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...