Floral, pinwheel little quilt

I am enjoying using fabrics I have had for many years and coming up with projects that are quick and simple to make and yet look nice.  That is the case with this little quilt, that was made as a gift.

All the fabrics came from the leftovers of a large quilt I made using just floral prints and the majority of these were based on William Morris designs. One day I'll have to photograph that quilt and share it on the blog.

 

I have a couple of little projects I want to work on this coming week but it all depends how busy or how tired I get after work...
Happy quilting to you all !

Applique Wall hanging and a Table Topper

I started these blocks a couple of weeks or so ago and over the weekend assembled the quilt.

 

I chose the blocks from the latest Jo Morton book...
All needleturn applique.

Had some leftover flying geese blocks from last week's project, so I put this table topper together...
 

In spite of being Winter, there is some colour in my garden...
 

 I love Camelias..

 The most fragrant plant I have outside my studio is this one... Daphne.

Modern Mini Quilt & fabric Shopping

I'm having an extended weekend and with the weather at the moment being cold and wet, what I love doing most is .... sewing and listening to Smooth Jazz.

So here is what I completed today.  The inspiration came from looking at recent blogs and I just loved the simplicity of the design.
When my daughter saw it completed, she named it Hippie Quilt.

 

All the fabrics came from my stash.  I have been collecting modern and fresh looking fabrics for a while now.  

Like so many lovers of fabric, there ain't too many fabrics I don't like in spite of lately mainly working on Reproduction style fabrics.The newsprint fabric I purchased in my last visit to New York, The City Quilter.

For the quilting on the border, I used perle cotton by doing a running stitch of six different colours.


I got a a few fabrics earlier in the week from Kay England's collection called "Bread and Butter" as welll as others that took my fancy (cat prints). 
Lynne, who works at the store ( Darn Cheap Fabrics  ) where I got these, is always so inspirational with the possibilities of new projects to make with the fabrics she sells at such great prices, so I never leave the store empty handed !
Incidently, she does beautiful work herself and I'm trying to encourage her to start her own blog so we can all see her beautiful quilts and stitcheries she creates.

And now for some music...... any Smooth Jazz fans out there that read my blog ???

I'm sharing another American smooth jazz artist by the name of Euge Groove. 
I was lucky enough to see him live in California a couple of years back and he's a very dynamic entertainer. 
He'll soon be releasing a new album which I'll get getting, but but for now here is a song from his last album  "S7ven Large".

CWB Block, Bag and iPad bag

Another completed block for my Civil War Bride quilt. I have a couple more blocks still to do and then the border which has a lot of applique as well. It's been a labour of love and a lot of work but I'm enjoying every minute of it.

My husband asked me to make him an iPad cover and since he's a chess player I came up with this ...

I like making bags, so this bag and matching pouch will be a gift.
 

 

And now for a change of pace;  I started another small hand-applique project from  the latest Jo Morton book and using fabrics from my stash.  I have 2 blocks completed and 2 ready to stitch.  Not sure of the final design at this stage, so I'll let the quilt 'speak to me'...

  

 

 And now for some music....

Rick Braun, another talented Jazz Fusion artist with great presence in the Smooth Jazz scene with  several released cd's to his name and with collaboration with other artists. 
I will be seeing him live in a few weeks time for the first time.

 

Visit to quilt store and Farmer's Wife Blocks

It's always such a treat for me to visit my favourite quilt store; Threadbear Patchwork and Quilting  in Castlemaine (appr. 120 kms from Melbourne).

They  have a great selection of fabric reproductions from the 1800s and they design many quilts in the in the style of the nineteenth century.  Many of their original designs are unique to Threadbear. 

I just loved this quilt and for some reason the teal fabrics just make the quilt so stunning.

 

My daughter also enjoyed herself when Sammy (dog) came out to greet us ...

I didn't buy a lot this time, about 5 fatquarters....

 
I sent my friend Teresa  these blocks as part of the Farmer's Wife blocks.  This time I used the foundation method to ensure accuracy.
 

Bag for the Teacher

My daughter wanted me to make a gift for her library teacher who will be away for the rest of the school year. I did not have much time as it needed to be done by tomorrow.

So this is what I managed to do in such short notice and without a pattern.




I love making bags and have a few in mind for next time.. keep tuned.

 

Basket Applique Quilt & Kits

Here is another UFO started long time ago (probably 10 years ago !) which with a bit of effort on my part could be finished soon.  I have gone back to it this week by preparing the pieces in one corner of the border.

The pieces are fairly large so it won't be too hard to progress. I am using needle-turn applique, my favourite method.

 

I received my order from Connecting Threads which my friend picked up for me while she was visiting the USA.  This company does not deliver to Australia, so whenever I get a chance I try to order their products.  They are very good quality and great prices.

The next big decision is, which kit  should I make first ?

I recommend this book for great ideas and fairly simple to use in almost any type of quilt.

