Time away

 After many months of not meeting person (Zoom just doesn't cut it) four of spent four nights together in a cottage on a farm in Tenterden. It was very quiet and peaceful and we looked out onto a field.

A big but very mild
Limousin bull

Maggie and Belinda sewing

Geese and sheep and pond in a dip.

Good friends and good cake

I have a May birthday but  I was still startled to see a cake make its appearance, chocolate topped with icing and smarties.

We managed a little bit of socialising. Friend Judi came round for supper and catch up and earlier in the day we had had a lovely lunch lunch with Marigold and family members. She had a lot to share with us and brought more when she came round for the afternoon next day. Here they are:

Hexagon flowers

Scraps

Made from a Liberty kit Tracy provided

Lovely Bear's Paw frogs!!

By coincidence three of us had signed up with Brenda Gael Smith to do her Region 2 Geometrix workshop. It was such fun to do it together rather than in isolation. The workshop rattled along at a good pace but with concentration even I managed to cover everything and catch up. I hope to do another one with her. After so much lockdown it's good to have outside stimulation.

My Geometrix samples

These are Belinda's

And these are Tracy's

Crisscross block

 I've had an enquiry about the block in the Crisscross quilt. It is simple friendship star block but the effects are achieved through the use of value placement of dark, medium and light fabrics. I assembled loads of scraps for this and used a friend's accuquilt die to cut the 3" finished half square triangles.

Here is a single block

Here is a a diagram of value placement. 

Note the arrows indicating pressing direction

Alternate blocks are turned to create the overall sense of interlocking light and medium trellises.

I divided my my fabric into two dark piles each with different fabrics, likewise for the light and medium values. This was so I didn't get the same fabric meeting when the blocks met.

I also pressed the seams on opposite sides of the blocks the same way but differently to the other pair so that seams locked when the alternate block was turned.

I started my quilt in a workshop with Jan Hassard who gave lots of information about fabric values and choice and arrangement of fabric. Pictures from the workshop here were posted with permission.

Jan's talks and workshops are second to none.