A 1000 Tiny Pieces

I haven't been feeling that great lately so not that much is being done on the stitching front, but I have had my hands in quilts in a roundabout kind of way.

My friend Jane recently gave me a great 1000-piece puzzle to work on that depicts an Amish fall fair, with the quilt show taking front and centre stage, so it seemed like the perfect thing to do to while away the hours until I was back on my feet again. Can you spot the one missing piece?

If you look really close you can see how delighted the ribbon winners are! ...M

Baby Love!

Grandma Mary's Five Patch

This summer I started Grandma Mary's Five Patch for a friend who is soon to have her first baby. The little one is due late November and it's time to get something into the mail, so, last weekend I machine quilted it.



My colour scheme is similar but a little more muted, but not by much. And I love the way the large Kaffe Fasset prints work with the more traditional fabrics.

Isn't the turquoise blue floral backing just the cutest? This is the largest piece that I have machine quilted and, as much as love the outcome, I'm not sure that I'd do a full-sized quilt. You never know... Ignore the blue stitching lines - I haven't erased my markings yet. It is stitched on the diagonal, spacing lines about 1.25" apart and I really like the look and feel.



The binding is now cut (a random pink & white polka dot) & attached by machine, so it's just to finish off the hand sewing for that. Stay tuned for the reveal.

I found the pattern while browsing a Quilter's World e-newsletter and drew up my pattern using 2.5" strips but you can also can order it. ...M

Day 2

Well, if this is to be my progress report we might as well get started with some photos; I'll start with a few recent finishes and then we'll get to the WIP (works in progress) ...long list!

Hexagons seem to be all the rage these days but they have long been a favourite of mine. I pieced two cushion covers by hand recently for my good friend Jane to enjoy at her cottage. As far as I'm concerned, the wider the fabric selection the better, so you can see that there are very few repeats.

Unfortunately, I don't have pics of the final product but you get the idea - both sides of each cushion were randomly placed hexagons. They are such a treat to do by hand that I think I might just need to do a full-sized quilt one of these days (just because there aren't enough on my wish list).

The Endless World II

The hexagons in my cushions were about 2 inches wide and a nice size to work but if you think that's small take a look at this beauty. If I'm not mistaken the pieces are roughly the size of a nickel - maybe a quarter. The Endless World II by Japanese quilter Noriko Kido was on exhibit in 2009 at the International Quilt Market and Festival in Houston, TX. Not necessarily a layout that I would make but you can't help but admire the workmanship and colour selection. 

Here's a closer look:

Check out Quilty Pleasures to see more quilts from the same exhibit. ...M

The First Step

Welcome to my quilt blog adventure! I've toyed with this for some time and thought I'd test the waters, so here I am. This is my space for sharing the (many) projects that I have on the go, those in my head, and the many different quilters that are an inspiration to me. Most importantly I'm hoping that this help prompt me to tackle that TO DO list on a more regular basis. So many quilts, so little time!
I'm lucky to be part of a circle of very talented quilters so from time to time I hope to be able to share their works of art with you as well. ...M