Sunday, September 29, 2013

Sunday Stash #201 - 28 New Kona Colors

28 New Robert Kaufman Kona Colors released this month!

Robert Kaufman Kona Cotton in
Silver :: Shadow : : Fog : : Graphite
Robert Kaufman Kona Cotton in 
Oasis : : Breakers : : Kale : : Bluegrass : : Cypress
Robert Kaufman Kona Cotton in
Bonsai : : Wasabi : : Sunny : : Torch

New Robert Kaufman Kona Cottons are now available from:

I am rather pleased with the extended range of grey solids, in particular Silver and Shadow which might just be great substitutes for a solid white background.  I may need order some yardage and try it out.

Enjoy Sunday!
Rita

Friday, September 27, 2013

Fat Quarter Shop Aurifil Binding Box Giveaway!

Good news!  I featured this box of Aurfil threads earlier this week and you asked for it ...

... and the team at the Fat Quarter Shop have responded by allowing me to giveaway this exclusive Aurifil Binding Box to one lucky RPQ reader!  

GIVEAWAY DETAILS:
--------------------------
To be in the draw to win The Binding Box exclusive to the Fat Quarter Shop all you need to do is leave a comment on this blog post.  Easy!  Just be sure that I can contact you.

The draw will take place on Sunday 29 September 2013 at 11 am (Australia EST) and the winner will be announced by edit to this blog post.  The winner will also be contacted by email.


A big THANK YOU to the Fat Quarter Shop for their generosity.  These threads are gorgeous!

THANK YOU FOR ALL OF YOUR ENTRIES.

ENTRY HAS NOW CLOSED AND THE WINNER IS :

Congratulations MaryAnn!
MaryAnn has been contacted by email.


May you bobbin always be full.
Rita

Thursday, September 26, 2013

Philadelphia Pavement Quilt - Work in Progress


Ahh! A completed quilt top.  This was indeed a whole lot of cutting and sewing but it is now all done.  The individual blocks (16 blocks) were fun and relatively easy to sew with perhaps the most (mentally) time consuming part being fabric selection.  There was much too to-ing and fro-ing and general indecision, but in the end it the colors all played together very well.

No matter how much time I spend plucking threads there are always more ...
I am sure this is a normal phenomenon.

I haven't worked with solid fabrics for what seems like the longest time. Solid fabrics bring such strong contrast to a design regardless of the color. And I love that there are now such great quality solids in just about any shade/hue. I have used Robert Kaufman Kona Cotton Solids - dipping once again into my Kona Bounty Boxes; it is rather handy to have on hand a great selection of solids fabrics.


My preferred "black" solid fabric is Kona Cotton - Pepper (of course :-). Pepper is a saturated dark, dark grey, and unless you have both Kona Black and Kona Pepper alongside one another you can easily mistake Pepper for Black. I have previously made a quilt with Kona Black as a contrast fabric as well as a quilt with Kona Pepper as a contrast fabric and I find Pepper is kinder to flecks of dust/threads. A personal preference only.


The blocks were not anywhere near as tricky to sew into a quilt top as I feared they might be - even with many of the seams not nesting and all edges being on the bias. Perhaps the bias edges were what made sewing the blocks together into a quilt top easier as I could very easily manipulate and "stretch" the edges into submission. 


More soon.
Rita

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Tuesday, September 24, 2013

The Aurifil Binding Box

The Binding Box - Aurifil - Exclusive to the Fat Quarter Shop
When the Fat Quarter Shop team asked if I would like to receive and review their exclusive Aurifil Binding Box I did not hesitate!  Yes, you want to send me some beautiful threads?  For binding?  Go ahead - make my day!


The box includes 12 spools of 50wt cotton thread (1422 yards each) in some of the most common colors when binding a quilt.

I machine bind all of my quilts - I cannot recall the last time I hand stitched the binding.  Binding is one of my most favorite parts of quilt making!  I love that it is methodical, procedural, the same for every quilt and perhaps also because it means my quilt is almost finished.  


When machine stitching the binding I always match the bobbin thread to the color of the binding fabric - a color that blends and makes the stitches disappear.  For example (see image above) I have used a light yellow thread for this yellow/white binding.  The stitches blend perfectly with the binding fabric, hiding not only the stitches but any sewing imperfections.


If you have difficulty choosing a color thread that blends well with the binding fabric try auditioning several different shades/tones of thread by draping a small portion of thread on the fabric.  You'll quickly see which thread is the most suitable for that fabric.  Whether you hand stitch or machine stitch these colors are versatile - not just for binding your quilts.  



Machine Binding Tutorial:  All About Machine Binding a Quilt
With thanks to the Fat Quarter Shop for this Aurifil box of thread!

Rita

RELEVANT LINKS:
Aurifil Binding Box available from the Fat Quarter Shop
Machine Stitched Binding Tutorial

Disclosure:  The complimentary Aurifil Binding Box was sent to me by The Fat Quarter Shop without obligation. All text, images, and opinions expressed here are as always my own.

