Is this progress?

It looks like a bunch of witches hair, but it is actually metres of prepared bias.

I cut, fold and baste the bias before using it.

This quilt was started in the days before iron-on bias was invented.

With the amount of bias this quilt requires ( about 184 yards of 1/4 ", 5.5 yards of 3/8", and 7 yards 1/2 ") it is way more cost effective to make my own.

I have managed to empty a cotton reel as well, a good use for older cotton.

I have been basting the first round on many of the blocks, so will have some progress photos soon.

First heirloom project for 2011

I am hoping that this year will be the first of several years of finishing heirloom projects.

The first one was started about 18 years ago.

My first exposure to this quilt happened about 20 years ago.

I had moved to the country and taken up patchwork.

I had started my first quilt, met someone who did quilting ( I had never even seen a real quilt before) and she took my along to the local quilting group.

I saw someone working on this quilt, stitching the bias on by hand, and while I thought it was stunning, I also thought the person was NUTS but be doing such a massive project like that.

http://www.amazon.com/Window-Peace-Quilt-Mary-Dillon/dp/0870695134

Fast forward two years and I had done two terms of quilt classes and was thoroughly hooked.

I was looking through a catalogue and saw "that quilt"again.

Only this time my reaction was "I would love to make that" .

I managed to get hold of the book and set about purchasing the fabrics I needed.

I didn't have a stash back then, and it needed 68 different plain fabrics.

This was in the days before hand dyed etc. which would give the quilt now a more authentic stained glass look.

All the patterns had to be enlarged, traced onto the foundation squares, then all the 'glass' cut out.

I initially pinned all the glass in place, but later basted it all.

I knew this was going to be a long term project and didn't want a) pieces falling off, or b) rust stains from pins left in.

I elected to made the bias by hand. It needs about 186 yards and I wanted to be sure the quality was going to be good.

Life got in the way as it does with 4 young children and lots of other activities.

The quilt came out from time to time and then disappeared into the box again.

This time I am hoping to keep working on it.

This is the current state of play.

Behind the dove has the bias, it need some on the wings and most of the border has to be done.

The gentian is finished.

One corner rose is finished, there are four of these.


One tulip is finished, there are four of these.

This shows the rose before and after the bias is added.

Here is the tulip before and after the bias.

There are 22 flower blocks in total around the outside.

Stay tuned for progress.

Log cabin quilt

I purchased this as a precut kit about 12 years ago.

I had problems at first putting it together as instead of the usual 1/4 inch seam allowance it had a 5/8 seam allowance.

This was not explained in the instructions and I started to put it together as usual.

Of course, the pieces didn't fit and it was abandoned several times until I took the time to work out the problem.

I finished the top last year and it has been waiting in the queue to be quilted.

This was another done on the new machine.

I had some issues with the monofilament but I think they were mainly caused by the stitch length I was using
I think it was too long.

I have one row that needs to be redone but I think the rest will do.

not adding to the pile

DDIL requested some summer sleep sack for DGS.

I was pleased that I could find the fabric, zippers and binding all in the cupboard.

It is rewarding to put things to good use.

A a quilters camp recently the participants were all gifted with some fabric from a quilter who had passed away.

She had left behind a very sizeable amount of stash, 50 tubs of fabric in just one shed, and more in another.

That is not what I want to leave behind.

Although I do not have that quantity, I still have more than enough to see me through for the next couple of years.

I don't want to add the gifted fabric to what I already have.

I have passed some on and have plans for the rest.

The first piece has been made into a library bag for DGS.

He loves dogs, so I thought this was very suitable for him.

from deep in the past

This quilt was started about 19 years ago when my cousin was pregnant.

I thought she was having a boy, but when she had a girl I thought the quilt was not feminine enough.

This was my first hand pieced quilt and I had started hand quilting it as well.

It was worked on spasmodically but mostly sat in an open fronted cupboard and as a result the border fabric and some in the blocks faded, some very badly as can be seen in the second photo.

I replaced the fabric ( I still had some of the original) and then machine quilted the remainder of the quilt.

I had to adapt some of the quilting designs so they were suitable to machine quilt.

I have a new machine, so as well as mastering free motion machine quilting, I am mastering a new machine as well.

So far we are working things out together.

Field of Flowers

This quilt was started maybe 18 years ago?

I started hand piecing it and then sometime later I finished machine piecing the blocks.

I had one row joined and it went into retirement again.

I pulled it out last week, joined the top and quilted it.

Once again, I was not that happy with the quilting. Well, the actual quilting was OK but I think a more adventurous design would have done the quilt more justice.

I couldn't think just what to do, as the blocks are quite big, 15 inches.

But it is now finished and that was the really important thing.

I have some plans formulating for broadening my quilting expertise so stay tuned.

My next post will feature a quilt from very very deep in the archive.

Cheers

Finished at last

It feels so good to have this quilt finished.

It was started in 1999 in the lead up to the new millennium.

The idea was to piece the quilt and then have it quilted by New Years Day 2000.

I got the top finished and started hand quilting it, but that was as far as it went.

When I revisited this quilt last month I decided to take out the hand quilting that I had done and re-baste the quilt.

I then machine quilted it.

I was not overly happy with the border quilting but did not know what else to do.

I am now just very pleased that it is finished.