Bali Inspiration

...is everywhere.

April block

April block, a photo by HandmadeRetro on Flickr.

How to I forget to upload the picture - the completed block from yesterdays post!

do. Good Stitches April Rainbow block-with a Perth fabric secret

So after a 5am wake-up time, a frantic trip tp the airport and a cross country flight with a lot of toddlers I have arrived in Perth for a quick visit before my flight to Bali tomorrow. As is often the way I had a long list of things to do before I went and I didnt get to the all. One that didnt happen was my April block for do. Good Stitches, and while I would probably have time to get it done on my return without being late but when I have a free day why risk it?


It also givs me a chance to introduce you to a little Perth secret – Textile Traders. It is a fabric chain store- in that there are several around WA but they only exist in Western Australia as far as I can tell. Lead by Benny (and I have it on good autority that his advert persona is not an act) they stock some designer quilting weight fabrics for about $12-$15 in Australia! It seems that excess stock is sold at auction and Benny buys it for the stores so nowhere gets a whole line. That being said I have found several Amy Butler Lotus prints in one store in the past as well as heaps of Prints Charming. A great place to happen upon Out of Print or had to find fabric at a reasonable price but I think it really comes down to the luck of the find.

So when I wanted to get some fabric this morning off I went.

Rachel asked for Rainbow blocks in saturated colours, in any size or design and I couldn't go past piecing an actual rainbow!

Using the free-cutting technique Kerry asked for a few months ago in Bee {a little} bit Japanese I cut the centre half circle and then each of the rainbow bands in turn, sewing and pressing to the centre as went.

The final outside white area was cut and attached in the same way.

Off to Rachel now -she explains she would like to make a BIG  quilt so this is a BIG block- 20 inches by 24 inches.

Of doll quilts - A wonderful end to the week

I had a very ordinary week at work last week.Why is it that when you have lots to do but a plan to get it done with little room for movement that is exactly when the crisis always happens?

So by the time I had it home on Friday afternoon I was tired. At least I think it was Friday, the days all burred into one.

But my week was brightened when I got home to find my Doll Quilt waiting for me from DQS10! The information included in the partner email indicated I liked traditional designs with a modern twist and I think she really paid respect to that!

 How lucky am I? I am still trying to work out the perfect place to display it but having it off the wall means I can pick it up and admire it more often!

Thanks Lisa (Lisajanlovestoquilt)

A curvy weekend

Progress on the Double Wedding ring this weekend. The top is almost done and I have some (needing to be kep secrect at this stage) plans for the backing that I hope to execute this week as soon as a finish the last column.

Fingers crossed it will be ready to deliver in a week and a half!

A blocky weekend!

A bee block weekend was had by me last weekend



The end of the month was fast approaching and I had some bee blocks to make before they were late!


First up were two sets of blocks for Bee Seam Piecing Downunder with the February blocks for Erin being delayed after it took a whole month for an envelope to arrive in the mail from Adelaide. Continuing frustration from Australia Post is becoming the norm for me lately!


Erin had previously asked us for our favourite colour and sent us some fabric in that colour as well as other fabric and set us a free choice block. With the flying geese kick I had been on recently this was the first block I made.

Originally it was to be three rows of flying geese until I (thankfully checked) the instructions and noted Erin had asked for 10.5” blocks.

More triangles for block two seemed fitting and a pinwheel emerged from the machine.


Next up was two of these blocks for Nicole in the same bee but for March. Based on this quilt by Red Pepper Quilts that was apparently originally based on another seen on flickr she asked us to create these, full of squares and half square triangles. Unfortunately we were all a little short of the yellow as the bolt appears to have been narrower but this and the almost finished second was sent on the way.

This will be a wonderful quilt but with so many small pieces in each block is it one that is helpful to have some assistance in piecing!

Also on the list was the this scrappy stashbuster block for Crystal in Bee (a little bit) Japanese.

Thankfully she had precut all the tiny little squares for us and these came together surprisingly quickly.

A lovely detail that she requested was that we sub in two squares of our own and then raw edge applique another scrap of this same fabric to a label/siggy block to help her identify and remember everyone's contribution in the final quilt.

She also asked for our favourite quote to be included on the label - I went with the one I consider most fun.

The final bee blocks for the weekend were two for the Faith circle do. Good Stitches {a Charity Bee}. Kathy Dougherty of Material Obsession fame (both the store and the books) had given permission for us to use the stashbuster quilt pattern so long as it was not published publicly.

As this quilt will be going to a little baby girl I included some fun prints and a little pink.

I really love this quilt (it is on the long, long list for things I might get to one day) and was pleased to be able to have a small hand in one in the meantime.

To round out the weekend I finished the final two blocks I still had to go for the Quilt Bloggers Blockapalooza

and fixed an earlier one when I found some more orange stripe.

Sewing the top together is the next step!

This weekend it is all about the double wedding ring quilt top (and back hopefully!)

A new book on my shelf - Quilting - from little things, Sarah Fielke

I had a reasonably ordinary weekend last weekend. Now it is Friday and almost the next weekend I can't remember all of the terrible so it can't have been all that bad but I do remember quite badly rotary cutting my finger and nail and needing to go to the doctor and that did put a slow down on lots if the quilt blocking I had planned to do.

Instead Nik and I went to Carlton to do a few things we had been meaning to go for a while and had a little walk around and an early but delicious dinner. On the walk I happened to pop into Readings bookshop - all the stores in this small (and I think only Melbourne based chain) are great but I have found the one in Carlton to have a particularly good sewing and craft section. And what do you think I saw, and a week before the publish date but Sarah Fielke's new book - Quilting: From little things! You know Sarah, she writes for Sewn and was one of the two co-authors Material Obsession: Modern Quilts with Traditional Roots and Material Obsession Two.

So, what do I like about this book? I love the way it is set out with the book working through different techniques with each being demonstrated by two quilts, a doll quilt and then a larger bed sized one. And, like all Sarah's books, they include some challenging and more time consuming quilts. There is a place for beginner and quick quilt books but I really enjoy some with more difficult quilts as well as they are so rare.  

 I really love this quilt and it is going on the list. I think it also shows really well one of the things I especially appreciate about both Material Obsessions books and this new on and is the focus on the whole quilt and not just the piecing. It is easy to finish a pattern by saying 'quilt and bind as desired' but I find the liberal use of hand quilting and the notes at the end of each pattern on how and why quilting methods and designs were chosen elevates what could just end up being a quilt top to an actual quilt.

And I think this quilt has to win the title for the best quilt name EVER and one of the nicest stories behind it.

 And one more thins I really love is this picture. Sarah is a wonderfully talented quilt maker and her designs and quilts inspire so many people but I love this picture as a demonstration of how nothing is absolutely perfect all of the time. See the seam allowance folded over in the middle?

 As I understand it this book is only available in Australia at the moment (and possibly the UK?) with this availability getting wider by the day. Should you not be in those areas and can't wait for it to come to a store near you I think Sarah has some for sale on her blog and Readings has it here ships worldwide.