Raconteur - inspiration

A couple of years ago a friend, Isobel Lancashire, asked if it was possible to modify one of my patterns which had appeared in Down Under Quilts.  She wanted to make a large single bed quilt from what was originally a king size.  


The original design was based on New York Beauty.  At the same time I had this idea floating in my head and persuaded her to make it instead, even though she could only see what one block looked like rather than an entire quilt.  

 
Above left you have what it looked like part way through.  I am positive that Isobel was wondering what she had let herself in for at the time:) but she persevered. 

From this  came Jarrah's Track,on the right,  which was hung at the Sydney Quilt Show in 2011.  Looks great doesn't it.  And her grandson, Jarrah loves it too... he was heard asking if it was to ever return after Isobel had loaned it to me for photographing for Australian Patchwork and Quilting wanted to publish the pattern.
 

A short time later Quiltmaker called for entries for its new magazine 100 Blocks and so I thought why not.  Made a quick sample, and accidentally made an error with the arrows but the block was still successful and appeared in Volume 4 under the title of Isobel's Flight... her own block. 

 

While making Raconteur I wanted to include blocks from previous quilts that I had designed and so this was the inspiration for Isobel's Flight Too.   Interesting the original block was 8in in Jarrah's Track, the next was 12in in Quiltmaker and my latest was less that an 1 1/2 from one side to the other of the arrows.. a bit of a change.

Raconteur - applique

 I have been writing up my patterns for Raconteur and have been working on the applique patterns lately so I thought that I would share some of the blocks with you.  There wasn't much choice in what to feature here as I have only five applique blocks in the entire quilt.  Not bad considering there are 363 blocks altogether.  

I initially intended that there would be no applique apart form one by Merelyn.... a common held belief is that if a quilt doesn't have applique then it can't succeed at various quilt shows.  Applique has never been a technique which I enjoyed and so I seldom use it.  Merelyn was happy to make a block for me.  Can you guess which one she did?

Ok so it really is a no brainer... the star within the heart is my usual applique... fused and machined.  The travelling moons are my second kind of applique... a bit puffy and almost smooth.

 

Merelyn never does applique like this due to the fact that she always has points which are pointy, curves which are smooth and so little seam allowance that when you handle the fabric it feels as though there is only one layer of fabric... and she hadn't cut away the backing fabric... plus you can't see her stitches.  

No wonder she wins all of the competitions and everyone wants to learn from her.  

Mind you I still think my idea was the best... get her to actually make the block. I am positive my eyesight would go before I would have the hand skills to even pretend to be pretender!

Oh by the way the size of the blocks in Raconteur are only 2.25in AFTER the border has been added. This may not seem too small, particularly with applique blocks but wait until I upload some of the pieced blocks.

Raconteur

Well I know I have been lazy with this blog but there is a reason for this.  Well a few reasons.
1. I am lazy
2. I have been working
3. I had to finish Raconteur for the quilt show
4. I have started writing up the patterns for Raconteur.
5. I have started another blog just to do with Raconteur.
So there you have it. there are many other excuses but I think the biggest one is time or lack thereof.
If you would like to see what I have been doing blogwise check out my other site by clicking the link to the side or just here.

Copyright Infringement

Kathy Brown recently emailed this to an online group to which I am a member and I thought it was worth republishing.  Read and enjoy.
The story you are about to read is true. Only the names have been changed to protect the innocent.  

Thursday, January 12th. It dawned a clear, cold day. As I (lowly pattern designer) began my day - looking forward to a good day of filling orders, painting a new fabric line, and writing new pattern directions, the phone rings:

LPD (me - otherwise known as lowly pattern designer): Hello, The Teacher's Pet

IC (otherwise known as irate customer): Who?

LPD: This is The Teacher's Pet, can I help you?

IC: yes you can (angrily). I got this damn pattern at a quilt shop and it's all wrong. Why did you write something that is not right?

LPD: (holding the temper in check) Can you tell me which pattern you have?

