Tuesday, January 17, 2012

A Cascade of Color

Touching base today to let you know that I am still behind the sewing machine.  More blocks have been made, and I may even have started piecing the blocks into a quilt top ...







I have been in fabric heaven piecing these blocks! The patchwork blocks you see here are made using many of my all time favorite designer fabrics, some salvaged from the scrap bin, others cut from stash.

Meanwhile a huge pile of fabric needs returned to stash.  Do you return fabric to stash as you go?  Or like me in a creative frenzy, allow that pile of fabric to turn into a fabric mountain ready to collapse?

Rita

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Sunday, January 15, 2012

Sunday Stash #125

Introducing a new fabric type to my rapidly growing fabric stash:

Loulouthi Velveteen by Anna Maria Horner

100% Cotton Velveteen!  Now, I'll confess right up that I've not worked with velveteen before so I can't tell you (yet) what it is like to work with.  What I can tell you though that it is low pile fibers feel velvety plush and luxuriously soft.  The colors are rich and saturated.

The weight of this velveteen collection feels perfect for home decor, bags and accessories, pillows/cushion, and of course I wouldn't hesitate piecing it into a quilt!  It is supple and super soft and even a little fancy.


Favorite prints: 
From left bottom left to top right:  Coreopsis in Marine, Clippings in Lichen, 
In the Clearing in Jade, Summer Totem in Emerald, 
Zap Zig in Aztec, Clippings in Amethyst.


Enjoy Sunday!

Tuesday, January 10, 2012

Patchworking

I have my fabric stash organized by color:  black/grey, red, pink, orange, green, blue, yellow, white (and then there are those prints that aren't dominant in any of those colors).  I really love this arrangement, and enjoy the color spectrum as I work away on my quilts. 


To kick start 2012 I thought it might be nice to work with my fabric stash, piecing simple patchwork blocks from within each of the stashed colors.

 Blue .... Red .... Yellow .... Green ...  

and Orange ...


I have also been enjoying collecting the selvages as I delve deep into my fabric stash.  It doesn't take much to make me feel quite content.

There are more blocks to be made.  I'll keep stitching.
Rita

Sunday, January 8, 2012

Sunday Stash #124 Half Moon Modern

The glorious colors, irrespective of the prints, make this the perfect bundle of  RPQ fabric! 


Of course, I couldn't resist.  A little New Year cheer for myself, although the postman made me wait longer than I thought possible.  I hope you agree it was worth the wait ...
The prints are graphic, bold and fun, and the colors are sharp, vibrant and saturated.  I have been tempted to split the bundle up as the colors easily fall into my color coded stash.  However I am not ready yet to give up the nicely bundled eye candy, moving it around my sewing area for viewing, and prodding.

Enjoy Sunday!
Rita

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Friday, January 6, 2012

Cladonia III

As soon as my new curtains were up and being admired from afar, I turned to my yarn stash, and without so much as a moment of guilt I started a second knitting project.  I don't generally like having two knitting projects on the go (as I tend to forget what I am up to) but happily made an exception.  This time.

The Yarns:  
Madeline Tosh Merino Light
Butter, Antler and Silver Fox


The Pattern:  
Cladonia by Kristin Kapur (Again!)

Knitting is my time out, my relaxation, and I make no excuse for having repeated this pattern, Cladonia, for the third time.  It is for the most part very easy knitting and purling, increasing stitches at regular intervals with stitch markers as reminders to do so.  Perfect holiday knitting.


And the yarn ... so dreamy soft ... makes for the most gorgeous knitted "fabric". Some fierce wet blocking has also nicely removed the irregularities of my left handed knitting idiosyncrasies.


I have followed the pattern verbatim however admit to adding my own stripe study variation by introducing a third color, striping for three rows at regular intervals with the darker yarn which I then also went on to use for the lacy edge (and nicely finished up a leftover skein).



For more pictures and all the details check out my Ravelry page:





There is no shortage of shawls here; just days when the weather is cool enough to wear them.

Rita

Wednesday, January 4, 2012

A Little Holiday Crafting

For all the ham, turkey and plum pudding, I couldn't find my knitting groove over the Christmas break.  I so tried, and had to grit my teeth as I ripped the lace edge of my knitting project back to the body of the shawl, not once, but twice.  

