Hand Pieced Hexagon Quilt

Let me start by telling you that this quilt top is not my handiwork.  I was however lucky enough to photograph it so that I can share it here with you.

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You may remember that I have previously featured my Mother-in-Law's hand pieced hexagons (here and here), and although my MIL is continuing to work on her quilt top (it is almost finished!), she is also a keen quilter in a sewing group whose members together have hand pieced this particular quilt top.

There are 8 quilters in my MIL's sewing group who have been meeting every third Thursday for more than 15 years.  The average age of the group members is approximately 65 and  they share, amongst many other things, much more than a century of quilting experience and know-how.

One of the group's quilters celebrated a big '0 birthday this year, and the above quilt top was secretly made by the remaining 7 members to present as a birthday gift.  This project was in progress for about 6 months and was a well received surprise for the birthday girl.

The hexagon blocks are made using just one diamond shaped template to cut fabric pieces.  Most  fabrics were carefully fussy-cut to create a repeat pattern in the center star.  The quilt top is entirely hand pieced.

Sewing groups are such a wonderful way to share and learn sewing/quilting techniques whilst sharing friendship, food and the highs and lows of everyday life.  These women are an inspiration for the commitment they have made to the group, their amazing work and their enviable bond.  

Thank you for allowing me to share this beautiful quilt top.

Rita

December Reading

I have a huge weakness when it comes to resisting new books and magazines and as a result enjoy my extensive craft  book library, where not only can I be as noisy as I like, but also drink a cup of coffee with biscuits on the side.

The latest addition to my library is Gourmet Crochet  by Christen Haden and Mariarosa Sala published in Australia by Penguin books.

Step aside Granny Square and take a walk on the wild side!  This whimsical crochet book has over 60 straightforward patterns covering all of your nutritional requirements.  

From platters of vegetable dip and sushi to stir fry, tomato sandwiches and sweet treats, each chapter is accompanied by detailed and easy to follow patterns suitable for beginner crocheters.

There's something for everyone, no matter what your tastebuds prefer.  From savoury ....

Images from Gourmet Crochet

to sweet:

Images from Gourmet Crochet

Delicious ~ without the calories!

Last week, by chance,  I also discovered the magazine publication Frankie, and what a happy find!  I thoroughly enjoyed reading a rather old issue which I picked up whilst waiting for an appointment and not only did I go out and purchase the current edition but have also treated myself to an annual subscription!

Frankie Nov/Dec 2010

Frankie magazine is a national bi-monthly magazine from Australia with a difference. Frankie is filled with fashion, art, craft, music, cuteness and real-life inspiration and is dedicated to uncovering the newest trends and celebrating the latest creative talents.

Images from Frankie Magazine Nov/Dec 2010

You won't find celebrity gossip or the latest diet in Frankie magazine, instead it features emerging artists, musicians, designers, crafty people and stories with cultural and DIY content .  It is witty, funny and beautifully illustrated.

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Fox in the Bed Quilt pg106 Frankie Magazine Nov/Dec 2010

 Frankie is about real people, for real people.

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Image from Frankie Magazine Nov/Dec 2010

Inspiration galore!

Do you have (or wish for) a new crafty favorite book or magazine ~ one that would also make a great Christmas gift?

Oh Dr Seuss!

The wonderful world of Dr Seuss - Robert Kaufman fabrics:  Celebrate Seuss! and Cat in the Hat by Dr Seuss Enterprises!  I do love these awesome characters that have brought so much joy to generations of readers.

And late last week and over the weekend I've enjoyed cutting into my Dr Seuss fabric bundles.

I really wanted to make a quick something that would be fun for a child to enjoy, and came up with the idea to make some placemats. It did require quite a fair amount of fussy cutting so as not to chop up too many of the characters, and the placemats certainly took a little longer to make than anticipated, but they've turned out so colorful and rather adorable.

The Dr Suess fabric collection comes complete with a panel of larger scale character prints and I have selected two of these to feature on the back of the placemats.

The placemats are quilted with a simple cross-hatch and bound in a black and white pin-stripe fabric which seemed to be an entirely appropriate match for these bold prints.

Sorry for the picture overload today!

The placemats are listed in my Etsy Store.  You can find the listing here.

Thank you for stopping by,
Rita

Sunday Stash #80 - Sweet Broderie

Sweet!   

Sweet Broderie by Australian fabric designer Rosalie Quinlan for Lecien arrived this week from the Fat Quarter Shop.

This is such an adorable collection of 35 rather cute prints in fresh colors, and I must say that  I have eagerly anticipated their arrival and have not been disappointed.  

Such dainty small scale print which lend themselves well to patchwork and tiny piecing, which you know I love!   Sweet Broderie comes in two distinct color groups: 

 AND

I am looking forward to cutting into these although that may well have to wait until the new year.

Happy Stitching and enjoy Sunday!

A Stitching Marathon

... and the Bayou quilt is finished.  The quilting was indeed a marathon effort and thankfully it was all smooth sailing.  Six hours of frenetic stitching (and also a little mind numbing) and just over two large bobbins of  thread were used to get through all that stitching.

But I think it was well worth the effort.  The quilting has added a whole lot of character to this quilt not to mention a beautiful texture ~ I can't stop myself from touching the rippled and squishy quilt.  To keep the lines running fairly straight I have had to mark every second line, lining up my ruler with preceding stitch lines at the same time ensuring that the line is marked at a 90 degree angle with seam lines.

The back of the quilt features minimal piecing using some of the left over fabric strips as well as a few extras that were used when auditioning different colors.

