Looking for the F in Quilting

A while back I had to search for the joy of patchwork, but recently I have been able to put the fun back.  I really enjoyed the Sue Ross blocks, but I auditioned so many fabrics for only 16 blocks, that there seemed to be enough left over for another quilt top.

All the pieces except the border fabric, setting triangles and squares  were already cut.   I am proud to say that I found them in my stash.  I bought soooo much fabric for Sue's blocks (wish I knew the name of her quilt) that I was shamed into using the offcuts and raiding the stash for this one.  In design, I followed the KISS rule.  It wasn't hard to put it together.   In fact, it was fun.

On the knitting front, I seem to have created my first woollen UFO.  I have knitted all the way to the neck, joined the shoulder seams and started picking up stitches for the collar. 

But it looks horrible.  No photo - too mortifying!

I will have to unpick it carefully and try again.  So the red jumper is making its way temporarily into my UFO cupboard that is mistaken by some as a vast and apparently expanding black hole.

The S quilt is being quilted bit by bit.

Apologies for blog torpor.  Life is getting in the way.

Eggs and Tomatoes

Yellow and red is not my favourite colour combination.   Red does not star much in my quilts.  I don't know whether it's because I don't like tomatoes, or I don't like tomatoes because they are red (and have seeds, and don't taste nice and have lots of different textures).  Presenting the tessellating 'S' quilt.

I have been told the pattern is called "Double S".  Thanks for all the suggestions regarding the outside edge.  I tried all your ideas and eventually found the border in my stash, depriving me the opportunity to go shopping.

It feels good to have only used fabric from my (large) stash and to have finished off a UFO.   It only took 12 years and 10 days.  Once the new design was settled on, the blocks came together quickly.  It reminded me  of a must read book.  I just couldn't put it aside until it was finished. The plan is to use big stitch quilting.  Fingers crossed I can finish it before 2012. While I am quilting I hope to settle on a name for it.

The back of my jumper (sweater) is also complete, but I am once again struggling with the intricate pattern at the beginning of the front.

The 'S' quilt had to make way for another more recent start.  Once a month I am in a class Sue Ross teaches at Quiltsmith on a Sunday.  I have long admired her quilt.  She made 9 blocks, but I am enjoying it so much I am on my way to 16 blocks.

This week I have really enjoyed all the blog posts about the Sisters Outdoor Quilt show.  Now that would be a show I would like to go to.

S is for ...

These blocks  are so old they almost need to be carbon dated.

I can't remember when I started putting the red and yellow half square triangles together, but it was certainly last century.  The book by Judy Hooworth and Margaret Rolfe excited me

and I started the project on the cover.  But you know how things are...it soon was put aside for an even more stimulating project (that I can't remember at all!) and really only came out of the cupboard on the occasional clean up spree.

As we all know, quilts are full of memories.  This one is no exception. 

My husband went to Adelaide on an overnight trip to help out a friend.  While he was there he called the LQS and asked them for all their red and yellow fat quarters.  A couple of hours later, when ringing to see if he could collect them, he was surprised to hear they were still cutting!!  What an unexpected treat.

Times have changed and so has my taste.  I no longer want the quilt on the cover.  After fiddling around with the blocks I was happy with the "S" pattern but the two tone look didn't appeal any more.  A couple of rebels were made.   This time around I think there will be a finish, particularly since my younger daughter, Sarah, claims I have never made a quilt especially for her.

It is still up on the design wall but I want to put a border on, with some floating "S".  Dear blog friends,  I would love it if you would help me decide on a colour for the border.

Morse Code

Apart from its label, "Morse Code" is finished.

 It represents a few milestones for me; my first quiltback, pieced from different fabrics;

the first time I have machine quilted a quilt larger than a cot quilt;  the first time I have designed a block rather than referred to a book.

Knitting is also on the agenda.  I've made two sleeves so far

and also undone the first few inches of the back several times.  The edge pattern is complex and I lose track of where I am up to very easily.

This weekend saw us take a trip three hours drive west of Sydney to a town called Bathurst.  On the way we went for a bushwalk into the amazing Grose Valley where my husband, big kid that he is, couldn't resist "planking". 

Nearby, I was having kittens.

