Getting back into the swing of things

 Lots of washing, ironing, shopping, cooking, cleaning, hair cut and admin. this last week and also back at Quay Quilters after missing the last meeting when I was away.

There was a pincushion challenge which I omitted to photograph then Show & Tell. 

Colin's super applique block for our
group quilt

John's origami piece. Exquisite

Mary has made lovely baby quilts
for young family friends.
So nicely made.

For a little boy who will grow up by the sea

 

I am usually the photographer for the WhatsApp group so absentees see our projects so my quilts don't generally feature but this time someone asked for my phone. I'm pleased as it's good to see them held up.

Sarong back

Then our talk was Ann on the varieties of ninepatches using her QQ beginners' sampler quilt (from 1997- I was class of 95) as illustration. Trip down memory lane plus lots of potential uses.

The completed quilt

Second set of blocks still to be made up

The current crop of beginners were making Grandmother's Fan with Mary I's guidance. We'll see the results next time.

Away and Back

View from our balcony

We spent the last two weeks of March on holiday in Madeira, our last and 15th time share year. It started off with rain and wind but ended gloriously sunny. 

I took my Africana squares to bind by day and put on the bed at night and took it home done.

The back is a sarong from Malaysia 1999/2000

Also as in previous years  I took photos of flowers with a view to printing them onto fabric. This time I made sure to take landscape and portrait views as required by the pattern I have in mind. There is so much "in mind" that may never get done.

Preparations

 I have arranged and numbered the blocks of my blue and red Simple Marks Shape Sorter quilt ready to assemble at an upcoming retreat.

I like the sidesbetter than the centre

The sides go right but centres off.

Karen Lewis designed this project for the Thread House and the blocks were a joy to sew but assembly was tricky. Karen used a single background fabric and this would have been a better option. Her quilt was ten blocks by ten finishing at 80", a useful size, and I may return to this pattern at some future date.

I used a charm pack to make a flying triangles doll quilt to sell at our quilt show coming up and hope to do more and also table runners.

I have left the binding on the Africana  to sew down on holiday.

I took an aide memoire photo of a section of my Quilt of the Crosses which I hope also to get round to while away.

On another note I finished my Blue Woolies Chequerboard on the 14th, the eighth and last from this fabric type. I'll try to do a post of them all together. Maggie  now has my remaining Woolies.

Ongoing

The residents' garden group met at Jenny's house learning how to divide clumps of primroses but also taking plants home to naturalise in their own gardens. We are lucky to have loads that come up every year. but it was good to eat cake and chat. Jenny is also a quilter and embroiderer and recently finished this wall hanging featuring images of flowers from her garden printed onto fabric and embroidered.

THe quilt on my bed was started in a Jan Hassard class using light dark and medium fabrics 
and a simple block to achieve magical effects. Lots and lots of scraps and so enjoyable to make and sleep under. Machine and hand quilted.

Detail of Modernish sampler

The Modernish Sampler has been tacked (a job I was putting off) and the sashing machine- quilted in the ditch. 

Now I am hand quilting the border. Once done I'll bind the quilt and start to quilt the blocks.
I try to think about quilting strategies as I sew past each blocks. Not straightforward.

 

Bits & Bobs

 

I framed the DP tulip block to bring it up to size and looking at the pieces laid out I need to do this elsewhere. Just the clamshells and basket to do plus fillers so should manage to get on with this.

Tried a bit of "webbing".

And I made the Quay raffle quilt chequerboard block - don't feel up to an applique one. Using the group fabric I miscut my pieces too small so had to use mainly my own. I hope this doesn't put the quilt out of kilter. I took in my fabrics hoping they will appear elsewhere in the quilt.

I finally ran out of displacement activities and ditch quilted the sashing strips of my Modernish sampler. The fine thread disappeared. I am now happily handquilting the border in 12wt. perle attempting big stitch. I'll post shortly.

One of my displacement actions was laying out the blue Simple Shapes blocks. I did the outsides first which pleased me but but I am dissatisfied with the middle but it will more or less have to do. When I come to the warm version I'll start in the middle.

And we had a Chartham Hatch day. I made a doll quilt using a charm pack which I didn't photograph but I did take a picture of a baby quilt Tracy made for (I think) her great nephew.

Super

Progressing

 various projects.

I resuscitated Sweet Tea and Green Beans as I have done the bulk of it. Of course I've been dragging my feet as these final blocks seemed the most taxing. Anyway I've just laid out the blocks to check on fabric placement and I may redo one of two of the more straightforward ones in different colours. 

I've finished the Drunkard's Path flowers and next up are the clamshells. I have done these before so should manage. Last is the basket. A previous attempt at that big single piece was not successful.

I've also completed my chequerboard block for the Quay 2027 raffle quilt.

Region 2 visit to Maidstone Museum

 Twenty of us gathered for this Guild day out. They fill up quickly as it's a chance to go behind the scenes. We gathered in one of  impressive Victorian rooms which still sported a whole tall wall of glass fronted bookcases with elaborately bound volumes preserved inside.

Quilted petticoats. The black one was especially fine.
One of the organisers was especially interested in these.

Detail of silk patchwork
Stars seemed to be a single piece.
 Perhaps the surrounding diamonds
were appliqued to reveal the
central shape.

A log cabin quilt including many shirtings, some quite coarse fabric.

Seemingly random hexagons. Detail.

A quilt with plenty of use,

Detail

Wonderful turkey red setting

Taking a close look

Selected quilts lay ready to view and my group of 10 stayed to examine them more closely.

Then my group with the museum curator went up into a the store in a more modern part of he building. We saw racks of clothes many 20th century worn by Lady Brabourne, also smocks worn by most of the rural populaton and a soldier's jacket from the Crimean war, restored but still stained with blood from his fatal wound.

I remember those instruments of discomfort.

In the afternoon we sat in tables of five to make nifty thread tidies and chat. I still have to do the final step.