Cladonia II

Aah!  So it might seem that I have been sitting idle this week, perhaps taken a little breather, but things are not always as they seem!  I have made a quilt this week;  pieced a top, prepared the backing, basted, and quilted a quilt, all in the last few days.  Unfortunately it's one of those secret projects, and I can't show it to you yet.  Not just yet.  Not even the snippets of fabric of the yet to be released fabric collection by some clever Aussie girls that covered the floor of my sewing area.  Sorry ...

But ... I can show you my finished knitting project.  I know, it's not a quilt, but I am still working my way through a knitting phase and have again enjoyed knitting a shawl.  The pattern is Cladonia by Kristen Kapur from Through the Loops Designs, and this is my second version of this shawl.  See my first Cladonia Shawl here. 

The yarn is Madelinetosh Merino Light in Silver Fox and Plucky Knitter Primo Fingering in "That Old Feeling".  I am still a novice at choosing yarn for a color study project and it took several color changes before I was happy to proceed with this project.

This project looks so much more impressive and complicated than what it actually is to knit.  If you're keen to try your hand at a lace knitting project I can highly recommend this pattern; the pattern involves not much more than a yo, ssk, k2tog and plenty of stitch markers.  It's very do-able.

See more pictures and all the details of this project on Ravelry ~  here:  Cladonia.

Thank you for stopping by,
Rita

Accuquilt ~ Modern Organic Flying Geese Quilt

It's another finished quilt!

I really enjoyed making this quilt; not only because I got to use a  fabric cutter to cut out all of the triangles but also for the fabric play.  It's messy business pulling fabric from stash, auditioning, arranging and re-arranging the fabrics of choice, and then of course changing my mind, but it is definitely one of my favorite parts of quilt making.

Fabrics used include:

• Organic Marine by Dan Stiles for Birch Organic
• Circa 60 by Monaluna for Birch Organic Fabric
• Anika ~ Geo Dots by Monaluna
• Flea Market Fancy and Katie Jumpe Rope by Denyse Schmidt
• Heath in Steel Gray by Alexander Henry
• Stripes in Orange - From Little Things by Sarah Fielke

And for the back of the quilt I have used another print from Organic Marine by Dan Stiles for Birch.   These high quality organic fabrics have truly been a pleasure to work with and combine together as a fun collection of marine prints to make a great little boy (or girl!) quilt.

 For binding fabric I have chosen a blue and white pin stripe (by A Day in the Country ~ available locally in a great range of colors from GJ Discount Fabrics).  It perfectly matches the other blues used in the quilt and adds the perfect edge/frame to this nautical themed quilt.

The finished quilt measures 40.5 inches x 50 inches

and has now been listed in my Etsy Store - SOLD

You can find the Etsy Listing here: Modern Flying Geese Quilt. ~ SOLD

Thank you for stopping by,
Rita

Sunday Stash #106

AYChildren at Play - These fabrics are adorable!

The recently released fabric collection Children at Play is Sarah Jane's first fabric collection for Michael Miller.   Sarah Jane is a talented children's illustrator and has a thriving Etsy Store where she sells adorable prints in all sizes, paper puppets, and embroideries of her work.  The world of fabric is a better place now that Sarah's illustrations are featured in this extensive fabric collection.

There are 52 prints in the Children at Play range.  There are prints for little girls; dolls, dresses, hopscotch ... and also prints that little boys love; rockets, paper hats, bicycles ...  creative play and childhood memories.

And like most good fabric collections there are a bunch of fabric basics - dots and checks and stripes - that make a good addition to any stash.

Flying Geese!

Geese!

Basic Instructions:

•  Choose up to 10 different printed fabrics and 1.25 yards solid fabric.
• Make 84 Flying Geese Units.
• Sew Flying Geese blocks together into six rows of 14 Flying Geese Units.
• Join rows together with a 1 1/2 inch strip (including seam allowances) of solid white fabric
• Add a border to the top and bottom of the quilt if so desired (I have used Marine by Dan Stiles for Birch Fabrics).

The quilt top measures 41 inches x 52 inches.

I am hoping to get started on quilting this quilt over the weekend.

Thank you for stopping by,

Rita

Go! Baby

I may have squealed (a little) when the postman knocked yesterday!

Yes!  My own Accuquilt Go! Baby.  Of course even before the delivery man was back in his van, the box was opened and out came the Go! Baby as well as three dies and the relevant mats.

The dies included were the Go! Tumbler (Small), Go! Triangle (4 7/8") and Go! Half Square Triangle (3" Finished).  And if you really knew me you would already know that I immediately grabbed the closest bundle of fabric on hand and started getting to know my new toy.

The die cutter was simple to use (no assembly required and no force is required to crank the fabric/die through the cutter).  I was soon turning out tumbler blocks from some of my leftover "It's a Hoot" scraps.  Piecing was made easy because each patch has trimmed corners for quick and easy matching.

