A Walk In the Woods - Arriving here next week

The courier will be delivering a box of the new Aneela Hoey collection - A walk in the Woods - next week in my little e-shop. This collection is so new I have no pictures or swatches. Visit Aneelas blog and experience this wonderful collection that is now being introduced at the Autumn Quilt Market in Houston.

A walk in the woods
Photo courtesy of blog

I will be listing the products Tuesday night AEST which include Jelly Rolls, Layer Cakes, Charm Packs and F8's.

In the box will also be pre-release collections from Bunny Hill - Ooh La La, Tend the Earth by Deb Strain and the Athill Range by Cabbages and Roses.

Ooh La La from Bunny Hill
Photo courtesy of blog

The first 18 weeks of The Desperate Housewife's Quilt if you Wish Along

1. DHWQ Week 12 - Diamonds in the Rough, 2. DHWQ Week 11 - Kiss Kiss, 3. DHWQ Block 10 - New from Old, 4. DHWQ Week 9 - All washed up, 5. DHWQ Week 8 - Board Games, 6. DHWQ Week 7 - Salt n Pepper, 7. DH6 Week 6 - Phillip Screwdriver, 8. DHWQ Week 5 - Flower Power, 9. DHWQ Week 4 - Bar Jello, 10. Desperate Housewife Block 3 - Evolution, 11. DHWQ Raindrop - Block 2, 12. DHWQ Block 1 - Eight Squared, 13. DHWQ Week 15 - Chocolate Box, 14. DHWQ Week 14 - Venetian Blinds, 15. DHWQ Week 13 - Umbrella, 16. DHWQ Week 16 - Caught in a Web, 17. DHWQ Week 18 - Reflective Surface, 18. DHWQ Week 17 - Swing me around on the Hill hoist

The Desperate Housewife's Quilt - Block 18 Reflective Surface

Welcome to week 18 of the 'The Desperate Housewife's Quilt'. Todays block is about 60 degree angle cuts and a whole lot of slicing and dicing. It has unlimited possibilities. Remember, this is not a quilt-a-long. Just follow the blog every week and pick and choose which blocks you would like to make. I will be injecting some uniqueness into traditional blocks, applique, three dimensional, crazy and thread-art blocks. If you make a block please post it on the Flickr group for everyone to enjoy. Also, I have this nifty button under each post that allows you to save the post as a PDF.

Reflective Surfaces

The mirrors, the windows, glass, stainless steel. Scrub them until they shine and you can see your reflection in their surfaces. 

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Be sure to visit this week's Guest Blogger and their wonderful block.

(Due to different date and time zones, my guest blogger's post may not coincide with my post. Try again tomorrow)

My guest this week is Ros from Rosa Munda. Ros is presenting a wonderful block using a fabulous and innovative technique to make 'diamonds in a square'. Make sure you pop over to Ros's blog and have a look.

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Techniques explored

• strip piecing
• 60 degree angle cutting

Materials

• 3 - 10" blocks
• 1 - 2.5 x 10" solid

Cutting

• From 10" square 1  cut 1- 2 x 10" strip and 1-1.5" x 10" strip

•  From solid 2.5" x 10" piece cut 2 - 1" x 10" pieces

•  From 10" square 2 cut 4 - 1.5" x 10" strips

•  from 10" square 3 cut 3 - 3.25" strips

Making the block

• Lay out the strips as pictured below

• Sew the strips, staggering them by 0.75". (Hint. Cut a piece of template plastic 0.75" wide as a marker). 

• Place your ruler with the 60 degree line parallel to one of the seams

• Cut along the edge of the ruler as close to the edge as you can. Discard the off cut.

• Cut 4 strips 1.5" wide. Keep the end piece for later use.

• Join the strips together. 

• Trim block to 14" x 4.5" then cut in half to yield 2 - 7" x 4.5" pieces.

• Rotate one piece 180 degrees and sew pieces together.

• Remove 1" strip from base of block. Block will measure 8.5" x 6"

• From the saved end piece, cut a 1" strip. Cut this strip to 1" x 8.5".

• Use the 2" strip from 10" square 1 and sew it to the base of the block. 
• Sew the 1" x 8.5" piece to the 2" strip and
• Sew the 1.5" strip from 10" square 1 to 1" strip.
• Square your block to 8.5"

One unfinished 8.5" square block

The block

On point with rotation

Horizontal with rotation

Horizontal with rotation

On point with rotation

Wouldn't this make a great single bed quilt? Large blocks joined horizontally.

On Point with rotation

I hope you have enjoyed this weeks block. Next week's block will be something to do with lightening and thunder.

*** Copyright 2011 Jane Davidson. Please remember that these blocks and any blocks designed by guest bloggers should not be used for commercial purposes ( sold as a pattern, published etc) without the written consent of the owner ***

Pezzy Prints have arrived

American Jane for Moda has released another fun collection - Pezzy Print. A carnival of bright colours and patterns to make any quilt come alive. It is now available as a pre-release in my little e-shop.

Jelly Roll

Layer Cake

Only $AUS 32.50 + P/H.

