LE: My Crown

 It's such a satisfaction to have my crown on, I love it. And the patchwork style scrappy I finally rested on, just speaks to me.  You can see my needle turned points of the compass ring are finally done on this quilt, but I am yet to do my red one. It took me 2 x days to complete those points, this is such an intense quilt, it feels like I'll never finish. That doesn't worry me though, because each precious stitch is a legacy and I am loving every minute of it. 

I simply embroidered the little flowers around a small flower print and I am thinking about embroidering my stems when I get to the vases too. I'm actually in two minds whether I will or won't. I think it would match the image in the book if I did (in the published image, its clear that the vines are very thin) - but I have seen some real beauties in fabric over in my Yahoo Bom Group... and that is how I made the pattern. Perhaps I will make one with stitch lines and the other with fabrics as the pattern indicates. Although I am not sure yet, I do know better than to plan ahead: I'm sure this quilt will let me know when I get to that point! It has with everything else!

This centre is going to be such a joy to finish, at times like this I wonder if a third LE would be so impossibly difficult to fit in? 

Just kidding. 

WOW: Scanning In Magazines

WOW = WIPs On Wednesday

I've finally finished scanning in my magazines. I've been in a few over the years and have been a bit absentminded about them - having them throughout my house and in a box somewhere in my garage. It was time I got organised and having them all scanned in is a weight off my mind and an easy way to look things up too. 

They are now listed over on my new website: www.estheraliu.com  and you can view them under the 'Media" page over on my website. 

I'm thinking about the next BOM and asked if any quilters in my Group were interested in being Early Starters on new patterns as it is not possible for me to make all the patterns I have ready for release in time for release. I just can't make them all that quickly! I was so happy to be contacted by several quilters but just after requesting, I have been so busy that I haven't had a chance to respond properly or select the next BOM . Today I am hoping to catch up on emails and make some decisions. I've got my coffee ready for a productive day ahead. It's a bit funny to be planning future quilts via my computer, but I guess that's how everything is now. 

What's Your WOW ?

An InLinkz Link-up

LE: More Compass Talk

Five compasses and now I'm ready to  move on past Part 1

I don't think I've ever spent so long focusing on the start of a quilt. In fact, I know I haven't! 

I've been thinking about stitchery to emphasis certain design elements of the compass, especially because the red and white is so repetitive. I'm adding extra stitchery around one compass set behind the front beams for some dimension.

And now it's time to get down to some applique, I feel like the exact piecing and fiddly 36 point needle turn points is an intense introduction to this quilt, but now it's out of the way (I still have 36 points to go for my red compass) I am looking forward to some larger applique pieces.

Two quilts, Two cushions and one left over...

Le: Red Compass

I love these fabrics, there's always something so special about reds...

and I especially love that these are mostly stash reds, I didn't have to buy any extra

With a red and white LE now in creation, I have doubled my work. But the work itself is still so enjoyable and now that the colour question is settled, I can just get on with making it. My red compass came out perfect the first time, unlike my first two patchwork style ones!

I love this compass, it feels so right to be making a two colour version. 

Because I am making two LE’s and because I started late on LE, I am not making it in the same monthly installment progression as many of you are. I am working on some areas and then leaving them behind to work on something else. 

Right now I have 36 points to applique on this compass but I can't face sewing them so soon after sewing down the first set, my hands ache! So I will set this compass aside and return to the points later.

As you can see, I really enjoy my little sewing nook and sewing time! I usually watch The Quilt Show whilst I work and I can spend hours just like this, getting bits done, one stitch at a time.

MMQ: Sandy Beach

Meet My Quilt: Sandy Beach

Sandy Beach is a wall hanging I designed for Down Under Quilts. I had a sketch in my journal (below) of a seaside memory box full of interesting objects

The pattern is applique shapes on top of a memory box background

And the applique pieces are many little seaside memories which you can alter and personalize to suit you. Once you get started it can be hard to stop. Here I am ironing down a block when I should have been cooking dinner!

Just as I was making Sandy Beach, that was also the time I was having great difficulties with my Bernina 820, it is such a troublesome machine, as you can see below I had a lot of difficulties, and with a deadline to boot! I was not happy...

and made many blocks again and again

Sandy Beach is a fun quilt: I had the white washed walls of a seaside room in mind when I designed this quilt, whilst Down Under suggested it would make a great Nursery quilt. I think that's a great idea too, especially as there's so much room for personalizing.

If you make this quilt, consider sending me a picture of your work, I'd love to see it!

WOW: Sandy Beach is published!

WOW = WIPs On Wednesdays

My quilt 'Sandy Beach' is published in this month's Down Under Quilts magazine! Here it is on the front cover!

This is a fun quilt and I really enjoyed making it. Especially so for two reasons: I was asked to create a design on a nautical theme and I had a deadline! I already had a design for a beach scene memory box so the theme was just right and an excuse to create an applique wall hanging. The deadline meant that I actually finished it instead of letting it turn into a WIP!

Something else which is so nice, is that this edition arrived in the post yesterday. This is, unfortunately, unusual. I have been published on numerous occasions and in the majority of instances I had to go out and purchase the magazines myself. Because of the editorial timeline, this is harder than it sounds as quilts are submitted months before publication and its easy to forget which edition in which magazine you think you will be appearing in! It's such a simple courtesy but one that is often overlooked. 

