My first String Quilt

Due to the sudden changes in Flickr I found my original Buddy Icon was too small for the new-style Flickr.  I wanted to keep the String Quilt idea as I feel it is "me".  I love scrap quilts and I love making string blocks, cushions and quilts.

So I tried to find my original photo only to realise that I never put this quilt up onto my Flickr photostream.  It was the first String Quilt I made. 
My idea was to create a rainbow so I used the colours of the rainbow as centre strips to the blocks which, when they came together, created the 7 colours of the rainbow.  I added an extra red and yellow as the corner blocks as I wanted 9 blocks for the quilt.

Rainbow Quilt

 

When my granddaughter Annalise was born in February 2010 I gave my Rainbow Quilt to my daughter to hang on the wall in the baby's room.  From very early days Annalise loved looking at it and eventually could pick out the colours and various "I Spy" details.

A precious memory.

 

A close-up of the "Orange Block".

 

I tied this quilt using red embroidery floss as I didn't want to detract from the vibrant Rainbow blocks by doing lots of quilting.

 

I subsequently made another of these quilts for our New Zealand friend Cushla for her 60th birthday.  It was a great hit, Cushla loved her gift.  This quilt was uploaded onto my Flickr photostream.

 

 

Rainbow Nation Quilt

Definitely WAS a UFO, now a WIP

Continuing with my New Year Resolution to finish UFOs, I have been tackling one which has languished as a pile of blocks gained in a Bee a couple of years ago.

When I participated in the Bee I was really excited.  Enjoyed making the blocks, loved sending them off to the USA and really loved looking at the parcel of blocks sent back to me.

Why I didn't just sew them together then I don't know!  Instead they were put away in a padded envelope in THE CUPBOARD!

So, a couple of weeks ago I decided that this pile of blocks was the next UFO on the list and that it was time to tackle them.  In an afternoon I turned them into blocks of 4 and decided on the arrangement of blocks to create a quilt top 4 blocks square. 
Then we went on holiday and the now WIP went back into THE CUPBOARD.

But I promised myself it would now be finished so yesterday I sewed all the blocks together into a top and in the next few days I will sandwich it and finish it!!!

So three Sneaky peak photos:

 

I have chosen this quilt's name:  A Riot of Colour!

I wonder if you can work out what pattern this is?  Photo 3 is a good clue and if you look back on my Flickr photostream ( koshka2 ) and look at my Bee swaps I think you will find the answer.

I have to say finishing UFOs is great.  Lovely feeling of accomplishment.

However I did find it gave me the dilemma of when is a UFO a UFO or when is it a WIP?
I had a Set on Flickr I had called 2013 Completed WIPs but then decided they should be more accurately described as 2013 Completed UFOs so I changed the title of the set.  Two quilts in there at present, soon to be joined by a 3rd.  HURRAH!

Do let me know if you have worked out which set of UFO blocks this was.

 

Malvern Show 2013

I had a great day on Saturday, visiting the Malvern Quilt Show with a group of quilters from my area.
Malvern is a great show as it is not too big and easy to get round all the quilts on display and check out all the traders, all in one day.

My favourite quilt of the whole show was this one:

 

 

Does my bum look big in this?

By Belinda Bajai, Rhondda, Mid Glamorgan

 

Just brilliant!  The zebras were so lifelike and I loved the perspective in the quilt.  They looked as though they were walking into the distance.

And a close-up of one of them:

 

 

 

Another quilt that I thought was amazing was this one:

 

 

It was called Friendship Quilt and made by Juliet Nelmes of Weston-Super-Mare

The hexagons were TINY! I would think they started as 1" and in the centre of each minute white hexagon Juliet had embroidered a white French knot as the quilting.  All exactly the same size and so perfect you would think they had been done by machine.
Quite unbelievable.  It had everyone gazing at it in awe and getting close up to examine the tiny hexagons.

 

and

 

are Close-ups of a marvellous foundation pieced quilt by Judith Wilson, Wheathampstead, Hertfordshire.
It was called On Green Pond and had a wonderful border of appliqued birds made from the leftovers of the batik jelly roll Judith used for the pond centre.

Many lovely quilts, all beautifully made.

One last fun Wall hanging to finish:

 

Aboriginal Animal Antics

Made by Lesley Davies, Par, Cornwall for her grandson who had requested a hanging for his room to remind him of his Australian holiday.  It has a wonderful feel of Aboriginal art. 

I was very restrained on the buying front.  I bought a piece of novelty fabric which I hope will be just right for the backing of a quilt I am currently putting together for my granddaughter.  She loves her scooter, ballet lessons and enjoys wearing fairy wings and dancing round the living room and is keen to learn how to skip with a rope so I thought this fabric was perfect:

 

So, this was what I bought on Saturday:

2.5 metres of pink girly fabric (the last on the roll), 1 metre of grey fabric with pink spots which I will probably use for bindings and a reel of variegated thread I can use for hand quilting.

