New Project - Sashiko Sampler

Yeah - how much fun is it starting a new project.

This one will be a Block of the Month starting early in 2018.

It is lots of sashiko and hand quilted panels.

Some are hand pieced first and the stitched.

While others are pre-printed sashiko panels.

It is so much working on these smaller pieces, as once they are stitched

they are finished as I am doing them Quilt-As-You-Go.

Three more piles this high and I will be done!

Katrina Hadjimichael Retreat

We have finished our three day Retreat with Katrina Hadjimichael.

What a wonderful few days we had with her.

I was working on my Pemberley Quilt that I actually started with her last year, but just haven't had time to get it finished. Shop samples keep on getting in the way!!


This is the centre of the quilt that I started on last year and did find a little time to stitch 
and  add on the corner sections and the next border..



This year I got the next borders ready for stitching - well almost - just little 
gold semi-circles to add.



I prepared these two blocks for stitching. They form the next round of 
borders - along with several more versions of them and another 
design yet to be made.



I am not sure the centre of this one is staying - I suspect the motif is not 
round enough for placement within the circle, but I do like the colour 
as it links back into my 'tongues' in the centre.



This block has some 'leaves' to be added around the edge.

So that is quite good progress with time snatched between co-ordinating 
the Retreat and helping others.



This is Katrina's sample.
We will have patterns available soon for it.
You can place your order at the shop now.

Little 1800s Quilts

Here are the next two Little 1800s Quilts.

They are so much fun to make.

From your set of five fat quarters you get plenty of fabric to make your quilt top, 

backing and binding. We have had fun piecing our backings as in the patterns.

This is number four which Cindy made.

This is number five which I made.

We have enjoyed hand quilting these little projects.

Number six and the final one just needs the binding hand sewn on, 

so we are now almost ready to go with the

"1800s Mini Quilt of the Month" Programme through the shop.

Number 3 Mini Quilt

This is number three in our Mini Quilt Series.

I love the fresh look of this one - it will be either a Spring or Summer wallhanging.

I have really enjoyed hand quilting these little projects.

Back soon with Number Four made by Cindy and Number Five should 

be finished tonight by me.

Number Two Mini Quilt

Just when I thought the 2" squares featured in my last 

Blog Post were crazy - now it this!!!!!

And the little sawtooth half square triangle units are 1" finished.

I think I am starting to like making small things.

At least they are finished fast.

And they make great hand quilting projects.

This whole quilt only measures 16" by 20".

Watch for the next one in the series of six.

They will all be in 1800s Reproduction fabrics.

I feel a Quilt of the Month Programme coming on.

Blue and White Cot Quilt

This has been my latest machine piecing project.

It is a Trip Around The World, like my earlier school quilt, but gone slightly crazy!

Those pieces were cut 6" and the new new blue ones were cut 2".

That is quite a difference when you come to cutting and sewing the number

of squares needed to make a quilt.

This has been quilted by Helen Harford in a well spread stipple which 
I think is perfect as it adds interest without taking over.

But I think it was worth as I love the effect of the blue and white cot quilt.

We have made both these quilts into kitsets at the shop.

Back soon with next mini quilt.

New Mini Quilt

Today was a whole day in the sewing room - yeah.

So time to start a new project - a series of mini quilts.

They will all be the same size so they can be interchangeable on

the wall.

There will be six of them.

The first one uses these 1800s fabrics.

First up I needed to make six tiny (5") basket blocks.

Then put them in the chosen setting.

I have ditch quilted in the ditch of all the blocks.

Now off to hand quilt.

This is the motif that I will hand quilt in the two squares

and I will use sections of the main block in the triangles.

Back soon.

Mrs Holder Finale

Finally my Mrs Holder Stretched Hexagon Quilt is almost done. 

The corners have been squared off.

Now I am appliqueing the outside hexies onto a small caramel border.

I have made all my corners the same.

Mrs H made hers very scrappy and different from each other.

Somehow that messed with my brain so mine are all the same but 

still quite scrappy like hers.

