Some blogs I like to read

Have you been enjoying the Grow Your Quilt bloghop?  I sure have.  I've spent hours down the rabbit hole of quilting blogs, finding lots of new people to follow.

Today I thought I'd share some finds that I made, just in case you feel like some eye candy.

A blog I've followed for a while now is Sue Garman's.  You'll find it here:

http://suegarman.blogspot.ca/

and the most recent post has the most divine, amazing needleturned quilts that I could only dream of doing.  I'd post some pictures but I'd probably get into trouble so just pop over and have a look for yourself, it's totally worth it. A lot of the first lot of quilts are from Japanese quilters, who I think are some of the world's best quilters, their stuff is amazing!

A foreign blog I follow is:

http://supergoof-quilts.blogspot.fr/

Now I'm not sure where she is from, it's a blog that needs translation if you want to read what is on there, but honestly - the pictures are enough!  She uses the soft, muted colours that I adore and I wish, I wish I had more time to do the sort of quilting and stitching I see here.

Another blog I follow is:

http://sewnwildoaks.blogspot.com.au/

and her use of colours is right up my alley.

Finally another blog is this one:

http://quiltinspiration.blogspot.com.au/

which has pages after pages of lovely, gorgeous quilts. I can only dream of making some of them.  There are also lots of tutorials there too.

Do you ever find you've spent all afternoon surfing the quilting blogs and not actually sewing anything yourself?  That's been my day. Though I have cut lots of squares for the My Blue Heaven quilt and it's looking pretty special really.  I'll try and sew some tomorrow and take a photo for you.

That's all for today, hope you have had a quilty one!

Suzie

My Blue Heaven Block Two

I'm blogging this on the iPad and it's not ideal... I do wonder how other techie people do it when they use fancy technology.

I had another free minute to make myself the alternate block of Bonnie Hunter's My Blue Heaven.  It turned out rather lovely.

Hopefully I will have more time to sew tomorrow.   A block or two a day will have this done in a flash!!

Ideas For Quilt Challenges

We are currently in the process of organising our bi annual quilt show, and one of the things that we have to decide upon is an idea for our quilt challenge.  I’m sure you know what I mean – a theme or an idea that each member has to design a quilt for, and they are displayed in the show in a particular area.

I got it into my head to make a list of ideas, and I’ve put so much effort into finding things on the internet just now, I thought it might be a great idea to share here.  So – here you are:  I apologise if I’ve nicked an idea from your quilting guild webpage, but I hope in the spirit of quilting it was there to share (as is this page too, of course – I’d be pleased for you to take any ideas you wish from it.  Thanks!)

Ideas for Quilt Guild Challenges

• Fat Quarter Challenge:

Members are given 4 fat quarters of identical fabric. Size limits are given, and the members have to create a project using the fat quarters. You could add extra fabric also.

• Improv Quilt Challenge:

Throw patterns out the window! Create a quilt without a plan – using improvisational piecing to create a modern masterpiece.

• Inspiration Challenge

Choose an image for inspiration. Design a quilt based on the image.

• Rose of Sharon

Everyone makes their own Rose of Sharon quilt block of a particular size. You could use the same fabric and make quilts of the finished results if you like.

• The Quilted Phrase

Members are given a phrase e.g. ‘kick the bucket, penny for your thoughts, a real hot potato’ etc. They have to make a wall hanging using the phrase as inspiration.

• Household Items Mystery

You are given a picture of a mystery household item. You need to make a quilt based on this item – as creatively as you wish.

• Two Colour Quilt Challenge.

Make a quilt/wall hanging/project using only two colours.

• Sunbonnet Vacation:

Most appropriately dressed Sun Bonnet Sue doing her "vacation thing’. Sunbonnet Sue's face must be hidden by her Bonnet.

• "The aMAZEing Quilt Challenge"

Design a quilt/hanging with a maze on it

• Wrapping Paper Challenge:

Using the design elements of that piece, challenge yourself to make a design based on it – reflecting the colour, the design, the season.

• Playing with a Full Deck

Participants are challenged to create a quilt that is your representation of a randomly drawn playing card.

• Theme Challenge - Journey

Participants are challenged to create a quilt that represents their interpretation of "journey" in fabric using any technique or combination of techniques they wish.

• A Scavenger Hunt

Include as many items from a list of 34 in their project.

• Fabric Challenge

Participants are given a fat quarter of fabric, selected by another participant. The challenge is to incorporate the fat quarter into a creation.

• “All Creatures Great and Small”

•  Quilt Magazine Challenge:

Everyone gets a quilting magazine. Open to page 38 and make a quilt inspired by something on that page.

• Light

Create a 12″ X 12″ item depicting your own interpretation of Light.

• Ugly Fabric Quilt:

Make something using a piece of an ugly fabric.

• Quilt That Tells A Story
• Hand Died Fabric

Each participant is given six hand died fabrics ranging from light to dark.

• Birth Stone/Flower

Use colours of your birth month flower and birthstone. Feature the flower somehow.

• Christmas stocking challenge.

Everyone gets the same basic pattern so they are all the same size but up to you how to make the stocking. Stockings could be donated to a charity afterwards.

• Christmas Carol

Use a given set of charm squares in whatever you want to create, as long as it depicts a Christmas Carol.

• Song Title

Make a small piece that represented a song.

• Door Challenge:

Design a wall hanging featuring a door. Call the challenge "Making a Grand Entrance."

