Tidying up some Loose Ends

Things were feeling a little out of control as my pile of almost finished projects was starting to topple over.  (There is a distinct difference between almost finished and unfinished - my unfinished list is embarrassingly long!).   It was time to get with it, just do it, don't procrastinate!

Remember this quilt?  Pretty in Pink made last month:

 Finished quilt measures 38.5 inches x 45 inches

It now has binding!  A beautiful chocolate brown fabric with dusty pink polka dots, which frames this baby girl quilt just nicely.

And another picture to show you some of the quilting detail.  Straight line, horizontal, quilting with a stitch length of 3.8 mm.  I always use 100% cotton thread, this time a quite dark Gutermann thread as I wanted to feature the quilting lines and the stitching.

 I have updated my Etsy Store to include this quilt.  You can see the listing here.

Next?  The Simple Yet Effective Scarf made with Noro Kureyon Sock Yarn (colorway S188) is finished and blocked.  I have discovered that blocking is the secret to making your knitting look great.  It magically smooths out all those uneven stitches, and gives a lovely drape to the finished garment.

This was such an easy and very relaxing knit.  Mindless, no concentration needed, just knit and purl as desired.  This scarf has been added to my knitting projects on Ravelry  where my username is knitknat.

It feels good to have these two projects finished.  Now back to my Star Blocks and their sashing.  More pictures tomorrow.  Have a great sewing day! 

All Said and Done!

It feels good to have this one finished.  The linen was definitely not the easiest to work with, although the piecing was more difficult than the quilting.

Finished quilt measures 42.5 inches x 42.5 inches

  

The back of the quilt is also pieced making this quilt fully reversible.   I have used all cotton printed fabrics to compliment the front, and also to give the quilt top the stability it needed for ease of quilting. 

The quilt is quilted by cross-hatching.  I do still mark the quilt for this type of quilting using a Clover Chaco Marker (always in white chalk) and I have also taken to using a Hera Marker which is fantastic on linen fabric.  It marks by making a crease but leaves no residue on the fabric.

I was concerned about having such wide linen borders but did not encounter any great difficulty.  I think it helped that the backing was made from more stable fabric, and that the quilt was well basted with lots of pins for the borders.

A light green fabric with white dots has been used to bind this quilt giving the quilt just a subtle frame.  This fabric is by Joelle Hoverson from the Cake Rock Beach collection.

I really wish you could feel the soft linen and touch the lovely textures of the fabrics.  The pictures here really do not do justice to the end result.  This quilt is now in my Etsy Store, please do feel free to email me if you have any questions.

Pretty in Pink

Dusty pinks, faded reds and soft browns have been the colors of choice the last few days, together with the occasional splash of blue and even yellow.

Pretty In Pink --

name taken from a comment on a previous post left by Brandy from Minivan Life

This baby quilt is made from rows of "bricks" measuring 3 inches x 9 inches including the seam allowances. It was pieced in rows, 18 rows in total, with the finished quilt measuring 38.5 inches x 44.5 inches.  Quite a large baby quilt suitable also for the "big bed" when the toddler graduates from their cot.

I have quilted this baby quilt with straight lines, outlining the horizontal seams, and also stitching through the horizontal center of each "brick".  The quilting has added a modern look, and was a breeze really.  Any quilting problems I have now seem to be due to rushing the basting process (which I still don't enjoy!), but I have definitely improved my skills.  I still use pins to baste, because if done well it does give me the best overall finish.

A few blog readers have asked about the pink bicycle fabric that I have used for this quilt.  It is a cotton print by Heather Ross called "Bicycles".  Unfortunately it is quite an old fabric, rare and much sought after.  This fabric is currently available at several Etsy stores, with the price reflecting just how much loved it is!

I am hoping to add the binding today, but have not as yet even chosen the fabric for it. School holidays have started and it is the most glorious Spring day here in Melbourne.  I am definitely going to catch some of these rays today!

Crossed off the Unfinished Quilts List!

