How many hexagons?

Someone asked but I've no idea. If any body knows a quick formula I might try it but am not going to count them the slow way!

Hexagon Star - top finished.

I have a hand full of hexagons (half inch) left over but am calling this a finish at 56" by 62". It will be a good size for a wall quilt . For now - off to join the others awaiting hand quilting. 

 

I really enjoyed the portability of this project - using zip lock bags to store and organise the pieces. I know some will think it quite mad to be stitching half inch hexagons by English paper piecing (stitch basted), but I found it very relaxing and quite manageable. In fact I found this size hexagon was quite a bit more comfortable to handle than the large 1.25 inch hexagons in my Grandmother's Garden quilt .

Chapman Coverlet

On the rare occasions when I feel like machine stitching I make it a marathon session! The last one got me a bit further ahead with this quilt. Still have a box full of appliqued squares to join and quite a few more rows to go...so here's hoping for another "rare occasion" soon.

Posies and Plaid

I've not posted on my applique quilt design since May last year, for various reasons. A lot of changes have been made and the unpicker has been very busy. For example I have scrapped the original broderie perse centre - it was just too dark and distracting. 

Unpicker at the ready

In keeping with mixing modern fabrics in with the repros, I'm trying to interpret a lot of different traditional elements with a more contemporary feel.  It's not coming easy for me but I'm happier with it now. Don't you hate it when there is a vision but poor execution!

I've had fun with various applique techniques:

But mostly I have needle turned with back basting prep:

Just a little more applique to go and then I'll be stitching the blocks together. Hopefully there won't be too many more changes (LOL) as I'm really looking forward to Big Stitch hand quilting this ...maybe with coloured perle thread. 

Wheat and Woods quilt finished

I started this one in July last year - all appliqued apart from joining the sections by machine. The aim was to design and stitch a quilt with lots of hand applique but with enough variety in technique to keep it interesting, and then to hand quilt it. 

About 80 inches square (2 m)

There were some challenging moments but I loved the process and the fabrics. I wanted to get some structure in there without actually doing any piecing. The repeated lattice of leaf and squares looks simple enough but required quite a bit of care. I was worried it might look more 'organic' than precise in placement but worked out fine in the end (see posts from August and September last year for more detail). In contrast, the random placement of the broderie perse (or tile applique) in the outer border was great fun to do and much more relaxing. I'd like to do more of that in a future quilt.

The binding is a fabric I've had in the stash - the ombre stripe seemed just right. 

The backing is also an old repro that's been in the stash - a large border stripe. I'd been 'saving' it for a border but not sure that time will ever come. So ...it's now a backing. 

It's been a long while since I updated my progress with my Sarah Fielke BOM (started January). The 12 inch blocks are getting more difficult - as you'd expect with a quilt that is a series of classes in different techniques. That's exactly why I signed up - to get more proficient in areas where I am deficient! While it is not strictly my style of quilt, it is a great source of practice and I am in awe of Sarah's sewing skills. She has stitched three of each block (using different colour ways) and that is quite something, what with the difficulty of some recent blocks. 

The foundation paper piecing has required maximum focus. Sarah was kind enough to provide an applique circle to cover the meeting of 16 points in this block - phew!

Another foundation pieced block

And an applique block - this was more my sort of thing! I used back basting prep and needle turn here. 

And a few made earlier that I've not yet posted ...

There are 24 of the 6" star blocks in the quilt and I've made a point of hand piecing those. That has improved my hand piecing no end. I'm still not able to perfectly 'eye ball' (as Jinny Beyer says) a scant 1/4 inch seam - but am getting there!

Here's my design wall so far - might not be the final layout. Should look better with the wide dog tooth border that goes around the outside - in red on cream?

It was warm enough yesterday to sit for a while and enjoy this little crabapple tree flowering in the garden. Glad I did because today it's blowing a gale and there may be no blossoms left on by tonight!

Hope your week is going well :)

Posies and Plaid

I've been slightly obsessed by this quilt at the moment. But the motto has to be "While inspired, grab the moment!". So all other projects have been collecting dust (along with the house). As quilters we've all been there haven't we?!

Just a reminder here's the inspiration for my design. 

from Jane Lury's Meanderings of a quilt collector

Thinking it would be efficient to divide this sort of quilt into sections for ease of construction, I sketched a small plan on graph paper, worked out the sizes of each section and cut pieces of background fabric to match. It will go together like a jigsaw of 19 block pieces. Hmm now where to start? The the fabrics in the centre and in the baskets may dictate the colour/fabric choices for my whole quilt, so I'm working on those first.

I'd selected this urn as my quilt centre and was going to just cut a rectangle like this and plonk it in the middle. But I think the green is too dark for the look I want here and would dominate the quilt. 

