Dogsitting

Lucky me - as a thank you for dogsitting my friend gave me these......

Proper binding clips in 2 sizes and pins I have never seen before.....

The chicken stand-off......

TV with Dan

She really didn't like that lion.........

When we got home from an evening out - at least she was in her own bed.........

Sprung - while I was in the shower....

We collect the next customer tomorrow - I think you'll notice the difference.

Sue xxxx

Almost there......

After running out of bobbin thread with half a block to quilt the scrappy trip is now on the home stretch - only the binding to stitch down.

I was very pleased with my FMQ progress, especially as I was using monofilament thread for the first time - and it's hard to see where you have already been. It's all finally starting to flow more naturally and I'm really happy to be getting a feel for the rhythm of it.

On Monday we played with developing techniques to create tiles for 'Tile Quilts'. Mine is a fused sample to remind me of the process - clearly more care will need to be taken with an actual project....... I have a feeling it's a design idea that could come into its own after our trip. (Anyone like to hazard a guess at how many photos of tiles I will come home with?? Should we have a guessing competition?? Some silk thread instead of jellybeans perhaps.)

Loved these tiles at a restaurant in Darling Harbour - 'Charlie' wandered in for his tapas, too - and was gently ushered out. He was obviously a regular there....... Great inspiration - love the mix of patterns and the earthy colours.

Also in Darling harbour...... flowers??? All beautifully carved from fruit and vegetables. I don't know how these soft fruits stand up to the complex treatment - a real art.

Watermelon anyone?

Or rockmelon perhaps?

That's all for now. I'm off to look for cord to edge the large, needlepoint cushion I wrote about earlier. (One day I'll know how to link you back to what I'm talking about if you are interested....still learning the program.)
 So til next time,
xxxx Sue

Progress

I have finally given myself permission to start cutting into this pile of prettiness which has been washed and ironed and waited patiently for my 'Summer Quilt' to begin - yes, I have given it a name.....

I have gathered inspiration and information from a number of sources and will be interested to see how it all comes together. (My first really detailed, planned project - with room for change, of course.)

I am basing the pattern on a quilt from Kaffe Fasset's 'Simple Shapes Spectacular Quilts' called 'Yellow Potpourri'. (pp31-35 if you have the book and are interested...) It's basically constructed in blocks of combined 9.5", 6.5" and 3.5" squares (unfinished size - so 3, 6 and 9 inch squares finished - good Fibonacci numbers.) I'm not planning a border but rather making 4 Quilt-as-you-go columns and joining them.....

The colour scheme is based on this fabric from designer Kate Spain. (The photo is not quite doing the colours justice).

 

 I collected fabrics using some of the principles outlined by Joen Wolfrom in her books (Visual Coloring and Colorplay) and using her 3-in-1 Color Tool. I'm hoping that by limiting my palette to five analogous colours (ranging from golden yellow to spring green on a colour wheel / colour tool) and a dash of one complementary (fuschia) that it will work. (It's starting to look like this...but a lot more cutting to come.Not sure if the apple green will stay.....)

I want the overall impression to be fresh but also slightly vintage in feel, if that makes sense, with a crinkly texture. (From Weekes Ringle and Bill Kerr - another inspiring pair - I've picked up (among other things) that if you pre-wash your cottton fabrics for the quilt top and backing but not the  cotton batting (100% cotton) once the quilt is washed and dried the shrinkage in the batting helps create this crinkly effect.

So that's the plan - let's see how it develops.

Meanwhile.......
Scrappy trip is half quilted - using monofilament thread on top and matching thread on the back and happy with progess here once tension issues sorted. (Regular needle changes help a lot, too. Who'd have thought it would matter so much...)

I've been using this as a practice piece for several quilting designs. The next step is a refresher visit to Angela Walter's Carftsy class - 'Machine Quilting Negative Space' because my next design challenge is swirls.....

Also, a couple of finishes....(do you know about binding clips??)

Table runner or piano stool cover.......

This was a quick project inspired by Victoria Gertenbach at the Silly Boodilly blogspot. She recently made a series of tablerunners made of ticking and also has a gallery of 'Work Quilts' which she states are  "Inspired by old, utilitarian, patched and stitched work quilts and consisting of various layers... background, machine quilting, hand quilting, reverse applique and/or applique patchwork."  She is also a weaver and I like the way she thinks and speaks. If you like an earthy, more rustic aesthetic do yourself a favour and spend some time browsing her Blog.

And last but not least for today...

'Oh Christmas Tree', recently finished, ready for Christmas well ahead of time (if you are on the gullible side) or not ready for last Christmas( if you know the true story....)

Note to self - Must improve photography.....

Thanks for stopping by,
Sue