Keirunga Quilters Exhibition 2010 - Part 1

Yesterday a friend and I went to the Keirunga Quilters Exhibition, which was held in the Hawke's Bay (New Zealand). It's an annual exhibition - small yet perfectly formed. I just love this exhibition - it feels so "real" to me. Just love love love it...

Now I must mention that a good proportion of these quilts are hand quilted. Yes - hand quilting is alive and well in New Zealand. Why? Because it just feels so darn good! :)

A friend of ours couldn't make it due to other commitments, so we agreed to take photos (if we were allowed). Thankfully we were.

It's just such a shame that the quilting doesn't show well in the photos I have taken.

Anyway, let's take a peak inside :)

























































Hope you enjoyed these photos. I'll update the rest of them later in the week.

Basting

I have been wanting to try elements of Sharon Schamber's method of basting. This afternoon I decided to give it a go.

If you are interested in finding out more about Sharons method, please check out her 2 U-tube videos.

• Hand basting #1
• Hand basting #2

The slats of wood were given to me by a friend. I was so excited to receive them. Who would have thought a person could be so thrilled about wood! :) The fabric was rolled onto the slats. The batting was loose. For this project I am using Matilda's Own 70/30 (cotton/poly blend). The basting will be completed on my dining room table.




I started by unrolling the backing layer first, making sure the fabric was flat. Next came the batting, then the top layer.



The basting was done with a herringbone stitch. I placed a cutting mat underneath so that my needle didn't scratch the surface of the table.




Here's a quick look at the back.



I'm quite impressed at how quickly (and painlessly) this is going. No sore back, shoulders, knees or bottom :) Just a few more hours and this stage will be finished.

Next will be the fun part - the hand quilting.

It's a flimsy

I've been spending my time working on Mum's quilt. The quilt top (flimsy) is now complete.

It took over 4 hours to remove the paper - from the paper pieced sections. I couldn't believe how much of a mess it would make taking all those pieces of paper out.

I drafted about 8 potential border designs to use. After going back to the remaining fabric I matched the amount of fabric left with the designs. This was the only design that I had enough fabric for. It isn't what I would have preferred, but "done is done".



The binding is all prepared and ready to attach when I get to that stage. It is the mid greeny-blue fabric.

In July I'll purchase the batting and backing fabric. In the meantime I'll be thinking about quilting designs to use. It will be a challenge. I want to enhance rather than overwhelm the overall design.

The quilt top is a fraction smaller than I would have liked. I hope it doesn't shrink much after the quilting is completed. The quilt was designed to be a bed topper, or to go over the back of the couch.

Stunning hand quilting

Every now and again you get the opportunity to see exquisite examples of hand quilting. Take a look at Barbara Chainey's work (image below). Aren't those stitches amazing. The consistency is something I aspire to achieve.



Barbara is an author, and one of her books is regarded as a hand quilter staple. I've just ordered The Essential Quilter. Hopefully that will give me all the information I need to achieve results as good has hers.

Chilly weather

The weather is getting so cold. It's almost cold enough to light the fire.

Life as always has been busy. Work is full on, and I've been putting in extra hours recently. The down side is that I have less time to spend on activities at home. Anyway, in the last week I've attempted to make progress on Mum's quilt. The fabric has been sewn onto paper, in sections. The sections have been laid out so that you can get an idea of how it will sit together. The centre hasn't been cut out yet.



I'm currently piecing the outer arc. Very time consuming. Each arc takes about 2-3 hours to make. Another 7 to go.




The circle will be squared up with the cream fabric. Then a border will be added (still mulling over ideas on that one). The finished quilt should be about 60".

On Tuesday I posted my siggie swap blocks - all 190 of them. Exciting. I hope to receive a bundle back in early July. What a big job for the co-ordinator to undertake. I hope everyone gives her the thanks she deserves.

Sewing organiser

In an effort to be more organised, and create less chaos in my life - well in the sewing department, I've been thinking about making a portable sewing organiser.

My theory is that I don't need a lot of stuff for the basics bits and pieces that I do, those being; hand piecing, and hand quilting. If I have the basics with me, then I'm not locked away in a cold sewing room, or having to pull over my sewing box/kit to track down random items. Sounds good in theory :)

So - what do I want my organiser to contain? Hmm... I'm thinking:

• thread (1 spool)
• pin and needles (size 12 betweens for quilting)
• thimbles
  
• small scissors
• threader / cutter
  
• pin cushion
• quilting markers and refills
  
• mini ruler
• spare pocket for odd bits and pieces (like small quilting templates)
  
• mini "rubbish" bag, for used thread etc
  

Can you think of any other must haves? Remember I'm thinking light and portable.

Siggie swap blocks

Last night I started sewing the siggie (signature) swap blocks. I was surprised at how quick it was to sew them together. But I must be honest - I did have a secret weapon. I used the Angler 2 (by Pam Bono). That helped me guide the fabric through at the right position. Sped up the process no end.

If you are interested, I found two reviews of the Angler 2. They can be found at Sister's Choice Quilts blog and at BlackBird Designs.

So here we have it, 192 blocks sewn. Now I need to sign them all, and trim off the surplus fabric :)



To those astute readers out there - you will probably recognise this fabric. Yes, it's the same fabric as the mock cathedral window quilt. I bought 7 metres of it when it was on sale, and I'm looking for every opportunity to use it up. In this case, I'm sharing my good fortune with the world :)