This was from the first workshop I ever attended, where I leant about rotary cutters and mats, I know seems hard to believe looking back but I’d never heard of them LOL. There are a lot of fabrics in it that I wouldn’t use nowadays, but I didn’t have a lot of money back then and made use of what I had. This was made from a bag of off cuts from a shirt factory where I used to work.

I called it nautical stars because a lot of the fabrics have a nautical theme in them. Was before I learned to machine quilt so is all hand quilted. Don’t know if you can see it in the photograph but each background piece has a sail boat quilted on it. Started in 1995, finished in 1999, oh well never mind. Made this for my son but he’d out grown it before I finished it. I keep it for him in the hope that he will appreciate the work in it more when he’s older

This is one of my favorites and if you turn it up the other way you get a completely different look. Used colour and values to create the 3 dimensional effect

That 2nd quilt is absolutely awesome. I am a math major and fascinated by the pattern, but have never tried. You make me want to get started on one immediately. :!:

This was finished in 1997. Hand appliqué and quilting. Background is cross hatched at 5/8” intervals. Not my own design, patterns are from Baltimore Bouquets by Mimi Dietrich

This was made for the Carterton art show 1996. Theme of show was The Tree. I called it Life Support System Spaceship Earth. Central block and pine trees were my design. Central block was hand appliquéd and trees were foundation pieced. Leaf blocks came from I think an old copy of Quiltmaker magazine. It didn’t get anywhere but I was happy with it :)

This is made with miniature hexagons, using English paper piecing method. Own design made by colouring in hexagons on isometric graph paper. The hexagons are 7/8” across and there are 1560 of them, just as well I didn’t figure that out before hand or I probably would never have started it LOL.

Not finished, I know, the quilt police will be breaking down my door :) . Just needs the basting and papers taken out and quilting. Not sure how to quilt it though, there is no way I am running it under the machine after doing all that hand piecing but am not sure how to hand quilt all those little pieces, any ideas anyone? Oh yeah called it Grandmothers Flower Wheel.

Anyhow hope you enjoyed these, I enjoyed sharing them. Thanks for a place where we can meet and see each others work. Till next time then.

Shelly, Those are all fabulous!!! I thought the first one was my favorite, then the 2nd, then the 3rd, but I love them all!!!!

they are all so wonderful the block had me staring at them as I watch they seemed to chage designs beauitful work on all you should be very proud

wow, great job!

to quilt your granny baskets, i'd quilt in the ditch around each flower and the outline of each basket using a contrasting shade of embroidery floss. a different floss for each of the differently colored flowers, leaves, etc.

i'd use at least 3 strands of floss to both maintain the integrity of each flower and basket, and to really make them pop against each other and the background.

AND i wouldn't use the traditional running quilt stitch. I'd use an embroider stem stitch. the embroider shows on the top. the back will be look like straight stitches. the end result would be reversible, with the whole design mirrored on the back in all the right colors - as though you'd embroidered it separately.

i love all those quilts! the judges at the art show must've all been ... shall we say ... intellectually and artistically "challenged".

Wonderful,Beautiful. They would'nt leave me. Thanks for sharing. They are really very beautiful, Take a bow.
And Patrice, your advice or wisdom, on the quilting, was wonderful. I'll have to try that. Thanks,

Shelly, I just love your quilts, I tried one of tumbling blocks (paper piece) and it was looking terrible so I quit but yours almost makes me want to try again, is yours Y seams or PP? Again, beautiful quilts, and the first one with the cheap fab. looks very old fashioned, like the ones my mom used to make. Love 'em all.
kathy

No Kathy it is machine pieced, looks alot more complicated than it is. Is a 60 degree tiangle divided in two. The trick is in the careful use of colour placement. I will see if I can use word to post a diagramme not sure if it will work but will try :) I used a drk, med & lgt in each colourway. Thanks so much for the lovely complements.

Thanks Patrice, like your idea :) , will give it some thought, would like to get this finished it has been sitting so long, have been worried about drowning the design with the wrong quilting

OMG! Your quilts are gorgeous. Thank you so much. I just got to work and was dragging. Looking at your quilts were the lift I needed so I can get through today.

Thanks for sharing and keep them coming! BJ/NYC

Hi Kathy :) Here is the diagramme for the building blocks. It worked, did it in word then saved as JPeg file.

Each block is made of 6 divided 60 degree triangles. The blocks are left in 2 halves untill assembling the quilt. Arrange blocks to suit, join half blocks end to end to make stips then join strips, voila quilt done and no inset seams :) Hope the diagramme helps.

Thanks everyone for enjoying my quilts, I love to see other peoples work too.

PS This is just a rough drawing please don't try to use as a pattern as it is not accurate enough, and I would hate anybodies quilt to be ruined.

just loved your quilts. but i especially loved your first one.

My DH doesn't say much about quilts and usualy if I make him look at a pic he say "yea OK" well he saw your buliding blocks and I never heard so much come out of his mouth he loves it. Where can I find the pattern I would like to make it for him. Seeing its the only one hes ever show any real intrest in. Must be blocks are a guy thing there not girly looking as granson would say.

