Auckland Festival of Quilts 2016

From 2 until 6 November I was in New Zealand, as I was asked to be one of the judges at the Auckland Festival of Quilts 2016. My fellow judges were Chris Kenna and Marion Manson.



The three of us were unanimous in our decision to award Best of Show to this quilt, No Entry by Norma Slabbert:



We were very impressed by the strong, original design and the impeccable hand and machine quilting in this piece:



This is my Judge's Choice: Frida No.2 by Ngaire Fleming:



I also loved the other judges' choices. This is Chris Kenna's: Watermark by Alison Laurence:



And Marion Manson's: Blue Illusion by Cheryl Houston:



There were lots and lots of fabulous quilts, and the prize winners should be up on the website of the Auckland Quilt Guild soon. I'll just show one more - a quilt made for the Guild Challenge 'Gone to Pieces', Visa. Mastercard by Jo Hollings. It won the award for Most Quirky Quilt. I love it!



The judges were asked to bring a few small samples of their own work - here is my judge's exhibit:



I had one day to do some sightseeing in Auckland and enjoyed wandering around with my camera. Here I've caught the reflection of the Sky Tower in the windows of an office building:



I also spotted some street art - one of my favourite subjects to photograph. More pics of Auckland can be found on my photo blog.



I had a wonderful time in Auckland - it was lovely to be away from all the moving stress for a little while. Many thanks to the Auckland Quilt Guild for inviting me, and especially to my wonderful hosts Chris and Terry for providing a home away from home!

Mondrian's Lone Star up for auction

Mondrian's Lone Star, the little (16'' x 16'') quilt I made back in April for the Quilt Alliance Contest, is now up for auction with 34 other quilts. You can view and bid for them here.




I would still like to make this Lone Star in a larger size, maybe as a baby quilt. Oh well, it will have to wait until we have moved to Sydney and my sewing machine is out of storage!

Lone Star Quilt

With everything that has been happening I had forgotten all about my Lone Star Quilt being featured as a project in the current issue of Down Under Quilts. It's even made it onto the cover - although I much prefer the photo on the project page.



The quilt itself is now in storage (as is the magazine) - we won't need it in the coming weeks as it is rapidly warming up here in Brisbane, and we only brought the most essential stuff with us to this one-room apartment. Yes, the five of us live and sleep in this room! (well, four at the moment - hubby is in Europe for two weeks) At night the chair is moved aside and more mattresses come out from under the beds...



I'm glad we brought the Big Cushions I made for the boys earlier this year - they are so useful, and decorative as well! :-)



After all the stress of the last few weeks, things have begun to settle down a bit now, and I am enjoying a few quiet days until hubby comes back next week and the next challenge starts: finding a house in Sydney! I am going down to visit the Modern Quilt Show Australia which will be on in Sydney from 25 until 27 November (because one of my quilts has been selected!) and hope to look at some houses then as well. To be continued!

Summer scarf

A lot has happened since the last posting. First things first: I finished the summer scarf!



I love it - it's light and airy, perfect for summer nights when you need something to cover your bare shoulders.



And summer has started here in Brisbane, with temperatures in the 30s and horrible humidity. We have moved out of our roomy rental and into very small temporary accommodation. Most of our possessions have gone into storage - so long, my lovely sewing machine, I will miss you...

I have just spent five wonderful days in New Zealand, judging at the Auckland Festival of Quilts 2016. More about that in the next posting!

Summer knitting projects

In 10 days we move to very small temporary lodgings, so I have started packing. My sewing room is full of boxes and most of my fabric stash is already packed, so no more sewing or quilting for me this year... boohoo! It will all go in storage until we have found a place to live in Sydney and moved there, which we hope will be in mid-December, when the boys have finished school here in Brisbane.

So knitting it is now - the Tumbling Blocks baby blanket is halfway finished (it's rather time-consuming), and I have also started another project: a summer scarf. Spring has sprung here and temperatures are rising, so no more beanies or wrist warmers, but an airy cotton scarf to use on summer nights. I found the pattern here and decided to make it in my favourite colour, turquoise:



My BFF in the Netherlands sent me a gorgeous belated birthday present: this beautiful yarn bowl.



I absolutely love it, and am glad that I will have something of my own in our temporary living space that will make me feel happy whenever I look at it!

