WOW: Still Unpacking

WOW = WIPs On Wednesdays

This wednesday finds me still unpacking and downloading and just generally trying to get back into the swing of things. How did November get here so fast???

Yesterday there was much talk about the 7 billionth baby being born. One thing that really struck me this time around in Europe, Vienna and London was how densely populated the cities are. Maybe I hadn't noticed before?? Maybe I'm getting older and see things differently? Maybe it's inceased enough for me to notice? I'm just not used to so many people.

Well, last night I learnt that Australia is actually the 3rd least populated population... I hadnt realised this and I think that over the years I must have become accustomed to space! The statistics were something like: Australia = 3 people per m2 and the UK has something like 246 per m2. I think that's incredible.

When I see so many people in one place 'for no reason' well, I don't know what to make of it!
Speaking of populations and birthdays, I have much to catch up on before my own birthday later this week. I better get on with it!



Festival Time: Hearts Desire

A

big

thank

you to Amy

for once again organising this wonderful quilt festival. I always take part and look forward to meeting so many wonderful quilts and the stories beind them. It's getting better each year!

Usually I'm right in there from the very start on day one, but the month seems to be slipping away from me at the moment, so I'm glad theres still 5 days left to take part and enjoy.

My Quilt entry this festival is: "Hearts Desire"

I really love this quilt. It's still quite new to my stash and it's a quilt that I have always wanted to own, so having it finished feels really special.

You know, it was just one of those quilts I had to make!

It's an intense applique quilt, full of details that you want to concentrate on and perfect, piece by piece. Each block demands patience and skill. It's the kind of quilt that uses everything you know and then encourages you to try something new. I just love enjoying it.

Something I really enjoyed was embarking on this quilt with so many other quilters who were experiencing the blocks, month by month. Hearts Desire was a free monthly block of the month earlier in the year. Many beginner quilters started this quilt (and I'm pleased to add that they all did a fine job of finishing it too). We worked through it each month together, step by step.

For the applique, I used the applique freezer paper method throughout (tutorial on the side bar) and the end results speak for themselves.

This BOM is now finished.

You can purchase the pattern for this beautiful quilt here:

via my online shop.

If you'd like to take part in the next free BOM, why not join my Yahoo Bom Group? (see side bar)

Thank you for stopping by my Festival Post!

GO!Baby Winner! Winner! Winner!

I wish I could give a GO!Baby away to each and every one of you. It's been a welcome addition to my quilting options. And like all of you, I was entering comps wherever I could to try and win one myself. So, I know how high the demand is out there to have one!!

I really loved reading each and every little quote / proverb / saying  you submitted as an entry. How true they all felt! I loved each one and found myself nodding along in agreement.

Quite a few could have been my own often used favourites, so it's only fair that I share my own.  I’ll mention one that hasn’t been enjoyed yet:  it’s old Russian proverb –

"if I knew where I was going to fall, I would have put a cushion there"

How could I possibly decide between entries? Well I knew from the start that I wouldn’t be able to. So here is the random number generator that I decided would choose most fairly.

You’ll notice that the comp had 196 comments at time of closing (with a few deleted entries and doubles). I counted those out and added several allocations for quilters who did not enter online but who asked me personally to be included in the comp which took the countable entry number up to 199).

Thank you Random.Org and congratulations to Feather on a Wire who quoted "I quilt therefore I am".

For the love of Red

Will my love affair with Red & White ever end?

“Around 1830, quilts made of red, green, and white became very popular, but it was not until 1880 when the cloth called Turkey-red was imported from Germany that solid red and white quilts could be made. Turkey-red was a good, permanent, non-fading red. Cloth made from American dyes ran and faded to pink within three washings. It took the First World War, when European imports were unobtainable, to start American dye makers on the trail of a permanent red. They succeeded in finding several; but it was not until after the Second World War that permanent shades of red became available in cloth of all price ranges.”

I could read about red fabric all day long….And I'm finding all these details fascinating.

I was lucky enough to receive this book, published in 1966, from a friend. I can’t believe that it’s found its way to my bedside table after so many years; it’s very readable and completely charming. I also can’t believe how far we’ve come, fabric production wise, in what is a relatively short span of time.

