Thursday, January 20, 2011

In Summary ...

There's a lot happening at RPQ headquarters and I thought I should perhaps link it all up.

FIRST UP:


Photobucket
More than $45,000 has been raised so far by the crafting community for the Queensland Flood Appeal.  If you are looking for the Master List of Auctions and Raffles you can find it at Make It Perfect.  There is something there for everyone, from handmade toys and jewellery to handcrafted clothing, bags, art prints and more. Be sure to check it out.

The Red Pepper Quilts Auction Quilt is going strong and  Auction details can be found here:
Thank you to all bidders who have supported this Auction ~ right now the highest bid is $475 ~ truly wonderful!

This Auction finishes at 10pm on Friday 21 January 2011.  Just over 24 hours to go. Happy bidding!

AND:

Of course a little sewing, which makes me happy!  It is still Summer holidays Downunder  and we are all out of our normal routine.  Although I do LOVE the holidays,  finding time (and motivating myself) to sew is "difficult" ~ so many distractions and sunny days (finally) which all call me away from the sewing machine.


This is the start of my next quilt project.  As you can see I have made more Half Square Triangles and I think you will recognize some of the red designer printed fabrics used, combined here with  red basics ~ stripes, dots, ovals, solids.


The center panel is hand printed fabric from Prints Charming. The panel has been set on point and then surrounded by Half Square Triangles.  (Does anyone know, or have a link to, the math associated with setting a panel on point and then adding Half Square Triangles?  I totally fluked it ~ the Half Square Triangles were a perfect fit for the panel, but would love to know how to calculate it for future reference).

More Half Square Triangles needed ...

Thanks for stopping by,
Rita
(apologies for such a lengthy post!)

30 comments:

  1. Your new creation is looking fabulous. I love HST's!

    ReplyDelete
  2. Oh wow I love that block! I thought I recognised Prints Charming :) I adore red, my favourite colour.

    ReplyDelete
  3. The maths is Pythagoras. The square of the long diagonal side is the sum of the square of each of the other two sides.

    So for example, if the panel is 12cm and you want 3 triangles along the side then each diagonal measures 4cm. 4cm squared is 16. So if a is the length of the other edges, 2a squared = 16 so a squared = 8 and a therefore = the square root of 8 which is approx 2.8. So each triangle would be cut from a 2.8 cm square.

    Hope that makes sense!

    ReplyDelete
  4. Looking good. I love the circle centre, and all those hst (are you crazy lol) it is so lovely. Summer here in WA too and school holidays.

    ReplyDelete
  5. Love the design of this quilt! Gorgeous!

    ReplyDelete
  6. Your block has a name....it's called Speechless......Gorgeous!

    ReplyDelete
  7. Love your block. To calculate the short side of a right triangle, divide the measurement of the long side by 1.414. Then add seam allowance (7/8" and cut square once diagonally). You can use the same number to calculate the long side by multiplying the short side by 1.414. Then add seam allowance. The calculation comes from the geometry formula a squared plus b squared equals c squared.

    ReplyDelete
  8. Do you have any advice or tips for sewing together the half triangles so the points come together nicely? I have 400 half-triangles waiting to be sewn into a quilt... just as soon as I can cobble together a design wall. I'd be grateful for your advice.

    ReplyDelete
  9. Please don't apologize for being lengthy. The longer the better as far as I am concerned. Love to see what you are up to and the wonderful colours and fabrics.

    ReplyDelete
  10. Love the new quilt top with the gorgeous red panel. Thanks to the math whizzes who posted the calculations. The Pythagorean theorum is digging way back for me! :)

    ReplyDelete
  11. Wow I just love how that block is turning out! Your piecing is spot on! Great job on the auction too!

    ReplyDelete
  12. Looks like the other Math whizzes here already told you how to calculate it...

    That block is a stunner, Rita! Gives me ideas for using my hoarded Amy Butler Bellflower prints!

    ReplyDelete
  13. Rita, you are killing me here with this quilt. It is FAN tas TIC! I love that print in the center. So stunning. How special that it's hand-printed too.

    ReplyDelete
  14. I don't know anything about half square triangle math, I usually fudge it, but that quilt is AWESOME.

    ReplyDelete
  15. I loveee the new block, or mini quilt, or what will be a huge quilt. Can't wait to see the rest!

    ReplyDelete
  16. Your new quilt literally took my breath away. *sigh* I wish I could afford a Prints Charming panel right now. They have a gorgeous one in orange. I'll have to start saving my pennies. I can't wait to see this quilt finished. Gorgeous!

    ReplyDelete
  17. Oh, please! No apologies allowed, ever. Your work in progress is always a source of pleasure and inspiration. And you don't waste words, so your blog is a pleasure to read, full of useful and instructive detail. However, your enthusiasm for HSTs is dangerously contagious. How else to explain why I spike a temp. of 180 degrees every time I read your blog? And why else would I be working feverishly on my own HST Overload? So glad I got your pattern. Thanks again for sharing, Rita.

    ReplyDelete
  18. Oh and I should have said, those formulae I gave don't include seam allowances so you'll need tom add those on :)

    ReplyDelete
  19. If you have an iPhone (or iPod touch) there's an app by Robert kaufmann that can do calculations for you, including hst related ones.

    ReplyDelete
  20. The beauty of blogging is that most of the time you don't know where the other blog is coming from. But this time I recognize a fellow Auusie.

    ReplyDelete
  21. Beautiful as always.

    To work from the known hypotenuse to leg, divide by the square root of two. If the measure of the leg is known, multiple by square root of 2(45 degree Right triangle shortcut for Pythagorean Theorem). Add 7/8 for seam allowances.

    I think in your case here, divide the inset panel length by three and divide that by the square root of two, your finished HST side (leg). Add 7/8 for seam allowance.

    Have fun with this quilt. That panel is so so pretty.

    ReplyDelete
  22. Oh, thanks for showing that cute little orange quilt! I was given a few of those prints charming prints and I had no idea what to do with them. You're always so inspiring!

    ReplyDelete
  23. Speechless is a good name !!

    Wow I am blown away by how beautiful it is !

    ReplyDelete
  24. That center panel is gorgeous! I have some fabric that I can't bear to cut into. This would be a perfect solution. Thanks for the idea!

    ReplyDelete
  25. All that flood relief news is soo soo wonderful! Yay for your quilt making BANK for it!! :)

    And that orange masterpiece is ridiculously sharp. I need more orange fabric in my life! What FUN!!

    ReplyDelete
  26. I love your next project!! So inspiring, I seem to be triangle challenged lately. I am going to have to get over that!
    Nadine

    ReplyDelete
  27. Hi Rita,
    I love your latest sewing project. It is really gorgeous. Can't wait to see it progress.

    ReplyDelete
  28. Where did you get your red basics for the half triangles? Is there a fat quarter somewhere in the world with those beautiful, simple designs?

    ReplyDelete
  29. Thanks for all your comments everyone, I really appreciate your enthusiasm for this project!

    To Jane who asked where I purchased my red basics:

    All the fabrics in this particular quilt are from stash and have been collected over several years, picking the "best" basic fabrics from each fabric line. Look for really vivid reds or even orangy reds, rather than deep maroons as well as stripes, checks, dots ~ basic/simple geometric or floral shapes.

    You just have to keep an eye out for these simple fabrics, and when you see a really good one, pounce of it because they are often quick to go.

    Happy fabric stashing,
    Rita

    ReplyDelete

Thank you for stopping by and leaving a comment! I really appreciate it.

Comments are published after review.

Feel free to ask questions and I will answer either here or by email, as is appropriate.