IC: I don't know. The lady said it was the easiest pattern she's ever done and she was wrong too.

LPD: I'm sorry but I cant help you if you cant tell me which pattern you have.

IC: It says Teacher's Pet.

LPD: Yes ma'am, but that's my pattern company. Each pattern that I produce has a name. Can you tell me the name of the pattern? It will be at the top of the directions.

IC: Well hold on (aggravated) Here it is. It's Take 5.

LPD: OK now we're getting somewhere. Can you tell me where you are having a problem?

IC: Well if I knew that I wouldn't have called you now, would I?

LPD: (temper still in check, but getting strained) Ma'am, if you can't tell me where you are having a problem, then I suggest you take the pattern back to the quilt shop where you purchased it and ask them to help you.

IC: Purchased it?

LPD: (light bulb going off) Yes, you did buy the pattern from a quilt shop, didn't you?

IC: I would never have bought a pattern so incomplete as this one. No I didn't buy it. A lady that was buying fabric in the quilt shop - she gave it to me. She said the pattern was easy. And it's not. I keep flipping through these pages and nothing makes sense.

LPD: (light bulb flashing furiously) So you have multiple pages of directions, and they do not make sense?

IC: That's what I said. Are you hard of hearing too? Yes - I HAVE THREE PAGES.

LPD: (more than a little testy now, and counting to 10). Ma'am, what you have is a pattern that has been illegally copied and distributed, and you have not even been given all of the instructions. That is why nothing makes sense to you.

IC: (in a huff) Well how do YOU know it's been copied? YOU don't even know this person that gave me the pattern. How can you accuse her?

LPD: Because the original pattern that I have printed is formatted on 17"x22" paper, front and back. NOT individual 8 1/2" x 11" sheets of single sided paper. So the pattern has been illegally copied and given to you.

IC: (silence - about 10 seconds pass - it feels like an eternity). So what am I supposed to do now? Are you going to give me a free pattern so that I can make this quilt? I bought the fabric and I'm ready to sew.

LPD: (who thought she had seen and heard it all after 17 years in the quilt industry) No Ma'am, I'm not. I would suggest you go back to your local quilt shop where you can purchase the pattern.

IC: (angry again) Well YOU must think I'm stupid. I'm not going to waste my gas money to drive all the way back to the quilt shop when YOU can just TELL me how to make it.

LPD: (incredulous - but with an odd sense of peace slowly flooding over her). No ma'am, I don't THINK you're stupid - but I can ASSURE you that I'm not stupid either. You have a nice day, ma'am. Good bye.

As the phone gets placed down, the LPD slowly gets up, pours herself another cup of coffee, grabs the bottle of Advil, and prepares to start her day over again.

Kathy Brown
The Teacher’s Pet
www.the-teachers-pet.com
www.theteacherspet.typepad.com

Why?

Friends have asked me why I made the hexagons so small.  Well there are several reasons for this

1. I am a scrooge economical and didn't want to waste too much fabric trying out my new idea.

2. I am a scrooge loathe to waste and wanted to use as much of the piece of paper as I could.  Six hexagons fitted comfortably onto an A4 sheet of paper.

3. I wanted a portable project.

4. The tin which I was given at the Sydney Scquilters retreat was only small and so the blocks couldn't be too big if they were going to fit.

5. I thought my first sample was so cute I decided to keep all of the blocks that size.

6. I was only going to make a few blocks for a wall hanging for the Sydney Quilt Show.

The next question was then why did I make such a large quilt.

1. One of my first few blocks had only seven pieces and I was told that they were too big to be really classed as miniatures so I decided to make a lap quilt.

2. After making a few, well ok after making many, I decided that there was no way either of my boys would want a quilt like this so I may as well make it a usable size so queen size it may as well be.

3. 300+ blocks later I calculated that I had made too many blocks for a queen sized quilt so may as well make it for our own bed.  We have a king size bed.

