Quilt Retreat

I am away at Vaughan Park, Long Bay for a long weekend.

What a treat this is - three full days and nights of quilt making.

This is the view from the classroom - hard to beat.

Last night this was the first sewing task - getting the binding in this rather large quilt.

This quilt is started with the French General blue toile fabric.

But it did take a while to get over the fact that I was just going to cut squares 

out of it rather than fussy cutting scenes.

       

Now back to sewing the binding hand sewn on.

You can see the whole quilt at our Quilt Show in May at the Parnell 

Community Centre - Saturday 30 April and Sunday 1 May 2016.

Chevron Cot Quilt

Now for something different.

I have been busy making a cot quilt for my nieces newish baby.

She wanted a Woodland theme and I found this fabric collection.

Not all of it will work with her decor, so we have selected those that will.

The owls and the foxes were the key ones.

These colours have proved difficult to photograph at night - the colours 

of the range above are a lot more accurate.

As you can see I had better head off and finish sewing on the binding.

Then I can send it off to Archie - not that he will need it yet - it is way too hot 

for a quilt on us at night right now.

Lotus Flower Quilt

Yesterday we visited Wrights Water Gardens at Patumahoe - just a little south of Auckland.

They are amazing gardens, especially the Lotus Ponds.

They reminded me so much of my trips to Japan.

It was the perfect time of year to visit as the flowers were in full bloom.

    

They reminded me of a Japanese quilt that  I made many years ago.



And a beautiful silk stuffed dried lotus head given to me as a gift on
one trip. And customs were happy for me to bring it having once proved 
it had no seeds still within it.

           

Hexies in Flower Pots

Our 2016 Shop Hop Quilt, "Hexies in Flower Pots" is finished 

and ready for display. It has been such fun to make with all the 

fussy cutting within the hexies.

The fabric I have used are all 1800s' Reproduction prints.

Helen Harford has quilted it for me and I am thrilled with the effect 

that she has achieved. You can see it better in this photo.

Or this one - the top photo is more accurate for background fabric colour.

We will be taking bookings for the Shop Hop Kits just as soon as the Passports 

are printed - hopefully this week.