Pantone Quilt Challenge 2017 Finished!

This is my entry into this year’s Pantone Quilt Challenge. Finishing up at 30 ½ inches square, it squeaks into the Quilt category.

The herringbone design has been on my wish list and all over my Pinterest boards for several years and finally I can tick it off as done.

This is made with most of a Kona Woodland charm pack and some yardage of Kona Limelight (I think) and white from my stash.

I was originally thinking of keeping the quilting to a simple outline of the shapes but decided to go denser and I’m glad I did because it gives it great texture.

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

2017 New Quilt Bloggers – My turn!

Hello and welcome to my stop on the 2017 New Quilt Bloggers Blog Hop. I’m Sue and I live in Perth, Western Australia. This is my second time for participating in the New Quilt Bloggers Hop. I came back for seconds because I enjoyed it so much last time. This second time around has been much less nerve wracking and anxiety inducing than last time.

I started blogging just over two years ago so I could join in with the on-line quilt community. It all looked like so much fun! My first post was an entry into the 2015 Pantone Quilt Challenge. Even though the colour of the year really wasn’t my thing, it grew on me and I think this quilt is a keeper! (If you’re interested the 2017 Pantone Quilt Challenge is coming up at the end of the month.)

When the call went out at the end of last year to join the Modern Quilt Guild mini swap, I quickly signed up. This was the mini I put together for my swap partner based on Amy Sinibaldi’s Half -hearted pattern (free!).

Last year I received a Pay It Forward Craft gift from Abigail at Cut and Alter and have paid my three items forward. This Rainbow Rose mini was the one I made for a recipient who lives nearby.

Last year I joined in my first ever Quilt-Along with another fellow hop mate Amanda of This Mom Quilts to make her Facets Plus Quilt.

In my hop post last year I asked the question of readers if they had joined any swaps, quilt alongs, bees (have you? Any favourites?) and through that I found Stash Bee which I signed up for this year. I also joined a bee made up of 11 others also in last year’s hop – Bee Inspired. These bees have been a great experience and have been great in feeding a no-brainer blog post once a month J.

The other recent project I’m most proud of is the mini I designed myself. I call it Somewhat Positive.

My QUILTING TIP is to hold your work up to a mirror. If you’re not sure you’re particularly liking a finish or a block, for some reason holding it up to a mirror seems to give you a different perspective of it. I read an interior decorating tip once that suggested that standing in a corner with your back to a room and holding a hand mirror will give you insights into what’s working home dec-wise in the same way, so it’s a genuine thing, really!

My BLOGGING TIP is to use your best photo first so that it shows in a blog reader. Instead of just marking as read and moving on your audience will be lured in to read the post, maybe even click through for a comment. (Also, claim your blog on Bloglovin. You’ll get all your stats that way. They’re very detailed.)

Thanks so much to our hosts and organisers, Yvonne at Quilting Jetgirl, Beth at Cooking Up Quilts and Leanne at She Can Quilt, for all their time and effort. Please visit my fellow hoppers from Better Bloggers Hive for today

Sue of Sevenoaks Street Quilts (me)
Jen of Dizzy Quilter
Tara of Quiltersstash
Paige of Quilted Blooms

Y’all come back now!

April Block Round-up

And here we are in May already! Here’s what I worked on in April.

For Stash Bee, T (@t.schireson) asked us for stars on a deep blue background. This is the St Louis Star I made for her. Frankly I’m very proud of the way it turned out, although this is not the first time I’ve made them. A few years ago in my pre-blog days I made a quilt for my Mum with these stars so that gave me plenty of practice! T begged to see it so you can get a look at it over here on Instagram if you’re curious. The tutorial for the block and the quilt can be found at Lily’s Quilts, with guest blogger Jess from Elven Garden Quilts.

I went to my home town of Adelaide in South Australia over Easter to catch up with family and I decided to take a hand sewing project with me. It’s been a long time since I did needle turn applique and I am seriously rusty. I had actually planned to make circles but they were an absolute disgrace and any shape BUT circular so I decided to simplify things and make them octagons instead. I’m enjoying it and made good progress while I was away, but I’m currently suffering from ‘social media neck’ and that progress has come to a stop while I wait for it to recover. I blame too many hours looking at Pinterest while I was on holidays. Actually I think too many hours on Pinterest can be blamed for many things…

My latest project is for the Pantone Quilt Challenge and involves making a lot of green HSTs. Are any of you entering? This year it’s being hosted by Sarah at {no} hats in the house and Rebecca from Bryan House Quilts. You’ve got until the end of May - plenty of time! More details here or here.

This month’s Bee Inspired queen, Velda from GRANNYcanQUILT has sworn us to secrecy so that we can have a “guess the maker” line-up once she’s received all the blocks. That means there’s nothing to show for now. I do, however, have a couple more blocks to show you from my month as queen. These, from Janice at Color, Creating and Quilting  and Jennifer at the Inquiring Quilter, came in after the last block round up post.

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