Quilters' Circle - 27th February, 2012

It may have been a sticky summer day outside, but inside was a bit more conducive to activities like quilting.

Since our last meeting where she arranged her blocks, Marie has assembled them all, and joined them into strips with a chequerboard sashing between the blocks:

Today she was slicing up strips to make more of the chequerboards for the horizontal sashing.

Glennys is working on a secret project for a friend's special birthday. It is a "shabby-chic" style quilt, and here's a little part of the appliqué design on a border:

We look forward to seeing the whole project the next time we see Glennys.

Carol has recently been put in touch with some distant relatives in the UK. They sent these lovely hand-knitted bonnets for the newest member of the family:

We weren't mean enough to make Isabella model them for us on this sticky afternoon, so the chair had to do that job. Aren't they cute? The bobbles are actually part of the yarn, rather than knitted bobbles.

Carol also brought along a treat for all of us - some yummy chocolates:

While Isabella had a nap, Carol managed to get some leaves appliquéd on the border of the quilt she is making for her 98-year-old grandmother:

There's still a few leaves to go, but it is looking great.

Vireya covered templates for her paper-piecing project:

It might be while before we see what these turn into.

It will also be a while until we are back at the house. The next normal meeting day is Labour Day, so the house will be closed. We'll be back in four weeks, on 26th March. See you again then.

Quilters' Circle - 13th February, 2012

It's the second Monday in February, which means it's time for the quilters to get together again.

Last year Glennys brought along some mystery squares she had found. Today she had the finished product to show us:

Now it is a lap quilt finished just in time for her mother's birthday.

Glennys is making progress on her My Blue Heaven (quilt designed by Therese Hylton). Today she spread out her completed blocks to show us:

That's the original in the foreground for reference. More than half of Glennys's blocks are finished now, and it is looking good.

Marie brought along this block keeper which she made a few years ago:

 

Aren't those colours lovely? The "square in a square" blocks are made from hand-dyed fabrics, and match the colours in the main print really well. The purple cord keeps it securely closed for transport. It is like a small quilt wrapped around a cardboard tube. When you unroll it the inside is lined with a flannel fabric which holds everything in place, so you can use the block keeper for storing or transporting works in progress:

Today Marie had lots of use for it, as she spread out all the pieces for her latest project and played with arrangements of fabrics within the blocks:

Once she was happy with the arrangements, all the blocks were put into her block keeper, layered between pieces of calico, so that Marie could piece them together at home.

Vireya brought along a pot-holder she recently made using this same saw-tooth star block:

She is testing this one, before making some more. She used Vilene Thermolam for the batting. It is lovely and flexible, but perhaps a little thin. Vireya is planning to add another layer of something else (perhaps cotton batting) to the next one she makes.

Our next meeting will be in two weeks, on the 27th February. See you again then!