Flower Garden progress

I've been meaning to post these photos for awhile and some may have seen them over on my blog, so excuse the repeat. I wanted to put them here in the hopes I might get motivated to get a wiggle on with it.

I chose this gorgeous old Kaffe fabric called Floral dance for the sashing. What an appropriate name, might have to call my quilt something like that.

Pandemonium news.

Some of you might have missed the discussion where Kim offered to do online lessons for the Pandemonium quilt which was posted in the comments here so in case you missed it, read on.

"This is going to be fun! seeing I've never done an "online class" - shall we just muddle along and see how we go? Let me know if you would like me to go over something in more / less detail.

I'm going to be internet-less for about 8 to 10 days, so in the mean time, you might like to start cutting up the freezer paper templates and bag them in a zip lock bags?

A tip - when you are cutting up those freezer paper templates, say a bird - number the body as 1 and the tail 1-2 and the wing 1-3 and if you make a slash mark on the wing/body join and a double slash mark on the tail/body join BEFORE you cut the pieces, it will make it easier to position the parts together. By numbering the applique pieces as described, you'll be able to see which part belongs to what. I also don't cut the parts all the way till I get to iron them on the print fabrics - so, if taking that bird as an example, leave a little part of the body/tail and body/wing joins so they are just still attached. I hope you are getting what I'm trying to say? may be I'll do a sample and photograph it and do a post?

The other thing you need to decide is the applique background fabrics. These blocks are surrounded by pieced blocks. So, you may have to consider that it might be good to have a contrast between the applique background and the pieced block backgrounds. I wanted to use the shot cotton/ prints for the pieced blocks, so a print fabric like the "spots" might be good. You can use different colour fabrics for the applique background. Don't worry about things not co-ordinating together. This quilt has soo many things in it, that most fabrics will go together ( within the genre that is - might not go too well putting Kaffe's and '30s fabric).If you haven't tried those shot cottons, they are really lovely with the Kaffe collective prints.
So - till I get back up in the internet again soon?
Post your fabric choices or whatever else you'd like everyone to see."

Cheers, Kim McL

I'm back on track

Another four down and that leaves one left and then I can play with the borders, excitement! I did have a little break from these but now I'm ready to play again.

These two are the weird ones, only a mother could love them, since I made them, that would be me.

I'm waving out to the sixteen new members of this blog, welcome to you all. More collective inspiration coming up  to keep us inspired and stitching I hope. 

Flower garden progress

Six more blocks for the ever growing pile. I've really been enjoying colouring them in and choosing fabrics. I've been pleasantly surprised at how fast and easy these are to stitch up. I'm going to have to think about the sashing soon.

 

Flowers

I've had my blinkers on again the last week, more blooms makes thirteen blocks completed. I've been thinking a bit about value so decided to make a couple in darker, moodier colours. They're not my favourites but I think they'll work fine.

one a day

I've done one block each evening and this is where I'm at so far with the Flower Garden pattern.

The background fabric is chalk spots and the colour is most true in the middle block below.

There's a bit of reverse applique but as Kim said to us in class, you could also sew those parts on the top.

Workshops with Kim

I know all you glorious applique enthusiasts would have loved to have been in Kim's class but since that wasn't possible, I have some photos to share with you all. The next three are courtesy of Belinda Betts who did the first class on Wednesday. The class project was the Flower Garden Quilt.

We had a beautiful venue in north Sydney that had large windows and a spectacular view, the food was really wonderful too.

A show, tell and drool over Lollypop Trees.

The rest of the photos are from my class on Saturday which was the last one, we didn't mind the cool wet weather outside at all. The Flower Basket Medallion quilt is on the right, is anyone making this quilt?

The Kaffe Fassett and Brandon Mably class was held in the room next door and after classes, there was a bit more show and tell. This quilt was made by Penny, my neighbour in the class who did a class with Kim a few years back before she retired from teaching. The Mariners Compass quilt is not available as a pattern.

I guess you know by now that the garden quilt will be my next new project.

I'm quilting!

I'm merrily quilting away on the Stars and Sprigs quilt. It's going to take awhile cause I stitch fairly slow. It was a hard decision deciding what to do so without a long winded story, I made the decision to please myself.

I tried out three different things for the center of the stars which all got unpicked before I settled on this. I'm too lazy to mark anything so it's all free motion on my domestic machine with a fair bit of in the ditch thrown in to control the puff.

I'm really loving the texture,  the applique and stars have a lot of poofiness with the help of a wool batting. I'm using Superiors kimono silk thread in white. The combination makes for a softer quilt.

I'm pacing myself to avoid any aches and pains so it'll be awhile before I can show the finish.

