Slow and steady Sunday!

Happy Sunday to you all!

Well I have been away from blog land for a little while but thought I should share a few things I have been up to today and recently.   

Although today was cold it was fine enough for me to snap a photo of Gelati Stars for you all.  I am deciding how to quilt this, jet me know if I should hand or machine quilt it in the comments please. I'm really glad I decided to do this quilt as a mystery for you all to join with me.  It's certainly been lots of fun.  So many thanks for joining or following along. 

Recently I went shopping for a few new text fabrics for my glacier star, these will be used in my outer flying geese and sky units.  Below are the units that have been completed so far.  I'm really excited about this quilt top.  I have decided to do the extension borders. 

Today I finished bagging all of my fabrics into each of the lessons.  During the next few weeks I will prepare my papers and final pieces.  

I was lucky to spend some time with hubby over the weekend and had this gorgeous hazelnut, chocolate gateau to share over coffee.  Was delicious!

Now my final project today was a little bit of free motion quilting on my blossoming news quilt.   Tomorrow I plan to finish the las birder and to do the binding.  So if all goes well I will be able to reveal this quilt complete for you this week.

For all who are going to Melbourne Craft Fair I will be there on Thursday through to 

Saturday so if you see me or spot my quilts say hello or tag me in your photos will be great to meet some of you in person.  

But until then I have lots if things to complete and organise.  So I will keep focused and keep my eye on the prize and not be dismayed!

Keep creating and enjoy the colours you are given in life,

Wendy!

July BOM! Are your ready?

Hello everyone!

I hope you're all ready for this block, sorry it's a bit late.  You have had a mystery last month which has taken a little bit of time.  I still have to get a good photo of the top now that it's all together for you.

Now for the block!  This month we are doing a split 9 patch!

You will need two colours or two values.  I have only used two colours.  

So you will need to cut from each colour 

3 X 4 1/2" squares

3 X 4 7/8" triangles

This is what you will have once it is all cut out!

Then we will piece the triangles to make square units.  We can then sew the units into rows.  I have press the seams towards the full squares and not the triangle squares.

This is the block in rows ready to be sewn together!

And here is the block all sewn together!  One split nine patch.

I am behind in my hand piecing blocks but over the next couple of weeks these shall be all caught up.  How are you doing with your blocks?

Here are all of mine together, I am really loving how these are coming together.  

So be looking out for th next couple of blog posts I have some exciting things happening!  So u til then, take care and have fun with the Block of the Month!

Keep smiling and sewing,

Wendy.

Yahoo! Winter Mystery Quilt Along Reveal!

Happy Friday!  Plus a big Hug and a Kiss for the first day of the month!


Well I hope you are ready to do the last bit of cutting and sewing for this block and quilt!  So lets get to the sewing area and be off and sewing steadily for a quilt top.

Cutting Instructions

From your backgrounds you will need to cut 72  x 3.5" squares.

Sewing Instructions

Take out the four patches from the first clue and make sure they are all facing the same way.  As in the top right corner has either the dark or the light (depending on your background).  Place the background square on top and sew as per photos below.  We are about to make double four patch blocks before assembling our block to make the quilt

ready to sew four patches to backgrounds.

Press Seams towards background square

four patches and backgrounds sewn

Once these are all sewn we then pair them to look like the following photo and then sew these seems together to finish the block

Ready to sew four patch together

Make sure you butt your seams together so that you get a nice point meeting at the centre of the block

Sewing together

Press blocks open and gather all of the other blocks

All units of the blocks assembled to make the new block for the quilt

Now for the Reveal!  We have been making Crossing Ohio!  Have you crossed Ohio?  or have you crossed a new bridge whilst making this quilt?  I would love to hear!

Ok lets lay this out for you to see!

Crossing Ohio Block

Layout your block like this, I then work from the top and chain piece, I have the right piece placed on top of the centre and work from the top of the block and chain each one and remove leaving the little chains between.  This is called Webbing a block, it really helps us not to twist things when they are going together.  

Starting of sewing the complete block

Still all joint and ready to join other three pieces

opened so you can see what it is like part webbed

I now pin the last side pieces to the webbed centre piece.  I do this so that I am able to flip the block and not forget to flip the other parts of the block so that I am sewing with the least amount of fabric going through the throat side of the machine.

Pinned ready to sew

All parts now webbed and opened for you to see

Now back to the machine and sew those last two rows together to create the block

Sewing the last rows together

TA DA!  its all sewn!

 

Crossing Ohio all Sewn!

Now I love this block as it makes a secondary pattern through the quilt.  I have chosen some border fabric which is in a photo above with the units of the blocks and also a binding.  During today I will sew this little quilt together to look like this and I will be putting the borders on and I will explain how to do this for you all.  So either later today or early tomorrow you will have another blog post with the finishing touches!

Crossing Ohio -Winter Mystery Quilt Along!

This is how it will look with a bit of a look at my border.

Now I am actually thinking of Calling this little quilt of mine Gelati Stars. what will you call yours?

I hope you have all had as much fun as I have doing this and I am wondering how many of you have guessed what it was going to look like?  Do you like it or hate it, we all have different taste, I'm just interested in your thoughts?  Also would you do another one with me?

Ok off to the machines and consider these questions.  If you find it hard to leave a comment on the blog just let me know in the group or message me.

Have fun and Enjoy the first day of July!

Wendy!

Another UFO finished! Whoop whoop!

Happy weekend to everyone!  Yay it's been a TGIF and onto Saturday!

I am pleased to have finished this UFO from 2013.  It has been fun to do but was put off as it wasn't for a particular date or occasion.  In fact this is going into the car as a spare Incase we are caught out somewhere and just need a quilt.