Thanks Ceanna

Sorry didn't see the diagram till after I posted thank you

Shelly,
Your quilts have left me speechless. They are beautiful and such a wide variety of styles. You are very talented! (but you knew that right?!!)
Thank you for the diagram of the blocks quilts. I downloaded your picture of the tumbling blocks quilt just so I could play twisting and turning the picture. What fun!
And the hexagons... WOW! I've always wanted to make a Grandmother's flower garden. I've not seen the baskets before. They are beautiful.
Looking forward to your next 'quilt show' here.

Shelly, thank you so much for sharing that with us, I'm so glad (and amazed) at the simple construction!

Late but not least, Those are wonderful! Thank you for posting them! Your work is great! Keep it up!
:D

Hi, just a note to anyone who wants to make Building Blocks. Be careful with your fabric choices as it is the colour and value that forms the pattern. Recommend using solids, semisolids and tone on tone fabrics. Avoid large or multi-coloured fabrics. Learnt the hard way LOL.

Hope nobody minds the suggestion; just want this to be successful for anyone who tries it. Is very flattering to have someone want to make something you’ve done. Thank you

Lovely............You are a master quilter

Shelly,
Thanks for the design heads-up on the building blocks. It's nice to learn from someone else's experiences. :lol:

What can I say that hasn't already been said. Although difficult to pick a favorite, the Earth of Life has to be right up there. I had been toying with a similar idea, but see now I was using a differant perspective. Very nice! Thank you so much for sharing these lovely show stoppers. :D

Shelly, that's fabulous--thanks so much for taking the time to share the block pattern!

Hi everyone thanks for the lovely comments, you're making me blush :) :oops:

You're welcome Leslee, but is no trouble, I'd sooner quilt than do pretty much anything else :lol:

Thanks Boo, the concept I was trying to portray was the the dependence of livng things on other life and the signifigance of the tree, particularly our forests in this cycle of life. The overall cicular design represents this cycle. The central block is a naughty tounge in cheek take off of the united nations symbol :) :oops: , hope that's ok to say that here

Anyhow thanks for all the lovely feed back, am working on my central block for my baltimore, will post some pics of WIP as I go, also would Like to do the BOM that you have running here, going to have to do some catch up on that though, so I am going to be a busy girl :) PS. It's july the 2nd here :lol:

Shelly, I have one more question, how big are the triangles? They look to be about 3". I printed the picture to show my mom and she fell in love too. I have the potential to have at least 5 g.grandchildren and am trying to make 5 diff. baby quilts now in case I'm not here then. This will be one of them, thanks again for the inspiration.

Really thrilled you like it kathy :) . The triangles measure 3 1/2" (finished size) from base to apex (approx) The triangles were drawn on isometric graph paper and I couldn't get any in imperial measure so are actually in metric measurements. This makes your finished hexagon block approx 7" edge to edge and approx 8" point to point.(not including seam allowances)

Doesn't matter though as long as you add 1/4" seam allowance then make some templates with the pattern you've drawn up, will work the same. Using the graph paper you can make them whatever size you want.

Hope that helps some, is very hard to describe something without pictures, is best to use graph paper for accuracy, Instead of having a square grid isometic paper has a grid of 60 degree triangles, is wonderful for any hexagon and circular based work.

All the best with it Kathy and if you decide to make it, let me know how you get on and I'd love to see some pics :)

The flower quilt is my absolute favorite. I think thats the one in me trying to get out. If it ever does, you'll hear me shout and then I'll post the pics. :!: :lol:

ShellyQ:
WOW! How I wish I had the "EYE" you have for color and value. I love to quilt and I appreciate the color/value in each quilt I view but I'm NOT good at putting the colors together. As soon as I have the block made I see where I should have done this or put this color somewhere else so when I see something so extraordinary as your two quilts I'm IMPRESSED beyond belief and become EVER hopeful that someday I'll have that "Improved Eye" that I need for putting my colors together. Great job! Love your quilt. I especially like the pink block in the center right of your picture where all the centers come together like a kaliedescope. Double WOW!
Feathers

Feathers, Thank you so much :) , Everyones comments have been so very encouraging.

Is only one quilt though, second photo is the quilt turned upsidedown, to show different effect when viewed from different angles. But it does look very different doesn't it, that's the thing I love about this pattern :)

Shelly, your quilts are gorgeous, thanks for sharing.

Mary

WOW , very beautiful quilts, love your colors, wish i had good color coordination. I'm still having problems with getting colors to go together. Just love your work Denise.

Thank you very much :)

shellyQ
what beautifully done, and the quilts are awesome....I would love to be able to quilts those....you done a GREAT job.
scarlett

shellyQ
what beautiful quilts. you have done such an awesome job. I wish that I could quilt like that.
scarlett686_

Shelly, that Grandmother's Flower is soooo awesome!! 7/8" ?!! I've been working on one for years but I'm not going to tell the size of my hexagons! Hint: my are ginormaous compared to yours. What is the overall size of the piece? Thanks for sharing your work--it's just beautiful. I hope I can someday come close to the level of your skill.
Virginia

Virginia, I KNOW how long you've been working on yours and for a small bribe could be persuaded not to tell :lol: