Delia's Flowers in the Sunshine Tute

My friend Delia has put a tutorial on her blog for a small quilt called 'Flowers in the Sunshine'. It features a how to on a number of nice techniques, the first one on painting on fusible web which has been used for the background.

There are clear instructions and photos showing the results the different webs give when painted. To see her full tutorial which will be added to her blog in parts click the below link:

Delia's Flowers-in-sunshine-lesson-1.html

Hoffman Bali Pops

I got a couple of packs of these sherbert coloured Robert Hoffman Bali Pops at the AQC when it was on in Melbourne. Bali Pops are batik versions of 'jelly rolls' and have 40 x 2.5" x 44" pre cut strips.

I love the colours and the idea of making a quick quilt without having to muck around with cutting. I got a thirds pack in the same brand that were a darker purple, so for almost a year now have had an idea in my mind about what to do with them.

However when I opened the packs I found that the sherbert ones are all batiks and the other pack was from a different collection called 'rainbows'. Some where batiks but many others are prints - florals etc etc and just not my style at all for many of them. So I need a new idea!

I started off thinking that I would just do strips and then free hand slash through a few to put some pointed pieces, keeping others as flat joins. Have toyed with the idea of cutting freehand through the whole lot either before or after joining the strips and stitching it all back together but nothing has been gelling in my head as exciting enough to do.

I pinned them up on the design board and it's a bit too busy for me. Maybe having thinner pieces and pointy ends on some will help as visually it will break up the stripes. Then I thought of embellishing over the top once pieced - using shiva sticks or metallic free motion sewing or applique with sheers etc.

I found some beigey textured silk at an op shop and have cut a triangle from this and it seems to blend quite well, so I think I will incorporate some of this in too. And my hope is that if I do strip them all together and then add shiva's it will hopefully make the whole thing more cohesive and can be used as an almost Gustav Klimt kind of background to a sihoette of some sort.


I've looked over the web to see what others have done with bali pops but could only find traditional patterns that really aren't my thing. Would love to hear others opinions and see what others have done. Do you think they need lots of plains to break them up? Will they look modern if splayed with silks?

I'm still getting used to working with patterned fabrics, as a graphic designer and artist my paints and ads tend to come in plain colours - which are much easier to visualise! I did do a couple of digital proofs but they just don't look like the same tone....