Last Week

The rest of the Irish Chain blocks were sewn last week for "Summer Nights" (my B&C Beehive quilt)

and some of the extra star blocks I will need - 4 to go.  This is going to be a very pretty quilt.  I'm due to receive 11 star blocks in December.

One of the blocks I've had to make for the Beehive is "Sugar Plum" and I thought this would work well for my orange fabrics - had quite a few large pieces leftover from two orange quilts I made a while ago.   Most of the cutting out is done (white background to go)

and I had to make one block to see what it looks like.

I have backing for this quilt, so I'm all set when I feel like make it.

Karen quilted the little blue cot quilt over the weekend.  The House/Irish Chain quilt will be on her frame today.

For the first time since about 1999 I didn't make it to the Sydney Quilt Show.  The main reason I was sad to miss it was because I wouldn't have the chance to catch up with some friends.  Saturday was pretty busy with house stuff and a visit from Jenni and Kurt. 

Saturday night I was in Sydney at the beautiful State Theatre to attend a concert with Tania (my boss), her sister and niece.  

Wow!  Ramin Karimloo was sensational.  Such a glorious voice.

Was back to Sydney yesterday to spend time with Michael, Peta and Gulli - always wonderful to be with them.  Had a fun time playing with Gulli.

Last night's sewing was finishing off the last of the flower blocks for the "Handmade" Irish Chain and then I could start sewing the blocks into rows and sewing the rows together.  There are two more rows to add then borders (when the fabric arrives).  I think a couple of blocks will be swapped around before this quilt top is finished.  It's looking so pretty - reminds me of Cath Kidston designs. 

Irish Chain Quilts

Today my little Sweetheart is 3!  Such a glorious ride being his Nanna.

Posted off the block for June to Sarah last week in our B&C Beehive

and made a few blocks for the next few months (not ready to tackle July's block just yet and also waiting for some fabric to arrive).

August - "Fireworks"

September - "Fireworks"

October - "Swoon Sixteen"

November - "Sugar Plum"

It will be my turn to receive blocks in December - the star blocks from Bonnie Olaveson's "Summer Nights" quilt.  There are Irish Chain blocks to go between the stars and some have been made over the last few days -13 more to do.  These go together very quickly.

Saturday was a big day with Michael, Peta and Gulli moving to a new flat (and the movers not showing up till the next day).  Mum is always in the thick of any action:

While driving home on Saturday night I had an idea for another Irish Chain quilt using up some "Handmade" fabric in my Bonnie and Camille stash.  Of course I needed to buy more of the beautiful floral Handmade fabric from Karen because I decided to make the quilt larger.

The little blue cot quilt is together using the pinwheels made a couple of weeks ago:

and so is the House/Irish Chain quilt top:

These were dropped off to Karen last night for quilting when we had stitching and I picked up a special quilt to be bound and given away in the next few weeks.

Line Dried

Last October or so I saw a post on Instagram from @yardgrl60 about making "Line Dried", a quilt designed by Corey Yoder of Coriander Quilts.  I thought this would be a great pattern to use up the fabrics left over from my Swoon quilt (mostly sent to me by my friend Elizabeth in USA) and I added a few from stash

along with a turquoise spot Riley Blake Swiss Dot fabric for the background as well as the stripe and butterfly fabrics for blocks, borders and backing (ended up using another backing and the blue stripe for binding).

 In April I started making blocks.

The quilt top was finished last month and Karen quilted it with Clamshells.

I thought this quilt would look good with a wavy border - cutting into the border is a bit stressful but the special ruler (designed by Quilt in a Day) and instructions are terrific.

I love the backing fabric - "Lulu Lane" designed by Corey Yoder.

I still have loads of fabrics left from this group - I think there will be another "Line Dried" quilt using the pink butterfly fabric for the border/backing and pink stripe for binding.

Cake Mix Recipe 4

Carrie Nelson is Miss Rosie's Quilt Co - she is a brilliant designer and so very clever.  Carrie has designed a series of patterns called Cake Mix Recipes (12 in all) with each Cake Mix able to be made into three or four different designs.  On Good Friday the Stitching Girls and I had a sewing day at Karen's and we started to make one of these quilts using a pack of Cake Mix Recipe No 4.

This is a very accurate way of sewing half-square triangles and all you need is one layer cake of feature fabric and one layer cake of background (plus backing and binding).  I had seen a star block made up of half-square triangles and decided to use the star for my design rather than one suggested on the pack.

The quilt top was sewn together a few weeks ago

and Karen quilted it recently using a new design called "Featheration" - it looks wonderful.  Even though it's an intense design, it doesn't overpower the quilt at all.

I started stitching down the binding at stitching with the girls on Saturday afternoon and sewed in the final stitch last night.  I love this "Strawberry Fields Revisited" backing fabric.

This is a great way to make a quilt and we're thinking we might make another Cake Mix Recipe (maybe No 9).

PS:  Another little cot quilt has been started - a blue version of the pink one made recently.

Seaglass

One of my favourite quilters in Susan Ache (yardgrl60 on Instagram).  Susan has such a lovely, fresh style when putting colours together and she uses mostly FigTree and Company fabrics.  "Starting with Strips" is a book filled with quilts designed by Susan and "Seaglass" is the first quilt I've made from the book.

I had some lovely "Miss Scarlet" fabric (designed by Minick and Simpson) to use for the background and could use loads of FigTree fabrics for the strips.

The backing is from FigTree & Co's "Coney Island" range - I really like this green.

 

All the chain blocks have been made for my house quilt.  The plan was to use only stash fabrics for this quilt but I had to change those two darker chain blocks - they stood out too much.

I bought two background fabrics from Karen, moved a few blocks and think the layout is better, although probably not yet final.

What a big weekend!  Dinner with The Schoolgirls on Friday night at an Indian restaurant - such delicious food.  Boy we laughed - mainly about our times at school athletics and swimming carnivals (only one of us is really sporty).  Saturday afternoon was fun with the Stitching Girls and then saw "Solo:  A Star Wars Story" on Saturday night - loved it.  I really enjoy these back-story movies.  Yesterday Mum and I went to Sydney to spend time with Jenni and Kurt (mum baked an apple pie and Jenni baked an Oreo Layer Cake) and then headed over to Michael and Peta's to stay with Gulli while they went to see "Solo".

Houses

Lots of construction work happened in The Pink room this week.  All the houses are built for my House/Irish Chain quilt.

I think I'm happy with the layout.

Scrappy Irish Chain blocks are now underway and then the quilt top can be put together.

The binding on "Seaglass" quilt has been stitched down

and also on the cushion.

Busy weekend coming up - lots of socialising which is always fun.