Grandmother's Flower Garden

I completed this quilt over the weekend, and I'm pleased with how it turned out. I started this quilt as a secondary project, thinking I could just piece a few hexagons every so often. Needless to say, the task was much longer term than I anticipated. First, making all those hexagons - cutting out the paper templates, tacking on the fabric. Piecing the 'flowers' by hand was quite pleasant, but then I still had a mountain of pathway hexagons to make. Then came the enormous job of joining all the flowers and pathway pieces. I did that part in rows, making the quilt in two halves and then joining the halves together, as the two sections were by now quite unweildy. It was a relief when I could start taking out the paper templates. I trimmed the edges and attached the border by machine, then began hand quilting around each flower. The border took longer than anticipated too, but I was determined to finish the quilt over the Christmas break. Sitting under a quilting frame in Auckland's heat and humidity was no picnic, but I pressed on (listening to Rebecca, read by Anna Massey on my iPod). Then trimming the borders, making the binding and stitching it on and it was done. Phew!

Fruit Salad

I just finished piecing this quilt made up of random length pieces made into strips. The fabrics are a mix of new, recycled and vintage prints. I probably won't add a border and the quilting will be either simple straight lines, randomly placed, or Baptist Fans, which I love doing. The backing will be two retro print sheets I picked up in a junk store for NZ$4 each.

I now have three quilt tops waiting to be made into quilts. I thought that using up some of my stash would reduce the volume of fabric wedged into my bottom drawer, but it's hardly made a dent and I still have a number of shirts waiting to be cut up and prepared ready for use.

Op Shop Cotton Leaf

Just finished piecing this quilt. The design is borrowed from a book of African quilts, the pattern is Cotton Leaf, which is a Bear Paw variation.

The three khaki prints were all shirts bought at a local op shop in one shopping trip. The white fabric is one of Peter's old Brooks Bros non-iron shirts, as is the French blue. The pale blue fabric is another op shop find; it's a soft linen, and horrible to work with as it moves around a lot. The binding will be made from diagonally cut strips of the middle khaki stripe fabric.

Quilt therapy (2)

Here is my Grandmother's Flower Garden with the border design in progress. I'm quite pleased with it but a bit nervous that it won't join up properly when I get to the corners. I may have to fudge it a little to fit. I was a bit dubious about the border fabric, which I discovered in a bedlinen factory shop. It's very closely woven, which is hard wearing on my fingers and the quilting thread. The woman in the shop said it was pure cotton. It has been washed and came up well.

Afternoon tea

Here is a link to a recently completed project which combines my love for afternoon tea and my passion for all things hand made. I call this my Penny Rug Tea Cosy. http://www.flickr.com/photos/7700628@N03/?saved=1