BOM 41 - Halloween

C41 Halloween

Yes I know that this isn't the month of Halloween but this block was made in October when I was visiting the US. don't you think the eyes remind you of those eyes you see in Halloween posters and cards plus in the background of all spooky cartoon?

South Bay Quilters

Earlier this year I received the following email from Sue Glass, the quilt show chair for the 2015 and 2016 South Bay Quilters Guild of Torrance California.  

For our 2015 show, our challenge was 12 ½ inch red and white blocks, and one of those submitted used your block “Patrice’s Gift” from the Quiltmaker 100 blocks magazine.  

Since then we decided to use those challenge blocks to make our 2016 opportunity quilt, which is really lovely (red and white of course), but now realize we need to ask permission from the designers of the block patterns.  

I am writing today to belatedly ask your permission, and of course we will give credit to all of the designers on a sign that will accompany our quilt as it travels around the Southern California area and is displayed at our quilt show.  

Would you let me know?  I am attaching a photo of our finished quilt so you can see how the block was used.  

Thanks very much.

Didn't they do a lovely job with 30 very different blocks. Isn't it wonderful to see such talented people who can combine blocks like this and result in such a beautiful quilt.

Their next annual quilt show will be held on 13th - 14th February, 2016. Member quilts and garments are displayed in the show. Members make the opportunity quilt and sell tickets for it, and also donate auction quilts. They meet on tuesday nights. If you are interested in finding out more then check out their web page http://www.southbayquiltersguild.org/index.htm

Oh if you want to buy a ticket in this raffle you will find a link on their web page. There is also a voucher for $1 off the entry. Check it out if you live in the area or are passing through.

Collection 39 - Where Did That Name Come From?

Collection 39	Didn't we all love the bright pink and green Candy Canes that were everywhere when we went to the fairs as children.	C39 Cotton Candy
Can't you just see this lime green Fluorescent Moss floating in the waterways?	C39 Fluorescent Moss	Chrysanthemums are the most common flower sold in local stores for Mother's Day. I love them but wonder, 'Do all mums like them?'
C39 Tutu in the Snow	You can all just visualise those little girls spinning in their pink tutus even though it is freezing outside. Don't they ever feel the cold. I suppose when I was little I didn't either.	C39 Mums for Mum
New Grid is identical to a block in Collection 29 but reversing the colours means they look nothing alike. It surprised me when I was writing up the patterns to discover that I had duplicated a block. Too late to change!	C39 New Grid	Must have made Monkey in the Middle around the time we visited the zoo.
C39 Reflections	The bright blue simply suggested Reflections and so the name.	C39 Monkey in the Middle

BOM 39 - Fluorescent Moss

Of course it was the colour that influenced the naming of this block. Don't you just love it?

Ghost House

I love it when I come across photos of old quilts that I made many years ago. Ghost House was made for our youngest son Richard. 

He wanted a graveyard scene but it looked so depressing no matter what I tried and so the Adam's Family style house developed into a ghost residence. It is still here at home even though he now lives in Norway. I wonder if he will take it with him some day?

Collection 38 - Where Did That Name Come From?

Collection 38	Hearts and love surrounding a loved one .... what a great way to live.	C38 Hearts Abound
I just love sitting inside watching a storm descend.	C38 Splendour of the Storm	A favourite pastime while growing up was playing Chinese Checkers.
C38 Tempest	Yes you can see the tempers rising as one circles a never ending problem	C38 Chinese Checkers
Yes there are many days that I appear to be going Round and Round and at the end have nothing to show for it :-(	C38 Strawberry Shortcake	Can you guess another favourite food of this family?
C38 Round and Round	Absolutely no idea how Couer d'Or came to be named as such. The words mean "courage of the gold" in French.	C38 Couer d'Or

BOM 38 - Chinese Checkers

C38 Chinese Checkers

As a child my family loved to play Monopoly. I however loathed this game as it was always cut throat. Chinese Checkers on the hand, even with everyone's desperate desire to win, was not so. Even if you lost you had to have taken some of your opponent's marbles off the board.

First Quilt

Isn't this cute? I am just starting to convert my old photos into digital version and came across this  photo of the very first quilt I made. Isn't it a wonder. By the look of things they were about 20in square. All hand cut with a pair of scissors and many were cut on the bias so the design would go diagonally. You can tell I knew a lot about quilting. I made that quilt in 1984.... Wow I hadn't realised it was so long ago. Unfortunately I discarded it when I learnt how to make proper quilts :-(

Rolling on the quilt is my eldest son, wearing another of my creations. I used to sew clothes when the children were young. It saved so much money, that we didn't have and filled in so much time, that I also didn't have :-) 

Fabric Needed

Well I'm in desperate need of some more of this fabric. It is a Debbie Mumm made for South Sea Imports .. many many many years ago. By my calculations I have exactly the amount I need ... if I make absolutely no errors and manage to cut everything with only the minimum amount of seam allowance which is not going to happen as I intend to foundation piece this and so will need 1/2in seam allowance rather than 1/4in.

