Disappearing Pinwheels

apologies. The photos on this blog entry are all sideways or upside down. I don't know why. I have tried to do what Fangirl did for me last time but it hasn't worked so I am feeling frustrated. Figured if I don't get them up tonight its going to be another week and I am trying to be posting more regularly... trying and failing. So... hope you don't get a cricked neck looking at them

Disappearing Pinwheel

Have you caught the Disappearing Pinwheel craze that has been sweeping the internet? The quilters that I follow on Twitter were all a buzz with it. Its a video tutorial on YouTube produced by the Missouri Quilt Company. A bunch of the twilters (tweeting quilters) that I follow on Twitter decided to have a sew in on the Martin Luther King Day holiday in the US and sew this new block/quilt. My fellow twilters are mostly from the US alhtough I think there could be a Canadian or two amongst them. As far as I am aware I am the token Aussie :) At my local patchwork group that week our president came in very excited about this new block that she had seen and which she was keen to teach us all about. Yes it was the Disappearing Pinwheel. I have also seen reference to it on one of the facebook groups I belong to. How could I resist. I decided to make my Disappearing Pinwheel quilt as a gift for a new baby born to a lovely couple at church so would only need to make 16 of the blocks. Well I only made 16 blocks but with the sashing I added and borders... its a big quilt for a baby but no doubt she will grow into it. (the Disappearing Pinwheels come in two variations. I chose to use the churn dash one shown here)


All the fabric I used in the top came from my stash.



The instructions talk about using layer cakes but I used 10 inch squares that I had cut up during my scrap busting organizing frenzy I have been on since Christmas (cutting my way through my fabric stash and cutting any piece of fabric smaller than a fat quarter into useful units concentrating especially on some units I haven't collected before namely 10" and 5")

For my neutral I used white. I had heaps of pre-loved white fabric by way of sheets, pillowcases etc some of which came from my aunt's estate. I got a real sense of satisfaction in using the fabric I had been working hard at sorting and cutting. So good to be able to just go and pull out what I needed.

 I also decided to put the pinwheels around the side, as in the tutorial. Again I was able to use 5" squares that I had precut myself in the previous weeks. Again it was so satisfying to be able to do that.

large and small half square triangles done

Final layout for centre of top.

I haven't finished yet. I have the top put together but still working on the pinwheel borders

Finishes

I had one finish this week. I completed my quilt for my great nephew Lucas. It used a panel I bought a couple of years ago which I put together with some half square triangle blocks.

"Jungle Fever"

I have been watching my Craftsy class Machine Quilting Free Motion and more with Wendy Butler Bern and it has really helped me try some new things

I also got another baby quilt top finished for another friend's baby. Top only so far but that is a start. I still have to make the backing for it before going any further.

Fitness

I completed the 5k running program I was doing. My final run was for 35 minutes and I ran 3.88 kms. Yesterday I ran for 40 minutes and was really looking forward to seeing how far I had run but my phone went flat on me so I am not sure exactly but I did run for over 4 kms so that was a milestone for me. I have lost some weight too which is very pleasing. I am now consistently below 94. Have been down to 92.3 but that was after my big run so dehydrated but this morning I was 93 which is good.

Family

We are off to Sydney this weekend - DH, youngest son S and I. We are going to a family reunion where we will celebrate the 70th birthday of my oldest sister and my cousin. I will be able to give my cousin the Tie Quilt that I made for him using some ties of his fathers (and lots of others that I collected from family, friends and op shops)

Family Ties - the Ties that Bind

DH is only having the weekend in Sydney with us but S and I will stay on for the week to be able to see a bit more of my mum and other family and friends. Then we fly back to Brisbane. He will stay there then for his next uni term. I will have the weekend in Brisbane with Fangirl. We are going to the Dr Who Spectacular on Saturday night which is going to be awesome. Hopefully over the weekend in Brisbane I will be able to catch up with my son Kombi Boy and his partner Earthy Yu