Annual Connected Quilters Retreat

We had a great time at Alexandra in country Victoria at Vickery Quilt and Craft Retreat over the long weekend.

I basted my Tilda quilt ready for hand quilting and carefully cut and then pieced many, many kaleidoscope hexagons for a "one block wonder" quilt from a gorgeous Kaffe Fassett print.

There were many oohs an ahhs at the enormous range of patterns produced in the hexagons.

Doing the layout will be a nightmare! The hexagons are not sewn across the centres, just pinned, so when it is laid out the top can be sewn in strips.

Scarves finished

Last time we were at IKEA I spied the new blue and white range of textiles and picked up a "sari" size piece in very light weight cotton. My daughter suggested it would make a good scarf - well two scarves actually. Today I cut it in two lengthwise and hemmed the raw edges on the sewing machine - two scarves for $10!

Retreat Weekend At Vickery Quilt and Craft Retreat

Over the Queens Birthday long weekend I spent three days at Vickery Quilt and Craft Retreat in Alexandra with my quilting group - Connected Quilters. It was  a wonderful weekend filled with lots of craft, relaxation, fun and fine food.

I took two projects but was urged to start this one first. It is the "Northern Lights Tilda Quilt" - a kit using Scandinavian Tilda fabrics, by Norwegian designer Tone Finnanger, purchased from Tikki Patchwork in London.

It is like a medallion quilt with lots of borders around a centre square - some were quick, some took all day! There are still a few more borders to go ...

1930's Quilt Coming Along

My 1930's reproduction quilt in half square triangles is coming along - the top is done. It is now up to my daughter to decide on the backing fabric! She's thinking something plain with a strip of prints across it.

Another idea would be a zig zag. Hmmm!

1930's Quilt Underway

Over the holidays my daughter was rummaging round in my stash (with permission!) and pulled out some 1930's charm squares and scraps and some hankie linen. A week later we have a half square triangle quilt. We will have to decide how to finish it off - just binding or some kind of border?

Snowballs Quilt Progress

Yay! The centre section of the quilt top is finished - all those blocks and 19 rows sewn together.  It has an amazing look, the Kaffe Fassett fabrics just go so well together.

The pieced borders have been cut out so now I have to start sewing them together (and hope they will fit the centre section ...).

French General Quilt Top Completed

I love this fabric range! The top I worked on during Connected Quilters' retreat in December is completed now that the two borders have been added. The larger red print border caused some headaches getting the repeats lined up and I just had enough fabric by cutting the strips lengthwise instead of across the fabric. How good is that?

I think I will quilt this one myself so plan to finish the KF Snowballs one as well and then have a big basting day as I know I will be quilting that one. I have been trying to get to my machine but have been sidetracked a lot.

Sandy Creek Quilt Ready for Quilting

Today I pieced the backing for my Sandy Creek Quilt so it is ready to go off for machine quilting. I made a strip from the leftover prints and placed it a third of the way across the back between two strips of a solid colour (Victorian Textiles' "Emma Louise" in the shade Latte). Here is a close up of the front as the previous post didn't show the detail of the lovely linen fabric.

I am hoping to find an edge to edge design with flowers similar to this print.

It has been quiet here as the boys are off at the South Australian mountain bike orienteering (MTBO) championships near Nelson and my daughter has been paintballing with a dozen friends! I also watched a DVD - "Brick Lane" - it was such a moving story.

Sandy Creek Quilt

Just back from a lovely nearly 10 days in the Barossa SA for the Australian Orienteering Championships and Aust Schools Champs. My son was competing with the Victorian State team and I ran in my age group. It was great to be based in one place and to go off to each event or day's sight seeing nearby, sometimes car pooling with other club members who stayed in the YHA's Wilderness Cottage at Sandy Creek Conservation Park. While away I made a new quilt top up in my spare time.

This the well used Aunt Bec's Nine Patch pattern from Amitie. It has linen blend sashing and a combo of olive, yellow and natural linen print fabrics.

The cottage was very comfortable for us and the park good for walks, we saw many orchids and birds.

Kaffe Fassett Charm Squares II

I have put together the "dark" charm squares from my KF packs with three Reece Scannell fabrics and some left over KF shot cottons to make this simple but effective half square triangles quilt. Simple but time consuming ... pairing the squares, drawing pencil diagonal lines, stitching either side of the lines, cutting in half, pressing, setting out and then sewing blocks together and rows together. I managed to get all but the rows done on our weekend away and will finish the rest this week with any luck!

New Quilt - "French General"

This week I cut out a new quilt using my fat quarter pack of French General prints which are just gorgeous. Originally I was going to make a broken bricks pattern but then changed my mind to cobblestones when  I saw a similar pattern on the cover of the latest edition of Down Under Quilts magazine, using the same range of fabrics. Here is a sneak preview:

Charm Square Quilt Progressing

I have finished putting the charms squares together now but I didn't like the look of the white and floral borders ... so it will be now a smaller quilt with no borders, more in the style of the modern quilts many of my favourite bloggers are sewing. The Kaffe Fassett "targets" print, which I love, will now be used as backing, together with some plain white, and I got a nice spot  from GJ's Fabrics for binding.

Charm Square Quilt Underway

Yesterday at my regular quilters' gathering (or "knees up" as it is known to the family) I cut the chenille squares for my Kaffe Fassett charm square quilt in pastel fabrics. The chenille squares provide textural interest! And remind us of our childhoods with chenille bedspreads and dressing gowns ... Next I laid all the squares out on the 'design' floor and added in the chenille ones until I had 12 rows of 10 squares. We spent some time moving squares around until we were satisfied with the "ordered randomness". This quick quilt will have a white chenille border and larger floral border and is designed to go over a white doona cover.

The darker squares from the charm packs (with reds, browns, purples, blacks and greens) will make another different quilt.

Rocket Quilt progress

I have been hand quilting the Rocket Quilt with perle threads and it is very rewarding to see the effects. I do like hand quilting, it is therapeutic I believe. The only stress I have is to keep my rubber thimbles hidden from the dog who thinks they are great to shred ...

M took this photo yesterday at our weekly get together, thanks!

Rocket Quilt Basted

Today I spray basted and pinned this cute boy's rocket quilt which I will hand quilt in perle threads. The backing is a bright red spot and the fabrics are from Prints Charming (2 Young Street range) with the pattern by Laura Lobb of In Stitches of Williamstown. When done it will be another UFO finished. It will give me something to stitch while watching TV and those addictive Master Chef episodes!

The warm north wind also provided incentive to wash the chenilles for a charm square quilt using the pastels from Kaffe Fassett's latest range.

Folded Japanese Squares

I have been making these quilt as you go squares from my left over Japanese fabrics for some time. They are great to take along as hand sewing so I have been in no hurry to "finish". Two friends from my group Connected Quilters have completed quilts from the same pattern - one in indigo and cream Japanese fabrics, the other in an eclectic modern mix and another friend is making them using 1930's prints. The pattern is from the book "Quilt - handmade style" by Ruth van Haeff and Janine Flew. The pattern uses 81 squares but it can be adapted to other sizes and I am considering two wall panels rather than a quilt.

My friend at Lake Eildon may use this pattern for a group challenge quilt after seeing mine last weekend. What a view she has from her sewing room!

Next Quilting Project

My next quilting project is a Kaffe Fassett "Snowballs" pattern - there are 1066 of these tiny 1.5 inch squares but they are all cut out now and the first row of snowballs has been sewn. While the pic shows mostly burgundy and plum colours the dominant colours are gold, rust, red and browns. It is a quilt my son picked to update his room when he has a paint makeover from blues to mocha and red soon.