 

I purchased a new camera a few days ago.  I have been playing with it in my Winter garden and took these photos later in the day when the light was not the best and yet the images turned out better than I expected.

So these are some of my camelias.... 

I think I'm going to have fun with my new toy !!! By the way it's a NIKON Coolpix S9300.

Farmers Wife blocks & bits /n pieces

It has been a while since I posted but today I have something to share with you.

These are the blocks made recently  by my friend Teresa in Portugal. She and I are doing a Farmer's Wife block swap.  

Here are some more blocks I received from Teresa. She also included a kit to make a pillow.

They are really nice and will match the ones I already have.

Like everyone else, I still have a few UFO's from long time ago. 
I found some pre-cut pieces for this Wedding Ring quilt, so I decided to put together the blocks.
I don't have any more of the fabrics so it will be some kind of a table topper or a little quilt to cover the foot stool.

I have been making my 'Secret' quilt, which actually has a name, but until I give it to the recipient I can't say much more but this is the back of the quilt.

It will all be revealed later in the year and the only clue I can give you is that it is music related...
We'll leave it at that...

And now for some music....

This track (Namaste India) is from a recent cd by Kenny G whom I have been following his music for many years but had not been exposed to the music of Rahul Sharma. I really like it.

Wool Table Runner

It has taken me a couple of weeks to finish my latest project.

It's a table runner and I got the fabrics and pattern from a kit. 

The applique pieces were cut from 100% wool and it was very nice to stitch with it.  I used blanket stitch with a single thread.

I've had my eye on getting this book for a while to use a few jelly rolls I have.  

I got some discounted fabrics this week and a few gadgets; a dispenser to fill up with starch for applique, more leads for my Karisma pencil and the fantastic Karen Kay Buckley's micro serrated blade scissors.

Waverley Patchworkers Quilt Show

I have just been to see  the quilt show from the Waverley Pachworkers.  These girls are very talented with several members having won award winning quilts, not just in Australia but internationally.

This is a very small sample of the exhibits and I apologise in advance for the quality of the photos and lack of identification of the creator of each quit.

I may add another blog post later with more quilts as well as something I finish this week.

The show is still on until Sunday, (27th May) so if you get a chance don't miss going.

Gifts, CWB block 16 and mini quilt

Friendship comes in so many unexpected ways in our lives... 

It may start with some simple words and people may touch your heart without we realising at the time. That has been the case in my life over the years.

I  'met' Angela over the web, a fellow crafter who lives in the United Kingdom and has been sharing some of her work and life on her blog.

This past  Monday I came home to find this beautiful gift she made me  along with a beautiful written card explaining the meaning of the salmon cross stitch pattern for a native American birth totem.

Thank you so much Angela, I will always cherish this piece of art and it's now in my studio.

And today, I got spoilt again.

My friend Gloria  from Brazil, sent me a parcel with these gorgeous fabrics made in Brazil as well as these buttons made from coconut shells. I collect buttons and these are really special and different.  Gloria,  like so many of us quilters, also loves stitching, so she made me the lovely Redwork pin cushion with the word "Bordado"  that translates to  "stitchery".  Thank you Gloria.

I guess after these most thoughtful gifts, my Mother's Day weekend is beginning to shape up as a great one.

I asked my husband and daughter to just give me the gift of time.... no presents, just to allow me to spend the whole day in my studio on Sunday to play with my fabrics and listen to music without any interruptions.

Now for some completed projects done this week...

Completed block 16 (4 to go) for the Civil War Bride quilt. For the remainder of the blocks, I am thinking of  making my own designs.  

I also finished last night  "Listen to my Heart". This quilt

is rather special for me...

Have a good weekend everyone and may you be inspired in whatever you do !

Coin purse, books and fabrics

This week I finished this little coin purse.  I purchased the kit and  this has been my introduction to wool applique.

The pieces are very small and fiddly but once I got the hang of it I completed it quite fast.

 

I have worked on other projects ( including my secret quilt) but at this stage none of them are completed to show you nor I can blog until the recipient of the swap receives the blocks.

                      I started a new  project on the 27th  April called "Listen to My Heart". 

 

I came up with this idea as a form of meditation to focus on the inner voice which is my heart. 

Basically the way it works for me,  is that each day (just before going to bed)  I applique a heart and while stitching I reflect and sometimes write down some thoughts that come into my mind.

I'll keep on doing these until I feel it's time to stop but having a practical side to me,  I'll make these blocks into a small quilt as soon as I have about 12 done.

Some new goodies that I got this week.....

Lynette Anderson's latest book and some of her fabrics.  

3 other books and some bright fabrics...

And a variety of gorgeous charm packs from Kate Spain, Joanna Figueroa, 3 Sisters and Howard Marcus.

Not sure exactly what I'm going to do with them at the moment but I could not pass up a 25% discount.