Friday, March 30, 2012

Echo (et al) ~ A Patchwork Quilt

A finished quilt featuring fabrics from the popular fabric collection Echo by Lotta Jansdotter ...


...  et al (and others):
  • Pearl Bracelet by Lizzy House in Yellow
  • Mono Pez - Moda - in Grey 
  • Birch Mod Basics - Dottie Color in Pool
  • Kokka Small and Large Gingham in Natural
  • Robert Kaufman Kona Cotton in white 

And for the back of the quilt I have used the last large piece of my (new and straight out of the box) Orla Kiely Duvet Cover.  This large scale Multi-Stem print is simple divine and complements this the design, colors and feel of this quilt perfectly.  I couldn't be any happier to have used this fabric in this way.


In keeping with the overall gentle and calm tones of the quilt I have used a Kei Honeycomb dot in grey to bind the quilt.  The binding edge is just subtle enough to add a delicate edge without harsh contrast.


I have listed this quilt in my Etsy Store!  You can find the listing ::  HERE. SOLD

Thank you for stopping by,
Rita

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Wednesday, March 28, 2012

[workinprogress]

It had to be done!


The time has come to cut into my stash of Echo by Lotta Jansdotter.
 

Echo by Lotta Jansdotter is such a pretty fabric collection that I was keen to feature the fabrics;  accordingly the quilt design is super simple.  I have used a neutral gingham fabric for sashing around each of the quilt blocks which helps to soften and blend the colors.


The quilt top is now ready for basting, quilting, and binding.  Busy days are ahead!

Rita

Monday, March 26, 2012

No Signal!

A new TV (new to us) arrived in our home this week.  A widescreen TV.  We can now see and read all of what is presented on the screen.  I am not sure if that is such a good thing.


We are not so clever when it comes to installing and programming TV/Video/DVD players and together with the fact that this TV was so incredibly heavy and there were so many cables it was never a task for the faint hearted. 


After many cable exchanges, much button pushing, and a gasp from the - not so helpful - onlookers, there was sound, and then finally an image.  The image transported me back to a time when TV stations did not transmit 24 hours a day, and the TV test pattern was a regular screen feature.


I knew immediately that I could replicate the No Signal - Test Pattern in quilt form.  I started and finished this mini quilt project on Friday evening and it's the most playful sewing fun I've had in a while.  I started cutting and piecing without a plan, no measuring, no calculations, just taking one step at a time and trimming back when things got a little out of proportion.   I think it worked out rather well.  Lucky!


I love making mini quilts especially the quilting part!   All of the quilting was done with a walking foot, even the circular spiral on the background fabric.

Quilt Notes:
Mini Quilt measures 25 inches x 25 inches
All solid Test Pattern and binding fabrics are Kona Cotton Solids by Robert Kaufman
Background fabric is Alexander Henry - Heath in Metal
Backing fabric - Kona Cotton in Chartreuse

More mini-quilt projects are likely!

Thank you for stopping by,
Rita

Sunday, March 25, 2012

Sunday Stash #135

I have continued to collect fabric selvages to add to my slowly growing selvage collection; although I still only cut off the selvage when I actually use the fabric. 


I think that the time has come to work with my selvage collection otherwise they might end up in the trash can.  Again.  Yes, my husband was lending me a helping hand by tidying my sewing area and promptly ditched the bag of selvages in the bin.  The whole bag.  Outside.  Just one step away from the garbage truck!  Let's just say they were quickly and quietly retrieved from the bin.


I started collecting selvages almost 10 years ago when I first started quilting. Looking through these "scraps" I am transported back to a time,  a place, a quilt, a fond memory.  It's been a worthwhile journey ...  and I am looking forward to creating something fun with them.

= = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = =

Instagram Goodies
  1. Japanese fabrics from Ayumi's Etsy Store including Kumiko Fujita -  Text - in aqua and yellow
  2. Marimekko 2011 Anniversary Print
  3. Camera Pouch from = Etsy Store OneShabbyChickHawaii  :::  Amber's Blog: One Shabby Chick
  4. Laurie Wisbrun's Modern Whimsy - Circles - in Lime, Green, Aqua, Red and Yellow.
I've got lots of helpers!

Enjoy Sunday!
Rita

Thursday, March 22, 2012

Déjà Vu

A custom order and a re-make of a quilt previously made and sold through my Etsy Store. 


