April's + and x Friendship blocks

I may have given this month's blocks away,

if you follow me on Instagram!

I was so excited when my blocks from Carla arrived,

 I had to share them!

Carla's on the top, and mine on the bottom

They are SO pretty,

a little touch of Spring 

amongst some grey Melbourne days.

There are a lot of similarities between the sets!

It is hard to imagine we are about to 

make our last round of blocks!

This is a pile of fabric possibilities for our last 

month...

Then we will spend some time 

putting our quilts together-

All will be revealed in September!

Happy days-

SUZ

Really Random Thursday

I don't think I showed you the Easter bunting

I made for faraway friends...

and the back!

This cute mosaic is a recent addition 

on the footpath at my local shopping centre,

Very cute!

and it seems like patchwork patterns 

are gaining popularity here.

I've made some recent fabric purchases,

the foxes were from L'Uccello, the others from Big W!

And I bumped into Ralph Fiennes,

when I was out to dinner the other night!

Can you tell I was pretty excited?

This is how some of you might know him...

'Voldemort' in Harry Potter

That's okay, my future daughter-in-law didn't 

recognise him either!

Happy days!

SUZ

Squares....

I used some of my playtime this week 

to finish these....

I was intending to do a spiral 

but I'm afraid my skills weren't up to it!

I am happy with it though....

Here's the second one....

with a slight quilting variation

They each finish at about 11"

I think I will make two more....

I have enough scraps, that's for sure!

Sadly playtime for me is over-

it's back to work tomorrow!

Linking up with Quilt Story-Fabric Tuesday

Happy sewing....soon!

SUZ

Sewing up a Storm....(pun intended)

A long wait at the airport

gave me plenty of time to plan

what sewing I was going to tackle

when I finally arrived home!

First up, Debbie's MCM bee block...

Rolling Diamonds by knottygnome

Do you think there is enough contrast in it?

Next I pieced all my Scrappy Sandwiches together...

I'm looking forward to quilting this soon 

when I get backing and batting.

I have my binding ready though!

Finally, my Liberty cushion...

Before stitching it together

has its final stitches completed.

But I will save the full reveal for another day!

Did you have some sewing time this weekend?

Happy sewing!

SUZ

Watching the news...

rather than being part of it!

Rather than risk being stranded by the floods anticipated to come as a result of 

Cyclone Ita,

we beat retreat from Port Douglas yesterday....

We had fun....

relaxed and ate luscious food!

Now my sewing machine is calling me...

I hope to have something to share very soon!

Happy days!

"Adding Layers"- a book review

Kathy Doughty's new book, "Adding Layers- Color, Design and Imagination", is indeed, full of 'vibrant, graphic designs!

A glance at some of the words used in the names of the quilts- 'spin', 'fractured', 'party' and 'madness' are an indication of the fun and movement in the quilts featured.

I like the rationale behind the book- the challenge 'to expand ideas and habits'. 

I love this one!

Kathy asks us to consider "what type of quilt do I want to create?"

- 'a pop song' - modern, popular, fashionable

or a traditional 'symphony' of colour and pattern.
An interesting concept.....

Practicalities such as tools/rulers, a design wall, stash fabrics and cutting techniques are all discussed in the first part.

This leads to the first group of quilts.  Kathy encourages us to 

'put our stash to good use'. We all need to use our stash!

My stash....

This section is full of unique and colourful 'scrap' quilts, one using ricrac, another an applique border of household items:

Not sure I'd make this with the 'odd' mix of applique though?

The next section is about using time saving templates, but most importantly, with traditional cutting methods also being provided.  

Shapes such as triangles, diamonds and hexagons feature here:

I love this one!

The final chapter is devoted to scale; 'upscaling' specifically! Large baskets, lilies, churn dash and stars take centre stage:

I like this idea. I think it could be applied to many patterns with interesting results.

There is no indication of the difficulty level for the projects but most, in my opinion, would require competent quilting/sewing skills.

Although I have not made anything from this book (yet!) the instructions are detailed and seem well written, supported by drawings and photographs, for those visual learners out there.

Kathy's style has always been innovative and brave and she continues to inspire with her latest publication.

I'm trying to decide which quilt to make first!

But that will have to wait, I'll be lazing by a pool or walking along a beach for the next week!

Happy sewing!

SUZ