Scotland was amazing

I am back from a 10 day textile tour with Celtic Quilt Tours in bonny Scotland. We saw castles and cattle. Edinburgh has both a castle and a palace! We had brushes with royalty, in Edinburgh, Prince Andrew -Duke of York, and in Dundee, Prince Charles and Camila. No pictures, their motorcades were much too fast.

We saw amazing textile factories like the historic Verdant Jute Mills in Dundee and the now restored Knockando Woolen Mills near Aberdeen.

If I had had a computer with me I would have tried to blog about it, but in a pinch I did post pictures to Facebook. All of the pictures are public, so if you just search my name (and "friend" me) you will get to see lots of inspirational sights and happening.

We attended a patchwork class with Ann Hill where we (Canadian and American travelers) were paired with a Scottish quilter. We exchanged gifts, ideas and addresses. I have amended my block to include a hour-glass border. My thistle was made with a yo-yo that was in my sewing kit and a piece of fringed tartan that had been gifted to me from a scrap found in the Edinburgh Castle Woolen Mills shop. My piece is ready to quilt and be added to my "Textile Techniques Book".

 

That half day class was followed by the VIQ dinner (Very Important Quilter) and the International Gathering of the Guilds, with guest speakers, from Scotland, Ireland, USA and Canada. It was a highly charged and entertaining evening with much laughter and the most splendid Show and Tell! What a great event.

I am home now with laundry done and souvenir fabrics spread out on the table. These are so fun to have with the memories that came with each stop; Melrose, Peebles, Latham, Linlithgow and Glasgow patchwork shops. And the tartans from my new quilting day partner and friend- Ann.

My friend Kim Caskey was in Devanter Netherlands to give a presentation to the Dear Jane club there. She then shopped her way through France and Germany before joining us in Scotland. Because she knew I was working with orange in September, she bought me these two beautiful phat-quarters.

So, speaking of orange I finished the last of the orange twirly blocks last night.

To ease my way back into studio life I have worked on some brown string blocks and the first Chocolate block, looks like a Maltese Cross Medal to me.

I may be late to the party, but I am hooking up to SoScrappy over here.
love and hugs
Kathy

Orange you glad it's September

Orange you glad it is September and you get to play with all these oranges??!! I am loving these two sampler blocks as provided by Angela over at SoScrappy.

Meet Whirler

and Twirler

I cannot stop making the orange string blocks and some have already found there way into the next quilt. Remember the poppy painting from April? When I showed the picture to my 11 year old grandson, he asked innocently enough, "what about copyright Grandma"?

Well Ty, this quilt will be called "Poppyright", and it has been fun using up my yellow string blocks for the background, and red blocks for the poppies, and the green for the leaves (to come next), and the 'light orange' blocks down the left side and across the bottom to define the light coming in from upper right. I LOVE it, and this is what shall be waiting for me when I am back to the design wall in October. There are several more poppies to be added. I am just freehand drawing those on to Steam-a-seam and placing them randomly on the back of my red string blocks.

 Ditto for the leaves which are being made of the green string blocks. I am using metres and metres of green bias 'tape' that my late friend Lou Punko had made for the stems. This photo does not show the brilliance of the yellow. I will have a better shot outside to better capture the true colours once it is complete.

Check out all my friends sewing up lovely orange goodness over at SoScrappy.
Love and hugs....
Kathy

4 x 2 =3.5 + 5" = 4.75"sqare

Only a quilter will get that you sew together 4 2" squares to have a 3.5" square. As invited to do so several months ago by Edyth Sitar, and that is what I have been using as my L/E's. I have been using my aged colourwash squares, which I have have added to over the years, or have been gifted, or have bought others at guild garage sales. I am getting a bit of a stack and what to do with them?

To this you add 4 triangles cut from a single 5"square to your 3.5" square and


 ...ta da...it is sewn back together as a 4.75" square. And yes, I know it is nothing but bias outside edges, but this is where Mary Ellen's Best Press is saving my day.


I have been in several 6" and 5" scrap swaps over my 30+ years of quilting, and it is now time to clean out that bin. As you will confirm, some of these are really 'vintage' fabrics.

I played with settings for a while, I think I love this 'seminole' setting between two spacing bars. Though this Jinny Beyers is too dark.

And this grey is too wimpy...


I have unearthed a few more choices and think I have found the one that will work for me. Stand by for the final reveal. It is time to sew up this stash!

But in the meantime, I am getting ready to head to Scotland with CelticQuilt Tours. Be back online and on topic (scrap quilting) in October.
Love and hugs
Kathy

Catching up is hard to do

Hello Again
I seems like a long time since I checked in added what's been happening in my studio and life. In August I was consumed by the making of these fancy pants four patches...you know that will be the end name of this quilt. My dilemma here is what to use for the sashing, while the objective is to sew up my stash...I am leaning to red and not either the grey (too wimpy) and the Barcelona border Jenny Beyers is too...old.

