Fussy Cutters Club Blog Hop: Crouching HST, Hidden Churn Dash

My friend, Angie, has written a book! Fussy Cutters Club, by Angie Wilson, is your complete guide to using your stash to express yourself.  Full of bright projects and beautiful styling you'd be justified buying it just for the eye candy. But really that's just the start. It's loaded with information on using fabric with intent, both in traditional and improvisational piecing and will teach you to fussy cut with precision to create interest in your work. There are 14 great projects ranging from a simple weekend make to large detailed quilts.

Some of my favourite projects from the book include the Super Star Coasters, the 1-2 Sucker Pouch (I made one for my mum for her birthday - super quick and cute!) and the Improv-able Dream Pillow.

images courtesy of C&T Publishing

When Angie asked me if I would make the last project in the book for this blog hop, I really couldn't say no. The quilt is called Crouching HST, Hidden Churn Dash. It is literally full of churn dashes hiding in plain sight, but the clever construction makes use of the spaces between to highlight fun fabrics. It is genius!!

image courtesy of C&T Publishing

Angie used monochromatic blues for her version of the quilt. For something different I chose a broader colour palette in autumn tones. The low volumes I used for the background are pretty quiet, mostly greys and browns on white, which seemed to tie in with the autumn vibe.

This quilt makes use of improvisational piecing to create slabs that are framed on point. My improv skills are a little underdeveloped so this was a great chance to build some muscle in a new area. I'm a little obsessive about directional prints (all of my quilts have a 'right' way up) so I chose to cut my fussy cuts on point so they would be up the right way in my quilt.

As I pieced the flying geese for the edges of the quilt I saved the trimmings and sewed them up into extra half square triangles(HST), thinking I might make a matching pillow from them. I ended up being glad I did! I was just a few inches of backing fabric short and used my leftover HST to fill in the gap. This ended up being one of my favourite features!

As it is such a special quilt it was given the luxury of long arm quilting. It's the first time I've sent a quilt out for quilting and it really did make it extra special! These meandering flowers and butterflies were quilted by Raylee of Sunflower Quilting and they are such a great choice. I love how the quilting design echoes the prints I've used.

I really enjoyed making this quilt! The piecing is simple enough for a confident beginner but there's so much flexibilty within the design - espcially those large improv slabs - to make something really unique and personal. And as for Fussy Cutters Club? This is definitely not the last project you'll see me make from the book. Next up, A Flock of Seagulls table runner I think!

Strawberry Block Tutorial - Stem Update!

At last! Here is the promised stem update for my ever popular strawberry block. I've had the step-by-step photos on my computer for 18 months! It's definitely time they were put to use.

Here are the two blocks side by side. The left is the original. The stem seemed a little thick and clunky so I modified it to create the thinner stem on the right. This new stem DOES take longer to make but I like the effect.

Please note: this is an add on to the original tutorial. You will need to reference that tutorial for most of the cutting and sewing directions. This stem modification replaces the two 2" squares in print C as noted in the cutting directions of the original tutorial.

Cutting Directions: omit two 2" squares in print C and cut as follows:

GREEN	WHITE
cut one - 1” x 2” in print A cut one - 1” x 2” in print B cut one - 1” x 3.5” in print C	cut two - 1” x 2.5”

This is what your pieces will look like when you've cut them!

Take the two white pieces and mark a point one inch away from the end using a removable marker. Make sure to mark the opposite side of each piece. 

You should end up with two pieces that look like this.

Using a removable marker and ruler, draw a straight line between the dot and the closest diagonally opposite corner. You are essentially marking a half-square triangle on the corner of the piece.

When you have marked the line on both pieces they should look like this. Notice they are opposite!

Place the white pieces and green pieces at right angles with the marked corner of the white overlapping the green.

Sew and trim the corner to a quarter inch.

 Press the seams (I pressed mine open) and you will have your two inner leaf pieces!

Using all the green half-square triangles (HST) and two white 2" squares as shown in the original tutorial, arrange your pieces as shown. Make sure you have the HST arranged so that they match the fabrics used for the inner leaf pieces.

