Park Bench - Block 7: First Date

Starting to see the finish line with the blocks for Park Bench, only one block to go. These First Date blocks were lots of fun to do! There's quite a lot of piecing - 42 pieces pr block - and they came together so smoothly!

Hugs and stitches from Anne Ida

Park Bench - Blocks 5: Festival and 6: Card Game

I have made a little bit more progress on my Park Bench quilt. These are probably my favorite blocks in the quilt. A lot of piecing and also some frogstitching to get the placement right on the Festival block, love how the triangles intertwine on it.

The Card Game block came together really smoothly, and I just love the look of it! Feeling my fingers itch to make more of these blocks. This is the same block that's in Jaybird Quilts Night Sky quilt... hmmmm... thinking here ;-)

Hugs and stitches from Anne Ida

Park Bench - Block 4: Sing-along

Sing-along i the fourth block in Jaybird Quilts' Park Bench. Each of them have 48 pieces in it - 30 triangles, 12 diamonds and 6 jewels - a fun block to make, but all those pieces took quite a lot of time to cut. Happy I have the ruler set for this quilt, using the templates in the book would probably have been even more time consuming.

While I was cutting the pieces for Sing-along, I took the time to cut some more pieces. The setting diamonds between the hexagon blocks are all pieced from triangles and half hexagons which would be perfect to use for leaders and enders while piecing the blocks and at the same time make faster progress on the quilt top.

Hugs and stitches from Anne Ida

Park Bench - Block 3: Hopscotch

Remember playing hopscotch as a child? Block 3 of Jaybird Quilts' Park Bench is named Hopscotch and it kind of reminds me of one of the patterns which we used to play as kids

I remember we played lots on different layouts; there were permanent ones painted on the asfalt in the school yard, and whenever we were out of school and had a piece of chalk available we would draw one.

The six blocks so far layed out together - sorry the lighting is bad

 - having fun with these :-)
Hugs and stitches from Anne Ida

Park Bench - Block 2: Ball Game

Tonight block two of Park Bench was cut and pieced together. The pieces come together really smoothly and I'm really enjoying piecing these rather huge blocks!

This block is called Ball Game. I'm not really sure I see where the name for these blocks come from, but they are fun anyways :-)

Thinking maybe I need to include some lighter fabrics...

Hugs and stitches from Anne Ida

Park Bench - Block 1: Picnic

I had some fun today piecing together the first two blocks of my Park Bench quilt and they came together really smoothly. Both are made from the first blockpattern - Picnic

The quilt has 15 blocks in it, seven of the blocks are repeated to make two, and then there's one extra. The blocks finish 16", which is huge to me who has a comfort zone piecing blocks in the sizes 6" to 9".

I'm very happy with my choice of dark oldfashioned pinks and greens I showed in my previous post, but I do see that I will have to include a bit more value to the to colourways so the blocks will really "pop" - hence the brighter pink in these blocks, and there will be some light lime green in the next block.

Hugs and stitches from Anne Ida

Park Bench - the beginning

While visiting Lapp-Elisa's in February I picked up a pattern booklet I have been drooling over ever since I spotted it on the designer's blog back in October: Park Bench by Julie Hermann of Jaybird Quilts. Spent a little time picking through my shash and fondling whatever fabrics I might use

...look good, huh? And now I'm looking forward to playing some more with my Hex 'n More ruler and the Sidekick ruler :-)

Hugs and stitches from Anne Ida

Visit to London

I have spent som time visiting friends for a long weekend in London. Spring has come a bit further there than here at home, and I got to enjoy some fresh air and some much needed sunshine:

In the sun on the south bank:

Enjoying High Tea at the Wallace Collection - including a glass of "bubbly"

And we spent quite some time goofing around trying on some armor replicas - those things are HEAVY!

I finally made my way to the London Zoo. I have thought many times I would like to go, but never got around to it. Some of the highlights:

  

Hugs and stitches from Anne Ida

Quilty days in Lennartsfors

Friday a grup of eager quilters gathered in cars and made their way to Lapp-Elisa's in Lennartsfors.Projects at the ready, sewing machines ready for a few days of pedal to the metal. A glimps of the sewing room while the other girls were out for a bit:

The weather was horrible on our way down, but Saturday morning we got up to a glorious spring sun, so of course we had to enjoy a bit of fresh air.

This was my project for the weekend - a layer cake I have had laying in my stash for a few years, and some lovely grey on black I picked up in Elisabeth's shop. The triangle blocks are made using the Hex 'n More ruler:

With some fleece on the back it will be a perfect lap quilt for chilly days at work.
Hugs and stitches from Anne Ida