Thursday 25 August 2016

Hexagons Update

Just a very quick post this time - I got a bit excited this morning when I randomly laid out all the big hexagons that I have made since I wrote about making donuts in March.

They're looking really interesting ... or do I mean weird! Some still don't have their centres.

This is how the big hexagons are made by sewing diamonds to the donuts.

I'm hoping to make enough for a quillow after the success of the one in my last post. That means I've probably done a third of them, but there's no rush as this is the project I pick up when there's nothing more pressing to sew.

Happy Stitching - Anita x


Friday 19 August 2016

Cornish Cottages Charity Quilt

Each year Flowerpatch Quilters make a charity quilt and this year's was raffled to raise money for the Motor Neurone Disease Association. The lucky winner was Leanne from Lifton.

All my measurements below don't include the ¼" seam allowance.
We called it the "Cornish Cottages" Quilt because of the 12" x 8" blocks containing the terraces of cottages.

Other blocks were:
12" squares

8" squares

and 4" squares

Each square started with a small 2" x 2" square and borders of varying width were sewn around these to the desired size.

These are links to the terrace cottage designs and the overall quilt plan that we used.
I do love scrap quilts like these when you can get started straightaway making the blocks, adding in new fabrics as you go, and stopping when you run out of steam so you end up with a double or single quilt, lap quilt, cot quilt or maybe just a cushion!!!

We always make extra blocks and sew these up into something which is raffled between the members who helped with the quilt in any way - almost all 50 of us! This year we've made a quillow. 














You can see the back of the cushion front to the right of the right-hand picture.
The quilt has been big stitch quilted with concentric circles and this is a handy guide by Karen of "Faeries and Fibres" on how to mark them out ...... which unfortunately I didn't read until they were done! We resorted to a quilting hoop, a tray, plate, bowl and jar lid; and even an absolutely enormous colander that Monica B. found in the kitchen of our exhibition venue!
A terrace of cottages adorns the front of the cushion part.

Already next year's charity quilt is in the planning stage - I can't wait to see the design and the chosen fabrics, at our 8th September meeting.
Valeri Bennett of Farne Designs is our speaker for the evening with her talk - "Through the Years in Quilts".

Another Flowerpatch year begins - lovely .......Anita x

PS. River Camel Quilters have their 2016 exhibition from Tues 30th August to Sunday 4th September, 10 to 5 each day. The venue is St Petrocs Church, Church Street, Padstow, PL28 8BG. 

Friday 12 August 2016

Little Harbours at Flowerpatch Exhibition

Yet another absolutely super exhibition by Flowerpatch Quilters recently and I just have to show you some of the lovely quilts, wall hangings, cushions, .... etc.

Firstly the smallest wall hangings, all 26 of them!, which are our Little Harbours. These are A5 size (approx 6" x 8"). We started making them at our April meeting and there is a bit of a tutorial here, and also a printer friendly instruction sheet.










Everyone has added their own ideas such as sheep in the fields, lovely fabrics for sea and sky, tiny white buttons with red thread for the lifebelts, a night scene with lighted windows, etc.

And these final two by Chrissie, the same A5 size, show how the idea can be taken and used for all kinds of scenes - gorgeous!
Some of us were so excited by how our efforts turned out that we made more than one, and someone even made six!! ............. me, of course - they looked soooo... cute I couldn't stop!

More about the exhibition next time - Anita x