Sew the piece together in three sections: the right side leaves, the stem and inner leaves and the left side leaves. You will have three pieces as shown.

Sew the three sections together to finish your strawberry top! Sew the body of the strawberry as shown in the original tutorial and attach to the strawberry top to complete your strawberry!


...

I know there are a few people who have been looking out for this stem update. Thank you for your patience. I hope you enjoy it! Feel free to ask any questions in the comments below so the answers can be helpful to others with the same question. And if you spot any errors let me know so I can fix them right away! Enjoy!

Quilting Tennis - Round One

Angie, of Gnomeangel fame, and I are finally on a roll with our quilting tennis medallion quilts (see here for more info if you missed the introductory post). After a two month delay in starting we were each thrilled to see what the other had made. We got a good laugh out of the fact that we'd made nearly the same thing. Both of us chose Tartan Kiwi zebra patterns - what are the odds!?!

We've now added a round to each other's medallions and sent them home to their owners who will add the next round (and so on and so forth). I'm excited to get to show you what Angie added to my medallion!

I just looooove what Angie's done with this first border! Continuing the black and white of the zebra is something we both did with our additions. All the coloured fabrics are prints that strongly read as just one colour. There's a lot of my favourites in there too. I especially like the black borders. I think they frame the medallion beautifully. They might need to be repeated somewhere further along I think!

Sorry for the dull background. There is nowhere nice to take quilt pictures within a three year old's walking distance from our home so my back patio will have to do!

If you'd like to see my additions to Angie's quilt pop over to her blog. We are planning to swap quilts again in early November so I need to get my think cap on for what to add next. My mind is buzzing with the possibilities! 

Quilting Tennis - a collaboration with GnomeAngel

Today I am thrilled to share an exciting new project I'm embarking on with a wonderfully creative quilty friend. Many of you will know Angie of GnomeAngel fame. Angie has been one of my quilty crushes since I first stumbled upon her Instgram account more than two years ago. She's a wiz with colour and squeezing cute little fussy cuts into her work and her posts never cease to inspire me and make me smile. She is currently super busy running the Farmer's Wife QAL, writing a book and hosting the Colour Block Challenge on Instagram (go check out her beautifully styled images!)

I was lucky enough to meet Angie in person a couple times last year and it was a blast. Angie is friendly and witty and lots of fun to be around. Somewhere along the way as we chatted on Instagram we hit upon the idea of collaborating on something quilty, a just because project where we bounce ideas off each other and build on each other's work to create something fun. And so our quilting tennis match was born.

We are planning to make two medallion quilts - one each - consisting of a 20" starter block and five themed rounds. We both like bright fabrics and have stashes full of them so agreed on a general theme of "bright". After each round is added we will swap quilts, creating the medallion and two rounds of our own quilt and adding three rounds to the other person's quilt.

The themes we've chosen are (in no particular order):

• improv
• traditional
• foundation paper pieced
• black and white (with one other colour)
• mystery (chosen by the maker and different to the other rounds)

The order and width of the rounds is flexible but structured in a way that both quilts will have the same elements and finish at the same size. The flexible structure enables us to make choices about how to develop each round in reaction to the design elements of the round before and our interpretation of the theme. Quilts will be swapped every two months (three for the larger rounds at the end) and although we may post sneak peeks, the final reveal of each round will only happen after the quilts have been swapped.

We're both ridiculously excited about our project. I'm looking forward to the chance to be inspired as we work within set parameters and create in reaction to another person's work. And no doubt we'll have fun along the way!

Finish-A-Long 2016 - Quarter 2

Well, my blogging habits have been a bit remiss but with some fun projects coming up I'm trying to get back into the habit. I joined up with the Finish-A-Long 2016 via Instagram for the first quarter (and had one finish!) but I thought I'd blog my list this time - it's too extensive for one mosaic!

See what I mean! So much going on! And with my flighty creative nature who knows which might get finished first! And which I might procrastinate on for... years...

