D is for Disappearing Blocks

There are lots of different Disappearing Block. Basically these blocks are traditional blocks which once made are sliced up and the pieces put back together to make another block. Jenny Doan, from Missouri Star Quilt Company is famous for the many different Disappearing blocks she has demonstrated on her YouTube channel.

I have made 3 different "Disappearing" blocks using her tutorials. 

Disappearing Pinwheel

Disappearing Hour Glass

Disappearing Nine Patch

WIP Wednesday

Twist and Disappear.
I worked on "Twist and Disappear" This week. I got it pinned last week at Patchwork and then yesterday (Tuesday) I was able to start quilting it. Its not a big quilt and I did a very basic stipple all over the top.

 I did a loopy loop chain in the borders - doing a circle each time I changed direction. Tonight I got the binding done. As has been my habit of late I machined it on the back flipped it over to the front and machined it down with a decorative stitch. This time I chose a circle one (Mode 3 stitch 33 on my Janome Horizon) Used varigated thread. Its not great - long way from perfect but it is done and another one crossed off my to do pile.



Not sure where this one is going. I was taught the block in a workshop our group had at the beginning of June. I went on to make 12 of the blocks (many people just made a table runner or a bag. I chose to do a quilt) - 5 on the day of the work shop and another 7 at the retreat I went on a few days later. I used a lovely red polar fleece on the bag so it is all rather snuggley. I only finished it half an hour ago so just a couple of photos

Riverwalk, last week's finish, got hung at church on Sunday but I wasn't really happy with how it hung so I bought it home. I've put another rod in the bottom of the quilt to help it hang straight but still not 100% happy but it is still lovely to look at and will aid to worship at church I hope. I will drop it back up there on Friday when I got up to bible study.

I had planned to start work on trimming up the blocks for my half square triangle Around the World quilt today at Patchwork. However I was asked to work. Usually I say no on my patchwork day but haven't had any teaching all year and this was at a lovely little country school half an hour away. I had the Preps, Gd 1 and Gd 2 class and had a lovely day. Haven't done much teaching for a few years as I feel I am transitioning to retirement along with my husband. My voluntary work keeps me pretty busy anyway so I don't chase it. It was nice to dip my toe back into the water but still don't think I will chase more work. If it comes to me and I can do it then I probably will but will leave it for them to come to me.

Linking up with WIP Wednedsay at Freshly Pieced

WIP Wednesday

I have had a really busy day and have moved all of my current projects forward.

Disappearing into the Blue
Today I got the backing for this quilt pieced. Finally. Usually I only work on this project at my Patchwork Group's weekly get together however I broke that rule this week. I worked on the backing a little bit last night and then again this afternoon after I got home from Patchwork. I was so close to finishing I just wanted to get it done. Tonight I even cut the fabric I am going to use for the binding.

working at home is not without its added complications. Patrick is a visiting cat whom we are minding for a few days but he has the "Quilting Helper Cat" routine down pat

Patrick the cat assisting with making the backing

Disappearing into the Blue top and backing ready to be packaged up and sent for quilting

Teddies and Pinwheels.
I took this to Patchwork to pin it (baste it) We have great tables there for pinning on. However when I went to do it I found that my cat had piddled on the backing fabric! Great. I bought it home, washed and dried it, ironed it and tonight I got it pinned. I had some hand dyes in the backing which ran a bit to my dismay. Most of the fabric that it leached into will actually be cut off so I have left it. Hope I don't regret this move

pinning this at home. Had to clear off my cutting table to do it but easy enough to do. 

Twist and Disappear
I got it pinned today at patchwork. I found that one of the pinwheels in it is coming adrift a little bit... seam has come undone so I am going to have to do some hand stitching before I start to quilt it.

Riverwalk.
I got it pinned. Yay. Originally I had planned to use 2 old flannelette sheets as the wadding and to have a backing as well. I forgot to take the backing with me but decided to just go with the 2 sheets. I just wanted to get it pinned. I hope I don't regret it.

my pinned pile. Now to get the quilted. Hoping to have at least one finish by Sunday!

Bathroom renovations
These are progressing. The builders finished up on Friday and all that is left to do is the painting which Fixit Guy is doing. He has also started doing some other plastering jobs that need doing about the house. He is doing a few touch up paint jobs whilst he has his overalls out. The en suite is almost done. He has to remove the painters tape and finish off a little bit of trim.

