2019 is my 'Year of the Trout Fish'

I have begun 2019 in a frenzy of sewing tote bags.  Some of the bags feature a 'fish theme' as I experiment with designs in preparation for a series of bigger quilts (around 40inches x 40 inches) to be made before the end of this year.  More about these later.  Each of these totes are lined and have a pocket.

In addition, I have been slowly working on making a selection of bags using the same pattern but which are quilted and fully lined as well.   

Spending lots of time at our highlands fishing cabin over Christmas and during January and February, also allowed me lots of time to 'play' with my selvedge stash.   I managed to get two quilt tops done and am working on another quilt in between other more intense projects.

This is just one bag of selvedges, another was sitting on the floor beside the table. Both of those bags are the printed selvedges.  I also have a huge bag of plain selvedges which I use as backgrounds or in blocks alongside the printed selvedges.  Nothing goes to waste.

I plan on putting a 'piano key' border using selvedges onto this quilt and am collecting the right size ones to sew as I go through my selvedges.

This is my current selvedge quilt project where I am using scrap blocks and selvedge blocks.  All the blocks are sewn and I now need to sew them all together.

This is another selvedge quilt top completed over the holiday time at the cabin.  Printed selvedge blocks are surrounded by plain selvedge strips, a chance to use up some of my blacks.  

My obsession with selvedges grows with every quilt I sew.  Just when I think my stash is decreasing, another bag of selvedges comes from a quilting friend or from a purchase online from a quilter who thought they might sew them only to decide they needed to go to another home.  Of course, I am quick to snap them up.

What will become of the 30 plus quilts I have made so far with selvedges?  I am not sure where they will end up but for now they take pride of place at one end of the bed in the spare room where I can look at them from time to time.

Happy quilting,

Australia Series of Quilts and so much more

I really should become a more regular blogger but I much prefer to sit and sew.  Since my last post about my 'Australia Series' of quilts, I can proudly say 10 quilts have been on display in a local gallery for the past 2 months and I have received very favourable comments about them all.

One of my favourites is the large Eye Spy quilt featuring Australian icons and animals.  For the background I used left over scraps of different blue fabrics from my stash.

Any series of quilts I make nowadays isn't complete without one (or in this case 2) selvedge quilts and this quilt used a selection of indigenous selvedges.  The background is a gorgeous Indigenous designed fabric which I quilted extensively.

My all time favourite in this series is the Shape Up Australia quilt. It makes me smile everytime I look at it.  

Here is the Eye Spy quilt on its own.  I have enough Australiana scrap fabrics to make another quilt as this one was so much fun to do.

These quilts will be on display again later in the year at the local Information Centre before they will be offered for sale.

Happy quilting.