Voila!

DH is recovering slowly but surely.  He's a bit disappointed at how poorly he feels, but when you've had a four-hour op where people have been rummaging around in your insides, it's not surprising that you don't feel on top of the world!  Meanwhile, I've been happily hand sewing while he watches sport on the television.  Here is my first Kansas Sunflower finished!

 

I appliqued the outer edges of the circle onto the background by eye.  As you can see, it's not exactly circular (more scallopped!) but hey, it's good for a first attempt.  And here is the next one in progress.

I didn't like the plain blue outer ring, it didn't add anything, so I undid it and tried something a bit lighter.

 

The camera has washed it right out, but you can see better on this close-up.

 

Next decision will be the centre.  Pink? Royal blue? Green?  Any ideas?

May Bank Holiday

It's been a funny Bank Holiday here, as DH has been in hospital for a major operation.  Luckily all went well, and he's now back at home and recuperating, but at the time it was very stressful.  I needed some distraction, and where better to find it than at the sewing machine?  I needed something fairly mindless, which would occupy my mind but not tax it, so I decided to put some quilts together.  First was this jelly roll quilt which I need for a teaching sample soon.

 

 

I love the border made of bonus triangles, and just quilted it in the ditch to emphasize the design.  I was going to do some meander in the neutral areas, but decided against it.  (You get a finish quicker that way!)

Next was a Linus orphan block quilt.  Green and purple can't fail.

 

Again some in the ditch quilting, and meander in the strippy border.  And then a Linus scrap quilt.

 

For a change I quilted this in the ditch!  I think it's really made the pinwheels pop. 

Now DH is back home, I think I will leave the sewing machine to recover, and do some hand piecing.  This is Kansas Sunflower, which I'm making by the American method.

 

The colours aren't very true to life, but I think it'll look ace!

Shopping

So, what shopping did I do at Malvern?  I'm not one of those people who can go to a quilt show and just look at the quilts, but I have to admit, I only bought what I needed (well, nearly!)

 

 

I needed threads, so bought some nice cotton thread from Empress Mills.  I also treated myself to a chalk marker, as while I'm happy with my tailor's chalk and pencil, the tailor's chalk isn't good for precise lines!  A couple of half metres of Kaffe Fassett fabric - I find it ideal for livening up scrap quilts, string quilts in particular - some typewriter and camera fabric (I didn't have any of that in my stash, so it certainly was needed!) and some birds.  A 'Piece O'Cake' book which was reduced to half price (another 'needed' purchase) and some Heat and Bond.  I don't usually buy Heat and Bond, as I'm a needleturn girl, but I saw this fabulous pattern, and just couldn't resist it! 

 

 

It's by 'Don't Look Now' and I think it's so much fun!

 

 

So much fun that I couldn't resist making some robots of my own!   I won't recreate the quilt, but a few of these little beauties will really jazz up a Linus quilt for a young boy.  There are five different designs, so I'm just off to make the rest!

Malvern

On Thursday I had the pleasure of going to the quilt show in Malvern.  I hadn't really planned to go, but when Paula said she was going, I jumped at the chance to join her.  In the event, there was me, Paula, Maria and Carol (a new quilter) so we had a group outing!  People have asked me whether it was a good show - I don't know about that, but I can say that I had a lovely day out!  Here are some of the quilts which caught my eye.

 I am a fan of old quilts, so this strippy with a modern touch appealed.  The colours are gorgeous! 

 

A double feathered star - perfect.

 

A medallion quilt with stars, beautifully balanced. 

 

I didn't get a show guide (don't know why, as I usually do) but this was one of a series of quilts made with the same pattern.  there were bright ones, suble ones, dark ones, pretty ones, but this scrappy one caught my attention.

 

The fourth border was beautifully machine embroidered with flowers.  A clever touch.

 

Double wedding ring in purple, used as a kind of trellis for climbing yellow flowers.   I love the way the background moves from dark to light echoing the light to dark rings.  Great use of colour.

 

Superb piecing and applique.  The lady in red thinks so too!

 

Here is an appliqued detail from a pieced quilt.  Very Clarice Cliff!

 

This beauty was just hanging on its own behind a stall, with a table in front of it.  I don't know if it was an exhibit, but it should have been!

A very simple quilt, made of rail fence blocks in delectable colours, with embroidered circles.

 

Here's a close up of one of the embroideries.

 

Couldn't resist a smile at this one - does my bum look big in this!  A worthy rosette winner!

Hong Kong harbour.  I've never seen it, but it's as I imagine it to be.

Earthy colours in this Australian quilt.

 

I love the way the blocks float on the cream background of this quilt. Not rocket science, but very pleasing.

 

 

Wonky houses a la Tonya Ricucci!  And what a cheerful sky blue background!

 

A stunning Hawaiian quilt - the only one in the show.  Wow!

 

Hexagons are the new black (apparently!) and this one was amazing!

Here is a close up with my hand to give you an idea of the size of the pieces.  Sides of half an inch?  The little boobles are French knots.  A man was admiring it with me, and we agreed, amazing, but bonkers!  (His words, not mine!) 

 

There's always a trend at a show, and this year's Malvern trend seemed to be appliqued flowers.  There were lots of them in various styles.  This one was sumptuous.

 

Here's fresh, lively one.

 

This one was riotous, and almost Impressionistic.

And what about the shopping?  I'll come clean in my next post!

Still playing!

I haven't had as much time to play recently as DH and I have been away for a long weekend.  We went to Brixham in Devon, and while the weather wasn't warm, it was at least dry!  We had a lovely time, and I'll just let you see the view from our bedroom window and leave you to drool!

 

You can just imagine the scene at night, with all the twinkling lights!  Lovely.

But I have been still playing with Mile a Minute blocks.  Here is the latest design.  can you see the pirates and the cats, and the brown haired girl (even though she's upside down!)?

 

 

This is the arrangement.

And here is the finished top. 

 

 

Thank you to Bunty, Carole, Jane, Liz, Muriel and Sephanie for suggesting that red was the right colour for the borders.  It certainly is!

More playing

I'm still playing with Mile a Minute blocks.  I took this pile (I pin them together in 10s so I can quickly assess how many I've got - 30 blocks here!),

 

 

and some bright green fabric to make some half square triangles,

 

and hey presto!  All the MAM blocks used up (and more).  Looking good.

 

Even DH liked it, although he was quick to qualify, 'But I wouldn't want it on my bed!'  He should be so lucky!