 

Linking up with Wip Wednesday at Freshly Pieced

WIP Wednesday

I started working on a new quilt, playing with my design board last Wednesday night. I forgot to take any progress photos... ooops my bad. In 2008 when my Dad died the women who attend Patch n Peace made healing heart blocks... blocks featuring a heart on 6.5" squares of white or cream. Some blocks were crotched, appliqued, some made from lace... all sorts of blocks from a group of women who cared for me in my sad time. I had put the hearts away and not done anything with them, had actually forgotten about them till I sorted through my sewing room a few weeks ago. 

At Patch n Peace this year I saw a quilt made by another retreat member that had a pattern I thought would work with the hearts. It featured 3 different sized blocks - 12, 8 and 6 ". They all basically 9 patches with 8 patches one colour and the centre block a different colour. Last Wednesday I started to play with it the blocks. Because I wanted the centre of each block to be the heart which was 6" finished but I wanted different sized blocks I changed from the 9 patch pattern idea. I went with 18" 12" and 6" blocks instead. The 18" blocks were basically 9 patches. The 12" blocks had the 6" heart in the centre and 3" strips around.The 6" blocks were just the hearts. I made 4 x18" blocks, 7x12" blocks and 17 single hearts. 

For the border I made 5" blocks. Half had 3" square centres and the other half had 2" centres. 

Yesterday I worked on the backing. This quilt is my lap quilt and I love minky. I had some brown minky dot fabric but not enough so I patched together all the rest of the minky dot I had... some blue scraps and some lilac. I was really pleased with the final look. 

Today at Patchwork I got it Pin basted. Now to quilt it I think I will do an all over meander with echo quilting around the hearts. In the borders I might do something more geometric... unless I do something more geometric over the centre and put a chain of hearts into the border... hmmm still thinking. What do you reckon?

I used another UFO up in the backing for my Teddies and Pinwheel quilt. Many years ago I had put together small quilt using a variety of pink and blue nine patches. Many of the fabrics were my hand dyes and it was just a bit small to be the back of the Teddies and Pinwheels quilt which also features a good few of my hand dyed fabrics. I put some white borders on it and now it will be a great backing for the quilt. Now I have to get it basted and quilted. 

The Disappearing 9 Patch with a Twist also needed a backing. I had a piece of polar fleece which is just big enough. I will have to be careful when I baste it to make sure it doesn't shift.

My other big WIP has been the bathroom renovations which are on going. Last Wednesday the builder started work on our ensuite bathroom, ripping out the vanity and pedestal. Thursday the asbestos removalists came in and removed all the walls and the ceiling. Friday the builder started to put in the new wall panels. Over the weekend Fixit Guy started painting the family bathroom. He still has to do the trim but he will probably be able to get to it this weekend. Today they finally fitted the shower screen. Still have to put up the towel rails. 

In the en suite they have done the plumbing and electrical work, have water proofed it and laid the bed for the tiles to go on. They will put the tiles down this coming week. 

Linking up with WIP Wednesday on Freshly Pieced

WIP Wednesday

I am having a very productive few weeks. I have finished quilting another project since Stash Report on Sunday. I finished the baby quilt I have been working on.

Today instead of going to Patchwork at our club rooms, 8 of us piled into 2 cars and drove almost 100 kms west to the little community of The Willows for a sewing day with the ladies there. The 20 or so ladies we met with were what we in Australia call Grey Nomads, retired people who travel about in the caravans for periods of the year. These women come with their partners to the Willows area to go fossicking for gems. Well their partners go fossicking. The women spend a lot of their time crafting away. They usually meet for 2 half days a week, once at the caravan park we met them at, and once at the other caravan park. One of their members spends most of the year finding new patterns and techniques which she then shares with the others during their sojurn at the Willows. I met most of the ladies last year when we went out to have the day with them although I have to admit at the time I was suffering from Barmah Forrest virus so wasn't as energetic as I usually am.

Anyway we had a lovely productive day. They provided us with a scrumptious morning tea and later a lavish lunch. I have come home several kgs heavier I am sure. (I can resist anything but temptation) Not long after we arrived we had the obligatory show and tell which was very interesting. I didn't take anything (most of us didn't) although Dawn had her quilts. Dawn is our connection with these ladies. She used to live out at the Gemfields and would meet regularly with them when they were up. (they come for 1-3 months it seems each year. Some of them are already preparing to head south again. Not sure why. Its just getting really cold down south. Its chilly enough here now)

I managed to leave my phone in my car when we all piled into the 2 cars to travel out. In the interest of saving space I didn't take my  handbag. Just grabbed my wallet and car key. Not very smart I know. It meant I didn't have a camera with me at all. I had my camera and my iphone in the handbag I left in the car. So no photos of our day or the lovely things we shared.