Before and After

 Here is a photo of one of the blocks which I decided to machine piece.  Doesn't that look cute?  If you look carefully at the autumn coloured piece of fabric near the bobbin you will see a pin .. this is a clover applique pin which is only tiny.

Also looking carefully you can see on the foundation paper the markings for three feathers.... they are also very cute.

And here you can see the finished block... a feathered star.  I couldn't resist trying it after seeing some unbelievable feathered stars made by Jane Gibson a couple of years ago at the Jamberoo retreat. 

If you blow up the picture until the outer edge of the hexagon, the outer edge of the border around the hexagon that is, is 2 1/4in you will be able to see the block full size.

For anyone curious about the numbers this block has 138 pieces.  It should have only been 134 but I had to add four extra strips on the edges as I made it a tiny bit too small.  btw there is another block with more pieces...it's cute too.

Quilt Show Surprise

Surprise! Surprise! Surprise!

Found out a few days ago that I have won Second Viewers' Choice at the Sydney Quilt Show. Rhonda Pearce won first prize with an amazing applique and Raconteur came in second. 

Well today my parcel arrived from the guild and not only did I receive a gorgeous ribbon but also some beautiful fabrics from Charles Parsons. 

The fabrics are called St. Ives by Sarah Fielke and will be my next challenge. I have never worked with designs such as these. It will be interesting to see what I can come up with. 

As you can see from how I have laid out the fabrics there are two  baby quilts already in the planning.  I have a niece who is hoping to have a baby in the not too distant future and so will make a couple of quilts ready for the day. People think a baby quilt only takes a day or two. It probably does if I can stay focused that long:)

We will see

 Well here it is my ribbon.  Doesn't it look great.  Oh I still find it hard to believe.  

Besides the ribbon Charles Parsons donated 28FQs from the St. Ives range by Sarah Fielke for the  prize.  I think it must be the entire range.  I have absolutely no  idea what I will do with these as they are so far out of my comfort zone but I know that I have to start making a baby quilt for a niece who likes modern things and so I suspect that these will be the highlights. 

What a great day!

Second Viewer's Choice

Woo who!! Just found that I received second viewer's choice at the Sydney Quilt show.  Can't believe it.  First entry was this stunner of an applique quilt by Rhonda Pearce. I could say that one day I will make a quilt like that but that would simply be a complete and total lie with absolutely no chance of my even thinking of starting it,let alone putting needle to thread and fabric.

Applique is generally a favored technique in the Sydney Quilt Show and so I even included some in Raconteur. 

My first attempt was the tried and trusty buttonhole version but I knew that wouldn't cut the ice in the professional category..even though my stitches were perfect and exactly the same size throughout.  I suppose that was the problem machine buttonhole isn't really that difficult to manage these days.

So for my second attempt I tried needle turn applique and even choose a difficult circle.  Ok so a circle doesn't have many points as such. Well yes when you put it like that I do have to agree that it doesn't have any points but isn't that why I chose it? and I did turn them over some cardboard, using a needle.... and tack them then iron them to size and also baste them into place before appliqueing them onto the background fabric.

Then finally in an attempt to include some 'real' applique I decided to do broderie perse, as a friend who once tried to teach it to me said, 'It is a great technique as no-one knows where your piece should start or finish.'  And so I ventured into the broderie perse exercise.  After several attempts I realised why I hadn't spent much time doing it previously...no matter that someone might not know where it should start or finish it wasn't that easy if everything looked like a great big blah!!  Now I know you will say but it looks good and I must admit without a shade of blushing that in real life it looks fantastic.  

So why the fantastic result after such a dismal effort. The reason, which I will reveal shortly, is the same reason that my next block is also super fantastic.  I have to admit that there is no short cut to precise points, both inward and outward bending, nor to curved curves.  It is just practice, practice and more practice.  Many years of it I must admit.