Instead the itch to sew was constant.  So shortly after Christmas I gathered together my vintage sheet collection, whipped out the rotary cutter and not long thereafter the sewing machine whirred back into action.


The plan was to make a pair of patchwork curtains for the double window in the upstairs bedroom.  Something so simple was soon complicated by a desire to line these curtains with a heavenly lightweight sheer cotton.  Several hours was spent (read wasted) contemplating the lining, the layering, hemming, bias binding for edges, nifty ways to suspend the curtains, etc.


However, as soon as I had finished the first fully lined curtain, I didn't like the way it was hanging.  The fabric had lost some of it's natural drape (probably because of my lack of experience working with sheer fabric).  And so with seam ripper in hand, the patchwork fabric was taken back to it's basic state; just squares sewn together ~ no sheer lining, no pretty Liberty bias binding.


In fact, although both the sides of the curtains have been hemmed, the bottom edge is raw; let's call it organic, natural, edgy.


Once I was happy with the finish (or lack of finish) of the first curtain, the second took no time at all to complete.


I am rather pleased with my decorating efforts and have already measured up another window ready for a similar treatment. 


Such happy, carefree sewing; let 2012 commence!
Rita

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Saturday, December 31, 2011

Goodbye 2011 ...

Goodbye 2011
... And what a wonderful and creative year it was!

Just a few of my favorites!

To all of my dear readers,
Wherever you may be,

I wish you all a Happy, Healthy
and Creative 2012!

Rita

Friday, December 23, 2011

BTN 2

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Behind The News (BTN) at RPQ ~ Snippets of my everday ...


Follow redpepperquilts on Instagram!

Rita

Wednesday, December 21, 2011

A Tumble in the Woods ~ A Finished Quilt


The last quilt for 2011!  
A Tumble in the Woods (thank you for naming my quilt Aneela!)


All of Aneela's fabric collections for Moda have been such a pleasure to work with, and combining all three fabric collections ~ Sherbet Pips, Little Apples and A Walk in the Woods ~  was effortless and went without a hiccup.


For the quilt back I have used one of my favorite prints from the Sherbet Pips collection ~ Scooters in Vanilla Ice.  The images (above and below) clearly show the quilting grid created by outlining the seam lines, some multiple times.


Zig-zagging along all of the vertical seam lines was more work than envisioned, but contributes to the finished look of the quilt, and compliments the patchwork tumbler blocks.  I wouldn't hesitate doing so again.


For the binding fabric I have used a black and white stripe fabric ~ Michael Miller - Clown Stripe, although this one is a little wider than my standard black/white pin stripe fabric.  Love it!


I have updated my Etsy Store and you can find the listing for this quilt here:

--

And that concludes my sewing journey for 2011.  I am looking forward to spending the next week or so unwinding with family and friends.  Of course I will be stopping by here ...  (who knows, I may even sew a little something), and have some rather fun things scheduled here for all of my readers to celebrate Christmas/Holidays, and to welcome the New Year!  

You won't want to miss out ..
Rita

Tuesday, December 20, 2011

A Walk in The Woods ~ Quilt Top

No Mondayitis here. I have made an early start this week, and have not allowed Monday slip by in a blur, as is often the case. 


Of course it helps that the school/Summer holidays are now in full swing, and that the teens consider themselves independent, and enjoy a fair amount of freedom; all of which leaves me plenty of time to spend with my fabric stash, rotary cutter, and sewing machine.  I am not complaining.


As promised I have cut right into my Fat Eight bundle of A Walk in the Woods by Aneela Hoey (Moda) (See Sunday Stash #123).  Unfortunately the tumbler block design only allowed for three such blocks to be cut from each fat eight piece of fabric, however it also meant that I have had to delve back into my fabric stash to add a little extra to the quilt top.


I couldn't think of an easier way to extend my small collection of A Walk in the Woods than by adding fabrics from the Sherbet Pips and Little Apples collections, both also designed by Aneela Hoey.  These fabric collections compliment each other and combine delightfully.


In addition to Aneela's fabric collections (Sherbet Pips, Little Apples, and A Walk in the Woods), I have also used (see above image):

      I am now preparing the quilt backing, and getting myself organized to start quilting.

      Thank you for stopping by,
      Rita