Little Felt Pin Cushion

On Wednesday night I got together with a couple of friends to enjoy a glass of wine and stitch. We had a bit of fun playing with wool felt and hexagons and this is the result. 

We had challenged ourselves to use hexagons and wool. 

I have running stitched each hexagon onto the background and running 

stitched the front to the back. It measures just 5".

This morning I have pulled out all the wool felt left over from previous projects when 

we stocked the Moda Wool Felt and have cut a variety of little kitsets for this cute pin 

cushion - isn't it amazing what comes out of a bit of fun and messing around with fabric.

I have also cut some the same as mine.

Away From Home 1800s Quilt

This year at our 1800s Quilt Group I am working on a quilt from the book,

 "Away From Home". Several others in the group are also working on this 

quilt but maybe making it the whole medallion size.

It is a wonderful book filled with excerpts from letters written home and diary entries 

by the girls who left their rural communities to work in the cotton mills in America. 

The mill featured is Mill Hill., Lowell, Massachusetts.

The quilt in the book is big - 100" square. There are other designs in the book 

that also tempting.

But I am making a variation on it. Surprise! Surprise! You may remember a 

few years ago our group was working on American Schoolgirl quilts - most of which 

were under a metre in size, so I have decided to add this one to that collection. So I 

am doing just the centre applique panel and then a couple of the borders reduced 

in size of course - hope the maths works - haven't got that far yet.

This is my centre panel - lots of pieces just pinned on and the sun without its triangular rays, 

but tomorrow at group I hope to make some more progress on the stitching.

I just love the fabric range - these are just some of them.

Floral Zig-Zag

My quilt top for my sister-in-law is finished and I am very pleased with it. 

This is it on a double bed along with the cat!! She doesn't miss out n anything new into the house, especially a  quilt. Not to say she hasn't investigated it many times before!

It has now gone off to Carol for quilting. She has lots of space to add quilting to.

Now I can start a new project or two!!!!

Taupe Challenge

I thought I had better do a post as it has been a month since the last one - how hopeless is that! I just haven't been doing a lot of stitching - well I have done some but it hasn't been that 

exciting to show as you have already seen it.

I have been  stitching down the applique vine on my sister-in-laws quilt and that was shown in my last post. I now have two panels of vines in between three zig-zag panels with just two flowers and a leaf or two left to applique. Then borders to go and then off to the quilter it will go.

Now for the Challenge - this is a taupe challenge that two of our groups at work are

doing. It is a nine by nine - you have probably seen or heard of the

 twelve by twelve challenge. Well this is our version of that.

Nine by Nine means nine people, nine months, nine topics, nine little quilts 

made by each of the nine people, all little quilts finished at nine inches.

Our first topic was 'Leaves No Flowers'. This is my one.

I have appliqued the nine maple leaves onto individual backgrounds and then out them together. I couldn't resist a little bit of embroidery -a result of the class with

Alison last year - now everything has to have some embroidery on it!!!!!!

The stems are the Asahi Bias Tape which I love - it comes in about nine colours and 

has fusible webbing on the back so you can iron it place as you sew the edge down. 

Pre-made bias tape so fine is just a dream to use.

It was so much fun to see everyone's nine inch blocks at our first 'reveal' meetings.

Now it is onto the next topic - A Pieced Block.

We are planning to show the nine sets of quilts in the Taupe Exhibition at the shop 

(Patchwork Passion, Onehunga, Auckland) at the end of the year.

I will post each month's quilt after our reveal day. I promise to be back soon.

Retreat and Progress

I have just spent a wonderful few days at our Quilt Groups Retreat from 2.00pm Friday until 3.00pm Monday. And what a treat t has been - hours and hours of dedicated sewing with like minded mates. Meals cooked, a stunning venue - live in so no chores at all!

I have been worked on several projects - some of which  you will see over the next few

weeks / months.

But the major focus has been on my sister-in-laws quilt. You will have seen the zig-zag 

panels that I posted a few weeks ago - well now we have an applqiue panel going up in between them.

This is the flower that is scattered up the vine along with leaves and buds..

And this a photo of two thirds of the quilt minus borders. (not great sorry- it is so 

hard to get it all in - it is big!). There is one more applique panel to go on and another 

zig-zag panel and finally borders.

I have asked about dates available with the thought that we might be 

able to organise a retreat through the shop - it is so much fun and you get so much 

sewing done  - we have learnt to head off with several projects ready to sew to give 

variety and because with late night we get so much achieved.

Palmerston North Quilt and Craft Fair

We have had a great first day at the Craft Fair in Palmerston North.

Here some photos of our stall.

An overview shot.

Karen's Cybil, Cecil and Cedric love going to Shows.

Taupe Lucky Owls - always a Show favourite.

Shot Cotton Corner

Bags and Antique Sampler Block of the Month

We are at the Show Friday, Saturday and Sunday so if you are close to get there do visit.

We have had people from Hawkes Bay, New Plymouth, Wellington, Kapiti Coast and of 

course lots of locals from Palmerston North.

New Taupe Quilt

Now is time to get going on a new big quilt project. This one is for my sister-in-law.

She chose the basic colours and the design is put together from two quilts in two books

 that a friend in Japan published a few years ago.

This is the first completed length - it is little squares constructed into a zig-zag effect.

There are two consistent fabrics in the zig-zag - the light triangles on the edge and the red 

squares next to them. The rest is a mixture of fabrics placed randomly.

There are three of these panels running the length of the bed separated by a plain panel in the same fabric as the large triangles. An applique border then goes up between the zig-zags.

I have the other two zig-zags finished and now need to add large triangles to them.

I decided the easiest way to do these and keep all the corners right was to applique them!

So I am off to the cutting mat and then the  ironing board to prepare the next set of triangles.

Back soon with another small hexie project that I hope to finish the final little bit of 

hand stitching on  tonight.