Pink Ice

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The design floor was put to good use again Wednesday night as I laid out the pink and white snow crystal blocks. Pink Ice is the name that I’ve decided on for this quilt. The blocks finish at 9″ and I want to use some sort of sashing but now, seeing it laid out, I’m really wondering what will work. I want to keep this as a two-colour quilt so the sashing would have to be some sort of pink. I have a plan for a border now too which will include half stars.

The fabric the blocks are lying on is a pink and white tiny print. It clearly doesn’t work for the sashing. Maybe a pink stripe of some form or a pink batik that has a lot of different shades of pink in it?

Lester sometimes looks, to me, as though he’s a very wise kitty. Then, of course, he does something totally goofy like chewing on his ruff.


Smudge showing just how well he knows how to relax. He was asleep like this, with the hind leg stretched up on the cushion.


Patchwork of the Crosses – Partial Layout

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I tried to lay out more of the blocks but limited floor space and the threat of furry paws with claws helping made me leave it at this.

When all the blocks are framed and I’m ready to arrange them to stitch together, I think I’ll use the bed as a design wall — with the door shut so no kitties come to help. But I think this picture gives a pretty good idea how the top will look. It will be a set of 30 blocks, 5 by 6. There will be a 2″ square at the intersection of each set of 4 blocks. That is the one element I still haven’t decided on, although I’m leaning towards finding a really bright batik to put in there. Maybe an orange or a brilliant yellow.

This is, without doubt, one of my favourite shots of Smudge. I love the look on his face!

This one of Lester just melts my heart! He is such a big lovey of a cat.

Patchwork of the Crosses – Wisteria Purples Framed

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The very first POTC block I made and what is probably my favourite block was up next for framing with the cream hexagons and squares. The camera had trouble with the one of the purples in the block. The long hexagons that appear to be a blue purple are much more purple than they appear.

The back:
Enough of the blocks are framed now that I think we can get a somewhat decent shot of all the blocks laid out and an idea of how the quilt will look. There’s still lots of work to be done, but I’d love to get an idea of placement now and maybe start putting the rows together as I frame them. I’m starting to think about how this will be quilted but haven’t come up with any good ideas yet.

Smudge completely relaxed. He makes me laugh out loud when his paws are like that.


Lester hanging out on the sofa as well.


Blogger’s Quilt Festival

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Amy’s Quilt Festival has begun. There are an amazing variety of gorgeous quilts to look at. What a great way to see so many wonderful quilts!

My entry is a king-sized quilt made of elongated and regular 1″ hexagons which I hand pieced. I’ve called it my shabby chic stripe quilt. It contains 3,295 pieces. It’s almost impossible to get a good photo of it. This one seems to wash out the colours.

We tried this out on the roof garden where it’s draped over one of the benches.


I saw the pattern for the quilt in an old issue of Australian Patchwork & Quilting and was immediately taken by it. But there was no way I was doing English paper piecing so I just passed it by. Then when Inklingo was introduced in May 2006, and the elongated hexagon and 1″ hexagon were in the first collection, I was off to the races. The minute I saw those two shapes were included, I immediately thought of this quilt. It had stayed in my mind for years! The very first thing I printed were some elongated hexagons, thinking I’d just make a lap quilt. Hah!! 3,295 pieces later, it was king-sized and finished.

This is a close-up of a small section that is a bit better as far as the colours are concerned.


I love the look of the quilt and enjoyed every minute of making it.

When it was finished and back from the long-arm quilter, I made the label. This picture was taken before I wrote on the cream 2″ hexagon. Making a label that somehow reflects the front of the quilt is something I try to do.


Now to spend lots of time looking at all the wonderful quilts that have been entered in the quilt festival. No admission prices, no driving for hours to go to a quilt show. All can be seen from the comfort of your own home! At the time of writing this there are over 350 quilts already entered.

Snow Crystal Block #14 and Inklingo Star

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Block 14 is done. The blocks finish at 9″. All the pink diamonds and the majority of the white squares and triangles are printed and cut for the remaining 16 blocks. The block really is fun to put together and, if I were to concentrate solely on these, I could have them done within a month. But we all know that won’t happen!!

The back:


Two of the star blocks made with shapes from the Inklingo tumbler collection. I have more done but they didn’t make it into this picture. Maybe after the weekend. This will be a teddy bear quilt. With any luck I’ll get the top together by weekend’s end. And a few more of the hexagon rosettes. Maybe a couple more of the Harpsichord Quilt blocks and at least one more POTC block. Hmm — sounds like a lot of stitching may be going on.

Why do I think I’ll get all this stitching done this weekend? It’s our Canadian Thanksgiving long weekend. Happy Thanksgiving! I’ll be posting a quilt for the Blogger’s Quilt Festival, either later today or sometime on the weekend. It will be fun to see all the quilts that are entered this time. The spring quilt festival was wonderful.

Smudge getting in some practice on relaxing so he’s ready for a long weekend. Look at his front paws!!

And Lester looking rather pensive. Not much is happening out on the roof garden for him right now. But just wait till the leaves start falling and then flying in the air — then there will be great excitement!


World’s Biggest Hexagon Quilt

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When reading Linda’s blog on Wednesday, I found out about the Aussie Hexagon Challenge. Linda wrote: “I loved the idea but I wanted to make sure that the rosettes did not have to be whip-stitched (something I do NOT enjoy), so I wrote to Gail Chalker, the intrepid organizer of this ambitious challenge. Yes! They would welcome our Inklingo rosettes, sewn with a running stitch.” As soon as I read that, I knew I had to start making some. So while we watched some of the baseball playoffs Wednesday night, I stitched together these two rosettes. One thing I always seem to have printed and ready to stitch are hexagons!



They are hoping to make the World’s Biggest Hexagon Quilt with hexagon rosettes made using 1″ hexagons from all over the world. After the quilt is shown and, hopefully, gets into the Guinness Book of Records, it will be made into smaller quilts for nursing home residents.

I’m another one who just does not enjoy whip-stitching at all but knowing that they’ll welcome rosettes made with simple running stitches means I can make at least half a dozen and send them. Hopefully, I’ll make a dozen or more. I’ve picked out another 6 sets to stitch over the next couple of evenings.

The backs:

A close-up of Smudge sleeping.

And Lester in his normal spot on the windowsill. We still have mostly green leaves on the trees. For that I’m thankful. The longer they stay, the better.


Block for Terry

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My block for Terry is finished and will be on its way to Laurie today. I was working way outside my comfort zone with these fabric colours! Funny how different it felt to make this block with these fabrics.

The back:

I’m not sure what Lester was looking at when this was taken but he was definitely interested in something.


And Smudge in his kitty bed — I think this was taken when he was busy making sure the round bed was becoming an oval.


A 9-inch Star

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Carrying on with the big blocks, I made this 9-inch star using the new Inklingo 3″ diamond collection. Although I’m not quite sure how, somehow this star will be incorporated into the beach quilt. I used half diamonds — which made the star more fun to stitch. This is definitely the largest star I’ve ever made. It’s absolutely HUGE!

The back. I am so glad I learned this method of pressing as with all those seams meeting at the centre it could have been a nightmare. But it lies lovely and flat and not the least bit bumpy at the middle.


A contemplative Smudge, waiting for — maybe a kitty toy or an evening treat of some yogourt?


And Lester with a little stuffed toy. Notice the paw on the remote control. He’s definitely a male cat!


Beach Quilt – Beginning

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In an effort to ward off my normal fall lament of, “We’re going into the dark tunnel,” I’ve decided to make a fast lap quilt which I’ll be calling the beach quilt made up of, amongst other things, beach balls on sand. The beach balls are made using 1/3 hexagons. The sand? The sand will be unbleached muslin. I have some ideas for some other little surprises on the beach too.

This wouldn’t have likely come about except on the weekend a new Inklingo collection was released with 3″ hexagons. They’re enormous, 6″ across! Thanks to the size of them, I can have a lap quilt done in next to no time. I couldn’t believe how quickly I stitched the first 3 beach balls.


It’s barely worth showing the back! Only 3 pieces to make each one!!


Here you can see one next to a ruler. Enormous!!


We had an odd storm Saturday afternoon. The sky suddenly got quite dark, the wind really picked up, there was some lightning that absolutely lit up the sky, the thunder rumbled away for what seemed like minutes, then hail and rain and then it was all over in the matter of a few minutes. Mr. Q.O., who was out when it started, said the wind was actually moving parked cars a little. I don’t think I can ever remember a storm like that before. Other than that, it was a typical fall weekend — rainy and gloomy and grey.

That’s the lament beginning. This is what I need to try to ward off with the beach quilt. I have never understood the February blues. To me, that’s a time of optimism. Then the days are getting longer (although it is usually freezing cold here then, no question) and it’s easy to believe spring is coming some day soon. But this time of year, when the days get shorter and shorter and the skies are grey and the leaves are falling, spring seems like it is very, very far away.

Smudge curled up on the chair.


And Lester: