Dust off a Quilt Book Blog Hop

It is day 2 of the Dust Off a Quilt Book Blog Hop. It's my day. Thanks to Bea for hosting us and encouraging us delving in to our quilt book libraries.  Make sure you pop over to her blog Beaquilter to enter the giveaways. Here is the full schedule.

March 2

• Pieceful Thought of my Quilting Life
• Quilting Gail
• Beaquilter

March 3

• Cynthia’s Ark  (You are here)
• Lemontree Snippets
• Anja Quilts

March 4

• The Darling Dogwood
• A Quilting Reader’s Garden
• Becky’s Adventures

March 5

• Quilting Jeanne
• Karrinn’s Crazy World

March 6

• Quilting at the Farm
• Kathy’s Kwilts and more
• Quilting Patchwork Applique

Now to find out what I had in my quilt book library.
Looking through my collection, I was looking for the first book I purchased when I first started quilting. In theory it is the oldest book in my collection but it's not that old as I start in 2006. So I took a different tack what is the oldest by the publication date to see what I had in my collection.
This is the book I found.

    Better Home & Gardens 501 Quilt Blocks

Now I was given this book. My mum found this book at a market when she was browse the book stalls and brought it for me. It is dated 1994. To me 1994 doesn't seem that old, it is the year after my husband and I got married. When you count up the year, it is 26 years old.
There is lots of blocks to choose from, different techniques, in theory there is something for every quilter. Now I have never used the book, I have looked at it a number of time.  There is a bit of work to be done to work out how big to cut your fabric. No rotary cutting instructions for your fabric. So it is time to delve in to it and make something. I have  selected this block. X-Quisite

Once again my scrap stash is the focus of this blog hop. I am making a serious effect to use up anything I can, to reduce my scrap stash which is getting too large. I don't want to throw it out. I am willing to share it with a few of my special friends but not everyone.
What is on the page is all you get measurement wise, there is basic instructions in the book. I had to measure the block picture and work from that.
It is a fun block, it would be a great block to use as a Leader and Ender project. I have enjoy making what I have, that I am thinking I will keep going to make a quilt but do I want to keep going at this size?

Now I did have a go at resizing the block but I think I have made a miscalculation as it hasn't turn out quite right but does it matter? Maybe I will end up with two quilts and make a dent in my scrap stash.

I will play around with this block a bit more. I hope you are enjoying this blog hop.
Until Next Time
Keep Stitching
Cynthia

Island Batik Mystery Quilt Along

I have been following Bea's blog for most of this year. So when she announced she was doing a Mystery quilt along for Island Batiks I just had to join in I also love Island Batik fabrics. They make up 95 % of batik fabrics in my store. That says a lot in itself. 

If you follow my blog you know I have been flat out over the last month and my plan to do 2-3 post on this project over the month didn't happen. I have been doing little bits here and there when I have had 5-10 minutes. I haven't quite got the top completed but it won't take me long to finish the blocks.

  As the project is called Stain Glass quilt and Bea stated at the beginning avoid too many directional fabrics, I picked tonal batiks for my project. I may change the dark binding fabric(top fabric) now I have seen the quilt layout.

My sub blocks made up.

My sub blocks laid out ready for sewing.

This is the block completed.

The first 4 block completed and lay out in the centre blocks.

Hopefully I can squeeze in a couple hours of sewing in on Sunday to complete the rest of the blocks. Only 12 more to go.

Here is the link to Island Batiks Blog if you are interested in this project

 Until next time

Keep Stitching

Cynthia