Using up some block swap blocks and a quilting project block

I was looking through some odd boxes I have and came across these blocks I received in the 12" & 6"  block swaps. I asked for autumn colours and maple leaves.
These groups blogs are no longer operating as they are on Facebook. I am not so I don't see what is happening but I wanted to do something with the blocks.
http://quiltingblockswapsaustralia.blogspot.com.au
http://6inchblockswapsaustralia.blogspot.com.au
  This is the centre block that I used. It was a quilt as you go, raw edged applique and machine quilting techniques taught by Helen Godden.... what was I to do with it.. I don't do wall hangings...

Machine quilting class with Helen Godden held at Heathcote Quilters 

https://jobutterfield.blogspot.com.au/2013/09/workshop-with-heathcote-quilters.html

So this is what I have come up with so far....

A play with ideas

This is what I have decided on

FLOATING STARS is FINALLY DONE

I have been working on this quilt for quite some time.
I was involved with QBSA 12" swap for a while.
This is where it began...
http://quiltingblockswapsaustralia.blogspot.com.au
Unfortunately more happened on Facebook than on the blog so I was not able to keep going.

My request was for country stars.  Read about me putting the top together HERE

I have just got to quilting it and am very happy with the results...
It was finished before Xmas as I was giving it away as a gift...
Had a few posts booked in before it so here it is the New Year and my quilt....

FLOATING STARS 12"QBSA quilt is DONE

Binding on this one is 252"

On my way to retreat for the weekend and my October 12" block is done and posted

I AM ON MY WAY TO QUILT RETREAT FOR THE WEEKEND.
MILLROSE RETREAT AT BALLAN HERE I COME.
THERE WILL BE ABOUT 10 OF US MEETING UP & I CANNOT WAIT.
I NEED A WEEKEND AWAY.
I HAVE HAD SUCH A STRESSFUL FEW WEEKS I NEED SOME ME TIME
https://www.millrosecottage.com.au/retreat
this is such a beautiful place to stay. They have a cafe next door and a quilt shop as well.
What a fantastic time away



My partner this month in the 12" block swap was Narelle.

Narelle wanted me to do any block in Black & White.

I know that sounds easy but choosing a block is a big decision.

I went with one that I had made years ago and a member of Kilmore Quilters showed everyone attheir retreat. I have since shown my friends I sew with on a Monday. It is a fun and easy block to do.

The 3D BOW TIE block.

I also sent a little gift to get her into the Christmas spirit.

More blocks have arrived and QUILT SHOW PREPARATIONS

I have received my 12" Log Cabin blocks.

My request was..... Cream tone on tone with grey, brown, black and a red centre.

Think MASCULINE.

I always get a lot of quilts done for children and females so I thought that this one would be for the guys. We only had to make 1 block but Traci is amazing and made me 2

 They will go in the box til a nice little stash grows.

This is done with Sue over at http://quiltingblockswapsaustralia.blogspot.com.au

I have been busy this week organising my quilt for Heathcote Quilt show.

I have been putting on hanging sleeves & labels.

Preparing the bags to put them in with name and phone number on them.

I am putting in 4 quilts...

Here they are.....

HILLY HOUSES

MY SON IS PIXELLATED

MY SON

THE LAST OF THE 

21st JIGSAW PUZZLES

5040  1"  MEMORIES

12" block swap flimsy

I have been a member of the 12" block swap over at http://quiltingblockswapsaustralia.blogspot.com.au  for just over a year now. I was collecting country stars. Some partners were kind enough to send more than one block.

It is great to get work from other people. Fabric and colour choices you wouldn't normally buy. Different blocks from so many but then again so many the same.

The hardest part when doing a swap like this is that your blocks don't always measure what they should. The colours can sometimes be hard to put together. That is the whole challenge of this. 

Once you start collecting a few blocks your mind starts then you begin looking for ideas. I didn't just want to put them together with basic sashings. I need something different.
Thanks to Pinterest I found something I could work with.... http://www.craftsy.com/pattern/quilting/home-decor/407-layered-stars-quilt-pattern/8462

These are who I received the blocks from and have used.
1. Carolyn.    2. Irene.   3. Fiona.   4. Kerry.   5. Beth.   6. Lorna.   7. Cathy.   8. Kerry.   9. Debbie.   10. Kerry.   11. Vicki.    12. Jan.
Thankyou so much ladies....

Now they didn't all measure the same so I needed to trim them. With them being stars when I trimmed them back to the same size I would have lost my points. No way out of it..... Well, with the quilt picture in mind I decided to cut the blocks into quarters.... YES CUT THEM. Like I said. I would have lost the points anyway.

