Playtime

Began playing with blocks again this week, I needed something

quick and easy and not having to match  points!

So below are two of the blocks, I've gone for the blended look with these and they will

be set in a traditional manner, a bit out of the ordinary for more modern freestyle

pieces, I should be posting the small piece - top only - later this week.

Sujata, this is a great block and so many ways to use it!

scattered petals {update}

This week I layered up my 'scattered petals' quilt, did a bit of machine quilting to secure the whole quilt, and am now adding some hand quilting. I've been combining my hand & machine quilting lately, practicality plus some big stitch quilting is a pleasing 'hand made' mix for some quilts I think. I'm using no. 8 perle thread in a soft green.

Hopefully it shouldn't take too long to hand quilt around those pretty petals

Linda at kokaquilts, more pics over there
- happy sewing!

scattered petals {a WiP}

I wasn't going to make another free form quilt...

 but the temperatures are getting warmer, the trees are blossoming
and sometimes it's just nice to whip up something fun & pretty in pastels

- like this 'scattered petals' quilt

trial free form block

using up the last of those lovely silky fabrics

Quilt Stats:

 Inspired by the colour scheme in one Sujata's latest quilts 

and based on the 'windmills' pattern from her book, Cultural Fusion Quilts. 

Made from a scrappy selection of stash fabrics 

including Amy Butler, assorted solids, along with a little bit of Kaffe. 

edit: I quite like the idea of those petals continuing to cascade over the edge

- so I think I may just add a border

Linda from kokaquilts

The Northern Lights

I completed the top of my small quilt begun on Wednesday,

for this I used a quarter of the Rail Fence block

along with a completely different setting

to the original by Sujata

The Northern Lights
37" x 49"
Fabrics by Kaffe Fasset and Caryl Bryer-Fallert

This is another "story quilt" see below

The Northern Lights can be seen from the very top of
Scotland and I'd love to say that I had seen this wonderful sight before
we came to New Zealand in 1980,  I didn't but I have seen clips
many times of course.

There is a play on words with this piece, we come from
Lancashire in the North of England. For anyone who knows something of that area
there is a town called Blackpool, very famous for what is known as
'The Lights". In Autumn the whole sea front -  lamp posts, shops buildings - for miles is
decorated with the most amazing array of  bright lights, there could be
huge models of for example Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs and other
well known story book characters,
huge Catherine Wheels, spinning away merrily on top of the lamp posts.
 There is also Blackpool Tower - a sort of mini Eiffel Tower -
totally decorated and lighting the sky for miles around.
 The trams which run along the sea front are also
fully decorated and all lit up, it really is a sight to see and children absolutely
love it - I certainly did -  actually so do the adults! Sitting on a tram
or walking along by the side of the sea eating Candy Floss or sucking on sticks
of Blackpool rock was my idea of heaven.
For followers of Coronation Street, Hayley and Roy Cropper go for a special
weekend to see The Lights and dance in The Tower Ballroom after
she has received her diagnosis of cancer.

Absolutely loved making this version and I think another one is
waiting in the wings!

Maureen

Thank You & More

 I appreciated all the comments & compliments on my post a few days ago.

Thank you for sharing your experiences, too.

It is a pleasure being part of  this friendly, encouraging & helpful blog!

I finished the back for that quilt Flimsy Finished & wanted to show what I did with 

the blocks that were rejected for the front.

See that narrow pieced strip running from left to right?

The blocks were either halved or cut into thirds,

then rearranged with other blocks, sewn back together,

and finally trimmed to 5.5" square.

Next I plan to use that idea again & play with those 

original blue blocks Windmills or Winter???!

Batik Rail Fence Progress

     The details are on my blog because I did not want to take up real estate here and bore people if they knew the details of how I sew these together. I am using 6" strips that are trimmed to 5 1/4" and am able to get 4 blocks out of a strip with very little waste. I had bought a pack of 6" Tonga treats for something else and decided against it. The blocks are about 19 1/2" unfinished.
      I added some of my own and may have to adjust colors as I go along. I don't know if I will make a large or two small as I make a lot of comfort quilts that are lap size.

Nine done so far

Pairs left to go

Flimsy Finished

Near the beginning of June I started a quilt  

which I called Windmills or Winter ???

 (Both are in Cultural Fusion Quilts.)

Because I was going on a quilt retreat with my guild,

I imagined how I thought it would look & tried a couple of test blocks.  

They were okay so I cut the pieces out in advance.

This is not how I usually work & as I made more & more blocks,

I liked the top less & less.

So I put it aside for a while & then started up again,

& now I like what I've made

and look forward to finishing it.

This top is inspired by Sujata's 

Daffodil Dreams

To me it seems to be somewhere between Windmills & Winter.