chris_quilts

Lace Hearts, Love the color combination on #6. The solid makes it pop for me. It's always good to see progress. Ripping out seams is not fun but resewing to get rid of wrinkles, puckers, what have you can be rewarding and I just keep telling myself how much I am learning by doing it all over again.

Sorry about your mum. Hope she feels better soon.

salmonsweet

Sorry about your mum, lacehearts. Hope she gets well soon.

Yes of course post pictures, we all love to see. If you don't like solids much but still want the effect, there are prints with patterns so small and subtle they are said to "read as solids". Quilt artist Paula Nadelstern, who makes heavenly quilts by playing with fabric patterns, says she likes read-as-solids because they give the "solid" effect but stil have life in them. Sort of like surfaces in nature, which are never totally solid in colour.

Lace hearts

Hi again. Thank you again - you are all so encouraging on here. I've cut two more, ready to sew later. Driving me mad, though, because I've lost some fabric that would be ideal and I've had everywhere upside down trying to find it.
Pieces - I'm in the UK, so JoAnn's isn't an option for me.
I'm going to pop to the quilting shop I've found (very very friendly in there!) and try and pick up a couple of fq s to give me a bit more variety. Really helpful advice about the 'solid' effect. i'll take a look.

earlylace

hellow Lace Hearts, Earlylace here, I am new too, if you have a few extra $$ what I am doing since I am so new too, I have purchased used quilting books & mags to get lots of ideas on colors and how things go together, a great site, for low $$ on books is www.amazon.com or eBay, I have purchase books that have house and schoolhouse stuff, anyway I love looking, can't say I can make these things, but love looking, maybe someday. Lace

mtnmama

Lace Hearts, I hope your Mum is better now. I have been looking at your pictures and you have made great progress. I agree that the different fabrics that you like are what is important. I like the ones that are less "busy". Also, make sure you are pressing the pieces each step of the way. It is a pain sometimes, but really makes a difference. Just have fun doing it.

Lace hearts

Thanks so much - I've not been able to get on here much, because I'm back and forward from the hospital seeing mum.
I am pressing like crazy at each stage - I picked up some good fabric fqs and I'm still going. Up to 10 houses now... I'm finding it very theraputic, which I'm sure a lot of people get from quilting.

quiltykitty

Lace Hearts, your blocks 4-7 are looking good. I like the contrasts in those more than your first ones. I really like #4 the most. The only suggestion I have is about the sides of your blocks. It may be the pics, but it looks like you might lose your point when you square up the blocks. You may need to make the top sections longer on each side.

Hope your mother is doing better. I know what you are going through with her. My mother is in rehab at a skilled nursing facility as a result of pneumonia. She lost most of her strength and it is hard to recoup.

Keep up the good work! You might be surprised to see what you tackle in the future. I'm into landscape quilts now.

Lace hearts

Hi QuiltyKitty - do you mean by points, the pointed section of the roof at the side? I think you're right. It's tricky, because that's the pattern. I must photograph them all together - they are looking really colourful, and I'm really enjoying myself.

Thanks re my mother. I'd never come across pneumonia before - I'd always thought it was treatable at home, but apparently it can be very dangerous in someone of her age. She is weak at the moment, and it's hard to see her like that. but she seemed a little better today - managed to actually eat something, which she hasn't been doing.

Landscape quilts sound lovely - have you posted pictures. I'll have to take a look. I'd love to see your quilts.

quiltykitty

RE Points Yep that's what I meant.

RE Pneumonia It can be dangerous at any age. And it depends on the type of pneumonia. There are different kinds caused by different things. My mother's is aspiration pneumonia due to a swallowing problem. I had pneumonia in my 40's and it sure did weaken me. And pneumonia takes so much out of you that all you want to do is just sit or sleep. No interest in food.

I can't post the one I'm doing now until after Christmas. It is a present for a family member. I have posted a link to my webshots in some of my posts.

Quilt Mom

Lace Hearts, sounds like your mother is on the mend. I'm so glad. It is hard to see your parent, who for years was the caretaker, need to be taken care of.