark the quilt but instead decided to do loops around the edges and outline the applique.  I also did tiny loops inside the red flowers.  Doing the loops was very easy and fast but the outline requires a steady hand which I am still getting used to.

I made this quilt many years ago and has been in a bag along with another 10 or so waiting to be quilted. 

 The applique took several months to do back then. It's hand stitched using blanket stitch and has a fair bit of embroidery, beading as well as I added some buttons to accent the dresses and shoes of the teddy bears.  The lighting was not the best when I took the photo.

Looking at it with a critical eye, I think I should have quilted it more in the centre but I was afraid to overdoit. But as I said, it's all part of the journey of improving my skills and it's a lot better than having this top folded up in a bag and not being used at all.

On a quick project front, my daughter asked me to make her a couple of bags to store her Phone and ear plugs. 

This is what's making me happy in my garden....