Sewing long strips of fabric together is not always an easy task and I do have a few simple tips:

• when cutting strips of fabric from edge to edge, fold fabric along the length, selvages together (although the selvages may not be perfectly aligned)
• line up the bottom edge of your ruler along the fold of the fabric ensuring it is straight and square up the edges of the fabric.
• be sure to take your time to rotary cut accurate strips
• reduce stitch length
• allow your sewing machine to feed the fabric through, don't pull or tug at the fabric.  Use dual feed on your sewing machine if available.
• Sew strips into pairs first, then sew together pairs, and then sew together pairs of four strips etc.
• Alternate sewing the strips from top to bottom and vice versa.
• If the fabric you are cutting has a really loose weave use a little spray starch (available from most grocery stores) to stabilize the fabric (it wasn't required for the fabrics used for this quilt).
• Press seams by allowing the weight and heat of the iron to do the work while you lower and raise the iron.  I do use steam when pressing.

For binding fabric I've used Amy Butler Full Moon Polka Dot - a much loved fabric - which frames this quilt with a zing.

As usual I have updated my Etsy Store and listed this quilt for sale ~ you will find the listing here. SOLD

Thank you for stopping by and happy stitching!

Rita

Bayou: Basting and Quilting

Another weekend has flown by and cannot believe that December is almost here.  It also seems to be that time of the year where my children are home more often than at school even though the Summer holidays have not officially commenced.  As an added bonus the warm weather is lagging a little behind (I really don't enjoy hot summer days and nights), with Melbourne exceeding average rainfall for the first time in 13 years. 

The task of basting my new quilt project was scheduled for the weekend, and was finished just prior to heading off to work on Sunday evening.  I have already shared the above picture on my Facebook page where my basting was referred to as Uber-basting : )  I do use A LOT of pins to ensure that the quilt sandwich remains stable whilst being  wrangled (carefully!) whilst quilting.

Quilting has commenced, and although I had planned to quilt lines parallel with the seams lines (because it would be easier as you can use the seam lines as a guide for stitching a straight line), I have instead opted to quilt straight lines perpendicular to the seam lines.  It is more difficult to keep the long vertical lines running straight but it will give this quilt the contrast it needs.

I have marked  lines with a Hera Marker 1 1/4 inches apart as a foundation to stabilize the quilt.  Once these lines are all stitched, I then stitch another (unmarked) line in between the foundation lines.  As a result the stitching lines are approximately 3/4 inch apart.

Now, back to the sewing machine, there is more quilting to be done.  Happy Stitching everyone!

Sunday Stash #79 Sanctuary by Patty Young

Sanctuary by Patty Young has arrived at Hawthorn Threads and on my veranda less than a week later.

Sanctuary by Patty Young features beautiful clean lines and comes in a cool (turquoise, lime green and grey) and warm color palette (chocolate, orange and raspberry).

The fabrics are of exceptional quality and are perhaps a little more lightweight than most standard quilting cottons ensuring they have a lovely drape and feel lovely to touch.  My preferred color palette are the blues, greens and greys, and my favorite print is:

Dahlia Lama in Seafoam

These fabrics have much potential, and if you are looking for Sanctuary inspiration look no further than the Sanctuary by Patty Young Flickr Group:

Image by Patty Young

Enjoy Sunday!

A Little Sneak Peek

A quick post to keep you up to date with what I've been working on.

A Day in the Country Solids

I've selected five  fabrics from my stash of A Day in the Country solids.  Strips were cut from the width of the fabric and arranged in a 6 row repeat.

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Aptly named  Bayou (a boy's name also meaning a slow-moving river or swamp), the quilt top and a pieced backing are finished.  Basting is scheduled to happen over the weekend.  Mmmm we'll see.

More pictures soon.

Make it Perfect - A Winner

A big THANK YOU to everyone who left a comment to win Make it Perfect by Toni Coward.

Unfortunately there could only be one winner:

Nikki :    Good one for stepping momentarily into the uncomfortable zone. You have a super cute skirt to show for your bravery!

NOVEMBER 22, 2010 4:19 PM

Congratulations Nikki!  Nikki has been contacted by email.

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Thank you also for your wonderful response to my new pattern - Alice

Alice - the pattern is available from my Etsy Store.  However if you do not have an Etsy Account you are able to purchase this, and all of my patterns, directly from my blog.

All Red Pepper Quilts Patterns are also available from the Red Pepper Quilts Pattern Store:

Pre-packed fabric bundles to help you get started making Alice have proven to be popular and only two one bundle remains.  You can find the listing here.    Sold Out. 

Once again, thank you for your interest and kind comments.  I really appreciate it!

Happy Stitching.

Alice - The Quilt Pattern

That's right, Alice is finished and I think she has turned out so pretty!  Who said blue and green should never be seen?

This was such a fun quilt to make, I've really enjoyed playing with my green/blue fabric scraps, and piecing simple blocks with a great effect.

And just like any other quilt, Alice deserves a fancy back.  The Owl fabric is by Australian fabric designer Saffron Craig, and was just the perfect size and color for the back of this quilt.

For binding fabric I have chosen a Kaffe Fassett Spot ~ an aqua dot on chocolate brown.  It ties in well with the back of the quilt,  and adds a bold frame to the overall quilt top.

And the good news is that I have written a quilt pattern for this quilt.

 Alice ~ The Quilt Pattern is now available from my Etsy Store. 

I have also prepared several scrap fabric bundles which will help get started making this quilt, and will provide you with a color guide for further fabric selection.  I know that choosing fabrics can be a huge hurdle in getting your quilt started.  You can find the listing for the scrap bundles here. SOLD  Starter fabric bundles INCLUDES  the Alice ~ The Quilt Pattern.

Happy Stitching!
Rita

RELEVANT LINKS:
Alice Quilt - in progress