A Quilt for Mack

The only other quilt I've finished this year is a cot quilt for my cousin's new grandson.  Running a bit late with this - he was born in October.

I wanted to make Mack a zig-zag quilt to tone in with his brother's quilt I made three years ago so I added blue and made the zig-zags horizontal rather than vertical as in Chase's quilt.

The backing is a fantastic Red Tractor wideback from HobbySew.  I love the colours and designs.

February was a big month for birthdays in our family:  T turned 10, H turned 6 and sweet little Daisy had her first birthday.

One of my dearest friends, Wendy, is a jeweller.  She made this bracelet for me to give to Daisy for her birthday present.

On 7 March, my friend and I attended the International Women's Day event in Wollongong - Rosie Batty was the speaker.  She was so phenomenal - spoke from her heart with no notes, no slides and had us laughing and crying with her.

Happy Stripes

Almost six months since I've written a blog post!  Think I'll work backwards.

"Happy Stripes" was started in September last year and finished earlier this month.  Loved making this quilt - it comes together very quickly and is a design that works with all fabric combinations.

I added an extra-wide border so that I could give the quilt a wavy edge.

The backing is made up of lots of backing off-cuts.  Some of these are favourites.

I asked Karen (Quilting on the Coast) to use Bowtique for the quilting.

This week two quilt tops have been finished.

"Astra" is designed by Zahm Co and I've made this using Kona Cottons.

It's been a long time since I've used black as a background colour - it picks up every thread in the house. 

The quilt is very big - it will finish ~90" x 108".

The other quilt top finished is Tiny Nine Patch in Bonnie and Camille fabrics.  This was a sew-along on Instagram but I didn't follow the sew-along.  I made the nine patches a year ago and a couple of weeks ago finally found some fabric that I wanted to use for the alternate blocks and setting triangles, a Riley Blake fabric.

We've had a busy time with grandchildren's birthdays over the last few weeks.  On 8 March Vinnie turned 4.  He had the best time at his party with his little friends from daycare and his cousins.

Happy Halloween

Elizabeth Hartman's "Happy Halloween" is finished.  I hope my little sweetheart likes it.  Really enjoyed making this and I have plans to make the small version one day.

A few months ago I bought some Kona Regal but that colour was too dark to use as the background - not enough contrast with the charcoals and black, so I bought Kona Noble Purple as suggested in the pattern.  The Regal fabric came in handy for the backing. Karen quilted this with Square Dance - this design works really well with Elizabeth Hartman designs.

Jenni, Kurt and Daisy went to a wedding on Sunday while Vinnie and I had a fun day at Sydney Zoo.  I like this zoo as it's close to their home, isn't too big to walk around all the exhibits with a little child and there is a good range of animals in nice surroundings.

At the moment I'm working on "Happy Stripes" designed by Emily Dennis of Quilty Love.  This is such a fantastic pattern for anyone who wants to make a quilt in a very short time.

The jelly roll was a gift from my American friend - it is "London Parks" a Liberty fabric produced by Riley Blake.  I was able to buy some border and binding fabrics from the same range here in Aus.

Last Saturday was Jelly Roll Day but I didn't start this quilt because it was Elizabeth's birthday and the next day I was with Vinnie.

Started sewing these blocks on Monday - the designer says she can make a quilt top in one day.

Sweet Escape Cot Quilt

I had some "Sweet Escape" blocks leftover, so thought I'd made a cot quilt using the same design.  It's very sweet.

"Lighthearted" fabric for the backing and Modern Loops for the quilting.

Before I went on my Elizabeth Hartman trip, I was making lots and lots of Sawtooth Stars for Thimble Blossoms' "Night Sky" quilt.  Using her "Shoreline" range for this quilt.

Might get back to them in a few weeks.

Springville

Gosh I love this quilt - must be because the fabrics are so pretty.  This is "Springville" designed by Thimble Blossoms.  Camille has designed four "Ville" quilts - I haven't made "Autumnville" or "Winterville".

I had plenty of "Lighthearted" fabric left from other quilts I made using that range, so added a few more Bonnie and Camille pretties to make "Springville".

I love the tiny heart print used for the borders - was so pleased I was able to buy some more.  "Modern Loops" for this quilt too - Karen has been busy over the last couple of months.

I love this backing fabric.  I'll be making a dress for Daisy out of this fabric, maybe next year.

Rainbow Connection

I feel that the first half of 2024 was spent making Nine Patch blocks and the second half has been spent making Sawtooth Star blocks.

"Rainbow Connection" is another Thimble Blossoms design.  I had plenty of the aqua/white check left over from "Sweet Escape", so I used his for the connecting blocks instead of plain white.

Karen used Baptist Fan for the quilting.  The backing is a pretty from from Bonnie and Camille's "Shine On" range.

I've been keeping up with the "Piece and Quilt" schedule - not getting ahead.

Month 4

Month 5