Sunday, January 30, 2011

Sunday Stash #83

Although not available in stores until April 2011, there seems to be quite a bit of pre-released Sherbet Pips out in the blogging community.


Sherbet Pips is designed by Aneela Hoey for Moda.  The character prints are ADORABLE and they are teemed with a number of small scale basic prints which I think really completes this collection.


Being a little slow to catch on to this collection, I had to scour the internet for a Jelly Roll and Layer Cake of the Sherbet Pips collection.  I had great success locally at Retromummy and Ballarat Patchwork


Roll on April I say!

Enjoy Sunday,
Rita

Thursday, January 27, 2011

Charming Triangles Quilt

The great thing about the holidays is that not only are there fewer commitments and no reason to rush, but I get so much done in the evening!  The late evening is my most productive time of the day. Once the house is quiet, the sewing machine and I swing into action and I push myself to remain focused.  


I am so pleased to have now finished the Charming Triangles Quilt, and delighted with how it has turned out.  The quilt has a really clean and classic feel about it.  Red and white is such a safe color combination ~ you really can't go wrong.
...

For the back of the quilt I have used Valori Wells' Paisley in Scarlet.  I love this print ~ and have stashed lots of it! ~ it makes for a really beautiful but simple quilt back and adds to the overall classic look of this quilt.


And predictably so, Kei Honeycomb in black with a white spot for binding,
which is in stark contrast to the rest of the quilt 
but frames it beautifully! 


Finished Quilt measures 48.5 inches x 64.5 inches
Center Feature fabric ~ Kaleidoscope Panel by Prints Charming


I have listed this quilt in my Etsy Store.  SOLD! 

The Charming Triangles Quilt listing can be found here.



Happy browsing!
Rita

Wednesday, January 26, 2011

Charming Triangles ~ Progress

I am making good progress with my lastest project ~ the Charming Triangles Quilt. The Half Square Triangles just keep coming although I am wishing that I had made a whole stack of HST prior to commencing the piecing. Making blocks in small batches seems to be stretching out the whole process and is testing the HST friendship.


For those of you interested in the nitty gritty:
  • The center panel is a hand printed panel by Prints Charming and was trimmed back to measure 17 inches x 17 inches.  Of course you can substitute any of your favorite prints ~ think large scale floral prints or even fun novelty and kids prints.
  • To make half square triangles ~ start with two 5 inch squares, one white, one red.
Follow above diagram:
Use pencil to mark white square with diagonal line.
Sandwich the two squares right sides together - stitch 1/4 inch seam on either side of diagonal line.
Cut apart on pencil line
Press seam allowance toward the red fabric.
AND
Trim the HST back to an exact 4 1/2 inch square.
Repeat until you have enough HSTs.
  • I am a trimmer, I do oversize the blocks and trim back to exact size.  Although it takes extra time, it does mean that your HST is really accurate, and certainly allows for easy piecing when joining all the blocks into rows and then when sewing rows together into a quilt top.  
  • To set the center panel on point, first make a  corner set of half square triangles to "square up" the panel.  For each corner you will need 3 HST plus 3 white triangles (cut a 5 inch square on the diagonal).  Sew together as pictured above.
From here you can continue to add rows of HST to top/bottom and sides.  Keep going until you are happy with the size of your quilt top.


The above pictured quilt top consists of 120 half square triangles and the center panel.  I have since added two more rows of HSTs to the top and bottom of the quilt top.  My quilt top now measures 48 inches x 64 inches ~ 168 HST.

Now basting,
Rita

Sunday, January 23, 2011

Sunday Stash #82

Pretty, pretty, pretty ...


Does this happen to you?  You see pretty fabrics that you REALLY like (perhaps at Purlsoho in New York), you decide against buying them, and then all you can do is think how much you really like them? That perhaps you should have bought them whilst you were right there?  And you've already planned out all the quilts you can make with them?


And then, before you know it you've hit the CHECKOUT NOW button on your cart and shouted yourself an early birthday present because it's coming up soon, right?

That's what happened here.  No regrets, these Liberty of London Prints are just beautiful!

Enjoy Sunday!
Rita

Thursday, January 20, 2011

In Summary ...

There's a lot happening at RPQ headquarters and I thought I should perhaps link it all up.

FIRST UP:


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More than $45,000 has been raised so far by the crafting community for the Queensland Flood Appeal.  If you are looking for the Master List of Auctions and Raffles you can find it at Make It Perfect.  There is something there for everyone, from handmade toys and jewellery to handcrafted clothing, bags, art prints and more. Be sure to check it out.

