" Mottled Monet" - NINE PATCH PIZAZZ

This is one of the patterns taken from Judy Cisneros' book Nine Patch Pizazz.
Such a great opportunity to create a lovely quilt.
This was a challenge between my Aunt and our friend. We had one fabric the same (the green gingko batik) and that had to be used somewhere in the quilt. This worked well with the Japanese style fabrics.
Love the way this turned out and it was the first quilt I sent off to be professionally quilted.
The name is inspired by the name my Aunt gave her quilt.
Quilted by Sharon Vickridge Smith with a gingko all over pattern.

Farmers Wife Quilt

Got hold of this book last year. by Laurie Aaron Hird It's a collection of blocks to make the most wonderful quilt and you can use scraps if you wish. Here are some of my recent blocks. 

It's been nice to just sew lately. Little bit here and a little bit there :) 

CHALLENGE: ONE BLOCK WONDER -SCQUILTERS CANBERRA RETREAT 2015- PART SIX

You'll have to excuse the outer edges around the top, but this is the biggest piece of floor I have. This is my One Block Wonder, just the flimsy but ready to go to the quilter (as soon as the back is pieced).
I Love it. I think it looked best far away, but love it.
The inner borders are fabrics from the same NYC Grand Central Lind and the main border is 6" of the original fabric. The back will be the same blue as the inner border.
Happy Quilting. Next time you see this one it will be finished.

2016 SCQ Retreat Challenge: JARED TAKES A WIFE

For this year's challenge we have come up with Bonnie Hunter's Jared Takes a Wife.
It is a free pattern from her blog Quiltville.
The challenge is a stash challenge meaning we have to make do with our stash.
There are two exceptions to this rule:
1) The yellow community fabric (that you can see on my star points) which we bought at our Canberra retreat.
2) One other fabric purchase for sashings or backing.

I have slightly modified the block by using the black where a neutral should have been used. It will give a secondary pattern when I use black sashing and red cornerstones.

We have 8 ladies in the challenge.

CHALLENGE: ONE BLOCK WONDER -SCQUILTERS CANBERRA RETREAT 2015- PART THREE

And so here we are with the first 2 rows being sewn into strips. So glad I took the photos. I stcked up and put sticky notes but the photos sure help making sure you have everything in the right position.
Will have it sewn together before I go away so will definitely be able to sew those borders on before heading to retreat. #notchasingmytail

CHALLENGE: SCRAP ORGANISING- BONNIE HUNTER

I was introduced to the world of Quiltville and Bonnie Hunter by my friend Lorraine. She said she read her blog every day and she had some good tips.

Good? They are just great. Bonnie Hunter to me is the quintessential quilter. Making quilting accessible for those who maybe don't have much money or need a bit of simple guidance.
One of my favourite posts of Bonnie's is that regarding her Scrap-Users System.
It really gives you a good system to tame those scraps of fabric left over from other quilts. The number 1 piece of information is- you pay the same amount per metre for the bits left over, so why not consider them as valuable as your yardage.
Honestly you would be surprised how many quilts you can make with your scraps.
If you tame them in to usable strips and squares, they are ready to use for your next project.
I have spent quite a bit of time taming scraps and some yardage in to usable strips and squares. Below you can see some of my handy work thanks to Bonnie's techniques.
If you aren't sure about what size to cut your strips (I pondered on this forever as I thought what if I cut it the wrong size?) then Bonnie has also a PDF which highlights which of her free patterns used what strips. Click here for this.
So click on the free patterns, pick some and then get cutting so your scraps are usable!
I'm a total convert now. I still have a tub of fabric to cut but am trying to get organised and finish some of those UFO's. I allocate 20-60 mins a night to sewing activities, so it may be cutting, binding, sewing. By doing that you get bits done, you will be surprised how much you can get done by setting a 20 min timer. So get out your scraps and start doing a little bit each day, they will be tamed in no time and you can use them rather than looking at them and saying" Ugh I have to iron and organise all of that."
You will then also have scraps ready for Bonnie's mystery quilt later in the year.

 1.5" , 2", 2.5" and 3.5" strips

2" squares for Patches and Pinwheels sewn in to twosies, light/dark.

Ready to be pressed and sewn in to 4 patches. 

CHALLENGE: OLDEST UFO TOP "The Blue Train" - RAIL FENCE BLOCK

My Aunty Anne, friend Lorraine and a number of other SCQuilters decided at last years retreat in Launceston  that one of the year's challenges was to complete our oldest UFO before Canberra's retreat (at the end of July). I had designed this rail fence quilt from blue fabrics. The blocks had been sewn together already. Somewhere in moving house I had lost the pattern, so was left wondering how I had laid it out. Today, after it has sat on my sewing table for 6 weeks screaming to be put together, it has been and has taken 3 hours. I cut this when I knew not much about fabric, seams and really anything about quilting. The light fabric is some sort of poly- mix so a hot iron is a killer for it. So have managed to get it flat with a very low iron. This fabric means I will have to quilt it myself which will be the next job for the year. In the ditch or cross hatch is the question?
I've had to square up the 4 blocks, then square up the rows. I reckon it was originally sewn on my old Janome.
Still deciding on borders as it is under 4 feet square, to make it usable for me I would want it at least 5.5' square for use on the couch. I've got some spare 2.5" strips that I could use as a thinner border, all sewn together lengthways, then add some of the navy cotton I bought in Egypt 14 years ago as a bigger border.

Based on it being a rail fence, I have called it "The Blue Train".
I love train travel and "The Blue Train" is a journey I would love to do one day.
Click here to read about the journey.

Whatever is under your needle, spend 20- 30 mins sewing and enjoy.