219 blocks later......

We finally have a completed quilt! I had actually finished the construction 3 weeks ago but wasn't happy with the size.........

It was too long for the width and just looked unbalanced

So I took it apart to widen it. As this is constructed with the quilt as you go method on point, the only way to make it wider was to add rows to the middle 

and add a couple more blocks plus extend the sashing to the previous adjoining row

so an extra 40 more baskets were appliqued, sandwiched & outlined quilted by hand before I got back to this stage of joining the 2 halves together again

This quilt is quite heavy & bulky so I rolled it up and used the ironing board for extra support & just unrolled a little section at a time to feed through the machine

The binding is now on & I can finally say the basket quilt is complete

It's a biggie 90" high x 105" wide - great for a big bed

I've really enjoyed making this one but am now glad to see the back of it!

(This quilt is for sale - email me for details at gtjsy at hotmail dot com)

Scrappy Log cabins

Today I should have been working on the last 2 rows of my basket quilt but instead a fair bit of chain piecing took place.

The QUILTING GALLERY has put out a call for blocks to be made into quilts for donation to the victims of Hurricane Sandy. All the info can be found here.  

Making blocks is far easier for me being in the Channel Islands as mailing a charity quilt to the USA is an expense I unfortunately cannot afford :(

It was fun & very liberating just stitching away with no plan in mind as these are meant to be scrappy log cabin blocks, something I hadn't done before but certainly will be doing again. There is even a tutorial for making the blocks here.

If you fancy making a few blocks go ahead and register here to either make blocks or assemble a top.In these situations every little bit helps :)

Happy stitching

Mini Quilts

11.5" x 13.5"
(This one is all crinkly as it's been washed)

As you all know I have always favored hand piecing, especially English paper piecing but I've recently challenged myself to love my machine more and have been making a few mini quilts. 

Thus I have learnt to make a 4.5" maple leaf block, half & quarter square triangles, log cabin piecing and setting triangles.........all by machine! (are you impressed?)

19" x 19"
Looking at this picture now it would have been better with colored logs all round 

These mini quilts are also great for practicing hand quilting & I've been having great fun playing around with border designs etc.

the back shows the quilting better

maple leaf in the corners

the next one waiting to be completed

I'm also still plugging away at the baskets, well, that is when Lucy allows me to get to my supplies.........

and when she does move, she monitors to ensure they are still being made properly!

Thanks to kind donations of lovely scraps from my friends Kim & Sandra, so far, not one fabric for the baskets has been repeated

Spoilt with lots of luscious reds 

beautiful blues

and pinks too!

I picked out a few of my favs, I love that pink one with the green leaves in the middle, thank you so much for these Sandra : )...................aren't quilting friends just great?

Baskets made with Kim's fabrics

I'm really on the home run with these now, only 16 more baskets to applique and add the sashing to make the last 4 rows, then all that needs to be done is the binding to complete the quilt. 

Until next time, happy quilting : )

........and then there were 5!

It's a real pleasure to go to work each morning and see images like this. Kahilli, one of our female Western Lowland gorillas, surprised her keepers by having given birth early yesterday morning..........they didn't think she was due until November!

Kahilli is a very caring Mum as can be seen in this video

Kahilli & baby

Yesterday also happened to be 1st time dad,  Badongo's 13th birthday! 

Last summer I was very privileged to have accompanied a gorilla transfer as a French interpreter when we transported our former silverback Ya Kwanza (who wasn't too interested in breeding) to a new gorilla bachelor group & brought a young bouncy Badongo back to Jersey, see the transfer video here

New dad Badongo

Kahilli & Kishka on the right

Kishka our eldest female is staying very close to Kahilli & the baby. You can often catch her trying to get a good look at the newborn.

She's even made it into the UK National headlines here

Congratulations Kahilli, we are all very proud of her at Durrell.

(Can you tell I have a little weakness for Gorillas? lol)

Major balls up!

Remember these Lollipop blocks started in 2010? Well, back then, I got so far & decided to get a start on sewing some of the 2" square sashings. A lot, and I mean a lot of 2.5" squares were cut & stitched together........

and it wasn't until I tried lining them up with the trimmed blocks that I thought something was odd.....they were too long, what was going on here?

I went back to the pattern and checked the instructions, bugger! I had trimmed the blocks to 20" square when it should have been 20.5"..... lesson learnt here READ THE INSTRUCTIONS CAREFULLY. 
(I had glanced quickly at the 20" & missed the vital bit of the sentence........ FINISHED SIZE!)

In disgust with myself for being so stupid, everything came off the design wall and thrown in a box & put away as I  barely had a seam allowance left with the applique so close to the edge.

After stewing over this for quite a while, a remedy has finally come to light.  I've decided to unpick all the bits of applique that are too close to the edge, move a few circles and use a different kind of sashing, after all, I never really follow a pattern completely.
Finally relieved that I don't have to remake all those blocks!

and, before I go, remember Sandra? The Cumberland Island Quilt Chick? yeah, you know the one.........well she's back in blog land as The Frugal Quilter......... Pop on over & say hi!

Till next time, happy stitching :)