Now Boarding

I made a start on Sailing The Seven Seas, three strips sewn with a little empty strip, which will be wider for the Flying Geese. Five more long strips needed and I'm really enjoying putting these together.

If you double click the photo you see more detail in the fabrics.  The turtles below are a good example of not being seen clearly in the photo above.

I love seahorses so this is a favourite

A few of the new Kaffe fabrics arrived a few days ago,  the middle one is a Philip Jacobs design - Ammonites,  just how much more vibrant can fabrics be - even for me!

Most of the prints this release are large scale, in fact one of them is the largest I've ever seen - Jungle - it comes in four colourways. Just a fraction of the design is shown below

I don't know how many of you reading this post are followers or readers on any platform of Victoria Findlay Wolfe, or have seen some of the amazing quilts that she makes in books or magazines. The first I knew about Victoria was around 10 or 11 years ago when I found her blog, she had a group of quilters, a large group, called Bumble Beans, a lot of us were online and I was able to take part in one or two swap projects, from that moment I was hooked. She wrote her first book 15 Minutes of Play -  Improvisational Quilts back in 2012 and her fifth book has just been released, mine arrived a week ago. - almost 300 pages!

It is glorious and exciting.  Thus far I've only read the foreword by Meg Cox and can't wait to set aside time each day to sit and read without any interruptions, a good plan at my place would be very, very early in the morning around 5.30am - dawn breaking, birds singing, a cup of tea and perfect quiet within the house - heaven! 

My words below could possibly be considered by many to not be relevant to posting on a quilting blog but I'm sure there would be many who share the sentiments,  forgive me if you find it unacceptable.

Given the state of the world right now, both natural and man made, politics, the horrors of war and suffering being endured by millions around the world I am so, so grateful that I am fortunate enough to have a wonderful family, enjoy my passion for colour, fabrics, quilting and reading, to have the pleasure of connecting with all of you quilters, to have time in my life for a little quiet and peace and find solace in my stitching.

Maureen

Just what happened to my January this year??

I posted on the 1st of January with plans galore for the coming year, sadly family health matters and my own health scuppered the plans totally. My reading of all your posts more or less came to a stand still, which saddens me greatly, my patchwork also, but, a new month now and things seem to be improving so here I am once again.

Good news - Sunny Days is now a fully sewn together top and awaiting it's turn in the quilting queue

I have yet to pick out a suitable backing. Quilt measurement 48" x 56". I used a  Victoria Findlay Wolfe
for the yellow triangles, had just enough fabrics to cover all the triangles - slight mishap with calculations so I hunted amongst a few of her newer ones - see lower right bottom right, thankfully they don't look too out of place as the yellow is the same shade as the original used.

Yesterday evening I was determined to have the quilt for our baby great granddaughter all finished, so here is the Lyra Rose quilt

  

quilted simply wth wavy lines to catch in the seams, they're not really noticeable here mainly because I used the perfect match of Aurifil pink.

The quilting lines are a little more visible on the photo below, this shows the backing also and you'll notice that I used the same fabric for the binding. It picks up the bright little pops of colour in the Tula fabric with tiny rainbows.

Measuring 34" x 44" with bamboo/cotton batting, very thin but it's so hot here that a thicker quilt would have been just too much.

I love Nasturtiums and they grow like crazy in our garden, a multitude of colours and the peppery smell is fascinating, same with the lovely veined leaves,  here's just about the last one now flowering for us, there is a story here.

After a session at the hospital my kind husband suggested we stop off at the largest patchwork store here in Auckland - The Ribbon Rose with three floors, one filled with fabric, another with the requirements for painting artists and the ground floor has stunning knitting wools, embroidery threads and lots more delights.

I headed to the top floor to browse the fabric whilst husband was in the painting department, I bought a little of the new AMH fabric but making my way back to the counter what should I spy but

this glorious Figo fabric. I immediately saw a future border here.

Home to Howick and called in Poppies book store, if you're a book lover, which both myself and husband are, then hours could be spent here. Comfy sofas to sit and browse and decide whether  a purchase should be made. I wandered around the Homes and Gardens section and immediately my eyes fell on a book by Tricia Guild, just the cover was enough to excite me but the contents were a colour dream.

Moody Blooms is the perfect title! I'll show a picture or two next time, it sits here on my bookshelf, a gift from my husband !!

I'll finish off now feeling so happy that I have had the energy and inspiration to write a blog after one month!!! Tomorrow morning is set aside for reading your blogs and then progressing to stitch the applique on the centre piece of Bramble Blooms 1.

Got to leave you now with a flower, a canna lily flowering in the heat here in Auckland.

See you again very soon, happy quilting and hope those of you dealing with the cold and snow are staying dry and warm.

Maureen

Spring 2019 - planning projects - top heavy on photos

Yes, Spring is officially here!

Down at the beach on a beautiful day, the water looks so inviting

but still on the chilly side so I'll wait until Summer before paddling.

My sewing studio is in quite a mess and desperately in need of tidying

but I'm still pressing on with more blocks for

Unconventional and Unexpected

I love the zigzag fabric around block 4.

Just 12 more and my target of 30 will be reached and I

can begin sewing up the rows.

Project planning - my head is full of quilts

I really want to get on with and after the five blocks from yesterday I

had to have a little play with two of the new fabrics from Philip Jacobs,

pattern and results below of the beginnings of a mock up of

Hex Star

a pattern from Victoria Findlay Wolfe

and I'm intending using PJ's big, bold prints for the stars.

 Continuing on with the floral theme in the two fabrics above

are three photos of soft, pale flowers in bloom in the garden right now,

colour quite the opposite of the brightness above.

Camelia Lovelight

Arum Lily

Ranunculus

I bought three of the plants above and we're heading off again to the garden centre

for a few more, I have a lot of gaps to fill in our front garden bed.

Off now to cut more blocks so see you soon.

To readers who are presently in the unpredictable path of

Hurricane Dorian you're in my thoughts, keep safe!

Maureen

Red is a Neutral for AHIQ: Improvisational Utility Quilts

When I began this challenge I had in mind a throw sized quilt, but I stalled.

I really wasn't happy with it, I thought of sashing to break up the red and

various other ways to stop the red overwhelming everything else.

Yesterday I almost took the blocks down off the wall to throw them in the bin!

After mulling things over I decided I had to finish, so I've gone with the small number of 

blocks on hand and found a border fabric which

I thought seemed to contain things a little.

Even now this still plays havoc with my eyes, and no doubt
with yours, and I have very mixed

feelings on it, but at least

I have a top, which is best viewed from a distance!!!!

To give myself a break from it yesterday I spent some time

reading the book below which arrived in the mail.

Stunning photographs of Victoria's quilts and

paragraphs on her early life, her history in

art and how she came to this point in her life as a

quilt artist.

So very interesting.

I also received an order of fabric by Kathy Doughty

of

Material Obsession

her latest range is 

Seeds and Stems

I am three missing out of the range right now, I'll order those tomorrow.

My favourite is this one below

and that's all from me tonight, tomorrow

I'm going to put time in for planning future projects and
deciding the order of quilts needing to be quilted.

A quick rose photo to finish.

Her name escapes me at the moment but her scent

doesn't - it's divine!

Happy Quilting