on it's merry way

Finally the little secret box of Christmas goodies is winging it's way to ....?

my first ever secret Santa

I hope their new owner loves them as much as I have enjoyed creating.

pretty pictures

Second Tuesday is workshop day for me at Cottage Quiltworks a lovely store in Warriewood on Sydney's Northern beaches. It's a great day, rather keenly anticipated - lovely bright workroom, great fabrics in the store and a warm and friendly group of quilters and lots happening.

As recent additions to the class my friend B and I believe we supply the balance to this talented group who seem to achieve so much in the intervening weeks between classes.

So, without further ado, some pretty pictures - mind you this is barely half the work as I arrived very late yesteday (work commitments grr). Click on the pics to embiggen.

Carolyn's version of Antique Baskets

 

 

vibrant, happy, bold...check out the fabbo newsprint background, the zingy broderie perse flowers....

We had to recruit the tall guns to hang this one... (sorry B about the rear-end shot!)

Gai's elegant masterpiece of hexagons...

 

 

...octagons, honeycombs...

and what Robyn fondly calls "cluster bombs"

 Speaking of whom...another vibrant Antique Baskets

 inner and outer border under construction

the chartreuse stripe Robyn chose for the background works so well with the pink

sigh...

 More sighs...a very fortunate member of Sue's family will receive this "baby quilt"

love the narrow multicoloured stripe border... look forward to see how Sue decides to quilt it.

and speaking of quilting - a wee bit of whimsical quilting by Marg our tutor

Lastly - 

what about throwing some antique blocks into the mix for the album quilt? (maybe there 

were just a few antique blocks hanging around chez empty-field)

Well, that's all for now, hope you enjoyed the picture show.

Perhaps next month I'll arrive on time to catch the other half of the projects....

Until next time...happy quilting

ruminating in my sleep

Apparently that's how my mind works.

When I was designing gardens I found if I slept on a plan for a day or two a  problem would resolve itself and the design would flow quite quickly afterwards. I learned not to force the issue (fine if you're not on a tight time constraint).

I don't do a lot of garden design any more but this method still serves pretty well to resolve quilt design issues, as evidenced this morning...

picture this :-

• a month or so ago ...BTCT appliqué blocks pinned to the design wall after class and direction/opinion requested  from my quilt tutor. She steers me towards pieced sashings. 
• Not convinced - I'll think about it, I say. Work gets busy ...project gets shelved.
• a month later, last Sunday afternoon, quilt books strewn open across the floor, I am looking for inspiration for an "interesting arrangement" for said blocks;
• Nothing  springs out so I give up in disgust - not happy;
• 4am Tuesday morning - wide awake - no point staying in bed so up and make a cuppa. Roy Pilgrim's book "Blending the Old and the New" is looking at me from where it was left on Sunday;
• lightbulb moment...out comes the graph paper - it's quickly cut up into bits and rearranged...

•  design sorted, very happy....now I can move forward again....a little more appliqué, a few pieced stars.

I'm excited again.
What's your method for getting through quilty road blocks?

PS. Check out the Hand quilting button in my side bar...some pretty nice quilting going on.