• Crayon Colours:

Dump a bunch of crayons in a shopping bag and have each member draw out 2 or 3 crayons. Their challenge has to be made with these colours and maybe you can allow them to add one more fabric of their choice.

• Flag Challenge

Pick a flag from a country of your choice. Use those colours in that quilt, and also feature something that represents that country e.g. UK Flag – Red White Blue – Royalty.

• Magazine Challenge

Design a project using a page from a non quilting related magazine or book as your inspiration

• Letters

Use your three initials. One initial is the colour, one is the pattern/block, the third is the quilting motif. EG. Betty Ann Smith would be Blue, Aunt Sukey’s Choice, Stipple

• Cluedo!!

Each person chooses three cards from a standard "Clue" game. They then have to represent those three 'clues' somehow in their quilt. The people (Professor Plum, Ms. Scarlet etc) could be easy as they can represent the color (but they don't have to), the rooms and weapons will be the tricky part.

The Rope ... could be a rope quilting motif, or a couched thread as an embellishment

Lead Pipe ... something grey, something long and thin

Conservatory ... use floral fabric, applique flowers and vines

Example: Mrs Peacock in the Dining Room with the Revolver could be Peacock feathers forming a Dresden Plate (dining room), quilted in concentric circles (revolver).

So there you have it. A million ideas!  Hope you find some of them helpful!

Till tomorrow,

Suzie

Back to our regularly scheduled programme...

Hi there!

If you’re here from the Grow Your Blog party, welcome!

I’m Suzie, and I’ve been showing off some of the quilts I like to make.  You may like to click on this post:

http://sillygoosequilts.blogspot.com.au/2015/01/grow-your-blog-january-25th.html

where I formally introduced myself, and showed off a few of my thirties print quilts. 

If you would like to enter my giveaway (prize yet unknown!) please comment on that post, and on February 15th I will pick a winner!

************************

So I hope you enjoyed the last few days of my show and tell.  I am in the process (very, very slowly!) of photographing and labeling all of my quilts, so there will be many more to show you in the future.  I'm trying to get into a routine in everything, my blogging, my quilting, my cleaning (that's the boring bit).  I hope to have more to show you over the next few weeks.

You may recall over the last few posts I have been showing you my Grand Illusion Mystery Quilt designed by Bonnie Hunter.  To be honest, I wasn't a fan and I still remain not a fan.  It's just not my cup of tea, but I've finangled it a little and it's more to my taste now.  When I can fight my way to my design board, I will show you how it's going.  It's far from finished but it's on its way.

Although this particular Bonnie quilt is not to my liking, I've long remained a very avid fan of her work.  I was so over the brights of Grand Illusion the other day I just wanted to stitch something mellow, so I chose her My Blue Heaven quilt.  I was going to make it from the Scrap fabric boxes rather than anything else, but I didn't have enough blues that would do, and I couldn't very well make a My Green Heaven quilt, could I? (I know I could really but I liked the blue...)

So I decided to use my small stash of Civil War fabrics.  I'm telling a fib here.  The stash is immense.  I've pulled all the blues that I have and slowly but surely, I have made a couple of blocks to start.

I have a very strong feeling it's going to be AMAZING.  I totally don't want to finish Grand Illusion anymore, I want to work on this one.  But I won't, I'll be good.

Hope your day is going well, and your thoughts are quilty ones!

Grow Your Blog Day Three

Hi there!

If you’re here from the Grow Your Blog party, welcome!

I’m Suzie, and I’ve been showing off some of the quilts I like to make.  You may like to click on this post:

http://sillygoosequilts.blogspot.com.au/2015/01/grow-your-blog-january-25th.html

where I formally introduced myself, and showed off a few of my thirties print quilts. 

If you would like to enter my giveaway (prize yet unknown!) please comment on that post, and on February 15th I will pick a winner!

So yesterday and the day before I showed you some of my reproduction quilts, both in Civil War fabrics and in thirties prints.  I also love scrappy quilts, and so I thought I would show you some of them.!

That’ll do, pig. 

Oh there are so many more.. I have made so many quilt tops over the years, I don’t know what I’ll ever do with them.  I suspect that I’m not the only one who has that problem.  But I won’t overload you with too many pictures today.

I hope you’ve enjoyed my show and tell.  I have my children back to school tomorrow (yay me!) and I plan to enjoy a long, leisurely cup of coffee while I return the favour and go through all the blogs I can to make new friends.

So thanks again, and I’ll see you soon!

Suzie

Grow Your Blog Day Two

Hi there!

If you’re here from the Grow Your Blog party, welcome!

I’m Suzie, and I’ve been showing off some of the quilts I like to make.

You may like to click on this post:
http://sillygoosequilts.blogspot.com.au/2015/01/grow-your-blog-january-25th.html

where I formally introduced myself, and showed off a few of my thirties print quilts.  If you would like to enter my giveaway (prize yet unknown!) please comment on that post, and on February 15th I will pick a winner!

As I said yesterday I’m a big scrap quilter and a big lover or reproduction quilts, both thirties and civil war prints.  I thought today I would show you some of my Civil War projects (note I said projects, not quilts – there are many UFOs in this pile)!  Some of them are blocks from various projects I'm in the process of, including a Dear Jane quilt.

I hope you enjoy my little foray into Civil War Quilts. Please make sure to enter my competition, and I hope to see some of your blogs in the next few weeks!

Suzie