Bloggers' Quilt Festival

I finished my Hand Drawn Garden Plus quilt a couple of weeks ago but have been saving its reveal for the Bloggers Quilt Festival over at Amy's Creative Side - one of my favourite online events which happens twice a year.

I am a huge fan of anything Anna Maria Horner and unlike many people I have no problem taking my rotary cutter to my favourite fabrics! So a few weeks ago, I decided to make a simple patchwork quilt from my FQs of her Hand Drawn Garden line.

But when I laid out the 5 1/2" squares it didn't look quite how I had seen it in my head. So I decided to try a plus block layout and liked it. I've made a plus quilt before and don't normally repeat blocks but I broke a personal rule and I'm glad I did.

The plus design isn't always immediately obvious due to the eclectic designs and colours in this line but I quite like that!

After finishing the main panel, I decided to add a border of low volume fabrics in varying sized squares and rectangles. Then I added a second border of 2.5" x 3.5" rectangles of Hand Drawn Garden.

I backed and bound it using fabrics from Anna Maria Horner's True Colors line - so pretty and they work perfectly together. The batting is my favourite -  Dream Orient (a mix of silk, bamboo and cotton), which is beautifully soft and has the perfect drape.

I quilted it in straight lines, vertically and horizontally echoing the squares. This is the largest quilt that I have made, measuring 75" x 85" and will be perfect for snuggling under in the cooler months.

Oh and it seems my hubby is finally becoming more comfortable with quilts these days.  Here's a shot of him walking us back to the car after bundling up the quilt in his arms.  Happy Days!

Quilt Stats
Quilt Size: 75" x 85"
Quilt design - Plus blocks using 5 1/2" squares
Fabrics for Quilt Top - Anna Maria Horner's Hand Drawn Garden and various low volume fabrics
Fabric for quilt back -  Medallion in Aquamarine from Anna Maria Horner's True Colors
Binding Fabric - Sealing Wax in Amethyst from Anna Maria Haorner's True Colors.
Batting: Oriental Dream

Thank you so much to Amy for hosting this fun event. Now to hop over there myself and get me some inspiration!

Like the No.33 bus...

...you can wait ages for friends or family to come visit and then 3 lots come along at the same time.

Hand Drawn Garden Plus flimsy

It's been pretty busy round here lately. As Ferris Bueller would say, "Life moves pretty fast. If you don't stop and look around once in a while, you could miss it."

Two weeks ago, fellow Stitch Tease bee mates Di and Helen came to visit, and stayed in our little riad. On their first morning, Zaki and I gave them a basic orientation of the souqs.  Here's Di and Zaki having a chat and putting the world to rights.

And here's my 'How am I going to carry 2 stools home!" face. Thank you Di for your help!

Photo credit - Helen at Runquiltknitwrite

I'll admit it was sometimes difficult to make conversation or share a joke. Not.

Photo credit - Di at Quiltova

 

 

It was great fun to show Helen and Di around - by Day 2 they were old hands...sipping mint tea, negotiating like a local and telling me about places I should go to!

Of course, you can't have 3 quilters in the same room without the obligatory show and tell.  Here are the three of us holding my first Stitch Tease quilt. It was snapped by our guardian while Helen and Di's taxi to the airport waited outside hence it is a little fuzzy.

I hope they'll come back and visit again. It was fun to have them around.

 It was also lovely to catch up with my best friend from high school who came to visit too!

And yesterday my mum left after staying for 2 weeks.   Here she is waiting for her camel burger at Clock Cafe.

...and here's the camel burger. A-MAZING!!

...and here's a snap of me having a cuddle with my boy.

So has there been any sewing going on I hear you cry.  Well yes there has.  

A few weeks ago, I cut up most of the half yard bundle of Anna Maria Horner's Hand Drawn Garden bundle I bought from Jennifer a few months ago.  I cut it in to simple squares as I wanted to make a simple patchwork quilt.  Only this line is very eclectic and I wasn't sure the whole thing was working.  After asking for advice on Instagram and receiving some good stuff, I ignored it and made a plus quilt.

Crazy and eclectic.

I added a 2 1/2 scrappy border of low volume fabrics to frame the craziness and then added a 2" border of more Hand Drawn Garden.

This may not be everyone's cup of Orange Pekoe but it's most definitely mine.  I absolutely love it - it's big, bold and beautiful and I can't wait to baste and quilt it.  I just have to order some backing!

So now it's back down to earth with a bump. Back to work but with the promise that summer hols offically start in 10 weeks - woohoo, oh and a quilt commission too.

More of that next time. Happy Days.