I rearranged them, added framing borders and stitched them altogether again.

The quilt top is done. It measures 140cm * 190cm. A good size.

Like I said, trying to put all the colours together makes your brain work a little overtime. I am happy with what I have done.

NOW TO QUILT IT...

I'm linking up with My Quilt Infatuation and NTT...Needle Thread Thursday

http://myquiltinfatuation.blogspot.com.au/2015/01/party-time.html

FATHERS DAY 2014

I had a great day on this Fathers Day. We celebrated with the son and daughter out for dinner last night at Mount Macedon hotel. We had a great time. A very noisy night.. But fun. Hahaha.

So today hubby was a bit tired. We did do a bit of shopping then home for lunch. My time to disappear into my work room and leave hubby to relax & have his own time.

So I focussed on finishing off the last of the boys 21st puzzle quilts.

Then I have joined in doing an AUSSIE HERO QUILT. 

Read about it here...http://aussieheroquilts.blogspot.com.au/p/a-brief-history.html

My guy liked TEENAGE MUTANT NINJA TURTLE so this is what I did.

He also has a laundry bay to go with it.

I am linky up with Val on her Tuesday archives. This is not a funny quilt really but I think it funny some of the requests from the AUSSIE HEROS on deployment. I hope this quilt puts smiles on a lot of peoples faces. KEEP UP THE GOOD WORK.

Vals Quilting Studio

http://myplvl.blogspot.com.au/2014/09/tuesday-archives-27-fmq-funnest-quilt.html

Then I continued on with my block swaps for this month.

Sue is enjoying a trip away so we got our partners for this month a little early and at the same time.

This is where it all began...

http://quiltingblockswapsaustralia.blogspot.com.au

I like this idea because I spend one afternoon focussing just on them.

They are now done.

My 12" block for Traci. Traci wanted Dorothy's star done with a white background and any other
colour of choice. Mine was a nice chocolate brown.
http://www.quilterscache.com/D/DorothysStarBlock.html

Next for the day was my Paper Pieced swap for Anna. When this swap started we were partners for the first month. I am still getting the same block " Hunters Star. " but Anna has changed and now is wanting a 12" Atlantic Seas block.. http://www.quilterscache.com/images52/atlanticseastemp.gif

I think I still need a lot of work on paper piecing. My points are not matching. I hope Anna likes this block. It took me ages to do. These are shades of black and grey with a background of white.

Last thing on the list for the day was the 6" swap. Carolyn wanted any two 6" blocks done with 1930s fabrics. I'm not really sure if these are the right fabrics. I think they are. I do like these fabrics and blocks. I made a baby cot quilt with these pretty fabrics.A traditional Rail Fence and Spool block.

These are a very sweet pink so I hope that Carolyn likes them.

FNSI, secret sewing, zipper purse, 12" block swap & Maple Leaf

Well, on Friday I spent sorting and finishing off a few projects. Some I can show you some I can't......

I am also linking up with FNSI over at

 http://sugarlanequilts.blogspot.com.au/2014/08/fnsi-sign-ups-for-friday-night-sew-in.html

There are quite a lot of great things happening if you spend the time having a look at everyone's blogs. It's very interesting reading and good inspiration. Go on over to take a look.

Firstly, I finished some secret sewing. So I can only show a little sneak of it.... More photos will show up at a later date though...

Secondly, I thought I'd give this little gift a go. All you end is a zip and a length of ribbon. Be happy to do some hand stitching. Mmmmm.... The hand stitching was ok but I'm not sure the time spent on it was worth it. Maybe someone else would think so but I will not be making another one. It is a very cute little purse though. Making it was not my cup of tea....

At the end of the night I started sewing another dishcloth and a face washer. My Kilmore group is getting together on Sunday and we will be working on little items to sell on our trade table at our quilt in and also preparing for items for next years quilt show. So I went through what I had and found lots of little goodies. If anyone at the group wants to make some I will be happy to show them how... I'm sure photos will come later.

My postie bought me a nice little surprise today. A lovely Maple Leaf 12" block from Petah.

Petah was my partner this month in the 12" block swap over at...

http://quiltingblockswapsaustralia.blogspot.com.au

This months block swaps

First up... August 12" http://quiltingblockswapsaustralia.blogspot.com.au
I have just sewn my block to send off to Petah.

She wanted white background with blue stripes... http://www.quilterscache.com/R/RomanStripeBlock.html

Second... May - July http://paperpiecersswapclub.blogspot.com.au

I received my beautiful  

http://www.quilterscache.com/H/HuntersStarBlock.html 

block from Julianne.