The Red Pepper Quilts Auction Quilt is going strong and  Auction details can be found here:
Thank you to all bidders who have supported this Auction ~ right now the highest bid is $475 ~ truly wonderful!

This Auction finishes at 10pm on Friday 21 January 2011.  Just over 24 hours to go. Happy bidding!

AND:

Of course a little sewing, which makes me happy!  It is still Summer holidays Downunder  and we are all out of our normal routine.  Although I do LOVE the holidays,  finding time (and motivating myself) to sew is "difficult" ~ so many distractions and sunny days (finally) which all call me away from the sewing machine.


This is the start of my next quilt project.  As you can see I have made more Half Square Triangles and I think you will recognize some of the red designer printed fabrics used, combined here with  red basics ~ stripes, dots, ovals, solids.


The center panel is hand printed fabric from Prints Charming. The panel has been set on point and then surrounded by Half Square Triangles.  (Does anyone know, or have a link to, the math associated with setting a panel on point and then adding Half Square Triangles?  I totally fluked it ~ the Half Square Triangles were a perfect fit for the panel, but would love to know how to calculate it for future reference).

More Half Square Triangles needed ...

Thanks for stopping by,
Rita
(apologies for such a lengthy post!)

Monday, January 17, 2011

Sweet Daisy ~ Quilt and Pattern

In case you are wondering if I have been stitching over the weekend, let me show you the finished Soul Blossoms quilt:


I have really enjoyed piecing this quilt top; it has provided me with something to focus on while the humidity rose and the rains came to Melbourne.  It certainly is a Summer like no other before it.


Strange as it may seem but I really felt the "need" to make a batch of Half Square Triangle Blocks late last week.  With any ado I got started making the above quilt back using HSTs in a Zig-Zag layout, and segregating the Soul Blossoms fabrics into their Bliss, Joy, and Passion color palette.  The background solid fabric is Robert Kaufman Kona Cotton in Ash ~ and I just love how the grey has made the printed fabrics sparkle!


I've not yet finished with Kei Honeycomb fabric to bind my quilts ~ this white dot on a light blue background makes for a really pretty quilt edge.


Furthermore, I have been busy writing a pattern for this quilt. 

The pattern is called Sweet Daisy and is available for purchase as a pdf file from my Etsy Store AND is available for immediate download.


Sweet Daisy is a traditional quilt pattern using modern fabrics, and is suitable for a beginner to intermediate sewer. It requires experience in rotary cutting and basic straight line sewing.

You can find the Etsy listing for the Sweet Daisy Quilt Pattern here 

Alternatively you can purchase the pattern directly from the Red Pepper Quilts Pattern Store


If by chance you would like to purchase the finished Sweet Daisy Quilt exactly as pictured you can find the Etsy Store listing here. SOLD

All Red Pepper Quilts Patterns (pdf files) are now also available here:

Happy browsing!
Rita

Sunday, January 16, 2011

Soul Blossoms FQ Bundle ~ Winner

Thank you for all of your entries to win the Soul Blossoms Fat Quarter Bundle!  1251 Entries ~ totally astounding!


Unfortunately there can only be one winner:
Jessica said...
I would love to win some Soul Blossoms! I love Amy Butler. Thanks for the chance to win :)
Congratulations Jessica!    Jessica has been notified by email.






Thank you once again to Randi from Fresh-Squeezed Fabrics for her very generous sponsorship!

Friday, January 14, 2011

Queensland Flood Appeal ~ Auction ~ A Colorstory Quilt

In Queensland the flooding rains have eased.  It has left behind a trail of widespread destruction and an imprint on the minds and hearts of every Australian.  We will not forget the images we've seen, the stories, the loss of life, and the pain on the faces of so many people.


Images found  here.

It is very much a matter of urgency to raise money for the Queensland Flood Appeal, and rather than wait till Monday, there is every reason to get this Auction started now. 


This Auction is for The Colorstory Quilt.  This quilt is made from 100 percent cotton fabrics, batting and thread.  It measures 47 inches x 62 inches and it is new and unused.

The Colorstory Quilt ~ Back

How this auction works:
  1.  Bidding will start at $60.00 (Australian), and all bids will be in AUD.
  2. You can place a bid by leaving a comment on this blog post with your bid amount and email address.  Please make sure that your bid is higher than the previous bidder.  
  3. Your bid must be in whole dollar increments.
  4. This auction is open to everyone,  however $30 will be charged for International addresses.  Postage is FREE for Australian residents.  
  5. The auction begins NOW and will END at 10pm on Friday 21 January, 2011 (AEST).
  6. At the close of the auction, I will contact the winner (please make sure your bid comment includes your email address).  The winner will pay the winning amount directly into the Premier's Flood Relief Appeal and send me proof of payment via email.  Once proof of payment has been received, I will post your quilt to you.


