Go Four It - Rainbow rows

In November 2015 I went to a quilt camp in Tasmania with a bunch of friends.  Earlier in the year American Patchwork and Quilting published a quilt designed by Lissa Alexander from Moda Fabrics and I thought it would be a great quilt to chain piece at camp.  This quilt was a great scrap-buster, using 1-1/2" and 2-1/2" squares.

I made a few hundred four-patches during the time at quilt camp

and some were sewn into nine-patches so I could see how the quilt would look.

These were put away for over three years until I was supposed to be doing some sewing for The Wedding, and I took out the packet of blocks and decided to finish the quilt top (I am the queen of procrastination).

I decided to add a border - no points to worry about when sewing on the binding,

and the quilt was sent off to Sarah for quilting.

The binding was stitched down last week and the quilt was finished.

It's huge at 92" x 98-1/2" and I'm so happy with it.

 The cable quilting design looks beautiful in lamplight.

We've just had a long weekend and it was a fun time with family.  ChaCha had two sleepovers (second one because Jenni and Kurt were also having a sleepover), also spent time with Gulliver, Mum and I went to see "Rocketman", Sunday lunch with the family and Monday was a lazy day with a bit of sewing and cutting out.

Loved "Rocketman" so much - from the first scene when Elton, wearing a fabulous orange costume with huge wings, pushes open a set of double doors, I had a smile on my face and knew that I would love the movie.  There is a lot of sadness in the movie but overall it's a story of triumph for this musical genius.  Taron Egerton is fantastic as Elton and so is Jamie Bell as Bernie Taupin.

I sewed some more "Happy Scrappy Baskets" yesterday - am now halfway and need to trim some more HST's before I can continue.

I also cut out the white strips for "Sweet Escape" - not quite in the mood to start sewing this one.

During last week I made another "Christmas Cheer" row - Friendship Stars.

Picked up the new car last Monday - was sad to hand over the other car but am enjoying driving the new car.

Looking forward to next Saturday night - going to see "Sweeney Todd" with Anthony Warlow and Gina Riley AND I've managed to buy tickets to see Anthony Warlow in a concert version of "Jekyll and Hyde" in November.

This Week's Mail

A few packages have arrived this week - the most exciting is my 'Go Four It - Rainbow Rows' quilt from Sarah. 

Sarah quilted cables and the design looks so terrific against all the sharp corners of the squares.

Last night I made the binding and sewed it on - seemed to take the longest time.

This binding will definitely take a few hours of tv watching to stitch down - almost 11 metres.  This quilt is approx 92" x 99".

The other mail was two more blocks for "Christmas Cheer":

One more stocking block to arrive and I can sew these rows together.

The Sawtooth Stars for "Spinning Stars" are finished.

Next part is sewing the Pinwheels into 9 patch blocks, then the blocks will be added to the other two piles of blocks ("Nine Patch Waltz" and "Fresh") to be sewn in to quilt tops.

A bunch of my friends are or have been travelling over the last couple of months.  One friend returned from overseas last weekend, having spent almost three months in South America, Europe, UK and three weeks in Iceland - the landscape in Iceland is so stark.  I remember watching the first series of "Fortitude" and wondering how people survive there.

Other friends are travelling around Israel and Jordan for a month then heading to Sweden and Finland for a couple of weeks.  The temperature in Israel has reached 45C on some days.

Fun weekend coming up - one of the Stitching Girls recently moved to Sydney so the rest of us are visiting her on Saturday and Sunday will be spent with two of my sweethearts.

Another Start

In the lead up to last weekend's Quilt Market in USA, many designers have released new patterns and fabric ranges.  I've bought a few new patterns.  I've never made a Basket Quilt and when I saw Corey Yoder's "Happy Scrappy Baskets", I loved the scrappiness of it straight away - an opportunity to use up loads of Dena Designs/Coriander Quilts/FigTree fabrics that I've been saving.

There is a lot of prep work (sewing/cutting/trimming) to make the half-square triangles for each block but it's going to be a lovely, colourful quilt.

The "Fresh" blocks are finished plus an extra block centre to use when I make another sampler quilt.  I'll be in the mood to sew these together in a little while.

"Spinning Stars" is also coming along - a few more pinwheels have been made since the photo was taken.  Probably a bit over halfway with the 125 pinwheels now.  Won't be able to finish this off until another bolt of white arrives.

"Go Four It - Rainbow Rows" is on Sarah's frame today - can't wait to see this whopper quilted!

Rogue One

Postal services have been very slow lately - it's taken 3 weeks for a bundle of fabric to arrive from USA and I'm waiting on more parcels that are taking even longer.

The turquoise and rose fabric arrived yesterday for the Smitten "Butterfly Patch" backing along with the check to use in "Sweet Escape", when I'm ready to start that one.

Fabric is on the way to back "The Good Life" version of "Butterfly Patch", "All Wrapped Up" and "Go Four It" - my backings chest is pretty empty.

"Go Four It" quilt top will be finished tonight.  I decided to add borders after all for a few reasons:  to stabilise all the bias edges around the perimeter of the quilt top; so that I won't have to deal with points when sewing on the binding and to use up more fabric in my stash.  The spot is a fun fabric that I've had for quite a few years.

Took a photo of the quilt top before adding the borders

and noticed a rogue block in the bottom right hand corner.

Very happy I found that block and was able to turn it around before the top was quilted.  So far there are 4,534 pieces of fabric in this quilt.

Four Patches Are Done

Received a lovely surprise in the mail on Friday - the first block for my Aussie Bonnie & Camille Beehive 2019 quilt arrived.  A surprise because I'm not due to receive blocks until May.

This year I chose Bonnie Olaveson's "Christmas Cheer" quilt

and the girls are making the Santa Hats and Christmas Stockings.  I'll make the rest of the blocks.  Will be lovely to have a new quilt for Christmas time.

Finished making four patch blocks for "Go Four It" and sewed them into the nine patch blocks then lay out the blocks on Saturday night/Sunday morning.

Started sewing the blocks together late yesterday afternoon - will be a couple more nights' sewing before the quilt top is together.  I think it will be about 85" x 93" without borders.

It's looking a lot better than I thought it would 4-1/2 years ago when I made the first few blocks.

Mum and I went to see "Swimming with Men" on Saturday afternoon - a lovely movie.  The Brits make this style of movie so well - not schmaltzy but heartfelt.

Some wedding sewing happened yesterday and finally there's progress - about time I got it right - and an end in sight for the main piece of sewing.  Little Sweetheart's dress is next.

Four Patches Galore

All of the A blocks for "Go Four It - Rainbow Rows" have been made as well as many of the B blocks.

I ran out of four-patches, so some of this week's sewing has been making loads more four-patches.

Some more B blocks to make and then I can start assembling this quilt - it's going to be pretty big once it's all together but I'm thinking I'll make it rectangular rather than square as in the pattern.

A couple of weeks ago I made the first month's "Summer Moon" blocks.

UFO's

I don't have many UFO's but they are very old - one going back to 2000 (and I'm not ready to work on that one just yet).

A couple of days ago I pulled out "Sylvia's Bridal Sampler" - this has been almost finished for 4 years, after starting in May 2010 when my friend Diann bought me the book for my birthday.  We diligently made a block or two a week (each choosing what to make) and then kind of lost steam. A while later I decided to make only the blocks I could machine piece and ended up with 64 blocks, 32 set on point and 32 set straight, and started sewing the blocks in rows.  In September 2015 I had 4 rows sewn together and then packed it all away.

A few hours sewing (plus a couple of good movies) and the quilt top is together - wrinkly photo of a rather large quilt (84-1/2" sq),

as well as the backing and binding.  The binding fabric is the same as the sashing and border fabric.

After finishing off SBS, I felt like working on another UFO - "Go Four It" or "Rainbow Rows" designed by Lissa Alexander from Moda Fabrics.  I started sorting fabrics for this quilt in May 2015 and commenced sewing the four patches when I went to Quilt Camp in Tasmania, November 2015.

I made 700+ four patch blocks at camp

and sewed some of them into the nine patches that make up the quilt.

I have a boxful of four patches ready to sew into nine patch blocks

and a large bagful of strips ready for when I run out.

A few more blocks have been made.

The quilt is made of  block A with 5 four patches and block B with 4 four patches.  I have 93 Block A and 92 Block B still to make.

Loads of quilty memories in those fabrics.  I'm really enjoying sewing up these blocks - great chain piecing while catching up on some movies.

Two Little Sweethearts came to stay for the weekend.  They had such a hilarious time playing on my newly-finished quilt, "Summer Nights", while I was trying to take photos.

Labels need to be added then the quilt will be completely finished.  Mum sewed down the binding on this one, which was a big help.

Gulliver loves to cook and he pretty much made our dinner - soft-shell tacos.

Kaleidoscope

Kaleidoscope is a fun pattern designed by Cluck Cluck Sew - most of her patterns come with instructions for a variety of sizes and this one is made as a cot quilt.  Lots of my friends are having grandbabies and I need a supply of cot quilts.

A great quilt design to use up fabrics in my stash.  I love the combination of yellow/green/blue/aqua with grey.

Karen quilted this in the lovely clouds pattern - so sweet for a baby.

Very happy I had enough of the "Little Apples" fabrics left to make backing for this quilt.

I have another Kaleidoscope cut out in pinks - I'm hoping it turns out as pretty as I imagine.

Last week's instalment of the Thimble Blossoms Scrappy Quilt - the alternate blocks from Vintage Tulips.

3 Swoon Sixteen blocks this week and then next week we will receive the layout and sashing instructions.  I have loved making this quilt.

Yesterday some lovely, fun low volume fabrics arrived from Sarah's shop - some of these are for my Go Four It quilt (when I get around to starting it) and they will be very handy for other quilts.

Fireworks was finished early last week.  Was a bit busy over the weekend and didn't have a chance to take a photo of the whole quilt.

I'm taking the rest of the week off work - visiting special people in Sydney tomorrow and then a few days at home.