It's winter!

It is officially winter here although the snow that we had earlier on has melted! No doubt it will be back but not for some time! The weather forecast is for the warmest Christmas on record. I prefer the cold because it is great for quilting and for my little penguin!

I wanted to share with you a book that I just received, Cultural Fusion Quilts by Sujata Shah of The Root Connection. Sujata's quilts are bright and vibrant. She combines traditional quilt blocks with liberated piecing techniques. Now there are loads of books available on the topic of liberated piecing and I've got many of them in my library but this one is different.

What I particularly like about Sujata's book is that she doesn't just share her technique and tell you to get creative or experiment. Instead she provide practical instructions for piecing of many traditional blocks using liberated cutting techniques. For those who want to dabble in the world of liberated piecing but aren't ready to just "cut loose" this is a great way to familiarize yourself with this method and make some truly spectacular quilts! The book is loaded with colourful quilt blocks and a range of setting options. I love it but am going to have to order a second copy because I showed it to a friend. She felt the same way about the book so I sent it home with her!

As I look around the blogosphere I am seeing lots of red and green seasonal quilts and decorative items. I was searching for a bit of fabric when I found not only one but  two long-forgotten Christmas quilt tops!  It was a little breezy for picture taking so the best I could do was a quick picture of one of the quilts!

The pattern was from a Piece O' Cake book Once Upon a Season. I had never done a quilt anything like this in terms of colour and design so it was and still is a real departure for me. I generally like to put my own twist on quilts but I just loved the colours and design of this one so I followed the pattern! I reckon it is about ten years old. And what did I find stashed away with the quilt top? The backing fabric which I remember buying for $2/m on a clearance rack! I like the 1950s atomic age look of this fabric.

In case you are wondering why I put the quilt top away, there is a very good reason. I wasn't doing any machine quilting when I made it. I had thought about sending it out to have it quilted but that can get expensive so I decided that I would quilt it myself when I learned to machine quilt. Well I've learned to quilt so I'm going to get this one done. It won't be in time for this Christmas but next year it will be done! Maybe even the second red and green quilt top will be completed!

Until I post again, happy sewing!
Karen H