My Diamonds Quilt

Time to write a blog post. I went down to Melbourne last week to attend the best Australian trade event, Australian Quilt Market. There were lots of Familiar designers and fabric companies there with a wealth of fabulous goods for me to stock in the shop... but more about that in another post.

I feel it's time to revisit my blog....

These are photos of the process of my Diamonds Quilt - now finished and hanging in Quiltopia! if you're in Maleny and able to come in and see it.

Up above is the book with the pattern and my selected fabrics - only a few actual Kaffe Fassett's, but lots of other gorgeous stuff. Then, to the right is the design wall progress.

All the diamonds are in place below. I used the same hydrangea fabric twice - once for the top row with predominantly creamy blooms, then later I used the blue/purple ones. This was the fabric I started the quilt with.

You can see the blue hydrangeas here. I like the idea of the directional fabric and stripes going every which way, and I've seen a Kathy Doughty (of Material Obsession) diamond quilt made using all stripes - incredible!

Here's the whole thing on the design wall, ready to sew. If you've ever made a diamonds quilt, did you find a formula for sewing that ensures perfect matching of seams? I'd be interested to know because

every time I thought I'd found a way, it changed in the next row. A bit frustrating. I quilted the whole quilt in the ditch by machine then used a huge variety of variegated Perle 8s to hand quilt about 1cm in from the seams. Each fabric row used a different colour.

The back looks stunning (even if I do say so myself) with it's hand quilting and sublime Prints Charming paisley - it's in the top too and as no one was buying it I decided to use it. It has a very luxurious feel (or "hand" as they say in rag trade).

The quilt could easily be used either side and I look forward to having it on my bed. See those border triangles? They're a Bali Batik and, being a child of the 60's,  orange and pink has long been a favourite colour combination for me. I think I feel a workshop coming on in 2012 for this one. On from quilting - my daughter has just finished grade 10 and started her first real part time job. It gives me a funny feeling.... I started this blog when she was still in Primary School. In fact it would probably be about  a blog anniversary time !
I'll look it up and maybe we could do a give away :) I'll post details here and also on Quiltopia!Design facebook page, so if you haven't already, join us there for daily updates and special offers.
Thanks for reading and following over the years

xo xo Ann.

Kaffe Fassett Diamonds Quilt

I am revisiting an old favourite at the moment - Kaffe Fassett's Diamonds Quilt.

I bought this lovely book a couple of months ago, about Kaffe Fassett's home, creative projects, fabric design etc. Absolutely gorgeous it is!

Anyway, as Maleny has been so freezing recently, I've got my original Red Diamonds Quilt out again for winter. I made this quilt early in my quilting life, from one of my very first pattern books that happened to also be by Kaffe Fassett, Glorious Patchwork, or something like that. The quilt in it was amazing and I decided to make it, not realizing how HUGE it was going to be and how much fabric I would need - thinking I would have enough red fabrics in my very humble stash at the time. I used wool wadding and the quilt covers a queen size bed, down to the floor and over the pillows! So, it's very warm and reserved for winter.

I got it out again a few days ago, and my daughter surprisingly said, "That's my favourite quilt; I love that quilt."

It got me to looking at it again and I remembered the new book also had a Diamonds Quilt in it. Found it and decided to give it another go - it's a smaller quilt and uses a slightly different fabric recipe. I wanted particularly to use a lovely hydrangea fabric I just got into the shop + other fabrics in stock so I could make some packs. Even when I was cutting the fabric, people were commenting on what a beautiful quilt it was going to be. I hope so!

Here it is beginning to take shape. I was trying that Kaffe paisley in two different spots.

Decided to keep it in the top spot, and put the purple one in the lower spot. You can see how I've used the hydrangea in the top row, then again in the 13th row by grouping all the diamonds containing more blue or creamy/pinkie/mauve hydrangeas. Then I got to the end and discovered I was one fabric short!

I've already chosen a fabric to slot in, but didn't have time this morning. Can't wait to get back to it.

(Just a word of warning: The templates for this quilt in Welcome Home, the new book, are incorrect!)

Something else very exciting is:

We're going to Japan!

Hope I see some incredible kimono like this one.

Happy stitching,

Ann ♥

Odds and Sods

Just a few odds and sods today.

I've been lying low with a bout of pharyngitis - had to take two days off last week and actually spent them in bed. Now my voice is husky and my head's a bit fuzzy, but life goes on. I recently changed the quilt on my bed and I'm using the Darwin Cliffs Quilt I made soon after I moved down to Maleny. The quilt won First Prize in the Australian Quilt Show and has travelled to all the major world quilt shows - Houston, Chicago and France. I thought it was time I used it, and it's a nice feeling to have such a special quilt on my bed. The quilting is all by hand and the fabrics are are intersting to look at. I'm surprising myself with how much i like the blue, not usually my first choice. Dolly likes it too. A cat doesn't seem to mind how precious a quilt is, as it's a quilt!

