Quilting Owl

It's Show & Tell time for the Sunday Stitchers who gather on the first Sunday of each month at Cairns Craft Centre and there was lots of wonderful projects for us all to enjoy. Lesleigh, who is a good friend to have, has agreed to hand quilt this stunning cross stitched afghan for a good friend and we were all giving our two cents worth on how to go about it.  It will be challenging as the fabric is about an 18 count cotton weave and quite heavy. Lesleigh was also the happy winner of our lucky door prize - a "Seven Sisters" paper piecing design  pattern kit by Sue Daley. Jenny loves bright colours and has just finished this lovely table runner top. and this little doggy quit which is now ready for applique. Joan has been doing an online landscape quilt class and was stitching down the binding on her first finished landscape project. Thora has been busy reducing her stash by making happy bright scrappy reversible quilts for her grandchildren and here is the ...

It has been stressful for quite a while as we try to sort out a few things in our house so to cheer myself up I commenced a new project.  Cairns Craft Centre has just had a large shipment of lots of new paper piecing shapes and I decided to try out the Apple Cores using lots of black and white fabrics from my stash.  I have to say that this project is coming together much faster than the Pies & Tarts using an applique stitch and it is proving to be lots of fun. Christine over at Once upon a Quilt...  has a new blog where she is selling off lots of bits and pieces and I fell in love with these thimbles and just had to have them for my collection.  I might add they were speedily dispatched and beautifully wrapped so they all arrived safe and sound. I have also been adding the odd little owl to the ever growing collection and they now have a new home on a shelf between the button jars and lots of fabric. The other new addition is to the library and thi...

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