Happy New Year

 2021 is here, and my quilting goals are made. The first goal and the reason for cranking up the blog again is the Rainbow Scrap Challenge for 2021.

I started doing it a few years ago, and got about halfway through the year. I made these Boxy Star blocks

I need to get it finished, so will make some blocks when the month is a colour I dont have. Obviously pink is already covered.

The second project to make for the RSC is Pretty Birds. The pattern is by The Sewing Loft.  I am going to make a 12 inch and 2 6 inch blocks each month. The setting is from last years Sisters sew along by abyquilts.  I made the first two 6 inch birds this morning.  

I have also signed up for the Observatory BOM Katie from  Swim Bike Quilt

Katie said she was making  hers in Ombre Fairy Dust fabric, which made me look how much of the Ombre Confetti Metallic I had left. I think I have nearly enough, but am lacking one set of colours, so I have ordered that. I won't be using a full rainbow, but the colours look good together. 

My other goals revolve around finishing started tops, plus a couple of abandoned UFOs. I have a pile of completed tops I would like to make some progress with in quilting and completing some.

That should keep me busy for the year plus allow for some new things to sneak in.

I didn't get this liked in good time, perhaps next week or even next month I will do better

Catch up 2

 It is New Years Eve, so to be ready and all caught up before January 1 2021, I have a few more finishes to post. 

If I am looking for a photo of one of my quilts, I always look here. I find it a useful resource, which, unfortunately hS been woefully neglected. 

This is my first finish from 2020. It is a row quilt, with a row completed each month in 2019. Design is by Alice from Blossom Heart Quilts and fabric is Blueberry Park by Karen Lewis

A group of ladies in the US, held a year long event to encourage cutting into  hoarded Tula Pink fabrics. I participated in 3 of the month long quilt projects. This one Hanging with My Homies , a design by Stacey Day. It used Tulas holiday Range-  Holiday Homies. 

I finished a few quilts close together during our lockdown in April /May. 

This is Meadowlands, a very popular pattern by Along Came June. I used a long hoarded bundle of Mimosa by In My Minds Eye for Wyndham Fabrics.

During our lockdown one of my daily sewing goals wS to make a block a day for the Pokem9n Quilt. It was a Quilt Along of  couple of years ago,  by Kelli Fannin.  

This is for our Son-in-law- Brendon. It was a fun quilt to make, and very satisfying.

I was playing with bonus half square triangles from Theo hedgehog quilt. This is the block I came up with. I really like the square star in the block. I made it up into a cushion for Theo. 

I also made a quiltvtop from the block, which is still unsuited, so should appear later.

This is another of the Sew Samler Box projects. The quilt is Apple Crisp, using Orchard fabrics by April Rosenthal. I expanded the star and added borders to make the quilt bigger and so more useable.

Another daily Lockdown task wS to make houses for The Village - a pattern by Carrie Nelson. This was another Tulapalooza project using Tula Pink fabrics

My last finish for 2020 is Stomping Ground by Wendy Sheppard. This is a quilt along with Pat Sloan. I got carried away and got it done in a few days. Fabrics are True Colours by Tula Pink.

I have several other quilts in progress

I hope I can get some unsuited tops from 2020 completed early in the New 

2020 A Summary and Catch up

 2020 has been such a unique year in our history.  A year of lockdowns, and of reflection. 

New Zealand has had an easier time than more highly populated countries, the benefit of it being an isolated country at the bottom of the world.

We enjoyed our 6 weeks of isolation from March 26.  I spent it mainly at the sewing machine. I had daily challenges to myself, and goals, which were surpassed mostly.

In the spirit of goal setting I have decided to join the Rainbow Scrap Challenge for 2021. I started several years ago, but other things got in the way halfway through the year. This year I plan to finish this quilt - Boxy Kites by Bonnie Hunter in months were the colour is not already completed.

Also I will make 3 blocks in each month- 2 of 6 inch and one 12 inch. My block will be Pretty Birds by the sewing loft

 https://thesewingloftblog.com/pretty-bird-quilt-block-blocks-2-quilt/

In order to give a Kickstart to blogging again, I need to go through my photos to catalogue what I can of the quilts I have completed since my last entry. I will need to do this is more than one post.

This was a swap project- a cushion cover. The pattern is Locked in Dots by Diane-  From Blank Pages. Fabric Tula Pinks All Stars

This is Penguin Party. Pattern by Elizabeth Hartman. Fabric- Blueberry Park by Karen Lewis

Norm and Nanette Gnome was made with Elizabeth Hartman fabrics. The pattern is also one of hers.

Hazel The hedgehog - my 3rd quilt of this design. This one was made with giant blocks, for our new Grandson, Theo

This is a cot quilt of X Marks the Spot. The background is a pastel floral is a Spoonflower fabric.  This went to a baby called Charlotte

Another cot quilt. This was a Sew Sampler Box project.

