A Finish and a Start

That is right. Great news I have finished my Lozenge quilt just in time to start Bonnie's new Leader & Ender Challenge. I made up a scrappy binding to complete my lozenge quilt and looking in the binding bag there is still plenty to use. Not as much as my scrap box but I am thinking I might iron the fold out of some of the binding scraps and put them in the scrap box to be used in other ways.

The new project is a tumbler quilt. This is a block I have wanted to play with. So now I have to work out what size blocks and if I want to do it completing scrappy or controlled scrappy (pick a colour family and work through the scrap box choosing only from that family). Next I have to choose how I am cutting these blocks- a ruler or do I have a look a  die for my Accuquilt cutter. Have I got that back to front?
Should I decide on how I am cutting the block first because depending on what I use will govern the size I will be able to make. Here is the link to Bonnie post on  the new challenge. http://quiltville.blogspot.com.au/2015/07/2015-leader-ender-challenge-tumblers.html
 Maybe I will have a look at what size scraps I have lots of in the meantime while I make my decision of how I am cutting these blocks.

Until Next Time

Keep Stitching

Cynthia

Under the Pressure Foot #4

June has become finishing month for me. With my Pies & Tarts quilt finally finished. I handed my Wishes quilt to Valerie to quilt and I have decided to give my Farmers Wife quilt to Valerie when I pick my Wishes quilt up to baste on her long arm machine which means Yes I have made the decision to hand quilt it. I may curse myself in the future for making this decision but today I am happy that I finally made the decision. Now I can move on, I think these decisions have been slowing me down. Anyway this post is suppose to be what is under my pressure foot, let me show you.

This is my lozenge quilt I am quilting today with some black and white variegated thread. This is breeze to quilt especially since I am doing my favourite free motion straight line quilting. (With my usual wobbles along the way.) I started with stitching in the ditch. Then some diagonal straight lines one way and then I wanted to do the opposite diagonal line. As I got started on the last set of diagonal rows I wasn't sure if there was enough thread.

 Guess what I didn't make it. So what does a quilter do when you know there is no more thread and I couldn't get more easily. It is a scrappy project so I just found a spool of black cotton and continued until I finished it. I don't think it is too noticable. At least not from the front, on the back you can tell.

A close up of my quilting. It creates an interesting effect, fading in and out like it does. Looking at the on point squares created by the quilting you can see different blocks from the original lozenge blocks I made.

Now it is time to pull the binding box out and create a scrappy binding to finish it off. A totally scrappy quilt.

Until Next Time

Keep Stitching

Cynthia

Idaho Square Dance Block

I found this block in Quiltmaker magazine May/June issue in Bonnie Hunter's Addicted to Scraps article and it uses lots of 1 1/2 inch fabric scraps. Now I have been using lots of my larger scraps leaving me lot of scraps under 2 inch in size. So after reading the Addicted to Scraps article I thought I would look at what there was in that size in the scrap box. I started with my little cutting table scrap box which was full and needed to be sorted and this is what I ended up with. It's a good start.

 I started the cutting process to see what I got out of this lot before I attack the main scrap box which has more pieces that are larger. So far I am halfway through the 2 piles. Some just didn't quite make it as they were a fraction smaller than 1 1/2 inches so they were returned to the scrap box for another time and some went into the bin as they were way too small. Why did I keep some pieces that were barely 1/2 inch square in size (one piece was barely a 1/4 ' wide, so what that it was 4' long. What was I thinking!) The good thing the cutting table bin is now only half full.
I stopped cutting so I could sew a test block. Any excuse to sew, hey. Here it is and it measures the 7 inches stated in the Bonnie's column so I am happy. I don't know how many blocks I will make. We will see where I end up.

 I think I will use the little four patches as Leaders and Enders to build them up and my centre squares are all going to be this hexagon print which is my favourite at the moment.

Until Next Time

Keep Stitching

Cynthia

Project Links #1

I have had some emails on where I found some of the patterns for projects I have been working on over the last few months. So I have decided every so often I will do a link post on where the projects came from. Some of them are patterns available in my shop and are available to purchase and some are free patterns available on the internet.

Free Pattern Links.

