International Matters

I think this might be quite a long post so I shall cut right to the chase. Lots of quilty stuff in the last week.
First up, I had a parcel from Rhonda who hails from Cumberland Gap, Tennessee. Rhonda was the driving force behind the Finish A Long last year and has handed over the reins to Leanne for 2013. She did however, sponsor the first quarter of this year and my name got pulled out of the hat. And this is the pile of goodies that arrived - thanks again Rhonda for your generosity.

Talking of the FAL, my main project yet to be finished, is my Mod Pop quilt - since my regular classes have finished for summer, I seem to have got a bit of a wriggle on, and I have finished all the piecing. Now I am really at the coo's tail on this one as I think it was back in August or September that I joined in the sew a long on this one. I intended making a super king sized quilt but have limited it now to a queen which I think will still comfortably fit our bed. So I had one less strip of blocks to make but added in an extra row of patches on either side. I have photographed it on the bed but it is still in three sections as I plan to QAYG - I think I can achieve this without compromising the fabulous pattern.

I doubt I will finish before the quarter end as our holiday is looming but never say never.

As I was tidying up the leftovers I had a few pieced units, the curved ones, so played about for a wee while and have made this cushion front.

It still has that 60s feel for me and I am planning to quilt in a sort of squarish, roundish spiral. I have been reading a bit of The Quilting Edge and feeling inspired to try something a bit different for me.

I was tidying up after a recent EPP workshop and thought I might as well complete the two little rosettes I had used as samples. They were lying beside the pouch that I had made a while back and used to carry the hexies in. Small lightbulb moment and this is what happened.

Fast forwarding to last Thursday (sounds like time travel) and I had my Day Trip Round the Word workshop - been doing this one for a few years now but have been tickled by the interest in RTW blocks & quilts on blogland and am particularly keen to try a scrappy one someday. In the meantime, I contented myself by teaching the clever loopy technique and the ladies did me proud.

The big pic in the mosaic is the top made by Amanda, and featured Noteworthy by Sweetwater, another great fabric line. Have they ever produced a dud? I don't think so. 

Ever thrifty and resourceful - ha - I found some strips leftover from Mod Pop that I was able to use to demo the technique. I like to demo as well as show a finished article, think it helps.

So when I got home, I continued with my little piece and it became quilt number two for the Princess!

I tidied up my sewing room yesterday and found the makings of at least two more Princess quilts, think I might have slipped into a second childhood.

For those of you still with me on this world tour, I received a package this morning from Oregon, from AnnMarie, who blogs at Run and Sew Quilts.

I was lucky enough to win her giveaway last week in the mega SMS Giveaway Day. I won this charming little quilt, measures about 20" square and came ready to hang. The quilting on it is divine and it looks and feels like it has been washed and dried, all squishy, gorgeous. I think I have just the place to put it.

Thank you again, AnnMarie.

Now feeling a bit tired after all that travelling (or maybe it was just running about after a 1 yr old!) time for a restorative cuppa. I hope you are all having a good week.