Saturday was an early start for the Friday Girls road trip to the first Castlemaine Applique Group Exhibition. And it was worth getting out of bed before sunrise. The quilts were stunning!
Two of the Friday Girls had quilts in the exhibition.
Jan with Civil War II
Sue-Anne with Swan Lake.
If you'd like to see more quilts, pop over to Sue-Anne's blog and for a recap Threadbear.
It was such a lovely inspiring day I hope all involved will do it all again next year.
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There are unfinished quilts in my cupboard. Some will never be completed as my tastes have changed but others I still love.
When I started this quilt (can't remember when) I was like a girl possessed. I felt certain it would be finished in next to no time but something newer and more exciting must have come along. It's been packed away in the cupboard, only seeing the light of day, when I've needed one of the fabrics for another project.
With nothing prepared for Friday Girls sewing a few weeks back I thought it would be just the thing to work on. For a couple of Fridays now, I've been appliqueing the machine pieced plates on to the background fabric.
As with anything to do with patchwork it is taking much longer than first thought! Fingers crossed I can keep working on it and just maybe finish it this year.
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It was too dull today to take pics of the red & white blocks I've made this week, but there's a nice pile happening. I've been super organised selecting blocks and fabrics during the day and then cutting and sewing them at night.
There's been time for a little stitching over the last few weeks. I do love stitching with cream on red. I think it always looks stunning and has the added bonus - I don't need to think about which colour will go where!
And there was a birthday present for Sue-Anne that needed making.
The Country Garden thread pouch. This year I decided to make all the Friday Girls the same thing. It's a lovely quick project you can start and finish it in a night.
This is Helen's. They were stitched using the Aurifil Cotton Mako 12 thread. It's a beautiful thread to use and you don't have to separate strands! I do like things that make life simpler.
You will find the threads and pattern here.
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Only four more blocks to go and I will be back on track with the Friday Girls Sampler Quilt. Jan chooses the blocks and is not afraid of setting us (Helen, Michelle & me) a challenge.
This ones called The Disk and I was a bit put off when I realised the pieces where cut with 45 deg angles and involved Y-piecing. I like things to be easy and achievable and this took me outside my comfort zone.
As soon as it was finished I wanted to try it in red, of course!
Not as perfect as the first, but that doesn't matter. I'm really pleased I had a go and won't be put off making more blocks employing these techniques. And yes they will be red!
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Yesterday was Friday Girl Sewing. Reluctantly I mentioned the sampler quilt as I'm going to deviate from 'the rules' and include fabrics left over from Stonleigh's fabric club for greater variety. Look what Helen and Michelle pulled from their work baskets.
Michelle's blocks. Michelle has tagged hers and plans to include the block names on the quilt label.
Helen's blocks.
I love them and want to redo mine!
Jan picked the next four for us, Big Dipper, Combination Star, Double X No. 3 & Indian Hatchet. I can't remember if we set a deadline, but to be on the safe side, I guess they need to be made for next Friday.
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Last Friday was show and tell day for the first four blocks in the sampler quilt Helen, Michelle and I are making. This is the sampler we are making from Threadbear fabric club and the Ladies Art Company Block Tool book.
It took ages for us to make a plan and then we had to wait until a day when we'd all be at sewing together to show our blocks. I realised Thursday I still needed to make two and not wanting to fall behind so early in the project made the Star and Dutchmans Puzzle.
I took my camera so I could take a picture of the girls but in between bouts of laughter they both admitted to making a big fat zero!
So we picked another three blocks - Mosaic No.7, Ladies Wreath and Old Tippecanoe and they have promised to catch up. I had a lovely time yesterday making the next three blocks - the first bit of me sewing in ages.
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Somethings take time to organise and can't be rushed.
It all started when Helen, Michelle and I purchased the Block Tool book by Connie Chunn. An idea was floated to make a sampler quilt from it and never mentioned again until one Friday last year. We were chatting about the Threadbear fabric club and what we could make with it when someone remembered the book. What a great idea! And then we got busy, Christmas came and went, there were holidays.... and our first chance to make a plan was a few weeks ago. This got off to a bad start - no one had remembered to bring the book - we were supposed to be choosing a block to make.
Yes you can laugh or shake your head!
Fearing another twelve months would pass without a single block being made we decided to make a star, churndash, shoofly and block of our choice.
I made two almost straight away and then stopped as quickly as I started.
Another parcel of fabrics arrived this week, so maybe this weekend.....
Can't wait to see Helen and Michelle's.
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It's no secret my favourite projects are quick and achievable ones. I look longingly at the divine applique quilts Jan and Sue-Anne make but with no desire to start one myself. Before starting anything, I like to know the odds are good for finishing it!
I love a project you can cut out after dinner, stitch that night and if need be, put the finishing touches on the next day.
Some of the things I've been working on for the AQC and From Me to You Club.
Meanwhile, I'm very lucky to have friends who make those gorgeous applique quilts so I can ooh and aah over the fabrics and dream that maybe one day.......
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Every year I find myself wishing I'd started making the Christmas presents a bit earlier. You'd think I'd have worked it out by now. Even the quickest of gifts take time when you do them in multiples.
I never get tired of making these. The great thing is they're all different and once the fabrics, decoration and threads are picked, I can stop thinking. I could almost make them them in my sleep. You will find kits for Ralph here.
Something different for a friend whose received gifts with Barb's buttons the past two years. The pattern for How Many Sleeps? is here.
The Ho Ho Ho kit can be found here.
And because I don't have enough to do I'd like to finish (top only) this quilt started about 18 months ago. The Friday Girls had a lovely day sewing at Sue-Anne's on Thursday and I'm inspired.
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There's a reason why things should be put away in their proper place.
So you don't waste valuable time looking for them. I knew they were where they weren't supposed to be but could I remember where that was!
Michelle wasted no time last Friday, starting and finishing this decoration, and with time to start a second.
Considering the Friday Girls usually start late, chat and laugh a lot, have lunch with nibbles either side, this is very impressive.
Here's hoping tomorrow I have a chance to do some more stitching with these Aurifil threads.
I've always stitched with DMC threads but decided to try these after seeing them at the AQM. They're lovely to stitch with and it's a pleasant change not having to separate the strands.
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