I managed to get some work done whilst we were there. I finished the baby quilt top - Teddies and pinwheels. I put a border on it complete with mini pinwheels in the corners. I have a lovely bright check which will look great as a binding I feel.

 I also managed to get the first of two borders on the Disappearing 9 Patch with a Twist. I opted for a brown inner border and royal blue outer border. I am tossing up between having a royal blue  or a mini checked binding. I will audition both when I get it pinned.

Still no progress on the Black and White Trip Around the World quilt. Got an email to say the special ruler I have ordered has been shipped so that is a start.

No progress on Disappearing into the Blue. It did come for a ride out to The Willows and home again but it wasn't as suitable a project to work on as it is so big and white. We were in rather more cramped conditions out there today and not as clean an environment as some of the areas were open to the elements. Maybe next week it will get an outing. Hope so. It will qualify as a UFO rather than a WIP if I don't make some progress on it soon.

Thats my WIP Wednesday. How have you gone this week?

Linking up with WIP Wednesday at Freshly Pieced

WIP Wednesday

Not a lot new to report from yesterday in Tuesday Museday - Patch'Peace retreat Report  but for the benefit of all the blog hoppers that are going to flock to my blog today.....

Disappearing into the Blue
Haven't touched it for 2 weeks now with the workshop last week and I didn't sew at all today at Patchwork.

Teddies and Pinwheels
Needs borders. Will have to audition some stuff from my stash. I think I will just do some plain borders although maybe will do a pinwheel in each corner as corner stones. That will be pretty.

Twisting About (New name for my Disappearing 9 Patch with a Twist)

Needs borders. Probably just do a dark blue border same as is featured in the quilt and then a multicoloured binding.

Not So Sombre Blues for Derek
Today at patchwork I used our big tables and got the quilt pinned. Didn't check it properly though and I'm a bit short with the backing on one side. I can either unpin and repin (which is truly what I should do, I know) or patch in a bit of the back fabric, or cut down the front of the quilt a bit. It has a wide border so could do that. Stay tuned.

Things are in a bit of uproar at my place now and will continue to be for the next few weeks because we are having some renovations done to the family bathroom and our en suite (bathroom off our bedroom for those not used to that terminology) Its going to be great when they are done but in the meantime... uproar.

On Monday the asbestos removal guys were here and basically gutted the family bathroom. pulling off all the walls and the ceiling panels. They didn't do the floor but apparently it could be asbestos product too and our builder has been advised not to drill into it (a pain cause now he might not be able to move the floor drain like he wanted to)

Tuesday the builder (a nice guy named Darrin) was here with his apprentice and they removed the floor tiles, the bath and the shower wall frame. Then he fitted the new bath (carried it upstairs on his own cause his apprentice went home sick) and made the frame for it... well he put it in place but its been moved for the plumbing work and the walling stuff to go in. Actually it is now sitting in the middle of my bedroom. And he fitted the new heat/light/exhaust fan unit ready for the electrician to wire in. and the ceiling.

Wednesday - today as I type this I have the plumber, the builder and the electrician all competing for space in the not very big bathroom. That is why the bath and some of the tools are now in my bedroom. I can't shut my bedroom door so I hope they aren't too messy today or I will have dust and crud through my bedroom.

I was going to tidy my bedroom yesterday in preparation for when they start on the ensuite but got busy with other things (buying the exhaust fan thingy for one and coffee out with friends for another and updating my blog....) and so its still needing to be done and of course I can't move around in there very easily today.

This is the old bathroom. The tub is next to the vanity running from the wall to the shower.

Monday asbestos removed

Tuesday tiles, old bath and shower removed

new tub positioned

 

Tuseday Museday... My Patch'n'Peace Retreat report

Home again after a great weekend at a quilting retreat I have been going to for the last 12 years. Well except for the years that I don't go. Have missed it 4 times over the years. Whenever we go overseas it seems to include this June long weekend. (Airfares to Europe and the US go up over the summer months but if you go before the end of May you get shoulder fares... a bit cheaper than the summer ones)

Anyway. I had a great time and will try to get some photos up of the quilts I saw and the ones I made (well worked on anyway) Suffice to say it was a lovely creative time. Some of the ladies there I knew before I started to attend and others I have known since I started and a couple I met this weekend for the first time. We all had a really lovely time.

