Tuesday, April 30, 2013

May Maddness....

Wow, May is going to be a busy month.

Kicking off on Saturday the 4th i'm honoured to be the guest speaker for the Colac Quilters 25th Anniversary Dinner.
On Saturday the 11th i'm trading at the Yarn and Craft Market in Brunswick. Flyer attached.
The following Saturday on the 18th you will find me at the Geelong Quilt In, details below.
Then i'm off to be the guest speaker at the Glen Waverley Quilters on the 27th.

Add to that a few big groups booked for appointments for studio showings and it's all go go go! Love it! It's so great meeting you all and sharing my stash.

The Studio will be open as usual all May and Paul and Rachel will be there to help you out.




Thursday, April 18, 2013

Weekly Review Article

Hi, here is the weekly review article scanned so it can be read. I love how Sarina has captured the true sprit of the place. The photos were taken by Molly Cusack.  Enjoy.

Monday, April 15, 2013

1940's Scrap 9 patch Variation Quilt.

This is a favourite layout for a 9 patch, why, its got the graphic grid of crosses going on.
This quilt is an original 1940s quilt that has been restored by the studio for a customer. But before it goes to its new home, I have drawn it up so if you want to have a crack at one with all your scrap, here are some notes.

This vintage quilt is approx 85" x 106"

What you need to cut from your stock pile of scraps:

720 - 3" x 3" (finished 2.5") squares of as many different prints, stripes and spots for the 9 patches. Think bright.
20 - 3" x 3" squares in a red star or spot for the centres of the 9 patch units.
80 - 3" x 8" Sashings for the 9 patch units in a printed stripes.
12 - 5.5" x 5.5"(finished 5") squares in a yellow floral for the cornerstones in the main sashing.
31 - 5.5" x 18" main sashing bars in blue.
Binding in red and white 1/8th" stripe.

What makes this quilt so wonderful and wacko is the use of as many different prints you can lay your hands on. The colour scheme is bright and with a real emphasis on primary colours. Also, I like the use of the red for each centre unit and the mix of printed stripes for the sashing units. The yellow and the blue just balance it out really well. Hand quilted in the traditional Baptists Fan pattern that was really common in the 1940s, with an unbleached cotton backing and un-unstablized cotton wadding.

How I would go about putting this together...I would start by making my 80 x 9 patch units. Then sash up 4 blocks to make the 20 x 9 patch large blocks. Then assemble them with the bigger sashing. You can follow this diagram for the layout.
Don't worry too much about how the blocks go together colour/print wise. This is a true scrap quilt so if you find you are having trouble being random, stick all your squares in a bag or bowl by your machine and do a lucky dip.  It's the randomness that makes this work. If you have cut a good mix of brights and primaries it will work in the end, trust the scraps and it will come together. Enjoy.