Luckily there is no impediment to stop quilt lovers making as many red quilts as their hearts desire nowadays!!

Red & White is a quilt classic,

and I'd love to know,

do you have one? or several?

WOW: Home Again

WOW = WIPs On Wednesdays

It feels like just a very long time since I posted from my own computer whilst seated at a desk. I’m home again. My Wednesday WIP will be unpacking…and getting started on all the washing.

GO!BABY Winner will be drawn and announced tomorrow.

Stay tuned!

WOW: Too Much Of Everything!

WOW= WIPs On Wednesdays

I'm still on my travels with DH. This is turning out to be a really fun WIP...and one that, for once, I don't actually want to finish!

At some point I will get myself organised long enough to share some pics!

What are you up to today?

Peaceful Pathways, Part 3 is launched

1 Corinthians 13 (NIV)

 4 Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. 5 It does not dishonour others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. 6 Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. 7 It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.

 8 Love never fails. But where there are prophecies, they will cease; where there are tongues, they will be stilled; where there is knowledge, it will pass away.                                                                                    

Suprise!

I don't like launching over the weekend,

so I have brought the launch date forward to today.

Halfway through this BOM already (!!), in 3 more installments it will be a new year and a finished quilt. Not bad!

This month, we return to your beautifully embroidered text blocks and set them into border 2. We also add the corner heart squares (mine, above) and add the 3^rd HST border.

The quilt is really taking shape now

If you are making Peaceful Pathways, do consider joining my Yahoo BOM Group. Membership is and always will be free. It’s a great place to discuss the pattern, share ideas and post photos of your progress.

My patterns are only available via my website or yahoo group

WOW: What's Your WIP?

Yes, I'm still away and loving every minute of it, but it just won't feel like a wednesday unless there's some WOWs on my blog.
So, what's your WIP?

WOW: Absent But Interested!

Hi everyone,

I’m still on my trip. I’ve been out of range quite a lot and I have to admit that I am really loving being plugged out! It’s been great so far, but I have been too relaxed to get around to downloading photos or anything like that yet. I can do all that when I get home.

I will say though, I did miss catching up with all of you for WOW last week so here I am, posting it up, because I do love seeing what stage your WIPs are at.

Have you all entered the Accuquilt GO!Baby comp below??

WIN a GO!Baby Fabric Cutter

The folks at AccuQuilt are very generously giving away

a GO!Baby Fabric Cutter and 3 dies

to 1 lucky reader of this blog.

I have personally entered 3 blogger competitions to win a GO!Baby, so I know how big the demand is out there to own one! I am really delighted to be able to give one away to one of my readers. Whoever wins it, you’re going to love it!

ENTER NOW!!

Something I think we all do when we enter these comps, is scroll down to make sure our entry comment is there. So, to make things as interesting as possible (and I’m curious too), I am asking that you leave behind your favourite quote / saying or proverb in your comment.

1. Go to http://www.accuquilt.com/ and select 3 dies
2. Leave a comment at the end of this post which includes:
3. Your favorite quote, saying or proverb and
4.  Your 3 selected dies

Goodluck!

The competition will be open for entries for 4 weeks

1 entry only per person

This worldwide competition is open to everyone

Your prize will be shipped to you from AccuQuilt directly

The winner will be selected randomly, using a random number generator

The winner will be selected and announced when I return from my trip

...

in the meantime

You can download 22 patterns from AccuQuilt for free, simply click below.

I have downloaded these and added them to my collection,

they’re excellent and definitely worth looking into.

My Challenge Entry: Light and Shade

This post relates to my membership of the International Quilt Challenge. We have our own blog, why not take a look?

My Challenge Piece: 'Shadow and Sunshine'

The first challenge was set by Annabel: she chose Light and Shade. I already have a quilt called sunshine and shadow so I started calling my challenge that out of habit. It’s so connected in my mind, that I really have no option but to call my challenge piece Shadow and Sunshine.

It’s A3 size for those of you who are interested. We have no size restriction, but I feel that I do need a limit and I also like the idea of having like sized pieces at the end of the challenge cycle. That said, I might change my mind at any moment.