While I was playing with 4 patches, I was neglecting my Indigo RSC15 blocks, but I am happy to report now that they are done!

The background material for all three of these blocks was a indigo shibori class sample that my friend Lou Punko had in her estate sale. The bright blue shibori used in the Road to California block was a cotton hankie my friend Gerda DeVries brought back from her bicycle tour/visit to Japan in 2014.

The Sawtooth Star points of the Bull's Eye block was a another gift. This one from Marilyn Shinyei, started as a shibori place mat, another gift from Japan while she had been visiting her daughter there. The dark indigo of the Bull's Eye block is a scrap of raw silk from a kimono that was in my collection...gathered from where I do not recall.












Mr. Roosevelt's Bow Tie  and Sawtooth Star points were made of another indigo shibori scrap that came from Lou as well. I really love how this block turned out.

In August I also took Kim Caskey's Bird of Wisdom (JOY) class at  Earthly Goods. The technique learned here was lino cutting. I chose to use for my background a ''charity shop" embroidered table scarf. I used the same indigo silk kimono scrap here as my colour base. I loved the way this little technique's quilt turned out.

I made a few 16 patch centres which are for THAT other quilt that is being made simultaneously to the RSC15.

I did make the three ORANGE 16 patch in a Sawtooth Star. I love these orange beauties.

I have started a stack of orange string blocks as well, as there appear to be a lot of orange strings & strips etc that are calling to be dealt with.

I will get as caught up as possible before I head off to Scotland on Sept 21 with Celtic Quilt Tours. There shall be 12 days of making merry and mayhem in bonny Scotland. We will visit castles, patchwork shops, hunt for the Loch Ness Monster, take a quilt class from Ann Hill, visit a distillery and sew on and sew on. Their itinerary for Ireland 2016 is also posted on their website. You should come too.

While you think about that you should check out the other orange scrappy happiness at SoScrappy.

Love and hugs
Kathy

Half Way (plus 18 days) there!

Besides being the middle of the week, July 8, is also the middle of this year. And just as importantly, it is also the middle of the RSC15. So six months and 18 days later, what have I done, or accomplished?

January was blue...and I have this great slab quilt to present to a grandson at Christmas...now that's sewing ahead Grandma! (Click on any of the photos for a closer look.)

 The February was pink, and I got to work on my RRCB. This will also be a Christmas present for a granddaughter.  It is presently in the lineup with the LA.

Also going along, I have made string blocks

The yellow, red and green will find themselves in a special Remembrance Day project. But these other ones will find a home somewhere, if not this year, then next.

The RSC15 Sampler-Centred-Sawtooth-Star are looking fabulous. There will be lots of time to get the connector X's made as I go along...she says! (Click on the photos to get a closer view)

I have also created a set of 16 patch-Centred-Sawtooth-Stars...just because.

To check out what others have accomplished at this point mid-year (& last weekend on July), please click here to be taken to a link up with SoScrappy. AND the next colour is to announced very soon for August...fingers crossed for orange. Just because it is also Sunday, I am linking up at Oh Scrap!

Love and hugs
Kathy

July = Red

July moves us to RED, the Happiest of Canada Day colours. Angela over at SoScrappy dished out the first suggested block...a Lantern. This will be a strong block to anchor the bottom row of the quilt.

Also, because at some point I thought it would also be a good idea (?) to do a simultaneous quilt of Sawtooth Star blocks with a16 patch centre. It certainly is using up my supply of never-gonna-make-another-colourwash-quilt 2" squares.

To see the happy scrappy progress of others participating in this challenge, head on over to SoScrappy here.


I am also having a ball having three of precious grandchildren in the city for almost two weeks. Could a grandma be any happier? Here posing after blasting off - then finding - a rocket to help celebrate Canada Day at the Telus World of Science Centre.

love and hugs to you all

Kathy

Happy Canada Day

Happy Canada Day!!! I love this amazing country.

I was a bit behind because of my fabulous trip to Ireland then a case of "must prioritize" came over me. I had house work to do, garden to finish planting and back to work...and well, it left me out of the studio. But now I am back on track and so looking forward to the next six months of RSC15....and the new colour is red. I have such a plan brewing and am so excited to have red next! And it revolves around this idea from April...stand by!

Onward with the RSC15: This Woven Four Patch with a lot of my favourite fabrics, but admittedly is a little weak, I should have used a different medium...ah well.

I love this Ohio Crossroads with the tiny gingham. I don't know about you, but I think of summer and little girls dresses with eyelet lace when ever I see gingham. And this is such a lovely tint.

Love and Hugs this Canada Day 2015.
Kathy