It is time for another Bee Block….

Posted in Quilt patterns by wombatquilts

Ah yes it is that time again… I am setting another block for my fellow Do Good Stitches gang… and this month snuck up on me so I have resorted to a variation of an old faithful….the wonky star…

For this 12 inch block I used:

Fifteen (15) low volume 3 1/2 inch squares
One (1) black/dark grey 3 1/2 inch square
Eight (8) black grey triangles – I used scraps but you can cut a 3 inch square in half to make the triangles.

Step one is to make the star points:

To make the star points you will need 4 of your low volume squares and your triangle pieces.

Take one of the squares and sew a triangle onto one corner, making sure the pattern sides of your fabric are together and when the triangle is flipped it covers the corner of your square.

Next trim the excess low volume fabric from the corner and press the triangle over into place.

Then add another triangle of fabric to the other side of the square…. sew it down … trim the excess low volume fabric and press over.

Your next step is to trim your block back down to 3 1/2 inches square.

The back of your block should look like this…. now repeat the process until you have 4 star point sections.

Step Two:

Lay out your block as illustrated….

Step Three:

Sew the block together in rows… then sew the rows together to make a completed block.

What I love about this block is that has built in negative space which allows for you to stagger the stars layout when putting the quilt top together. You can also make a couple of blocks that are just low volume squares (no star) to break up the layout of the quilt.

In the coming months I will have two different variations of this quilt to show you, as I also used this block recently at out Guild charity sew day. For the sew day we used a rainbow of solids and a white star which gave us a really fun bright quilt. If you want to see a work in progress shot of that quilt head over to my Instagram account.

6Apr2018

Catching up is fun….

Posted in Finished Quilts by wombatquilts

Going through my old photos recently I found a couple of quilts that I had not shared on the blog… some of them I was happy to let go but there were a few that I wanted to share… the foxes was one and this is another…

finished scrap quilt

I started these blocks a year or so ago, after I managed to give myself a nice little concussion… the blocks were easy and used up quite a bit of my 2 1/2 inch charm square stash. I used a free pattern I found at the Fat Quarter Shop called Sister’s Choice…and it was the perfect project for my addled brain.

block detail

I did not have to cut up too much fabric… just the sashing as I used all my precut scraps to make the blocks. nI was not going to sash the blocks originally but I like how the white gives the quilt breathing room. It really works… and I must admit I have sashed some more quilts since this.

The best part of the process was putting together color combinations…

quilt detail

I struggled a little towards the end to find different color combinations and relied heavily on some neutrals to round things out… grey became my good friend with this project.

quilt detail 3

I finished the top up and then one of our wonderful charity long armers quilted and bound the quilt for me. I do not usually get this much help on my charity quilts but it was perfectly timed, as I was still struggling with post concussion issues. I love the wave pattern they chose…it is simple but adds great movement to the quilt.

quilt detail 2

This quilt went to the PICU over 6 months ago so it’s new owner should have warn it in well by now.

Quilt Details:

Block: Sister’s Choice
Fabric: both color and white on white scraps
Size: 50 x 50 inches

4Apr2018

Forgive my tardiness…

Posted in Finished Quilts by wombatquilts

This week I am sharing a quilt that I finished up a while ago but I completely forgot to share…. though the photos are not brilliant as they were taken quickly before I gifted the quilt.

finished fox quilt

This quilt is one of the rare quilts I have made for and given to a friend… a friend who has an affinity with foxes needless to say….

I actually started making this quilt a few years ago, well before I taught classes on making Elizabeth Hartman’s Fancy Forest. I learnt so much teaching and I wish I had known how to make her patterns before I started this….

fox quilt detail 2

Some of things I learnt the hard way is to make sure you are cutting accurately (there is no wiggle room in her patterns)…sew with a scant quarter inch to give yourself some leeway …. and make sure you trim the subsections to the correct size before you sew the block together.

fox quilt detail

As this quilt was a gift I sent it out to be quilted and loved the wood grain that was used to finish it up. I also learnt with this quilt it is worth taking the time to take decent photos… and I now try very hard to get good photos before I send the quilt out into the world. Mr Wombat did not even get a chance to stick out his pinkies…we were in that much of a hurry.

But my friend shared a great photo on Instagram which shows the quilt in the wild…

katies cat

Quilt Details:

Pattern: Fancy Fox by Elizabeth Hartman
Fabric: Various orange/red scraps.
Kona White and Windsor for faces and Cross Hatch in blue grey.
Size: 60 x 72 inches

30Mar2018

Getting a little personal….

Posted in Finished Quilts by wombatquilts

I am currently finishing up a few small baby quilts which are part of a personal project I took on at the end of last year. These quilts are part of my “Quilts for Pablo” project.

This project started last year when a dear friend lost her son after only 10 short days. In her son Pablo’s memory I want to make 10 quilts for my local hospital’s Neo-natal Intensive Care Unit (NICU). The day that I got word of Pablo’s passing I also got a wonderful package from Michael Miller Fabric – I had won a competition that they ran and they sent me two fat quarter bundles which were perfect for my project.

This is the first little quilt I finished up. The fabric line is called Flight School and this is just one of the two colour ways I have.

The fabric just called out to be made into wonky stars and I used as much of the fat quarter for each fabric as I could…fussy cutting as needed.

The layout makes the most of the fabric, using as many 4 1/2 inch squares as had left over instead of just using white in the background. I kind of like how it turned out.

I am also using these quilts as quilting practice…I am using Jacqui Gerings wonderful book “Walk” and I am determined to use as many of her quilting patterns as I can.

Mr Wombat says that this photos is the result of cheating…as I took the photo as he was about to fold up the quilt… hence no pinkies in this shot. But you do get to see a little more of him…

Quilt Details:

Pattern: Wonky Star using 4 1/2 inch squares.
Fabric: Flight School by Michael Miller
Size: 36 x 40 inches

23Mar2018

Saved the best for last…

Posted in Finished Quilts by wombatquilts

So this is my favorite Cotton & Steel quilt I have made so far…. and yes it uses the same block as last week’s quilt – the Ohio Star. I always use the wonderful tutorial by The Sewing Chick when making this block.

Same quilt block but such a different quilt…. the Cotton & Steel fabric really make this quilt sing…

…modern, bright and fun. It always surprises me how different quilts can look with different fabric…

This version feels so much more scrappy because of all the different low volume fabric used (there is not one repeat!)…

Oh and all the colors used… I did have a blast fussy cutting the centers for these blocks…

The beautiful quilting was done by our wonderful guild member Kazumi Peterson, who is so generous to our Charity program with her time and talent.

I finished the quilt with just a solid navy binding… the quilt is so fabulously busy it did not seem to need anything else.

So this is Cotton & Steel quilt number 5 and I have just finished the top for number 6. I may have a C&S problem and they are not helping at all… have you seen the latest collection to hit stores? It is called Spectacle and is by the amazing artist Christian Robinson. Now in my defense I have not bought EVERYTHING they have released but they really do make fabulous fabric.

Quilt Details:

Quilt Block: 12 inch Ohio Star block
Fabric: Various lines from Cotton & Steel
Size: 60 x 72 inches