E is for Eight Pointed Star variation

This month I'm participating in A to Z Challenge, where 100's of bloggers around the world challenge themselves to write every day for the month of April, working their way through the alphabet.  I'm sewing a patchwork block for each letter of the alphabet. Each day I will share that block and a little about the block and direct you to where you can find a tutorial for that block on the Web.

E is for Eight Pointed Star Variation

Stars are a very popular motif in quilting circles and there are numerous blocks with Star in the title. I am going to feature another one when we come to O. Ohio Star is perhaps the most well known of all the star blocks. Stars are fun and dramatic. They are usually easily made from a combination of simple units - half square triangle, flying geese, squares and rectangles. - the basics of patchwork. There are also some quite complex A google search came up with heaps of star quilt blocks and these are just a few of them

I also found a page on a website that had 35 Star block patterns. You can look at it here on Favequilts.com

So the block I chose for E, Eight Pointed Star Variation is pretty self explanatory. Its one of many variations of an star... with 8 points.

The pattern for this block can be found here on Quilter's Cache. It is made entirely from flying geese units and squares. A quilt made entirely from this block would look something like this

Although as Marcia Hohn points out, the choice of colours can really change the look of the quilt

I made mine slightly different to the one in the pattern I was supposedly following, in that I used another fabric for the centre of the block. To be honest this design choice was based on not having a large enough piece of the green spotted fabric (it had to be 4.5" square) to make it so I chose as close a co-ordinating fabric as I could. I really liked how this block turned out

And for those who have been following my challenge from the beginning (well all of you reading this blog but especially for them) this is what the quilt top looks like at this point.

WIP Wednesday

I have been busy this week. I got no less than 3 quilts finished this week - 2 Secret projects which I will reveal after the recipients receive them (just in case they stop by this blog) and the other which is my A to Z quilt which I also won't reveal until the end of the A to Z Blogging Challenge.

I have worked my way through a pile of scraps given to me and also some from my scrap basket and got them ironed and trimmed to usable units.

I've managed to finish off a few teeny tiny zipper bags.

I have been participating in the A to Z Blogging Challenge. Each day for April (apart from Sundays) I have to been blogging, putting up a block starting with the appropriate day's letter. I have made each of the blocks and at the end of the  month I will reveal the completed quilt. I have also been visiting other blogs written by people in the challenge. I am trying to get to 10 each day and to comment on them as much as possible.

And that is about it. 

Linking up with 

D is for Double Spinwheels

This month I'm participating in A to Z Challenge, where 100's of bloggers around the world challenge themselves to write every day for the month of April, working their way through the alphabet.  I'm sewing a patchwork block for each letter of the alphabet. Each day I will share that block and a little about the block and direct you to where you can find a tutorial for that block on the Web.

D is for Double Spin Wheels.

The pin wheel is a traditional block in quilting circles and its beginnings go way back in patchwork probably to the beginning of patchwork. It is made up of half square triangles that are arranged to resemble a pinwheel and to give an illusion of movement. The double spin wheel (or double pin wheel) is a variation of this traditional block combining the half square triangles with squares and either more half square triangles or else flying geese units.

Again as it is a traditional block there are lots of variations of the double pinwheel. Many of them are called simply double pinwheel or double spin wheel and others have there own names. 

Once again the pattern I used came from Quilter's Cache and may be found here. On her site she has an illustration of a quilt made from the block 

and also photo of quilt made by Mary using the Double Pin Wheel block. Its very dramatic and ... oh dear another One Day quilt pattern has been added to the list

I chose more dramatic colour contrasts in mine than Marcia did with hers as well and I like the way it is looking. 

Edit -  An observant viewer of my blog aka my daughter Fangirl gently pointed out that I have sewn the top left hand half square triangle incorrectly... . Big oops and too late to fix cause I am ahead of myself and the quilt is now actually together and quilted and I am not pulling it out. So I am going to have to call mine the one and three spin instead of a double spin

C is for California

This month I'm participating in A to Z Challenge, where 100's of bloggers around the world challenge themselves to write every day for the month of April, working their way through the alphabet.  I'm sewing a patchwork block for each letter of the alphabet. Each day I will share that block and a little about the block and direct you to where you can find a tutorial for that block on the Web.

Today's block is called California.

The pattern for this block came from Quilter's Cache here. 

The pattern is not marked in the index on the website as being an orginal design (Marcia Hohn's original designs are marked with a star)  and it is marked at traditional however I can't find any other reference to it, or information on it apart from a quilt block made from the pattern on the site. When put together the blocks make an interesting sub pattern which looks great... yup another one for the One Day pile

There are several other blocks that use California in their title the more famous being Road to California and Rocky Road to California. 

There is also one called California Star

I chose to make my California block using a similar colour scheme to that used by Marcia. I think its worked out well although I am not so sure about the mixture of the glasses and the deers in the fabrics. I am determined to just use fabrics from my scrap boxes so I am a bit limited.

B is for Balkan Puzzle

This month I'm participating in A to Z Challenge, where 100's of bloggers around the world challenge themselves to write every day for the month of April, working their way through the alphabet.  I'm sewing a patchwork block for each letter of the alphabet. Each day I will share that block and a little about the block and direct you to where you can find a tutorial for that block on the Web.

