Friday, September 30, 2011

Milk and Cookies II ~ A Custom Quilt

Earlier this week I pieced this quilt top for a custom order:


And yes, this quilt top may look rather familiar to those readers who regularly stop by here.  It is based on the original Milk and Cookies quilt that I made in June this year.  I have worked hard to finish this quilt this week, and am really pleased with the overall result.


I loved making this quilt the first time, and it certainly was no hardship to make it again.  This quilt features many of my favorite fabrics - from stash - as well as some lovely hand screen printed fabrics by Aunty Cookie (Shannon Lamden).  I have omitted a few prints that are no longer available and added several new prints to the mix.

This quilt measures 80 inches x 64 inches, and although it is big the basting and quilting all went surprisingly well.  The hardest part was taking pictures of such a large quilt; the adverse weather conditions that we've had this week also did not help to make it any easier.


For those of you who, like me, enjoy the numbers - a double set of quilting lines to outline all seam lines from edge to edge involved:
  • 7520 inches or 
  • 208 yards or 
  • 191m of straight line quilting!

Again, I've loved making this quilt, and my customer has been an absolute dream to work with.  I am quietly confident that this quilt will be much loved and often used.   She's ready for shipping! 

If you are looking for details of the fabrics used in this quilt see this prior blog post:  Sunday Stash #112  or cutting instructions:  Milk and Cookies I

Thank you for stopping by,
Rita

Tuesday, September 27, 2011

Work in Progress

The highly anticipated school holidays have finally arrived!


It think we were all ready for a break in the routine and some time out; although it is for some of us in the house a time to study and prepare for year-end exams.  It is a stressful time for DD18. It is a stress that seems to transfer easily upon those around her as we only wish her the very best.  It is hard to stand back ... and let go ...


And so, I am going to do the only thing that I can do and that is be present.  At home.  Keeping myself busy with what I normally do.


Each day I set myself a readily achievable goal.  Most days I finish the set task, although sometimes later in the day than is considered reasonable.  If only I could get myself organized earlier in the day.  Yesterday's task was to rotary cut the custom quilt I am hoping to finish by the end of the week.  

Today's goal:  to sew this pile of fabric squares into a quilt top.

Rita

Sunday, September 25, 2011

Sunday Stash #112

I am about to start on a custom quilt; a quilt based on one that I have previously made - you may well recognize these fabrics.  It is an easy to piece project, making a feature of the fabrics (the colors and the prints) rather than the actual patchwork design.


To get started I have pulled out a bunch of fabric from stash.  Most of these prints I would call "favorites" and are what I consider part of my stash basics - dots, stripes, simple or bold graphic designs none with more than 2 or 3 colors.


From left to right:
  • Tailor Made Ruler by Cosmo Cricket for Andover
  • Wallflower in Cherry - Lotus collection - by Amy Butler
  • Pearl Bracelet in Pond by Lizzy House
  • Two Young Street  by Prints Charming for Marcus Bros.

Again from left to right:
  • Kei Honeycomb in Grey - Japanese Import
  • Basic Color Stripe by Lecien in Red, Grey and White
  • Black Lines - Wordplay by Michele D'Amore for Benartex
  • Smirk Grey Grid by Kyla May for Timeless Treasures
  • Heath in Metal Gray by Alexander Henry
  • Color Basic by Lecien Grey and White Stripe
And last but not least:
  • Roses - Liberty of London Tana Lawn
  • Kerchief Girl in Blue - Kei Japanese Import
  • Black and White Stripe (I think it may be from Dr Seuss)
  • Eclipse in Water - Cake Rock Beach by Joelle Hoverson for Moda
Enjoy Sunday!
Rita

Friday, September 23, 2011

Peacock Lane ~ A Finished Quilt

The Peacock Lane fabric collection by Violet Craft has been a pleasure to work with this last week or so. 

This is my second Peacock Lane project using just the one FQ bundle and I may just have to re-stock some of my favorite prints - I am thinking the elephant prints for sure! And perhaps those peacocks ...


As you can see I have kept the quilt back and the quilting really simple.  I love the look of these straight lines, especially the intersecting grid created by the lines that so clearly shows on the back of the quilt; it is a  classic quilting style that is readily adaptable to a wide range of quilt designs and still allows the quilt to drape beautifully.

For binding I have used a wide green/white stripe fabric by Atelier Akikoto add a quirky and fun frame to the quilt.  (Purchased from Superbuzzy in several colorways - including red, and blue - some time ago).


I have updated my Etsy Store


And you will find the listing for the Peacock Lane Quilt - right HERE SOLD

Thank you for stopping by!
Rita

Thursday, September 22, 2011

Stripes

I've made good progress with my Peacock Lane quilt.  I pieced the quilt backing last night and then pushed on to also baste the quilt sandwich and have it ready for quilting for today:  bobbins wound,  new needle inserted, and machine oiled. 


With an early start today my mission was accomplished!   The quilting is finished and I was even able to decide upon a binding fabric after quite some auditioning.   Now, I have on hand quite a collection of striped fabric, and after searching through my stash for just the right fabric I came to the realization that I do really love those stripes in all manner of styles and colors:


Is there such a thing as too many stripes?  No, I think not. 


I also have a fine selection of black and white stripes varying in width of stripe so that each design creates a very different visual effect.

Back to binding my quilt ...
Rita

Tuesday, September 20, 2011

Peacock Lane Quilt Top

Welcome to Spring in Melbourne! The week started with unseasonable warm northerly winds and plenty of sunshine - shorts weather even - and has already turned to thunderstorms, hail,  and rain, and the heater has resumed it's function.

Alas, knitting out on the veranda, in the guise of absorbing a daily dose of Vitamin D,was short lived and time  spent behind the sewing machine has recommenced.


