Beautiful Batiks

I have been having fun over the holidays making a new batik circles wallhanging.  As I have said before, this is a technique that I learned from watching Libby Lehman on The Quilt Show. 

This technique of reverse applique made me fall in love with batiks.  The colours are amazing.

These are the colours that I have chosen to use.

I have quite a collection of batiks which I built up over a period of time and even though I would have loved to have gone out and bought some more, there was no need to and so I used the ones that I already had in my stash.

Beautiful Batiks

I spend a lot of time choosing the fabrics for a new project.  I find great enjoyment in trying out colour combinations and I never rush this stage. 

A section of my quilt top

Circles

Satin Stitched Circles

At the moment, I am at the stage of doing the satin stitch around the circles.  This is another point where I can spend ages choosing thread colours. 

I may not use all of these but the rayons are my favourites when I make the circles as they give a lovely lustre to the satin stitch. 

As I am still in the process of making this wallhanging, I can't show you any final pictures yet.  But I do promise to show you the finished product later.

Must go now and continue with the satin stitch. 
Talk soon.

Sandra


 

Family Christmas

Another Christmas is nearly upon us.  My daughter has come home from university so we're all together again.  It's lovely. 

I have finished all my gift shopping so I only have the wrapping to do now.  The boys finish school tomorrow and they can't wait.  The excitement is starting to build. 

We'll have my youngest son's birthday and then my husband's birthday.  It's just a lovely time.

  
Then it will be Christmas and time to enjoy family.  Lots of games like monopoly and trivial pursuits, too much food and lots of chill out time.

So I would like to wish everyone a Peaceful and Happy Christmas.  Have a wonderful time. 

See you soon.
Sandra

Four Patch and Squares Quilts

I made a new quilt top this morning for a new class of mine.  This one is a four patch and square.  It begins in January and would be a lovely way for someone to begin their quilting journey.

Four Patch & Square

It is a nice little quilt to learn quilt making but I have also found that some people prefer to make the plain square block. 

Pink for a Girl

Trucks for a Boy

These layouts can make a pretty quilt for a child or adult, it just depends on fabric choice.  They would also make a lovely present for someone you love at Christmas time.

Well the kids will be home from school soon so I'll have to start thinking about dinner.

See you soon.
Sandra

Jelly Roll Quilt

I decided for my class in January to make a jelly roll quilt as lots of the girls were asking what to do with the rolls of fabric.  I already had the book 'Layer Cake, Jelly Roll and Charm Quilts' by Pam & Nicky Lintott, so I decided to make the one called Stepping Stones from lots of different French General fabrics that I had collected.

My jelly roll quilt in beautiful French General

Everyone who enrols for my class will get their own copy of the book.  The pattern was very easy to follow and in fact this quilt came in two sizes.  The larger size comes with a pieced border but I chose this one as it was a handier size for class.

French General fabrics

In the garden

It just amazes me how the colour of something can look so different indoors and outdoors because of the light conditions. 

I'm looking forward to this class in January.

 By the way, apologies for the fonts in my last post.  They appeared to have a life of their own and apparently this is not a new problem but I could not find any immediate solution.

Talk later.
Sandra

Learning facebook

I don't know about the rest of you, but learning how to make a blog was quite daunting for me.  Now though, I can do the basics.  Nothing fancy mind you, but enough to post photos and do a small write up.  Facebook, on the other hand, is a whole other league for me.  I'm not embarrassed to admit that it scared the socks off me. 

I am involved in a group called Keep it Crafty.  We teach patchwork and quilting and have a facebook page called www.facebook.com/keep.it.crafty which was set up by our good friend Bridgeen.  In an effort to spread the word out about our classes I have been trying to learn a little more about how to do things, like post photos.  Tonight, with the help of my son, I learned how to make an album.  So I posted photos of my Country Sampler class.  We finished up on Wednesday and the girls have made some beautiful quilts. 

Alison's Sampler

Anna's Sampler

Edna's Sampler

Hannah's Sampler

Josie's Sampler

At the end of each class it is always lovely to see how everyone has put their own stamp on the quilt with their fabric and colour choices. 

So little by little I am learning a bit more about facebook.  Hopefully it won't be as long until my next post.

Bye for now.
Sandra