Patterns & Tutorials www.cynthiasark.blogspot.com.au

Fig Soft toy pattern http://www.sewmamasew.com/2015/03/fig-the-mouse-free-pattern/

Elephant soft toy pattern http://www.sewmamasew.com/2015/03/free-trunk-up-elephant-pattern/

Lozenge quilt is a Quiltville freebie http://quiltville.blogspot.com.au/2014/02/2014-leader-ender-challenge-lozenges.html 

Disappearing Hourglass Tutorial is a Missouri Star Quilt Co Youtube Tutorial https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xXggafOP230&list=PLD5EF21A981F69C28&index=33

Patterns available at Cynthia's Ark
Scrappy Roads Quilt Pattern (Cynthia's Ark)
Baby Bunnies (Melly & Me)

Oliver Hoot (Melly & Me)

If there is a project that you see me working on and you want more information on it please leave a note on the comments box of the post or you can email me at cynthiasark@gmail.com  I am always happy to help a fellow crafter.

Until Next Time 

Keep Stitching

Cynthia

My Leaders and Enders Lozenge Update.

I have finally finished making lozenge block from last year Quiltville Leaders and Ender Challenge. This is the last 10 blocks made to round off the rows to the right numbers.

Here they are laid out and ready to be sewn together.

Oh boy lots of pins are going to be needed when I join the rows together. All those matching points I am going to deal with. I will share my progress on join them together over the next month. I am trying to prepare a number of projects ready for sewing as time will be short over the next 2 months and I really want to squeeze in some sewing time and if I am not prepared I may not get any sewing done. That will make me sad and we can't have that.

There is a new Cynthia's Ark bulletin on what is new in store under the bulletin tab at the top of the blog if you want to have a look.

Until Next Time 

Keep Stitching

Cynthia

Grand Illusion Mystery Quilt #8

I have made my decision to stop at 16 blocks for my Grand Illusion quilt and that is still going to be a good sized quilt once the borders are added. So this week I have been working on joining the rows together and make more of blocks for the sashing strips to join the rows together. 

This project has been a real challenge for me as I struggle with doing scrappy. I think I still prefer my controlled scrappy where I only use 2-3 different fabrics per colour but that doesn't mean I don't like total scrappy as I do appreciate the work and design effects of a total scrappy quilt but I like to have some control fabrics in my scrappy quilts. So here is the blocks and sashing all joined together and now I am ready for the borders. 

Why do I find the mistake after I sew all the blocks together?  Grrr. Oh well the quilt is really scrappy maybe no one will see it. Only we will know I made it.

At least I am well ahead this year on the mystery quilt this year. Last year  I was at this stage in June. So I am very happy on that point. Now on to the borders.

Until Next Time

Keep Stitching

Cynthia

Grand Illusion Mystery Quilt # 7

Where am I up to on our Grand Illusion mystery quilt? I had six blocks completed last week and I have continued making blocks until I ran out of my clue 1 and 2 units. So I ended up with ten blocks completed.

I know in my picture there is only nine blocks but there was an accident. You may notice I lay my blocks out on the floor to check the layout and take photos. I also like to leave them on the floor.

This little fellow is Robbie my robot vacuum. He sweeps my floor once a week and it only takes me a minute or two to empty him so I have more time for sewing. Well the other night we had a thunder storm during dinner. When the power return I went out to the sewing room to get an hour of cutting and sewing done. There was Robbie in the middle of the room with one of my Grand Illusion blocks stuck in him. He does turn off if he gets stuck luckily. Obviously when the power goes off and returns it set him to do a run rather than at the schedule time he was set for. No more leaving my stuff on the floor just in case. I don't want to ruin something. When I removed my block from Robbie, it was dusty so I had to wash it. I am just drying it and I will add it to the others.
I need to make more of clue 1 and 2 blocks so I can continue. Clue 2 was a problem last time so this time I thought I would use the other method suggested to make this block, just using the squares and rectangles rather than using the template and Easy angle ruler. My block were a little out of shape dealing with the triangles.

So I cut and made one unit up to check it and I was lot happier doing it this way. In my quest to test different methods to make the same block, the second method was the easier method for me so I will continue with that method for the rest of clue 2.