Oh the colour is a yellowy mustard.

Collection 37 - Where Did That Name Come From?

Collection 37	There is always a special private temple within the public one that visitors see.	C37 Temple Within
Yes I agree I have never seen a Fish Kiss, but it does look they are kissing if you squint yoru eyes.	C37 Fish Kiss	Not as hot as our Summer Sun but you can still see the heat radiating out.
C37 Stolen Threads	Two birds sitting on the window sill watching as I sew. A thread is dropped and down they swoop.	Summer Sun
Every parent has hopes for their children but at times are discouraged and feel bound within.	C37 Alexander's Gold	Alexander IS gold. He is a delightful child who will have many battles in life.
C37 Bounds of Hope	The maze may have been easier seen had I used two colours, but then who wants and easy maze?	C37 Twisting Maze

BOM 37 - Fish Kiss

C37 Fish Kiss

I know that no one has ever seen fish kiss but this is what I always envisioned a fish kiss would look like. 

What do you think?

Topsy Star - APQ

Several months ago I was asked to make a block for Patchwork and Quilting's birthday celebrations. They had decided that they would ask people to make a block each and combine these into quilts for an aged care home. The blocks were HUGE... 24 1/2in each. Made it easy to make a full quilt as it only needed four blocks with sashing and borders to make a quilt suitable for the establishment.

I had designed this star for Val who you can see sewing it just here. Val wanted to learn foundation piecing and I figured well why not simply blow it up bigger and use that. So both Topsy and I made the circling geese and then I finished it off while she started on a smaller version.

Looks totally different to what I had in my head :-)

Ocean Waves

A few years ago my friend Terri started a class using a wedge ruler. After she finished making all of the wedges the project sat in her 'to be finished' pile long enough for her to buy a new table. This one was long rather than circular and so the planned circular table cover was not going to suit.

 So off she went and played with her finished blocks...... the result was a gorgeous runner which Patchwork and Stitching thought others would like and so published the instructions for it. 

I recently received these photos from Susan of the results of a sewing day she had with a few of her friends. Funny isn't it how Susan has completed the cycle, joining her wedges into a full circle as per the original class.

The circular table centre is by Susan Flynn, while the red and green runner belongs to Judy Smith and the purple one in the same photo is by Linda Allen.  These three women all belong to Clermont Patchwork and Quilters Group. The single runner was made by Sandra Galvin from Walcha who visits the Clermont annually whilst her husband is gold prospecting.

Collection 36 - Where Did That Name Come From?

Collection 36	Doesn't everyone just love raspberry syrup swirled through their vanilla ice cream?	C36 Raspberry Ripple
Yes I realise that it should have been golden star bursts but apart from the colour it looks perfect.	C36 Starburst	I made this after a trip around Turkey(?) where I had watched some dancers whose costumes flowed in and out inviting others to join.
C36 The Dish	The Dish is an Australian movie retelling the roll of the men working at the Parkes radio telescope in the first landing on the moon,	C36 Twirl With Me
Surely the title, Blue Diamond, came from the shapes and the image of light radiating from the middle.	C36 Blue Diamond	The fabric suggests a storm radiating from the middle in Eye of the Storm.
C36 Nine to Five	Yes I did watch the Dolly Parton movie Nine to Five and laughed right through it.	C36 Eye of the Storm

BOM 36 - Raspberry Ripple

C36 Raspberry Ripple

Don't we all just love Raspberry Ripple ice cream in a waffle cone!

Collection 35 - Where Did That Name Come From?

Collection 35	How to make a label. Open up a new Word document and write whatever you want in the label. I used Edwardian Cursive size 48 from memory. Don't forget to include your dates. I know you should also include boring info like washing instructions and materials used but I saved that for a small label on the back.	C35 Raconteur Label
No Way Out - doesn't it look like the perfect maze to occupy a lot of time. For a time you actually get the feeling you may be going somewhere but you're not. A lot like some days at work!	C35 No Way Out	Bamboozled - this block came from a mixture of two quilts I'd made before, Flying Geese and Circles. Another day of going nowhere fast. This wasn't a fun time at work but things did improve.
C35 Reflections	Pebbles dropped into slowly moving water form ripples and then Reflections. I do enjoy skipping stones.	C35 Bamboozled
It was a restful time when Free Time was made. That was why I could have so many tiny pieces in such a small block. 57 pieces in fact.	C35 Free Time	I just love sitting on the machine and mindlessly Stringing Away. I have so many strips but have now thrown out most of the small ones I used for this type of block.
C35 Winter Blossoms	I just love it when you see the first of the blossoms appear as Winter comes to a close.	C35 Stringing Away