I must be in a manic phase

Until 9pm last night, I didn't have an entry for the Canberra Quilt show this year. I was at the Canberra Quilters meeting, and we were getting reminder after reminder about having our forms and photos in within 2 weeks. I had a couple of UFOs I could have finished, but neither were good enough in my opinion to be exhibited.

And then at 9pm I won a prize in the raffle. This is incredible enough - I've never won the CQ raffle before. Normally all those I bring as visitors do, though. So I selected a pack of 30 x 10 inch Jane Sassaman (mostly) squares, and sat back down in my seat. And started thinking.

I hate brainwaves. They always hurt.

By the time I drove home, I had a quilt drafted in my head, using these 10 inch squares. I designed it on paper, planned a Friday afternoon off and a bus trip to the local quilt shop, and then I was on my way to a fitful sleep dreaming of framed squares.


The fabrics on the left are the squares I won last night. The fabrics on the right are the ones I bought as potential frames for the squares on the left.


Of course I have to find time to make this quilt top in time for the photo and entry form to be entered - it should only take me a day or so, but the husband thinks I am spending the whole weekend with him in the garden. So I'm planning an allnighter tonight. If I'm asleep in bed all day tomorrow, I won't be able to garden, will I?!

Canberra Quilt Show entry - 2010

I am so pleased with myself - I have managed to get the width of the hexagon quilt established. It is slightly bigger than normal double bed sized, but this is so I can use it on a queen sized bed if I wish.

I think I have a third of the quilt done - maybe a little less. Either way, I am thrilled to have come this far in a little under three months!



In other news, I have a flex day today. It would be nice to get the top for the 2004 Mystery BOM finished. We'll see... I'm still in my pyjamas. Maybe I'll have another cup of tea first.

Mystery BOM - month 2

Here is block 2 of the mystery block of the month. This time I did the bias strips without the iron on tape, and even though it was a lot more awkward with using pins to secure the bias, I found the result a lot less stiff and overall a lot easier to sew without the thick iron on tape.

The third class is next week. I don't think I have ever had my homework done on time before!

Mystery BOM - month 1

I have started the 2005 version of Cathy's Mystery BOM class. Miraculously, I finished first block before I started the second class! Unheard of!

I'm not needleturning this time - with making the hexagon quilt at the same time I have enough on my plate! I'll still needleturn the bias stems, but the rest will be vlisofix and blanket stitch!

Here's block 1, and also a sneak preview of block 2. I decided to do this in 1930s reproduction colours, just like my hexagon quilt.

Mad addiction - continued

Those twisted hexagons I showed you last month? The five year project? Well, at this rate it'll be done in time for the Canberra Quilters' exhibition in August 2006.

This is what I have joined together - I have another four ready to sew on. Most of the fabric is cut out, and I have no idea how many twisted hexagons I have to make!



My apologies for all the shadows - I won't take the photo late in the afternoon next time!

Purple-eyed scary fellow

I haven't been able to participate in Loobylu's "Month of Softies" for the last 2 months, so I decided I'd better do something this month before I got out of the habit! The theme this month was "Recycled Monster". This purple-eyed fellow was made at midnight - very appropriate! The green wool felt is revoltingly stiff and unsewable stuff which was about to get binned in my sewing room clean-up, and his jaunty scarf was made from a very old scarf of mine. He is only a little monster- about 3.5 inches tall.


I actually think he wants to be a teddy bear.

Not your gramma's embroidery

Oh Lordy - Jenny Hart has some new patterns out on Sublime Stitching. The scooter one is definitely going straight to the shopping cart!


You can see the rest here: http://www.sublimestitching.com/transferpreview.html

I bought two of her patterns when I was in Portland, Oregon 18 months ago. They truly ROCK.

Almost quilting

At Canberra Quilters we have two big heavy boxes, built over 10 years ago, which people stand on to hold the quilts. They were painted white but looked very scuffed and tired, so Wilma and I took one each to paint and decorate. It's our final President/Vice-president challenge - but also farewell gift to CQ as we have both resigned from the committee.

I think Wilma is at an advantage though - she has children!

I painted the whole box Patriot Blue (it is no accident that my spare room was painted the same colour on the same day...), designed a 9-patch quilt block on the top, and painted applique designs by Cathy Stevenson on the front and back of the box.

Unless there is housepaint and a wall involved, I do not consider myself a painter. But I kinda like how this turned out.

My other addiction

I started a Mystery Block of the Month class with Cathy Stevenson in April 2004. I wasn't able to attend the final two classes, so I have been winging it a little. Yesterday I was 3 applique and 3 pieced blocks behind. Today, thanks to holidays and no desire to renovate my hallway, I just have to finish sewing up the pieced blocks, and I can start piecing the centre panel.

I'm quite pleased with how it's turned out.


I'll post the finished top in the next couple of days.

New addictions

Whilst at the SCQuilters retreat, I did a class with Anne Munro on twisted hexagons. It was part of a challenge to myself to learn three new things on retreat (and this was the third thing).

By rights, I should hate it. It requires me to draw on fabric, use scissors (and not a rotary cutter), baste around card stock shapes and then whip stitch in place whilst fighting the stiff pieces of fabric and card which have a mind of their own. Plus it takes FOREVER to even get to the stitching stage.

Somehow though, I have become very addicted. I think it might be because I have the perfect combination of delicious fabric and a pattern I love and which makes me go "a-ha" everytime I join a block to another. I get to hand stitch in front of the telly and my husband thinks I am spending "quality time" with him. On the weekend, I sat in the garden drinking copious cups of tea, cutting enough fabric to make 29 twisted hexagons. I stopped cutting because I ran out of fabric. So I started sewing.



This quilt will be double bed sized, and is for the double bed I don't own, for the spare room I don't have, in the house I haven't even bought yet. I've even styled the imaginary spare room around the quilt. White painted cast iron bed, sheer white curtains billowing in the breeze, lime washed floorboards...

I think it's the perfect 5 year project. Let's pray I don't tire of the delicious fabric by the end of it!