Thirdly... June http://6inchblockswapsaustralia.blogspot.com.au

These are the lovely 

http://www.quilterscache.com/M/MapleLeafBlock.html 

blocks from Lee. The pattern is for 12" but I am having them done in 6".

6" & 12" Block swap & Santa Sack Swap

I have been working on my Santa Sack Swap and have finished a special gift BUT haha I cannot show you. It is a surprise gift. We know the swap partners but we can't give away the surprise of what we are making for their gifts. For that they have to wait until Xmas.....

Here is a sneak peak... Can you guess what it is ?????.

Then I had to get finished 2 * 6" double pinwheel blocks made for Shannon in the USA.

We are swap partners this month in the http://6inchblockswapsaustralia.blogspot.com.au 

Shannon wanted Kaffe Fasset fabric. This was well and truly out of my comfort zone. I went shopping and bought some fabric. It's not something I had at home. There it sat for 2 weeks. Soldier on and do it... So that's what I did..... Here they are......

And during the week I received my 12" Maple Leaf block from Anna. We had been partners in January in the Paper pieced Swap so it was good to have contact again. All Anna had to do was make 1 * 12" block. To my surprise she made 3  blocks, added in a 6" block too. But wait, there's more.. A cute little coaster in the shape of a Maple Leaf. It is so cute. I am already using it.

So go and have a look at all these swaps HERE

Scrappy blue day with a touch of RED

It's SCRAP HAPPY SATURDAY progress time.
I try to keep up with Angela over at Soscrappy and follow and make all the blocks she puts up in her RSC 14 SAMPLER.      WONKY GOOSE STAR BLOCK in scrappy reds.

I have done this months block for my 12" block swap partner Anna.

She wanted this BEARS PAW pattern

 Then I managed to get done my May-June blocks for Kilmore Quilters Honour Quilt.
I still have to do another 4 blocks to catch up.
I am doing mine in scrappy blues.

The names for these blocks are...

1C... Thomas De Courcy Meade.       6C...  Edward John Rule

3D...  Charles Wyndham Thomas.    5F...   William Bernard Bierne

Have a look at the page HONOUR QUILT 2014 by clicking on the tab at the top of this page. It tells you about the people that Maree has chosen to do a block for that were in the war.

Yellow scrappy blocks

My 12" block swap partner this month is Karen. We are members of QBSA and every month we get a new partner and swap a block of their choice with them. Karen wanted an Ohio Star with cream background, coloured points with a contrast centre. 

As it is a Yellow month over at Soscrappy I thought that's what I would do.

Then I thought I would do this Framed 4 Patch block from the RSC sampler page that Angela puts up the patterns for.

I continued in my mellow yellow mood and sewed some wonky stars.

I do not have a lot of yellow so thanks to the girls in my Monday group for helping me out.

The funny thing is they thought I was mad using up my little pieces of scraps now they are doing it too. Here are my stars.

Catch up on block swaps

These are the great blocks that Kerry sent me.  Not just 2 x 6" blocks but 4 & another 12" block. We were partners in the 12" swap in November so Kerry decided to make me an extra block.

Carolyn sent  me this 12" Sawtooth Star block

Then I received these 6" Maple blocks from Brenda

Extra fabrics sent to Kerry 
My 6" scrappy blocks for Kerry for May swap

I'm putting on the binding FIRST

I have managed to machine sew on the binding on my BLUE HEARTS quilt.

I want to draw on a quilting pattern into the border and I didn't want it getting cut off when I trimmed up the quilt. So, as usual, I have done it back to front and now I am hand stitching it down today.
A relaxing day for Slow Stitching Sunday

My friend has sat down with me and done some hand quilting on her hexagon quilt.

This is her 1st quilt done by hand.

I'll post a photo of the whole quilt another day.

My hubby decided to surprise me and turn up at my friends for the weekend.
He brought some mail with him.
It was my block from Vicki from Albury. We were partners in the 12" block swap over at  QBSA

A busy week

Let's get in the Christmas spirit early.
I have decided to join in with Cheryll and a whole lot of others for the CHRISTMAS IN JULY swap.
Go over to HERE and see what it's all about.






MEANWHILE.
I have been staying at a friends house in NSW and catching up on some sewing. I have been very busy with lots more still to do.

Here is the view I have while I'm sewing, eating & watching tv. Isn't it stunning..
Merrimbula, NSW....

As you can see from the above photo the colour of this block is far more beige than the photo on the left.
Anyway, this is the block I have done for my swap partner, Carolyn, over at QBSA...

Then I have been working on more puzzle quilts for the boys.

I have another 4 to do...

My friends dog just had to get in
there.






So today I have continued to sew and join in the fun with everyone for
 FRIDAY NIGHT WITH FRIENDS