Featheration 2Blu features in America

I made the decision mid November last year to honour my mother by entering "Featheration 2Blu" into two American Quilt Shows in 2017. I was elated to receive notification in January that she was accepted into her first show, so with much trepidation posted it to America. In mid March I heard that she was also accepted for her second show. Winners of the first show were to be notified on the 29th March (US time) so it was quite a surprise to find an email that I was a winner at Lancaster Quilt Show when I woke on the 29th. I agonisingly thought I would need to wait until Midnight to find out what I had actually won. Thankfully I found out about 1pm. Not expecting anything a Third Place was much appreciated. Since my husband and I did not take the trip to see my Quilt hanging in the US shows I had to wait until FB friends posted a photo of my quilt to see the ribbon. Knew there must have been a reason why I woke extremely early this morning. These photos came through at 2am.

Limeberry Tart

I was approached by Down Under Magazines last year to write an article about Limeberry Tart.  It had just won First Prize in the Professional Pieced Category  at Qld Quilters Inc Quilt Show. The request came a week before my mother's  passing so I quickly answered the required questions.   A week later it would not have eventuated. Fortunately I was able to show my mother  Limeberry Tart with its first ribbon on my last trip to visit her.
Limeberty Tart now proudly hangs on the wall in my bedroom  for me to admire daily. I am almost ready to share her with a wider audience if she is accepted into NSW show, then I might even let her take a solo visit to the US as well.

I pushed the send button on entering Featheration 2Blu into two overseas quilt shows this week. After the trying time of my mother's passing I thought it appropriate to honour her by furthering the journey of my quilts. I will not find out until 6 weeks before the shows, if I have to send it overseas. Because of the number of quilts entered they Pre Judge entries so my fingers will be crossed. My husband and I were going to make the trip overseas to visit the quilt shows and tour the USA, however, the notification he couldn't get extended time away from work, my mother's passing and the invitation to a nephew's wedding in Hawaii all happened within a 48 hour timeframe. So I will send her alone and watch her journey on social media. A trip overseas to visit quilt shows will come my way someday.

Limeberry Tart is now sporting a Blue Ribbon indicating she won First Place in the Professional Pieced Quilt category at Queensland Quilters Inc 2106 Quilt Show. She had some pretty stiff competition in the Best of Show category and Congratulations go to Sue Duffy for her "Cudgery Creek" Landscape Quilt. The dilemma is now shall I send both "Limeberry Tart" and "Featheration 2Blu" on a road trip overseas next year.

Twelve months since my last post, but I can say that I was busy piecing!

Limeberry Tart is made with 14301 half inch hexagons.  From the time I started designing it to finished and dropped off at its first show was exactly 25 months.  So every spare hour for the last two years has been spent on her.

All the hexagons were thread basted, I found I could do this in the car as a passenger, on the numerous road trips we took to visit our two new grandsons.

I calculate, that on average, I  spent almost three hours everyday for those 762 days working on her.  Some days were more others day nothing!

At her first show I was very fortunate to win a ribbon. I entered it in the "Quilts Across Queensland" competition in the  2016 Royal Queensland Show  (EKKA as the locals call it).  It was awarded the Best Machine Quilting Rosette.

Last week she was hanging in the Toowoomba Quilter Club Inc Show during the Toowoomba Carnival of Flowers and I know she was admired by many visitors.

Next week it will hang in the Queensland Quilters Inc. 2016 Show and I have been informed it has won an award there as well.  Fingers crossed for her journey and I hope all the attendees enjoy viewing  her.

Not really missing in action

It has been an extremely long time between posts.  Mainly because I have been busy so hopefully I can do some retrospective catching up.  The latest and possibly best news I have had is the Best of Show win by my quilt Featheration 2Blu at the recent Queensland Quilters Inc 2015 Show.  This quilt will now be considered with the other 7 state winners for the Best of Australia in April next year before it sets off on a journey around Australia and New Zealand to the respective State Quilt Shows.

 

To say I was extremely excited would be an understatement.  My new Bernina B720 machine is already ensconced in my sewing table and it hasn't been home for even a week.  It just means my trusty Janome 7700QCP is now looking for a new home.

Afgeppab

This quilt started with an Appliqued centre block from a Cathy Van Bruggen pattern. I then used it as a Challenge with Sew Creative adding borders around the block in a defined order, each additional border had to be separated by a plain border.
Afgeppab stands for Applique, Flying Geese, English Paper Piecing, Applique and Borders.

