My quilting thoughts and inspirations sprinkled with a glimpse of life down on the farm

Saturday, March 16, 2013

International Quilting Day



How fitting that National Quilting Day (in my USA Kim Diehl calendar) fell on the day that The Country Yard, aka my favourite quiltshop, held it's 2013 launch!!
We have busy bees lately getting new projects and BOMs ready to show off to everyone. We spent a FULL day yesterday reorganising the shop and we were excited to show it all off today.

Doesn't it all look too gorgeous for words?
another wee corner.
We have had a great team busy making new quilts for samples, kits and BOMs. The clever (and very busy) Leeanne (quiltmekiwi) has done most of the quilting so will be showing them on her blog so I will let you visit there to see them.
Below are a couple of the projects I have been doing.
Birdy Love is a Quilt As You Go quilt, designed to encourage us all to improve our fmq-ing skills. I am really enjoying putting this together!!
Months 1 and 2.
There will be nine altogether.
A closer pic of month 1 - I haven't got a good shot of #2 yet.
 I've also been making a up a few sewing room essentials as a project of the month club.
The block holders are for month 1.
Long time readers will know I love making useful projects!!
SO how else have I been celebrating 'International Quilting Day?
In exchange for a haircut, the MOML helped me put up my long awaited for and sorely desired design wall. If I had known how simple it would have been I would have done it months ago!! 
Simple hooks, simple dowelling, simple batting.
Simply marvellous.
And so I spent the rest of the afternoon hanging up my Threadhead Quiltalong blocks.... 
I just love having the design wall - being able to stand back to
 look, and pat the blocks into submission new positions is awesome and so satisfying.
No pet hair either or fighting with pets for the best blocks.
(....because I have been busy gazing and moving, the above layout no longer exists - I think I may have them almost how I want them now).
And because of the time zones around the world, my International Quilting Day will continue on into tomorrow as well. The Quilt Show is putting up all its shows for free (check it out here)(hope that link works!) and I think watching some of those will be on the agenda while I put together the above quilt. (I enjoyed the free shows this time last year and used up all my internet account in one weekend!!).
SewCalGal has a Virtual-sew-cial linky affair happening so I will check that out too. 
Joanne of Threadhead also has a blog post and linky celebrating National Craft Month and I will be chewing over a post for that in my head too. 
And I am hoping that I'll be able to do all this while it is raining outside - some rain is forecast - as much of New Zealand is officially experiencing drought conditions we are hoping that this will happen.
Don't let those tinges of green fool you, they don't fool us,
nor the cows!
Look at the hills at the back.
Happy 'International' Quilting Day everyone - I hope you get a chance to celebrate (and sew) too!!

21 comments:

  1. What a wonderful post to read with my morning coffee. The quilt shop looks wonderful, and your projects are all so great. Love those birdies...adorable! And thanks for sharing your countryside...we had snow all night long so I awoke to a winter wonderland...which does not excitement me at the middle of March!

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  2. lovely post Raewyn.xx

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  3. Hi Raewyn--Your "Birdy Love" will be so cute--lovely applique..have a great weekend..Julierose

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  4. What fun to play in the craft shop and rearrange things.. Looks gorgeous.
    Pretty birdie blocks.
    Love your Block Holders and I also have the some design wall works well and displays your beautiful blocks perfectly..
    Hope it rains soon and all the hills are lush and green for the cows to feed.

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  5. The shop looks amazing!! Nice spinner of thread too!
    Your appliqué blocks are lovely . Love seeing all the pictures. I hope you get rain.

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  6. Hi!!! Your shop looks like a lot of fun!!! Love the birdie block!!! Thank You

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  7. love seeing what you are up to. Those birdie blocks are amazing. Great design and you've done a fantastic job.

    I'll be thinking about you today while I work in my sewing room. Have a great day.

    SewCalGal
    www.sewcalgal.blogspot.com

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  8. I would love to spend this quilt holiday in such a shop. Your Birdy blocks are adorable!
    Isn't it great having a design wall. Sure makes a difference to me.
    Hope you get the rain!!

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  9. Happy Quilting to you. Love your bird blocks. I couldn't quilt if I didn't have a design wall. What a difference it makes.

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  10. Wasn't it a great day! Real team work. Your design wall is a great idea, I wouldn't have thought to use batting, but it works perfectly.
    Have a happy restful day doing what you love!
    P.S thanks for the link to my blog :-)

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  11. Great post , so nice to see your SAl blocks , the quilt will be lovely. Isn't assign wall just the best thing. The quilt shop looks amazing as do your projects . Thanks for sharing some of your countryside with us . Enjoy your weekend .

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  12. Lots of loveliness and all that hard work paid off. I had my Homespun magazine yesterday and saw your name in the wins section. Enjoy the spoils.x

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  13. Hi Raewyn, Oh my ... I would just like one of everything in that shop!!!!! Love it all. You girls have done an amazing job - it looks wonderful. I love your blocks also & your design wall ... what a great idea & will stop the furry creatures laying all over your things too :-) Hope you have a creative Sunday Raewyn, Julie (p.s hope we both get some rain)

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  14. That shop looks wonderful. Thanks for sharing!

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  15. Love the design wall what a great idea

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  16. What a nice day and beautiful quilts. The block of the month is lovely. How sweet of your MOML (and again I had to think about what it meant), to make you such a handy designwall. Beautiful blocks on it, now!
    Have a nice day, Cisca

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  17. The shop looks gorgeous, beautiful quilts and projects. Love your birdy blocks and your design wall looks great. I look forward to seeing the final arrangement for your quilt, Wendy

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  18. Wonderful work.

    Greetings from Germany, Grit

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  19. So love those little birdies. You ought to post these at Angie's Applique Thursday. Her blog is called A Quilting Reader's Garden.

    http://quiltingreadersgarden.blogspot.com/

    She's giving a book away this week.

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