Sunday 31 January 2016

Carolina Lily

This quilt design has been on my list of quilts to make for so many years.
I was always going to make a big traditional version of this design.
But then I found a pattern for a 30" version of it.
What a great way to get a design out of my system.
I am now happy to have it ticked off my list and love the mini version.


This quilt has been foundation pieced on pre-printed tissue paper - some 
by hand and some by machine.

As the quilt is small it means that the pieces within each block are also
quite small so I hand pieced the individual small units and then 
jumped on the machine to join them together.


This system worked very well as you probably know I will hand piece
anything I can. But once it came to sewing the units together there was 
quite a bit of bulk in the seams so the machine was definitely a good option.


It was an interesting process as when I started I thought I was 
going to have a red outer border, as I am not really a great fan of green.
But then I auditioned each option - red or green?
And it became quite obvious for me - green.

Lesson learnt / reinforced - choose your borders once the
 central part of your quilt top is made. 

How many times have your purchased a border and then when the time
 came for it to go on you have changed your mind. I certainly have 
done this - but not recently. That lesson has been learnt!

Now it is ready to be pin basted ready for hand quilting.

And it is ready for me to teach in my "Stitched By Hand" class 
that starts this Friday at the shop




Monday 11 January 2016

Shop Hop Hexie Quilt

I had a lovely day sewing with friends yesterday and made good progress 
with my hexie flower pot blocks for our 2016 Shop Hop Quilt.

Block One


  
                                     Block Two                                        Block Three

    
 Block Two                                          Block Four

          
                          Block Five                                                         Block  Six


Block Seven

No I didn't do all of these in en day - this is the collection so far.
I now have just three blocks to finish off and they are all started so that is good.


I will have the quilt finished by early February - well that is supposed to be the plan!!

Tuesday 5 January 2016

Sophie is Finished

Happy New Year everyone.
I hope 2016 has started off well for you.

I finished off the hand quilting on my Sophie's Garden over the Christmas break.
The weather in Taupo was so nice that this is about all the stitching I achieved 
over the holiday period.





Now that we are back home it is on to our Shop Hop 2016 Quilt.
This is the one with the English Paper Pieced hexagon flowers in pots.
You can see some posts earlier on my Blog of the first blocks or watch here 
for new blocks or go to the Shop Hop Blog for photos.
northernquiltsshophop.blogspot.com