A request for the same of everything including the quilt back which isn't surprising as it's from Aneela Hoey's delightful fabric collection Little Apples (Round and Round in white linen).  I so adore this print and purchased yardage for several quilt backs when I found it on sale at the Fat Quarter Shop.  It's just about all gone ...


And a RPQ standard binding ~ a black and white stripe:


This quilt is ready for shipping across the oceans and European Continent to the UK.


Some of the finer details:

The Design:  Cut 80 squares each measuring 5 inches x 5 inches.
Quilt Size:  44.5 inches x 36 inches
The Fabrics: 
  • 100% cotton gingham from Spotlight.
  • Dumb Dot in Ebony by Michael Miller
  • Flower Sugar - Mini Flowers in Cream (Fall 2011) by Lecien
  • Binding ~ Lecien Black and White Stripe
  • Backing ~ Little Apples - Round and Round in White Linen by Aneela Hoey.
Thank you for stopping by,
Rita

Tuesday, March 20, 2012

Brrr! A Polar Bear Quilt

In January Laurie Wisbrun sent me a fine selection of her yet to be released fabric collection Brrr! which I have previously posted about in Sunday Stash #126.


I have had some time to think about how best to work these adorable prints and decided to keep it simple and make a feature of the polar bears by careful fabric placement.  The polar bears are so delightful ~ I love them!

Rather than using the standard RPQ white background fabric this time I have chosen a solid grey fabric for contrast.  The grey background fabric is Freespirit Designer Solids in Nugray.


I have used up some of the leftover fabric scraps to piece a patchwork panel and add some interest to the back of the quilt.  Fussy cutting fabric can otherwise be very wasteful of fabric and what better way to use these scraps than for piecing a quilt back?


A solid red binding seemed like a great way to frame this quilt and matches perfectly with the splashes of red in the quilt.  I have used Robert Kaufman Kona Cotton in Rich Red for binding fabric.

I have listed this quilt in my Etsy Store.  For all the details and more pictures check out the Etsy Listing here:  Red Pepper Quilts - Etsy.  SOLD

 

More stitching ahead!
Rita


Brrr!  by Laurie Wisbrun for Robert Kaufman will be available for purchase in June 2012.

Sunday, March 18, 2012

Sunday Stash #134

Denyse Schmidt has been delighting fabric addicts and quilters worldwide not only with the Legacy Flea Market Fancy reprint, but also by continuing to release numerous fabric collections with Fabric Traditions (under the name DS Quilts) available through chain stores (like Joann Fabrics and Spotlight).


Featured here today is Aunt Edna which is the latest DS Quilts release (available in Australia in May 2012).  Aunt Edna comes in two color palettes:  Cherry (above left) and Far Meadow (above right).


The quality of these fabrics has improved significantly from the first DS Quilts collection  (Picnics and Fairgrounds) ~ the fabrics are softer, lighter, with a smooth touch and a lovely drape.

I am looking forward to cutting into these fabrics!  The colors and designs remind me of the Hope Valley fabric range also by Denyse Schmidt; I think these two collections will work nicely alongside one another.

Enjoy Sunday,
Rita

Aunt Edna was purchased and is available from Fabric Worm.

Saturday, March 17, 2012

Let's Go Green!

I am observing and celebrating St Patrick's day with a pair of green hand warmers :o)  Let the party begin!

This is my second pair of hand warmers made from the free Purl Bee project: 

The yarns are all leftover skeins from previous knitting projects:
Madelinetosh Merino Light in (left to right) Grasshopper, Antler, Clover and Silverfox




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



Enjoy St Patrick's Day!
Rita

Friday, March 16, 2012

Amy Butler ~ Sun Glow ~ Pillow Cover

In between larger quilt projects, but with time up with sleeve and in need of a sewing fix, I thoroughly enjoy making pillow covers.

Emma from Ballarat Patchwork very kindly sent me a whole range of batting samples that I have been keen to work with ~ ranging from cotton, cotton/poly blends as well as 100% wool and wool/poly blends.  The sample pieces are more than generously large enough for pillow covers and I have enjoyed this opportunity to try out a different batting as well as quilting designs.


I love quilting small projects!  If you look closely at the quilting lines you may notice that I have used different colored threads for the horizontal and vertical lines of the grid ~ a green and a blue thread ~ although not immediately distinctive the colored threads do add small detail to the pillow cover.