Until Next Time

Keep Stitching

Cynthia

Grand Illusion Mystery Quilt Reveal # 6

                                                             
With the new year breaking Bonnie released the big reveal on our mystery quilt Grand Illusion. Now we all know how those blocks we have been making go together. I have already seen a few complete top.
I still have more blocks make so it will be a while before I finish. With the reveal I had to make a few blocks up to see what they were going to look like. Very scrappy for me.

 I am thinking I may not make mine quite as big as Bonnie's but then again if I get carried away it may be the full size.My first six blocks made. I ran out of block 1's. That is the only reason I stopped. We won't mention the mistakes that I made and have to undo and fix.

Here's the link to see how everyone else is doing.

http://quiltville.blogspot.com.au/2015/01/mystery-monday-link-up-part-6.html

Until Next Time

Keep Stitching

Cynthia

Grand Illusion Mystery Quilt Clue #5

We are at clue #5 this week. I am about halfway through each of the clues except #2  which I am only about 1/3 away through those blocks but I will get there. I may redo some of them that I am not happy with, but we will see. This is what I have completed so far.

Now Clue #5 is a nice easy one and I can say I have completed all the blocks for Clue #5.

 The only clue completed so far. My aim has been to get as close to the halfway point as possible before the next clue is released. With clue #5 completed I can go back to Clue #4 and continue with that one as I have a number of blocks ready to sew together then I will have to go back to cutting.

Here is the link for the link up so you can have a look at how everyone else is going on their Mystery Quilt.
http://quiltville.blogspot.com.au/2014/12/mystery-monday-link-up-part-5.html

Until Next Time

Keep Stitching

Cynthia

Grand Illusion Mystery Quilt Clue 4

I am  going to pay attention to the placements on these blocks. I can see me twisting these up and sewing them together wrong. Mind you it doesn't take much for me to do that even on the simple blocks I somehow manage to do it.

It helps that this clue is similar to clue 1 and we have made some of the half square triangles units. My Sunday afternoon is my Grand Illusion time slot at the moment. So I cut and sewed some of the blocks on Sunday afternoon and have a good pile of prepared pieces sitting by the machine ready to sew when I have time during the week. So I may complete the 80 blocks this week. Lol. 10 of each are completed.

Here is the link for you to have a look at the progress of the rest participating in this mystery.
http://quiltville.blogspot.com.au/2014/12/mystery-monday-link-up-part-4.html

Until Next Time

Keep Stitching

Cynthia

Grand Illusion Mystery Quilt Clue 3

How quickly time goes by. We are up to Clue 3 already I haven't finished Clue #1 or #2 yet but there is time later for that. I haven't decided if I am making all the blocks and ending with a smaller quilt or going the full distance. This week's clue stands out to be the easiest clue so far for me. So off I went to get my fabrics sorted  and I got the cutting done in no time. I was off sewing my strip set together using my clue #2 pieces as leaders and enders so technically I was working on two clues at the same time. Now that is being productive. I did manage one mistake some how I messed one strip set up and I ended up with a neutral strip next to the black. It is suppose to be green.
By the end of my sewing session I had 40 blocks made. That is the most of all the blocks so far. We will see if we get any sewing time in during the week. Being the week before Christmas it looks like it could be busy. I left everything at the sewing machine so if I can slip away for 10 minute I will.

Here is the link to our link up so you can have a look where everyone is up to.
I wonder what Clue #4 is going to be.

Until next time

Keep Stitching

Cynthia

Leaders & Enders Challenge Update

I have been slowly joining my blocks together and I am starting to wonder if I need more blocks. I thought there was quite a large pile but once I started to piece them together in blocks of four I am not sure any more. 

I do have more cut so it wouldn't be hard to make more but I want to work on so many other projects that are getting close to been finished. I just can't decide which one to work on. I have pencilled in a few quilting days during the Christmas break but there are some tops that are close to completion that I could add to the list. What to do?

This is where I am up to. I need to make at least 2 more blocks to finish the top row but do I need to add another full row or 2?

