Well here we are just starting the fifth week of 2013. It feels an awful long time since Christmas, but I am glad the days are growing a little longer day by day, the light levels are increasing making stitching that bit easier and we are seeing the sun, ok I am seeing it today on and off.


It’s amazing what a couple of weeks can make.
I have been busy since my last post. I have designed, made and given away 4 Christmas table runners, a Christmas candle mat, 2 small quilts,


Christmas tree ornaments and pencil cases. I have made – a larger quilt top for us (yet to be finished!), a tree skirt, a long table runner and a dozen placemats (long since put away, a hundred small stars had to fused in place); a jumper for my little son, designed several quilts yet to be made
and started looking at blocks with a view to redesigning them so they are easier to make (using 1/2 square triangles rather than odd shapes and or ‘Y’ seams) and with a view to using pre cut fabric packs.
This idea came about after I had seen a video tutorial from the Missouri Star quilt company on the internet which produced the star above from 2 10” fabric squares in 3 colours A, B and C. These squares are laid right sides together as follows A & B, A & C and B & C, stitch around the edges 1/4” seams, then cut along the diagonals to create 1/2 square triangles; arranged as above. this creates a star 25” square (finished). I started to think that if a star can be created like this why can’t I add extra lines into blocks (I have so far looked at those above and the carpenters wheel) to create half square triangles to make construction easier and quicker. Care needs to be taken not to stretch these triangles, as the edges are all on the bias. The blocks above have been worked by paper piecing first of all so I can be fully aware of the construction and feel of them before rearranging, plus I have some hand dyed fabric left from a couple of Halloween hangings I made last autumn.
The first one above is fairly simple and can be made from half square triangles and squares or completely from 1/2 square triangles as described above, although if made from 10” the finished block method, would measure 25” the same as the star – a very quick quilt.
This week I intend to make a start of a scrap quilt, quilt design 1 (from the album above) finish the block for design wall 3 and work more on the redesigning idea.
Oh just a last thought I have had a mad time working on a possible but very ambitious quilting design – if I can draw it, I must be able to quilt it mustn’t I?
