Quilting Owl

The studio is still in turmoil so I thought I would continue showing some photos of quilts I have designed and made in previous years.  Some of these quilts have been published as projects in Australian Patchwork & Quilting and Patchwork & Stitching and some were made as class samples. "Westward Ho" by Frances Leate AP&Q Vol 16 No 8 "Borders Abound" by Frances Leate - AP&Q Vol 17 No 3 "Windmills of My Mind 1" by Frances Leate "Learning Curves" by Frances Leate "With Compliments" by Frances & Peter Leate - P&S Vol 8 No 10 "Shoo fly Medley" by Frances Leate - AP&Q Vol 17 No 5 Till next time Frances

I have been sorting through some of my applique quilts today and thought I would show photos of some of these designs.  Most of these quilts have been published as projects in Australian Patchwork & Quilting and Patchwork & Stitching and are often used as class samples.  I always refer to my finished projects as "working quilts" because they are used so often in class to illustrate different techniques.  These quilts feel like part of the family and usually reside on the bed in the guest room layered one on top of the other and occasionally are hung around the house, shop or studio to give them an airing.  The light is so strong in this part of the world that I always try to rotate the quilts on the wall to try and stop any fading.  "Blooming Baskets" by Frances Leate - AP&Q Vol 18 Nos. 1, 2 & 3  "Turned to a T" by Frances Leate "Days of Wine and Roses" by Frances Leate - AP&Q Vol 18 No. 11 "Strawberry Fi...

Suz at Patchwork N Play  is having a party where we get to show a piece of our favourite fabric - you know the one we say we are saving for that special project but like it so much that we don't really want to cut into it.  Well I have lots of these type of fabric favourites but one that immediately sprang to mind is this - Till next time Frances

A small finish this week was this needleturn appliqued rose wreath mini quilt.  I appliqued the block some time ago but couldn't decide what to do with it and at the time envisaged a much larger quilt but finally I decided to keep it simple and just make a small quilt which I hand quilted very simply using the big stitch Perle thread method. I also made the layered quilt top that Peter is holding up as a shop sample which features a marine themed panel.  It has been ditch quilted and now I just need to add some free motion work and bind it. I have caught up with the Civil War Quilt blocks - 36 down and 16 to go which means that this year is certainly whizzing by.  When I started this quilt I chose a fabric pallet of  teal blue, red, brown and a selection of beiges for background but as the weeks progress and I see new wonderful fabrics come on to the shelves I just have to include them - an interesting exercise and I am not sure what the finished result w...

Well it was that time of the month and the Sunday Stitchers gathered at Cairns Craft Centre this morning.  Amidst lots of fun and laughter, not to mention enjoying Peter's blueberry muffins, there was some lovely work for us all to enjoy. Kathy brought along her version of the Pies and Tarts quilt so that we could see a full view of the quilt and I think it is absolutely stunning and I just love the border. Jenny has been busy with the red and white cup quilt and it has now been appliqued and a border added and is ready to be layered and quilted. Jenny couldn't resist this bag and I must admit I can relate to the sentiment being somewhat housework challenged myself. Kathy had this delightful bag for carrying a mug which she embroidered on front and back. and Joan has made a delightful little mug mat to give as a gift. I have also been busy but I will keep this for a later post. Till next time Frances

One of the highlights for me over the last couple of weeks has been introducing new quilters to the absolute delight of patchwork and quilting.  Here is Noelle's completed quilt top which she should be proud of as I think it looks absolutely stunning. Another stunner is Barb's quilt which just needs the outer border to be stitched on.  Well done girls and I hope this is the beginning of a wonderful journey. I also enjoyed a girls day out to visit a local quilt show at Gordonvale with Jenny and Joan.  I didn't manage photos as the strong sunlight streaming through the windows made it very difficult for me with my limited photographic skills. I have spent a lot of time at home during the last few weeks after my flu bug turned into a very nasty cold and while stitching in the courtyard I was lucky enough to catch this Kookaburra sitting on top of the flag pole in our garden. Till next time Frances

In between recovering from a bout of flu and teaching the odd class I have just figured out that I have actually done some work on 7 different projects over the last 10 days or so.  I have been working on a log cabin block project, designed and started cutting for a new wall quilt and have been doing lots of hand stitching however the only finish I have had is this delightful little Sweet Treat Bag from the Moda boxed kit.  This little bag is a shop sample and has been on my "To Do" list for far too long and if I had realised how quick and easy it was then it would have been made a lot sooner. I have been working on the Pies & Tarts quilt and have been busy preparing and stitching a few of these. In a mad moment I decided to do some work on a very long time UFO and resurrected my Double Wedding Ring project and made a little progress on it. In between these I had made a little progress on two other large projects that I am enjoying hand piecing, one of which is ...