End of Year Update

Oh dear I just looked at my last Blog post and it was in September!!!!

Not sure what happened there - lost the Blog-Plot, life got in the way, whatever.

So here is an update and a promise to do better in 2017.

My "Mosaic" quilt top designed by Irene Blanck is now finished and we are 
selling it as a Block of the Month at the shop (Patchwork Passion NZ).



My Mrs Holder Stretched Hexie quilt has made steady progress.
When I last posted about it I was up to Row 19. 
I am now on the last full row around which is number 25.
Next it is up to squaring off the corners and I am really looking 
forward to this stage. 

Oh my golly - there are 144 hexies in this round.
That makes 1,820 hexies so far.

Talk about being addicted to English Paper Piecing!
In the meantime we (at work) have made this modern throw.



I hand quilted it with Sue Spargo's #8 Perle thread from her Eleganza range.
It was so nice to hand quilt with and the chunky stitches gave the throw a Modern look.
It uses mostly Cotton and Steel Cotton / Linens and is now selling as a kitset at the shop.

My Instastitch is progressing as each block is released by Sue Spargo. 
We are now waiting for block 11 which should be out any minute.
I have so enjoyed using some of my old indigo collection from Japan.

             



As you can probably see they still need the stitching completed. 
I have done a lot of sashiko stitching instead of some of the stitches Sue suggests.

And then there is my Pemberley from Katrina Hadjimichael's August Retreat which hasn't made much progress - Mrs Holder has to be finished before I go back to this quilt.



Back soon with my machine piecing holiday project
 and a new Block of the Month that Cindy and I have started.

Pemberley Quilt

My Pemberley quilt designed by Katrina Hadjimichael is making progress.

And it is feeding my hexie addiction!

      

          

More is on now.

Corner units are next.

While We Stitch by Norma Slabbert

I traveled to Hamilton on Sunday to view the stunning exhibition by 

Norma Slabbert that is on at Artspost Gallery in Victoria Street..

Norma has called her exhibition "While We Stitch".

It contains 13 quilts all in neutral colours. 

Norma sent me this photo of the pile of fabrics that she started with.

Now you an see one reason why I liked her quilts so much - all these

came from us (Patchwork Passion NZ).

The other reason I liked them so much was the message behind them all.
As she says in her introduction: While we stitch life goes on elsewhere - in
this case with Syrian Refugees.

Below are some of the details of her work, (published with her permission) 
but do make an effort to visit - it is certainly worthwhile.

While we stitch, people face barriers.



While we stitch,  people flee with bundles of belongings.



While we stitch, people flee their homes - trudging over deserts, highways, 
byways, fields and farmlands - to find closed borders.



While we stitch, people abandon heirlooms.



While we stitch, people criss-cross countries.



While we stitch, people search for shelter.



While we stitch, somebody says, "We just want to go home - to make our 
own coffee and bake our own bread."

Such beautiful quilts and such a heart wrenching tribute to
the refugee people trying to make a better life for their families.

Congratulations Norma.



Do visit - the quilts look so much better in real life and when you can 
see them all, not just a snapshot.

In the adjoining  room is another quilt exhibition by "8 Perspectives",
 so this makes the trip even more worthwhile.

The exhibition in on until 10 October 2016.

New Saturday Breakfast Club

Our new Saturday morning Breakfast Club started today.

We are doing Sue Spargo's Instastitch with a Japanese twist.

I am making mine all from my collection of old indigo fabrics.

These are pieces I have collected mostly from flea markets in Japan.

Each piece has had a previous life as part of a futon cover (bed cover) or

a kimono or sometimes maybe both. These charm of these fabrics is their 

recycled nature and even patching.

These are the first seven of twelve blocks that Sue is designing.
Most will get more stitching added. Please ignore the white circles in the top left 
corners - they stickers with my block numbers on.















The last block has no stitching on yet as I only just finished piecing
it this afternoon.

Pemberley

I started this large medallion quilt at our three day Retreat with Katrina Hadjimichael.

I got the centrepiece prepared and partially stitched at class.

Since then I have added the vine around it.

It still has a few pins in and needs two bows added to the top and bottom.

It is certainly feeding my addiction to English paper Pieced Hexagons . . . . . . . 

   

 . . . . . . . . . .  and my love of applique

Back soon.

Linen Cushions

I have been busy stitching linen cushions for an up-coming class at the shop.

In fact they have been such fun to make I have just started another one!!

This was the first one made - it so much adding all sorts of embellishments 

and simple stitchery designs.

Then it was onto a Christmas version.

We are running this class as part of our "Stitched By Hand" Friday fortnightly 

group or as one day classes on Thursday 20 September and then again 

on Saturday 22 September for our working customers.

Tricia and I had fun today making up kits for this class.

Back soon with number three.

Mrs Holder Stretched Hexie Quilt Gets Bigger

My Mrs Holder Stretched Hexie Quilt has finally had some time put into it.

I still love making it, but time just hasn't been available for it lately.

I love it because it is so relaxing to work on.

This next row was a variety of chocolate fabrics.

But I did make a pattern out of them.

This is row number 19 and it has 108 stretched hexies around it .

And there are 25 Rows and then the corners get filled in to take it out to a rectangle.

There is no show without Missy Cat - it just happens to be her favourite 

winter sleeping place!

Sorry to disturb her!!!

The next three rows are very scrappy - creams, pinks, blue sand caramels.