WOW: Playing With Nelke

WOW = WIPs On Wednesdays

I have plenty of WIPs waiting around for my attention, but that doesn't stop me going back and updating past patterns, like Nelke. I love this wall hanging, but the birdy looks lonely and I have always felt the corners needed something. So I popped a Love Entwined double border bow in there and all of a sudden, it feels 'finished' to me. As for the birdy, I made a mate for it - did you see it on Instagram? I snapped it at the time, I was so happy with it. Such small changes, but they feel like such an improvement to me! I'll be updating this pattern with the new changes for anyone who wants it and the update will be available to everyone for free, so if you feel as I have, you can make tweaks too.

What's Your WOW?

An InLinkz Link-up

Love Entwined by Ineke Waijers-Persons

Many of you will instantly recognize this exuberant Love Entwined by Ineke Waijers-Persons, Tilburg, The Netherlands. What a stunner! I was lucky enough to see stages of Ineke's quilt progress whilst it was being made because she was generous enough to share pics over in my BOM Group. Now, Ineke's sharing finished images over in the LE Gallery and what can I say? Each is as gorgeous as the next!

Here's what Ineke had to say about her Love Entwined:

"The quilt is called “Send in the clowns”.  I have made some changes to give the quilt a circus theme, there are acrobats, clowns, circus animals, the circus director is there too. I have used Kaffe Fassett fabrics, some silks, cottons, satins, crushed velvet, embroidery, beads.

Searched a long time on the internet to find suitable circus fabrics. Made my own silhouette figures for the elephants and circus artists. Everything that reminded me of the circus has found its place on this quilt. Most of it is appliquéd by machine, I used a small blanket stitch, often with the help of a magnifier glass. At one stage started thinking about the quilting and decided I would let it be done professionally.

It is machine quilted by Elly Prins, who outlined everything and some overall pattern between the applications. Think it is my lifetime achievement this quilt ! Love it too bits, it is now proudly hanging in my living room from ceiling to floor and oh my god it is not a wallflower."

How many times can I even say WOW? I'm speechless, in the best possible way. Seeing Love Entwined made in a unique and stunning style is a real delight! Thanks Ineke, for sharing your beautiful work with all of us!

What about you? Are you making Love Entwined? Have you joined the Love Entwined BOM Group? Go ahead and join us as we share friendship, quilting tips and creativity.

Love Entwined: Month by Month: Part 2

Completing the Compass of Part 1 was such a noteworthy achievement in the creation of this quilt that framing the compass with its own 'crown' and embroidering between the points felt easy in comparison. Something that caught my imagination straight away with the coverlet was the desire the original maker had to add flourish wherever she could possibly squeeze it in. And what a romantic eye she had too, so many flourishes and surprises. In Part 2, we squeeze in some of those tell tale flourishes and attention to detail with little daisies growing our from between each crown point.

The pattern gives you a template for applique-ing these and that was my original attention, but when I was searching for fabric, I came across little flower heads that just spoke to me. So I decided to fussy cut them and over embroider their design. Then, once I'd started I simply carried on an embroidered the entire stem and leaf as well. Consider your options. I knew they'd be plenty of tiny applique ahead and didn't want to exhaust myself so early on in the pattern - and just felt like embroidering the little flowers. Something I later learned is that the coverlet tends to have a mind of its own. When you begin handling it yourself, it will let you know what works and what doesn't. Just go with the flow, I had so many set ideas and all of them fell away when I actually starting making the quilt. I just started and found that it formed its own style. So remember that you can tweak each stage to suit your mood, just as I have with these flowers around the crown.

When it comes to the zig zags, pick a fabric you really love as you will be making 152 of them (76 light and 76 dark). I prepped mine and set them aside for weeks at a time, sorted by lights and darks (and a picture of the completed quilt to keep me going!). It all fit nicely in an old chocolate box and I carted this box around with me to work patiently one zig and one zag at a time.

An InLinkz Link-up

Click here to buy the pattern as a complete download

 or as an ongoing BOM

WOW: Cherry Delight!

