The circle game

I have finished knitting a jumper for Peter using the Aran wool I bought whilst in Ireland at Christmas so have had a little break from stitching.  Unfortunately it has come out a big bigger than I'd planned due to the different ply :( My newest project is hand pieced which I haven't done for a bit, so really enjoying the slower pace.  It's The Circle Game from Jen Kingwell and a uses a glorious mix of big bold geometric prints and spots and stripes and lots of color.  Here are two of the sixteen blocks, not yet pressed so looking a little wonky, but pretty pleased with how they are coming out. Loving the look of the newsprint.

Recent Achievements

Ok, so here I was thinking I was blogging weekly and see it was two weeks since my last post!  I do have some achievements to share though, so I was not idle.  My gorgeous friend Wendy Watkins (aka Honeypot Quilting) has beautifully quilted the Autumn Reflections quilt I pieced together at the Kyneton Retreat and it is looking ultra fabulous with its binding finished.  This is a great quilt for busy people with all the pre-cutting taken care of.

I have also finished another Cottage Garden Thread Club stitchery.  The gold/brown Ixia thread around the bauble glows like silk or metallic thread, so clever for a cotton stranded thread.  11 down, 1 to go.

Well I did weaken and start a knitting project, but it is with the Irish Aran wool I picked up in Killarney on our recent holiday.  That will be a long term project though, afterall it is stinking hot at the moment, don't think Peter will be looking for a new jumper just yet. 

Kyneton Retreat

Just had a lovely weekend at a quilting retreat in Kyneton.  Lots of stitching was achieved, with a good dose of eating and talking of course.  Here is a photo of a completed class sample called Autumn reflections that was a very quick & easy project using a jelly roll (bali pop) and a charm pack of matching fabric.  I've also made up a couple of blocks in the disappearing hourglass pattern, which looks super cute in a little boys robot fabric.  I also put the finishing touches on my Paradise in Bloom which is now hanging up in the shop waiting for patterns to arrive.  I enjoyed the applique, mixing both hand needleturn and machine blanket stitch with lovely effect, so a very productive week or so.  Thought I was very good and battled my will and did not buy anymore wool and did not start a new knitting project, even though it was touch and go as to whether my self control was going to hold up.  Luckily for me, the shop was not open on Sunday!!

New Year's Resolution

Well it's embarassing to see when my last post was, so going to try and post more regularly this year, even if its just a photo of a work in progress.  I am always working on something, including embroidery, crochet, knitting, so how hard can it be to post a photo!  So to get the ball rolling, here is a photo of the latest stitchery I have finished from the CGT Thread Club.  It is a sweet little girl with some daffodils by Melissa Grant.  There are twelve altogether, one per month for a year and the year has just finished and I have three left to do.  I have been stitching them on A4 sized fabric (8 x 11" approximately) as I photocopy the pattern on to fabric rather than hand tracing, so it seemed a good size to stick to.  They all use the Cottage Garden hand dyed stranded cotton, so everyone is different so it's giving me an opportunity to try out different colors that I might not usually choose and collect one of each. 

What happened to June & July?

Well we have lots to share and I have been busy with lots of projects, as usual.  So will share a few with you now.  We had Feathered Star in July and Two Baby Sisters in June, and for August we are very lucky to have Prairie Star in our Quiltworx Trunk Show.  Here is a picky, it's huge and just fits our wall, love the colors and the most amazing quilting.

I have just finished the Tessellate quilt from Max and Louise, just to show that I can use repro fabrics, and really enjoy it too.  So classically timeless, it suits our old terrace house beautifully.  Here is a quick picky, looks a bit weird sideways.  I have quilted it myself and it's not too bad :)  Lots of applique and a little bit of hand piecing with the blocks and sashing machine pieced and machine quilted.  We have the pattern in stock and will put some kits together for those interested.

I have also been doing some embroidery and made up a cushion from this pattern from Mrs. Sew and So using our new Soft Cottons.  Its' a bit 1930's in design but it feels a bit Kaffe Fasset in size and color, what do you think?

Trunk Show quilts that have been recently

Osprey

Raindrops

Both patterns are now available here
http://www.honeysucklepatchwork.com.au/index.php?act=viewCat&catId=135

Pepperdish

The latest Quiltworx Trunk Show quilt is called Pepperdish.  A lovely mix of foundation piecing and applique.  All Quiltworx patterns are on our website at www.honeysucklepatchwork.com.au

Opus Tweet is coming along

I have just finished a couple more blocks and put them together and they are looking great.  I am very happy with the lovely Tilda fabric. 

Lots of babies

The calendar is lying to me I'm sure, it cannot be January that I last posted anything, surely!  Yes, it looks like I am not doing anything but I have not been idle.  I just took some photos of two new quilts for a pattern cover, so thought I would share it with you.  Very simple, but really happy with the colors and shades of these two baby quilts.  The Tilda fabric is so soft and pretty I made both a boy and girl version to give a glimpse of how beautifully they all go together.  Teddies or birds, plus I will throw in another design options for an elephant in the pattern that would also look sweet.  The simple cross hatching quilting has also popped out really well so very pleased.