I suppose while I'm admitting things I should also admit that Merelyn Pearce did both of these lovely little blocks for me.  So if your applique skills are as good, or more precise atrocious, as mine simply find a friend.

For those non-Australians reading this let me just say that Merelyn does unbelievable applique and has won Best of Australia with her applique quilts a record three times, she generally doesn't applique anything as simple as this... it was my design choice and her skill...perfect match?

Not Another Error

You won't believe this but if you look closely at the cover for the previous post you will see that I have misspelt my own name  in my email addy. Just for fun I think I will redo all of the covers tomorrow. Phooey!

Cover Completed

Well here it is my first cover.  Personally I think it's great but that is a totally biased opinion from a person who has worked really hard on this for way too long:)

It's funny but I finished this a few days ago and it was only last night while I was talking with my son on Gvideo, similar to Skype but with less interference.  Anyway as I was talking with him I was trying to upload this onto the net when I realised that I had an error in it. 

I had written the edge length for the small hexagons but the length across the longest middle for the large hexagon.  Wouldn't have been so bad but I have been busy scaffolding my patterns for the past week and that part was already set up in ALL of the blocks.  Oh well gave me something to do this morning....copy and paste the samething many times.  Hopefully I don't run across another repeated error.

Anyway what do you think of the cover layout?

Collection 1 - not yet

I have been writing up my patterns when I thought someone might ask why didn't I call the first collection, Collection 1. 

Well the reason for this is that when I made Raconteur so as to not muck up the  placement I numbered every collection left to right, top to bottom... including the corners and half blocks.  So as you can see Collection 1 is a corner block.  

If I manage to get around to marketing this pattern I think people will want to start with full blocks rather than corners and so I figured I would start by writing those up first.  Secondly I will do the half blocks and then finally I will do the corner blocks.  I think I will put all of the half and corner collections together into one collection, but I will worry about that when I get there.  But for now I will simply work on the full blocks.  

Mind you this was one of my favourite blocks.

The Story Begins

Raconteur - The Storyteller's Collection. 

Well I have finally finished it. Only six years in the making but it is finally over and done!!! 

Lots of numbers to please the mathematicians among you. There are 49 full blocks, 8 half blocks to fill out the sides and 4 corner blocks to taper the corners. 

Each small hexagon, called a block, has a side length of 2 1/4in AFTER the borders are added. Put seven blocks together and you have a collections. Add a frame around all of those to make it into a larger hexagon with sides of 7 1/8in. So you can see we are talking about big blocks.. well they are big when they reach the collection stage. 

I counted the pieces and came up with 13931.. a palindromic number. To confirm my numbers Paul then counted them and came up with 14,281.... close but not really. Anyone else want to count? 

I must run now so check back in a week or so for further info if you are interested in how this darling quilt came to be.

Raconteur - The Storyteller's Collection

Ok I have been very quiet for quite a while now but there is a good reason for it. I have been quilting. Now isn't that reasonable. 

I have been for the past six years making a king size miniature quilt. That doesn't make much sense does it? Well what I mean is, it is a king size quilt but it is made of miniature blocks. That is probably why I can't seem to take a good photo of it. You see the reason it appears to sparkle in places is because each of those blocks is only a miniature and most people take photos of miniatures close up. However closeup you can't see the whole quilt. So therein lies the problem. Anyway I am now going to try to write up the patterns for this quilt. So the fun begins.

What more can one say?

Isn't the web a wonderful resource?

Student's Quilts Success

As I have been flat out lately I haven't finished anything so when AP&Q did a call for possible projects for 2012 I did the only thing possible..... submitted quilts made by some of my students. Well the good news arrived today that they want one of the projects for which I had submitted three different versions.

This is Judy Newton's quilt which they want for the project instructions.   This is only her second quilt and she has even practiced some free motion quilting on it.
	Here is Elaine Sawkins' quilt and even though it looks nothing like Judy's the difference is due to the layout but the technique is the same.  Elaine still needs to finish her quilting and is expecting a busy Xmas break as the quilts are due in Sydney Australia Day.
And last but not least is Judy Sheehan's quilt.  Yet another layout but again same quilt.. mind you Judy did use a layer cake whereas the other two quilts were made with six inch strips of fabric.

