My blogless friend, Sandie taught me her version of needle-turn applique while I was with her during our trip to Spring Market (blog posts coming soon, I promise!).

Here’s my first attempt. A bright and cheerful sunflower. I plan to layer it and add some thread painting, especially in the centre wonky circle (that was the design, not my poor attempt at making a circle, honest!).

One of the great things about this technique is that once the registration lines have been washed out, no one can tell where I may (or may not) have messed up. I’m developing an applique fetish, I just need to find my preferred method.

I haven’t given up entirely on needle-turn yet, but I do want to complete Linda Poole’s class where she taught her glue-basting method and then try the starch method as outlined by the Lizzie B Girls.

What’s your preferred applique method?

My first hand-dyed fabrics, ready to go into the wash for final rinsing and setting. Can’t wait until I can see them dry.

Boysenberry and turquoise

Fuchsia and golden yellow

Dark grey and intense blue

Brightest green and sun yellow

More soon!

I have a confession, I have yet to start my “New from Old” quilt, for the Alliance of American Quilts contest. It’s due at the end of May. I plan to work on it when I return from Spring Quilt Market, and get it in the mail just in time to meet the deadline. Talk about cutting it CLOSE!

What about you? Are you entering the contest? All Quilting Gallery fans will be entered into a draw for a special fabulous prize package. Check out this post for more info.

Here’s a video of the latest quilts they’ve received. They are all fabulous.

Here’s my progress so far on Rachel’s Pinwheel Sampler Quilt Along. I was caught up at Easter, but now I’m behind the last three blocks blocks. Oh well, they’ll have to wait now until after Market and other deadlines get done first. I’m loving how these are coming together.

Block 1

Block 2

Block 3

Block 4

Block 5 – my fave so far

I was so excited to learn that Quilting Gallery was chosen as one of the top 55 favourite blogs for quilters in the latest issue of Quilter’s Home magazine. Check us out on pg. 17, middle column.

Last month, we were also chosen as the blog pick of the month in the local Ottawa computer magazine, M2. This is a fabulous resource of techy information. For the locals, I pick mine up at the Main library. Look for it all over town.

And lastly, my stitch and flip quilt was featured in the Spring issue of Canada’s Quilter’s Connection Magazine.

Even though I had sent in the photo, it was such a thrill to see a quilt I made in a quilting magazine. This quilt is one of my favourites as it contains so many memories of past projects. Sadly, it’s starting to show its age with faded fabrics throughout. Yet it still hangs proudly in my living room until I make something else to replace it.

P.S. Shout Out Thursday will return next week.

I’ve been playing around in EQ6 this afternoon, planning some ideas for the “New from Old” Quilt Contest for the Alliance of American Quilts. I picked up some lovely super bright fabrics in Lancaster last week, with the plan to use them in some way.

First up, is my totally insane log cabin. These blocks would finish at 7.5″ and each block contains 57 paper pieced sections. While I love the psychedelic look, that’s just a little more work than I wanted to undertake for this contest. I might keep the idea in mind for something else though, but on a bigger scale.

I tried to match the colours in EQ6 with the fabrics I purchased the best I could. The eight-colour option for the fabrics I have on hand, just doesn’t work. The design might work really well with just two options.

Four colours:

Eight colours:

Next up are some pinwheel star options. I like these a lot as they can be quick pieced with Brenda Henning’s Triangulations CD. The blocks finish at 6.5″ and each 1/2 square triangle finishes at 1 5/8″. Small, but piecing them on the paper first really helps with accuracy.

This is my favourite option so far … tentatively called Tuity Fruity Pinwheel Stars:

Solid fabrics (a little washed out in the photo):

A variation without sashing and introducing another colour for the 1″ border:

While I like it without sashing just fine, I prefer the option with sashing.

A couple of different colourways that would use different marble-like fabrics shown below.

I adore these fabrics but wish I had a yellow.

Thoughts, preferences? I’d love to hear them. I’ve never entered a contest before, and I must admit I’m rather intimidated by it. Instead, I’m thinking of it as making a 16″ square mini quilt. Much less pressure.

What about you? Are you entering the contest? All Quilting Gallery fans will be entered into a draw for a special fabulous prize package. Check out this post for more info.