WOW = WIPs On Wednesdays

Nope, it's not another Sweet 2016 block although its certainly a suitable theme. It's my new cherry tablecloth! Isn't it cute? I found it in an Op Shop. Now, I am one of those people who just loves rummaging through Op Shops and the thing is, I always find a treasure. And this sometimes proves to be an issue because no one else in my family seems to appreciate my eye for style and overlooked items of beauty. So mostly I have to admire and leave things behind. Actually, most of the time my DD's won't even let me stop by an Op Shop when we're out so I've missed out on seeing what's new lately. But last week I got lucky and I simply couldn't leave it in the shop.

I confess that I bought it on the sly, whilst my DD was in the Newsagency. I was going to cut it up for the cherries, but I just love it and don't think I will now. I think I actually will use it as an afternoon tea tablecloth! I can tell you, it was worth smuggling home. After washing it (I was worried about the texture as it's screen printed) I gave it an iron and told my DD I had purchased it. Well, she loves it and has no idea I purchased it around the corner from the Newsagency and happily snapped these images for me to show off here on my blog.

I think it's so funny that next time, I might even tell her where it came from. But for today, it's just our secret, OK?

Are there any things which you have to 'smuggle' into the house?

What's Your WOW?

An InLinkz Link-up

What I'm Listening To This Easter

Whenever someone visits me at home, they always ask what I have on in the background? It's a beautiful ambient noise that doesn't distract or interfere with anything else I'm doing or conversations I might be having. I've been listening to it long enough now that I forget the impact it had on me when I first started listening. But I'm reminded each time someone visits and remarks on how it feels to be in my home. The only difference since their last visit is Wholetones.  

I don't usually listen to the radio or music as background distraction as I go about my day, so when I was first given Wholetones by my daughter, I wondered if I'd get any use from it at all. Well, six months on, I can tell you I certainly have. I don't really think of it as music, but more of creating an ambient environment, and now I wouldn't be without it. 

For those of you who haven't heard, Wholetones is a set of 7 tracks set to a particular frequency and these frequencies effect mood and perception. You may have heard of frequency music before and perhaps even sampled it - don't worry, I can assure you - this is nothing like the new age buzzing tones you may have come across. I don't take part in the 'new age' movement and Wholetones is in no way associated with any of those. It's just quality music tuned to specific instrument frequencies to promote wellness and ease. And I can tell you, it really works.

Why not have a listen and hear it for yourself?

WOW: It's Easter Project Time!

WOW = WIPs On Wednesdays

WIPs are funny things. You work so hard to get a quilt done and then, for no explicable reason, it just doesn't feel finished. Has that ever happened to you? I felt this way about Oma's Blues -so much so that I broke my own 'rule' and re-released it this year as a free BOM, I normally never do this but I just couldn't finish it and then ignore it after so much hard work. I really felt like I didn't do it justice during the first release, so it's getting a whole new lease of life over on Facebook where it has its own Group and blocks are released monthly, for free.

This all gets me thinking about Easter last year. I had just started on my own Oma when I released the 'Oma themed' Easter Project. Well, you know how Oma's Blues is inspired by Delft ware? The City of Delft used my image over on their Facebook page!

Honestly I was so honored and happy to see my little ode to Delft sit right in with the city..but dismayed that they didn't even think to credit my work or image. And then, when it was pointed out to them - they simply deleted the post and ignored the whole thing! It was so strange. All they had to do was acknowledge me as the designed of the image they were showing off and then we could have all been happy - why are the fundamental basics of good manners so hard to impress upon people nowadays?

I can't wait to see Delft myself one of these days, its a dream of mine, and of course, when I do I'll pick up my own Delft ware to pass down to my own daughters. Now, although my Oma is finished and looking beautiful up on the wall, I still haven't finished my Oma Easter WIP! I've really got no excuse given that this is now the second year I am releasing the Easter Applique project. I had thought about using it as am appliqued centre table decoration, or mini wall hanging or cushion...but it's still a WIP. Maybe this year I can finally get around to changing that!

Download this applique project over in my Esther's Blog Quilt BOM Group, or the Oma's Blues Group or if you don't want to go to Facebook, you can CLICK HERE NOW to download it instantly.

What's your WOW This Easter?

An InLinkz Link-up

The Quilt Show GIVEAWAY!

The Quilt Show has asked me to share their International Quilting Weekend Giveaway with you all and I'm delighted to have the link right here for you to enter into the draw to win over $11,000 worth of quilting prizes!

When you click this link, it will ask you for your name and email, fill it out as your official "entry" for these fabulous prizes!

Good luck everyone!

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