Isn't it amazing how different they all look.  I can't wait to see them in the magazine... I think it will be the June magazine.

All three students were over the moon... particularly as I had simply asked for photos of their quilts without elaborating as to why I wanted them.... simply said I needed to photograph them...... Just love trusting friends:) .

TAST again

Well I would love to say that this little seahorse is mine but that would be a humungous lie.  I just pinched him from Sharon B's blog Pin Tangle and if you click on him it will take you there.  Now why did I flog him and am I sending you there you may ask?  Well the reason is obvious.. there is something fantastic happening over there!!!

Starting January 3rd Sharon will be hosting  a stitching program called Take a Stitch on Tuesday (TAST for short).  In case you don't already know about Sharon she is a superb embroiderer.. the little seahorse is just one of her fantastic samples you can feast upon if you go to her site.  Anyway in an attempt to spread the enjoyment one gets from embroidery Sharon is going to be introducing a new stitch every week for a whole year.  She not only shows you how to  make the stitch she also shows you some variations and from her blog you will find links to many other people who are also joining in. what inspiration. 

I started TAST a few years ago and so am already up to lesson 11.  Yes I know that isn't even three months in but this time I will make it further.  Anyway click on the link and join in.

On my Mind

Well I have decided to join in on another blog activity.  Rhonda whose blog Down to Earth is just full of home made solutions for everything you can think of has an activity called simply 'on my mind'.  Every Friday.. or any Friday that you can get around to it you simply take a photo of something which is on your mind and write about it. 

So today on my mind is this little scissor fob which I made about a year ago.  I have felt like getting back into stitching for a while and although my stitching is only simple I love it.

Richard and by lines

My youngest son, Richard has a delightful sense of humour and it is always interesting to read his by lines from his email.

This poster is his latest.  I don't know why he chose it but it makes me smile.

World Capitals

Yes I must agree with what several visitors to my blog said.  It is amazing how poor our general knowledge is of other places in the world.  When asked what was the capital of Canada, I thought, "Nasty!"  Why?  Because of course I had no idea.  I am the same as many of the visitors to my blog and simply assumed that the capital must be the only large place that I knew in the country.... Vancouver.... and I was of course WRONG.  The capital of Canada, is in fact Ottowa.

My knowledge of the world has improved over the past few years, no thanks to my own research or the net but thanks to the fact that I have two sons who are studying overseas and who have traveled extensively... but it is sadly still lacking.

Thank you to all of you who had a guess at our capital.. which is Canberra and which was chosen  for the fact that it wasn't Sydney or Melbourne and in fact was built about halfway between those two major cities and placed in its own territory just so that it didn't lie in either of the two major states of the time also... good reasons...hmmm!

Blog Tour winners

Although I am still waiting for the Australian blog tour winner to respond to my email I have received a response from an excited Janis Truesdell   from Oregon who was the overseas winner.
Congratulations Janis and thank you to Quiltmaker for their generous support with sending Janis her own copy of the latest 100 Blocks magazine.  I am certain Janis will enjoy it as much as I have already..hopefully she does more than simply oogle and hope to make some of the wonderful blocks,which is usually all that I achieve :)

Yvonne's Mystery

Yes here it is my block from volume 4 of Quiltmakers 100 Blocks, Yvonne's Mystery.  Yvonne is one of my students who after making several of my quilt designs wanted to make of Flying Geese.  Figuring this was too easy for her I offered to design her a quilt which incorporated the Flying Geese.  

Her first lesson was paper piecing of Wild Goose Chase, which is simply four rows of Flying Geese all flying into the middle or out to the corners of a block which is placed on the diagonal. After successfully completing those blocks I then showed her the next part of the design.  Although I had planned it to be as per my block Yvonne preferred more blue in her design and so we changed some of the value placements, resulting in a more traditional Feathered Star.  Next was the simple sashing and the cornerstones of nine patch were Margaret's idea.  

