Another quick finish

With so many baby’s due, and some already arrived (Congratulations Lauren and Scott!) … I have finished another little number.

I used the same layout as my previous quilt, just more neutral in tone and colour than the rainbow quilt.

A charm pack of Comma by Zen Chic was perfect for this little quilt.

Quilted with a simple stipple, it is backed with a lovely DS, spotty print.  The binding was a green from my stash.

I did hand sew the bindings for both this and the rainbow baby quilt.  Might put a stop to that!!  I do love the finish, but the time and effort, argh ….. I could have it done in 20 minutes on the machine.

Can’t wait to gift these quilts!

AQC 2013

 

The 2013 Australasian Quilt Convention is on this weekend, here in Melbourne.

I was sure to roster myself appropriately to allow an all day, unhurried vist.

I met with Andrea and Rose, along with bumping into numerous family friends, quilting acquaintances, Hi Norma!  … and chatting with lots of vendors, quilters, and artists.  It was a day for nurturing the soul.

I managed to clear out the book store of all the Karen McTavish books, and plan on gaining loads of inspiration for upcoming projects from these three beauties.  A Moda charm pack and sweet roll from the gorgeous Lynda at Patchwork Promises, and a Flying Geese ruler from Punch with Judy evened out the spoils!

I caught the lecture on all things thread, by the lovely Todd Purcell from SuperiorThreads.  As a team, he and his wife have come down under to educate us.  I totally clicked when he did his little tension demonstration with two paper plates and piece of cord …. Thanks a million Todd.  I will not be fearful of tension again!!

Then there were the quilts.  Helen Godden won the blue ribbon in the AQC Challenge: Free.  Her quilt of three horses is majestic, and the free motion quilting has to be seen to be believed!   

Here are some of the other beautiful quilts on display at AQC this weekend.

 

 

 

 

Enjoy XX

Something Big, Something Small

Things have been beyond exciting on the quilting front, and it is time to share!

I have had my heart set on owning a longarm quilting machine, for a while now.  I am pleased to report that in the next few months I will be blogging about the moving of my new/old machine from its present home … to mine!    

I am so very excited and plan to spend some time getting used to the set up … then get my quilt on!  On a 14 foot table, this baby is going to bring a whole new dimension to my quilting.

I haven’t been idle on the quilting front either.

Several babies are due shortly and I have just finished this little quilt.

Using charms, from a recent rainbow swap … it was quickly pieced using alternating hourglass blocks.    

Inspiration for this quilt came from Happy Zombie, although I did not add flying geese to mine.   

I love the effect the dark and light hourglass blocks give to the quilt.

 Quilting was a simple stipple.  I wanted to keep the quilt with a soft drape.  I quilted a half feather in the white border.  Not sure it works, but it was good practice.  

Backing and binding is from the stash, some lovely Retro Active in the purple colourway.

I have a second quilt using this same layout, just with a charm pack of Comma.   

Sewing the binding today.

Off to the Australian Quilt Convention tomorrow.  I can’t wait to oogle all the gorgeous quilt candy I will see.   

Maybe someday I will have a quilt hanging there?!  

A girl can dream.

Quilting Oneself

Last year I came across a couple of quilts which blew my mind.  Both quilts were portrait quilts. The details and techniques used to create these works of art fascinated me.

You can see them  Here & Here

 At the end of last year Shruti, of 13 Woodhouse Road put out the call for people who wanted to join her and participate in a portrait quilt along.  I signed up immediately!  The schedule was set, fabrics purchased and picture prepared.  I settled on an old photo from my early twenties.  It was a glamour photo, from the only photo shoot, where I have been in front of the camera.   Those who know me know that I am usually the one behind the viewfinder!  

 I cropped, as I wanted to concentrate on the face.   

While a portrait is usually longer down the sides, who says you can't make a portrait in a landscape?  

This quilt along was as much for me, a chance to make something I thought I never could, as it was to challenge my own view of myself.  The images of the famous Marilyn paintings by Andy Warhol, played a lot in my mind while planning this.  I usually try to stay out of the spotlight, I even have a social networking profile in which I choose to remain anonymous.  This piece has greatly challenged this anonymity and my comfort zone of being able to choose how others view me.  I had to make the choice to concentrate on how I viewed myself.  When I was obese, I would often catch my reflection in windows and think ... who the hell is that?  That isn't me.  In my mind I always saw my slim self.  The self that I know I am.  Having lost 40kg since that time, this image is the image I had in my head while hiding in size 20 clothes.

I had never done a project with appliqué. What a project to start on! Not one to bow to the unknown, I just went for it.  What was the worst that could happen?  My iron getting gunked?  I end up looking like a demented vision of myself?  

Another first ... using invisible thread.  In the bobbin I used the colour of the fabric on top, so if my tension was a little out, you wouldn’t notice as much!

With all the pieces down, I basted and then got quilting.

 I used Aurifil 50 wt in 2021, 4663, 2630, 5005 and 2692.

Thanks to everyone in the group who participated, made comments and generally encouraged me.  I have been walking around on a high ever since I completed this piece, as much because it is finished and it is pleasing to my eye, but because it also challenged me on so many levels. 

Who knows what I’ll try next!!!