These patchwork pillows are for my daughter who more than once hinted how much she loved the It's a Hoot fabrics whilst last week's custom quilt was in progress.  Subtle!  The pillow covers are removable and include a tucked away zip in the center of the back of the pillow.  I know she will be very happy to receive these pillows; and add them to her growing collection of patchwork pillows!

And keep an eye out here for a tutorial to show you what you can do with the other two dies ~ which of course involves the much loved Half Square Triangle.

Thank you for stopping by!
Rita

It's a Hoot! ~ A Finished Quilt

Of course I welcome custom quilt orders; but they can be tricky business!  Much discussion and negotiation needs to go into ensuring that the customer's vision for their quilt is exactly the same as what I am about to create.

Now and again a custom order comes along that falls into place without much ado; and truly this quilt was a dream to create right from the first email inquiry to finish!

And although I can call this my creation it was almost entirely my customer's vision!  From quilt top design, choice of fabrics, backing, quilting and binding this project was created as specified.  

My customer's vision was a joy to piece and quilt.  It's a Hoot by Momo for Moda is a lovely fabric range that I had already stashed in my own fabric collection and I truly enjoyed working with the colors and printed designs.

I even love the bright red binding to frame the quilt.  It would not have been my first choice of color for the binding but it's sits just perfectly; especially as a frame around the light blue backing fabric.  Love!

The finished quilt measures 60 inches x 75 inches and is pieced with 180 squares each measuring 5 1/2 inches (including seam allowances).

Reading for shipping!

Rita

Sunday Stash #105

Happy Mochi Yum Yum by Monica Solorio!

These fabrics make me smile!  They're absolutely my colors and I couldn't wait to get a hold of this delightful bundle.

This is Monica's second fabric collection and is inspired by Monica's happy memories of colorful displays of sweet mochi confections seen in the Japanese grocery stores when she lived in Honolulu, Hawaii.

And for Happy Mochi Yum Yum projects and inspiration check out the Happy Zombie Flickr Group.

Enjoy Sunday!
Rita

It's a Hoot!

I have put aside the Kansas Dugout Quilt whilst I consider what fabric I will use for the missing side triangles ~ put aside, but definitely not out of mind or sight!  You know I usually like to finish a quilt before I start the next.

It's a Hoot by MoMo for Moda

..

But I am happy to make an exception this time; and thought it would be a good time to start working on a Custom Quilt order that came to fruition last week.

My customer's vision is very much a reflection of my own style of quilts and what's more the fabric of choice is It's a Hoot by MoMo for Moda, which so happens is already part of my stash (see Sunday Stash #78).

I spent yesterday cutting the fabric and playing around with the layout, and completed the quilt top late this afternoon.  This was the perfect easy piecing project to follow the Kansas Dugout Quilt from earlier this week with its bias edges and fiddly complicated seams.

I love how this quilt top has turned out!  The colors and printed designs from this single fabric collection all work so well together that no other fabrics were added. 

Aah! Simple and perfect.

Rita

What's in the Box ~ Robert Kaufman Bounty Boxes

Late last week a large box was delivered to our home and Oliver (our Miniature Schnauzer) took immediate possession of  it.  I am sure he thought the contents of this box could surely not be fabric this time!  You can't hide a box of fabric this big from the financial controller!

I think Oliver was hoping that it contained dog treats and dog toys, and perhaps a new dog bed that was not a quilt.  Unfortunately for him, he was wrong.

And fortunately for me it was fabric indeed.  Two boxes of the stuff that my dreams are made of (uh yes, I dream of quilts and fabric; my nightmares are rotary cutter mishaps and seam rippers!).  Well, you know ...

Robert Kaufman

Light Kona Cotton Solids Bounty of Basics Fat Quarter Box 

Dark Kona Cotton Solids Bounty of Basics Fat Quarter Box

Maybe next time?

Yeah.  Maybe.

Rita

Kona Bounty Boxes available from the Fat Quarter Shop.

Kansas Dugout Quilt Part II

.Now, where to start? Maybe with the quilt top:

And so I have almost finished (except for the inset triangles along the edges) sewing together the Kansas Dugout Quilt top.  Yesterday I set myself the target of sewing together the Kansas Dugout blocks into a quilt top.  Little did I know just how much work that task would entail; this was no straight forward "join blocks into rows" and "sew rows together" kind of quilt top. Piecing the blocks was the easy part, joining them together was a whole other story.

I tackled it in sections and then tried not to get too overwhelmed by having to set numerous center squares into the otherwise completed quilt top.  Tricky and fiddly but if you cut and mark the fabric accurately, and take your time with lining up the fabrics it does come together surprisingly well.

My biggest concern now is that I have almost run out of the solid fabric, there's definitely not enough solid fabric left over for the triangles along the outer edges.  And ... it's not a Kona Cotton in Slate after all!  It is close in color but not the same as the FQ I have in my stash.  I am guessing it is an Amy Butler (Free Spirit) solid fabric.

There are other options though and I think I will turn this negative into an opportunity for some more fabric play.  Surely there is something in my stash that will work for the outer triangles? 

Have a wonderful crafty day!
Rita