My Centre block was a bit too large to fit the outside borders despite me measuring lots!!!!!!!!
So after I had spent six hours just SID all the pieces I cam back to the centre.

Filtec Essence thread, Magna Glide bobbins,  machine light switched off, Glide on.
 The butterfly is 1 1/4".  Before and after photos.  Sorry about the sideways shot!

Foundation piecing light box

I have started piecing another Quiltworx quilt.  I like to make sure the first piece I put on is in the correct place by using a light box.  That way I know I have it covering the whole space.  At home I would put. Light under the clear sewing machine table. Since I am away from home,  I have found I can use a plastic container with a clear lid and my small Ott light inside it.

New library books and techniques

I purchased two new books in the New Year to add to my techniques library.  Then put the techniques into practise with the quilt on my frame.  Used quite a few tools and these are just for the border quilting.

My 2 Baby Sisters

I have given myself some time in January to work on my own quilts.  The first one is a class sample for Sew Creative Gatton, based in My 2 Baby Sisters pattern.  I made mine into a table runner instead.  Used my Marti Michell templates to trim the corners neatly.

Then played with the setting.

Just the Beginning

This is my finished top for Sew Creative's challenge. There were 22 finished challenges.  There was also a fantastic presentation of textiles from along The Silk Road thanks to Morag and friends.
Now ago challenge myself further with this top by adding another border so it is large enough to enter into the Queensland Quilt Show 2014.  I am going to get my quilts finished for the show by January so I will not miss out........

Sunday Sewing

My daughter's baby shower is on Saturday next weekend.  I am teaching a Glacier Star class so won't be able to make it.  I really want to keep  three weeks of free time up my sleeve for when the baby comes.

So I am sending "Daphne" in my place. Haven't made soft baby toys before but this cute pattern shouted to me when "Voodoo Rabbit" came to our guild meeting.  It is a Funky Friends Factory pattern.  I think I will have to invest in some more patterns of the other animals.

I have filled Daphne's wings with cellophane so they make a crinkle sound when held.  She also contains a rattle ball.

I also found a letter my daughter wrote when she was five that I am including in the parcel.  That can be my daughter's birthday treat!

Countdown has begun in earnest.  33 days until I meet my grand daughter - unless she wants to meet me sooner!

My Glacier Star is quilted

Started Monday 19th November will be bound by Monday 4th February, so eleven weeks in total. I have the patterns and fabric sorted to make another Judy Niemeyer pattern - they do say they are addictive!

The quilting on this was done in mostly Glide threads love the sheen it gives to the stitching.  7 Bobbins of thread used so close to 1500 metres of thread all up.

 The quilting shows a lot better from the back of the quilt on the sateen fabric.


I have added extra photos as I know a friend has been waiting to see this quilted.  :)

What to do in a Heat Wave

Because it is a weekend I choose not to sew since that is my work!  So what do you do when it is too hot to go outside and you want to stand under the airconditioner.
Tidy your fabric stash of course.
I haven't tidied my stash since I started quilting in 2001, so today was the day for half of my fabric boxes.  I threw out any pieces smaller than 2 1/2", these went into 2 grocery bags to be put into old pillowcases and made into pet bedding.  I needed to get the stepladder for the other half so they can wait for another day.
Anything between 2 1/2"- 6" went into another large bag, anything over 6" that I didn't want to keep also got  placed into a bag. I then had a bag of paper and another of plastic bags for recycling.
I then  refolded all my fabrics and sorted them into the plastic boxes in possible togetherness.  Well all the Christmas fabrics, brights etc.
Then I reorganised the bookcases under my cutting table, now I have the projects I need to complete this year reminding me everyday. 

How long before this is all messed up again, I'd say the end of the month!

Challenge Table Runner

Toowoomba Quilters set their member a challenge of making a Table Runner for their open day in February.  Each member was given a 12  1/2" square of two different fabrics to include in the runner.

I don't use table runners on my table I use them on my breakfast bench daily so don't want the pointed ends and the tassels that the challenge requires.  I'll think of someway to make it fit the challenge in the next couple of days.

I used a Bento box type pattern and then I wanted to try the "modern" style of quilting on it.  So the quilting has nothing to do with the piecing of the runner.  I really like ow the double row of no quilting between the filler patterns adds more texture to the top.

