first 2013 finish...

Yep, it's been a long while since blogging, but the hiatus was good and needed.

The fingers did stay busy and here's the sampler that Jovita and I created for my beginner's quilting class.  Check out her blog for two different versions she's been making of this same quilt.  

The colors were so unlike anything I've used in a quilt before, and I think it has set the tone for me as to how I will look at fabrics from now on.  

This quilt was hand-pieced and hand-quilted.  The fabrics, the colors were just so cheerful and really made me smile every time I worked on it.

It was also the first time I really enjoyed hand quilting as well.  I just stopped fussing and fretting about every stitch having to be perfect and got on with it.  It just got better and better, and easier and easier.

As for the rest of the year - no real quilting resolutions made, except that I'll be finishing up a bunch of UFO's and adding only one new project to the list.  

This was so much fun to do though, that it will be hard not to make another sampler....!

It's flat!

My greatest concern with this Double Wedding Ring project is that after all the tracing, cutting, pinning, and sewing this thing will lie flat.....

It is!  Phew!

I was asked about the fact that I hadn't ironed anything yet.  Before taking the photograph I gave this piece a light pressing, to see if it really was flat and although the jury isn't out yet, for now, I've decided to let the pieces fall where they may.  

When stitching the melons to the large background sections, I've found it easier that they are not pressed because I can easily manipulate all those seams in one direction or another depending on how the melon lays.  

Six interlocking rings are complete, and many more to go.

Just musing how I'm going to continue - work in lengths, row by row?  work in chunks?

Something to think about while at the gym....

yeah!

Yesterday I was sat at the dining room table gritting my teeth cutting out hundreds of little bitty shapes for my Mariner's Compass blocks, when I took a little break and checked out the blogs on my Google reader.
Lo and behold,  Dawn's Blog, Collector With a Needle came by the name of the winner of the  Triangle Giveaway, looked very familiar: me!
If you're not familiar with Dawn's blog have a look, lots of wonderful fabrics and quilts, vintage sewing notions and I've learned quite about about old quilts and patterns from her informative posts.

Thank you for your generosity Dawn!


..and now back to those itty bitty bits....pfft!
listening to some great bands ( U2, Coldplay ) of the Glastonbury Festival is helping to get me through...

to the stars....

As promised I was going to share my new project.  Here's the first block:

After spending time taking courses on learning all sorts of techniques on the sewing machine, and becoming comfortable maintaining and using it, the time came to go back to my quilting roots and sew by hand.  Perhaps a bit ambitious, starting with a Mariner's Compass, but I think this block turned out all ok.

The last time I made such a block was when I took a beginner's quilting class, many moons ago.

I fell in love with the background fabric, and given it's vintage look, went for scrappy, randomly placed rays.  I'll make a few more and see how that pans out....

Beyond the Cherry Trees Block #3, and some of #4

This should have been posted a few weeks ago, but I was too busy cleaning my sewing room, which with a big helping hand from a non-quilting friend of mine finally got done this week!  All the fabrics in my closet are sorted by color, and tools and trinkets have their place.  What a chore!  Yuck!  But Oh, what a feeling when it's done, and everything is clean and in place!  I can tell you, even though I haven't made as much sewing progress as I would have liked to, it sure feels good to get that project out of the way!

I have another excuse why ( besides thinking I should rather be sewing that taking out my camera to take pictures)  nothing's been posted:  I've not been happy with Block #3 and how it came out!  

Did have to remind myself that this was a learning quilt, so after leaving it alone for a while, I decided to keep it, and just push on.....

No, I don't feel like pulling out the iron to flatten this one, you're just going to have to make do...

All in all, those fiddly-fingers were a pain-in-the-patootie,  but it's all behind me now, and Block #4 is prepped and looking a bit scruffy from traveling...

...nothing an iron won't sort out.

Although I made a start, it's on hold for a moment while I plunge into a new project:

Can you guess what it is?

It feels great to give the sewing machines a rest, and go old school.  Working with needle and thread, stitching in lost moments or while chatting with friends.  I love that.  

Speaking of which, the sun is shining here, and it's warm, with a gentle breeze - you don't mind if I go outside and stitch a bit would you?

I'll show you my new endeavor very soon, promise!

working the hands...

Today I spent hand quilting.  It's been such a long time since the classes I've taken, that I thought I'd forget!  A friend told me it was just like riding a bicycle...hmm, perhaps....

I've been wanting to quilt a quilt using the Baptist Fan pattern - I've always loved it as an overall pattern, and on this quilt I think it's just right.

After consulting Quilting With Style by Gwen Marston & Joe cunningham, from my library, I made my own fan maker from some cardboard, grabbed a pencil, and I was good to go!

Here you can see the bit of cardboard I cut, with holes 1 " apart.  The holes are just big enough for my pencil to fit through so I can draw the lines.  I use two pencils, one lead, the other green so I can see better in the darker bits of fabric.

My stitching isn't perfect yet, and I'm not really focusing on making small ones, just making them as even as possible.  The batting is 100% unbleached cotton, Tuscany Collection.  I chose it for the wrinkly/shrink effect after washing, but I must admit, it's not very regular in it's texture.  It seems as if it needles quite easily at one point, then gets tough at another.....

Just as I was bringing my quilt to the table to draw my third fan, I received this in the mail:
Accidentally on Purpose by Eli Leon an inspirational book filled with the kinds of quilts that inspire me with their color and form.  If you love liberated quilts and their history like I do, I think you'll enjoy this book!

..and now back to my fans....