Block modelling

I am playing around with block ideas for my Monday Modern Quilting group bee that is starting soon. I want to try doing something using solids only and I particularly want to use this dark blue/purple shot cotton I have because I love the colour so much. I thought about a confetti quilt - not sure if I have the colours working yet - I was trying to get a good picture but the colour doesn't photograph very true.

After amusing myself with the stained glass effect, I put the block on the floor near the window to get a 'proper' shot. Honestly, Coco has the whole house to run around and plenty of cozy places to sleep, but the minute I put fabric on the floor she appears out of thin air and has to plonk her butt down on it!

I made a mosaic to see what 16 of these blocks would look like. Obviously they would all be different. What do you think? Too much??

Linking up over at Lee's:

Tradewinds

I have finished sewing my large Tradewinds triangles together. I can't stop gushing about how much I love the colours in this fabric. My quilt-along buddy went away for the weekend and I promised I wouldn't do any more on it until she has sewn all her triangles together. So instead of sewing, I spent some time trying to photograph it in the wind. I may also have spent time muttering 'my preciousssssss' while stroking the fabric...

Fun with hexies

I have to be honest. For the longest time I have disliked hexies. Too fussy, too nana-ish, way too slow to make, I could go on... Then the strangest thing happened - I made a little flower and found myself wanting to make more! I've got my eye on Katy's Hexy MF quilt-along, but haven't made any sort of commitment in my mind yet. Two flowers seems like good progress so far, but I hate to think how many I would need to make in total. I can't seem to ever follow a pattern exactly as it is, so my Hexy MF will be 'in the style of' if I decide to make a quilt. Helen P showed me how to make the hexies - it was probably the glue pen that sold me. Really speeds up the whole process.

Linking up over at Lee's:

Happy little sewing machine

I finished sewing the binding on my sewing machine cover - I know sewing machines probably don't actually feel the cold, but now that winter is here I like thinking she's wearing a little coat!

I went to an AMQG sewing day on Sunday with a pile of triangles to sew together. I had a feeling that despite my best intentions I wouldn't be able to do the whole lot in one go without getting distracted. Helen (fellow AMQG member) was there making the coolest hexagons with borders and kindly helped me make my first ever hexies when I needed a break from my triangles.

A little project

I decided to make my sewing machine a little treat. I really like Malka Dubrawsky's book Fresh Quilting: Fearless Color, Design, and Inspiration, and in particular, her idea for a colourful sewing machine cover. 
Progress to date - I have done the piecing and some of the quilting,

- and I managed to get to the shops yesterday before they closed and bought some thick plastic to insert into the space between the backing and the batting. This part doesn't get quilted which I only just remembered in the nick of time!

I just have a few more rows to quilt then I can bind it and attach some ties.
Linking up today over at Lee's!

Cutting...cutting...

I spent some time with my friend Frauke yesterday cutting cutting cutting. Frauke is new to quilting, but she has taken to it like a duck to water. She is happy to pay attention to cutting very precisely -

... and like any other quilter, she can't wait to start laying out the pieces even before they are all cut!

We are going to make the same quilt using different fabrics, so I guess we're having a little quilt-along for two! I decided the large triangles would be a great way to show off the lovely prints in my bundle of Tradewinds by Lily Ashbury. 

We both cut all our triangles on Saturday, so now the fun part can start!

Winter Blues

This little quilt is making an appearance over at Sew, Mama, Sew! today as part of a feature on the Modern Block of the Month series that has just wrapped up. After making the July block last year as per the instructions I decided (without having any real idea what I was doing) to do a more improv version by
cutting without a ruler.

32" x 38"

When I finished, in keeping with my feeling that I wanted as much colour as possible, I quilted it in close straight-ish lines with variegated thread.

I even did a pieced back - not my norm because I tend to be getting impatient to get finished when I get to the backing/quilting stage!

It was the most fun I have had making a quilt, but when it was finished I lost my nerve a bit and thought 'waaaaaaaay too much'. It has been in the cupboard for a while but I think I'm going to hang it up over the winter months, it's so cheery on grey days!

Homework projects

I have joined a Monday night modern quilting group. I managed to finish my homework tasks just in the nick of time before our meeting last night! First up was my 'electronic device' cover. I made a cover for my Kindle based on a pattern made up in my head. This of course led to a few choice words being used along the way as my measurements weren't too crash hot. My finished Kindle cover is in fact the skinny-jeans version of Kindle covers  - fortunately as far as I know a Kindle can't put on weight.

I'm not sure if the second item was actually homework - maybe more like catch-up homework because I joined this group after they got going. Upon joining I was given a hardback exercise book and the suggestion it needed covering. I decided to try a little raw-edge applique which went ok, but I used Pellon for padding and my machine didn't seem to like it at all. Consequently the quilting looks like it has been done by a child. Never mind, at least it's no longer bright red shiny cardboard!

Long weekend plans

Gosh its been a busy couple of weeks, I haven't been near my sewing machine. I was up with the birds this morning, excited by the prospect of a three day weekend and got another star put together for my constellation quilt - it was already cut out and ready to go:

I have been very remiss with my homework for my Monday night modern quilting group, so I piled up some bits and pieces and now I'm waiting for some inspiration to strike. Our task is to make a cover for some sort of electronic device. I don't really have an electronic device I love, so I'm trying to get excited about my Kindle by making it a pretty cover. I bought the Kindle for travelling, but I'm totally old school as far as reading goes - I love paper books.