Spinning Stars

"Spinning Stars" was also finished last week.  It's another great design by Cotton Way (Bonnie Olaveson).  I've used loads of Bonnie and Camille fabrics for the pinwheels and Sawtooth Stars and didn't have any fabric repeats.  This is a great design to use up loads from the scrap drawers.

I had this one quilted with one of my favourite designs, Orange Peel.

Stitching at home the last while has been sewing down the scrappy binding on "Fresh" - almost 400".  "Fresh" is pretty big at 96" square.

Last night Mum and I went to see "Palm Beach" - I loved it - laughed and shed a few tears.  So nice to see a movie about people my own age (and a little older and younger).  I've read some reviews that weren't too kind about the script but there's loads to love about the film and I'd be very happy to see it again.  It reminded me a little of  "The Big Chill" - one of my most favourite films ever.

Binding

Lots of binding happening and more to come.

Picked up two more quilts from Karen last night:

 "Fresh"

and "Spinning Stars"

Hoping to sew the bindings on tonight for stitching down over the next few nights.  The "Fresh" binding will take some time to sew down as the quilt is 96" square.

Mum, her friend Nora and I went to see "The Keeper" on Saturday - this is a great movie; a true story about a German POW who became one of England's greatest-ever goalkeepers.  The movie is set in and around Manchester, where Mum was living at the time, but she didn't know any of the story.  Hoping to find time to see "Palm Beach" but it will be a bit difficult with my annual "community service" starting this weekend (the eisteddfod where I volunteer each year).

Sampler Blocks

Over the weekend I started sewing the "Happy Scrappy Baskets" together.  I was so happy that I had just enough of the Corey Yoda "Lulu Lane" large floral to use for the setting triangles.

By Sunday night the quilt top was together and the backing was made; ready to drop off to Karen on Monday night.

The main reason for visiting Karen was to pick up "Nine Patch Waltz", which was quilted last week.  It looks so lovely.  Might get around to sewing on the binding next week.

I've decided to make another Bonnie and Camille Sampler Quilt - this time making a block from each quilt I start this year as well as blocks made for the Aussie Bonnie & Camille Beehive.  I've made 5 blocks this week

"Moda Love"

"Nine Patch Waltz"

"Starry Starry Night"

"Summer Nights"

to add to the blocks already made.

"Lucky"

"Happy Scrappy Baskets" and "Spinning Stars"

Centre of "Fresh"

"Snippets"

It's a great opportunity to use up all the leftover pieces of background fabrics.

Last weekend was busy with little Sweetheart staying over.  We went to see "Toy Story 4" on Sunday morning and visited GG (Mum) before heading home to her place.

This weekend the stitching girls are coming over.  My son and his family are moving house next week, so Sunday I'll be packing.

Quilt Tops

Last Monday the Honeymooners flew out of Sydney to Amsterdam to start their European honeymoon.  Their first couple of days were spent in Eindhoven with family and they saw lots of places relating to the family.

Next stop was Brussels and overnight (our time) they arrived in Paris.

Cruising down the Seine

I had a fun start to the weekend - spending time with Gulliver while he assembled some of his birthday Lego.  He did it all by himself following the photos in the instruction book.

Saturday was lunch with the Schoolgirls - they've all been on long holidays:  Gail to South America/Europe/UK/Iceland; Lynell to Middle East/Scandinavia and Denise on a marathon caravan trip through Qld/NT.  Was fun to catch up with them after so long.

The rest of the weekend was spent in The Pink Room.  Thursday and Friday nights I sewed up blocks to make two rows for my Aussie B&C Beehive quilt "Christmas Cheer" (Sawtooth Stars and Chequerboard)

and then I sewed the lower four rows together.  The stockings were made by the Aussie B&C girls.  This quilt will be large enough to go onto my bed at Christmastime.

Saturday I sewed the "Spinning Stars" blocks into rows and by the end of the night I had a quilt top.

Plain white borders were added on Sunday morning and the backing and binding was made.

Then I started sewing "Fresh" blocks together - even though there are only 16 blocks in this quilt, it took quite a while to sew them together - lots of points to match up.

The backing has been made and the binding will be offcuts from the backing.  This quilt is huge at ~96" sq.

Don't think I have any more piles of blocks in the sewing room.   Might get back to some "Happy Scrappy Baskets" sewing - I'm halfway with this one.

While sewing, I've been binge-watching "Bed of Roses" - first watched this ABC series when it was originally on tv (2008-2011 or so) and I still love it.  Wonderful friendships, fun characters and a nice romance.

One Photo

Not much to show this week.  The Pinwheel nine patch blocks for "Spinning Stars" are finished so these are ready to be added to the Sawtooth Star blocks and sewn in to a quilt top.

Now I have three piles of blocks to be sewn into quilt tops:  "Spinning Stars", "Fresh" and "Nine Patch Waltz".

"Happy Scrappy Baskets" are slowly multiplying - 10 are finished, so another 22 to go.  Will have to do a load more trimming soon as I had trimmed enough pieces for about half of the blocks.

"Go Four It - Rainbow Rows" binding is being sewn down - hope to finish that tonight.

Definitely looking forward to the long weekend - I'm taking Friday off to run a few errands and make the weekend extra-long.  Will be spending much of the time with family and hope to see "Rocket Man".

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.

Blocks and Trimming

Santa Hats and Christmas Stockings (plus two little surprise blocks) have been arriving this month - one more hat and two more stockings to come and I'll be able to sew these rows together for my "Christmas Cheer" quilt.

Some "Happy Scrappy Baskets" progress - there's lots and lots of trimming to make the blocks.  I'd trimmed about half and thought I'd make up some blocks then trim the rest.

So happy with the look of these baskets.

Sewed up Month 3 of "Summer Moon" - such teeny, tiny pieces in the little Bear Tracks block.

125 pinwheel blocks are trimmed and ready to be sewn into "Spinning Stars" blocks.  Have a few more sawtooth star blocks to make before the quilt top can be sewn together.  I was hoping to have no fabric repeats in this quilt but noticed I've used two of the white fabrics twice.  Whether I made replacements will depend on how energetic I feel when it comes time to sew the blocks.

Had an enjoyable weekend after a stressful week (car troubles).  Bought a new car on Saturday afternoon (picking it up next week), visited Mum then went to see a local production of "Into the Woods" - not my favourite musical (or style of music) but the cast was fabulous and so was the show.  I'm going to see Anthony Warlow in "Sweeny Todd" in three weeks, so "Into the Woods" was a good re-introduction into a Sondheim musical.

Yesterday did some sewing before picking up Mum to visit Michael, Peta and Gulliver - had a lovely visit with them - the "ball of energy" was in full flight.  Arrived home to find The Honeymooners at my place, so that was a lovely surprise.

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!