Day 2 of the A t Z blogging challenge. Today we are up to B. The block I have chosen is Balkan Puzzle block.

The Balkan Puzzle Block is a traditional block ie its been around for ages and no one really knows its origins. The block is over 100 years old. Like many older blocks it has some other names According to Ludlowquiltandsew this pattern is also known as the Windblown Star. I also saw it called Zigzag tile.

Not only do these traditional blocks get a variety of names they can also evolve somewhat - you can have a number of variations of the block, all with the same name, but slightly (or very) different from each other

They are usually made with 3 colours but the one I chose to make from Quilters Cache here had 4 colours (although the colours chosen make that hard to see) Its quite different to the one pictured at the start of the blog and the one I made is different again.

I found my instructions on Quilter's Cache here. 

New Month - New Goals

It's April already and we are into the 2nd month of Autumn and yeah its actually cooled down a little. We slept under the quilt last night, for the first time since probably October.

Usually I post my goal wrap up and my new goals in the same post but I didn't yesterday - just wanted to get the wrap up done and no time to think about what I want to achieve this month.

We are away for a lot of this month but I still intend to do a fair bit of sewing... anyone who knows me won't be surprised. The deal I made with my husband when we decided that we would do some big trips in our camper trailer and now caravan was that I could take my sewing machine with me. I bought a smaller more portable sewing machine as part of the bargain. Now its have machine will travel. 

This trip is not in either our van (which is still being repaired from a bingle we had a few months ago) or our camper trailer (which we are still trying to sell) but is in our car. The machine is still coming with me. (actually its already in Brisbane awaiting my arrival as I am flying down to Brisbane a week or so ahead of Fixit Guy). However socialising and travelling does cut into ones sewing time (a sacrifice I know but one has to concede sometimes).

In planning my sewing related goals I need to take into consideration the restrictions that being away from home will impose.

This is also April (I have mentioned that and you probably already know that) and for the 3rd year I am taking part in the Blogging from A to Z Challenge where participants undertake to blog every day apart from Sundays, for the whole month. The added challenge (the A to Z bit) is that the first day we blog on something starting with A, and the next with B, then C etc. This year I have chosen to blog about patchwork blocks starting with each letter of the alphabet and not just blog about them but sew them too. Ok I admit... I have already sewn them. And I have mostly written the blogs but need to edit them all - zush them a bit. So that is my first goal for this month

1 Complete A to Z challenge - blog every day. 

Not only that. I want to have the quilt completed by the end of the month 

2. Complete A to Z quilt (I have already put the top and backing together. Have to quilt and bind it) This is my OMG (One Monthly Goal) Goal. I have been asked about a photo but I can't reveal it till the end of the month as it will be the Grand Finale for my month of blog posts. So No Spoilers Here.

3. Complete 2 secret projects. No more details as they are surprises for people who just might read my blog. By the end of the month I will be able to reveal all. (again No Spoilers Here)

4 Work on Labyrinth Walk quilt. I have fabric bought and cut and it is going to be my main sewing project on the trip so I am really hopeful I will get lots done.

5. Prepare a stack of items for my Comic Con stall to take away with me. Cut out, iron on interfacing, choose zippers, sort out hardware etc.

6. Complete 20 items for the Handmade With Love Comic Con stall. I want to make more of the messenger bags of both sizes (big enough for a lap top = large, big enough to carry an ipad = small) and will make more of the small zipper pouches from the scraps. Also the cosmetics purses. I am also thinking about making some of the pencil cases I have made previously. Am considering making  pot holders and kitchen type items but may leave those till next month. I am going to be visiting Supanova on the Gold Coast later on this month to get a feel for the types of items on sale already and the age and interests of attendees.

That is going to be more than enough I think. If I manage all that - and socialise with my family and friends, go to shows, travel etc etc... I am going to be doing pretty well.

A is for Abstraction

This month I'm participating in A to Z Challenge, where 100's of bloggers around the world challenge themselves to write every day for the month of April, working their way through the alphabet.  I'm sewing a patchwork block for each letter of the alphabet. Each day I will share that block and a little about the block and direct you to where you can find a tutorial for that block on the Web.

Welcome to the first day of the A to Z Bloggging Challenge for 2017. 

 Today's letter is A an the block's name is Abstraction.

This block is an original design by Marcia Hohn's from Quilter's Cache and can be found here

Whilst this block is labelled an original design, meaning that it isn't a recognized traditional block and was specifically designed by Marcia, it is made up from traditional units.

Its a combination of quarter square triangle units, of 2 sizes (larger one in the centre, smaller ones in the corners)

 and 4 Flying Geese Units, along each side.

I'm not very happy with the colour choices I made for this block. Its pretty bland and nothingish. (and the photo is really dodgey... but you get that )

When I started out on this project I had thought that I would make it a blue quilt. That idea lasted one block - this one and by the 2nd one I was yeah... nah. And its completely scrappy. 

That is by way of a warning.

Believe me... things are going to get wild and crazy.. or at least colourful.