I didn't get to do a Stash Report this week since I was away over the weekend so will catch up next week. Its going to be quite a blowout. I stopped on my way through Rockhampton and bought some fabric for my black and white quilt. Then my gift at our gift exchange on the Saturday night included 5 fat quarters. The organisers gave us all a fat quarter and then there was the stall at the retreat. One of the ladies had bought her SIL's stash. Her SIL had died during the last year and had a huge stash and heaps of UFOs. They were selling it off quite cheaply with the money going to breast cancer research. I haven't actually measure the fabric I bought but it was at least 4 bundles and they were all a metre plus. We also had a silent auction and I ended up with a number of wins there which included more fabric. Oh dear. Maybe by next Sunday I will have measured all the fabric I got plus have had a finish or two and will be able to claw myself out of the hole I am digging myself into.

What did I work on over the weekend?

Well I got 7 more  "Disappearing 9 Patch with a twist" blocks made to bring my total to 12 and I put them together. It needs a border. Wondering about using more of the dark blue or perhaps a green and then the blue. What do you think?

I finished off the quilt that I had on my design wall last week with the embroidered Teddies on it. I think I will call it "Pinwheel Bears" I made up a lot of the pieces in the quilt using them as leaders and enders - first time I've ever really needed to do that and it sure got the blocks done in a hurry. My machine would unthread if I didn't have something under the needle for some reason so I really had to do it. I got the centre of it finished as well but still have to do the borders.

I made all the half square triangles for my Black and White with a Touch of Red Trip Around the World quilt. I'd cut a lot of the 7" squares I needed for it before I left. 2 of the 7" squares would make 4" finished half square triangle blocks. Also I had cut fabric too small for the 7" squares into 5" squares. I still had to cut up the fabric I bought on my way through to the retreat. I'd gotten some more red and a bit more white. I made over 280 (I think... I did calculate it but didn't actually count them individually)

 I haven't yet squared up the hst blocks or ironed them as I am waiting on a special ruler that I only just got ordered. Its by Quilt in a Day. I first read about it on  Amy Smart's Diary of a Quilter's blog. She gave this link to it but I couldn't order it from there as they don't let Australian's shop there... have to use the Australian Amazon site. I found it on some other US websites but they were going to charge so much for shipping I wasn't impressed ($15 to send something which was small enough to go in letter envelope) I also found it on some Australian websites but they were sooooo expensive (try 5 times the price).  I asked one of my US friends if I could order it from a US site, have it shipped to her and have her ship it to me and she was happy to do that (Thanks Sandi of Quilt Cabana Patterns) When I went online to find it to order an Australian website came up in my search that had it on 60% off special with free shipping. So I didn't need to take her up on my offer. Now I have to wait a few weeks for it to get here... cause they are shipping it from the US!!)

Lastly I did a little bit of applique on Derek's quilt - stitching on some butterflies to the Emmaus block to represent Chrysalis. (see here for an explanation of Emmaus and here for Chrysalis)

It was at this retreat last year that we started the shirt challenge that I called the SOMB, Shirt off my Back, challenge. I was in a group with 4 other quilters Betty, Karin, Sandy and  Susanne.  Only Betty and I had our quilts there on the weekend. Karin and Sandy hadn't finished theirs and Susanne had hers with her. She is off on a 6 month trip around Australia. There were a couple of other groups too. We had the reveal at the retreat. Some of the other quilters didn't add any other fabrics and others added just a little. There were some amazing awesome quilts. The ladies at the retreat were so creative. We hung the quilts around the room after the reveal and got to enjoy them all weekend.

Betty's quilt. She was in the same group as me. Her largest blocks were 12", the medium 8" and the smallest 6".

 The 4 quilts below were from the same group of swappers

These two were from another group. There was a 3rd one from this quilt that I didn't get to photograph.

We always have a theme for our weekend, a charity to which any fundraising goes, some swaps to participate in and a gift exchange (based on the theme usually). We decide on the theme and the swaps for the next year at a meeting we hold during the weekend (usually straight after the special dinner that we have and at which we have our gift exchange). This year's theme was Bedazzled. We dressed up in our most glittery gear.

