Circles

This video has been doing the rounds of blogs lately - if you haven't seen it yet it is amazing

 we have no excuse now!

These pics are from my summer school at Hobbysew and a 2-day session at Jukejema Quilt Barn

in Nowra. What a lovely shop that is and a fun group of girls too!

I've been seeing Mariners compasses in my sleep lately.

A few NYB blocks thrown in for good measure.

Have a look at the Springwood Quilt Show blog for all the latest updates on the raffle quilt journey and what's happening with the planning for the show. Only 90 days to go so get those quilts bound and labelled!

Flood auction

As you probably know there are on-line auctions going at the moment with proceeds to help the Qld flood victims. You can read about Toni's here. One of the auction items is a quilt (there will probably be lots of them) made by Donna at http://thebluemountainsgirl.blogspot.com and she's used one of my patterns - Easy Medallion. She's done a lovely job and it could be yours in the auction. Just read her post for details on how to enter.

I've just had two days at Blueberries at Wyong teaching Lots of Dots and the Emperors Wheel quilt. These are pics from the class and everyone sewed their hearts out I can tell you.

In the top pic the blocks at bottom left and top right are the same blocks from the quilt but with different fabrics used they look completely different don't they.

Here's one from my design wall that I've been working on for  the last year on and off (more off than on I guess). It's a good scrap-buster and the next border is all hexagons and finishes

@ 8" wide so there's lots more to do.

Have you seen this book-azine in the newsagent lately? I put it in my husband's stocking for xmas but it was one of those presents you buy for someone then claim as your own! It's put out by Frankie magazine who describe themselves this way -

frankie magazine is a national bi-monthly based in Australia, aimed at women (and men) looking for a magazine that’s as smart, funny, sarcastic, friendly, cute, rude, arty, curious and caring as they are.

The book is a collection of pics and bios on people and their spaces - craft, home, work etc and is real eye-candy. No minimalists here but lots of vintage/retro/Scandinavian decorating ideas - I'm so glad I bought it for him/me.

Now I am really excited about this pic. I have been working on this over the break and designed it using EQ7. You can play with different colourways in the program but I was stuck with the background setting for the star. UNTIL.................... I printed the setting blocks to the correct size using the fabrics I had in mind and did a mock-up on the design wall with the border fabric pinned in place. The star and the centre are fabric and the setting square and triangle on the left side are paper!

How's that for clever - no wasting the fabric by making different versions to see how they look and if you don't like it just change colours and print some more. The more I use EQ the more I'm learning and applying to my quilt making. Now I can go and buy the fabric I need.

This and that

I've been working on another doily quilt over the hols using a jelly roll from Cottage Quiltworks.

The fabrics are 30-ish and the doilies are beautiful. Better than having them sitting in the cupboard don't you think?

Now that we've mastered making pizzas in the Weber I've been making lots of dough for that and quick and easy olive and rosemary bread - YUM to both. I may have left the dough too long to rise or was the bowl not big enough!

I have never seen a metre of shortbread have you? We are slowly getting thru it - thanks kids.

This mag is out at the moment and features three of my quilts from past issues of AP and Q.

I ordered this book from Barbara Brackman's site and it's a real hoot. It's a book of saints for quilters. She's so clever with her photoshopping and has a wicked sense of humour. You can see it here http://www.blurb.com/bookstore/detail/1836309

Over at Alex Anderson's Quilt Show you can see for free a video of  a Baltimore Album exhibition from Houston last year. The quilts are simply stunning and there's even one from Kim Maclean using Kaffe fabrics.

I have been talking with Linda from Stitchin Mission lately and here's part of what she had to say:

"Stitchin' Mission #24 just began this past week at my own Lutheran church in West Des Moines, Iowa. I have 35 newbies enrolled, and 13 helpers, so it's a good-sized group. This time our quilts are going to an orphanage in South Africa, about two hours north of Johannesburg. I anticipate we'll make about 55 quilts in this class. That number will make SMs top 1,000 in donated quilts. When I started teaching quiltmaking six years ago this month, I had no idea this would continue for so long, and be of such interest. Guess everyone loves the opportunity to learn quiltmaking for free! But it is truly a God-blessed activity that touches the lives of the quiltmakers and the quilt recipients. I'll be making a DVD of the lessons at the end of March, and then who knows where it will go from there!? Thanks for your interest!"

Check out her blog too - http://www.stitchinmission.blogspot.com:80/.

 Di from Snippets and Scraps is her Australian counterpart and was one of my Cherry on Top bloggers from the last post. Mayne if Linda comes to visit again we can catch up.



I love cherries

My good friend Rachael has passed an award my way - the first I've ever received. Scroll down her blog to find the kind words she's said about me and two other bloggers she likes.



As part of the award I must tell you three things I like and tag three blogs I like.


I really like quilts made using Japanese prints.
This is Helen's quilt - I'm sure she won't mind you looking at it.



And because I've just been there I really like to be beside the sea.
Under that frangipani tree with a good book and
the occasional swim - perfect!



I really, really like quilt history books and this one is a beauty
(pity about the pic)

Now to three blogs I can pass the Cherry award to? How about Di at Snippets and Scraps. She does a ton of good work with her quilting groups and has a wicked sense of humour to boot.
I also like Mamie Jane's where she repurposes heaps of old stuff into useful things. Anyone who knows me knows I'm into "junk" and love a good op-shop find!
And lastly I look at Ann Champion's blog with great interest. She has an amazing collection of antique and vintage quilts and quilt tops and has a little show-and-tell on a regular basis.
So thanks Rachael for the award and have a look at my favourite blogs - you might find something interesting too.
On another note I found this link to more tutorials, this time thru the Sew mama sew blog. It's on Katie Pedersen's blog and contains something for everyone I'm sure.

Who's a clever girl!

Why I design

Before Xmas Wayne from Wayne Kollinger's Sketchbook asked me to participate in his current post about why quilters design their quilts. I was very flattered to be asked so here goes:
I take on a new design basically because I can't help myself. I'll see an old quilt and have to have a go at drafting the pattern and then seeing it in fabric. Of course it's never a copy of the original because quite often I will go off on another tangent completely which sometimes means I'm not too happy with the result. I have a couple of UFO's that have come about this way.
I'm on a circular bent at the moment so am attracted to blocks in that vein and the more complicated the piecing the more I like it. This can be a problem when the time comes to teach the quilt - not every design is transferable to students.
The pressure of teaching makes sure I have a few projects on the go at one time and there are loads more whirling around in my head.
I'll see a fantastic piece of fabric - usually from the reproduction palette and usually a "weird" print and that will spark another design session. I use EQ these days but used to roughly sketch projects in the past.
I think of all those quilt makers from days gone by and the beautiful quilts they made without all our gadgetry- how clever were they. If they could do it then with poor lighting and constant domestic duties why do we need the latest and greatest new tool.
I find it hard to make a quilt from someone else's pattern - in fact I can't remember the last time I did but I'm sure I take elements of a design I like and they might surface somewhere in a project down the track. As a friend says "what's new these days" - we are all just reinterpreting the designs of quilters from the past aren't we?
For whatever reason I'm so lucky to be able to do what I do. If others like my designs and are willing to come along to a class so I can show them how I did it then I'm a very happy camper indeed.
Thanks Wayne for the chance to philosophise! It doesn't happen very often.

What's a post without pics. Here are some from our time away - lots of wildlife this year.