Foundation paper piecing in The Splendid Sampler ...

I have had lots of foundation paper piecing practice with the Sylvia's Bridal Sampler blocks and this week we had our first one in The Splendid Sampler....

On Wednesday I needed to remove myself from my sewing space ..... - it's a lovely big room with a huge window (it was built as a 'formal lounge' but it's not so formal now!!) but that centre fan/light is the only light I have..... as you can see I just get shadows over my working space ...

A nice young man with a lovely artist tattoo down his well developed calf came to sort things out for me.... sorry - no photo's ladies - he might have thought I was a bit wierd!!!

Tarka kept a close eye on him!! (she thinks anyone who comes to the house has come especially to see her!)

Anyway - I set myself up on the dining table where I could keep a watchful eye on the proceedings (I had to make sure he was getting it right you see????) and caught up on my The Splendid Sampler blocks...

First up was Foundation Paper Piecing.... now I hadn't done a lot before Sylvia's but we girls are using the Freezer paper method which I hadn't heard of until a few months ago ....

THIS online tutorial shows how I like to do it...  I even have one of those add 1/4 inch rulers shown in the tutorial, and find it invaluable for cutting those edges to line it all up (see above picture).  This method saves picking out all the little pieces, and I keep an old needle in my sewing box especially for piercing the paper.  Reading up some people do not find it as accurate as the traditional method, but I'm happy with it.

First up I tackled the Foundation Paper Piecing block called Family Affair and designed by Janice Ryan....

Then I did the Bonus block designed by Pat Sloan ( there is officially 100 blocks but we are lucky to get a few bonus ones thrown in too!)

For the piecing of blocks I like to use the double pronged pins ... they hold the edges securely when stitching to get those squares joining nicely (which still doesn't mean I get them right always though!!)

Pieces of Friendship designed by Lindsay Mayland was up next....

 And then the latest block Family Stars designed by Kimberly Jolly... which is the one I found the most challenging with making sure the right colours were in the right places ..... 

.. another one I finished during the week was Flying High designed by Janet Clare.... I have done some raw edge applique but not on this small scale - and found it lucky that it was okay to have it quite scribbly!!

While I sew, and iron, etc I am enjoying listening to:

I loved the movie, which is a bit different to the book but just as much fun....  We are so lucky to have free access to a good number of  e-audio books through our library

So, a good mornings work and this is where I am up to with my blocks..... 

(lots of people comment on my light - my daughter bought it for me especially because I love my blog and all the pictures).  They are available in Kmart (and probably elsewhere) and there are packs of extra letters which I got too.  Sooooo fun....

... By lunch time I had my lights all done.....  what a huge difference...

Righto, I better get back to customer quilts!!!  Have a lovely stitching day....

Sylvia's Bridal Sampler....

Yesterday we got together to work on Sylvia's Bridal Sampler again.....

We started with a gentle foundation pieced block.....

Mothers Favourite (37 pieces)

 then moved onto another....

.. but that bit wasn't enough and we had to add more to it!!!

Mrs Clevelands Choice (65 pieces)

 ...after that we decided to end the day with some nice easy piecing....

Ohio Star (21 pieces)

We took a picture of our latest blocks together... you can see just how different they look in our chosen colourways... 

I've had quite a few comments on doing Dutch Treat.... and I've been thinking about colours...

I found these in my 'stash' and think they will be wonderful for the background colour (perhaps not he light one at the top) and I'm thinking a soft grey for the top.... sashing and border will have to come later!

I bought these for a bargain a couple of years ago - I can get at least 12 blocks from each colourway so there will be plenty... The quilt does take a lot of fabric so I'm thrilled to have these to use.

 Meanwhile my handsewing at night has been this block from Rosalie Dekkers Scandanavian Rose - preprinted on linen.  A lot of stitching but I love doing it...

Righto, I have sampler blocks for The Splendid Sampler to catch up on whilst I get some down lights installed in my sewing room..... woohoo... good lighting at last!

Have a happy rest of the week....

Outings.... and Blocks.....

I find it very easy to become completely house bound and so I kindof make myself do things and get out the house and socialise or go visit somewhere different... Of course these things are so much more fun to do with other people....

Hubz and I and the dog went for a short walk around a local Botanical park - it's realitively young but has been done so prettily and thoughtfully...

The trees seem to know it's Autumn - even if the weather doesn't (still feels like summer)

.. some plants that don't usually grow in this area - 

.. this little water feature filled with a little water plant - looked like grass and my silly little dog fell in when she tried to walk on it!!

.... I rather loved these giant ants ... clever...

...and these ones carved into the sandstone... 

Just a short walk around - there is a nice BBQ area too and lots of ground for children to play...

Us Sylvia's Bridal Sampler girls got together again this week and these are the latest blocks....

Love In a Mist (32 pieces)

Helping me to master Y seams! 

Mariners Compass (48 pieces)

The Mariners Compass took over 3 1/2 hours to do - and I was lucky this time not to have too much unsewing....   

Mexican Star (29 pieces)

To date we have done 116 of the 140 blocks - made up of 3691 pieces!  24 more blocks to go so of course we are starting to think of what our next sew together project will be....

This is a possibility.....

I am trying to think of two non tradtional colours to do these blocks.... They are 4 1/2" blocks and done in reverse applique.  Hmmmmmm .... 

Anyone else done this quilt???

For love of Tuffets.....

I really love my tuffet .....

 .. so I made another....

... it just happens to be a bit smaller ....

.... but it still has it's own dog to sit on it....

... a bit like mother and child?????

... filled with walnut shells and finished with a pretty little bead button at the top....

... I envisage there will be more in my future....

Righto, Gotto Go..... you have a wonderful day .....x

FNWF and something different...

Cheryl had us all over cyberly for FNWF - which is always fun...  I spent it over at The Quilters Angel with a lovely bunch of girls...

When I arrived there I stood a while to look at the sunset (it's going down earlier and earlier now!) and watched the bats fly over....  

I sat and worked on another of the Scandanavian stitcheries of Rosalie Dekker.... there is a lot of stitching in these but with one colour it is great for taking off to stitching evenings...

This week I have been  catching up with sewing blocks for The Splendid Sampler

and 

well one of those is not a block from The Splendid Sampler but a splendid use of one of my quilts...(I needed an extra picture to balance the collage!)

Today I popped along to the Library to take part in their monthly social/craft gathering....

This is the book I chose

.. and this is what I did with it....

a couple of hours of measure, mark and fold - a quick stop for some yummy scones with jam and cream.  Although it wasn't hard I did find I had to focus especially on making sure the marking was right so the folds are in the right places.

Righto, Gotto Go....  I've got some wool and linen out to play with

Have a lovely weekend.