It has HollyBurton Wool /Cotton Batting and although  being less than 8 square feet in size it took me over 2 1/2hours to quilt.
I will use it to show customers what modern style quilting can be.  But I also will have to tell them it costs a lot!

The further challenge was trying to get my pictures onto this blog.  We updated to Internet Explorer to version 9 and it did not want to allow me to post photos, so I am doing these from Mozilla instead.

Glacier Star Top is complete

After 78 1/2 hours all those itty bitty foundations are joined into a top.  It now should be 60" square. I haven't measured it as I still need to spend a few more hours removing the papers.  Now that I am finished I want to get into and start another one.  Think I may be becoming addicted.  It went together so easily.  Judy Niemeyer writes really good instructions.  My only (: is the amount of extra fabric that is not used from her original purchase requirements. For my classes I will go through the instructions and calculate the specific amounts required.  I know you need to keep straightening up etc when you cut but I usually allow 5% of fabric for this when I design a pattern.  Judy seems to have allowed a bigger margin.  With the tight quilting economy in Australia I think it would make a difference.

I will not get to quilt this top until January as now I really do need to concentrate on some customer tops.  Decided I will put my old Longarm back into my sewing room so I can have a custom on the new one and do the overalls on the older one.  I still have about four days to go on the Baltimore I have on my frame and since the customer won't be home for another four weeks it can come off for a while.

But come the New Year it will be major family and sewing room rearrangements.

My Sewing Room



The shallower of the bird baths



 My sewing room/studio is 4.2m by 5.2m long with cupboards along the 4.2 m end wall. It is a tight space to fit all of my sewing things within the room and I keep eyeing off my family room as a possibility for extension. I enjoy standing at my longarm and looking out the window into my Frangipani garden at the bird baths. I regularly have Blue Wrens, Willie Wag tails, honey eaters, doves and the double barred finches are back for this year.

 

The view from ny sewing machine towards my windows.

Rotated view from my machine looking towards my kitchen

Looking straight ahead from my machine.

Glacier Star

I was very fortunate to spend last week in Melbourne in a class with Judy Niemeyer of Quiltworx.  She was teaching her Glacier Star quilt, which is one of her patterns that is only available through Certified Quilt Shops that have undertaken training with her.  We spent four days some of them working up to 15 hours, there was nothing else to do in the motel,  with a few more hours over the weekend.  I can now show the finished centre part of the  Glacier Star.  The NYB blocks in the corners are only pinned on as the Circling Geese which I have still to piece, need to be attached to them before they are pieced into the quilt.  So far I have about 55 hours of piecing in it.  Someone mentioned the geese take about another 24 hours!!!!!!



AMQA Festival

I have just spent four days in classes at the Australian Machine Quilting Association Festival in Adelaide.

I went to the Festival to take classes with overseas tutors - Ricky Tims,  Cindy Needham, Megan Best, Renee Haddadin, Myrna Ficken and Sherry Rogers-Harrison.  I also had classes with local tutors Vicki Jenkins and Michele Turner as well as Teachers angel for two of Anita Ellis's classes.  So I was very busy.

I had entered my Spring Diamond quilt in the Large Traditional Custom Quilt category.  What is a quilt show if there are no quilts to look at. I enter my quilts to share - not to show off.  As I had a busy class schedule I was not going to go to the presentation evening, but decided to drag my husband along.

I was busily writing down the winners on the back of my class list as they announced them.  When I heard my own name, a tiny expletive came out before I hastily moved to the stage to receive my ribbon.  I was shocked, as my quilt was hanging with many other better known quilters work.  That third place ribbon is already proudly hanging on my ribbon quilt!  This is the first time I have received any judges comments from a show and mine were all excellent - couple of spots has tension issues. Was the only comment, and I won't mention that grammatical error either!

The same quilt was also published this week in Down Under Magazines #154.  I put it on my bed last night and slept under it. That is what quilts are really for!

Queensland Quilt Show

The Queensland Quilt Show opened today in Brisbane.  After hanging the quilts yesterday I returned today as I had been emailed that I was receiving an award.  They don't let on what the winning quilts are even to the hanger uppers!

My "Serenstar" came second in the Professional Small Quilts category.  All pieced and quilted on the Trusty Janome 6600. So now I have another ribbon for my collection, plus a fabric collection from Moda.

It feels great to have a quilt that you have made yourself hanging for everyone else to see.