The new Kaffe Fassett book, Welcome Home, is

a new addition to my library and has some gorgeous inspirational pictures and stories as well as a must make one day quilt, Katzahayhen.

Shaye finished her first little quilt and has moved on to another one, or two, for friends. The happy combination of Central Park and Just Wing It Moda Charm Packs really looks lovely.

I washed a quilt for my Mum the other day, folded it ready to take over to her, and Dusty found it of course. He cleaned himself completely, then settled down to sleep. This is one of my very first quilts, made in a class in Darwin and given to my mother about 13 years ago - washed for the first time.

Finally, my latest quilt. This one's a from a pattern download from Red Rooster Fabrics for the Katagami fabric collection. I loved these fabrics and ordered the whole range for the shop. I just finished the top this morning and intended to baste and quilt it today,

but instead I've been trying to upload a whole lot of new listing to eBay.... Just Wing it, Sherbet Pips, and a couple of other future ranges arrived today....but eBay's not being cooperative and I decided I'd write a quick post here.

Have a great day,

Ann ♥

Miscellaneous

Here is the photo of my quilt, Wuthering Heights, which you will see in August/September issue of Down Under Quilts. The digital version is out now and the real magazines will be in the shops next week... I think. DUQ has started a Facebook page, so you can keep up with them there. I just checked it out, and it looks pretty good.

I really like the quilt hanging on the line with those weathered boards in the background.

The other day I lashed out on some Colin James ice cream. How good it looks on on our blue African tablecloth. The flavours are cherry, vanilla, blood orange and chocolate and it tasted delicious.

As I was sneaking a quick spoonful before stashing it in the freezer for later, I looked out the kitchen window -

an echidna (spiny anteater) was bumbling along fossicking in the earth for ants. They are the cutest, funniest little creatures with their long leathery snout, just right for sticking into the ground, and slow waddle. I decided to get a bit closer to photograph him, but he wasn't having any of that! He hid so effectively with his head in the grass and his spiky back to me. I've tried to touch them before and those spikes do protect them very well!

Patsy dropped into the shop with her finished French Collection Quilt. She stitched all the blocks, then set them in an attic windows style with a background of French map fabric (Moda's Patisserie by Fig Tree Quilts) which was perfect for the theme. These quilts are truly an achievement in effort, concept and skill.

Finally, at the bottom of this grab bag of a post, is my Rose quilt called. I started collecting fabrics for this when I went to Barcaldine with some beautiful ones from Sandy at The Silver Thimble. I used a huge range of rose print fabrics from Kaffe, and Philip Jacobs to some of the very first patchwork cottons I bought at Spotlight when I started quilting. I threw in a cute pack of coloured dupione silks by Moda from a new pre-cut range called Crazy Cuts. I wanted to see how they would go, and I quite liked the effect... they make a nice scrumply sound too. So, with the roses and silks and swish, I called the quilt "Gypsy".
Does anyone know how to get one of those little Facebook thingies on their blog? (Not the big badge, but the little one with an f on it. I've been spending a bit of time on my eBay Store, quiltopia!design, where I sell all sorts of Moda pre-cuts and I want to get more savvy with all the little code things and badges so I can be better at networking.)
Happy sewing, till next time -

xo xo Ann.

French Braid Workshop At Maleny Magic Patchwork and Quilts

I love teaching and these are the first class photos to appear on my blog. I especially love the sense of achievement and pleasure the participants get when the play with fabric and colour to make a quilt. I taught a lovely French Braid workshop at Maleny Magic Patchwork and Quilts recently. I have another class scheduled at QuiltEssentials in April. Check out my website classes page for in image of my French Braid and class schedule on my classes page.
Here are some of the ladies with their quilts, from my French Braid. They each made a quilt that reflected their personality and requirements. Sue, above, as recently acquired a beach house and chose blues and sandy to chocolate tones for her quilt which is destined for the beach house bed.

Barbara used a gorgeous Faffe Fassett full blown rose print in rich blues, purples and greens as the feature in her purple and green based quilt. Her husband is painting the bedroom to match the quilt now!

Wow! Helen pushed all the boundaries with her vibrant Kaffe Fassett combination using the bold and beautiful "umbrella" print to set her braids against. We found just the right orange (my personal favourite colour) to separate the braids.
I love the way she matched her quilt! Actually, if you take another look at the photos, you'll see how all the makers coordinate with their quilts! It just shows how each individual's expression of creativity runs as a consistent thread through our lives.