I was inspired by the idea that shadows are a degree of absence, not an absence.

I was in several minds regarding the quilting, I thought about detailed quilting for each section, but felt drawn back to the original idea I had had - quilting by straight lines, the direction light travels in. I quilted in tones of grey and yellow to create the light and shadow.

I quilted and basted this piece the day before my trip, after my DD and I had packed and unpacked my suitcase 5 times!! I was already a bit tired, but there was no way I was going to miss the challenge deadline!

I went for charcoal and gold for my binding

And breathed a big sigh of contentment when it was complete. I was really lucky because I had exactly 10 minutes worth of daylight left outside to take a picture in.

I do invite you to see our other member's interpretations of this theme, over at our blog:

http://internationalquiltchallenge.blogspot.com/

Light and Shade: finishing my challenge

This is a post related to my entry in the International Quilt Challenge, of which I am a member.

I am very relieved top say that I managed to finish my first challenge on time. The day before leaving on my trip actually. Here are some pics of my progress. I did have a hard time selecting the thread, especially for the yellow shade. I felt that the yellow was too bright, but didn’t want it too subtle. Happily, I chose the right shade and it turned out the way I wanted.

I am really looking forward to seeing everyone else’s interpretation of this theme shortly!

The first challenge is Light and Shadow and the challenge deadline is the 23^rd Sept. I am really looking forward to seeing what the other International Quilt Members have been up to this last month….you can take a look too...

WOW: Fabric Arrival

WOW = WIPs On Wednesdays

As I was heading out the door to go to the airport, a package arrived for me. Not just any old package, but the fabric range I have ordered for my next project! I quickly checked them over to make sure they were all there, they look wonderful in real life, and then had to leave them behind.

They have been ordered so that I can start my next BOM: it will be a 13 month mystery based on flowers, and it's an all round exciting project. I'm really looking forward to making it. New fabric does have that effect on me!

Wish Me Bon Voyage!!

By the time you read this, I will be in the air, flying with my DH, just the two of us. Yes, we are up and away!!

This trip is a special one because it has a story behind it. When I opened my online shop, I boasted to my husband that I would fly the both of us to Paris on the proceeds. Well…of course I was joking. I don’t actually earn enough to cover expenses, let alone take holidays, I do what I do only because I love it. So I was very happy when my DH surprised me last week by telling me we were going to Europe. Yes, can you believe I only had 1 week to pack??? And organize things???

My DD took a snap of us packing the car….(is she eager to see us go?) We think so. 

Both my DDs think the house could be a little less…..well, creative….so I have left strict instructions that none of my things or my studio is allowed to be 'tidied up'. I’m not too concerned (at the moment) because I don’t think 5 weeks is enough time for them to actually attempt tackling my studio. I should know, I’ve tried! I'll keep reminding them just to make sure I think... 

I will post whenever I find Wi-Fi, just as I am now.

Those of you following my BOM, Peaceful Pathways – the next block will of course, still be posted as usual on the 15^th of October, I will make sure it is, wherever I am on my travels.

I also managed to finish a few little WIPs in the whirlwind that was last week…and I will be announcing an exciting competition as soon as I find time to type it up!

I will be checking in with my Yahoo Group and emails…but from more exotic locations than usual.

Esther's Occassional Quote for the Day

How To Print My Patterns

This is a question I am asked over and over. So I thought I would clarify some easy steps you can take to make sure that the pattern you print at home is as accurate as possible.

All of my patterns have an inch line or box. When you print out your pattern, check against this box for accuracy. Use a ruler or a professional standard tape measure. Both patterns in these images are accurate.

But what if your inch line or box isn't accurate? Please do remember that all printers / copiers have different options and menus. It's likely that your own printer wont look exactly like mine does here. These images are to guide you and give you a general idea of what to look out for:

This is my print option screen. Where it lists "Page Scaling" the option selected is NONE. This is correct and this is what we want. It means that the document will print as is without any automatic (and usually helpful) re-sizing.

In the snap below, the printer has automatically selected "Shrink to Printable Area". Again, this is usually helpful, but is not wanted when printing patterns. In this instance, you would select "none" as the option (just like the snap above).

