Modern Medallion - in progress

I've been planning to make this quilt for a while now. It's going to be a new 10 week evening course at myBearpaw Studio.

But of course I never leave myself enough time!

I started it a month ago and completed a large centre and a border of HSTs.

I had some positive feedback on Instagram and from my MQG buddies at show and tell last month.

Some magazine deadlines and our Silver Wedding trip to Copenhagen meant rain stopped play until last Tuesday when I knew I had just 3 days to finish it!

I had been planning another border but the last one nearly killed me and this does need to be achievable in 10 x 2 hour sessions (with homework!) so I stopped after the friendship stars. However I will be adding at least one more plain border to finish and possible a short scrappy one (I want it to be a good size).

A quick look at this quilt's journey so far as seen on IG. The middle of the centre block...

...some added 'Bearpaws', I thought it was about time I incorporated these somewhere!

Later that same day (hence bad photo)... A round of HSTs.

3 weeks later I got straight to it again with this mosaic type round featuring mini portholes in the corners.
Then a round of spool blocks. I think this is my favourite border so far, but what to do in the corners?

I plumped for a version of the cross and plus block, enlarged slightly to fit and echoing the centre.

The next round involved me making 36 of these cute Friendship Star blocks. It nearly broke me.

The worst bit is making all the decisions!! After I got all those stars on I really had no brain power left to design something new for the corners, and I was running out of time! This was last Thursday afternoon and I still needed to finish another new class sample and then go out for a meal with a gang of my students (such fun!). On the Friday I needed to load up all the new classes online and then head to the studio to set everything up for our big 2015 Workshop Launch weekend!

So I looked around at my spare blocks and found the free-hand New York Beauty I made for my class at the Stitch Gathering this year. I realised each quarter would fit perfectly! So I unpicked the 4 sections and attached them! Desperate measures and all that! I actually love the way they've added a slight rounding to the outer edges.

I'm not sure what everyone will make of this, as yet unfinished, Modern Medallion quilt top, but I know my students must like the look of it as the class is FULLY BOOKED already!!

We had a fantastic weekend and I am now enjoying a lovely rest :)

Bearpaw Squared

The other week I had the last class in my Modern Patchwork Techniques 2 evening class block. I decided that we should concentrate on HST's and maybe even have a go at designing our own blocks.

And so, in preparation, I thought I'd try to design a block myself. After about 5 minutes doodling I came up with this. I worked out all the sizes and knocked one up using different HST short cut techniques (I especially love Sarah Fielke's very neat Flying Geese tute here).

I was really pleased with how the block looked and decided to call it Bearpaw Squared, as it's got Bearpaws in the corners and squares in the middle. Also I'm often known as 'Bearpaw Squared' on Flickr as my Flickr name is Bearpawandbearpaw.

Here's another one I started during the class and finished off at home this morning. I was obviously concentrating hard on my students (as of course I should be), as this is very badly pieced. The students were all so taken with my block that they either made one for themselves or designed very similar versions.

Which brings me to a question. Seeing as this was very hurriedly designed, can this be the first time you've seen this block? Are there just so many different combinations that can be made from squares and triangles that there are endless variations, like lottery numbers?
Please tell me if I have inadvertently made a block that already has a name!

So what do you think about a whole quilt of these? It is a 12" block so 16 would work pretty well I'm thinking. Would anybody like a quick tute and a pattern?

Now here's something you don't see very often on this blog - knitting!!
Yes I have started knitting! Because of course I need another project...

I just loved this Sirdar Folklore chunky yarn we have in store and the lovely patterns in the accompanying pattern book. I used to knit a lot but over the last 5 years crochet has pushed all the knitting information out of my brain so that I couldn't even remember how to cast on! But once I got started it all came back, and I remembered that knitting is actually fun! Especially now I have bamboo knitting needles - what an improvement. And so quiet!

I am knitting an adult sized version of this jumper for my boy Felix (aged 22). He is off on his travels again and I haven't seen him since April 1st. I really miss him and am unlikely to see him again till next April. The only thing I could think of to do about missing him so much was to start making him something (I have realised that I show love through crafting!), and when he comes back to Scotland from exotic climes he is bound to be quite cold, so what could be better than a cosy jumper to wrap him in? And next April gives me plenty of time to get it finished - I have also remembered how slow I am at knitting!