Quilting Day

It's International Quilting Day and I intend to sew the whole day, after posting this picture heavy post!.  This was supposed to be a quilting weekend away but, because of advice to slow the spread of Covid-19, it was put on hold until happier times.

We thankfully have not yet had a death in South Africa from this, and in spite of the authorities being on the alert and doing their best, if it does spread it will be a disaster in our very crowded poorer areas.  Locally, I am concerned for my niece who is a paramedic on an ambulance should things get bad.  I have two adult children and extended family in the UK, and my daughter shares that some people there are not taking this seriously enough.  It is sort-of surreal though.  Since Monday, all my work colleagues are now working from home, and we have no idea at this time for how long this will be.  We are not in complete lock-down, but businesses and incomes are already being affected, my husband's fuel station has seen a significant drop in sales, my tour-guide sister will be affected, family members who are in entertainment and hospitality will be affected. 

 Stay away from people, stay safe and protect the vunerable in our world.

But on to quilting news:

This is a very old project I've been working on for the past month, now named Covid-19.  This was started years ago as an improvisional quilt, and I referred to it as 6-7-8, because the central hexies morphed into 7-sided, and then 8-sided shapes were to be next.

It grew to this about two weeks ago:

 

And now is this, but still some seams to be secured, and bits added on the edges:

I recently gave a few quilts to a quilting friend who co-ordinates quilts for some of the children in care in Cape Town.  She had asked for quilts about 130 cm by 170 cm, most of these are about this size.    (Sorry J, quilts for my great-nephews still to happen!!)

 Sunshine and Shadow blocks - enlarged with borders. Free motion quilted on frame.

 

  This is an adapted pattern from a mystery (Alycia Quilts).  I didn't like the reveal layout, so changed it to this.  Again free motion quilted on frame.

 I have a lot of sample blocks and blocks left over from other projects, blocks that I thought I would like, but didn't, and at our quilt weekend away last September I started putting them together in a row-by-row layout.  I filled in with various blue 2.5"strips.  The oak leaf blocks were a Block Lotto win - still have more!.  More free motion quilting.

 A nasty blurry picture!  These were also a Block Lotto win.  The long-arm ruler and free-motion quilting done by amazing friend, Tracy B - The Quilting Co

 Started in a class by Carol - quilt as you go Stars.  Oh, the batting was very puffy one, but I did like the effect!

 A quilt from one of the three tops made from the pieces from Bonnie Hunter's Celtic Solstice mystery.  Free motion quilted on my frame.

  

Now off to sew!

Not so sporadic quiltmaking, just sporadic blogging...

A serious stitching push has resulted in six quilt tops, and a seventh under way.

First three are from Bonnie Hunter's 2013 year-end mystery, Celtic Solstice.  During the mystery time I had cut enough to make the bigger size, but after quilting two king-sized quilts earlier this year, knew I didn't want another one that big, so made the first one double bed size.

Some (blurry) details:

Then worked on number two, about single bed size.  Changed most of the Crown block to be stars.

And still there were units left, so this was number three, which I think is my favourite!

 I am not apologising for the aircon unit in the way - I don't dare move it as the exhaust tubing is fragile, and with temperatures this week hovering around 35 deg Celcius (95 F) I want it working.

 

Next up was this Flying Geese from Block Lotto winnings.

Then two quilts from collaboration with Mum and daughter C:

Details of one of the block centres:

And Allietare! Part 5

Parts 1 to 4 - am really enjoying this mystery!  But I suspect I will have to make more of some of the units :(

Three more blocks for December Lotto:

And finally some in-between-seams sewing - actually quite a few more than this, but covered up by the current quilt on the design boards.

And these two hand pieced paper-based hexagons for our regional guild.  Talking of which, it has a colourful new web-site.

Tuesday evening...

I worked on Celtic Solstice - added the first border, and sewed together the blocks for the second border.

 

And these are all the left-over part, this is a deep tray!  All the cutting was for the king-size quilt... silly me, what was I thinking!  It will be about 75" x 75" anyway!  It will be fun to play with the left-overs.

 

Dug out an old leader and ender box of pieces ready to make these scrappy stars.  They are only 4.5" square (finish at 4") and I have about 20 made, and all the parts for about 10 more.  I love them!

 And added the final row to this quilt - blocks won some time ago, to which I added the almost solid colour pieces.  Needs a border or two, but not sure what yet.

Mystery Quilt Catch-up

Well, I dithered from the time Bonnie Hunter announced her Allietare! Mystery Quilt fabric requirements at the end of October, until last Wednesday.  Before starting this Mystery, I had to push myself to get Celtic Solstice (Mystery 2013!) to a point that it might become a quilt, and with a sewing Saturday with a great group of ladies in early November this was achieved.  I haven't taken a picture yet, but Amanda took this photo!  I have enough units left over to make another one!

I thought it was time to do a mystery with a change to the suggested colours, but after agonising for days over different colour combinations, and deciding that if I wanted to keep up with each part of the mystery, I should just stick to published colours.  I found I had a metre of a lovely blue-grey Michael Miller fabric, and that clinched it.  And so far I am soooo glad, as the colours are just right.  Started and finished Part 1 on the Wednesday (meant to make 140, but made +200 half-square triangle units), and Part 2 on the day it was released (40 sewn units)!  The secret is that I am only making half the number of units, and except for the grey, all the other pieces so far have come from strips already cut.   See, it pays off to spend hours cutting up after other projects!

Bonnie has up a link-up page for participants to share their progress - go have a look at the huge variety of fabrics being used in this mystery!  Can't wait for the next part on Friday!

Sewing week-end

Two weekends ago my daughter C and I joined 20 other ladies at a wonderful retreat venue just outside Cape Town, between Malmesbury and Riebeek Kasteel.  Goedgedacht Farm is an inspiration, with great accommodation and food.  Lots of sewing, talking and laughter!  The weather was pretty warm on Friday, slightly cooler on Saturday and Sunday, but bearable in the barn with its thick walls and solid wooden ceiling.

C worked on the borders of about 40 of these blocks and on making +- 55 wonky pinwheels from leftover half-square-triangles (bonus HST from Celtic Solstice), and added a round of purple to all of them, and then green to few.  Not sure that she will sew again, but she did a marvellous job of these!

And whilst she was sewing up a storm, I managed to add sashing and cornerstones to complete one quilt top:

a second to "needs a border" stage (but note to self to add another row, to the top in this picture) - blocks won from Block Lotto:

and add some progress to two other UFOs - Little Houses: finished with a facing, and just needs to have more of the irregular edge bits poked out

 And Simmy's Curvy Squares -  see the pins....the power went off about 30 minutes before we were intending to stop, so this is how it will stay for a while.

Son Off and Weekend Away

Late Thursday afternoon P and I took M to the airport for his unlimited sojourn in London with serious mixed feelings, glad for him that he is spreading his wings, envious that he is doing so.   Have spoken to him on Skype since so not feeling so sad now.

 

On Friday went on the quilting retreat at Goedgedacht, this is the Barn in which the 24 of us, each with our own trestle table, sewed up a storm!  I know my phone camera doesn't take great photos, so only took a couple of photos over the weekend.

I took a few projects that needed next steps, the first was easy, a border on this one, and it's ready to be quilted.  These scrappy trip blocks were made last Goedgedacht (not by me):

 

 Next was to add sashing to one more of these blocks and put them together (now to find a border):

The third project was to put the neon green borders on these 12 blocks.  I thought I would join them with some black-on-white prints, but that didn't pan out, so will wait to discuss what next with Mum.

This is block number one of about 100 4.5" scrappy-pieced beautiful made-by-Mum blocks.  Actually, ALL the scrappy blocks in this post were made-by-Mum!  My intention was to cut 4.5" strips of tone-on-tone fabrics to border each one, but forgot and cut 3.5"!  But actually think it is better.  Have about 50-60 strips cut and sub-cut, ready to sew.

 

And because there were lengths left over, I used them to add to one side of these Flying Geese Blocks I won last year from Block Lotto.  The blocks are sewn in columns, so not quite complete yet.

I did some sewing on Celtic Solstice, and a number of the Split 9-Patch in-between blocks, but not enough to warrant a photo!  But you do need to see my sleepy photographic assistant: