Normal service resumed.

For the past two months, our regular Saturday sewing has been put on the back burner as more important things, such as a wedding, have taken place. (We were all so taken by surprise in June when Di and Brian turned a 60th birthday into a wedding that none of us had a camera at the ready to take photos.) It was a lovely day made even better by seeing how happy Di and Brian are.

Come July, it was almost with a little sense of, I am not sure, let down perhaps???? that we gathered at Sue's. I was going to say disappointment but that is very much the wrong word, as we all love our sewing days. Anyway, here is a small tasting of some of the current projects being worked on.

Julie has started a quilt called Queen's Day on Marken. She purchased the fabric as a kit from Den Haan and Wagenmakers in Amsterdam. The quilt was designed by Elsbeth Wallenberg. There is lots of piecing and thirty-two of these windmill blocks to be made it total.

Merri has started something new, a reproduction of a quilt from the Beamish Collection (from the museum of the same name in northern England). She has created the pattern for the centre applique medallion but not beyond as yet. I just love her fabric choices.

Di is madly trying to finish a reworked Antique Wedding Sampler. This pattern will be relaunched at the Craft and Quilt Fair in Melbourne next week. It will be available as a block of the month project from Corliss on the Threadbear Stand.

I have completed the centre of my new quilt, added a small border and the first row of pinwheel blocks. I am sewing these blocks on the machine and must admit to being a bit tardy. I have almost half of the required number done.

That's about it for this month,

Until next time,

Meghan

How canI resist...

...the siren call of an empty drawer? This set of drawers is how I limit the number of projects I have on the go at any one time. My golden rule is no new project unless I have a drawer available to house all of the fabrics I want to use in a quilt. The drawer has been empty for some time now, ever since I finished Miss Emma's Husband in fact.

So, inspired by the Vesalius quilt in An Moonen's, A History of Dutch Quilts and wanting to use the beautiful fabrics I had purchased from Den Haan & Wagenmakers in Amsterdam last year, I got to work.

The chintzs are from a 'candy box' that contains about 60 strips of various fabrics. The tone on tone gold is / was a little bright as I wanted to use it in conjunction with a beautiful piece of border fabric I had also bought. So out with the tea bags and here is the end result. A good match don't you think?

After I have drawn up the design for the applique I copy it to a piece of vilene and then start auditioning fabrics and cutting them out until I am happy with the balance of colour and pattern.

Once this is all done I start the applique.

I have made good progress, there will be more to see next time.....

Until then, happy sewing,

Meghan

New friends

Yesterday I had the absolute pleasure to meet some new quilting friends. Di Hall, formerly Di Ford, invited me to join her and her new husband Brian, as they took some international visitors for a trip to the Dandenong Ranges. I had the most delightful day with Di and Brian, Beverley, Linda Collins from "Quilts in the Barn", Petra and Nel from Den Haan & Wagenmakers in Amsterdam, Nederlands and Mary and Joe Koval from Pennsylvania, USA.
Morning Tea and shopping in Sassafras, followed by lunch, and presumably more shopping in Olinda. ( I had to leave early, so I'm not sure how much more damage was done to the credit cards after I left!!)
Unfortunately I didn't have my camera with me, so I'm afraid no photos from me, but lots and lots of photos were taken, and I'm sure they will appear somewhere very soon.
I can hardly wait for the rest of this very "Special Secret Sewing Sisterhood" week, that would be a SSSS week: A Night with Mary @ Linda's home tonight, a SSS day at Di's home on Thursday, followed by a much anticipated day @ Castlemaine on Sunday. (The housework will just have to wait!!!)

Tripping Around The Globe: Part 2

Hi! Everyone.
Thought I would sign in and continue the journey I began a little while ago and show some more quilts from the exhibit in New Hampshire USA.
Who knows?.......we may even travel a little further!!
First up, some detailed images of the two crazy quilts in the exhibit.
At left, Crazy Quilt number one............very impressive!

And here are some detailed views, just look at those stitches!
It seems the quilt-maker used silks, velvets and ribbons, and, yes, it is the work of one person! The photo on the right shows a corner of the quilt. These fans are in all four corners. I have never seen a crazy quilt stitched using a log-cabin design as the base before.

Here is a picture of the second crazy quilt in this exhibit.
Also a more detailed view.

This crazy quilt is made in the more traditional form.
Of, course, there where many more really nice pieces on display. As well as the tools of the trade.
These included needle cases, thimbles, stitch books etc. All displayed in glass cases just like this one. I think that's enough for now.
Next time I will continue the journey with some images and memories of Bath, England and quilts from The American Museum in Britain.
I hope you enjoy this post!
Happy Stitching
Kerry

A Perfect Late Autumn Day in Melbourne

And how better to spend it than with the 'Sisters'. Yes, it's the third Saturday of the month and this time we all met at Di's. Well almost all, Julie, Barb and Kerry were busy with family events but we did have a lovely surprise when Clare joined us. Clare is a Thursday regular but rarely makes Saturday so it was a delight to have her company.

Now for the usual report on projects underway. Merri is on to the 4th block of her Princess Feather and Flowers from Quilts of the Henry Ford. She declared there was nothing new to show so no photo this time.

Chris is working on Tribute to Mrs Williams. Her centre is nearly completed. Chris loves a soft colour palette and her fabric choices work well together.

Clare has pulled out a project started a long, long time ago. It is so long ago that Di could not easily remember the name of the pattern but eventually came up with 'Antique Applique'. These 2 blocks are repeated 3-4 times each and then finished with a saw tooth border.

I took along a project started about a year ago at a class at Primitive Patches in Mentone. The pattern is from Liz Willing and called Mrs Miller's Journey. There are 9 central blocks surrounded by an applique border. I have finished 3 of the central blocks and the 4 corner blocks for the border. Two further blocks are partially finished. The photos below are a sample of the work done to date. They don't really do the fabric justice. I can assure you they look better "in the flesh".


And finishing off with Di's work. Di is reworking the pattern for Antique Wedding Sampler and is a little over halfway through the 25 blocks. The finished quilt will be on Corliss' booth at the July show in Jeff's Shed where the pattern will also be available.


As ever, Di has selected beautiful fabrics.

Until next time,

Meghan