Some show and tell from Christine

Christine emailed me today showing some projects that have been keeping her busy.

A log cabin quilt top made from scrappy leftovers, a journal cover for her grand daughter's birthday, and a rather long term UFO - a  piece of needle turn applique from a work shop with Margaret Sampson George done last year.

Thanks Christine. I love them all. 

Don't forget to send me your projects for our virtual show and tell.

Face Mask projects

Today I found there is a way to help the supply of face masks that are in short supply.

Update: Today an article relevant to Australian conditions came in The Conversation Newsletter

Bonnie Hunter on Quiltville.com is continuously full of good ideas and has linked to patterns for either rectangular face masks or shaped face masks.

While I know that it is also touch that spreads disease, in the end it is all about droplet infection. So make them for yourself and friends.

Pattern 1: a rectangular face mask

Pattern 2: a shaped face mask

While these are not surgical masks they will certainly help keep you aware that there is a virus out there and we are trying to stem its spread.

If anyone knows an Australian need for these we could even make excess and sent them through.

Using your scraps

I saw this image online today and think it would be a good way to use all those leaders and enders and left over strips. I am going to try out a few blocks and see how it goes.

It is the cover image of the book. I wonder if the colours in the image have faded or if they are actually just red, white and blue. I'm going to try first in multi colours and see how it goes.

Does anyone have this book?

Our first virtual Show and Tell

From Liz (NZ)

As you can well imagine many plans are having to be changed. In NZ we are slow starters on the Covid19 virus - still not in double figures for confirmed cases and no deaths but undoubtedly there will eventually be transference. Hopefully this will not be as drastic and exponential a curve as we have seen overseas. 

In the meantime a 2 week isolation in Australia and then 2 week isolation on return makes my trip untenable and I dont think the situation willget better before May ( I am sure it wont)

So I am still a virtual Rainbow Connection member but even virtual connections are good. Maybe we can Skype and do a quick Show and tell on the 16 May?

In the meantime my proudest show and tell at the moment is Geraldine the giraffe ( done using Pam holland's pattern) here is a picture of mine. Our sewing group of 10 have all done one and when we get them all gathered together theya re going to look really interesting - all different.

My best wishes to you and everyone.

Stay safe my friends. 

Although I am not a very high risk by virtue of mainly good health, I am in the age group and my son has informed me that by about Easter when things are likely to kick in here, he wants me out of Auckland and down with them in Palmerston North where isolation and risk is likely lowered. I can go down in my campervan and be pretty self sufficient and take sewing machine and all my hobbies!! We shall see....

From Betty ...

I have also been filling my time with a few little projects...

Just so I don't go stir crazy with all sorts of things being cancelled I have found a few UFO things to do in my quilting studio.

I think I've been waiting since about 2007 to finish off a few more soap savers, having been shown them by Marion on one of her visits. They are really easy to do.

I have about 4 more ready to sew.

Then there were my tiny squares from Suzy in UK that I sewed together some months ago and used the technique as a show and tell. I now have 2 new pot mits for my kitchen at last and I have 2 more to sew then lots more with larger 1" squares from my leaders and enders. I'll try to get better at the binding before I do my last one.

What are you filling your time with during these long days? Send me some pics and a little story and I'll add them to our blog.

Pop-up Quilting Day

Just 4 of us gathered on Saturday for our pop-up quilting day but we did progress a little with our quilts on the go.

Of course there was the lovely lunch under our bookcase quilt.

We pillowcased Stephanie's Bright Stripes and then I started quilting it but we really need to pin or baste the layers together before proceeding. Elaine got the horrible job of unpicking the bit of quilting I had done.

Then we decided to start really thinking about the Seminole pieces and how to put them together to make them work as two single bed quilts. Some strips needed extensions added and even some embellishments to fill empty places.

Rather than losing the zig-zags on some strips we had a go at appliqueing them to the dividing strip.

In all lots of thinking, discussing options and laughing of course, and not very many expletives were heard.