26 April 2015

Mariner's Compass - Progress report

Over the past week as part of a UFO Challenge I have been working on my Quiltworx Mariner's Compass in an attempt to PREVENT it becoming a UFO.



I have Sewn and Folded, Cut and Pressed, turning fabric into Rope and Feathers and Spikes.




Then slowly and carefully sewed the pieces together.


Until the bundles reduced down to just 8,
Then 4
And 2



Nine Hundred and Eighty Four pieces are now ONE.




All that remained was to add an extra border of my own



...and send it off to be Custom Quilted.

But not before getting
the "Seal of Approval"



(obviously someone thought it needed another Spike!)


I can't tick this one off the UFO list just yet, but if I get the binding and label organised now (before getting sidetracked on another project....) it will be so much easier to complete once it is back from the Quilter.





17 April 2015

Australian Quilt Convention 2015

It was a very early start to the day
But there were others before me


Many of whom didn't stop to admire the glorious Autumn morning
or drag their feet through the crisp, newly fallen Elm leaves.


This is the World Heritage listed
 My destination, and the venue for the 
2015 Australasian Quilt Convention and expo.



Once inside I had a list of people to say "hi" to
like Jan-Maree from Aussie Hero Quilts


and I had a list things I needed to buy or research
(which I actually stuck to!)
some of which I will be reviewing in future posts.


Then I pulled on a pair of White Gloves and a very bright Yellow Apron for Victorian Quilters 
and spent an interesting 2 hours chatting with show visitors
about the quilts on display...


including Lily Rose by Esther Aliu.
Although I have the pattern for this quilt and I have watched it being made, 
I was still surprised by how big it was!


So, if you are in Melbourne (Australia) this weekend - why not come into town and visit this wonderful building while it is full of all things "Quilty" and maybe we could end up sharing the same table and chat over a cuppa tea.

(because I'll be back to do it all again on Saturday!)



15 April 2015

If it stays here too long . . . . .

... it may just be appropriated!

Like these trestle legs which were brought in so I could paint my sewing room doors.

Now - DH is probably waiting for me to take them back to the garage and I - well,
I am just waiting to see how long they will stand in the corner of the room before he realises that I have ... found a better use for them!



And I am quite sure that he has not noticed that he has stopped tripping over the draft stop.  Not because I have attached it to the bottom of the door - No ... It actually makes a REALLY good pincushion that also helps hold my cutting boards in place.

And these?
They are normally found in an Artist's studio but are equally at home in my sewing room.
The small drawer is fantastic for keeping all my small tools together, and when I need them - I can just slide the tray out go!

* * * * *

...Here's a little side story ...
A Chain is only as strong as its weakest link!

The other day while I was in the kitchen I heard a loud crash - the sort you go and investigate.
Nothing was out of place and I was very perplexed as it definitely came from inside the house.

Fast forward to today. I reached up to remove the artist box from the mantle to take a photo for this post. I found the large mirror that hangs over the fireplace was resting on it.
OK - so it has been knocked... no big deal.
What had actually happened was, one of the two heavy duty picture hangers had sheared off and the mirror swung a centimetre or so and came to rest on the top of the box.
As we were removing the mirror from the remaining hook DS discovered the hanging chain had been stressed so much it actually gave way in his hand....

It would not have been discovered if I hadn't decided to write this post. I shudder to think what could have happened if it had fallen while I was at my cutting bench.

I think, maybe I might replace it with a Quilt!





5 April 2015

Oma lives in a Dutch Cottage

Oma's Blues is, as the Quilt title suggests, a Delft Inspired Blue and White Quilt.

www.delft-art-gallery.com

BUT -
Not all Delftware is just Blue
some have a Blue, Red, Yellow and Green palette.

So with this and similar images as my inspiration I searched for the right fabric.
I decided to use
Leesa Chandler's Dutch Cottage Range of fabric from my stash.

This fabric is now 'out of print', so finding extra yardage was a challenge.


As usual - I couldn't resist tweaking the pattern (a practice that is enthusiastically encouraged by the quilt's designer).

So here is the centre block for my version of Oma's Blues Quilt which I have (playfully) renamed
"Esther's Oma lives in Leesa's Dutch Cottage"




* * * * * *

Footnote:
Esther Aliu (the quilt's designer) and Leesa Chandler (fabric designer) both live in Melbourne Australia and will be at the Australian Quilt Convention at the wonderful Royal Exhibition Buildings from the 16th - 18th April.