Fireburst – A quilt top

I’ve been friends with Tish of Tish’s Adventures in Wonderland ever since the 2016 New Quilt Bloggers hop when we were in a group that critiqued the look of each other’s blogs. This was a while back and I take no credit for the made over look it has now. So I was never not going to join her first ever Mystery Quilt Along and it turned out to be a great one.

I did several fabric pulls before deciding I should do a scrappy background so that I could use what I had on hand and still end up with the larger size of 64” square. It’s my first ever time at doing a fully scrappy quilt like this and while I think there’s room for improvement I’m really chuffed with the way it turned out.

It’s a stroke of genius to time the parade of finished quilts with New Year’s Eve when fireworks are everywhere so head over to have a look and also to wish Tish a happy 40th!

You can find the instructions to make one of your own in two sizes here

It was a great pattern, Tish! Thanks for hosting this quilt- along.

Happy sewing everyone and happy new year.

Linking up to Lorna at Sew Fresh Quilts, Needle and Thread Thursday at My Quilt Infatuation, Wednesday Wait Loss at The Inquiring Quilter and UFO Busting at Tish's Adventures in Wonderland

Best of 2018

Cheryl at Meadow Mist Designs is hosting the annual end of year round-up of best posts again. Here’s mine from 2018

1.     TOP POST -

There was one post from this year that stood out from the crowd in terms of page views with 10 times more visits than an average one - my Hold the Pickle block tutorial. This was supposed to be my year long project for last year and I somehow fell off the wagon on it. I better get back on and get it done.

2.     SECOND TOP POST

The second most popular post was as part of the blog hop for Cheryl’s and Paige’s great book Modern Plus Signs Quilts. I made a version of the Celestial Quilt for my parents and they love it!

3.     TOP INSTAGRAM

I thought I’d diverge from the blog to that other quilt community platform, Instagram, for my next two picks. Bearing in mind that hashtags rule over there, this firefly block was my most liked post over there. This is from the pattern by Pen and Paper Patterns and there was a quilt along for this one. Second most popular was a fabric pull for a not even started Free Wheeling Single Girl Quilt as part of a quilt along hosted by Sewtopia and The Next Stitch. They are planning on hosting another one this year so I’m already past the first stage and ready to have another try at it.

4.     THIRD TOP INSTAGRAM

Third top Instagram post was my Neighbourhood quilt top that I made for the Pantone Color of the Year Quilt challenge. Love this quilt even though purple wouldn’t be my first choice as a background colour for a quilt normally.

5.     FAVOURITE BEE BLOCK

I made two circle of geese quilt blocks this year, one for Stash Bee and the other for Bee Inspired. They’re both great and very different from each other and I’m picking them as my favourites for this year.

Thanks Cheryl for hosting this link-up and the prompt for this. Happy sewing everyone and enjoy the holiday season.

2019 Planning Party

1.     FINISHING

It’s time to think about what we want to achieve in 2019, make plans and then change them again in February. With this in mind, even though I’ve got a mighty pile of finished quilt tops that I must quilt, and some tops that I started as part of quilt-alongs and didn’t finish I’m giving myself permission to flit about a little and join the odd quilt along that sparks my interest or drop everything to make a scathingly brilliant quilt idea. If I don’t I’m afraid I will get bogged down in the tedium of a must do list and lose my sewjo. Hopefully at the end of the year I’ll have finished a few quilts as well. This one is my Space-Time Continuum quilt top from 2017 and it must be on my couch by winter.

2.     THE LONG TERM PROJECT

This year my plan is to work on making an Aerial Grove quilt. I’m using the ever popular chambray and Liberty (in my case these are Liberty look-alikes “London Calling” fabrics from Robert Kaufman) combination. I bought a charm pack and some yardage of the prints plus a collection of chambrays and linen/cotton blends. This is a photo from a few weeks back now when I was editing the prints. I’m hoping to work on a strip at a time throughout the year. I’ve made a start on the hand applique and it’s slow but I think will be worth it in the end.

3.     PHOTOS

I’m always immensely inspired by good photography and ambitious to reach those sorts of professional looking levels. I want it to come naturally like some sort of innate talent that I don’t have to work on so I don’t have any particular plans as such for this, however, in order to give myself some variation in backgrounds I spent a little time one Sunday afternoon painting up some swathes of paper. A few years back I worked near the section that printed big map sheets so I was able to collect a few, actually, quite a few, spares. They looked useful and finally they are 😊. Also, since I already had the paint in a cupboard, essentially free!

4.     BEE INSPIRED

This year in Bee Inspired we’ve dumped the traditional bee format to give some new ideas a try - we’re doing charity quilt blocks, challenges and a sampler. Find our schedule and an invitation to join in here. I think it will be fun!

5.     TRAVEL FOR QUILTS

I’ve booked a room at Mum and Dad’s house and my flights and I’m heading to Adelaide in March for the Quilt and Craft Fair. This year they’re showing the best of Quiltcon so you know, yippee! I’m very much hoping to see some quilts from people I know.

I’m linking up to Yvonne’s Planning Party. She has organized some sponsors and prizes so here’s hoping.

Happy sewing

Sue

Kiss-cross Quilt Top

I’m not sure why this quilt top has been hanging around finished, photographed and not blogged about for so long. I sometimes think I’ll hold a finish, or semi-finish for a slow news month and I must’ve forgotten completely about it.

Excepting for now when I’m making my goals for 2019 and it comes up on my (long) list of quilts to be finished.

This quilt is made from a pattern from an Australian Handmade magazine issue and is designed by MsMidge. Her version can be seen here.

The pattern is designed for charm squares which suited me down to the ground and I teamed them with an indigo chambray background that I found locally.

The quilt top finishes at around 42 x 48 inches.

Happy sewing

Sue

Linking up to Lorna at Sew Fresh Quilts, Needle and Thread Thursday at My Quilt Infatuation and Wednesday Wait Loss at The Inquiring Quilter