Hasn't the whole quilt come up beautifully? And pretty good for someone who has only been quilting three years.

Now there are two copies of Quiltmakers 100 Blocks Volume 4 to be won. If you live in Australia simply leave a comment with your name and a guess as to the closing date for entries in Quiltmakers 100 Blocks Volume 5..... one clue it has already past... yes there will be another of these great magazines being published in six months... what a top resource if you have them all.  
Btw you are still able to buy copies of the previous issues from www.quiltmaker.com
If you are non-Australian please leave a comment to the post below.
Good luck and thank you for visiting my blog..

Non- Australian's chance to win a copy of 100 blocks

Only if you are NOT Australian would you mind answering this question...without looking up any sites... I am not interested in knowing if you actually know but I am interested in knowing HOW MANY non-Australians can correctly name the capital of Australia.

My son works for the United Nations, which one would assume would know minor things about the countries of the world.  Anyway his girlfriend is doing a job interview and asked could they please change the location from Afghanistan to Australia as she will be here when they are due to be held.  She was told OK, she could do it in ......... , the capital of Australia.  Yes you guessed it they gave the wrong city.  This city is often listed as the capital of Australia and so I am curious which city/cities non-Australians think is our capital.

Leave you guess below to be in the running to win your copy of Quiltmakers latest fantastic 100 Blocks magazine.  If you don't know you can write that also.  If you don't wish your response to be published just tell me in your comment, you will still be in the draw for the magazine.

Or if you prefer you may simply click on one of the options  in the panel beside and then leave your name below.  I am unable to get the text colour to change for the options but if you highlight them you will see three of the most common options.

Thanks and good luck

100 Blocks Volume 4 tour starts today

Well here it is the first day of the 100 Blocks Volume 4 blog tour.  Check out the main page by clicking the button and it will take you to a list of today's featured blogs, where you have a chance to win your own copy of the magazine.  

Don't forget to also leave a comment on Quiltmakers own blog as they have a fantastic draw at the end of the week with amazing prizes from each of the sponsors.

Check back here on Friday for my give away and also a photo of what one of my students did with my/her block..... it really was her bock as I designed it for her when she wanted to make a quilt with Flying Geese.

Shifting Sands

Well another 1600 quilt.  This is in fact the only one for which I actually bought a regular jelly roll.  It was also my first attempt at following the instructions... I ended up changing a few here and there as I didn't like some and then I found out a few more errors, like how you have many similar colours lining up together.  I was able to remove some of these by cutting the strip apart and rejoining but even better I figured out how to line up the fabrics before sewing so as to minimise the problem.  If you check out last Friday's blog post Hilde's Camels you will see that I have a more even spread of the colours.  Mind you I still like this one, particularly how the borders turned out, they are in reality straight and even... I am a better quilter than I am a photographer:)

My binding will be the same colours as the first border and the purple really stands out so it should provide a good contrast.

I am really enjoying getting back to blogging.  It is a pity when life gets in the way of fun.

Striped Pyjamas

Well I could lie and say I just whipped this little beauty up over the weekend but that isn't quite true.  While it is true to say that it is a quick quilt I actually whipped the centre up about three weekends ago, the pale light outer border two weekends ago and the final dark border this past weekend.