Well, the Fresh Cut Quilt top that has been sitting around since February has gone from being unfinished to quilted, bound, and delivered to my Etsy Store.

 Finished quilt measures:  42.5 inches x 42.5 inches

I have noticed too that I have snuck in a few fabrics that are not from the Fresh Cut range.  Included also are a few prints from Heather Bailey's Bijoux range, some Amy Butler Full Moon Polka Dots from the Lotus  and Martini from the Midwest Modern range, and a grey dot by Urban Chiks from the "1974" range.

The back of the quilt is pieced again just using fabrics from the Fresh Cut fabric range.  I love this look on the back of the quilt, allowing the fabrics to be the feature and making this quilt fully reversible.

I think I have mentioned before how much I love the fabric that I have used for the binding of this quilt.  It is Aunt Grace Polka Dots in Blue by Marcus Brothers.

And for those of you who wanted to see how I use the custom labels on my quilts: -

Just tucked inside the machine stitched binding at the back of the quilt.

Enjoy!  And please check out My Etsy Store for all the details or email me if you have any questions!

Daisy Chain Quilt

I have finished quilting the Daisy Chain Quilt!  Hooray!  And I feel like the Free Motion Quilting monkey has been lifted off my back somewhat.

 Finished Quilt measures 50 inches x 38.5 inches

I must say I am really pleased with the overall look of the quilt and I feel like I have overcome some of my fear of free motion quilting, although I do realize that only through more practice will I gain confidence and improve my skills.

I think that a major part of my fear stems from needing the quilting to look perfect, but that is not what quilting is all about and I am trying to let go, to go with the flow and stop being stifled by my own expectations.

The back of the quilt features a cotton printed fabric by Anna Maria Horner from the Garden Party Range, the solid fabric is a heavier weight linen/cotton blend in a natural color.  To balance out this slightly more weighty fabric I have used QuiltLite as a batting.  As a result this quilt drapes beautifully.

I have added a burnt orange binding fabric by Joelle Hoverson - Net of Jewels  -  to frame the quilt.  This almost solid colored woven fabric has a textured and somewhat heavier feel about it, but the color is iridescent and adds the finishing touch to this quilt.

 This quilt is now for sale in my Etsy Store.  Be sure to check it out!

Just playing....

You know I absolutely had to play with my new Bernina yesterday, it had been calling me all weekend.

In many ways this machine is very similar to my Janome; the way it is threaded, the location of the buttons and the bobbin winder all function very similarly. It certainly does not feel like a complete stranger to me.

My first project on this machine was always going to be something small. I am still waiting for the custom made plastic insert that will surround the machine so that it can be lowered into my Horn Sewing Cabinet, thereby giving me a large flat workspace.

Confetti Baby Quilt

Quilt measures 24 inches x 24 inches

This little quilt, inspired by this image, was made yesterday. The top was pieced in the morning, and subsequently basted and quilted. It was pieced with the new machine, and after some initial bobbin hiccups it quilted like a dream! Truly, it made a huge difference to the ease of quilting, and the correct stitch definition and length was so much easier to maintain.

Crinkled washed and tumble dried texture.

This picture was taken with the early morning sun shining across the top of the quilt and shows the quilting design quite clearly. I quilted it with a squared off spiral starting in the center of the quilt, but deviating from the spiral just around two of the confetti blocks. I used a walking foot and just normal cotton thread that matches the top of the quilt.

The Confetti Baby Quilt/Stroller Blanket has been added to my Etsy Store together with the Jaffa quilt which I finished earlier this week.

Jaffa Quilt

It seems the Bernina and I are going to get along famously.

The Finished Jaffa Quilt

This quilt was a dream to piece but a challenge to quilt. Having used a linen/cotton blend fabric (which is a little heavier than cotton fabric), for sashing the orange/red and brown designer fabric squares, the quilt is actually quite cumbersome to manoeuvre through the limited space of my sewing machine arm.

Jaffa Quilt

Finished Quilt measures: 57 inches x 53.5 inches

I have kept the back of the quilt very simple, giving it a modern and minimalist look. The solid grey fabric here is Kona Cotton Solid by Robert Kaufman in the colorway Ash.