I love how her quilt started off quite controlled and ordered and the 

further she got out the scrappier it got.

I guess she didn't have a Patchwork Shop to pop into to buy more fabric!

This weekend I got to start a new project - a tiny Trip Around the World 

Cot Quilt for the shop.

I know my other machine pieced project is far from finished, but this 

one for the shop had to take priority!

You can see about half of the cot quilt above. It is inspired by Malcolm's quilts.

It is a new range of fabrics into the shop and we will be making up

kitsets of this quilt soon.

Back soon.

New Quilt Project

This last week has seen the start of a new quilt project.

This is is reproduction of an antique quilt that I bought at the 

Auckland Quiltmakers Show in May.

I am using a range of fabric from my stash and some of the 

recent "Putty and Mortar" range.

I need twenty-five of these blocks.

Some are paler while others have a bit more depth of colour.

Studying the old blocks in the antique quilt has been fun, as 

the quiltmaker who is unknown, has not made them all 

regular like this one. 

Some vary like this - 

- did you spot the odd one out?

Others are even more varied

So they have been fun to make and to wonder why she did this.

Was she running out of fabric?

Or was she being quirky?

Oh if only old quilts could talk and tell their story.

New Cot Quilt

I have been busy making a new cot quilt for a family member due soon.

It is made with Elizabeth Hartman's "Pond" fabric.

Yes the same range that I made this year's school quilt from.

I love it and it is nearly all gone as we have made kitsets up of the school quilt.

It simple 60 degree triangles and the Mum wanted it mixed up with no set pattern.

A good choice of hers I think.

Her curtain fabric has the sea blue like the binding and the rose pink.

So I think these fabrics will work well. 

Back soon with a new machine pieced project.

School Programme Update

Friday saw my last session with the students at Redoubt North School.

We got the bindings on our quilts this week.

It was great to be part of another successful quilt making programme.

The boys' quilts

The girls' quilts

That makes twenty-six quilts ready for use.

And one hundred students have now made quilts over the last four years. 

Nantucket Baskets

Cindy and I have begun a new wool project which will be a Block of the Month.

It is based on the beautiful Nantucket Baskets and will be a wallhanging.

This is Cindy's first block  #3.

And my first one #6.

Back to preparing the next block now.

NICU Quilts

Over the last two weeks I have been busy making Little Quilts for 

Auckland Hospital's Neo-Natal Intensive Care Unit.

Through the shop we aim to make about 800 - 900 quilts per year.

These 16 quilts were all made from some sample rectangles given to me 

by one of my wholesalers, but the fabric are so pretty that no 

clever design is needed - the fabric does all the work.

Some are soft and pretty and are quilted with a wavy stitch across the diagonals.

Others are a little bolder in colour and are quilted with double

straight lines on each seam line.

Our minimum measurement for these ones that go home with babies is

20" by 24" - these are a little larger but that is fine.

We also do some 1 metre by 80cms which act as incubators covers 

in the wards and don't go home.

I have also been back out at school for day two of our quilt programme.

      

The aim this week was for all our rows to be sewn together and they did very well.

They sewed while I ironed!

Back to hand quilting my new taupe Block of the Month "Kyoto Flower Pots" now.

Back soon.

2017 School Programme

This year's Redoubt North School Programme is underway with a new project this year.

This is my sample - Trip Around he World in Elizabeth Hartman's Pond fabric range.

I can cut you a kitset if you would like to make a quick and easy quilt.

The squares were cut 6".

I have 26 students involved this year which takes our total to 100 quilts
made by 100 students. This the fourth year of the programme.

Each student makes their own quilt which they get to take home.

I have organised sponsorship for all the costs of the programme, as this 

school is in a low economic (decile) area. 

This Friday they planned the layout of their quilts.

There was lots of excitement as they opened their bags to reveal their fabrics 
and even more as their quilts took shape on the floor or table in front of them.

Then is was on to some accurate machine piecing and wow did they do well.

Some finished their first row and began piecing their second.

Back in a fortnight with more progress.