Frenzied Friday - Autumn Stars

These were actually sewn about two or maybe even three years ago when I was into English paper piecing but thought I would do a bit of quilting this week. 

The star on the right is the front of the block while the star on the left is the back, making it into a double-sided QAYG project. The corner diamonds on the front is made of four different diamonds and the star of seven pieces, while the green in the back is a single piece and the yellow frames are each separate.

I decided to simply echo 1/4in from the main seams  on the front and these lines are more easily seen on the back.  I haven't yet decided how many blocks to make but have finished, but not quilted, four more blocks.

Haven't decided yet if I will call it a day and simply use them as placemats or continue onwards and make a quilt out of the blocks.  

The problem really comes down to joining the blocks together.   As the front and back are different there is a seam along the edge of each block meaning that it would probably be difficult to join them securely.. oh for the foresight to plan further than the next step when I start a project:)  .. and a down side of doing points so accurately along the edge.. there is nowhere to fudge an extra 1/4in to add a covering seam :(

Friday Flaunt

Well in truth I didn't finish my quilt this week.
I managed to finish it just before we left for our holidays but I didn't have a chance to upload it.
The finished quilt looks completely different to the original plan and I am very happy with it.
Off to the longarmer next.

Home Again

Well we are back. Actually returned just a little over a week ago but have been so busy I haven't had a chance to write anything.

Where did we go?

Well just over a month ago Paul was surfing the net. He found a fantastic special 80% off on an 11 day cruise and 85% off the connecting cruise. Both cruises spent a day in Boston, which is where Richard is studying. So no decision was needed. Booked our tickets and flew out five days later.
Had a fantastic time.

This bridge was in Boston and looked really colourful in an industrial estate that we walked through. Very simple idea, it is simply plastic slinkies wrapped around the top rail and more simply hanging from the lower end of the struts.

Quilt Festival Entry

From October 9th to 13th there is an online quilt show showcasing quilts from all over the world. Click this link for many wonderful quilts and also to join in.

As this quilt show is a hanger's choice I have decided to showcase a quilt which I made many, many years ago. The face is that of my eldest son PJ when he was about 11 month's old.

I have called it Going Home to suggest him being a long way away but with his thoughts and dreams still looking home.

Funny that is how the situation has developed and he now studies in Paris and will be over there for many more years, but he does hope to come home permanently at some stage. The quilt was made about 15 or 16 years ago.

Friday Flaunt

Well it has been a busy and very productive week. I have finished the new centre for my Turkish Delight quilt. I am very happy with it and it just improves the quilt out of sight. I now need to add some borders as I want the orange arrow pointing towards the top corner rather than along that edge.

I think it may even be finished in time for Xmas. This will definitely not be a persimmon tree affair. In this household if someone receives a gift that they consider a total dud it is know as a persimmon tree - in remembrance of such a tree which I once gave Paul, thinking he would like it but discovering he hated the fruit..such is life!

Friday Flaunt

Well I have finally finished attaching the outer border to Turkish Delight. Feeling very happy with how it went too.

All that needs to be done now is to make a new centre and replace the vase then all will be done. I haven't liked the vase for quite a while now and figured that I would simply throw something over it when the quilt was finished.

Paul however had the bright idea that as it isn't quilted yet why not simply remove it and replace it with something I prefer. Clever boy huh?

I have designed a feathered star which I hope to make in the upcoming week. Making it in a variety of greens will help to unite the outer border back in with the rest of the quilt... I am also over the multicoloured sections too.
Can you work out why this quilt has been in the UFO pile for years:)

Have booked it in with a longarmer, who unfortunately can't do it until early next year so even in that area I can't organise things as I would like.

If I finish the middle soon then it will be Paul's Xmas present since he says it is his favourite of the quilts that I have made.

Dust Storm

Well here you have the evidence. Yes we had a beauty of a dust storm here also. Unfortunately I never thought to photograph the inside of the house but it was almost as good?

It had been rather warm early in the night of the storm and figured if I opened the windows it would allow the breeze to pass through the house and cool me down.

Yes you guessed it. Dust isn't really that cooling but it does have a colour changing effect:) Spent all of Wednesday cleaning the house. the layer of red dust for some reason was not an appealing colour.

Oh well I had wanted to do a thorough clean and I suppose there wasn't anything else which had actually prompted me to go from wanting to actually doing!

Every cloud has a silver lining as they say.

Don't you just love the windows.

I think the worst of it was being stuck inside for several days waiting for the dust in the air to settle.

Friday Flaunt

Yes it is a late flaunt but there is a reason for it..I didn't realise it was Friday already. Just sat down to check the emails and surprise surprise there was Daphne's flaunt.

My flaunt this week is related to last week's flaunt. Rebecca from Patchwork and Quilting at Express Publications has just emailed me to ask if they could take my Confused Wells quilt to a few craft shows as the sample of a project from their upcoming magazine.... As you can well guess my prompt response was a definite yes! So anyone going to Brisbane or Adelaide in the next month or so will be able to check it out in 'real life'.

I was also going to flaunt the 59 charity blocks I made for the NSW guild get away last weekend except they were all 1/4in too small. Note to self - when using someone else's machine be sure to check their 1/4in foot... oh well at least they only need to cut down a few of the other people's blocks to have enough for three quilts!

Frenzied Friday

Well two flaunts really. Tomorrow is the first day of my online class at Quilt Campus. Scroll down until you get to Confused Wells and that is my class.

It is my version of Hidden Wells but without the restrictions of strips being a fixed width and blocks being same size and in fact any other restriction. I really like the quilt and in real life it is a lot brighter than this photo shows. I have taught it a few times and all of the students have had success and it is perfect for clearing out the rubbish which we all seem to accumulate in our stash over time.

My second flaunt is this tie quilt. I would love to say that I have finished making all of the blocks but when I lay it out it just screamed that it was too short. So in a few weeks you will see a similar flaunt, I hope, when I finish another four blocks... fingers crossed.

Carmichael and Shane

I know this is an old one but it is definitely a good one... parenting tips for a single parent trying to bring up twins. The boys, Carmichael and Shane, both are gorgeous and play their roles superbly. Check it out well worth the five minutes and I am sure you will laugh.