Receiving this magazine has really made my day, thanks Down Under Quilts!

Do you buy a monthly quilting magazine? 

Which is your favourite?

 What's Your WOW ?

An InLinkz Link-up

LE: a quilt with a mind of it's own

Love Entwined has a mind of it's own. I made other plans, but my Love Entwined wants to be a patchwork style scrappy. I resisted this at first, but not for long. Nothing I did worked, even though I had thought out at least 3 excellent colour ways, each one as lovely as the next. But it wasn't to be. I've been rejecting all those lovely new fabrics for a patchwork style of assorted lights and darks and, against my initial decision not to, I'm now firmly following my feelings with this quilt. I really don't know how I thought I could resist in the first place because, honestly, this quilt has a mind of its own! So my original colour scheme issue was resolved, but then came the red dilemma.

Every time I selected fabrics to use, I kept sneaking in red fabrics...and it just didn't work. It was too red for the patchwork style LE I was making, and not red enough for a red quilt. So I was left with no other option: 

I am now making two Love Entwined quilts at once

One in a patchwork style scrappy and one in red and white. 

Although it's double the work, I feel relieved because I was sick and tired of chopping and changing all my ideas over and over again and of being so undecided all the time. Making two quilts is a resolution and now I can be free to follow my instincts and just get on with making them. I feel like the patchwork style version is a nod to the 1790's era. Oddly, even though it isn't particularly Georgian in my opinion, I do feel that it's right as a homage to the original quilter whereas the red and white is more my own personality.

and I'm loving each of them in their own way. Now that the colour scheme has been resolved (or doubled?! depending on how you look at it) I'm enjoying each of them in their own specialness and have even started on my red compass. It's going fine, I won't have to make 3 of these compasses, I think that was just me warming up to the quilt ahead!

Thank you to everyone who is posting their own Love Entwined progress over in the Group: it's an inspiration to see how you are making your own quilts, I love seeing what you are doing with the blocks each month. 

Love Entwined Part 10 is Launched

It's time for the charming four corners as we complete Border 2

bottom right and top left corner

Part 10 keeps us busy as we complete Border 2. Unlike the work of Part 8 & 9, Part 10 allows you to spend a bit of time with your stitch work and embellishments as well as finishing up any little details from the previous blocks before we start on Border 3 next month.

This is a quilt full of detail, so don't be afraid to embellish and take your time.

bottom left and tip right corner

 This is where we are up to, quilt wise:

Can't wait to see your progress pics...

‘Love Entwined 1790 Marriage Coverlet’ is a Free 18 Month Historic BOM

Each ‘block’ of the month is released monthly, on the 15th of each month. All ‘blocks’ are available for free during the month of their release. Any missed ‘blocks’ may be purchased.

All ‘blocks’ are available for download via my Yahoo BOM Group only

WOW: Heart Sent!

WOW = WIPs On Wednesdays

Sometimes deadlines can really help me get things done. I'm glad to announce that this morning (as soon as my local post office opens) I will be posting my Tombola Heart contribution to fly all the way over to the UK where someone will end up claiming it for themselves. I hope they like it. I always get so attached to these little things I make, I wish I'd made two at once now!

I've used my Love Entwined hearts because I love them. I think I'll have to create a design of hearts to work with my spare cushion compasses. Speaking of Love Entwined, I'm onto Compass No. 5...but more of that after WOW, it needs a post all of its own.

I'm a few weeks behind in my emails, so today I'm hoping to spend my WOW time sending emails and deciding which pattern to release as the next BOM. Can you believe it's March already? I feel like this year is just speeding by, I'm going to spend today trying to catch up!

Some new members have been asking me how to do WOW as they don't have a blog? Simple, just tell us what you're doing in the comments section of this post - blog or not, I'd love to know!

What's Your WOW?

An InLinkz Link-up

WOW: Spare a Heart?

WOW = WIPs On Wednesday

The Quilter's Guild of the British Isles Festival of Quilts 2014 will be hosting a Heart themed Tombola this year and are asking for heart shaped items, no more than A4 in size, to be donated for this event. If you'd like to contribute to the Tombola, you can send in your creation which will be used to raise funds for the Guild. 

If you're outside the UK, as I am, you can send in your finished hearts from anywhere in the world to: 

Hearts,

The Lilacs, Dittons Road,

Polegate, East Sussex. BN26 6JQ

UNITED KINGDOM

Jan Allston is the co-ordinator of Region 2 of the Quilter's Guild of the British Isles and when she asked if I'd be interested in making anything, well I was delighted to help. You may remember that Jan is our fine marriage coverlet contact in the UK and was researching and looking into the original 1790 quilt before it was found. I think she's been amazingly generous with her time and I am happy to do what I can to contribute to the Quilter's Guild. I personally think that it's in every quilters interest to do what they can to support quilters, wherever they are.

The quilting community I know is generous and worldwide. Somewhere in my own heart, I'm fairly sure that if the mysterious quilter of the marriage coverlet of 1790 were alive today, she'd be a member of a Quilting Guild and contributing in this small way feels like a nice connection to her home country.

Do you recognize these hearts? They're from Love Entwined and this is my contribution to the Tombola. Today I'm going to quilt it in preparation for sending.

You can read about the Tombola here
or why not send a semi completed piece? You can read about that here

What's Your WOW ?

An InLinkz Link-up