Sandy shows us her very sparkly bedazzling jeans

My table at the dinner. You can see our sewing area behind us.

I wore a beaded top and heaps of rings and necklaces and sparkly earrings. I also gave the fur that I inherited from my Aunt its first outing since I've owned it. Not sure how old it is but probably at least 60 years old.

Next year the theme is going to be based on the 100th Anniversary of the Gallipoli Campaign  Because we thought that the fashions from back then might be a bit hard to replicate easily we have extended it to a war theme to include both world wars. We have incorporated the "Mend and Make Do" theme and so our outfits can be recycled ie bought at Op Shops. Our gifts too we have decided have to be recycled or repurposed so can be something we already own, something we have bought at an op shop OR made from something we have bought.

I am quite excited about the theme as it was my suggestion. I had 2 great uncles who were killed in the Gallipoli campaign, within days of each other. It fills me with horror and such sadness to think of losing two of my sons within only a few days. One brother survived long enough to bury the other one before he too was killed. We are going to have a memorabilia display and I am going to take photos of my great uncles as well as a photo of my Dad from WW11 and any other bits and pieces I can find from my family history.

WIP Wednesday - Lots of progress made

Have had a very busy week quilting wise.

I got the back for Not So Sombre Stars for Derek finished last Sunday and talked about it in Sunday Stash report. I was thrilled with how it turned out. Still haven't had a chance to get it pinned but am taking it with me this weekend on my quilt retreat that I leave for tomorrow morning after some other commitments.

Sunday evening and Monday I worked on getting squares cut for my black and white quilt. I am making "Trip Around the World" using half square triangles of black back ground with white design and white back ground with black designs. At least one row will include some black white and red fabric. Decided on 4" finished squares which means that if I use the 4 at a time method of half square triangle construction I need 7" squares to start with. I already had some squares that were 5" plus had left overs from my cutting that could be used to make 5" squares. These I can use to make HST of the required size 2 at a time. I worked out that I need some more white background fabric plus more red white and black fabric so will get some at Spotlight on my way through Rockhampton (they are having a 40% off all fabric sale this week... yay)

I decided my new design wall looked empty so I dragged out some of my left over blocks etc and set about designing a new baby quilt incorporating some of mum's embroideries, some left over half square triangles and some 2 patches that I had started making for a long forgotten project. Also some flying geese. Came up with a design I was really happy with that had pinwheels, 16 patches and square in a square blocks. I needed to make a few more half square triangles in order to make enough pinwheels but the rest is from leftovers. I have made all but one of the pinwheels and have started on the 16 patches. (I made them as leader and enders at the workshop today)

Our patchwork group has just had a 2 day workshop with the woman who was flown in by the show society to judge the patchwork section. Her name is Sue and she was a lovely person and a great teacher. Her sister joined her to assist in the judging and in the tutoring so we got 2 for the price of one!

Yesterday she taught us how to do tumbling blocks. For many of us Y seams had put us off attempting this block but she was so lovely and had a great technique which made it easier. We had a choice of making a table runner or a bag and I opted for the bag and managed to insert the zip with lots of patient tutoring from Sue.

Today Carol taught us Disappearing 9 Patch with a Twist - which was the traditional block with Pinwheels in two corners. Carol told us to iron all our seams open on the pinwheel. I have never done them this way but have to say that the pinwheel lay a good bit flatter as a result.

Again we could do a bag or a table runner and I was going to do the bag again to try to cement the techniques but realised I had neither zip nor batting with me (forgot them both) so decided to make more blocks and make a quilt. The quilt used all 5" squares.  Whilst most of the ladies had charm packs all my 5 " squares are cut from my scraps. I got 5 blocks completed and will make another 4 at least and perhaps 8. I think this will be a donation quilt for local charities.

Tomorrow (almost midnight so that should be today) I am going to a 4 day quilting retreat at the coast that I go to each year. Its called Patch N Peace and I really enjoy it. I am taking my SOMB quilts with me as it was here last year that we did the shirt swap which was the beginning of the challenge. I had wanted to have all 4 of my quilts completed but alas the last one is yet to be pinned. I hope to pin it this weekend.

Hopefully on Sunday Stash report I won't have too much damage to report re intake and maybe a couple more finishes... or even just one more. We shall see.

Linking in with WIP Wednesday at Freshly Pieced