We have also had new babies in the family, both girls, so I have been embroidering baby blankets too, which is a first for me.  This is a Brenda Ryan pattern and I have used the Cottage Garden variegated wool threads.  Both of which we have in store, of course!  I enjoyed it so much I made an extra one for display in the shop.

Opus Tweet new blocks

Three more blocks done, really enjoying the mix of applique, embroidery and stitching.  The layers give so much texture and interest to the pattern, it is lovely to see them come together.

Cappuccino Placemats and Tablerunner

I have also been creating some class samples for our Stepping Stones class which starts shortly.  The same block is used in the Cappuccino Placemats and Tablerunner pattern, so I've made up a couple using some striking black & gold fabric.  I tried two different types of wadding:  pellon in the tablerunner and the Matilda's bag wadding in the placemat.  Both easy enough to quilt with although the bag wadding was stiffer under the machine, but I like the firmer feel for a useful placemat.  This is a fun, quick & easy block, each of which uses only two 2 1/2" wide strips of fabric, with no wastage.

Holiday stitching

We have had a lovely two week break with a week at the beach, where I did some stitching on my Opus Tweet block of the month, so I thought you might like a photo of my version using pretty Tilda fabric.  There is more to it than I first realised as it is an unusual mix of embroidery, applique, embroidery on applique and piecing and uses the newish iron on stablisher from which to cut templates.  It stays in when you quilt, but the glue will wash out, leaving a soft stabiliser within the applique shapes.  I have also been machine quilting the Mariners Compass, halfway - my should is telling me to just have a little break :)

Quiet but not idle

I haven't posted for a while but I have been busy stitching for Christmas and making samples for next year's classes.  At the end of November I attended another Quiltworx workshop for the 2014 Technique of the Month which is called Mariner's Compass.  Four glorious days of non-stop sewing and being fed and watered, bliss.  So here is the finished quilt top, which I am really pleased with and which we will be teaching next year.  Patterns and kits should be available from March next year. 

I have also produced a new pattern for a quilt that will suit beginners as it has big pieces and a variety of blocks within a traditional setting.  I have quilted it with some very simple straight line machine quilting but am quite pleased with the finished result - just have to stitch down the binding.  The pattern and a kit will be available if you are interested. 

Customer Inspiration

One of my customers came in recently with her completed Flower Garden quilt.  She is the lady who inspired me to start the Kim McLean Flower Pots quilt that I showed you a photo of recently.  The background is a very soft grey linen which looks stunning as a backdrop to the Kaffe Fasset fabrics.  Not a great photo, I didn't have room to lay it out flat it is very big.

Out with the old .........

A few years ago I made an ironing board cover from Kaffe Fasset fabric and it sits in the shop and gets well used.  So much so that part of it had worn through unfortunately, so I have just made up a new one in the same design but using Liberty prints.  Love it.  Kits for both are still available.

Eclectic Elements

These new fabrics have also just arrived, funny how they all show up together.  Anyway, my original plan was to make up a simple quilt top and get Peter to upholster an old chair with it.  There is a link from the Jim Holtz blog with a great photo of a few ideas http://timholtz.com/eclectic-elements-fabric-is-here/ 

Will load them on the web soon and will have bundles available.

Tilda Lovers take note

We have just received an order of twenty new Tilda fabrics and they look so gorgeous sitting on the shelf I thought you might like to look too.  They are all loaded on the website if you want to have a look at them individually here is the link:  http://www.honeysucklepatchwork.com.au/index.php?act=viewCat&catId=152

So now of course I am thinking, thinking, what will I make with them...  Any suggestions?

Rosalie Quinlan's BFF

I have been happily stitching away on part one of 8 of Rosalie Quinlan's new bom called Best Friends Forever and here are the first four stitcheries.  The are ready to be made up into quilt as you go hexies.  and lots of them.  Just putting them on the web if you are interested.

New Quiltworx sample - Grandma's Wedding Ring

Well, obviously another month has just flown by because I have been sent a beautiful new quilt for our Quiltworx Trunk Show, Grandma's Wedding Ring made in in batiks.  It is lovely to have the quilt in the shop because it will be a long while before I get the chance to make one myself, definitely on the list though!  Patterns are here too if you are interested.

New Trunk Show quilt and customer quilt

 

Cattails in the Meadow is the first photo.  This is a Quiltworx pattern made by a Glacier Star student who wanted more homework!  The grey background actually looks much nicer in the flesh and it is not quilted yet. The second is our newest Trunk Show quilt called Split Log Cabin.  We have kitted this up in bali batiks if you are interested.