Growing the diamonds and Africa

Another round of hexagons has been added to the large diamonds that will flank the centre medallion of my hexagon quilt The Meadery. This time it was a round of creamy coloured dotted fabric.I think the next round will be a blue-grey to reflect the sea (an important part of Cornish life) and also the stone used to make Men-An-Tol.

I would normally have filled in the centre of the diamond but I've been unsure about what I wanted to put in the middle until now. You will recall the medallion I am using for the middle. I really liked the print but it just wasn't working with the honeycomb. The colour was wrong and there was just too much of the same thing so I remove the middle and replaced it with a piece of fabric with a bee skep.

I thought the middle of the medallion would work perfectly in the large diamond and as I've said many times before, if you repeat a fabric in the quilt it will give it a more cohesive look and feel.

I got a sheet of my hexagons and cut out the middle diamond shape. I put it on the medallion  fabric making sure that it was smooth and flat. I traced inside the diamond.

I cut out the shape leaving a generous seam allowance all the way around.

I line up the centre of the large diamond on the lines and applique it to the piece of fabric. This is the same method I used for my Brinton Hall blocks. Once the applique is done I can trim the excess fabric. I find that it is easier to do this reverse applique if there is extra fabric.

I've been helping my Mom put together her latest quilt. There will be pictures soon. This quilt has 17 appliqued blocks which she designed. She has a love for African themed quilts, children and grandmothers, all of which are reflected in this quilt. Today I thought I would share pictures of three of the blocks. The first is my Mom and her friend Quinnie when they were little girls living on homesteads.

The second is a grandmother and her grandchild. I really like how she fussy cut the fabric to make the chair.

The third is a little boy trying to feed an elephant. I'm not sure that would ever happen but it sure is a cute block!

I've been busy making a pattern for my Value Proposition quilt. Included are new simplified instructions for constructing and attaching the middle path. The pattern will really be almost a book because it will cover everything from fabric selection to basting, and sewing. When it is finished I'll put it up on Craftsy. The free patterns will still be available on my blog but for anyone who wants them all in one place they can purchase the pattern!

If you need a morning/afternoon/evening smile check out Selvage Blog's post about sewing machine thingys! It is sure to make you smile!

That's it for today. I've got more sewing to do so until I post again, happy sewing!
Karen H

Elephants, zebras and my secret tote bag!

Ella dropped by for a visit yesterday! She lives next door and I haven't seen her for almost 18 years! I made her as a gift for the new baby! I asked the baby who is almost an adult if she still have her but she wasn't sure. There had been a flood in the house and the family lost a lot of their belongings. As it turns out she survived and is safe and sound. She is pretty cute!

 

Reunited with a couple of old friends!

 

My secret tote bag for the swap hosted by Lia's Handmades is almost finished. I have jute straps for handles that I have yet to attach to the bag and I'm not sure how I will do it but the solution will come to me. I'll have to figure it out quickly because the bag has to be finished by the weekend!

It was a lot of fun appliqueing, beading and embroidering grasshoppers, dragonflies, butterflies, bees and spiders. I have a few little goodies that I'll tuck inside the bag! It is pretty large and the reason for that is that I love the print and didn't want to cut it down. I think it would make a great beach bag as there would be plenty of room for a big towel, sunscreen and a bottle of water. I hope the recipient likes what I've made for her! She didn't give me much information about her likes and dislikes so I just had to wing it!

And what's in the garden today?

Blackberries are coming along nicely!

and the red currents will be ready for picking soon!

 

Pink sedum...

 

and yellow sedum.....

 

and a close-up  look at what was on the sedum!

 

 

Butterfly milkweed (isn't the colour spectacular?)

 

Close-up - amazing!

 

The lavender is just starting so I'll have to make some lavender bottles!

 

Ironweed

 

And Forest Gumby sprawled on a picnic table!

 

Until I post again, happy sewing!

 

Post Script: My Mom just heard that her quilt In My Garden was the voters favourite in the Quilting Gallery Show and Tell. She is thrilled to bits. It is the perfect tonic for her broken arm and she is very excited to get some new fabric and start sewing again. Hopefully she'll be able to do so before the summer is over. For those of you who voted she sends her very sincere thanks.  This is the quilt - I just love it because it is my Mom exactly!

 

In My Garden by Anne H