Block 2, Nightshade

It's the 15th! Where has the month gone? It feels like a few days since I was designing Red Delicious and now we're already onto block 2.

Welcome: NIGHTSHADE, block 2!

When I first had the idea to start a free mystery BOM, I had no idea that it would grow into something so rewarding. Block 1, Love Birds has now had over 11'000 downloads - more than I ever expected. THANK YOU for joining in !

Lots of you out there love your reds and have the stash to prove it...I've been really impressed with the amount of fabric and reds some of you are fitting into a single block - its inspiring!...and I love all the pics you've sent in of your finished (and almost finished) blocks, keep it coming!

Red Delicious is now a worldwide BOM, with downloads, emails and block pics from every continent! So, dust off your next batch of reds and get stuck in, January 15th will be upon us before we know it....

3 DAYS TO GO

3 DAYS TO GO!

On the 15th of December, Red Delicious BLOCK 1 will no longer be available for free. After the 15th you can buy block 1 from my etsy shop for a minimal fee.

I know many of you are taking part in this mystery BOM and I dont want you to miss out, so please hurry!

Red Delicious will always be free

if you download it before the 15th of each month

Quilting...

What quilter doesn't love a deadline in December?!

I'm at my machine again tonight, finishing the birthday quilt.

After this one, it's officially Christmas season for me and I'm going to stick with designing, catching up with the quilting magazines that keep arriving on my door (time flys when youre quilting!) and of course, designing some more quilts. ( I have a few new ones brewing that I have to get down).

At some point, I'll have to take a moment to consider doing the Christmas shopping too..

Finished

Progress....and now its finally finished (and just in the nick of time)

I really enjoyed turning my white stash into hand dyes...there's something really rewarding about creating your own design and using your own hand dyes.

The colours still don't show up in my pics as true to life, each time I post they look completely different.

Sometimes I think that in order to be a quilter you need to be a professional photographer and computer technician as well. I still fiddle with my camera settings, and I STILL havent designed a quilt on my EQ6 software, even though I've had it for years. Sometimes I fiddle around and print out frames, but I always end up just drawing my designs by hand. This can be very frustrating, especially as all this new software is supposed to make life easier and quicker...I guess I'm just stuck in my ways.

Finally finished, but the week is not over yet. I have that Friendship Group Quilt to Quilt tomorrow!

Ok, a little sneak peek

It's nearly time....here is a sneak peek of BLOCK 2,

arriving on the 15th (Australian time)

Do you have your next batch of reds ready? Remember, You only need scraps - don't go out and buy any!

It's nearly been a month and I can't believe how quickly time has flown by. I knew a free BOM was a great idea....but I wasn't expecting so much positive support and feedback! Nearly 10'000 downloads and counting...

Thank you to everyone who has decided to take part in this mystery. I have received some GREAT email pics of finished blocks - I'm in awe at how fast they started arriving in my in-box. It's good to know that I'm not the only one with a red stash!

Can't wait to see the next batch arrive!

Detour

What's December without a detour? I've put Dream Fountain on hold for today as I have Quilter's Friendship Group Duty ( I won't say which one as that may give it away)...I'm in charge of quilting a quilt that the group has made for an "0" birthday.

When lots of people are involved in a project, things don't always fit at the last lap, so I'm unpicking this quilt's ditch stitching tonight as it's uneven - it has too much ease. I have to admit, I am a bit of a perfectionist and I can't start quilting unless the top is as close to perfect as possible...I always tell my friends, once you start unpicking- it never ends! You see more and more mistakes that you want to correct. What starts with a small 'fix' ends up with 6 hours invested. There's just no easy way out, good quilting needs a good foundation.

It's times like these that I wish I had a long arm machine, because with domestic machine quilting you just can't get away with fudging it - even a little bit...

UFO Progress

It's a week for getting things done. Here is a pic of my nearly abandoned brights UFO. I've nearly finished piecing, all thats left to do is the sashing and border...and some serious quilting of course!

When I found this quilt, I couldn't remember why I'd started this one in the first place. But now, I like the green coming through the pinks.

I'm sure I'm not the only quilter out there who has made or started something...and then 're-discovered' it and wondered, 'what was I thinking here?'

I really need a throw quilt. Many of my quilts are on the walls and some of them are really precious so I dont throw them about or let my cat climb or claw them.
This one will be a 'useful' quilt.