With thanks to Toni  for organising the fundraising initiative.

Happy bidding!
Rita 


AUCTION NOW CLOSED!

Thank you for all of your generous bids.

Wednesday, January 12, 2011

Soul Blossoms and a Giveaway!

The sewing machine has been steadily humming away ... it's been a week of stitching ~ block after block.
 .......

As you can see I have kept my promise to cut into my stash of Amy Butler's Soul Blossom fabric.


Every time I start a new project I know you are waiting to see what I come up with, and rest assured I was feeling the pressure with this one.  I do love these bold fabrics, however successfully mixing  multi-colored, small and large scale prints together can be tricky.  When combining such a mix of fabric the quilt top can start to look so busy that the overall quilt design is lost.


And so, I have used a really simple traditional quilt design.  The center square of each block is sashed and in general I have alternated the printed fabric with a solid fabric for each alternate block.  Using a range of solid fabric has added an element of calm to the quilt top.  Selecting various solid fabric was not difficult as there are just so many colors in the Soul Blossoms fabric that provide a suitable color match.

Now for some really exciting news:~

Randi from Fresh~Squeezed Fabrics has very generously offered to give away a Fat Quarter Bundle of Amy Butler's Soul Blossoms fabric to ONE lucky Red Pepper Quilts reader.  Oh wow ~ The whole range!
Soul Blossoms Fat Quarter Bundle

To be in the draw all you have to do is leave a comment on this post (please ensure that an email address is available on your profile). International visitors are very welcome to enter!  Only one comment per person/email address will be eligible to enter the draw.

The draw will take place at noon (AEDT) on Sunday 16 January 2011, at which time comments to this post will be closed. The winner will be announced here on my blog the same day, and will also contacted by email.  The Fat Quarter Bundle of Soul Blossoms fabric will be shipped directly to you from Fresh-Squeezed Fabrics


 Thank you Randi for your very generous sponsorship!

Good luck everyone, and  remember you have to be in it to win it!

Rita

ENTRY TO THIS GIVEAWAY HAS NOW CLOSED.
WINNER WILL BE ANNOUNCED SHORTLY.

Tuesday, January 11, 2011

Queensland Flood Appeal

Australia is a land of contrast and extremes. After a decade of below average rainfall along most of the East coast of Australia, large areas of Queensland and northern New South Wales are now inundated with flood waters.  Eight people are confirmed dead, many more are missing after flash flooding, and whole communities have been devastated.



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To help make a difference to families who have lost everything Toni from Make It Perfect is organizing a Queensland Flood Appeal Auction.   On Monday 17th January, Toni will have a master list of bloggers who are running auctions from their blogs or Facebook, selling products that they've made.  The Auctions will be open for 1 week to allow for plenty of bidding time, and will close at midnight on Monday 24th January.

Toni has asked for bloggers who would like to support the appeal to contact her, twitter, facebook or blog about it - basically get it out there.  See details here.


In the meantime here in Melbourne we are thankful for our dry homes. The teens are enjoying the school holidays and are largely capable (?)  of fending for themselves.  This gives me loads of free time, and I have finished The Colorstory Quilt.

Binding:  Kaffe Fassett ~ Two-Tone stripe

To offer my support for the  Queensland Flood Appeal Auction I will be auctioning The Colorstory Quilt.  Auction details will be posted here on my blog on Friday 14 January 2011.  All proceeds will be donated to the Queensland Government Flood Relief Appeal.


Please contact Toni if you are interested in supporting this appeal by hosting an Auction.

Rita

Sunday, January 9, 2011

Sunday Stash #81

Now if I were to tell you that I didn't bring back any fabric from my trip to The United States you  would know, without a shadow of a doubt, that I was lying.  America is quilter's heaven ~ with fabric at less than half the price than we can source  locally and an abundance of online stores that will ship reliably within days of ordering! 


This bundle is Amy Butler's new fabric collection, Soul Blossoms.


I am loving these color matched threads which are making my mind tick over with ideas! Cutting into this bundle of fabric may just have to be next on my list of things to do.  

Enjoy Sunday,
Rita

Saturday, January 8, 2011

And the Winner is ...

The Art Quilt Collection: Designs & Inspiration from Around the World

The winner of The Art Quilt Collection book is ...
Cassey said...
I would love to win that book! It looks amazing! Glad you enjoyed NYC. I'm also glad the snow skipped us in the DC area and dumped it up there. ;)
A big THANK YOU to everyone who entered.  It seems everybody loves a giveaway, and let me reassure you that there will be more to come.

Rita