Ta-dah!!

Yee ha, the top is finished and it's glorious! The blinkers were the biggest help to get this one done by Christmas.

I do like the green and yellow start twinkling in the top right corner in Australia's colours. Not deliberate, just a happy coincidence.

Thank you Kim for releasing your amazing patterns, this one was a pleasure from the begining.

You should be able to click on the photos for a bigger view. The top is 96" square and I think a bit big for hand quilting so I'll be basting this one up and machine quilting although I'm going to try and not make that too dense so as to keep some softness about it.
Happy cherry, joyous holidays to you all.

The last parts.

It's been a joy ride doing the Stars and Sprigs. I'm very happy to say that I've completed the fourth border and the last two stars that will go on the ends. I'm saving the joining to the rest of the top for another day very soon just so I can make it last that little bit longer. What a happy time I've had sewing this and really the borders were the best part, they're just so exhuberant.

I'll be back when I have the whole top together.

One border to go

I've been away for a few weeks holiday and did find some time to stitch all the colorful bits onto the third border for Stars and Sprigs. Once home, I wasted no time in making another couple of stars and getting it all attached. A glorious moment for sure but I do have to say that my photos aren't too good with it being a grey day here.

 I'm pretty sure I can get the top all done before Christmas and then start thinking about the quilting stage.
Great news too, I'm looking forward to Kim's class for the Flower Garden quilt in February. How exciting!!

I noticed awhile back that someone was wondering how we can link individual's posts together so we can see progress. I thought that was a great idea so I went back on all my posts and clicked on edit then added my name to the lables for post options. Now if you click on my name at the bottom of each post, they all come up grouped together. It's the only way I could come up with but it works.

Prepping

I think I'll have my head down for awhile stitching stems. I thought I might as well prep the last two borders so I could put my brown fabrics away. I've drawn the pattern on the background with washable pens  with the pattern underneath and then used the Elmers washable school glue to attach the stems. If I let the glue dry, I don't need to iron them on and they stay put well enough.

I always cut my backgrounds with a pinking blade that I have in an old rotary cutter and then I never have to deal with stray threads. I wash my applique when it's finished if I've used glue. Prepping this way is easier than using a vinyl overlay for large sections.

Stars and Sprigs border #2

The quilt top is now too big to fit on the design wall so I clipped on some curtain rings for a photo. There's no doubting it, seeing two borders on is a joyful sight for me. I will admit to sewing on that bottom border  upside down which required a little fix me up with the seam ripper.

A few photos just in case you wanted to see the fabrics better.

The next stage

These magic blinkers I have are pretty special to keep someone like me on track with one project. It's a  glorious moment for me to have got the main part of the Stars and Sprigs together. Whooooo hoooo!!

Three borders to go on the journey of many leaves.

The hardest part was getting those last three stars done, especially choosing the colours. I found it really helpful to switch photos to black and white before sewing the blocks together, just to see if my values were working for me. As you know, colour gets all the credit but value does the work.

I'm guessing that Liza will let us all know when the pattern is available and then I can cheer someone else on.

More Stars and Sprigs

Woo hoo!! These are the last three applique blocks for the Stars and Sprigs, they really don't take long to make and I've enjoyed the small blocks that can be done in an evening. These last ones are darkish and more moody in colour but it's what I though looked right.

I'm getting pretty excited about nearing the end of the center part of the quilt so just some more star blocks and I can assemble the last three rows. After that will be another border and then another and then the last one. I feel the end is closer with every stitch.

Who else is going to be making this one when the pattern comes out next month?

A parade of blocks

I'm going great guns on the Stars and Sprigs blocks. I've been getting one a night done and I'm getting closer the the end each week.

I think I'm speeding up when it comes to choosing the fabrics. To keep it interesting I've played around with the colours and values. Some are moody, some are pastel and some are bright and colourful. It's colouring in fun.
cheers, Janet

My current obsession

I have the pattern for the Roseville Album quilt, I just need to clone myself if I want to start stitching it. Maybe I'll weaken when I start seeing the blocks made up by the others.

The only reason I haven't started it yet is because I have some blinkers on so I can focus on getting my other Kim McLean patterns done. I do have a little problem with UFO's.

I've been stitching away on this pattern of Kim's that I've had called Stars and Sprigs that's not available for purchase just yet. I decided to tackle a border before all the blocks are done just to mix it up a bit.

Here's where I'm at right now. Having it up on the wall in the sewing room is very motivating, I love this pattern so much and I'm having too much fun with it to switch projects just yet.

Thanks Pam for hosting this new and exciting blog! I can't wait to see what comes up in terms of fabrics and colours.
Janet