Finish #3!

 I have another finish to share with you today...

my third for 2018!

"Luna Park"....

is roughly 55" square.

Seventeen of these blocks came from my Gridster 

bee buddies....

and these are the siggy blocks on the back.

  

Thank you, ladies!

I'm so glad I went with this layout,

Before quilting

after stitching it together with all that horrid black 

sashing!

I think I have ended up with a much more lively and 

interesting quilt!

I machine quilted around each block first,

to anchor all layers together.

Then quilted with black and navy blue perle thread.

I used a stripey black and white binding, which a 

friend commented that it reminded her of a barber's 

pole.

I found this outside one of those hipster barbers 

shops, that are so popular in Melbourne now!

This is quilt #91 I've made!

(You can see most of the other 90 on a separate page of this blog)

...not sure how many more I have in me?

Do you ever think about not making quilts anymore?

I guess I can't imagine life without quilting!

Happy sewing!

SUZ

Hot Fudge!

I decided on this traditional layout for my latest 

finish!

I made a little 'cross stitch' type block to fill a gap...

and lots of two-toned, checkerboard pieces too!

I tried out some new homemade spray glue for 

basting....

(the recipe on "String and Story" blog is found here)

and I must say, I'm sold!

I've never found it easier to baste, nor been happier 

with the way the quilt sandwich held together!

Any puckering I blame solely on my wonky piecing!

A downside of the spray is that it needs to be 

washed out promptly;

so the rest of these photos are after the quilt has 

been washed and dried.

Given the Summer weather here, 

and the fudging I did to get some pieces to fit,

the name seemed obvious!

Isn't that garden pretty?

This is my favourite place to take photos! 

 Thanks Han, for letting me stay....

it was fun!

Happy sewing!

SUZ

Plotting and planning....

With one quilt finish under my belt for 2018, 

"Sanctuary" in its new home

and "Luna Park" being hand quilted in the 

evenings....

it is time to turn my attention to another WIP.

But first....

I had been wanting to make one of these 

strawberry blocks for a long time!

Isn't she pretty?

I gathered up all my Gridster blocks, and some 

orphan blocks too, that I thought would play nicely 

with one another!

I spent some time measuring them and transferring 

these measurements on graph paper!

(Yes, I know there are probably computer 

programmes that do it for you,

 but I'm old-fashioned 

when it comes to designing!)

So I am playing with possible layouts, 

There will definitely be some random sashing to 

be added.

And possibly some checkerboard 'filler' blocks too!

It is much easier moving these mini paper blocks 

around than crawling around the floor!

If anyone has any other ideas for me,

you know where I am,

plotting and planning!

Happy sewing!

SUZ

Sanctuary...

my first finish for 2018!

Once I had decided how I wanted to quilt this....

and knew I had the skill to achieve it,

                    there was no stopping me, 

          doing the bulk of the quilting on a 42C day!

I found a Jacquie Gering YouTube video online that 

gave me the confidence to go for it!

It's a wavy line created with my walking foot.

I made a 'matched' binding, following Debbie's 

tutorial here.

I made a label from a scrap of the backing, 

cutting out a window, turning back the edges and 

stitching in a plain piece of fabric.

Here's the texture on the back...

a vintage sheet, 

a sneaky contrast to the modern front.

It finishes at about 60" square....

and going to live with a dear friend who, I hope, will 

find much comfort from it.

Happy sewing!

SUZ

A love/hate relationship....

with Delilah!

I loved making Month 10- 

but Month 9, which arrived soon after my bike 

accident...

really had me despairing!

These are 6" blocks.  The curves are tight whether 

constructed by machine or hand!

So I improvised....

and made three each of my own versions!

This brings me to some plans for 2018.

1.  I will conquer my aversion to curves, with possibly a drunkard's path quilt.

2. I have a stash of black and white fabric that is begging to be made into a quilt.

In the meantime, I made this....

as a gift for my hand therapist!

3. And a large stash of Cotton and Steel fabric I want to make into a quilt.

But first, I need to finish this...

Do you have any quilty plans for 2018?

Happy sewing!

SUZ