Applique Guild Warrandyte meeting

Earlier this month I went along to the Applique Guild's Warrandyte chapter meeting. As always there was some inspirational show and tell.

Clever celtic knots from two newbies - Marian & Cath

Veronique's tiny tiny dresden

Helen's version of Trailing Vines

 

Adrienne's re-working of an 'old' block with her own wren design

Sonia's bright center of Di Ford's Mount Mellick

Sue's clever piecing and fussy cutting

Sue's hexagon quilt showcasing many gorgeous fabrics

Sue #2's Christmas quilt (she missed the December meeting)

Some of my DJ blocks

 I managed to finish this block when I got home.

E-1 Aunt Exie's Phlox

I was in for a real treat when Helen brought along 

this book to share.

Helen knew I was making Di Ford's Antique Wedding Sampler and thought I might be interested to see the original.

Wow! It was fantastic to see these pictures and learn something of the history.

"This fabulously intricate quilt was probably made as a wedding present for Samuel Padget Hancock by Charlotte Gillingham his fiancee. The couple, both from prominent Quaker families, were joined in marriage on February 22, 1844. The fifty-seven blocks are all different and display a highly unusual combination of techniques, including broderie perse applique, pieced work and fancy needle-point embroidery." (Quilts a Living Tradition, R. Shaw)

Thanks Helen!

I have completed two more blocks for 

my totally addictive Value Proposition Quilt.

Block #4

Block #5

Nothing much to report on the kitchen front, hopefully next time. I hope you get some sewing time this weekend.

Cheers

Carole

Wash Day

I was experiencing some paper jams trying to print my Inklingo hexies for my Value Propostion Quilt so I thought I would go back and look at the instructions on Linda's blog. There was no escaping it, I was doing everything except washing the fabrics so I thought I'd better get to it.

Linda recommends folding the fabrics as soon as they come out of the dryer but it was a perfect blue sky day so I couldn't possibly use the dryer. We are lucky to still have a very old Hills Hoist clothes line - these are an Aussie backyard icon. Please note the paint roller also hanging on the line :)

I couldn't believe how many fabrics I had pulled for this quilt. I ended up doing two loads!

Luckily I put a couple of colour catchers in to take up the red dyes in particular.

Despite carefully cutting all the sides with a wavy blade and washing on a delicate cycle I still ended up with masses of tangled threads. I hope some birds might use them to line their nests - a bit hopeful this time of year.

I hadn't washed quilt fabrics for years but it was quite a nice thing to do. I got to really see some of the patterns and their effects on fabrics that were fully opened out, so often I'm just looking at them as a fat eighth or quarter. The fabrics also feel a lot softer and nice and warm after being in the sun. Do you wash your fabrics?

It was also another chance to sort them out into their values, lights medium and darks.

Here's Block #3 finished...

Yes - I know, I know, I should be working on AWS. I have pieced up these little babies for the next block but got stuck when I didn't have one of the templates and I no longer have the book (well that's my excuse for now).

Oh yes, I did all this washing sorting and folding whilst the tradies were installing our stone bench tops - looking very smart.

Now off to the Warrandyte chapter applique group - I'm taking Dear Jane.

Happy sewing (or washing) Sunday.

Cheers

Carole

Update

Our kitchen renos are progressing slowly but surely.
The last couple of weekends have found us painting, first the undercoat.

 I felt like I was in a sugar cube. Then we added two top coats to the ceiling and walls (didn't need to paint where the cabinetry was going) ...

 Then we had 3 layers of vinyl and tiles pulled up - yay the boards are in great condition and should polish up beautifully. There are various opinions as to what they are, I'm going with Baltic pine. That was the good news, the bad news was that there were 100s of metal staples that needed removing...

 ...a job that had to be finished that night so it was all hands on deck. It took five of us working til 11pm. We have no electricity in the kitchen so the boys used the torch apps on their phones. Most of the cupboards were installed the next morning and it's now starting to look like a real kitchen. Next we have to wait a couple of weeks while the stone bench tops are cut.

 Antique Wedding Sampler is also coming along beautifully. I finished block #16 yesterday, by machine appliqueing the broderie perse.

 I can see the end in sight as I "only" have four more blocks to make. I've even booked it in for quilting so I will really have to get a shuffle on.
I have also finished hand piecing the first two blocks of my Value Proposition quilt - I'm loving making this!

I should just be concentrating on AWS but I find it very difficult to just work on one project - do you have the same problem?