Sunday, September 22, 2013

Sunday Stash #200 Kiki Parfait and DS Quilts - Croquet

Kiki Parfait
When looking at what fabric is out there and deciding what I should add to my fabric stash (and I find myself being more and more selective) I not only look for great designs and colors but also for fabrics that are unique.  This collection is Kiki Parfait and is from the Japanese textile house Dyesan (100% lightweight cotton). I am rather taken with the delicate and detailed designs and the splashes of color.  The quality of the fabric is much like standard quilting cotton, perhaps a little finer (higher thread count) and suitable for more than just quilting.



The Kiki Parfait Collection is available from MissMatatabi (Etsy Store) and for disclosure purposes I purchased some of these fabrics myself and was sent several complimentary designs without any obligation. All text, images, and opinions expressed are as always my own.

Today also ... 
Croquet by DS Quilts for Jo-Ann Fabric and Crafts Stores in the USA



Oh Spotlight Stores - Australia, why did you stop stocking DS Quilts collections? ... we would have been there in droves to get our hands on these, even waited patiently in the cutting counter queue.  

With thanks to Monica in TX, USA who purchased and shipped this collection on my behalf. 

Enjoy Sunday!
Rita

Friday, September 20, 2013

The Week in Stitches



Here's a little of what I have been working on this week.  These blocks are a traditional design and are called Philadelphia Pavement.  My inspiration and pattern guide has very much come from the book American Jane's Quilts for All Seasons: and Some for No Reasonby Sandy Klop.


This book includes a clever strip piecing pattern for this block (and features a beautiful quilt with these blocks set on-point) for fairly simple block construction (not unlike that of the Scrappy Trip Along Quilt).  I have made a few minor pattern modifications so that I could be happy with the final seam allowances but that was just to satisfy my own sewing peculiarity.  


The squares are small, finishing at just 1.5 inches x 1.5 inches - each block measures 15.5 inches x 15.5 inches.  I haven't yet sewn any blocks together and I have a feeling it might be the trickiest part with bias edges and lots lots of points to match.


But I'll push on and make more blocks.  One step at the time.  

Thank you for stopping by,
Rita


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Monday, September 16, 2013

Jelly Roll Jam Blog Hop - Lush Uptown Quilt


A new pattern from the Fat Quarter Shop ...

... and it is Jellly Roll friendly, free and aptly named - Jelly Roll Jam

Chelsey from the Fat Quarter Shop sent me a Moda Jelly Roll - Lush Uptown by Erin Michael - and the Jelly Roll Jam Pattern and I whipped up this cute quilt.  


Cleverly designed and with clear instructions this little quilt top came together in about an hour and a half (a little longer for the basting and quilting).   I enjoyed playing with the layout (you choose 18 strips from your jelly roll and arrange them in 3 sets of six) and love the random placement of the cheerful dots!


The Jelly Roll Jam Quilt Pattern (pdf file) is available to download for free from the Fat Quarter Shop. Be sure to also check out the Jelly Roll Jam YouTube Tutorial with hints and tips for successful project completion.


I will be donating my Jelly Roll Jam Quilt to a local charity as part of Katie's 100 Quilts for Kids Charity Drive.  All the details for this charity drive here:

Sunday, September 15, 2013

Sunday Stash #199 - Sun Print by Alison Glass

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Sun Print - Text and Feathers

Alison Glass has done it again, this time with an extensive range of stash builders, basics, and blenders in user friendly colors and designs.  There are six different designs in the range released in nine different colors with each design group released over a period of months.  
Sun Print - Text by Alison Glass
In stores now are both the Text group of fabrics as well as the Feathers range pictured below. The Text collection features words written by Alison; words which don't necessarily mean anything but create and add texture.  Both groups of fabric come complete in a range of 9 different colors.

Sun Print - Feathers by Alison Glass
Sun Print by Alison Glass - Text and Feathers - available from:

Enjoy Sunday!
Rita

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Friday, September 13, 2013

A Spring Fling Quilt


A finished quilt and a really satisfying week at the sewing machine.  Not only did I get to enjoy the simple pleasures of scrappy patchwork sewing but it also satisfied the need to work with some of my Liberty Tana Lawn stash.  The squares are small with each finished square measuring 2 inches x 2 inches.


Rather than add quilting detail I have instead stitched in/along seam lines (ditch stitched).  It was hard to restrain myself from obsessively adding more quilting detail as the quilt now has a 2 inch grid on it and further quilting was really not required.  Sometime less is more.


For the back of the quilt I have used one of my favorite prints from the Briar Rose collection by Heather Ross (Strawberry in Orange).  It is such a sweet print and I think it adds contrast to an otherwise blue/green color palette without detracting from it.


And for binding I have used my current "go-to" binding fabric - Squared Elements - Art Gallery Fabrics -  in Lemon


I have listed this quilt for sale in my Etsy Store.
All the listing details are here:  Modern Patchwork Quilt
Now ready for shipping!


Thank you for stopping by and have a wonderful weekend everyone!
Rita
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