First up are finished quilt tops that just need basting, quilting and binding:

1. Double star Beehive Swarm Emma Quilt - finished mere days before my daughter was born in what must have been a final flurry of nesting. Destined to be a happy picnic quilt and join us on adventures.

2. Storm at Sea - this has been a finished top for over a year! Was meant to be finished for my son's second birthday. He's three now...

3. Baby Sampler Quilt - has been a finished top for more than two years. It started life as a colour experiment and was going to be finished for a friend having a baby. Well that baby is two now but she's having another baby so it seems a good reason to finish! I don't have any good pics so here's a horrible close up of one of the blocks in progress

Next up, quilt tops that need sashing and or borders before finishing:

4. Little House in the City - after some epic and rather joyous sewing I've finished all the blocks for my Patchwork City quilt using Lizzy House blocks. I've chosen sashing fabric but need to purchase it and cut/sew to finish the top. I'm going to send this one out for quilting, an exciting first for me!

5. City of Steel - my Cotton and Steel City Sampler made largely of charms from the Aussie Charm Swap. Needs large off-centre border added. Fabric for borders and backing are purchased so no excuses!

Finally, quilt tops that are in the piecing stage:

6. Tula drunkards path - made from handy little off-cuts from the Tula Pink Glam Clam Quilt I made last year. This will be for my baby girl! All the pieces are cut and backing is bought.

7. Constellations Kaleidoscope - 99 paper pieced blocks are making this a headache. All the pieces are cut though so it will get done! Slowly!

8. Economy blocks - little filler blocks for when I have a moment or can't think what to work on. Thirty-six made. Eighty-four to go.

9. Heather Ross Quilt - a new handpiecing project for on the go stitching. It's just getting started so I'll have to make do with a fabric pull.

Plenty to keep me busy there and far more than I can finish in three months but I've put them all down as I never know what will take my fancy! I'm hoping to have at least three finishes by the end of the quarter. We shall see...

Lizzy House Meadow Tour - Registrations Open!

As I shared on Wednesday, Lizzy House is bringing her Meadow Quilt to Australia and New Zealand later this year. Lizzy has never released a pattern for the Meadow quilt preferring to personally teach the process. This is the first and likely last time that Lizzy will be teaching the Meadow in Australia so it’s a rare chance to learn to make one for yourself. The Aussie classes will be six hour workshops, including a lunch break, in which you will choose fabrics, learn the process of making the Meadow block and finish 2-3 blocks.

Lizzy will be teaching in four major Australian cities – Sydney, Brisbane, Melbourne and Perth – and in Wellington, New Zealand throughout late September and early October. The classes and their locations are listed below:

Class Schedule:

Brisbane - Tuesday, 22nd of September at the Lavalla Centre in Paddington (6:30pm-8:30pm lecture - cost $30) hosted by Peppermint Stitches
              – Wednesday, 23^rd of September, at the Lavalla Centre in Paddington (10:30am-4:30pm class) hosted by Peppermint Stitches

Sydney – Saturday, 26^th of September at HobbySew Top Ryde, Top Ryde City Shopping Centre - Level 2, Shop MM20 (9:30am-3:30pm class)

Perth – Saturday, 3^rd of October at Wembley Community Centre, 40 Alexander St, Wembley (10am-5pm class) hosted by Perth Modern Quilt Guild

Melbourne – Saturday, 10^th of October at Cutting Cloth, 282 Wingrove Street, Fairfield (10am-4pm class)

Wellington – Thursday 15^th and Friday 16^th of October (two day workshop) – for more info see Adrianne’s post at On the Windy Side

Class sizes are limited. Bookings are on a first come, first served basis.

The Perth class is being run through the Perth MQG. Registrations will be open to members later this week and to the wider public on Saturday,18th of July. 

The Brisbane class is currently open for registrations. Please follow the link below!

