It's not all about quilting

 A walk in our garden in the middle of winter will tell you there are not many flowers blooming at the moment.

However, at our front door, Linda has put some plants in pots and these polyanthus are blooming large and pretty during the cold weather.

Pansies always aim to please and we have not got many of these either but the ones that are here are blooming very nicely, thank you.

Delightfully scrappy completed

It took a little bit longer than expected but this red, white and blue scrappy quilt is now complete.

Just another quilt top to join our queue for quilting, but I am not done yet with making quilt tops.

No shortage of ideas here for making more.

Oh, how nice...............

Linda has taken me up on my offer to put together some of her unfinished quilt projects.

Recently she made these scrappy trip around the world blocks and this morning got down on the floor to play with the layout so that I can proceed in sewing them together.

She left them on the floor to contemplate the best layout.

Within minutes Cici arrived and was found having a wonderful time 'playing' with the blocks.  Apparently she had her own ideas on layout.

Not to be outdone, Koko and Kaiser also had a turn at 'playing' with layout too.

The design board has now come into use and blocks are off the floor and 'playing' is now for human beings only.

Even here on the floor the blocks are looking pretty good and will make another delightful scrappy quilt.

Oriental Update

A few days ago I shared some oriental theme blocks up on our design board.

I have since been able to bring them together and finished this quilt top.

It will now have to join the queue to await machine quilting.

Linda has plans to use red silk thread as part of the quilting process and I will be putting a red flange into the binding.

Just something else in our storehouse worth waiting for.

Delightfully scrappy

I thoroughly enjoyed playing with our oriental theme orphan blocks and I said to Linda I would enjoy doing more of the same.

Not long after Linda produced a storage bin full of orphan blocks for me to play with.  I could be busy for a while.  Apparently there is a second bin with more if I have the inclination.

Amongst her treasures was a bag of pieced blocks that I thought I would like to play with and after a couple of efforts we decided on this layout.

I have already started piecing them and they look very sharp.

Linda had picked up these blocks at a trash and treasure table at a quilters gathering some years ago.  Finally they have found a home in this quilt top.

Once I have these pieced together, and I am already more than half way there, we will play with borders for a finish.

Back to hexagons

Finally, finally I have been able to take some photos of the hexagon quilt top I have been working on.

A totally enjoyable process, finding out how the hexagons were made and then following through on the piecing.

I don't buy quilting patterns very often.  I had a tab open on my laptop for this pattern for about a week before I hit the button for purchase.

The name of the quilt is Science Fair by Jaybird Quilts.

The pattern incorporates a template for the hexagons but I recommend that you buy the Hex N More ruler for this project if you can.

You can see an excellent tutorial for using the Hex N More ruler at Heirloom Creations.

If you are curious about the hexagons, they are made from 2 x 2.5 inch strips sewn together.  Press seams open and then cut 60 degree triangles across the width of the fabric.  A 40" width of fabric will yield enough to make 2 hexagons.  3 of the triangles are pieced together to make half a hexagon.

The layout of the quilt top is by vertical strips of half hexagons which are then pieced together to create the hexagons.  Confused?  It may be time to buy the pattern for yourself.  I have no regrets regarding buying the pattern or ruler.

The only other pattern I know of for this type of hexagon is Merry Go Round. A much more scrappy version, but in my opinion, just as nice.

I love the way some of the hexagons are floating off on their own in the Science Fair quilt layout.

Can't wait for this one to be machine quilted, but will have to be patient.  There are other tops ahead in the queue.

It will be like good wine, worth waiting for.

Meanwhile on the drawing board

Although I am still very keen to share images of the hexagon quilt top the weather has closed in and so a photo shoot was not possible.

In the meantime it is back to the drawing board.

Linda and I, over some time, have acquired a series of orphan blocks with an oriental theme.  We have often thought it would be nice to bring them together into a quilt top.

Today was the day for playing and working out the best options.

Looking at the blocks brought back memories of where they come from and some were even acquired in a quilters garage sale in Lewisville, Dallas.  They have finally found a home.

All going well the blocks should be pieced together tomorrow.

Hexie Mug Rugs

Today I managed to complete my hexagon quilt top but due to poor light I was not been able to take a decent photo so I hope to be able to do that tomorrow, weather permitting.

In the meantime I had some hexagon blocks left over and decided to have a play with them.

They measure 8 inches across and so I felt they might make a different looking mug rug.

Not hard to complete with the blocks already to hand, a bit of cotton batting and, in no time at all, I had made two of them.

Love those hexies

I am really, really loving this hexagon project and fascinated with the process for putting it together.

Once again my ambitions were greater than my abilities.  I had thought that I would have completed by now but instead I am only half way there.

Maybe tomorrow I will be able to complete.................

Grandma's Brag Book

My blog could easily become a Grandma's Brag Book but I will try not to let that happen.

My son, Aaron, posted this image of Anna-Clara today and she just happens to be lying on the quilt I made and sent for her before she was born.

It is always lovely to see something you have made for someone else being put to good use.

Thank you for sharing, Aaron.

Just for the record, this is the quilt that I sent.

Just because I can

Little Anna-Clara is now more than 6 weeks old and in this image I get the feeling that she is now learning to interact with the world around her.

She is in London, we are in New Zealand, so we treasure every image that comes our way.

From cutting table to design board

Stitching has been happening and so pieces have become hexagons.

Hexagons always bring back happy memories for me.  They were my introduction to patchwork as a teenager and I have pieced many of these by hand.

My days of hand piecing are over so it is lovely to think that there people out there who have put together new ways of doing hexagons by machine.

I am in love with the way these hexagons are turning out.  They are still very much on the design board and need to be reviewed before more stitching happens.

I will be back on this one.

Just for the record

Just for the record, Ricky's quilt arrived in London.

It did not make it for his birthday due to an error in the postcode (no naming and blaming) but at least it got there and he does look suitably impressed.

With it being mid summer in England I guess it will not be used much at this stage but I am sure it will be put to good use during the winter ahead.

On the cutting board

Over this past week I have been having fun with a new (well, new to me) technique for making hexagons.

I have a stack of 26 of these to make up an a whole rainbow of colour combinations and am really enjoying the process.

Definitely have to report back later on this work in progress.

Super Sweet Pea Results

We never know when Sweet Peas meet what delights there might be by way of show and tell.

Andreena has been working on this handbag for some time and is more than pleased that it is finally complete.

Along the way she has learned how to learn a lot of features on her Pfaff machine and it is great to see the results.

I talked about the back of the bag before.

It was inspirational to Debbie who went home and made a cushion based on this design.

Cushion craze continues for Debbie and she had only just completed this one before coming to our meeting.

At our previous meeting Andreena shared an old patchwork book she had picked up at a book fair and Debbie was inspired by this star idea which results from folding fabric.

She has made the idea her own including the wide and bright ric rac trim.

Margaret came to visit our group and brought some of her show and tell including this amazing wall hanging.

The mountain scenery she overlaid with fabric paint.

The leaves and fisherman figure are 3D and are a real work of art.

Margaret rang today to say how much she enjoyed her time with us.  I think she will become a regular and very welcome too.

4 Hens, 5 Months, 500 Eggs

We bought our hens at the end of January.

It was a few weeks before they settled into a regular laying pattern but just the other day we chalked up 500 eggs in less than 5 months.

Certainly makes us feel they are worth having around.

Maintenance is minimal for our rewards.

We let the hens out for a while each afternoon and they love to explore and excavate the land in their own way.

Between us and the neighbours we have an area of no man's land we call the secret gully.  In the past it has always been lush with growth and at times a problem to us.  Overgrown no more.  The hens love this spot and rush down there each day to rummage for whatever hens rummage for.

When the sun begins to set we call for them with wheat grains for a treat.  They happily (and innocently) answer the call and go home to their little house and wait another 24 hours to do the same thing all over again.

On their way to Christchurch

Yesterday Linda packed our joint collection of hot water bottle covers.  They just fitted in the box, 32 in all.

A batch of covers has already been despatched and these will be included in the second lot that goes out on the 3rd July.

We were very pleased with the response from our Sweet Peas group and know that the covers will bring comfort to at least some of the children of Christchurch families who are still living in cold conditions less then desirable for another winter. 

Crisp and Clear

One of our Sweet Pea ladies saw a quilt top that I had made and wanted to make the same design using cupcake theme fabric.

I offered to cut out the pieces for her which I did today and then made up a sample block for her to follow.  The fabrics look crispy and clear and I think she will enjoy the easy piecing process.

Back to autumn colours

Late this afternoon I hung this quilt top up for a photo shoot.

Normally I would crop the background but somehow the colours of the quilt top seemed to make friends with the wintery background.

At the end of May I was given a bag full of quilting remnants. 

A lot of autumn colours and plaids included.  Favourite colours but I was not sure about how to use the plaids.

Linda pointed out a quilt that she had seen on the internet and somehow it seemed the perfect project for the fabrics.  Seven Shirts, Seven Steps was originally designed as a way of making repurposed men's shirts into quilts.  I decided to use the plaids and combine them with other autumn fabrics from the collection.

Very happy with the outcome.  Another masculine theme quilt top to my way of thinking.

No home for this one yet but I am sure that one will be found.

The top has been 'cat scanned' so it must have been approved for ownership.

P.S.  Plenty of fabric left from this selection to make maybe two or three more quilts.

Time to look for more ideas that might work for me.

Destination London

On the 15th June I wrote about the challenge of making these little booties.

I sent them on their way to London and today there was a photo on FaceBook of Anna-Clara wearing a pair of the booties.

Seven weeks old already - how time flies.

Lovely to see the booties in use.

Special to me too, the quilt that Anna-Clara is lying on.

I made it for Aaron a number of years ago and even though Aaron and Marcele went to London with a minimum of belongings they managed to fit this quilt in somehow.

Lovely to see it still being used.