Knitting Needle Case - Tutorial

Since I rediscovered knitting in July, I have finished quite a few projects (you can see them all here on my Ravelry page) and collected a lot of stuff - knitting needles, circular needles, cable needles, a crochet hook etc. With our upcoming move to a temporary smaller place in mind, I decided to make a case to keep it all together.

It was a quick and easy project (finished in less than two hours) and I thought I'd share the instructions here for those of you who would like to make a case of their own. You don't need to be an experienced sewer to make this case - it is enough if you can sew a straight line.

You will need:
Outer fabric (I used a heavyweight home dec fabric from Ikea):
- 18'' x 20'' (46 cm x 51 cm) rectangle
Inner fabric (I used plain muslin/calico):
- 18'' x 20'' (46 cm x 51 cm) rectangle
- 18'' x 26'' (46 cm x 66 cm) rectangle , folded in half to create a 18'' x 13'' pocket
- 18'' x 16'' (46 cm x 41 cm) rectangle, folded in half to create a 18'' x 8'' pocket
- 18'' x 8'' (46 cm x 20 cm) rectangle, folded in half to create a 18'' x 4'' pocket
Ribbon: 36'' (90 cm)

Note: If you want to use a lightweight cotton fabric for the outside, I would add a layer of batting between the outer and inner fabric.

You will also need:
- measuring tape
- thread in a matching colour,
- pins,
- scissors,
- fabric marker and ruler,
- sewing machine,
- iron and ironing board.

1. Lay down the 18'' x 20'' inner fabric rectangle. Lay the 18'' x 13'' pocket on top with the bottom edges matching. Lay the 18'' x 8'' pocket on top of that one, bottom edges matching, and the 18'' x 4'' pocket on top of that one (see photo below).



2. Lay the 18'' x 20'' outer fabric rectangle on top of the inner fabrics with the right side facing down. Trim off both top corners as shown in the photo below and pin the layers together:



3. Sew around the edges using a 1/2'' seam allowance, leaving a 6'' gap in the middle of the top edge. Trim the corners. Turn the case right side out through the gap. Use a pointy tool to push out the corners (I use the end of a paint brush). Press the case, folding in the fabric edges at the gap. Top-stitch all around, a few millimetres from the edge, thereby closing the gap.

4. Use a fabric marker and a ruler to draw vertical lines on the inside of the case. I decided to make (from left to right) two 1'' sections, four 2'' sections and two 3'' sections, but you may want to use different sizes. Sew along those lines, starting at the bottom edge, and backstitching at both ends.



5. Find the middle of the ribbon. Sew it to the front of the case, just above the middle pocket. Stitch back and forth a few times, over the top-stitching that was already there.



6. Fold down and press the flap at the top.



I decided that the bottom row of pockets was too deep (the darning needle got lost in it), so stitched a horizontal line 1'' from the bottom edge.



Put your knitting stuff in the pockets, roll up the case, tie the ribbon and admire your handiwork!

Sydney

Since we are moving to Sydney in December, we drove down there in the September school holidays to check things out, and to do the touristy things with the kids, who had never been to Sydney before. We all loved Taronga Zoo, and the photo above is my favourite from the trip. Of course the Opera House always looks great too:



We stayed in Narrabeen in the Northern Beaches, which is the area we hope to live in. So beautiful!



We drove home via Armidale, where we stayed for two nights, and did some sightseeing. The Wollomombi Falls were spectacular:



My husband and eldest son went for a walk together and saw an echidna! Hugo managed to take this photo with my DSLR:



I did a lot of knitting in the car (we drove more than 2500 km in 8 days) and managed to finish my Josephine Shawl:



Not too happy with the yarn I used - it does pill a lot, but I like the shawl!



And now it's time to start packing - in 3 weeks time, on November 1st, we move out of this house into temporary lodgings. The location is perfect (close to schools, gymnastics, hubby's work) but it's very small, so all our furniture, including my sewing machine, will have to go into storage until we move to Sydney.

So sadly no more quilting for me this year, instead I'll be knitting and designing quilts in Illustrator!

The Road Home Row Along - South Holland, the Netherlands

UPDATE 2019: Since Craftsy no longer exists, the pattern is not available online anymore, but I am happy to email it to you if you send me a message at info@lindarobertus.com.



