DQS#11 - Top Finished!

I have sewn all the blocks together for the DQS#11. I'm pleased with it. I am going to quilt it simply, around the outer of each block and inside the larger petal in the four bigger blocks. I think that will be enough.

I'm a bit stuck how to sew the hanger in the binding though. From the start I always imagined it would be displayed on point as in the photo at the start of the post. But now I am thinking, how can I sew a pocket in for it to hang that way? It would have to be pinned on the wall. So do I go no hanger or sew one on the side like normal so it hangs like the above photo, which doesn't look that bad I suppose. Any thoughts dear blog reader?

Tulip Progress.

I have made two more tulip blocks for the flickr DQS. With spots this time. This measures 4 inches.

And I have made 5 of these size blocks. The tulip here measure's 2 inches. So that makes a total of 9 blocks meaning I am 3 blocks in front of the swaps minimum of 6! Now too trim them all down and sew them together.

Pink Askew Squares Finished.

I finished sewing the binding down on this little quilt the other night while watching a certain bike race on telly. :) It measures 29 by 37 inches. Grace had to kneel to hide herself in this photo.

I backed it in an old print of ummm, I don't know! I have had this meter of fabric sitting in the backing box for ages! Someone famous like Valori Wells or Anna Maria Horner. I threw the selvage out. The business of the print did seem to match the business of the squares on the front. I looooove the binding! That was one of those prints you see and love but never know what to sew with it.

Just straight up and down quilting here. My favorite quilting technique at the moment.

Grace getting restless now and about to wave the quilt around like a superhero cape. Time for the photo shot to wrap up then!

Around the Block Wrapped Up!

Look what I found lying on my front verge in the sunlight! No, not really, I did place it there! It is time for an Around the Block 2 update.

I recently received my last block back from Rachel. Thanks Rachel! I can't believe its my last one back though....

So I lay them out on the floor very excitedly and very randomly.

Then made two more blocks with the scraps I had been collecting as each block returned home. Block one....

... and block two. And then sewed it all together!

Then I sashed it with a 2.5 inch border. More to hold it all together until it was time to be quilted, but it does frame it nicely. I absolutely love it! I am very pleased with how it turned out. Thanks to all the lovely ladies who sewed a block for me.

DQS#11 - Plan B!

Hello plan B! I love this! Perfect!! It measures just under 5 inches down the sides, 6 inches from right point to left point. I took the inspiration from here. My google searches for "flower paper pieced block", "rose paper pieced block" or "tulip paper pieced block" all drew up blanks. Is there another name for this? It was quicker for me to draw up my own pattern in Quark and wolah, here is the first block. I'm thinking four.....

DSQ#11 - The Doubts!

It is a good idea to do test blocks first isn't it? So then you can see how crap your idea is. How crap you are at lining up points even though its paper pieced and everything is supposed to line up for you?

And if you do three test blocks then you might get better as you go? Maybe?? Maybe not! These are appalling! Being so tiny their faults scream at you, look at me! I'm way out!! So back to the idea board I go.....

DQS#11 - The Beginning!

It's that time again, Dolls Quilt Swap #11! Back to our roots for this round. We have taken the size back to between 9 x 9 to 18 x 18 inches, actual doll quilt size! No art quilts this round and it must have a minimum of at least 6 pieced blocks. So with those thoughts in mind I stumbled across the block crossed canoes. I drew this layout in Quark to get an idea of how I can play around with the colours.

I've pulled some fabric and its time to just get sewing now I think and see if this is going the direction I want it to!

Purnululu!

I have wanted to visit Purnululu or the Bungles since seeing that Qantas ad on telly. And we have just come back from an amazing three day camping trip there.

I took 318 photos before my camera battery died. I thought I had recharged it before I left. It would help if the actual charger was plugged in though!

282 of those photos taken were taken from a helicopter! My Dad, Grace and I went up for an 18 minute flight over them. It was just incredible even if I spent the first ten minutes thinking what have I done?? I never go on those rides at shows that take you up fast and whiz you around and here I am in a helicopter with no doors for fun?

The view was just awesome though. Grace was breathless when we got off the ground. Something to tell for news when she goes back to school!

Oxidisation of the iron in the sandstone gives the range the beautiful orange colour. Darren tried to convince the girls the bee hive domes were giant dinosaur droppings from millions of years. They laughed at him.

On the last day we did the Piccaninny Creek Walk. Amazing views along an eroded creek bed.

We walked up to the lookout.

Running back along Piccaninny Creek. Matilda's energy was boundless despite the 32 degrees!

And another lookout!

Milly strolling through the Domes.

We did walk Echidna Chasm too. Initially you walk through a palm filled gorge, but that soon becomes narrower and narrower, and then narrower still till at the end it's less than a meter wide.

One last view from the sky. Can't wait till Daz's folks come backup so we can go again with them.

The Show!

It was show weekend in town this weekend. There was squealing in the pavilion when we found out that Milly had got a first place for her entry in "4 - 6 year old drawing, any medium" plus a ribbon and prize ($20 gift voucher to local craft/stationary shop) for being "the best overall exhibitor aged 4 - 6 years". Go Milly!!!! Very proud. We are already thinking about what we can do next year, moving up into the 7 - 8 age category! I scored a 2nd for my Rainbow Squares quilt which I was happy with. I didn't take a photo of it as it was just folded up on the display, too big to pin out I think!

I was involved this year in the school's P&C committee, cleaning up the show grounds. So I was off doing that in the afternoon, turned around to look on the oval to find Milly had made her way into the grand final of the aged 6 and under Lawn Mowing Pushing Race! They had to push it under a bar and then around two poles and then dash across the finish line, she was excited to come in second and scored $15.00 for her effort. Which was immediately spent on the dodgem cars!

Grace joined in the Melon Olympics. You had too scoop out the flesh of two watermelons so you could wear them as shoes, walk down the slippery bit of plastic clutching a honey dew melon and throw it in a tub. Just for the fun off it! We are on school holidays now for two weeks and are off here on Tuesday. Can't wait!!!

Rainbow Binding.

My Rainbow Squares quilt arrived back from the long arm quilter on Monday. It looks fantastic, I'm very happy with it. It's just a paisley flower all over pattern in white, but looks effective.

Now the binding..... The conversation went sort of like this between Daz, my Mum who is staying with us for a few weeks and myself. White? Hmmm, maybe not, no defined edge. Black then? No, too stark. Grey? Ekk, all that colour and frame it with a boring old grey? Okay, how about a scrappy rainbow? That might work..... I listened to my mother as anyone who has till Friday 7am to finish it because she wants to enter it in the local show would do!

So here is the action shot sewing the binding onto the quilt. I thought Lynne would like to see a shot of the background too! I don't usually sewing at the dining room table, but this quilt is so big, I dragged the machine down to the room for the task. Now to set my Mum to the chore of sewing the binding down for me. I usually love that job but am running out of time!

Sheridan's Mondrian Block.

Around the Block is drawing to a close. I only have two blocks left, well make that one now. This Mondrian inspired creation is for our fantastic hostess Sheridan. As soon as I saw it I thought this is going to be a beauty to make! Clear instructions, 1.5 inch black strips, lots of white, max of three colours to be used, think less is more. I think she'll like it. Sheridan??

Pink Askew Squares Finished.

Finished the pink askew squares quilt today, all ready to sandwich. It measures 29 x 38 inches. I did plan to sash it with white as usual, but then thought this pale pink Kona solid instead. Its called very suitably, Baby Pink.