My Favourite Quilts Part 1

Here are some of the photos of some of my favourite quilts I have kept over the years. Alexander and Cameron were very helpful holding them up! Japanese Blues (from a Judy Hooworth Seminar) Storm at Sea Quilt (from a Kaye England seminar...my favourite quilt and my favourite pattern) Zebra stripes on the Sahara (from a Judy Hooworth Seminar,learning to sew striped fabric) My favourite colours together...yellow and purple (from a Judy Hooworth seminar)

My favourite Quilts Part 2

A Quilt Sitter Challenge, "Bird's Nest"block. (this was a lot of work, and well worth the effort!) A Quilt Sitter Challenge, using whatever fabrics I took out of the stash. Gretchen (from a Kaye England workshop)....one of my favourite scrappy quilts A Round Robin Quilt (made with Quilt Sitters Group at Oatley Cottage - it is enormous, and it's the quilt the boys fight over to snuggle under when we watch a movie on Friday nights

#10 Angel complete...almost

Horray.....this is the 10th angel finished....well almost finished! When I was uploading the photo, I realised I had not completed the blue border between the angel's wings. 

My oldest quilting UFO

Stashbusters topic of the week was to admit to our oldest UFO. Actually I am not too embarrassed by this one, although at some stage in the near future I will actually get it finished and it will go on our bed. It is a double wedding ring quilt. I did a course with Oatley Cottage in Sydney, May 2001. When I originally told Phil I was going to do the course, I said it was the only double wedding ring quilt I will ever make, because I don't really like working with curves. His response was "Well, you should make a big one then" Why did I listen to that response? So, here is the bigger than king size quilt. I enjoyed making it, and enjoyed finishing the top. Then it sat as a top for a few years. When we decided to come to Germany, I asked my quilting friend Ellen to quilt it for me on her long arm machine. Ellen did an amazing job on it. This is only a quarter of the quilt. I don't have enough space to lay it out, and the photo wouldn't show the detail. Below is a more detailed picture. When I chose the 6 fabrics for the rings. I didn't realise they would all read as one fabric when you look from a distance. I know the idea of this pattern is to be able to read each piece as a single unit, but personally I'm not too fussed. Now I just have to bind it. I have the binding all cut out, ready to go, but somewhere in the move I lost the instructions on how to bind a curved edge....so this has been the reason it is still a UFO. I have tried to Google binding instructions to complete it...with no luck. I mentioned it to the stash buster girls, and someone came up with some detailed instructions on "scalloped edges"...I just needed a different word. So, perhaps this will get finished before our 12th Wedding Anniversary next February....or maybe not! The other UFO question was "How many UFO's do you have?" Well, I am not pulling them out of the box to check....'cause I don't want to feel guilty about it...but probably about 10. That is a vast improvement if you had have asked me back in 1999! :)

Green Scarf

This is the scarf I started while we were in Austria. In the afternoon when the boys were all skiing, I did a bit of knitting.

I had hoped to finish this while I was in Austria, but didn't get much of it done. I didn't go skiing in the afternoon, as my lessons were only in the morning. I was not confident to go by myself. My logic is that if I am with an instructor and I get in trouble, the instructor is obligated to get me down...somehow. If I am by myself, then it is up to me. I felt safer with my instructor. So, I was happy to drink coffee, and knit for a couple of hours.

I finally finished the scarf last week....and typically, the weather has changed, and I have put away the winter coat....and this scarf will be great for next Winter!

Hobby Day at School

Sorry no photos. Mr Day took some video, I told him strictly only to video quilts, not me!

I had a 20 minute talk with the Year 3,4 and 5's to talk about quilting. I took in about 7 of my quilts, some of the designs on graph paper, and a sample of wadding. Alexander and one of the Year 5 boys helped hold up the quilts for me as I talked about them.

I talked about how I had been quilting for about 17 years, and how I went from a simple drawing from a sheet, to the final product. The kids asked some really great questions, and I really enjoyed talking about my quilts. One of the teachers later asked me if I would teach her to quilt, and she said some of the other teachers would be interested as well. So, I need to think about this one a bit more, and see how many would be really serious about it. Below is one of the quilts that I did take along with me. As a thank you gift, I was given a box of Quality Street Chocolates...yum! :)

Learning to knit socks on 4 needles

Knitting socks is a trendy thing to do in Germany. I strive to be trendy (although it doesn't seem to work). Anyway, I like the idea of knitting with 4 needles, and have to give it a try.

This is what I have done so far....not quite looking like a sock yet. I have to continue this knitting until it is about 8 inches long, then I can start on the heel.

I like knitting with 4 needles. I am glad I wear glasses, otherwise I think I would have lost an eye by now!