The whole quilt was made from a few Moda scrap bags which I ordered earlier this year and so it cost me the grand total of less than $20 which I think is fantastic.  The scrap bags weigh half a pound each and are filled with lots of selvedge strips each being about 32in long and with a usable width of 2 1/4in. For me this was perfect as I prefer to have my strips cut parallel to the selvedge as there is less stretch that way.  
This was actually my first attempt at the 1600 quilt although I didn't have 1600in worth of strips.  I might have had that much but I only wanted to use the stripes in the central panel.  I had been trying to work out a quick easy design since the fabric arrived about February and when all of this talk started about the 1600 quilt I thought it was perfect.  
I am really pleased with the finished product ...well it is a topper and that for me classes as finished ..until quilting motivation hits and that won't be anytime soon as I am working on my entry for the Sydney Quilt show next June:)

Ooops wrong day

I just found the correct schedule for the 100 Blocks blog tour and my day isn't Tuesday at all.  I am one of the last on the tour and my blog will be featured on the Friday.  I would tell you who else will be on with me but I don't know if I'm allowed to but it will definitely be worth checking out the others..there are some big names. 
If you like intricate paper pieced blocks then you may like mine...but I can't reveal it yet..so drop back in on Friday 11th November for a chance to win your own copy of 100 Blocks volume 4.  All of the blocks are brand new.

Frenzied Felix

Now you must agree Felix is the cutest cat you have ever seen?  
I found this lovely book in the local library on crotcheted cats and couldn't resist.... have since bought several other books with different crotchet projects and am having a ball.  I can see a new hobby starting here.  
Paul looks on in amazement at these things and wonders where it will stop and what will I do with them all... who cares it's fun:)

Frenzied Friday - Hilde's Camels

Well I have finished three quilts in my quest to knock down the number of UFOs and I now plan to make a start on Hilde's quilt.  Hilde is Richard's girlfriend and when they were recently in Dubai she saw a quilt she fell in love with.  Richard, being the loyal son that he is said that he didn't think it was as good as what I could make and so I am now in the process of designing a camel quilt.I had lots of ideas and sent these over to which he responded she wants identical camels in plain fabric on plain background with plain borders framing every block just like the attached photo.  
 Well thankfully for me, if not for Hilde, my supply of plain fabric is nonexistent and so I figured I would go with tone on tones instead.  

 Hopefully she will like that, as I am certain there is no way on earth that I would ever finish a quilt which only used plain fabrics combined with plain fabrics and which had applique as the main technique.   Although my sons know I love quilting I don't think Richard has registered that applique is not my favoured technique.  Oh well shall give the machine applique a go.
I have used the 1600 quilt technique and am very pleased with the spread of the colours.  Do you like my jelly roll... only took two hours at the local quilt shop to cut all of the strips:)

Khanam's Surprise

Well here is my quilt from the last blog tour.  I had lots of wonderful suggestions from blog surfers, and even tried a couple of them, but nothing seemed to work and so I finally opted for the easiest solution for finishing a quilt...plain border:(

Hopefully I will get it quilted sometime in the not too distant future.  Terri, my basting friend has returned from America and so one day we will get together and baste all of these tops I have been making.

100 Blocks Volume 4

Woohoo I have had a block selected for inclusion in the next volume of Quiltmakers 100 Blocks.  

There will be a blog tour running again in which surfers have a chance to win their own copy of the magazine simply by visiting various blogs and leaving their names ad a comment.  

The blog tour starts on 7th Nov and runs until 11th.  

Each day new designers will be featured on the Quiltmaker site and you can check out their different blogs, simply click on the join me button to go directly to the blog tour centre.

Besides the chance to win your own copy of the magazine you have the chance to win other amazing prizes from Quiltmaker and their sponsors.  Each day they have minor prizes with a major prize usually on the final day from all of the daily entrants.  I'm not sure about the details of this as nothing has been said yet but it happened with the previous tours so fingers crossed.

My blog will be featured on Tuesday 8th so make sure you check back then as you will have a chance to win a copy.... I  can't wait to see the magazine.  
Don't you just love the penguin on the cover?  I wonder who designed it?  So far I have chosen two designs which I will make if I ever have a granddaughter, the penguin will make it three... perhaps there will be more.

Name plz

Well I have finally bordered this quilt.  I had finished the middle ages ago but just getting that border on has taken me about five months.  I decided a couple of weeks ago that rain, hail or shine I am going to knock my UFO numbers down.  I was hoping to get to single digits but will be happy if I can get to under 20.  I have decided that I can't start any more new quilts until I either finish a quilt... that means quilting it as well and is highly unlikely ...or that I finish at least three toppers... so the challenge is up.  

Now for this quilt I need a name..nothing has hit me yet and so it will languish on that front also for a while I am certain.  Most quilts usually suggest a name by themselves but this one hasn't yet.

This small table runner is also another project from the UFO pile.  The little bits hanging off each corner are there because I haven't yet worked out how to mitre them.  I had initially tried to make false mitres on each corner but they looked horrid as the fabric is slightly thicker than regular patchwork fabric... so the brain kicked in and figured I could go with the old fashioned real mitred corners.... only one problem..small that it is .. I can't work out how to turn them.  another job for another day.  Btw the central bits that looked blood stained are actually beautiful roses.

Two toppers down and I only have the binding to join and then I will have another two toppers done... yes I consider the sewn binding to be part of the topper as well as the backing made.  That way when the enthusiasm hits me I only have to quilt them.

Dah dah - cheese making

Well am I good or am I good?  No don't be truthful!  Just go with one of those two options.  What you see just to the right are the results of a perfect afternoon.  

OK let's be totally truthful... an afternoon and the greater part of the evening.  

Funny isn't it ... I know that making feta cheese, that's the square block in the background, takes a minimum of three and a half hours for the first part and then it needs to be turned over every half an hour for the next two hours and then every two hours for the next six hours and then left to sit and further drain overnight on the sink.  

So let's add those figures together and what do we get? 11 and a half hours plus the overnight drain.... OK so that suggests that a good time to start making feta cheese would be sometime in the morning.  The theory sounds all well and good but what needs to be added into this equation is the use by date on the milk carton.

Although I have been pestering Paul for a cow ever since I completed the cheese making workshop last June, it has not eventuated.  He feels that if people object to battery hens there is certain to be greater protests over a battery cow, although I feel our backyard would not constitute a cage!

 Just look at the photos of our yard. The first is our backyard.  In the back is our vege patch to the left the 1m garden bed, which edges the back patio area.  It may appear to the trained or even the untrained eye that this is too small a space for a cow, but you are forgetting our front yard, which you can see clearly in the next photo has a large expanse the size of a foot path. 

Anyway as I don't have a cow I have to buy the milk.  Now the best milk to use is organic unhomogenised which usually costs an arm and a leg.  so when I spied seven litres of this last week in the reduced for quick sale section I just had to nab it.  Being RFQS means it has to be used quickly.

Now you can see why there was the need for making the milk during the week rather than making it on the weekend.

Anyway as can be seen I had success.  Not just with the feta but also with the ricotta, front right and back right, which for the first time in ages actually turned out really soft and light.... dah dah! This really amazed me as the previous two batches have been tough enough to resole your boots with... I really need to NOT make cheese when I am stressed:) 

The final piece de resistance (not sure how that is supposed to be spelt but you know what I mean) is the mascapone on the front left.  This isn't really an achievement as I have always had success with that but it is lovely and is always a by product from my cheese making as there is always left over cream.

The mascapone was made into tiramisu yesterday and made a delicious desert lunchtime today.

100 Blocks winner announced

Well last night I finished off block 40 in my next major quilt and it had 141 pieces and so I have decided that comment 141 will be the lucky winner for my magazine.  

RAW, who likes unicorns (email address gave away that piece of information) and lives in Geneva is our lucky winner.

Thank you to everyone who entered this competition and also thanks to Quiltmaker for organising the tour and providing all of the wonderful prizes.  I am positive that everyone will have picked up lots of fantastic ideas for new quilts.  Don't forget that Quiltmaker is running a further competition every month.  Simply send a photo of your quilt using any of the blocks which have appeared in any of their three magazines to be in the running for the monthly prizes.  Check out here for more details.