The threads I have used are by Rowan and are designed to match Amy Butler's Soul Blossoms fabric collection.  They are 100% cotton 50 weight thread - extra long fibers - which more simply translates into a lustrous and fine quality thread.  Previously blogged here:  Threads.


For the back of the pillow cover I have used Anna Maria Horner's Innocent Crush Home Dec (Lovesme Lovesmenot) in LeafThe pillow cover has a zippered seam for easy insert removal and cleaning.

Pattern:  Sun Glow is a free Amy Butler Pattern available HERE (pdf file):  The pattern is for a large pillow measuring 24 inches x 24 inches and is well written with easy to follow instructions.  I used my own method for sewing the quilted pillow top into a cushion with zip inserted in side seam.
Fabrics:   Soul Blossoms by Amy Butler (quilting cottons)
Batting: Hobbs Heirloom 100% Cotton (which quilted beautifully and combined with the quilting grid created a texture that I hope to replicate on more quilts).

Thank you for stopping by,
Rita

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Tuesday, March 13, 2012

Quilt Labels

Today ... 

 
I finally pulled out my Amy Butler fabric stash and enjoyed a little piecing which was soon followed by some super quilting ~ a closely spaced quilting grid using colored thread (It's so nice to use thread in a color other than the usual grey/white/beige/cream).  More progress pictures soon!

 
 In the mail today ::  A restock of quilt labels!  
These tapes are custom printed by Anna, the talented
 and very clever designer of all things
 Lillalotta @ Etsy : :   Facebook - Lillalotta

Many more quilts yet to be made!
Rita

Sunday, March 11, 2012

Sunday Stash #133

Courtesy of Michael from Oakshott Fabrics this bundle of fabric promptly arrived gratuitously on my veranda all the way from the UK.  


Oakshott cottons are a fine quality fabrics which are ethically hand loomed, in an environmentally friendly way, in the south of India. The cotton weave is shot - with a warp and weft of different tones - which creates a beautiful luminous and iridescent hue.

As pretty as this bundle is, and as much as I have enjoyed having it sit right near my sewing machine whilst piecing my Flea Market Fancy Quilt, I really did want to have a little test run (play)!


So, using 16 different colors from my bundle, I have taken the traditional Bear Paw quilt block, re-gigged the placement of the colors without much aforethought, and made a patchwork pillow cover. 


The half-square triangle units are tiny - 1 inch finished squares - and I was able to piece them effortlessly, no spray starch required.  I thoroughly enjoyed working with Oakshott cottons and certainly enjoyed my fix of color play. The quality of the fabric and weave was consistently even and on-grain. 


For the back of the pillow cover I have used Anna Maria Horner's Innocent Crush Home Dec (Lovesme Lovesmenot) in Leaf.  I adore this print!  The pillow cover has a zippered seam for easy insert removal and cleaning.


The pillow cover is available for purchase in my Etsy Store.  SOLD

With thanks to Michael from Oakshott Fabrics for my glorious bundle (I still have lots of fabric left over and already have several Oakshott projects rumbling around in my mind ...)

Enjoy Sunday!

Links:
Oakshott Fabrics and Subscribe to Mailing List

Tuesday, March 6, 2012

Flea Market Fancy Progress III

My current quilt project has taken some time to complete, but the Flea Market Fancy Quilt top is now finished (and will remain without borders).


The quilt top measures 60.5 inches x 60.5 inches
With 100 paper pieced blocks each measuring 6.5 inches x 6.5 inches.


200 paper pieced units,
800 pieces of fabric,
and many happy hours of stitching.


Once all the blocks were complete the quilt top came together without too much difficulty.   Although all of the corners of each block (the edges of the printed fabrics) were off-grain, I had taken steps to ensure that all of the edges of the white fabric were perfectly on-grain.  Most seams aligned without too much fudging ...


Fabrics used:  Flea Market Fancy  ~  original collection as well as 2012 Legacy Reprint.
Robert Kaufman Kona Cotton in White


I am now wondering if my quilting style suits this quilt (I am concerned that I might ruin it!) and therefore contemplating sending the quilt top to my long arm quilter.

As always, thank you for stopping by,
Rita

Pattern referenceQuilt Revival by Nancy Mahoney.

Progress Links: