Plank Method, As Opposed To Planking*

I discovered basting a quilt using the plank- method last year when I was making a quilt for the latest addition to Mr HP's side of the Family.

 I love how quick and easy it is and I had this whole cloth* quilt basted in no time and with little back breaking antics.

 Never before have I made a whole cloth quilt and only decided that this one would be because the fabric I have used has been rescued from land fill and is heavy weight curtain fabric, one hundred percent cotton or linen and originally from a decore store samples book. 

 The end result is a bold stylish quilt top that is 1.25 x 1.25m, large enough for a lunch cloth, lap quilt or picnic rug.

The weight is such that it's thick enough to use as a picnic rug but lightweight enough to use as a lap quilt in the warmer months.

Since the samples were free of charge, the only cost has been the backing fabric, which I paid $8 a metre for plus some leftovers from another project. The binding will be leftovers from Youngest Son's 21st birthday quilt.

I'm so in love with it, I haven't decided if I should keep it for myself or gift it.

* Seems I have my info. wrong here...this is not a whole cloth quilt but rather a 'summer quilt'.

*Planking, a brief history

Linking to Freshly Pieced ~ pop over to see what Lee and others have been up to in the quilting world in WIP Wednesday. Click on the button below to take you there. 

Wednesday Already Dr Seuss?

I've labelled this my "Bitza" quilt...not only is it bits of this fabric and bits of that fabric but it's got bits of every theme in it too. Dragonflies, butterflies, cats, dogs, pigs, frogs...you name it.

I'm continuing to hand quilt the border and now  putting a bit of detail into the butterflies...just couldn't resist.

Dr Seuss cot quilt number one is quilted and awaiting binding. I've machine quilted this one  as I've got a deadline (baby due in less than tree weeks).

The second Dr Seuss cot quilt top is almost done but alas no photographs yet!  Hopefully next week.

We're redecorating so I've had no choice but to make curtains for the guest room...almost done.

And I'm contemplating joining the Freshly Pieced Summer Sampler QAL. Okay, so it's already into block number five...hmmm.

French General and Japanese Dragonfly quilt tops have seen no progress!

Drop by and visit Lee at Freshly Pieced to see how everyone's progressed this week.

Managed to complete curtains before posting...here's a sneak peak at the newly painted room with curtains hung...I'm loving it so far but it was a shock to the system at first as it was a TOTAL change.  Can't wait to replace furniture etcetera.

Don't forget to drop by and visit Lee's Blog at Freshly Pieced.

Dr Seuss Quilt Top WIP

This has evolved into the above. Question is do I frame in red, yellow or blue?

My hand pieced quilt is being hand quilted and is now looking like this:

It is very much a scrappy quilt and I want it to have a cottage feel and look to it, so I've quilted the border free hand which hopefully will just give it that look.

In the middle of making two quilts for my Twin Sisters and two more for expectant nieces, I decided I really needed to start two more just for the fun of it!

The above quilt top is made from Moda French General charm pack and will be framed using a terracotta coloured sashing.  The border is yet to be decided.  The option is a French General floral or not.  That is, not if I use it to make a summer dress for my Grand Daughter (see the pattern below).

The above quilt is made from a collection of Japanese dragonfly themed fat quarters which I began collecting about five year ago.  My quarter inch seams are out even though I've been using a quarter inch foot, so each block needs to be trimmed 'cause they're not square!

I've also been knitting myself a mohair sweater, completed two pairs of newborn mittens, and thinking about knitting myself a lacy scarf. (Like I NEED another scarf.)

Half the windows in the house are screaming out for curtains or swags and I want to up-cycle some t-shirts into summer skirts for Grand Daughter.

Oh well...I'm bound to have more time to do all these things when I'm retired...but wait, I thought I was retired!!??!

I have linked this post to Freshly Pieced WIP Wednesday # 34 Why don't you drop by and check out Lee's fresh looking Churn-dash?

Thanks Lee for the opportunity to share.

Curtains - finally!

Measuring the drop. Almost there!

Da Daaa!

Before making curtains, a decision had to be made about whether they should be lined or unlined.
The large glass sliding doors opens up on to a long verandah which faces west.
Theoretically, for insulation purposes, lined curtains would be the most practical.
The only problem with this is that the lining would not let in much light.  A second netting curtain would alleviate this  but not offer much protection from the weather.  So in the end, the decision was made for a medium weight fabric, unlined, that would insulate the window from heat and cold yet allow some light into the room when drawn.
I'm pretty pleased with the result.
My Honey Pie made a box pelmet which is closed at the top.  This should prevent a draft happening in the cooler months and provide a better form of insulation.

Lazy Day.

Went to my little grand daughter's second ballet class this morning.  So cute. Four little girls, and one boy. 
Afterwards, I did a bit of shopping and then on returning home began preparing tonight's dinner - gluten free pizza.
I make a pizza which I call White Pizza.
I have eliminated any plant from the Solanaceae  family from my diet and therefore cannot have the regular pizza with tomato paste.
So on my pizza I have ricotta cheese, olives, roast zucchini, artichoke hearts, mozzarella cheese, herbs, (basil, marjoram, sage) mushrooms, pepper and olive oil.
Sometimes I add thinly sliced fennel to the mix.
A portion of the ricotta cheese is thinned with soy milk to a thick paste which I use in place of the tomato paste, spreading on the gluten free pizza base before adding the remaining ingredients. 
In the afternoon, I did some sewing on the curtains I'm making for the large sliding door in our dining room. 
And my little grand daughter had a play mate come and visit.
Here are the curtains, being pressed before measuring and pinning.
Since taking up patchwork and quilting classes, I have come to realise how much easier sewing can be, and how much more of a professional finish can be achieved simply by pressing as you work.