 

 

A happy day spent doing one of my favourite things...................... gazing at quilts!

Another WIP finished

I finished another WIP today, my Rainbow Bands cot quilt, made using the Plumb Quilt design in Emily Cier's book entitled Scrap Republic.

I loved putting this WIP together and cannot understand how it was ever put aside and left in my sewing cupboard for over a year.  The Rainbow bands are made from scraps, arranged from left to right from paler to darker shades of each colour.

I love the scrappy borders using scrap strips of neutral toned fabrics.

The backing is a fabric called Oberon by Westmister Fibres, bought a few months ago when it was on sale at half price.  Hand quilted using a pale cream quilting thread.

The finished cot quilt measures 32" x 40" and is now being put back into my sewing cupboard but this time in the Finished Quilts Box!  Several babies due in the next few months so this is ready for a girl.

 

 

 

 

I just love these scrappy strippy borders as I think they make a lovely frame for the bright middle of the quilt.

 

So, another WIP finished and more scraps used up.  Fabulous!

 

And tomorrow I'm off to the Malvern Quilt Show.

 

Looking at Quilts in my Stash

I don't have a large Stash of Finished Quilts because normally as soon as I finish a quilt it is gifted.

However because of my plan over the last couple of years to finish WIP projects and use up scraps and stash fabrics, I do have a few hidden away. 
So I decided to sort them out and photograph them! A really interesting exercise as two of the quilts go back a long way!

So, a little Photo Gallery:

Starting with the oldest:  Christmas Quilt from 2002:

This is quite a large quilt, measuring 68" x 66" and was made as a Group Swap project in 2002.
Everyone made some blocks and we swapped with other members in the Group.  So long ago that I cannot remember how many blocks we each made. Then everyone sashed the quilt in a similar way but added other finishing touches of their own creation.
I choose to hand applique Holly leaves and I remember picking holly leaves from the garden to draw round for a template, so they are authentic Holly leaf shapes!  I added red wooden beads to look like holly berries.

Here's a close up of the detail:

 

 

 

Funky Farmhouse Quilt May 2004:

 

I entered this the the local Kenilworth Show's Handicraft Section and won 1st Prize.
I had not looked at this quilt for years and had forgotten how much I loved the quirky animals and the Farmer's wife appliqued figures.  Unfortunately I can't remember where I got the idea from and of course, no longer have the templates, although I could re-create them from my quilt.
It's a nice Cot size, measuring 34" x 48".

Then I discovered a Wallhanging (22" x 16").  No label, unfortunately, which is most unusual for me as I always label everything I make.  So I am not sure when it was made, several years ago certainly.
However I do know I made it at a Workshop held at The Bramble Patch in Weedon, Northamptonshire.  The teacher was Katherine Guerrier.  The Wallhanging includes Prairie points, the first time I ever made these.  I have not made Prairie points since although I have always wanted to edge a quilt with them.  One day!

My Wallhanging:

 

Unfortunately this photo has turned itself round and I don't know how to rotate it.  The black border should be down the lefthand side!

 

I also sorted out my finished baby quilts and put them together ready to choose one for the next baby due later this month.  Here they are, all together:

 

Baby quilts in my Stash:

 

I love the splash of colour they make, all snuggled together.

Whilst I was sorting out my quilts I also pulled out a pile of Bento blocks that were part of a Quilting Bee which I took part in a couple or so years ago. As it's pouring with rain (well, it is Bank Holiday Saturday!) I cannot go the gardening I intended so I am going to arrange my Bento blocks into a quilt top.
I have loved my trip down Memory Lane this morning, it has brought back some happy memories.

 

 

 

 

Ta da. Another Quilt finish

Another Quilt finish for 2013!

This time a quilt based on Gwen Marston's quilt, String Quilt with Sashing and Corner Stones, one of the 20 projects in her lovely book Liberated String Quilts. The first Gwen Marston book I bought after I did a wonderful One Day Workshop with her several years ago in New Zealand.  Such a great quilter, super teacher and full of good humour.

Instead of String blocks I used Crumb blocks which worked very well.
As I said in my previous post this quilt is scraps or re-worked fabrics, apart from the
Green Tea Kona Cotton solid I used for sashing. I hand quilted in the ditch along the sashing lines.

A close up of some of the blocks, showing the Cornerstones, sashing and hand quilting.

And the finished quilt:

It measures 40" square, a nice Baby Quilt size, I think.
Another quilt to stash away in my box of finished quilts.