The binding fabric is from Amy Butler's Lotus range and is called Full Moon Polka Dot in Lime. I really did not want to use a strong contrasting color to frame this quilt, instead choosing a complimentary fabric thereby adding just a touch of detail rather than color.

I have also given this quilt a little road test today. No! I did not sleep under it! I washed it in the washing machine on a gentle but warm cycle, and then tumble dried it in a warm dryer.

It came out all soft and crinkly, probably a little too crinkly for my neat self, but a light steam iron sorted that out. It looks so welcoming, and feels so soft! It has withstood and passed the wear and tear, wash and tumble test!

These two quilts look great together. You just cannot have too many quilts on the one bed don't you think?

The Princess and the Pea Quilt

Some days, especially this week, seem to fly by without much productivity. And I know you will tell me how productive I am, but sometimes I wish you could take a look behind the scenes at my organized chaos. I did manage to steal a number of hours of time yesterday (and they are sleeping hours) to make this little baby quilt.

The front of the baby girl quilt features the much loved Princess and the Pea fabric by Heather Ross from the Far Far Away range.

The back of the quilt is made from fabrics by Amy Butler, Kaffe Fassett and again Heather Ross.

I just know there are little Princesses out there who would adore this cute fabric! It is a double gauze fabric, and a little more difficult to work/quilt with, but this and quite a few others from the range are well worth adding to your stash.

It is bound in bright orange Kaffe Fassett fabric (Roman Glass - Circus) to compliment the overall look of the quilt.

It is for sale in my Etsy Store.  SOLD

Scrap-a-Licious

Thank you to everyone for all the wonderful comments on last Friday's post featuring the Scrap Quilt. It sounds like most of you keep your scraps, and that some of you have a very significant scrap stash! Oh how envious I am! The possibilities are endless -

Finished Quilt measures: 36.5 inches x 36.5 inches

The back is pieced also:

Beautiful blues, greens and a major splash of yellow are featured in the quilt back which compliments the bright colorful front of the quilt, and also makes it fully reversible.

I again used Matilda's Own cotton batting which is a great product to work with. It is also quite thin, does not make the quilt look overly puffy, and allows the quilt to drape nicely.

Quilted by simple cross hatch, and just in case you are wonder, I do mark the quilting lines. I like using a Clover Chaco Liner always in White as it leaves no residue or mark on the quilt, whereas my experience with the blue and pink markers are not as favorable.

This quilt is now for sale in my Etsy Store. Feel free to email me if you have any questions.

Marmalade

The Oranges Lemons and Limes quilt is finished.

Finished quilt measures: 40.5 inches x 40.5 inches

The quilting is done.

The binding is on. It is a really lovely red/orange check fabric from the fabric range "Paper Dolls" by Windham Fabrics.

And a view of the back - pieced of course, with fabrics to compliment the front.

Now for sale in my Etsy Store. Feel free to email me if you have any questions.

You can find this quilt for sale in my Etsy Store. SOLD

I hope that you have enjoyed the parade of citrus colored fabrics being turned into a quilt this week. What's next?

French Country Quilt

Another finished quilt. How satisfying is it when the binding and labeling are finished!

Quilt measures: 48 inches x 48 inches

I know I gave you a little preview of this quilt yesterday, but that was really only to buy some more time as the binding was yet to be purchased, made and sewn on!

Red and White stripe binding

I really enjoyed making this quilt, especially choosing the fabrics, and I think it has turned out well. The fabrics and color combination are rather reminiscent of a mix between a French country and shabby chic decor.

As usual also pieced the back of this quilt using fabrics to complement the front of the quilt and making it fully reversible.

I quilted it by cross-hatching diagonally through each 4 inch square. I am ever so grateful that the whole quilting process is getting a little easier each time, even for these larger size quilts. Basting quilts however remains unpopular, but I will continue to use pins to baste as this method does work well for me.

This quilt is now for sale in my Etsy Store. Feel free to email me if you have any questions.