Raffle quilt winner ... is Mel

The Mothers for Orphans Quilt raffle was drawn just prior to Christmas - and the winner was Mel S (who was very excited and can't wait for winter to come along). Congratulations Mel - it always makes us happy when someone loves and appreciates our efforts. Details can by found on the MFO blogsite at http://www.mothersfororphans.org.au

Strip pieced quilt

It's New Years Eve and blowing a gale. It is just not a good day for wearing a wig. So my resolution for 2008, starting a day early, is to post every week. It's not that there isn't anything to report - I'm doing lots of piecing, patching and quilting .. and enjoying the creativity and freedom that a dedicated workroom / studio brings. It is also called "two-people-living-in-a-four-bedroom-house". I like studio better. 

One of the current projects I am working on is a king-sized quilt for my best friend Lorraine. She has been waiting about 15 years for a "one day I'll make you a quilt". As time has passed, her bed has got bigger and bigger and now it's a king. I'm working from the colour scheme in a fabric she loved, a beautiful piece designed by Judith Baker Montano. Then I pulled out between 50 and 60 related fabrics - complimentary and contrasting - and have made a crazy stripped colourwash in 6 inch squares. The squares are 9-patched, then each 9-patch is to be 9-patched again. I pin them up on the "blue sheet" and then if I need to pack it up for any reason, all the blocks remain in place and can be hung almost anywhere. Whatever works!

Take care and happy stitching.

Alison

Raffle quilt progress

Well the top is completed and ready to travel to Sydney to be machine quilted by Donna. Hopefully it can be finished and back to us by the end of October but there's NO PRESSURE Donna! Can't wait to get it finished and hand it over to Connie and Steve @ MFO.

Mothers for Orphans Quilt

14 October ... Update on the MFO quilt ... 9 blocks down and another three under the needle. Yes - I started with 16, reduced it to 9 and now upsizing to 12.  Things will move along fairly quickly from here and start to look like a "real quilt" very soon.This is the first block for the Mothers for Orphans Inc Quilt - and it has to be finished in the next 4 weeks or so to be ready to start raffling it as part of the annual MFO dinner and fundraiser.

The queen size quilt features nine panels, made of 4 nine-patch squares. Within each nine patch, there is another nine-patch centre square. The four nine-patches are then split to form the larger block or panel. Six down, three to go. Then there are some coordinated borders etc .. but this is so much fun and an absolute joy to make.

Colourwash with Blue

Am trying to get all those UFOs done ... the ones I've had put away and never quilted. This colour wash is one I made with the last fabrics I purchased from Ruth Stoneley's shop (Patchwork Supplies at Highgate Hill, Qld) before it closed. There are a couple I put away, either made in workshops with Ruth, in the shop or at some retreat. This UFO was one Ruth particularly liked. From the first, clumsy attempt at piecing, through countless quilts and quilt-like objects, Ruth was always there. It is still difficult to accept she is no longer with us. So in part because I now have the time, but mostly because she is still very much a part of every quilt I make, I owe it to Ruth, and me, to finish the "Ruthies".

From my Window ... a colour wash

This is the view from my window ... lush green paddocks, chocolate ploughed earth, with a backdrop of clear skies and mountains showered with autumn sunset. Another scrap quilt, machine pieced, machine quilted. The closeup (below) shows strips (left) and scrappy thready bits (right) to use create the various blocks.