Today it is my turn to show you the row I designed for The Road Home Row Along, organised by Marian of Seams to be Sew and Amy from Sew Incredibly Crazy.



When Marian asked me to be part of this Row Along in April, I immediately knew what to do for my row. My home is, and always will be, the Netherlands - even after almost 10 years in Australia.
I have lived in many different places in the Netherlands, but in the last four years before we moved to Brisbane, we lived in a small town in the province South-Holland, close to the famous flower fields. They have inspired me to make a quilt before - Thinking of Holland, in 2013. It hangs over our dinner table and is still one of my favourite quilts:



That quilt clearly has a vertical orientation, and I was keen to try and make a horizontal design this time. I pieced the flower fields, added the blue fabric for the sky and appliquéd the windmill shape to it.









I did not trim my row to the required size of 40.5'' x 12.5'', but left it a bit larger to make it into a wall hanging. I densely quilted the flower fields and quilted the sky a bit more loosely, using matching Aurifil threads.



This little piece of Holland is now hanging in our bedroom:



I also get to give away some stuff! The first gift is a 12'' x 18'' Calibre Art cutting mat - sadly this is only available to US residents because of the shipping costs:



Just leave a comment on my blog and enter through the Rafflecopter widget below!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

If you have an embroidery machine, make sure you enter to win this great design CD by Anita Goodesign - no restrictions on shipping here!





a Rafflecopter giveaway


There is another giveaway on Marian's blog, so make sure you visit her for a chance to enter for a chance of a $300 bundle of goodies from the Fat Quarter Shop!

Last but not least, don't forget to check out the other rows in this Row Along, there are some fabulous designs included. Here is the full list:

September 6

Allie-Oops Sweet Happy Life creates Harrisville, MI Sunrise Coast
Cynthia’s Creating Ark
creates Adelaide South Australia
Kissed Quilts
creates Grand Coulee, Washington
Renee’s Quilting Addiction
creates Alberta, Canada

September 8

Sew Incredibly Crazy
creates Colorado
3 Patch Crafts
creates Bulgaria
Just Let Me Quilt
creates Las Vegas, Nevada
Quilt in Piece
creates Amanzimtoti, South Africa

September 13

Tweety Loves Quilting
creates Edinburgh, UK
Quiltscapes
creates Heber City, Utah
Seams To Be Sew
creates Idaho Falls, Idaho
Pine Valley
creates New Zealand

September 15

bdieges designs
creates Road to Tehachapi (CA)
Elizabeth Coughlin Designs
creates Worcester County in Central Massachusetts
Patti’s Patchwork
creates Toronto, Ontario Canada
Seacoast Quilter
creates New Milford, Connecticut

September 20

Beaquilter
creates Denmark
Heleen Pinkster
creates Netherlands
MooseStash Quilting
creates Alaska
Rebecca Mae Designs
creates Northern Maine

September 22

Words & Stitches
creates Beaches of California
Quilt Art
creates Africa
I Can Quilt 2
creates Baltimore, MD
Any Pattern
creates Port Angeles, Washington
Patchwork Breeze
creates West Michigan Shoreline

September 27

Creatin’ in the Sticks
creates Dodge City, Kansas
Sue Griffiths Featured At Just Let Me Quilt
creates Northern Rivers Region, NSW, Australia
Seams To Be Sew And Batts In The Attic
creates Hollywood/LA
(Dual Posting)

September 29

Quilted Fabric Art
creates Burlington Vermont
Westend Quilter
creates Manitoulin Island, Canada
Pamela Quilts
creates Oregon
Quilt Fabrication
creates Silicon Valley, CA

October 04

Patchouli Moon Studio
creates Central New Mexico
Linda Robertus
creates Netherlands
Elm Street Quilts
creates North Carolina
Sarah Quinn Featured At Seams To Be Sew
creates Outer Space

October 06

Cheryl LaPlant Featured At Quilt In Piece
creates York, Maine
Miss Loreen’s Schoolhouse
creates New Hampshire
Bumbleberry Stitches
creates OklahomaNeedle in a Hayes Stack
creates Mojave Desert
Cloth and Paper Studio
creates North Georgia Mountains

October 11
Show N Tell Day