I decided this would be a great quilt to practice my free motion quilting on!  And yes it was.  Following is a few photos for you to look at.

Here is the finished quilt ready for binding.  I am sorry about the bad lighting, but we are experiencing some very horrible weather at the moment.  Hubby is building a quilt stand for me at the moment and I may have it for next weekend which will definitely help me take photos of my quilts!  Whoop whoop!

In my stash I found some binding which wasn't quite right for another project but perfect for this one.  So to the machine I go and on it goes with a decorative stitch!

Binding on!

See the decorative stitch I used!

And here it is hanging.  This quilt just needs a few ends tied in and it will then reside in the car!  This was done as a block of the month quilt with Facebook group 'Quilting'

I will be linking to Whoop whoop it's Friday!  and TGIF with whims and fancies  and I would so love to say thanks to the hosts for providing these links it's such fun and I am glad to link with you.    Don't forget to check everyone else's work out also!

Have a great weekend!

Wendy.

Winter Mystery Quilt along clue 3 is here!

Good Morning to everyone!  here is your clue 3 for the Winter Mystery Quilt Along!

Are you all ready?

Today you will be sewing hourglass blocks and I have a very cool way of doing them without dealing with triangles!  I am sure you are happy about this neat little trick.  

Cutting Instructions

So today you will need 18 backgrounds cut at 7 1/4" this will either be you light or your dark fabric

Then you will need of your 18 Medium fabrics cut at 7 1/4".  I am using two colours for my mediums and if you are doing this cut 10 of one colour and 8 of the other.

Preparation and Sewing Instructions 

Squares ready to be prepared for sewing

Mark each medium fabric with a pencil diagonally like this

You may use a pencil or you may use a hera marker like I did to form a crease in the fabric that you can see so you can use this as a guide.   Pair your mediums with a background fabric square with right sides facing.   Off to the machine we go and we will sew a 1/4" seam either side of this marked diagonal line.

You should now have 2 sewn lines like this

Place your ruler point to point diagonally on the opposite diagonal to you have sewn

Cut the fabric from point to point diagonally on the opposite of the sewn diagonal like in above diagram and below.  Then cut on the drawn or marked line inbetween your stitching.  

this is what you will now have.

Open up the pieces and you will now have four quarter square triangles ready to make into hourglass blocks.

cut units to make hour glass blocks

Press your seems to the dark side, in my case this was my medium fabrics.   Making sure you but the centre seems together to have a neat fitting block and then sew this seam to form your hourglass blocks.

Pink ones sewn Yellow to be sewn

Ta Da!  You are almost complete.  If you did not hear on the first clue I accidentally recalculated my calculations and halved the amount of four patches you need so you will need to make another 36 four patches before next weeks clue.  

unit blocks and totals for the quilt so far

72 four patch units

9 Uneven 9 patches

36 hourglass blocks

I really hope you are enjoying this quilt,  next week sees the final clue and the making up of the quilt. I have actually purchased a striped binding for mine and a Star background which you can see in last nights blog post here

Also remember Announcement of Mystery can be found here

                          clue 1 can be found here

                          clue 2 can be found here

You can join us on Facebook Wehago Designs Quilting Community or on Instagram with #wintermystery2016.  

Looking forward to seeing your quilt come together like mine is and all the different combinations of fabrics and colours.  It truly is amazing how we can make a quilt look different by our different choices of fabrics and colours and make them look so totally rockstarish!

So this is your EARLY Friday post to start your weekend off in a great way!

We are heading into a very cold patch of weather today so if you are in my part of the world rug up and stay safe and to everyone else take care and stay safe and we will meet back here again very soon.

signing off to go and get ready to quilt some more an another project.1

Wendy 

A busy week to be sure and company in the garden

Hello from my little happy quilting place down under!  How have you all been?  What's happening in your part of the world?  Read on and see what I have been doing this week.

Tuesday saw a little visit to the Sewing Connection for these beauties.  The pinks and purples will be for my Glacier Star Quilt and the strip and star fabric will be for my border and binding of my mystery that I am sharing with you all here.  Next clue in the morning.  Please note that the first clue did have a mistake and you should have 72 four patch units not 36.  I have edited the blog post but just Incase you have missed my amendment I thought I would just mention it here.

I have been working on my Decades of stars quilt and I am happy with the progress and the way the quilting is bring this quilt to life.

These Little Wattlebird visited the garden for the nectar in this Calistemon and I managed to get a couple photos of them.

They also have a wonderful song and are beautiful to listen to.   I really love my garden the way it attracts these lovelies.

Oh and here are some fabrics from the stash by Denyse Schmidt that will make an appearance in an upcoming quilt which I am excited about and these fabrics are just a tad gorgeous also. I will have some piecing and some applique to do for this quilt and I'm sure you will love it.

Today I have been doing some free motion quilting on this UFO.  So tomorrow I should have another quilt finished.  I am happy that my machine quilting is coming together also.  My first love will always be hand quilting but sometimes time and other constraints make hand quilting not possible.  So I will be happy to be able to create lovely quilts using the machine for these occasions.

This is the entirety of the quilt.  It was a free block of the month I did with a Facebook quilting group about four years ago with my scraps and I finally got these blocks into a top this year and am now completing the quilting and having fun!

So tomorrow morning I will give you the next clue in the mystery.  We will have one more week and then the mystery will be revealed.  I hope you are having as much fun with it as I am.

So tell me how has your week gone?  Have you had a Quilty  week or a relaxing week of something in between.  Leave a comment in the comment box and let me know!  

Until the morning have a great night or day wherever you are in the world.

Wendy

P.S.  Remember A creative person never gets bored!