In the snap below, the printer has selected "Fit to Printable Area". Again, this is usually helpful, but is not wanted when printing patterns. In this instance, you would select "none" as the option (just like the snap above).

It's quite common for printers to automatically re-size PDF documents. You may not have even noticed this feature. With my patterns, the work is always within the margins of A4 paper, so you don't need to think about whether the pattern will fit the page. It always will.

Make sure your printer is not adjusting your print out and also take a moment to look at the margins of the printable area, as in the snap below. Sometimes they can set themselves to half a page or 80% for no apparent reason. In this snap below, everything is fine and the pattern printed perfectly.

So, to sum up: 

All patterns are set to print to A4 for easy home printing

Make sure that your printer is set to print to 100%
If your print preview shows that you are set to print at 95%, make sure the default "shrink to printable area" box is not checked. If it is, uncheck it.

Make sure your printer does not ‘re-scale– PDF documents prior to printing.

For all ‘re-scaling’ options, select none 

For all ‘shrink to printable area’ options, ensure this is not set

Check that the "Inch Square" I add to each pattern actually measures an inch when you print it out. This ensures that you are printing the pattern at the correct size. If you do not print accurately, measure the difference and adjust your pattern accordingly.


I hope this clarifies any printing issues, now let's get back to doing what we do best....creating!    

Peaceful Pathways: Part 2 is launched

Peaceful Pathways: Roads and valleys that run up, down and over, wind and turn. Of course, there are endings, sharp corners and crossroads.

How is everyone faring with Peaceful Pathways so far? I’ve seen many beautifully embroidered text blocks by machine and hand and I'm looking forward to seeing what you all get up to this month.

With the 4 centre square blocks completed, I’m already thinking about the kind of quilting that would work on the pathways. I’m considering white quilted feathers at this stage.

If you are making Peaceful Pathways, do consider joining my Yahoo BOM Group. Membership is and always will be free. It’s a great place to discuss the pattern, share ideas and post photos of your progress.

My patterns are only available via my website or yahoo group only

WOW: GoBaby Brights Quilt

WOW = WIPs On Wednesday

Yes, I've been working on my GOBaby Quilt again



I’m thinking about a border of half square triangles – done the fast and easy way of course.

I love it. I’ve already got plans for the next top and a few projects too. I didn’t think I’d be this excited about a cutting tool, but I have been pleasantly surprised.

It’s Tomorrow, Today

Update: 10:55am

Yes, I am using fusible throughout. That way I can simply iron into place. I plan to satin or buttonhole stitch afterwards.

I am still considering my options - because fusible is too expensive to use as freely as I want. I have so many plans. I'm thinking about glues like liquid stitch? But since it's not readily available where I am, I am thinking this through.

With fusible, even with the added cost, I still feel the advantages outweigh the cost. I am really still experimenting and deciding as I go. I will keep you posted. Working with this easy cutter is still new to me.

So if you have any thoughts, please share them, I'd love to know.

Oops, I forgot to post my GOBaby progress. Where was I? Oh yes, here we are

As I mentioned in my previous post, going straight into arrangement without cutting is a lot of fun and I’ve been playing around with brights. I have some projects – a bit different to what I normally do, that I’ve been meaning to make for some time. But you know how it is. With so many WIPs on the go, I never find the time. And to be frank, I haven’t been motivated to organise and cut…for the sake of experimenting.

Until now...

Still going ... will update again
tomorrow for WOW

Thank You Wyndham Quilters

Well, I had a lovely time on Saturday, guest speaking at the Quilt In. Being a Guest Speaker is really such an honor and something I enjoy so much. Sometimes when talking about your quilts (or looking through them) do you sometimes surprise yourself?

I do. I forget sometimes how many quilts I’ve made. It doesn’t feel like it as you work through each quilt, but after a few years (I’ve been quilting for 11) it starts to add up.

As per the theme, I wore black and white and my something bright was my lipstick.

Come and See Me Today

I've got my black and white...still sorting out the little bit bright part.

I have 10 minutes before I leave, so I'm thinking fast!

If you can, do visit the Wyndham Quilt In,

it's going to be a great day!