Quiltmania

Whilst Quiltmania Issue 79 arrived in the UK early October, (as seen here - Mrs Schmenkman Quilts), Issue 78 arrived at my Newsagent this week (someone please tell me why it needs to take so long for magazines to arrive downunder?). 

Blueburst by Aline Vandenbuleke

I don't buy a lot of magazine anymore but this one really caught my eye and made its way home with me.  Quiltmania #78 has some really interesting and colorful projects; including a good mix of easy and more complicated quilt designs using various piecing techniques. 

Wagon Wheels designed by Kandy Petersen, pieced by Sandy Klop

Goodness I love this magazine, even the advertisements are interesting!

The other arrival this week is a long awaited FQ bundle of City Weekend fabric (Oliver + S for Moda),

and as I was keen to play with both the City Weekend fabric and the  Wagon Wheels quilt pattern from Quiltmania magazine (as pictured above), I traced and photocopied the arcs for paper-piecing:

Then I carefully traced the pattern sheet and cut out the remaining templates using cardboard.  However, it wasn't all that much later that I worked out that whilst the arcs included seam allowances, the templates did not.  It helps to read the pattern sheet, it would have saved quite some frustration.

I was determined to finish the (one) block, and although I love the design and the fabrics, I didn't enjoy the piecing process.  Alas, it will be a lone block and will join the block stash.  

Happy magazine, fabric and block stashing!

  City Weekend by Oliver + S available from Fresh-Squeezed Fabrics
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Sugar and Spice

... and all things nice.

It's done!   The Innocent Crush Quilt is finished  I do love how it has turned out.

SPECIFIC DETAILS:

Fabrics:  Innocent Crush by Anna Maria Horner, combined with Kaffe Dots
Design:  Very heavily based on the Sugar and Spice pattern in the new release book Quilts en Provence by Kaffe Fassett.

Quilt Size:  51 inches x 66 inches

Size of Squares:  3 inch squares (including seam allowances)

Quilt Back:

The back of the quilt features more Innocent Crush and is pieced with 8 1/2 inch squares.  I was pretty happy with how well the quilt back lined up.  I ensured the quilt top was pinned straight by matching a seam line from the quilt top with a seam line from the backing, both horizontally and vertically, prior to the rest of the quilt being basted.

Quilting:

I straight-line machine quilted this quilt first by outlining the seams of the 16-patch blocks to stabilize the quilt sandwich, and then cross-hatched the rest of the quilt by stitching diagonal lines through the small individual squares.  No line marking was required (yay!).

Hand-Stitching:  A row of hand stitching in zig-zag formation was quilted along the top edge of the quilt in Perle 8 embroidery thread.

Binding:  Robert Kaufman Kona Cotton in Chartreuse (this is quickly becoming another stash favorite!).

And the quilt was labeled using fabric selvage:

I have listed the Sugar and Spice Quilt in my Etsy Store.

You can find the listing here. SOLD

Innocent Crush fabric collection by Anna Maria Horner is available for purchase from:

FabricWorm

Hawthorn Threads

Fresh-Squeezed Fabrics

RELEVANT LINKS:

Wordless Wednesday

Innocent Crush - Work in Progress

Innocent Crush - Quilting and Hand Stitching 

Sunday Stash #73

It is obvious that I do enjoy working with color, however there are some colors that just don't have the same appeal as others.  For me one of those colors (besides purple!) is the entire palette of browns:

 Robert Kaufman Kona Cotton ~ Brown Palette color chart here.

This will be a color challenge quilt for me when it eventuates.  Brown and beige mingled with a little splash of orange/yellow (and maybe red?). I think it will work.

Do you have a color palette that you find challenging to work with?

Enjoy Sunday!

Update update ...

A little progress report on this "back to Winter" blustery Saturday.

The Innocent Crush Quilt has been basted and rapid quilting progress was made.  There was lots of quilt wrangling and a great workout for the arms and shoulders, otherwise all went rather smoothly.

As the quilt back was significantly larger than the quilt top (and thought it would be a shame to have to trim it all off after quilting),  I stitched a border along the top edge of the quilt. To add a little interest to this border I have started hand-stitching a little detail:

The minimal amount hand stitching is limited to just the border, compliments the colors of the quilt, and doesn't detract from the overall design.  I just wish I could enjoy the hand-stitching a little more.

