more swap presents,a book finish & customer quilts

I have finished a few customer quilts this week, here are two panel quilts. The first is a Beatrix Potter panel simply quilted with bobbin thread top & bottom using an 'organic' cross hatch. The tractor panel, same threads, but I just quilted 'organic' one way to look like a ploughed field. Organic gives you such freedom! This is a great one for a quilt that you don't want the quilting to be the feature, simply a texture.
I also finished an awesome quilt with a large appliqued digger, but I forgot to take a photo of it!


The next quilt is another beauty by Vivian, This one is called Hunter's Star, I love the vibrant, cheerfulness of this quilt. Vivian gave me free range on this one.

 I did an allover hooked loop using a Gunold variegated thread, then a petal in each diamond shape to show off the star, that now looks more like a flower!! I used Madeira polyneons for this.

The pieced border was given the curling ribbon treatment & the blue borders I simply echoed the same design as the main part of the quilt, it gives a feather look with a difference!

Now it's time to show you some more swap presents, but first a special present from a special friend, who said I could open it yesterday, & you can see why.................

I think if you click on this photo you will see the details such as the rusty stars, the cinnamon quills etc.............isn't it cool, now you can see why I was allowed to open it early, so I could enjoy it before Christmas is over, but I might not put it away!!!

Thimleberries pattern, Baahurrah farm 'coffee pot' soap! A lovely CD, recipe cards, a candle in a tin & at least a metre ( yard) of reproduction fabric! Thanks Dawn!

I finished another of Rosie Boom's books, "Where the Arrows Fly", from The Barn Chronicles. Not 3 hours later Rosie came into the shop , so I got to meet her! Great news there is a third book, "Where the Crickets Sing" & she has nearly finished the fourth book!

Before I go, I wanted to share a photo of a cheeky Magpie I got a photo of from out our window.

Do you love EPP????

EPP?????

 What the hang is that, some might ask? English Paper Piecing.
Vivian is a customer of mine that I am looking forward to meeting one day, as we have two things in common.............
a love of EPP & we both think there is not enough hours in the day!! We agreed that sleep is over rated & if we didn't need to sleep, just think of how much we could get accomplished!
Vivian happily ( over the phone, we haven't met face to face yet, but I really like this woman ) told me she was .....quote : 'an oldie, but a goodie' ....'I am 74 love'. This women lives & breathes patchwork & loves her garden, she tells me she often wakes up at some unearthly hour & does her patchwork!
Anyhow, here is the second of three of Vivian's quilts I have to work on. You can see the first here 

I LOVE this quilt, the scrappiness, the vibrant colours & of course the wonderful EPP!

You can see I quilted a petal shape on the "Jewels" ( I found this name for this shape on the Sue Daley website ) I used a Gunold variegated thread for the petals, then a swirl in the centre hexie.
Pebbles in the cream hexagon I also used a variegated Gunold. Which I thought might look like gravel stepping stones.

The green side borders have a rolling swirl & the top & bottom has a loop/flower, using a green Madeira poly neon. The next border has a curling ribbon & the last border, straight lines, both a red Madeira poly neon.

Also finished was another wall hanging for Ngaire. I have quilted one the same  a few weeks ago.

On a non quilty note, a book finished....................

This is a New Zealand written novel. "Where Lions roar at Night" By Rosie Boom 

'Ten year old Milly had always dreamed of living in the country & owning all sorts of animals. So when her parents buy a piece of land & move their six children into a ninety-year- old barn, Milly can't believe her luck.
But she never imagined that living the simple life would include mucking out a filthy water tank, gathering endless supplies of firewood, clearing the land, & rescuing animals in a 'hundred year ' storm.......Nor did she expect to hear deep groanings in the night! "


Now for the next quilt!!!