Nearly Insane revisited

About six years ago my mum started to make a Nearly Insane quilt.

I told her at the time that she had to finish it before she died, because I didn't want to have to finish it for her! That seems a bit harsh now, but back then she was only 75 and she was still doing a lot of quilting.  

Recently mum pulled all her blocks out again, and decided to add some sashing and be done with it.  Don't worry, I get it, and I wouldn't have pieced all those blocks either. 

Of course when we buy a book with many blocks in it we think we'll make them all, but then reality sets in and we lose interest.  I think mum's limited colour scheme of blue and white might have made it a bit harder too, although the version that inspired her to make this quilt was red and white - click here to see the red and white version made by Frances Meredith in UK. 

It's a great quilt, but it does require a high level of commitment.  At least mum's abbreviated version will be finished before Christmas I hope.

Here's a photo of the book incase any of you feel the urge to piece a lot of tiny blocks.  

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Hello from Queenstown

Hello there! 

Last weekend I went to Queenstown with my husband.  We had a lovely weekend away.  It was cold, but it was also very calm.  We're used to a bit of wind in Wellington, so it was amazing to see reflections on Lake Hayes every day that we were there. Here's just one of many photos I took of Lake Hayes. 

We also went to Glenorchy at the head of Lake Wakatipu.  When we were growing up in Otago and Southland, the road to Glenorchy was not much more than a dirt track, so our families didn't go there. Glenorchy is famous for their sandflies, but they're non-existent in winter.  

I took my hand piecing with me, but I didn't get much sewing done at all.  I was too busy watching jet boats on the lake and the planes coming in to the airport. 

Last weekend when we were there was the middle weekend of the July school holidays.  There were a lot more people in Queenstown than when we went last year in September.  It was good to see the restaurants busy and the town buzzing with skiiers and holiday makers.  

Unfortunately the trans-Tasman bubble is "paused" due to COVID outbreaks in Sydney and Melbourne, so there were hardly any Aussies in Queenstown, and our borders are firmly closed to non New Zealanders. At least those of us stuck in NZ can enjoy beautiful spots like this, even if we can't leave the country.  

Now it's time for the Peacock Party.  What have you been up to this week? Feel free to link up a recent blog post below. 

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Happy Birthday

 My youngest son turned 21 this week and I finished his Topsy quilt just in time.

I haven't been able to get outside for proper photos yet, but I took some quick photos when we tried it on his bed yesterday. 

It's the biggest quilt that I've ever made, so I had it custom quilted by my friend Rayna Clinton from Tui Song Quilting in Wellington, New Zealand. We chose the pattern together and I'm really pleased with it.  It's called Snakes Hexagons by Sharon Perry.

I put the wide back Onion Rings by Brandon Mably on the back and I love that too. 

I used the queen size Topsy pattern and used some of my fat quarters, but I added more blocks so the quilt is 100" wide, and almost reaches the floor on a queen sized bed.  All will be clear when we get outside for some photos. I promise to do another post with better photos.

Now it's time for the Peacock Party.  What have you been up to this week? Feel free to link up a recent blog post below. 

  

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Pandemic Sampler

It's a year since the Pandemic Sampler pattern was released by Long Dog Samplers, and I'm seeing more and more people post their finishes in the Facebook group.  

as at 9 July 2021

I'm still aiming for a 31 December 2021 finish (fingers crossed).  I've got 6 more pages to go, so I'm trying to keep doing a bit every week. 

I love watching the pattern emerge.  What you see on the pattern is often quite different to how it looks once it is stitched.  

Here's what I'm aiming for:

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30 June check in

We're half way through the year, so it's time to check on progress against the priorities list I made at the start of 2021. (You can read it here.)

1a, 1b,1c,1d.... were all quilts from Millfiori Quilts 4 by Willyne Hammerstein.  I've done quite well on that front.  

Everybody Wants to Rule the World

Not Your Grandmother's Garden

Trans-Tasman Bubbles

Bollywood

2. Topsy by Sheila Christensen.  I just picked it up from my long arm quilter this morning and I'm so pleased with it. My son's 21st birthday is in July and it will be finished and ready to give to him by then. I'll do a full reveal once I've given it to him.  

Topsy

3. Cross Country by Anna Maria Horner.  I finally made a decision and used Kaffe Fassett's Cactus Flower for the large triangles.  I decided to get it quilted by Rayna Clinton too, so I picked it up this morning with Topsy. 

Cross County Quilt

4. Ballet with Kaffe by Willyne Hammerstein.  It's finished, and was in the Great New Zealand Quilt Show in Rotorua.  I really must do a blog post and tell you all about it. 

Fireworks

5. Neptune and the Mermaid by Wendy Whellum. I'm hand quilting this one right now and I'm well past half way.  I should be able to finish it before Christmas, provided I don't get distracted.

Neptune and the Mermaid

That's pretty good progress! Each of the top five quilts on my list is finished or nearly finished.  I'd forgotten what I'd even put on my list, so I'm a bit surprised that I've stayed on track so well, and almost tempted to look at some new quilt options for the second half of 2021.   Did I even say that????

Now it's time for the Peacock Party.  What have you been up to this week? Feel free to share a recent blog post below. 

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