During the Covid lockdown, one of my daily goals was to make 5 houses. This was finished quite quickly this way. The Village by Miss Rosies Quilt Co. Fabrics all from various lines by Tula pink. 

Project Quilting 9.4- The Big Pineapple

This weeks challenge in Project Quilting is Mellow Yellow.
I spent a couple of days with no ideas, then started thinking of fruit. A lemon tree appealed, then a pineapple came to mind. A young friend loves pineapples, in fact that was the theme of her 13th birthday.
The quilted item which would work in her life would be a pillow for her bedroom, so my plan was made.

I made a yellow patchwork block for the pineapple and a green one for the leaves.

Pellon was ironed on to the pieces so the pineapple would be raised a little trapanto style.
The shapes were cut out on the angle to represent the outside relief of a pineapple skin.  They were buttonhole stitched on to the background. The background colour was chosen to match the fabric I had chosen for the cushion back- pineapples on a navy backgound.
The pineapple was quilted in gold with echoes each side of the seams and the leaves with just a central vein.
The background was stippled in matching thread. The stipple was very small close to  the pineapple to further accenuate the fruit, and the stipple becoming larger to the edges

It was now time to quilt the back and fit an enclosed zip. 

The yellow 3 inch wide binding completes the project.   It fits a 16 inch pillowform. 

Here is Sophie with her new cushion.

Made rural Palmerston North, New Zealand.

Linking to Persimmon Dreams parade of Yellow projects.

Bold and Brave- Project Quilting 9.3

Sir Ed.

As a New Zealander, our biggest hero when we were growing up was Sir Edmund Hillary. As well as being the first to conquer Everest, on 29th May 1953,  he spent months each year building schools and hospitals in Nepal.
He was always a much admired man who the country was very proud of.

As soon as I saw this week'
 Project Quilting theme, Sie Ed (as he was affectionately known later in his life) came to mind.

I found the image I always think of when thinking of the conquering, and set out to recreate it.
My friend Denny (Instagram name @pondaview) loves making fabric postcards, and learning new techniques. She has always done silhouettes, so I decided I would give that a go,
As I was sewingit a progress photo was sent to Denny. She suggested I add a layer of tulle to give the look of distance to the work.
I love the look the tulle gives to the ice.

Project Quilting 9.2

This weeks challenge is Triangulation.

When thinking about this for a few days, I thought I would do Half Square Triangles in blues, aqua and lime green.
By later in the week I tealised I may not have time to participate this week.
On Sunday, I was up to date on a couple of things, so decided to go for it. Participating is the main thing for me, rather than winning prizes. It was too early in the year to bale out a week already.

I made myself a couple of rules so that I could get this completely finished.
1. It had to use scraps
2. No procrastinating and no changing my mind.
3. No unpicking. If a point is lost-it stays lost forever.
I picked up the first bag of scraps from the bin. Light taupe dot background and fabrics of pink and green. A classic combo.

I laid out the 81 HSTs I had made into a design-and according to my rule-that was it. No changing - No making it less "arranged or changing the design

It went together pretty well, then I quilted it to emphasise the background diamond.

Now the binding. It went on. 

Ugh. Didn't like it. I broke my own rules as it just wasn't right.

Once the binding was hand sewn down it was done.
So here is Triangulations to a Deadline

The size is 20 1/2 inches square.

I am linking up with the other lovely projects

P.S. I just reread the rules and we ate supposed to say whete we are from. I love in New Zealand.

Hometown Proud Challenge.

As soon as I read about the challenge for Season 9 of Project Quilting on the Persimon Dreams blog I started planning it, and I went in to town to take a few photos.

We live a few minutes from the town of Feilding in the North Island of New Zealand. It has a population of about 16,000.

When I was thinking about the challenge two things came to mind. One was  was the fact that Feilding has won the title of Most Beautiful Town many times.

The second was the clock tower, which seems to be used as the towns image most often. 

There are many floral plantings around the town. 

This year there are many different flowers used. 

I decided to look at a simple representation of this planting box. There are several planters with these flowers in one of the shopping streets.

For the red flowers (are they Helenium?) I used raw edge applique to sew on the leaves flowers and buds.

The purple dianthus outer border  in the planter is shown using a purple floral fabric  i quilted it in pebbles to show the round flowers. It doesnt really show up well, but looks great on the inside.

The planter is made from brick. I have used artistic licence to change this to red, simply because it is my mothers favourite  colour. The scrappy red border is quilted in a brick design.

The charcoal binding represents the grouting of the planter.

My mother wanted some new cushions so I decided to make my 16 inch quilt into one.

For the back I used a Cloud 9 canvas from their range designed by Rachida Hale-Coleman. It has a zip opening. 

So, here is my Feilding Planter Box Pillow. This is my first time joining in Project Quilting. 

I am linking up to the other Hometown Proud projects on Persimon Dreams