Afternoon Clouds

As I took out the rubbish this afternoon I looked up to see these beautiful cloud formations in the east.  They had more of the setting sun colours in them just before these shots, but I had to go back inside to get the camera.

What's on My Machine

I have had this customer quilt for too long, knowing that it wasn't due until May.  May it is, so I am slowly working on it.  Stitching charcoal on black hasn't made it much easier so it is definitely a day time task.

Amish type blocks and the customer prefers heavy quilting.  I hope I have it right.

The back of the whole quilt taken with the early morning sun shining from the side.  Otherwise very hard to photograph charcoal thread on a black backing fabric.

Half Square Triangles

When I started quilting I stated that I didn't like making quilts with triangles and squares. I spent two days of instruction with Marti Michell in Sydney and came away with a love of her templates.

Great for accurate piecing and accurate cutting.  Never did figure out how to cut your strips 7/8" bigger than your squares cut your triangle and sew that bias seam neatly and without stretching it etc.  Plus the triming of the dog ears!

So Marti's templates have you cut your strips the same width as your finished squares,  the corners are trimmed on her templates, so no ear trimming and if you put your two fabrics right sides together they are in pairs to take straight to the machine.  Hence the reason Featheration stitched so quickly (well the large stars).

But students don't always have the same gadgets I do so, to cut half square triangles from a jelly roll or a strip the same width as you cut for squares, you can use a normal square.  Etch a line from the 3/8" mark on the left hand side of a corner to the 3/8" mark on the right hand side of a corner.  The first picture shows this with some Omnigrid Glow Line tape.

You then line up the edge of the tape with the edge of your fabric strip.  The 45 degree line of your ruler goes on the vertical line of the fabric. ( Maybe I should have cut this on the example to show you.)

I have also shown the Easy Angle Ruler, all three rulers are doing the same thing.

If you trim the ends of your bindings before joining them this way, it takes all the guess work out of which way do I hold this to join them , or the joins not being straight.

Long Time Between Posts

It has been a long time since I posted as my Husband and I drove to Melbourne so that I could see my "Featheration" quilt hanging at the Australain Quilt Convention (AQC) with the 'best of the best'.

Only five quilts from each state are chosen to represent their state at this show.  There were other exhibits on show as well but I didn't linger long after I had seen my quilt.

The vendor mall was small compared to Houston.  I suppose every vendor mall will be small after that one!

We enjoyed spending extended time with family and friends even Hijacked a Donkey so that it could meet a gorilla.

So if my son ever realises it is missing he may know where to start looking.
 My daughter knows which bed it spent the most time on and  it is happy to be spending time there again!

Almost 5000km in 12 days but well worth the drive.

Got to spend  my daughter's  birthday with her and Easter with my grandson.  Was great to be able to wander the paddocks with him, always on the look out for snakes though.

He enjoys being outdoors and the cows on the other side of the fence fascinate him, as do the birds he constantly chases.

Now it is back to work, to complete a lot of quilts for customers who are hanging them in the Gatton In May 2011 show.

Over the River quilt

I entered the embroidered quilt of my posts from March in our Local Royal(Agricultural) Show.  When I went for a visit to the show today I found out that the quilt had won First Place in its category and also Champion of the Patchwork Section.  My total prize money for the quilt was the same amount as the entry to the show!!!!

But it now goes on to  EKKA in August which is the State wide Quilts Across Queensland Exhibition. I just might try to finish a couple of more quilts to put in other categories in Ekka too. 

I don't make the quilts to put in a show.  I make them for me, then enter them in a show for others to see.
One of these years I may make a quilt purely for the show circuit, but that sounds like a lot of hard work to me.

APQS Machines

I have owned my APQS longarm machine for over three years and have had no major problems with it.  It was great to spend yesterday with two of the Engineers from Amercia and go through the sevicing of our machines.  They are very easy to self service.

AS long as you know the difference between man tight and girl tight.  We even through in a few teenager tights too.

Came home and serviced afew things on my mahcine and it is runnng even quieter.  I'll put on another quilt today and stitch away.

My husband even said I could go ahead and buy some new wheels for my machine, when I order my grease.  Good idea to have him accompany me!

APQS Mini Swap

There is a box finding its way from Australia to America with some very special contents for a lucky recipient.  I hope nothing gets broken.

Raw edge applique all stitched down in the quilting process.  Teeny tiny feathers, tiny little swirls and some small continuous curves.  The whole quilt is 24" x 24" so all the quilting had to be on a small scale too.

Once I have heard that the box has reached its destination I will post some pictures.