still stitching

Still working away on this wedding quilt and it is taking me soooo long. Up to the small outer applique blocks now , the center is done.

I like to use a glue to baste my pieces into place.
Here they are ready for the petals to be stitched , then they will have a circle appliqued to the center.

This other pic is a little dolly quilt made of Yo Yo's that my Mum found for me in an Op Shop. Its from the 50's or 60's and the stitches are huge , so I think that maybe a little girl may have made it for her favourite baby doll. The tape measure is to give you perspective, the finished puffs are abour 1" wide.

And the little Vase is also an Op Shop purchcase from my Mum , its the perfect shade of duck egg blue, my new favourite colour.

This is the back , and a view of the gorgeous big stitches.

A great day for planning

Not much stitching got done today but lots of planning . Still working on the wedding quilt and by memory didnt take me this long to do originally. Cut out all the leaves and glued them on so it is ready to stitch after dinner.

And this is the other quilt taking up my time . I strip pieced the tulips some time ago and have now started appliqueing them onto the spot. Then the decision , sashing or no sashing , more planning days coming up I think.

re making update

Here is a full picture of the Original quilt " Reg and Rita " that I mentioned in my last post. The quilt was made from lots of scraps as that was the theme of the " Homespun " issue that the quilt was featured in.

The inspiration for this quilt came from an Antique quilt in one of my books .

and this is the quilt  that inspired me. It is the center block . Its black and white in the book.

Thanks everyone for the encouraging comments

Re making

Sorry I have been slack in posting but I am madly re making a quilt design of mine. I have been commissioned to make a quilt that was in " Homespun " a while back . The quilt has a folk art style about it , and was made to commemorate the wedding of my Grandparents, Reginald and Rita Nelder.
I named the quilt Reg and Rita.

A young couple will be celebrating 1 year of marriage next month and chose my quilt to be their gift to each other. How romantic.

I love to needleturn , but sometimes machine applique would come in very handy.

They have asked that I make the quilt as similiar to the original as possible. Hard when the original quilt was made with alot of my favourite scraps at the time.

Tumbling blocks

Here are some pictures relating to the Tumbling Blocks quilt that I am hand piecing at the moment.
I start by putting 3 diamonds together into a hexagon block first , then I start joining them to the main strip.
Here is a new little stack of Hexagons ready to join the rest.

This second pic is of the little pincushion that I have in my sewing box. I make one for every new project that I have on the go. It is only 1" square , perfect for when I am hand piecing. I then keep it in the box with the project, that way I have the needle and pins needed for that project on hand without having to go looking through all my boxes.

Up for a Challenge ??

Would anyone like to join a quilt challenge?? I am planning a book based on a one block quilt, I will send you the pattern and all the guidelines and some scraps to get you started. We will make the blocks for 8 months ( no set amount , just however many you can make in that time ) then make your blocks up into a finished project. At the end of it , I will include the projects , with all acknowledgements , in the book.
The block is a very simple one  and can be either hand or machine pieced or a combination of both. The block will measure 4" finished.

Please email me if you are interested. I really hope you want to take up the challenge.

Sorry no pics today , Im away til tomorrow but couldnt wait to post !!

All suggestions greatfully received

Still unpacking and finding some snippets of favourite fabrics that need to find their way into another quilt.
All day at work thinking about how I can store my fabric stash , any suggestions ?? Ive tried tubs, baskets , boxes, with lids , without lids, in cupboards , under beds. This gorgeous big old home has atmosphere but no storage. I will have to be creative .



Here is a picture of my quilt " Holisters Heritage " . I designed and made this quilt a couple of years ago. I love the simplicity of Folk Art quilts . Simple shapes , limited colours , maximum impact. Normally I needleturn my applique , this one is fusible. Once again , inspired by Antique quilts.
Pattern available to purchase , please contact me by email.

Rain , rain and more rain

It has rained here continuously since last night and with the humiditiy , it has made for a sticky day.

Im still unpacking boxes from when I moved 4 weeks ago and Im having lots of fun , re-discovering some quilts in progress. I cant show you them too closely as I like for the patterns to be ready for release before I reveal all.
So here is another snippet of an applique quilt , based on inspiration from an Antique quilt.

Thinking of everyone in the path of the Cyclone

As if Queensland has not suffered enough. My thoughts are with everyone and hope there are not too many lifes lost.

Tonight will be spent getting patterns ready for posting. There is always something to do .
Here is another little snippet of a quilt .

Another hot day

Today is our second hot day in a row and my new house has no airconditioning. I moved into this beautiful big old home about 3 weeks ago and air con didnt seem a priority at the time. At least we have ceiling fans.

I joined in some stitching today at a friends house . There is a small group that meets at the shop every Friday and they enjoy each others company so much that they are now meeting once a month at their private homes.

I was hand stitching some tumbling blocks that I have had on the go for so , so long. Im determined not to repeat a fabric , so , it takes time to acccumulate fabrics. This also means that no-ones stash of Reproduction fabrics is safe. Not sure what the finished size is going to be, just taking it as it comes.

Hello Blogworld

This is my second wander through blog land. Life took over and I had to take time out for myself. Mind you I have not stopped following my favourite blogs.

I have been designing quilts for my quilt shop " Beechworth Quilters Cottage " for 10 years and would love to start sharing my love for Antique quilts with everyone . All of my quilts have an Antique feel about them and many have been directly inspired by some well known Antique quilts.

We have started wholesaleing our patterns and you will start seeing them in your local quilt shops very soon .

This pic is a quilt " Florrie " that was in Homespun Magazine about 2 years ago.
I love needle turn applique.