LINK FOR BRISBANE REGISTRATION:
http://www.peppermintstitches.com.au/store/lizzy-house-meadow-tour

Registration for the Melbourne and Sydney classes is now also open! The total cost for the class is $200 and is payable as a $45 deposit at the time of registration and $155 final payment one month before your class. To register for either the Sydney or Melbourne class please fill out this Google form (link provided below).

LINK TO REGISTRATION FORM FOR SYDNEY AND MELBOURNE:

http://goo.gl/forms/ZUbHEbZMNz

Upon filling out the form you will receive an email confirming your place in the class (or on the waiting list if the class is booked out). Registrations will be processed in the order they are received.

To confirm your booking you will need to pay a non-refundable deposit of $45 within 7 days of registering for the class. You may choose to pay this via bank deposit (preferred) or via PayPal and bank details or a PayPal invoice will be emailed to you. If you do not pay your deposit within 7 days your place in the class will not be held for you. It will be offered to someone else.

The remainder of your booking fee will be due one month before your class and you will be sent an email reminder including bank details or a PayPal invoice as preferenced by you.

In the event that a class becomes booked out, a waiting list will be created. If anyone drops out, those on the waiting list will be offered the vacated space in the order in which they joined the waiting list. If the waiting list for a particular class becomes large enough a second class in that city may be organised. This will be at the organiser’s discretion and is not guaranteed.

If you drop out from the class your $45 deposit will not be refunded.

Questions you may have:

Why do I need to pay a deposit?

There are two reasons for the deposit.  The first is so that only people who are really committed to coming to the class sign up.  The second is that to book venues for the classes and to fund Lizzy’s flights we will need money! The deposits we collect from attendees will allow us to do these things.

What happens if I have paid a deposit and I can no longer attend the class, or the class is cancelled?

If you cannot attend the class, or the class is cancelled, you will not get your deposit back.

Is this class guaranteed to go ahead?

No.  These classes could be cancelled for a variety of reasons including lack of interest. However at this stage we have no reason to suspect that any of the classes will be cancelled.

Who should come to this class?

The Meadow quilt involves reasonably complex curved piecing.  Participants will have experience piecing quilts, and may have worked with curved piecing before.  You must have an open mind and be excited to learn something new!

You will need to bring your own sewing machine and other quilting equipment (cutting mat, rulers, rotary cutter, etc).

What does the class involve?

This class is a six hour workshop (with a lunch break).  In this class you will choose your fabrics, learn about the Meadow and make 2-3 blocks

What about accommodation?

The cost of the class does not include any accommodation.  If you are travelling to attend the class you will need to arrange your own accommodation at your own expense.

Can I leave a comment on this post to reserve a spot in the class?

No!  Please fill in the Google form by following the link posted above.

Hopefully I have answered most of your questions. If you do have any other questions please leave them as a comment at the bottom of this post. This way if others have the same question they can refer to my answer there.

Lizzy House Meadow Tour!

There’s been a rumour going around that Lizzy House will be bringing her Meadow quilt Down Under later this year. It’s my great pleasure to announce that the rumours are true! Adrianne and I have been busily arranging classes in our respective countries and are excited to release the class schedule today.

The Meadow Tour Down Under:

Brisbane – Wednesday, 23^rd of September

Sydney – Saturday, 26^th of September

Perth – Saturday, 3^rd of October

Melbourne – Saturday, 10^th of October

Wellington – Thursday 15^th and Friday 16^th of October (two day workshop)

 Registrations for Sydney, Melbourne, Wellington and hopefully Brisbane will open on Friday, 10^th of July at 6pm AEST or 8pm NZST. Please check back here at that time for all the details and how to register! Please note, spaces are limited and it’s first come, first served so be quick!

The Perth class is being run through the Perth MQG. Registrations will be open to members later this week and to the wider public on Saturday,18th of July. We are also hoping to run evening trunk shows in some places so more of you get the chance to meet Lizzy!

Lizzy, Adrianne and I are so looking forward to sharing the Meadow with you all! Crazy excited more like! Eek!

Please find a blog button below if you'd like to share!

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