Have a great weekend!

Innocent Crush - Progress

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To keep you up to date with progress made on the Innocent Crush Quilt here a  picture of both the front of the quilt:

and the quilt back made just yesterday:

I really love how the back of the quilt has turned out!  After much procrastination the quilt back really didn't take as long to piece as anticipated (1 hour of cutting and 1 1/2 hours of piecing and pressing).  Pieced from 8 1/2 inch squares and arranged without over thinking the layout I was pleasantly surprised to see the colors all work so well together.

Today ... basting.

Wordless Wednesday

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Quilts en Provence

Kaffe Fassett's latest book release, Quilts en Provence, is once again a feast for the eyes and a wonderful display of geometry and clever design.  The book features 20 quilts, each one beautifully photographed in the South of France where the colors are rich and the countryside evokes romance.

Kaffe's 12th book is again a collaboration of talented quilters including Roberta Horton and Liza Prior Lucy.  The patterns are detailed and come with diagrams and templates (although I do think that using the suggested templates is often not the easiest piecing method).

I have selected a quilt pattern from Quilts en Provence called Sugar and Spice by Liza Prior Lucy as my next project.  It is a simple and effective design which I have chosen to strip piece rather than use the  template provided.

And what better fabric to use than Anna Maria Horner's new fabric range Innocent Crush, combined with Rowan fabrics?

One thing is for sure:  it is going to be colorful!
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Sunday Stash #72

It is not as if you haven't already seen enough striped fabrics here this week, however as many of my striped fabrics have emerged from my stash I thought I would show you some of my basic stripes.

Narrow striped fabrics,

in a single repeat and single color

alternating with a white stripe.

Wider striped fabrics,

these are "Clown Stripe" by Michael Miller

Simple stripes are a classic stash addition that will never go out of date; always a safe option for adding a striking and eye catching effect to your quilt, particularly useful as a binding fabric.

Enjoy Sunday!

Eye Candy

I hope you will bear with me today as I have loads of pictures of the finished "In A Spin" Quilt to share with you.

This was probably one of the most fun quilts to make!  I really enjoyed playing around with the vintage fabrics, ensuring that I could get the most use out of the limited fabrics on hand,whilst still fussy cutting the triangles.

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This quilt is relatively easy to make, although it does require just the right mix of fabrics; narrow and wide stripes, some bold, others neutral.  Careful handling of bias edges is also recommended - use a quick burst of spray starch for loosely woven fabrics if necessary.

I have quilted this quilt by once again stitching on both sides of all seam lines.  I do like my quilts to look  more densely quilted and I have therefore repeated this process twice more, stitching a total of three lines on each side of a seam line (6 lines for each seam).  The lines are stitched just over 1/2 inch apart (the width of my presser foot), and have created a dense grid which has in turn added loads of character to the quilt.

For the back of the quilt I have used a  print called Neo Geo by Jackie Shapiro.  I had purchased multiple yardage of this print and thought it appropriate to use a geometric print for this particular quilt.

For the binding I had contemplated using a striped fabric to stay with the overall theme of the quilt, however my heart ruled my head and I have used a binding fabric - Kei Honeycomb in black with white polka dots.  I don't regret it, I love the obvious contrast!

This quilt is for sale.  

If you are interested in purchasing it, you can find it listed in my 

Etsy Store.  SOLD

RELEVANT LINKS:
In a Spin Quilt - [workinprogress]
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In a Spin

I have finished the quilt top pieced from reclaimed vintage bed linen and some of my own stashed striped fabrics.  Although the pictures are quite difficult to look at without feeling nauseated, let me reassure that the actual quilt is far easier on the eyes.

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To make this quilt you really do need a good variety of striped fabrics, not just variety of color but also a variety of the width of the stripe printed on the fabric.  The wider striped fabrics are bold and prominent; these blocks are immediately obvious to the eye.

I have also added some blocks pieced from light/neutral colored striped fabrics.  These blocks recede into the background of the quilt top and  help tone down the busy effects of the narrower striped fabrics.

Although this quilt is not inspired by any other quilt in particular, this fussy cutting and piecing technique is by no means an original idea.  Perhaps we've not often seen vintage bed linen reclaimed in this manner, although  as you can see their potential has certainly been under-rated.

More progress pictures soon.

RELEVANT LINKS:
In a Spin - A Finished Quilt