Peacock Lane by Violet Craft is the fabric focus of this quilt top.  Just how adorable are those elephants?   Peacock Lane is a wonderful vibrant fabric range and the colors and designs all work together perfectly.  I have also added a varied selection of neutral and graphic prints from stash, including linen and hand screen printed favorites.


I really enjoy this kind of fabric play - although I always end up with piles of fabric on every corner of the table, and every available chair.  Messy business it is ...  I need someone to come tidy my fabric stash!


Picture overload today! It seems those threatening storm clouds provided the perfect light conditions.

Thank you for stopping by,
Rita

Sunday, September 18, 2011

Sunday Stash #111

I am a huge fan of all of Kaffe Fassett's work and really enjoy his use of color in all of his projects; from embroidery to patchwork and quilting.  And so, it is no surprise that these new stripe fabrics have been added to stash:


From top to bottom -  Serape in the following colorways: 
  • Green
  • Red
  • Pastel
  • Antique, and
  • Bold

If you've had a chance to browse through Kaffe's new book - Kaffe Fassett's Quilts in Sweden - you may have noticed several quilts that have been made using these fabrics including Striped City as featured on the cover:


as well as Barcode by Kaffe Fassett:


Either - or perhaps both - of these quilts are in my future ...

Enjoy Sunday!
Rita

Friday, September 16, 2011

Peaks and Troughs ~ A Mini Quilt

Ah yes!  In the mood for a quick but challenging project I turned to Sarah Fielke's book Quilting: From Little Things for inspiration.  It didn't take long to find just the kind of project I was looking for:


Peaks and Troughs is a mini quilt project with diamonds zig-zagging up and down and involves plenty of template cutting and too many Y-seams to call it a simple project.  It certainly lives up to it's 3 star difficulty rating, especially when you throw some linen fabric into the mix!


I enjoyed the challenge of piecing the top together ~ the instructions were clear and concise ~ and I felt a little more relaxed once all the Y seams were done and I had made a start on the quilting. 


I quilted by stitching alongside some of the seam lines and although there were some bulky seams they proved to be a no more than just a nuisance.  I also spiralled around the border, squaring off the corners. The binding  ~ a grey and white pin stripe ~ was machine stitched in just a jiffy.


The printed fabrics used are all from the recently released fabric collection -  Peacock Lane by Violet Craft, and are set on a background of linen.  


Fun stuff!  Exactly what I needed today, and there's quite a few more in Sarah's book that I've now got my eye on.

Thank you for stopping by,
Rita

Thursday, September 15, 2011

Live Oak Shawlette ~ A Finished Knit

For the knitting and yarn loving enthusiasts ~ and I think there might be a few quilters who enjoy knitting also?


The Pattern:  Live Oak Shawlette by Rosemary (Romi) Hill


The Yarn:  Plucky Knitter Primo Fingering in Sticky Toffee


A finished quick knit - another shawl - involving the very basics of lace knitting and only a few stitch markers.  Chart reading is becoming increasingly less complicated and daunting, even to the point where I know  that I've made a mistake before the end of the pattern repeat.  Rather handy, as frogging my knitting usually ends up as a nasty mess.


For more pictures and all the details check out my Ravelry page:




Another Christmas gift made.  I've never been quite this organized!
Rita


Monday, September 12, 2011

It's a Hoot II ~ A Finished Quilt


I set aside some time on the weekend to finish the It's A Hoot II custom quilt by finishing the cross-hatch quilting and then by adding the solid red binding.  It is very similar to the first It's a Hoot Quilt, although it is smaller in size, and I have used Robert Kaufman Kona Solid in Ash for backing fabric.


I love, love the look of the quilting grid, and I wish you could reach through and touch it, squish it.  I think there's going to be one happy baby, toddler,  child ...


I packaged up the quilt today and it should soon be winging it's way across the Pacific.  I also bundled up my leftover It's a Hoot scraps for the time being and sorted through my fabrics stash as I pondered the What's next? question.

Only time will tell.
Rita

Sunday, September 11, 2011

Sunday Stash #110 ~ Hometown by Sweetwater

Hometown by Sweetwater for Moda
Hometown is the recently released fabric collection by Moda,  and I immediately fell in love with the text prints ~ Hometown Town Square in red and blue:


and Hometown Town News in blue, natural and red:


But then, the friendly staff at Quilt Essentials also sent me a Charm Pack of the entire Hometown fabric collection, and now that I've seen all of the prints in the collection, I realize that there just may be a few more prints that I  need to add to my stash!

Hometown available from:
FabricWorm
The Fat Quarter Shop
The Quilted Castle

Enjoy Sunday!
Rita

Friday, September 9, 2011

Déjà Vu


If by chance you get that feeling that you've seen it all before, you might just be right. I've been head down over the sewing machine stitching away at another It's a Hoot Quilt, although this time a little smaller than the first (see here).


This quilt is a custom order for a baby yet to be born; and will definitely be big enough to last well into early childhood and beyond. 


Goodness, it's been such a productive few days!  The quilt top and quilt back were made yesterday (and late into the evening - or was it early morning?).   With an early start today, I marked quilting lines with a ruler and  a Hera Marker:


Can you see the cross-hatch (diagonal) marked quilting lines - pictured above?  I mark lines - if needed - during the basting process:  once the edges of the quilt are securely pin basted, but before the remaining basting pins are in place.  These lines are only just visible and remain there long enough for me to finish quilting.  Trust me, it is the no mess, no fuss way to mark quilting lines.


I completed the basting and ...


...  started the quilting. These fabrics are just gorgeous to work with, and I am a little sorry to see my stash of this fabric collection dwindle.  But I am happy with the knowledge that this quilt will be used often and much loved.

Stitching away ...
Rita