a parcel came today by courier

At about half past ten this morning, there was a knock on my door. I'm not usually home on Monday mornings; I should have been at sewing class but didn't feel well enough to go today. I don't usually answer the door if I am home alone but I was expecting a parcel (albeit later in the week).

I signed for it and was told, "be careful, it's a bit heavy."

The box looked like this

I patiently waited until 3pm; a little while after WM got home from work - I had to share it with someone and he is always supportive of my crafty habits. When we opened the box, this was inside:

some of you know already!

We removed the protective packaging, and this is what we saw:

And here it, unpacked from the shipping box:

the cutter, three dies and two cutting mats

It came in its own sleeping bag!

Here it is, closed up, ready to travel (that's why it's called Go! and this is the baby - small - version)

Here it is, ready for use (and that's another post)!


Thanks, Accuquilt, for offering the Go! Baby as a give-away on various quilting blogs and for getting this one to me (from USA) so quickly!

Thanks, Nova, of A Cuppa and a Catch Up (an Australian quilting blog), for hosting the give-away.

fun mail*

Last month I won a give away on Kate's Arty Bits blog. Kate has been re-organising, using or clearing out her scraps.

On Tuesday, I received a package in the mail. Because we have had rainy weather, it arrived a bit worse for wear - the envelope was started to disintegrate. Can you see what's peeking through?

The contents were all intact.

Two blocks like this:

Six blocks like this:

and a pile of half square triangle units - many with Christmas themed fabric.


Debbie, from Esch House Quilts, asked recently about challenges. As those who read this blog regularly know, I have been playing with half square triangles. I am looking forward to the challenge of what to do with these.

Thanks so much, Kate; one woman's scraps are another woman's source material!

PS I "borrowed" the title of this post from Jennifer at Ellison Lane Quilts who also recently received "fun mail".

more playing with HST

Last weekend, I had some time sewing time so I decided to use up the rest of those half square triangles (HST) I cut out at the previous week's workshop.

I found seven more ways to put them together. Actually, I found eight ways but one alternative didn't inspire me at all so I chose not to make that one. Here you can see all twelve sample blocks (including the five I showed last time).

This one is apparently called "love letters".

This one looks like a bird or an aeroplane.

This one looks like a headless angel with outspread wings!

knitted half square triangles

Having realised I did not have enough scrap yarn (nor the inclination) to complete the garter striped blanket in this post, I began a new blanket project. (I said I would make four and four it will be).

I am knitting it in Moda Vera Marvel, which has to be the softest 100% acrylic I have ever used. It also has a very soft drape, so I had to go down a size from the needles I would normally use to knit a blanket.

Inspired by my new found interest in quilting, I have been knitting half square triangles.

Four identical squares could be any one of these:



mosaic made at BigHugeLabs; thanks to Jennifer at That Girl...That Quilt for the tutorial.

 In fact, there are many possibilities for using these versatile little squares.

But I am making these:

Each little piece takes about an hour to knit and I need 112 pieces. Can I get it finished by July?

half square triangles Part 2

Yesterday I shared the five ways that I learnt for making half square triangles. Today I would like to take you one step further - blocks made from half square triangles.

Two half square triangles make a square that looks like this:

According to Judy Hooworth and Margaret Rolfe in their book "Spectacular Scraps", there are 256 ways to put four half square triangle units together to make a four patch block. Now some of these are obviously variations of others (mirror images, turned 90 degrees, etc) but there is enough variety there for one to make nothing else but quilts with half square triangles for the rest of one's life! And imagine the possibilities if one combines different four patch blocks!

So, here are the five I tried out on the weekend. Turn some of them 90 degrees clockwise three times and you'll have even more blocks!  (All you have to do to see them is lean right, lean left and stand on your head!!) Bring a mirror up to your monitor and you'll get even more variety!

Each of these has been trimmed to 5 1/2 inches and they are all made from the triangles cut from the fourth method talked about yesterday. I know they all have traditional names so if you know what they are, could you please tell me?

I know this one as "pinwheel"
(this can be mirror imaged and have the blades spinning in the opposite direction)

Does this one have "basket" in the title?
turn this one ninety degrees three times - four different blocks!

turn this one ninety degrees - different block

turn this one ninety degrees - different block



I believe this is called "Flying Geese".
this one can be turned 90 degrees three times to make four different blocks

 If you've now finished your contortions, you will observe that was fourteen variations! LOL

Of course, it might be better not to use a directional fabric (like these birds) to make half square triangles - unless, of course, you don't mind the birds standing on their heads or laying on their backs or beaks! But the teacher asked for a sixteen inch square and this is all the fabric I had in that size and I could only manage 15 inches. (I have corrected that and now have the beginnings of a stash - but that's another post!)

And, because it was fun, here is a quarter square triangle block made from my half square triangles - a bit skewed but a perfect point!