No, not my picture, I 'borrowed' it from Google, it's of a previous year of Sydney Harbour bridge at New Year. I have been there twice, but not at New Year. It's a fantastic city and I can thoroughly recommend it if you ever get a chance to go.

I was in Melbourne in the run up to Christmas on one trip, and there is a big department store in the city centre that has a great tradition of decorating their store windows. Apparently all of the state of Victoria want to go and visit it, but to me, it was incredibly wierd to be so hot, and looking at Christmas things. I know that pommies adjust when they go out to live there, but I don't think that a visitor can so easily.

I DID IT!!! I DID IT!! I got the center section laid out today. I moved several around after I took this pic and got busy sewing. I figured out exactly how to sew the blocks together (My musing about trimming 1/2" from the seam line were WRONG!) You need to trim 1/4" from the stitch line for between the sashings....that is to trim the batting. When you do that..the batting on each side fits perfectly into the 1/2" finished sashing. I don't know why this didn't work in my head earlier. Anyway..I have rows A & B sewn together....Ahhhhhh....I'm loving how it is going together!

that is just wonderful patti.

congrats :-D

This is gonna be gorgeous!!!! What am I saying? This IS gorgeous! Doesn't it feel good to hit a milestone?

You know you are going to finish before me. This hand quilting is taking me longer than I thought it would. I can't seem to go very fast. I get the blocks done quickly, but the sashings slow me down. There are too many layers to get any speed built up, especially at the seams.

breathe taking Patti!

Thank you all! Its so much fun!

Kathy, I don't know about when I'll finish. I still haven't quilted the tris or the between tris either! I have to quilt the sashing as well when I put the backing on...so I still have quite a ways to go :D:

I wanted everyone to know that I posted weeks 53-56 also. They are in the Jane Stickle Topic section.. All you over achievers...add your pics too!

Looks fabulous Patti!! Congrats!

Ooooolala Patti, she is a Chocolate Beauty!!! Congrats!!! :D


BTW Lesley, the evening news showed a snipet of the fireworks in Sydney, 12 full minutes of fireworks, they reported!!! It was pretty like your picture.

Gorgeous I love it, its spectacular Patti. You are going great now.

Wonder how mucheach of those quilts would be worth, that saying we could ever sell them.


Elle

Patti, your chocolate Jane looks brilliant, so yummy. I am so glad you 'got' the batting thing in the end. I had to trim mine because I didn't always cut an exact size of batting, just hacked it off the large bit I had. If you take the time to cut them nicely, and centre them, it works really well.

Thank you Kathy for stepping up and offering to 'run' things for AOTH. I vote for doing things in order, so that rows can be joined when completed, it really frustrated me that I couldn't do that with Jane until right near the end, though I appreciate Klue's reasoning for doing it the way she did.

In this case, I don't think that any are particularly harder than the others, so it won't matter.

I got my 10 yards of black ironed this morning, which is why I am sitting down with a well earned cuppa. Boy, I end up with arm ache, and back ache by the time I have done something like that, and I'm not sure that any colour came out of it anyway (Kona Black).

I have been giving it some thought about how to transfer the pattern to the background - anyone else been thinking about this? I have a light box, but doubt if that would work. So far, the only thing I can think of is to pin the pattern to the square and then machine through it in black thread. I feel pretty sure that I could eyeball most, if not all the applique bits, but I don't think I would get symmetrical loops etc. eyeballing the embroidery lines.

The black machine stitching would have to remain in place, but could be covered up by the applique, and I think the embroidery threads could go just to one side and they wouldn't show.

The only other idea I have had is to make paper templates of each element, then draw round them with light pencil (Sewline). Either way, it's an extra step.

Elle, I think you might have had the right idea by going with a cream background, but I wanted a change, I've never done a black one before and I love the idea of it making the designs pop. I even have my black batting now - that is another first for me.

Can you all tell that I am REALLY wanting to start??? LOL.