100 Blocks seems like a lot…

Posted in WIP Wednesday by wombatquilts

Last year I attempted to take part in the 100 days 100 blocks quilt along. I started out strong posting 4 blocks on four consecutive days on Instagram then life got in the way…

100 block 1

I had not attempted a Quilt Along (QAL) before… it is not that I am not a joiner, I just do not do well with enforced schedules….

block 29

I do love the idea of being given a structure to work to but trying to make a block a day can be a hard practice to get into….

block 12

I have made a quilt using Tula Pink’s 100 Blocks book before. I did not make all the blocks the first time and it was the same this time…

block 4

There are some blocks in the book that I look at and think life is too short….

block 13

But since the quilt along finished I have been making a block here and there….

block 11

I am now up to 48 blocks which is enough for a quilt I think….

block 2

I am not sure what I will do with them… actually, if I am honest, I am not sure where I have stashed them at the moment…

block 23

I put them somewhere safe and I can not find them…

block 3

Do not judge me… things got a little crazy a few months ago when our teenager moved back in with us…

block 26

and my stash and bits had to be hauled out of the spare bedroom…

block 22

I think this may be the one and only QAL I do… it will take an extra ordinary project to make me want to repeat this experience…

block 15

How do you feel about quilting along? Have you done any? What was your experience? Any tips?

7Feb2018

Slow stitching…

Posted in Paper Piecing Monday, WIP Wednesday by wombatquilts

What do you do when your get a creative idea in your head? Sometimes I am able to jot it down in my notebook and move on and other times I have to just see if I can make it work. My latest obsession started with some gifted Heather Ross fabric – some precious small pieces that I felt I needed to make good use of.

And so my latest EPP project was born…

pinochio octagon block

Last year, on a whim I picked up a Octagonal block kit during Paper Pieces sale. I wanted to have some hand work that was NOT hexagons but I am not brave enough yet to do a complex project… my long term goal is to one day be brave enough to try the La Passacaglia block! These Octagons seem a perfect step up from hexagons.

alien octagon block

Unlike my hexagons I am glue basting the sections of these blocks which is saving time… my Sewline glue pen is getting a good workout.

epp pieces

I have put together a little kit that I have been throwing into my handbag when I head out the door, just in case I have some down time.

my tools

Every good EPP kit needs some small sharp needles, a needle threader (if your eye sight is as bad as mine), wonder clips, thread conditioner, a good thimble and of course a nice thread. I have only just started using Aurifil’s 80 wt thread in my hand piecing and I am loving it. It is really thin but does not break or tangle. I may be in love.

Miss piggy octagon

This is really a fun little project and I have tons and tons of Heather Ross fabric to cut into. I got three blocks done during the Super Bowl party I was at and I am hopeful I can get a block done a week… and if I am lucky maybe more.

1Jun2016

Playing with small curves….

Posted in Quilt patterns, Scrap quilts, WIP Wednesday by wombatquilts

On a whim yesterday, I decided to play with a fabric die cut machine a friend has lent me. I have never used one of these machines before but it seemed like a fun thing to use scraps on… so I grabbed some of my Cotton and Steel scraps and started cutting…

I decided to play with the Drunkards Path die that came with the machine, because it seemed like a great way to make these blocks, as the die cuts both pieces the perfect size….as opposed to the ruler method I have used in the past which leaves you with scrap pieces that are either to small or two big to use.

cut pieces

Anyway some ironing and cutting and an episode of Game of Thrones later I had a pile of curved block pieces….

cutting Now these pieces make a 3 1/2 inch curved block for a 7 inch finished circle… in other words they are small. The first thing I have learned with this project is that the smaller the curve you are trying to piece the harder it is to be accurate. After some struggles aligning the pieces accurately I finally came up with a solution… glue basting.

glue baste 2

Using my Sewline glue pen I glued around the seam line of one of the pieces of the block…

pieces

Placed the pieces together, using the notch to align and then carefully finger pressed the pieces together…

press together

It worked like a charm and another episode of Game of Thrones later (we are just finishing up Season 5 so are a little behind)… I had a nice pile of glue basted…

glue baste Now all I have to do sew them… the glue basting will make chain piecing a breeze…

sewing

And I will have my block pieces done and ready for me to play with layout….

block layout

I am glad I decided to try the die cut curves… I have learned a lot including the fact that I like my curves big….much bigger than 4 inches….

9Sep2015

A work in Progress…

Posted in WIP Wednesday by wombatquilts

This week I have been working away, starting new projects and desperately trying to get other projects finished. Wednesday used to be the day that I posted Work in Progress posts but I have slipped out of that habit a bit. Last night as I was struggling with the computer and its strange technology, I realised that Wombat Quilts is very much a work in progress…

When I took the leap to start blogging a couple of years ago I did not know what I was doing… I jumped in and started working it out as I went along. The quilting bit was easy, the computer stuff was much much harder. This week two things happened that reminded me I am still working this stuff out…for better and worse.

The first thing that happened was on Monday I reached 1 million views on the website. For me this is a staggering thought… now I know some websites get that in a day but I never expected my little old quilting blog to hit that landmark. Thanks to all of you who have stayed with me through this all…. an appropriate giveaway will be coming soon!

The next thing that happened this week was not so positive. Facebook has forced me to migrate my Wombat Quilts profile to a Page. Last night, with tears streaming down my face, I complied…actually I had no choice they shut my Profile down. I am only just working out what this means, but in a nutshell I have lost two years of posts and photos and most importantly lost the ability to see what my 3000+ friends were making. It is heartbreaking….and there is nothing I can do about it. I will keep posting to the Facebook page but the joy of using that platform has gone (as has its effectiveness as far as I can see!)…

But in the mean time I am doing the only thing I know how… I am keeping on quilting. I have a class coming up at Modern Domestic where I am teaching paper piecing using this great pattern ….

I have been working on making hexies for an Instagram friend, which has been a blast. I am raided my stash for pretty fussy cut prints and have a nice little collection of basted hexagons so far….

And I have been finished up some Bee blocks and putting together charity quilt tops. I am working away, sewing little bits of fabric together and hoping that the computer stuff does not eat me alive…

22Jul2015

A slightly unusual wedding quilt in progress…

Posted in WIP Wednesday by wombatquilts

This week I have been having a blast making a wedding quilt for a darling friend… but this quilt is not you usual pretty, demur wedding quilt… it is fun and foxy all the way…

This week I have been using Elizabeth Hartman’s fabulous Fancy Fox pattern to make foxes…lots and lots of foxes…

I have been surprised how quickly and easily these blocks come together. After selecting my fabric and precutting everything it has been a fun process of chain piecing and cutting and chain piecing some more.

There has been a fabulous sense of achievement as I have finished up a fox and put it up on my design wall. The hardest part (and most fun part!) was selecting the fabric. I knew that I wanted the traditional fox colour of red…

and then I threw in a little orange…

and to add tonal variety I added some apricot and pink foxes…

The foxes I love the most are the ones with striking patterns… it was such a fun process to audition fabrics, thinking about what sort of foxes they would make.

I have only a few more foxes to go before I have them all done. For the background fabric I went with Hatch fabric from Time Treasures in Coal…and I love how it makes the foxes pop.

I have a few weeks to get this quilt finished so I am heading back to the sewing machine to finish up the last of the blocks. I really seem to like working up against a deadline… but as a friend kindly reminded me the other day wedding quilts can be given after the wedding. So how late do you think is too late for a wedding quilt?