The Desperate Housewife's Quilt - Block 17 Swing me around on the Hills hoist

Welcome to week 17 of the 'The Desperate Housewife's Quilt'. Todays block is about foundation piecing. I cannot get enough of this technique. It has unlimited possibilities. Remember, this is not a quilt-a-long. Just follow the blog every week and pick and choose which blocks you would like to make. I will be injecting some uniqueness into traditional blocks, applique, three dimensional, crazy and thread-art blocks. If you make a block please post it on the Flickr group for everyone to enjoy. Also, I have this nifty button under each post that allows you to save the post as a PDF.

Swing me around on the Hills hoist

Built for the roughest children, the Hills hoist was not only a clothesline but a carnival ride in your backyard.  

Techniques explored

• Foundation Piecing

Materials

• Scraps of fabric at least 4"x 9"

Making the block

In previous blocks I have shown the technique I use for foundation piecing. The important steps are:

• Use a very small stitch so you can rip off the paper easily when done
• Cut your seams back to 1/4"as you go
• Press with a dry iron as you go

For this block piece the four units that can be printed here ( page 1 ) and here ( page 2 ).

Join segments in pairs and then join completed pairs. 

The Block

Horizontal setting

Horizontal Layout rotating every second block

On Point

I hope you have enjoyed this easy block. Try experimenting with different solids or patterns. See you all next week.

*** Copyright 2011 Jane Davidson. Please remember that these blocks and any blocks designed by guest bloggers should not be used for commercial purposes ( sold as a pattern, published etc) without the written consent of the owner ***

Fussy cut your hexagons

I have just added some more sizes in the fussy cut template range in my little e-shop. These little templates are great for fussy cutting your fabric fabrics to make beautiful hexagon flowers.

Available Sizes:

• 1/2" (3/8" seam allowance)
• 1-1/4" (3/8" seam allowance)
• 1-1/2" (1/2" seam allowance)
• 2" (1/2" seam allowance)

Extra tutorials on Hexie making can be found here:
http://chasingcottons.blogspot.com.au/2011/09/quilt-class-101-english-paper-piecing.html
http://chasingcottons.blogspot.com.au/2011/09/quilt-class-101-hexies-part-2.html

The 11 year quilt

My beautiful friend Janie, who lives in France, started this quilt in 2000. It made its way to me a few years ago ready to be hand quilted and was finally machine finished on Jane's last visit in July. It was Janies first quilt with fabrics she had purchased in a quilting shop in Concord, NSW while she was living in Australia.

They say, 'Good things come to those who wait' - don't they?

Here the quilt is enjoying the sun besides the pool in Toulouse

I used a pattern with large flowers

I think these colours are back in.

Ooh, I am wicked!

My niece told me she was afraid of meeting a shark in the bay when she went kayaking. I reassured her that all the years I lived at Dolans Bay, I only saw a handful of sharks. I sent her this photo as a gentle reminder of this fact.

The Desperate Housewife's Quilt - Block 16 Caught in a Web

Welcome to week 16 of the 'The Desperate Housewife's Quilt'. Todays block is about making an improvised Kaleidoscope block. Remember, this is not a quilt-a-long. Just follow the blog every week and pick and choose which blocks you would like to make. I will be injecting some uniqueness into traditional blocks, applique, three dimensional, crazy and thread-art blocks. If you make a block please post it on the Flickr group for everyone to enjoy. Also, I have this nifty button under each post that allows you to save the post as a PDF.

Caught in a Web

The restless souls haunt the night and the spiders spin their webs to catch their innocent prey. 

Techniques explored

• Kaleidoscope

Materials

• 2 - 2.5" x 18" strips of black fabric
• 2 - 2.5" x 18" strips of orange fabric

Making the Kaleidoscope

• Sew the black and orange strips together. Make 2 sets.

• Using a kaleidoscope ruler, cut 8 wedges from the strips, rotating the rule up and down for each cut. This will alternate the colours.

Kaleidoscope ruler. If you do not have one draw your base line of 7 1/8" and mark a mid point. From the midpoint draw an 8 1/4" line. Draw a line from each end of the baseline and end it 1/4" either side of your mid point line. This will give you a square tip. 

• Lay the 8 pieces out and sew 2 sets of 4 together.

• Shift the second half up one section.

• Sew them together.

• Trim back the block to measure 6 1/2" x 8 1/2"

• From the left over sewn strip, cut a 4 1/2" x 4 1/2" square. Cut twice on the diagonal.

• Sew triangle to opposite corners block. Press open seams.

• Square block to 6.5" x 8.5"

• From the remaining strip set, cut a 2.5" x 8.5" strip using the centre of the strip and measuring 1.25" either side. Sew to top of block.

• Square block to 8.5" x 8.5"

I hope you enjoyed this Halloween themed block. I added some decorative stitching to make a sticky web. Maybe a spider and a fly somewhere in this block would finish it nicely.

*** Copyright 2011 Jane Davidson. Please remember that these blocks and any blocks designed by guest bloggers should not be used for commercial purposes ( sold as a pattern, published etc) without the written consent of the owner ***