Blue and White Hexagons

You have seen my blue and white hexagons before, but I have never shown the inspiration behind my quilt on this blog.

Kaffe Fasset's book 'Museum Quilts' (inspired by the Victoria & Albert Museum) came out about 3 or 4 years ago. I fell in love with all of the quilts in this book. But when I saw his 'Wedding Snowball' quilt, I knew I had to make one like it.

Kaffe Fassett's 'Wedding Snowball' quilt as seen in his book 'Museum Quilts'

The problem was, I have never got around to making it. Recently, as I was trying to find an idea for a new hexagon quilt, my thoughts turned back to Kaffe's beautiful quilt. I love the idea of having a showpiece for the centre of the quilt, bordered by blue and white check, then using so many different blue and white fabrics with the little accents of colour, bordered again by the check.

image from Kaffe Fassett's book Museum Quilts

For the centre of my quilt I chose Kaffe's Blue Flower Basket fabric, and bordered it with his blue and white ikat check.

His navy shot cotton makes a great path around the flowers and I chose 7 different Kaffe fabrics as accent colours for the centre's of my flowers.

my choice of accent colours sitting the cover of Kaffe's book!!

This quilt still has a fair way to go before it's completion. Another row will be added to each side, and at least one more row to the bottom of the quilt. Once I have enough flowers joined on, I will then add a narrow navy border to square it up (or rectangle it up in this case!!), followed by a larger border in the ikat check.

I am fairly happy with how it is turning out, although it hasn't put much of a dent in my blue and white stash so I may go on to making Kaffe's wedding snowball quilt too!! These english paper pieced quilts do take a long time to finish, but it is wonderful to have something portable to take with you, and I think they are worth the effort in the end. xo

I'm a Flea Market Fancy Freak

I just love Denise Schmidts flea market fancy range.

So when I found out that Penny was starting a petition to ask Free Spirit Fabric to do another run of this range, I was in!!! If you love this range and would love to see it back head over to Flea Market Fancy Freaks and join in the fun. Wouldn't it be wonderful to be able to buy all the bits we missed the first time round?!!! xo

Home Again, home again, jiggety jig!

Thank you for your wonderful wishes for our little trip away to Wilsons Prom, we had a fabulous time with our dear friends.

I was deciding whether or not to bore you with our happy snaps....I could show you some of the wildlife we saw there...

....the wombats that just wander around the cabins and tents minding their own business (and sometimes everyone else's business, they can be quite nosy)

...the kangaroos that come to say hi

...the laughing kookaburra's with their beautiful plumage and sharp beaks

...the show off rosella's

Or, I could show you Isaac (our son) and Sam (his mate) who had a fabulous time running around on the beach and under, over and through the rocks, getting wet and dirty, just as boys do!

Sam & Isaac

Or I could show you some of the aftermath of the fires that roared through here last summer (just devastating)....

In some areas the trees are still totally blackened with not much regrowth (shy little wallaby in here)...

In a lot of places though, the regrowth has started, these grass trees have popped up everywhere...

I could show the beautiful, rugged coastline of the Prom, with its orange tinted rocks and sparlking green and white waves.

Or I could show you what we sat down to at 5 o'clock each day for some storytelling and lots of laughs with our friends (ah, hard life)!

But then I decided, no, this is supposed to be a quilt blog, I will just show you my hexagon quilt I was working on....!!!!

I will say though, in a few days away a LOT happens in blogland! Mrs Schmenkman has been given a personally signed copy of Kaffe's new book from Sarah (that Kathy is selling right now), Janet has a brand new Grandson (congrats J), and there are SO MANY wonderful new quilts out there, how busy and productive everyone has been. I love the inspiration and motivation I find from visiting all your wonderful blogs...thank you xo

See you next week!

In about 20 minutes we are heading off to Wilsons Promontory (in Victoria) for a 4 day stay in a cabin with some friends. I'm taking my hexagons with me, so perhaps I will have something to show when we are back next week! I hope you all have a lovely weekend. xo

Sue Ross BOM

I have joined the Sue Ross block-of-the-month bandwagon and I'm very excited about this mystery quilt. Kathy from Material Obsession put out the call a month or two ago and I joined up quick smart!! Sue Ross is one of the oh-so-talented teachers Kathy has at her quilt shop in Sydney, and they have put together a wonderful BOM package for those of us who cannot travel to her shop for a class!! Yay!

A week ago this turned up in my letterbox...

I love the fluro templates engraved with Sue's name on them, very professional.

Maree from On my Verandah has started a Sue Ross BOM blog for all those joining in the fun to post their blocks and tips as they go. I have just posted about this one so head on over there if you want to read more, and check out the other blocks being showcased. As you can see, the fabric below is different from the fabric Kathy sent me...I had to do a practice one first!!!!

9 Patch Quilt Top...

...A very bright 9 patch quilt top!

As promised a riot of colour.

Also as promised lots of sashing.

I love Kaffe's green cabbage patch for the border.

I don't think the dog will get this one just yet, know matter how cute she tries to be!!

A fun, happy quilt.

Quilt free weekend!

No stitching or quilts or quilt related pics to show you here this week I am sorry! Instead I will show you a little of what my sister Rochelle and I got up to when she flew down from Brisbane on Friday to stay with me for the weekend. For those who don't live in Australia, Brisbane is about two long days drive away from Melbourne so we don't get to catch up very often.

I met her in Melbourne where we drank lots of coffee (& these to die for hot chocolates above), shopped lots, talked heaps, walked many kilometres, ate beautiful food and eventually fell in a heap in our hotel that night! Look what she bought me from Brisbane...a beautiful handmade glass bead in the cutest little box, how special.

Melbourne city at night is just gorgeous!

Today we went to church in the morning, then spent time up at Red Hill (a beautiful place on the Mornington Peninsula full of arts and crafts, wineries and cafes). We visited an amazing glass blowing gallery (Gordon Studio Glassblowers), where they had the most amazing glass sculptures in the gardens outside.

As quilters I think it becomes easy to see the talent, hard work and design that goes into the making of other mediums like glassware.

My sister and I thoroughly enjoyed wandering through the colours that bounced off these incredible creations.

Rochelle does only a little quilting, but she is a graphic artist and makes the most amazing lead lighting and mosaic works herself, so she loved it!

Thanks Sis for a fabulous time of catch up, reminiscing and discovering some amazing places.

I miss you already! xo

9 Patch Quiltalong

Crazy Mom Quilts has been hosting a 9 patch quiltalong for a while now. I have been admiring all the different 9 patch quilts everyone has been making and posting on flickr. So when she decided to run a second quiltalong...I was in!! I know I'm not going to be making one 9 patch block a day, nor will I probably make 70 of them, but I will have sashing!!!! As you may have realized if you are a regular reader of my blog I am a little bit obsessed with colour! So this 9 patch quilt will be another colourful quilt.

I'm also experimenting a little with the 9 patch block and changing it around a little.

I love the pattern that is forming when using 3 colours in each block instead of the usual two. More of an L shape rather than an X.

I'm thinking I will gather each 9 patch into a group of four, surround them in a raspberry sashing, then a green sashing then an aqua sashing....could turn out to be a hideous riot of colour and useful only for the dog's bed, but I know I'm going to have fun anyway!!!

So here are my first 12 blocks done. Thanks Crazy Mom Quilts for hosting another fabulous quilt along. xo