Reverse sewing

back of quilt -happy with this quilting

I have spent the last week sick with a cold and nasty cough, just the right thing for unquilting, It is a large quilt, black and white with some colour. The quilting design I was never happy with, and when the deadline passed for last years quilt show and it was unfinished I put it folded neatly in a cupboard.
Now I have renewed sense of design, I am in the mood to finish it. I have spent some time unpicking, now to get the 'right' design and get it finished. Always working to a deadline is good - it makes me try to get things done.

front  -one corner

Not entirely sure of the quilting design yet, I did have a dream about it last week, but of course it is a bit hazy now, should have drawn it straight away.
I do have the thread though, bought it in Sydney at the quilt show, a long way to go to buy thread I know, but I knew what I wanted and where to get it from. When there is a limited stock of good thread in Brisbane, and mail order is the next best way to get what you want, to go to a quilt show to get it is a good idea.
Watch this space to see if I can get two large quilts finished soon!

Colour solution

I have almost finished the quilt top, the solution was to use the large bright prints for the sashing -not the blue I had purchased. This is similar to another quilt I made  a few years ago pictured below ( a much better picture) and the solution was the same. Sometimes the solution is right under your nose, you just have to find it. The yellow was just perfect for the cornerstones for both quilts funnily and I had enough of the prints to use for the sashes.
Two very different quilts with the same theme- stars- and the same style of using those beautiful prints.

Now for the border. Then the quilting, working to a deadline is just what I need to get it finished..

Yesterday I have a lovely morning tea and chat with a like minded group of friends the "Broad Strokes" girls. we always seem to have an array of exciting things to show and tell, no pictures unfortunately, but plenty of ideas were shared, so look out for some exciting things in the next few months.

More colour decisions

I have made all the blocks! they have some temporary sashing and are a bit messy as I have had to get them off the floor. The pink and black fabric is actually quite good, the yellow good, not so sure on the blue which I bought the most of - of course!
Time to get sewing and get the sashings and borders done.
This is meant to be a fun quilt, one that you want to snuggle around you on a cool day or in front of the TV. Its not a great work of art, but a quilt with some personality and zest and surprise.
The next work is another flood quilt, there have been some surprises with these, some are dull, some quite fun and inventive, others are scrap. All a bit different.

It takes all sorts. I have quilted each block separately with a meandering design which hopefully draws a circle- sort of. After finishing it, I would have liked to have done the quilting starting in the centre so it went from the centre out instead of around. A lesson learnt.

Colour

A lesson in colour and big prints today.
This is a quilt I am making for  a birthday gift. I am using some Jane Sassaman fabric I bought a few years ago when I had an injured shoulder and could not sew. It made me feel good to have the fabric in my house. 

But now I have to use it.

The 12" blocks are easy and simple and hopefully will make a cuddly warm quilt.
The sashing is the next move- yellow seems to be the colour of choice, I have 3 more large blocks to make. It also needs some blue( dark ). The Sassaman fabric is just lovely but somewhat difficult to use as most of them are large prints. The green is a bit overwhelming at the moment, maybe it needs to be toned down a bit. It looked better when all the fabrics were laid out on the bench.
Yes I should have thought it all out a bit better before I started, I can always make more blocks and make another quilt- there is enough fabric!
 The hand dyed is Lisa Walton.
Some funky sashing and a nice border?  the birthday is August 8th so I am on a tight deadline.
It also needs more orange, might have to mull over it a bit tomorrow on my day off -maybe some pink/red as well. It will be 20 blocks, maybe enough left over for a lap quilt.
Colour is so fickle when you are tired
Hopefully it will be ready for quiting by the weekend.

Spa treatment

Of course I had a spa treatment at Noosa -so good, a real treat - now that is why I go to work, to pay for spa reatments not the mortgage.. I feel beautiful...

Fun weekend

What a great weekend, 2 days on the Sunshine coast and then today on the Gold Coast. A nice quilt show with some inspiring works today, some sun and fun company. No pics sadly as they weren't my quilts and the owners were not there to give permission.

Noosa was fantastic, such lovely company, good food, nice wine, a lovely walk, solved the problems of the world in the car on the way back!

Look out world here we come!

Now back to reality -work, school, P&F, laundry and a structured life -just can't wait till the end of next year when Isabel has finished school.

A quilt or 4 to finish before Queenlsand Quilters next exhibition..off tothe sewing room I go!
Here is a great pic of Isabel and myself - just as we are....
waiting for the next adventure......

Sydney

We had a great week in Sydney, shopping, eating, Adriano Zumbo macaroons - must learn to make them, they had some amazing flavour combinations- wish I had written them all down.

Darling Harbour was wonderful , here is me near one of the many sculptures- pretending to be one of them. We even managed a visit to the Archibalds at theArt Gallery, such great art work, some inspiring pieces - almost a little overwhelming.
Sydney is so easy to get around, my daughter is thinking that it might be a great place to live! somuch to see and do- when she can pay for heself she is more than welcome to go and live there.

Why can't zebras be orange?

This is my art quilt for the group Art Quilts Around the World. A fun little piece, random strips of orange on black, a bit of net over the top, some lovely bronze shiva stick and then some close quilting. Not entirely sure if one should quilt over the shiva stick!

This is how a zebra might look if I ruled the world! I saw zebras last week at Taronga zoo and nearly changed my mind a did a  piece using a real picture for reference, but this is how I see zebra stripes in my mind.

An exceptionally good book I have just 'read' on audio book is The Shifting Fog, by Kate Morton, kept me captivated till the end.
Off to work then a  lovely 2 days off - hooray.