Yee ha....!

Well howdy! Seems like I've been missing from these here parts for some time. Yep, off chasing, herding and rounding up life every which way, I'd say. Leaving not enough time for quilting...let alone taking photos and blogging about it. However, a couple of weekends ago I found myself in between things and spent a whole day basting. It nearly killed my knees, elbows and the fingernail on my right hand pointer finger but I managed to completely baste three quilts that day. Since then I've quilted two, bound two and finished one. And this is it. My Maverick Star Cowboy quilt!

It's a beauty. I love the simplicity of the design which highlights the retro colours. Essentially it's either a nine patch block of 3.5" squares or a 9 patch with a maverick star embedded.
I really like the back which features two single rows made from some left over squares trailing out of one left over star block and set into a plain stone colour background. It was a real challenge to make sure the back was lined up well with the top but I guess, that's what floorboard joins are for aren't they!

I think I've mentioned before that the foundation fabrics are from a really old range by Benartex called Happy Trails. I've added in some Denyse Schmidt who always manages the right balance of 'old-style' without being 'old fashioned' and various other reds and blues from the stash. The binding is also a DS quilts that features in the blocks. I can't remember what it's called but I managed to pick up a little from Spotlight when it was out. I wouldn't mind getting a little more as it's lovely for binding.
This quilt is heading to the UK as a gift for a friend's new baby boy and will be a nice cot or floor mat size at 45" x 54".

I should also add that I managed to take these photos early this morning before heading off to work and before the rain rolls in around lunchtime today. As I was running around setting up shots on my front gate I was being watched by two council workers trimming the trees on the streets. I'm sure most people who spy a quilter blogger at work must wonder "what the heck is she doing...?". But we smiled, said howdy, commented on the weather making our work difficult and went about our separate tasks.

It's a funny old world we live in, isn't it but I guess that's what makes life interesting!
I'm delighted to have such a lovely finish this week for Crazy Mom's Finish it up Friday and I'll be feeling less guilty about things as I head off to Brisbane (very early) tomorrow morning with Clare to see the Quilts 1700-1945 exhibition at the GOMA. More on that when we return.

Happy trails....

Happy trails indeed!
This little quilt-in-the-making is destined for a brand new little baby boy who lives in the UK. A second baby for our dear friends who are now firmly entrenched in Surrey.
Seeing as I made quilts for their first baby L, it's only fitting that baby E gets one too. What's even better is that we get to deliver it in person later this year!

I've used Happy Trails which is a really old line by Benartex that features all things cowboy including some very sweet but politically incorrect cowboy guns and barbed wire (...hope you don't mind Rache!). I picked various bits of the line up on a trip to Tasmania years ago and they've been waiting for the right aged little person.
Added to the mix are a number of other bits from the stash in blue, red, yellow and green and some solids in co-ordinating colours to create some reversed out maverick stars. I cut 3.5" squares with 2.5" squares for the triangle points. Each block is around 9" and I'v worked on a 5 x 6 block layout which will finish at a nice little cot size of around 45" x 54". Yee-hah cowboy!

Stars and stripes....

I finished the binding on my red, white and blue maverick star quilt last night just in time for July 4th. Whilst not an Australian celebration it's fitting none the less. This quilt is for L who seems to miss out on most of the quilts I make. Funny thing is he was actually due on July the 4th which made my obstetrician laugh every time he checked his notes! It took me a while to work out it was Independence Day! The quilt is made from 12" maverick star blocks in a mix of red, white and blue, measures 72" x 60" (6 blocks x 5 blocks) and is straight line quilted (the stripes!). The binding is red and white honeycomb (spotty dot from Spotlight) which I'm a bit addicted to for binding! The back uses a piece of light blue fabric that I've had stashed for ages, some left overs and a strip of pinwheels that Kay suggested I make out of the triangles cut from the stars. They worked out beautifully! Construction didn't come without it's problems....including poor measurement of the backing and not realising until after I'd taped it to the floor for basting! All is forgiven though because I just love red, white and blue. It's so crisp and clean looking.Now....back to that essay....or maybe another unfinished that needs completion!

I'm going to make you a star....

My red, white and blue Maverick Star quilt top is finished. Now....for the back. Kay made the wonderful suggestion of using the triangles cut from the stars to make pinwheels. A few of these will definitely be incorporated in between 10th birthday party celebrations, an extremely busy week (or two) at work, a new computer and software and some uni chapters that need finishing. Life is never dull, that's for sure!

Channelling my inner Ralph....

I wasn't intending to work on a quilt like this but I was chatting to Joshua's mum about the quilt I made for him a while back (2009!) and it got me thinking about red, white and blue maverick stars again. I just love how these colours are just so classic and it's no wonder Mr Ralph Lauren sticks with them year after year. Here it is on the design floor. I've used a lot of Prints Charming that I've had in the cupboard, a heap of spots and dots in various configurations and splashes of solids. Each block measures 12" finished and I used this tutorial for the blocks (but without the wonk). It should finish up around 60 x 72.

Small constellation finished....

The Small Constellation baby quilt is finished!
I'm thrilled with it. I think it's lovely.

But do I think it's lovely because it is? Or....do I think it's lovely because it didn't cost much? Or that it was born out of true patchwork values, making something out of virtually nothing? Now there's a few questions? I think the answer is 'yes to all of the above'!

You see the front is made completely from scraps....tiny triangles from the 2 1/2" binding offcuts and various white scraps that dictated the layout.

The back is a combo of scrap and stash offcuts .

The binding uses all those bits of left over binding from every other quilt all joined together in a scrappy haphazard way. (Actually that's not quite true. I placed them as stripe, dot, stripe, dot etc....!)The funny thing (or is it irony?) is that with scrappy binding is that you get a pile of new triangles to add to the collection for the next quilt. Fantastic!I really enjoy making these little scrappy maverick star 6" blocks, they're so easy and once you get the knack you can even chain piece, have the iron ready and speed up the completion process.

I got so organised this morning that I created another round of stars for a draw string bag to go with the quilt. Again, totally made with left overs.

I'd say that that's a very good week's worth of stash busting!

Crazy is as Crazy does....

Last week, Amanda Jean wrote about using the little triangles that are cut off when joining 2 1/2" wide binding strips on the diagonal. They make great little maverick stars when joined to a 2 1/2" square. Well it turns out that I too have quite a little stash of these triangles along with a 'glad bag' full of white off-cuts. So out of all of these bits I made this.....It's all scraps.....except for the binding....but that's allowed because the triangles I cut off the binding were put back in the bag for the next quilt!
I did attempt to make a scrappy pieced back. However, it was so nice, I couldn't bear the thought of randomly quilting through it so I've kept it as a second mini quilt. Wait till you see it....it's red and white and perfect for Christmas....(to be continued....)