Until Next Time

Keep stitching

Cynthia

Grand Illusion Mystery Quilt Clue 2

Here we are at Clue 2 already. I have pieced some of clue 1, not as many as I would have liked due to no sewing during the week but I can do some more later. Like Bonnie said do as much as you can, you can always go back and finish them later. So I am diving in to clue 2. This block looks a bit more challenging for me I will have to take a little extra care cutting these, being left handed I sometime have trouble (generally due to right handed instructions) and end up with my diamonds pointing the wrong way. At least Bonnie has thought of that and included some instructions for left handers. Thanks Bonnie.

I started with a couple of test blocks just to make sure I was doing it right before I took the plunge and got the production cutting and sewing going. I am trying to avoid too much unstitching. Lol There will be unstitching I am sure of that. 

Look what happened I still stuffed the cutting up after the test blocks. Luck I checked after the first pair so no real harm done, into the scrap bin for them.

Now the chain piecing is going after a good cutting section.

To see how the rest of the gang are doing on their GI projects here is the link to this week's link up. Quiltville

Until next Time

Keep Stitching

Cynthia

Grand Illusions Mystery Quilt Clue 1

Finally we get to start this year's mystery. Grand Illusions!  Bonnie promises this year's quilt will be a little easier the Celtic Solstice so this should be a breeze. Clue 1 has been released and HST (half square triangles) is first up to complete. Then a good portion of them are then going it to a broken dishes block. Nice and easy. There is still time to join us if you are tempted. Just pop over to Quiltville and click on the Grand Illusions tab at the top of the page. 

So Sunday afternoon I got to start. I didn't get as far as I would have liked but a start is a start. Here are some of my HST units, plenty more yet to cut and sew.

Here are a few of my broken dishes blocks. I had some reverse sewing to do as I had a thread issue. I'm glad I noticed after the fourth block and was able to fix it.

 Not totally scrappy. It is what I call controlled scrappy but more scrappy than last year quilt. It is where I am happy.

I will link up each week with others to share our progress. To see other quilters Grand Illusion progress just click on the icon in the right side tool bar or here.

Until next time

Keep Stitching

Cynthia

Grand Illusions Introduction- A Bonnie Hunter Mystery Quilt

This is the new mystery quilt by Bonnie Hunter Grand Illusions. Last week Bonnie released the colours for this year mystery so we can prepare our fabric selections for the first clue next month. Here is the link to Bonnie's post if you are interested in joining us. 

The colours for this year are yellow, green, turquoise, pink, black and neutrals. Now I find it hard to do scrappy but this year I have been working on my fear of scrappy with the Leaders & Enders Challenge and after a few wobble of I can't do scrappy it's not me.  I am ready to take on this year's mystery quilt as a scrappy quilt. So we will see how I go. 

Here is my selection for the quilt I may adjust it once we start, there is a couple of fabrics I am not sure about but we will see what happens. I was very pleased with myself that I was able to find most of what I needed in my stash I was worried about the turquoise and the yellow but the turquoise was ok, (one may be blue and a couple may be closer to aqua but we will see if I use them). Yellow was the only problem in the end, no yellow as it is the only fabric for the quilt that you needed yardage and I didn't have it. Not a huge yellow fan, that is why. So it is the only piece I had to purchase. Very happy the stash has a dent in it and room to add some new fabrics to it in the future and I did get to buy one new fabric and of course I brought a little extra for the stash. I look forward to starting this project next month but in the meantime let's finish a couple projects off, time for some sewing.

Until next time

Keep Stitching

Cynthia 

PS I have put the Grand Illusions button on my side button so you can pop over to Quiltville to see what is happening at any time.

Block Testing and Lozenge Blocks

I have been doing some block testing in the last few days. I am working on a special project and while I wait for the fabrics for the project to arrive, I thought I would hit my scrap box and test a few blocks and start on some instructions. Something I am known to drag me feet on. Sorry I can't share some pictures at the moment. Don't worry it won't be long before you know what this special project is.

So while I am block testing I am also working on Leaders & Enders lozenge blocks. I have decided to start pairing some of lozenge blocks to get some idea how big I want to go with this project. I was just going to keep making blocks until the end of October and then sew all the blocks together but now I'm not sure as I still have a lot of rectangles and squares cut. So I will pair up what I have and then lay them out and see how far I have got before I start making more blocks.

There is still a lot more lozenge blocks to pair up.