So I 've given the urn a lighter background by appliquing ( broderie perse) onto a lighter plaid fabric. 

A little cut out and reverse applique on the urn to remove the initials that were on the print. I'll ink something on there later - maybe a date, maybe my initials? 

Still not sure I love the irregular outline but will leave it for now till more quilt grows around it. 

So that's a start to the centre and gives me a 'look' to work around for the rest of the quilt plan. 

I sketched some preliminary applique designs. Then, using my lightpad, traced the design onto the back of the background fabric - ready for back basting and needleturn applique:

I made oodles of 1/4 inch bias (with a Clover bias maker ) and pinned a basket. This was fun weaving all the unders and overs! 

I've been mixing some modern fabrics in amongst my repros and love the look of them - including oldish Kaffe Fassett's and a Liberty print. You might be able to pick them out in the close up flower pictures?

That's one basket done. There will be three more to go on my quilt but I'm moving on to work on another section now...

The antique quilt has a plaid border (with a strong, dark stripe through it) around the central design - and I particularly like that feature. Well, I searched high and low in the stash, and found quite a few little green pieces to use elsewhere on the quilt, but none seem quite right for my border! How often does that happen?! 

But I did find a stripe repro that will suit me very well - phew - crisis averted! There was just enough in the piece to cut the four borders - double phew!

More bias was made - 3/8inch this time. 

I pressed the creases at quarter spacing along the border strip to help with placement of the bias vine. No design drawing is needed this way - you just decide the spacing of the peaks/troughs and press the creases at those points. It's quite easy to wiggle the bias into a curve and pin it in place. 

These borders will forever be associated with the Giro D'Italia (bike race) - I have been watching hours of recorded replays while stitching. Wonderful scenery makes it hard to beat the 'armchair touring' through the Netherlands and Italy!

It is almost farewell to Autumn in the garden. With a series of very windy days  the colourful leaves are disappearing fast! Hopefully the red and green King Parrots will still visit to brighten things up through winter :)

Shenn Valley Botanical Album update

First block was the Pineapple , and Second block in the Sewalong is the Flag Iris B-2:

Block B2 - 12 inch block

I have changed the colours as I'd rather stay clear of blue or purple in my version. Are there such things as pink and yellow flag iris? It wouldn't surprise me as there are so many iris colour variations. But never mind accuracy - after all the original quilt has pink and red pineapples ...

photo from SVBAQ blog

Now for a funny thing. I thought I'd get in early last month and make the second block...guessing the next block would be the second along in the top row. Well I was fooled there wasn't I?

Anyway here is my "Second" block , completed end of October. 

I'll show you the steps as it grew - using back basting prep for needle turn applique.

Tracing the design onto the back of the background fabrics

Removing basting thread ahead of needle turn applique

So now I have four blocks. They're not stitched together, just pinned on the design board, and that yellow pineapple block will be moved away on a far corner in final placement.

There has not been quite as much time for sewing recently - hence the 'getting in early' with SVBAQ. Two weeks to go till my daughter's wedding means time spent ticking tasks off the List. Wedding talk follows so you may want to leave now. 

I mentioned last post that all the wedding flowers are to be sourced in my garden. Well - gardening being a very imprecise science - things have flowered quite differently from last year at this time.  I have the photos taken last year to prove it! Some things that should be flowering are late, and others have flowered early. My rows of white roses have flowered earlier than expected...and may well be past it by the wedding.

Several hydrangea bushes were not expected to be in flower yet - but are well on the way and should be just right for the wedding.  

So it may well be that we swap a lot of white roses for a lot of young hydrangeas - just as nice I think! and there is lots of floral potential lurking in the other beds too. 

My daughter is hoping for a relatively relaxed, natural look in her bouquet so I picked a few flowers and foliage to experiment with - perhaps something like this but maybe less roses, more foliage and more hydrangeas? 

Another thing on the List is Confetti Cones - to be filled with rose petals and dried lavender. The plan is to hang these off the end chairs along a lawn aisle between rows of white chairs - ready for the guests to pelt shower the Happy Couple as they leave the ceremony. 

So I spent a few minutes yesterday on a Pinterest search "confetti cones" ...astonished to find hundreds of pictures and dozens of tutorials! This wedding caper is clearly not a new thing - many others have been there and done that!

Started with this lot  - including dried lavender from my garden and some double sided tape.

Came up with this ...apparently torn paper gives a "professional look".

Will show the Bride this weekend and hopefully she'll be rapt. 

The succulents I am growing for favours just can't wait for the wedding. They are growing at a great rate and even started flowering. Have I given them too much tender loving care perhaps? 

No problem - they'll be even more decorative on the tables and hopefully the guests will love them too.