Happy Mothers Day and May BOM!

Happy Mother's Day to all!

I hope you are all having a lovely day.  I am going to take my mum to our local quilt show.  I will be taking photos and do a blog post tomorrow with lots of the quilts and the winners for you.

Now down to the nitty gritty for those following with my Block of the Month this months block is Puss in Corner.  This block evokes memories of playing this game in the shelter sheds at school before the fire burnt them down.

For this month we need 3 fabrics, this is what I have chosen!

But then I changed my mind for the hand piece block and have chosen these.

From your dark fabric you will need to cut 1 X 4.5" square and. 12 X 1 7/8" squares

From your light you will need to cut 4 rectangles 3 1/4" X 4.5" and 8 X 1 7/8" squares

From your medium you will need to cut 4 rectangles  1 7/8" X 4.5"  and 8 rectangles at 1 7/8" X 3 1/4"

We then lay it out like this.

I then place the four patch parts together the outer square and the rectangle to finish the 9 patch variation and then the middle section of rectangles.  Remember to shorten your stitch length as these squares are a lot smaller and you don't want the seams to undo.

We then press the seams to the dark side!

Then we add the medium smaller rectangles to the edge of our four patch like this.

I pressed this to the outside so no seams back on themselves.  I then line the other piece we previously did and sew them to each block and this forms a variation of a 9 patch.

I then sew the middle sections to each other to give 3 rows to make the block

I have pressed the top and bottom seam sections to the centre and the middle section to the outer area of our block.  This all helps in nesting of seams to make a neat matched up block.

And TA DA! One puss in the corner block is complete!  I will do the hand pieced one over the next couple of days.

Here are all of the machined blocks so far together, don't they look great.  

I have loaded a new quilt on to my frame and will start quilting on that one.  I hope I can show you a couple of snippets but unfortunately I will not be able to show you entirely until July.   

I truly hope you have a fabulous Mother's Day and that you enjoy it no matter what you are doing.  Now it is almost time for me to go to the quilt show and see what else I can find and take some good photos.

Until tomorrow's post have a great day.

Wendy

Lazy hazy Sunday or was it?

Happy Sunday to you!

I love a slow enjoyable Sunday don't you?

I would really like to thank Kathy for hosting her linky party for slow stitching Sunday every week.  I don't always get a chance to link but I love to look when I get the chance, I encourage you to check outKathy's blog and all the links at slow stitching Sunday Here

Firstly today I had to do the usual catch up cleaning etc since I have been to melbourne to the Australasian Quilt Convention on Thursday and Saturday.  And of course I was almost out of bread so that was first on the agenda.

Then onto the other bits of housework and a walk with the dogs.  Then onto organising my sewing area and tidying up.  I decided and chatted with hubby about making a pressing board.   So we decided to use an older chopping board which isn't used anymore and some cotton wadding which he stapled onto the board.

I then made a cover and put elastic in the edge casing which I sewed onto the edge as I neaten the edges. I decided this way I could change the cover easy. 

And here is my finished result.

This has left me with time for my true love to end the day with.  I am hoping I can actually work a lot on this quilt this week and load another onto the frame on Tuesday.  

This little quilt has been worked on almost for 18 months and it is truly coming close to a finish and a big reveal.

So I hope you all have a wonderful day and all the very best for an amazingly creative week full of inspiration.   My other dream of having my own website has also become a reality.  It is still being worked on so I will let you all know when it is fully working but please take a look and if you need anything please send an email and I can arrange it all for you.  Please have a look http://wehagodesigns.com and let me know what you think.  

So until the next post take care and have fun sewing or creating amazing things and enjoy life!

Wendy

Fun Day in the city at AQC on Thursday

What a wonderful way to start the day!  Firstly ended up parking in the same carpark as my daughter not far away from the exhibition centre.  We then walked into the city to http://www.lepetitgateau.com.au/wps/wcm/connect/Le+Petit+Gateau/home and experienced a little Paris in little Collins Street.  Afterwards decided the almond croissant were so delicious I needed to bring one home for hubby but unfortunately they were completely sold out and it was before 10 am, so I gather that a lot of Melbourne foodies know where to find their wonderful goodies.  I had to settle with a couple of plain croissants for him which we enjoyed for a snack in the evening. 

Next we walked our way back to the car and then onto the Australian Quilt Convention.  We decided we would take a make and take class that lasts about 50 mins.  So fabric painting was the way to go with Libby Richarson, and we booked ourselves into this class and then wandered off around the vendors and the quilts.

Here is a few of my goodies from the vendors, a new pair of scissors so that I do not cut a hole in my quilt when I am trimming the ends, a smaller Hera marker for marking my quilts ready for quilting the design on them, a Purple thang and some Hiroshima Shashiko needles.  I did also get some more blades for my rotary cutter.

So today I have stayed home and rested and photographed a few quilts and buntings fr my website.  It will be fully operational within in a week and I will blog and let you all know.  

I am filling in teaching on Mondays soon at the Sewing connection and I am really looking forward to it. I have put together a sample top for the girls to have a look at.  I hope they are inspired to try it out.  It's been a lot of fun and I will write the pattern for all to enjoy as not all of you live her in Australia with me.

This is it and I am calling it Blossoming News.  

So how has your week been?  Let me know please, would love to hear, as for me and hubby we are back into the city tomorrow for some retail therapy and back to the quilt convention as there is always something new to be found.  So breakfast with hubby but tomorrow we will go to https://www.zomato.com/melbourne/caffe-e-torta-1-cbd which is our normal favourite coffee in town.  Then off to a few of our other favourite shops before ending up at the quilt convention.   Tomorrow I will take a few photos of my favourites to show you all.  In the meantime have a great day or evening whatever you find yourself doing.

Take care and be creative,

Wendy

April Bom - hand sewn block

Happy Tuesday to you all!

Today I have finally finished my hand sewn block for this months block of the month to be know as the bakers dozen!

I think you will remember this block from the previous post that I had cut it out but not sewn.

The following is a few photos of the block going together.

First I sewed the four patch units for the corners.

Don't they look fabulous?

Then I attached the top two corners to the centre rectangle to for the top row of the block

I then moved onto the lower part of the block, then to the nine patch which is our theme for this block of the month if you are new to my ramblings.   We are all having lots of fun discovering different nine patches and how we can use them in different settings.  

Once the nine patch centre block was done I attached the side rectangles and then proceeded to attach the bottom and the top to the block.

And Ta Da! Happy dance time!  Just a little note, I do not press my hand sewn blocks until I am about to sew them together, that way I can workout which way to press the seam.   So none of the blocks in this post have been pressed since cutting.   I hope this makes sense to you all.

I then decided it was time to have a looke at these blocks together!   I am loving how this is forming.  Please let me know how you are enjoying it!  This week has lots of big happenings in my life.  So tomorrow I will give you another little blog post with the next couple of quilts or quilt tops that I have made.

I am looking for your help and in return will have a little giveaway so please stay tuned for the announcement.

In the meantime I hope you have had a terrific Tuesday.  Be sure to leave a hello and don't be shy.  Would love to hear what has been coming your way!

Remember to take time and smell the roses and enjoy some creativity in your day.

Wendy

April BOM and it's no fools joke either!

Hello everyone!

Thank you for being so patient with me!  I would like to link up to Confessions of a fabric addict for Whoop Whoop it's Friday, be sure to check out all the other posts Here and also to A Quilted Passion for Whoomp there it is linky party! So let's party on and check outAll the blog action here

So onto the business for our Block of the month, this time you will need two fabrics

These are my selections for my blocks, remember I am doing one by hand and one my machine.

This month I have chosen to do the 7 Grid Chain.   It has a 9 patch in the centre and it has four patches and rectangles to make up the block.  This will make a wonderful quilt almost like an Irish chain if you only use the one block throughout a quilt.   

Now for Cutting Instructions:-

From these fabrics you will need to cut the following

From your background 4  (4" X 5.75") and 12 (2.25" squares)

From your main fabric you will need 13 (2.25" squares)

Now let's get to laying them out

This will be my hand pieced one and as I am a day late and have had a house full of illness all week I will update the blog in the next couple of days with this block.  

Firstly piece your four patches and nine patches together so it looks like this

Then we piece these units into rows and then the rows into a block to have it look like this

This is our finished block and the following photo is all of the machine pieced blocks so far.  I'm excited how these are coming together.   

Now I have been busy and piecing lots of things since I have hurt my wrist.   So next week is a week of pattern writing and the launching of my website!  I am so excited that I am doing the happy dance and able to use my wrist much much more.   I have even started doing my hand quilting again!

Now please tell me what are you happy about this week!  I love to hear from you all, so don't forget to leave a comment and I promise I will find time to do a couple more blog posts this week with all the exciting things I have been working on over the last three weeks.

So have a wonderful weekend and I hope you enjoy this block like I have.

Keep on smiling as you keep on creating,

Wendy.

Not just a slow Sunday but a slow week!

Hello to everyone!

I trust you are all as well as you can be and enjoying the weekend!

Last weekend I had a bit of a collision with one of our dogs and went down like a sack of potatoes and last Sunday ended up in ER and recieved a half cast with a diagnosis of soft tissue damage or. Scaphoid Fracture!  Argh!   Was my cry!

Not to be bored out of my brain I decided I could operate the sewing machine and I unearthed my 2.5" confetti squares.   Some I cut from my scraps some are from my swap group where we swap 49 in an. Envelope once a month during the year.   So I have started on this little top with black and whites and colours!   I have a red and an orange block done

Here is my container with them sorted into lights or low volume and darker and black and whites.

Not long after I started the above blocks hubby asked if I could make him a little quilt to put under some of his work to protect my floor and what he was working on!  So what do you do, stop the quilt top you're working on and start another!   

Here is the result.  I will quilt this up for him as soon as I can.

On Tuesday I went to my Doctor and he sent me off for a scan on my hand on the Wednesday and I went back to him on the Friday for my result!   He knew I was tired of the cast as it all felt wrong.   So to my relief on my return visit he gave me the all clear of the scaphoid fracture but told me I have ligament damage!   Oh no,  well I know it will take about 6 weeks before I am back to full strength but I do know I can do little bits here and there!

Enter the next confetti quilt, this will have a type of 3D effect with a chain like happening around and through it.

Now for today, I decided I would finsh a couple of quilt tops with borders!

This is a quilt I did with local quilters last year but realised I must get some of the green from Ella Blue to put the final border on!   So off to the quilt shop tomorrow!

Now to cut the border for my wonderful 49th birthday quilt from Kathi!  She found this wonderful quilt for me and gifted it! I am so thankful to her and I'm looking forward to quilting this later in the year!

Here it is!  I think this will be awesome and my mind is contemplating my quilting design now!

So as you can see I would love to be hand quilting but I can only do these sorts of things slowly with lots of breaks for my hand.  I can cut small amounts at the moment for a short time only!

I am so happy to be able to link with Slow stitching Sunday with Kathy take a look at all the eye Candy!

Now it's your turn, tell me how your week has been and what are you doing this weekend, I'm curious!

Until, a few days time, I hope you enjoy yourself and can be creative!

Take care and remember please say hello!

wendy

March and February BOM update

So I'm sure you have been waiting on an update.  Sorry things have been a bit busy but a few blog posts over this week will explain them all. Anyway above is the handpieced February block the uneven 9 patch. 

So then I started the hand pieced block for March and this was lots of fun.  The Dutch 9 patch, I started with the centre and to get it correct we had to use a generous seam rather than a scant seam.

Here is the centre finished.  Then I proceeded to join the other units to make rows to complete the block. 

Complete ready to go with the others.

   

Here is the three months of all the hand pieced blocks together. 

And look at this, all of the blocks I have completed, the machined blocks and the handpieced ones.  I am so looking forward to making both of these quilts, one by machine and one by hand!  

Over the weekend I had a little accident and fell.  I have my right wrist and arm in a half cast. I need a scan to determine if I have soft tissue damage or if I have a scaphoid fracture.  So whilst I can't cut I have found I can sew and I have a lot of 2.5" squares from leftover scraps and a wonderful group of swappers.  So this is what I have been doing to while away my boredom. 

So until tomorrow's catch up.  Tack care and have fun creating, I know I am.

 oh and don't forget to leave a comment, I love to here from you all.

Bye for now

Wendy

March BOM

Wow! Where has the last month gone!  

For this month you will two of your fabrics to make the Dutch 9 Patch.  I really love the look of this block once it is together.  I have fallen behind with my hand piecing but have been very busy with a few other projects my please be reassured I will be sharing these with you over the next couple of weeks.  So stay tuned and if you haven't signed up to get my blog to your email or on your bloglovin now might be the time.  

Now let's get on with the cutting!

From your back ground or lighter fabric cut four of each size 4.5" squares and 1 7/8" squares

From your highlight fabric cut four 4.5" squares and  five  x 1 7/8" squares

Look Below at the layout and piece the rows as follows

Firstly piece the centre nine patch in the manner of the first month

When pressing press the seams towards the dark side, then make sure you press the seams on the middle row outwards and the top and bottom rows press the seams inwards. 

Here is the machine sewn one in rows.

TA DA!

Here is my Dutch nine patch complete!

So until my next blog post in a couple of days have great fun making this great block!

Have lots of fun,

Wendy

February block of the month!

February Block of the Month is Here!

Today is a very special person in my life birthday so a big Happy Birthday to Margie Burke!

I hope you all are enjoying making this with me!   Today I chosen three fabrics from my bundle, and once again I will make one by machine and one by hand.  I will update this blog post with the one  hand pieced block later in the week.   I have been struggling to finish my quilt and have an ongoing minor health issue I am dealing with this week.

Ok, lets do this!  From our three fabrics I have chosen a dark, medium, and light fabric.  I have also fussy cut the centre a little bit of the hand pieced one you may like to do this if you have a print which would look better centred.  

cutting instructions:- 

Centre 1 x 6.5" square ,  Cornerstones 4 x 3.5" squares, and rails 4 x (3.5" x 6.5")

colours for each block

Cut and laid out ready for stitching

Cut and ready for marking before stitching

We stitch this the same way as our previous nine patch in the rows and then join the rows, taking care of nesting our seams.  Make sure you press your seams to the darker fabric.

top row being stitched

Centre being sewn

Top and Centre rows together

Complete Uneven 9 patch!

I look forward to seeing your blocks posted either in the Facebook page or on instagram!  If you missed last months Block of the month click here

So until next time have lots of fun,

Wendy