English Paper Piecing: Liberty Star Pillow

As promised, today a gallery of photos of my Liberty Star Pillow Cover based on a pattern from the book Quilting on the Go: English Paper Piecing by Sharon Burgess. The Star Pillow pattern is an English Paper Piecing design using just one shape - a diamond. I made several more star blocks then the pattern required and as a result my pillow measurements (and lack of borders) differ to that in the book.

Similar to the Star Pillow in Sharon's book I have used Liberty of Tana Lawn fabric for the stars. Not having used Liberty fabric to paper piece before I was hesitant, but as always, nothing ventured, nothing gained. It seems however that there was no need for concern. In fact, the fabrics - including the Oakshott background fabric - were lovely to work with. The needle and thread glided through the fabric layers with ease, and the fabric withstood the glue basting and paper removal process much, much better than I had anticipated. 

Quilting Thread: Aurifil 28wt cotton thread (color #6725).

I have quilted the top of the pillow cover (layered with low loft cotton batting and a cotton backing fabric) by stitching alongside both sides of  all seam lines. I have used Aurifil 28wt thread for extra stitch definition. I was keen to ditch stitch - at least for some of the seams - but hesitated to do so in fear of the pressed open seams popping their stitches and being left with a hole in the patchwork fabric. That wasn't worth the risk! 

For the back of the pillow I have used a barkcloth fabric from the Time Warp collection by Jessica Jones. I adore this fabric and it has been in my stash waiting for the right project to come along. This was it! I have used an iron-on interfacing fabric to add rigidity to the barkcloth fabric and a zip is hidden under the overlapping flap on back of the pillow. The pillow form/insert can therefore be easily removed before washing the pillow cover.

ALL THE DETAILS

Liberty Stars Pillow Cover

Pillow Cover measures 23 inches x 18 inches.

English Paper Pieced Stars (glue basted).
Paper shape: Diamond ~ 2" Six Pointed Star.

Stars Fabric:

Liberty of London - Tana Lawn

Background Fabric:

Oakshott Cotton - Scandinavia in Stockholm (Grey)

Thread:

The Bottom Line 60wt thread by Superior Threads for EPP.

Aurifil 28wt cotton thread for quilting.

Loft loft Warm and White cotton batting.

The Liberty Stars Pillow Cover is available for purchase from
my Etsy Store.

See all the listing details here:
Liberty Stars Pillow Cover

My pillow is not a standard pillow size and as such I struggled to find the right size pillow insert. But then I realized that I had on hand a square pillow insert the same width of the pillow (23" x 23"), which I simply made 5 inches shorter on one end by gently moving all the filling to one side of the insert, stitching a new seam line 5 inches from the original edge and ta-da! ...a custom made pillow insert in less than 5 minutes.

Click on any image for a larger view.

This was such a fun project to make. I really can't wait to start another EPP project but first I have to finish my Wagon Wheel Quilt. It is so close to being done!

Thank you for stopping by!
Rita

RELEVANT LINKS:
Red Pepper Quilts Etsy Store
Quilting on the Go: English Paper Piecing by Sharon Burgess
More RPQ Paper Piecing Projects:
The Daisy Chain Quilt
The Wagon Wheel Quilt
Garland Pillow Cover
Sewing School Hexagon Quilt

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COPYRIGHT: Do not copy or use any content or photos from my blog without my written permission. This is original content from www.redpepperquilts.com.

Yours Truly - A Flying Geese Quilt

The Finished Quilt

Click on any image for a larger view.

QUILT STATS

Yours Truly - A Flying Geese Quilt

The finished quilt measures 45 inches x 55 inches.

8 rows of 22 Flying Geese Units (and a random variation).

Each Flying Geese block measures

 3 inches x 5.5 inches (incl. seam allowances).
Flying Geese units pieced with Bloc Loc Flying Geese ruler.

Warm & White batting from The Warm Company;

a low loft batting perfect for use with low volume and bright white fabrics.

This week has flown by! The lead up to Christmas is such a busy time of the year and I was concerned that I may have set myself too many tasks to complete this week. Basting, quilting, and binding this quilt was on my to-do list and I am happy to have ticked those tasks off. Done, done, and done. And I couldn't be happier with how this quilt turned out.

The fabrics used for this quilt are predominantly from the most recent collection by Kim Kight called Yours Truly for Cotton + Steel (due for release next month). Although not my usual color palette I have loved working with these colors and prints and enjoyed contrasting the prints with Kona Cotton solid fabrics, shot cottons by Oakshott Fabrics, and linen blend fabrics.

I have quilted the quilt with edge to edge straight lines; first creating a foundation of grid lines by ditch stitching all horizontal seam lines and then ditch stitching all vertical seam lines. I then added additional vertical lines of stitching - using a walking foot with quilting guide - just 1 inch apart. For the back of the quilt I have used a single floral print on a soft pink background from the Cookie Book collection also by Kim Kight for Cotton + Steel.

For the binding I have used one of my favorite Cotton + Steel prints from the Lucky Strikes collection (again by Kim Kight) called Clothesline Floral. This is a gorgeous print - such an unusual color - and I love how Cotton + Steel collections, from current and prior releases, all work so beautifully together.

This quilt is available for purchase from my Etsy Store.

See all the listing details here: 

Yours Truly - A Modern Flying Geese Quilt

In preparation for Christmas I am going to take a few days away from my sewing machine and my blog, but will be back with more late next week. I have been working on a hand piecing project for a few months now and once the Christmas rush is over I plan to spend some time with needle in hand, slow sewing, and enjoying the long, warm days of Summer.

Wishing all of my readers a Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays! 

Rita

RELEVANT LINKS:

Red Pepper Quilts Etsy Store

Yours Truly - A Flying Geese Quilt :: Work in Progress

RPQ Cotton + Steel projects:
Printshop Pineapple Quilt - August 2016
Bluebird Log Cabin Quilt - March 2016
Cotton + Steel Quilt - December 2014
Cotton + Steel Selvage Pillow Cover - December 2014
Garland Pillow Cover - December 2016

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COPYRIGHT: Do not copy or use any content or photos from my blog without my written permission. This is original content from www.redpepperquilts.com.

Yours Truly ~ A Flying Geese Quilt

Work in Progress

Yours Truly by Kim Kight for Cotton + Steel is due is stores in January and I was grateful to snap up a fat quarter bundle (indirectly) from Sample Spree at Quilt Market. Kim and Alexia Marcelle Abegg's fabric collections for C + S have so far been the collections that I have been drawn to the most. Their designs often include prints that are smaller in scale and in a (softer and lighter) color palette that is more suited to my style and preference for fabric. And I love Yours Truly!

Inspired by vintage love-themed fabrics and garments the Yours Truly collection features strawberries, raccoon-like critters, tiny scattered hearts and ribbons, a small scale floral design, and a grid print. The strawberries though ... are the very best! The color palette is warm and includes both saturated colors as well as as several lighter (and brighter) colors including a soft grey, and neon pink.

I was so pleased with my purchase that I cut into the bundle almost immediately - I didn't even take photos of the fabric bundle for a future Sunday Stash blog post! In addition to using almost all of the prints that are part of the Yours Truly collection I have added several more fabrics from previous C + S collections including a red gingham fabric (Checkers), and a floral pink fabric from the Lucky Strike collection also by Kim Kight.

Yours Truly - Flying Geese Quilt
45 inches x 55 inches.

The quilt design is a simple and traditional Flying Geese quilt (each Flying Geese unit measures 3 inches x 5 1/2 inches including seam allowances). I really wanted to highlight the prints by way of contrasting the designs with a solid background fabric and so for the "wings" of the Flying Geese units I have used a number of Robert Kaufman Kona Cottons and Essex Yarn Dyed linen in Flax, as well as Oakshott shot cottons from the Scandinavia collection.

I am really pleased with this quilt top! The colors play so well together and I can't wait to add texture and additional visual interest that comes with quilting, especially when quilting solid fabrics.

As always, thank you for stopping by!
Rita

RELEVANT LINKS:
Yours Truly - the Finished Flying Geese Quilt
Sunday Stash - Oakshott Scandinavia
More RPQ Flying Geese Quilts
RPQ Cotton + Steel projects:
Printshop Pineapple Quilt - August 2016
Bluebird Log Cabin Quilt - March 2016
Cotton + Steel Quilt - December 2014
Cotton + Steel Selvage Pillow Cover - December 2014
Garland Pillow Cover - December 2016

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COPYRIGHT: Do not copy or use any content or photos from my blog without my written permission. This is original content from www.redpepperquilts.com.

Carkai Half Square Triangle Quilt

A Finished Quilt.

Click on any image for a larger view.

Carkai Half Square Triangle Quilt

Quilt Size: 48 inches x 57 inches

304 Half Square Triangles (HSTs)

each finished HST measures 3" x 3".

19 rows of 16 HST units.

608 patchwork pieces.

The Fabrics:

Carkai by Carolyn Friedlander

Liberty of London Tana Lawn

Oakshott Cotton - in particular the Scandinavia range.

Stash fabrics including several Cotton + Steel prints.

My last finished quilt for 2015! Despite having spent several days away from my sewing machine over the Christmas period, as well as a number of days that were unpleasantly warm thereby excluding any quilt wrangling, my Carkai Half Square Triangle Quilt is finished and I couldn't be happier with how it turned out.

I have quilted this quilt first by ditch stitching the horizontal and vertical seam lines (this helps to stabilize the quilt sandwich). I then stitched edge to edge vertical lines just 1 inch apart. For this quilt I have also tried out a different batting ~ Warm & White Cotton Batting by the Warm Company. I love how it handled and how it quilted up; it is a low loft cotton batting made with white fibers, perfect for use with bright whites, pastels, and tone-on-tone fabrics. I have always preferred to use a low loft batting for my quilts and like that this batting will keep the colors of my quilts bright. As an added bonus this batting has been pre-shrunk thereby limiting the puckering of the quilt when washed ~ again, just a personal preference.

For the back of the quilt I have used my favorite backing fabric Newspaper in Spackle from the Story collection by Carrie Bloomston. And for the binding I have used Squared Elements in Lemon (Art Gallery Fabrics). 

This quilt is for sale and is listed in my Etsy Store.

See all the listing details here:  

Modern Half Square Triangle Quilt

Ready for shipping.

Wishing you all a Happy New Year! I love these slow post-Christmas days as we approach the new year ... the Summer holiday schedule (or the lack thereof), reading, knitting, and sewing, all at a leisurely pace. But it is also a time to reflect, make plans, and start anew. I hope 2016 brings you everything you wish for and more.

Rita

RELEVANT LINKS:
Red Pepper Quilts Etsy Store
Carkai Half Square Triangle Quilt - Work in Progress
Sunday Stash #312 - Carkai by Carolyn Friedlander
Sunday Stash #274 - Oakshott Scandinavia
Oakshott Scandinavia Half Square Triangle Quilt

COPYRIGHT: Do not copy or use any content or photos from my blog without my written permission.