Until next time

Keep Stitching

Cynthia

Celtic Solstice #7

Here it is! My Celtic Solstice quilt completed. Just in time for a break before Bonnie Hunter's new mystery starts in October I think. It was a job and a half to quilt it but I am glad I did it myself- good practise free motion quilting especially in the border triangles,

 whereas in the middle I let the blocks create the pattern, I just followed the diamond shape created in the joining of the two blocks. I do a bit of free motion stitching in the ditch as I didn't outline each block. I don't think you can see it very well but I hope it gives you some idea where I stitched.

I have learnt some much from this mystery quilt that I can't believe how far I have come in 12 months, when it comes sharing my progress on Facebook, in my blog and link ups with Bonnie's posts and I have learnt a lot about scrap quilts. I have always being very controlling with the amount of fabrics I use in a project. Less is best has been my motto. Now I know it doesn't have to be that way. I plan to be freer with the next mystery quilt we do. Yes you heard it here! I am going to try to be scrappier in the next one. I have started on my scrap journey with the Leader & Ender Challenge lozenge blocks this year so we will see what happens. I may need a new motto.

My lozenge blocks so far, lots of different fabrics here.

 Do you like lots of fabrics in a project or are you like me Less is best? I would love to know what you think.

Until next time

Keep Stitching

Cynthia

Celtic Solstice Update

I was planning to work on my BOM blocks this afternoon and catch up on July’s blocks but as I sat down at the sewing machine there was a few pieces of the Celtic Solstice pieced border sitting there ready for piecing. I really want to finish this one before we start this year’s mystery, so back to the cutting mat and I cut the remaining pieces to finish the blocks for this border and finished sewing them together.

 I got the top border on not a problem and look who turns up just in time for her photo to be taken. That is Ponchee, so cute sitting there behaving herself.

That didn't last long. There seemed to be a lump under my quilt when I returned to pin the last border on.

 On further investigation look who it is. Ponchee!

 Eventually I got to sew the last side of the border on. So there is only one more border left for tomorrow. 

Then that is 3 quilt tops ready for quilting. I think I see a quilting day in my future. This looks like a chance for some more free motion quilting practice. I did purchase some new quilting aids at last weekend’s event so this might be the perfect chance to try them out.

I would love to hear what you are working on this weekend. 

Until next time

Keep Stitching

Cynthia

2014 A Quilters Odyssey Annual Retreat

What a great weekend we all had at our annual quilting retreat, organised by A Quilters Odyssey. It was held at Nunyara Conference Centre, Belair. The weather was cold but the rain held off. We arrived on Friday afternoon and got set up and we could work on what we brought with us for the evening. 

Kate and Sue from A Quilters Odyssey arranged a weekend full of quilting pleasures, giveaways, presents, shop specials and with a workshop held each morning for 20 quilters. On Saturday Kate's workshop was on English Paper Piecing Kaleidoscope Stars. I am very familiar with English Paper Piecing but I haven't done much with fussy cutting piecing and only 2 fabrics were used in this workshop and all the stars were different when finished. This technique could turn some ugly fabric in my stash into something brilliant.

On Sunday Sue's Workshop was a no sew purse. Now this one was something different for me. It was very interesting how you can create a purse with some fabric, sticky backed vinyl and some hardware. I don’t think it would be something I would have tried if it wasn't for this workshop but Sue showed us some interesting project ideas that got my attention. So stay tuned for some small projects.

The rest of each day we could do what we liked and I can tell you we didn't go hungry, with breakfast, morning tea, lunch, afternoon tea and dinner all supplied.

 A view of  some of the other buildings on site.

 Adelaide is down there some where. At night with the city lights it was a magnificent view.

 I took 3 of my own projects to work on. Unfortunately I didn't get any completely finished but I did sew some more blocks towards my Leaders & Enders Challenge and I made a big dent in my Celtic Solstice quilt. I finished the last few blocks, got the first border on and got halfway through the second pieced border. A lot more work than I thought but with all the eating and socialising I may of been a bit busy.  A very successful weekend I think and we can't wait for next year's retreat. 

Until next Time

Keep Stitching

Cynthia

PS- My long suffering husband (LSH) tells me he is refreshed and can't wait for next year's retreat. What is he telling me?