Sydney Quilt Show 2011

Sydney's Quilt Show for 2011 is currently exhibiting more than 400 quilts.  Congratulations should go to all who entered their work, for we all know how much effort is involved in producing a quilt.  Even more goes into a quilt that is entered into a judged show.

A few of the quilts that caught my eye are below:

"Diagonal Madness" by Terry and Jennifer Minchinton of South Australia;

"On the Amstel River" by Denise Griffiths of Shellharbour;

 "Lots of Dots - a Circle Sampler" by Chris Jurd from Blaxland.

  With such a high standard, it couldn't have been easy to judge this show and I think the judges got it right generally.  To see all the prize winners click here and make sure you check out the other 4 categories by clicking on the red bars below the banner.  I think it was a great show.

All the visual stimulation encouraged me enormously.  Particularly 
                                                        

and

They are plates of sweet and savoury food knitted by the "Knitters Guild of NSW" who also had a stall at the show.  I came home with enough wool to knit a jumper (translation - sweater) and cardigan.  Seems like I may have gone over to the dark side.

Relaxed and grinning

By now, if you've been following this blog, you may have observed that I don't start a quilt and finish it in proper chronological order.  I'm that sort of quilter.  The one who starts something, comes up against an obstacle, puts the offending object out of sight and then returns to it sometime later.

Possibly one of my quilts has suffered from this more than others

If you are interested in its slow progress you can read about it here and here.

Now the final border is on and it's time for the backing.  Usually, the backing is done in a huge rush.  Generally a fabric from the bolts in my header surrenders up enough for the backing.

With this quilt I thought I'd do something I haven't done before.  There are so many checks and plaids left over from the front, and I no longer do "country" quilts.  It seemed like a reasonable way to divest myself of some fat quarters and 30cm strips of  fabric.

Instead of 45 minutes, the backing took all day...but I really enjoyed the process.  I just squared up the remnants of fat quarters and strips and sewed them together, trueing them up as I went.  It may be described as liberated piecing.  It was certainly fun and it was great to know that I am finally using up that part  of my stash.  I think I'll call it a relaxed quilt back.

The plan is for me to machine quilt using my walking foot.  One day I'll be brave enough to do FMQ (free motion quilting), but right now I am rationalizing that I still need more practice on straight lines and rolling the quilt up under the machine arm.

I am mulling over a name for this quilt.  It isn't finalized until the binding and label are on, but I may call it "Pointless".   To get the pun, you will have to go back to the original post if you haven't already.

Moments after I cut into my stash and pieced the back, the local quilting guru advised me that "country" is making a comeback.  Not into my stash, it isn't!

Fabric Hunt

Quilts full of scraps visually entertain me.  I just love them.  They dazzle.  Best of all, I get reminded of times past; when the fabric was purchased, where I bought it...sometimes.  "Under the Big Top" is finished

but not without teeth grinding.

In the fabric department, I started with a blue 'big top' perimeter.  It was intended as a small quilt, but it soon became apparent that my quilt wanted to be bigger.  When I wasn't able to buy more blue stripe, I reluctantly bought red and replaced the blue bits I had already used.  Being foundation (paper) pieced, that proved challenging.

I like fussy cutting, which doesn't usually go hand in hand with scrap quilts, but the opportunity presented itself.  Each centre has something special.  Here is one

and here is another:

The quilt decided to get bigger and I needed more red stripe fabric.  I scoured the Sydney basin and made  a few phone calls.

Knowing the fabric range is a huge advantage when searching for the elusive, so always cut into the selvedge that has that information printed on it,  last!  Eventually, with more than enough red fabric for 25 blocks and a binding, I happily settled down to finish the quilt. 

The tale doesn't finish there.   I realised I didn't have enough of one of the star shirting fabrics.  No amount of hunting unearthed that fabric, so 20 blocks was all that was possible.   Moral of the story;  I'd like to say, "be organized", but when a quilt is growing itself, how can you predict fabric requirements from the outset?

Kate Cox from "Kimpossibilities" had promised to quilt it when "Under the Big Top" announced its larger size, and kindly stitched an allover Baptist Fan pattern that I love.  Thanks Kate!

Last night the label went on

and now the circus is ready to move on.