Sunday Stash #15

Something blue, green, and floral:

I do enjoy preparing pictures for Sunday Stash, but I wish you could see me go about it. It takes forever, and in the process I also turn my fabric stash UP side DOWN!

This week the featured fabrics are, from left to right:

1. Anna Griffin for Windham Fabrics - The Darcey Collection - Dot Stripe in Green
2. Robert Kaufman - Pimatex Basics -BKT - 6001-39 in Willow
3. Not too sure where this fabric is from, however, it looks much like a Liberty Fabric, but it definitely is not. Any information anyone?
   
4. Anna Maria Horner - Social Climber - in Ice
   

Enjoy your weekend!

Modern Linen Baby Quilt

I have quietly been working away to stock my Etsy Store with more of these popular baby quilts.

Baby Quilt measures 24.5 inches x 31 inches

I am really enjoying making these, from selecting the fabrics and the piecing, to the quilting and the binding. (I am still not a great fan of basting!). I must say it certainly does get easier each time you quilt your own quilt and you get to know your sewing machine.

The Back

The printed fabrics that I used for this baby quilt were scraps from the quilt that I made earlier this week, and include some fussy cut flower fabrics from Kaffe Fassett.

The solid fabric used here is the ever popular Handkerchief Linen, a blend of 55% cotton and 45% linen. This colorway is called Birch. I have also again used QuiltLite as a batting to ensure this baby quilt is suitable for Summer seasons and warmer climates.

I have now updated my Etsy Store to include this delightful baby quilt.



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

Thursday - Parcel Day

Thursday at my house was parcel day - parcels coming in AND parcels going out!

Last month, the Flick Group - Fresh Modern Quilts celebrated having 1000 members by hosting a Giveaway, and I was the very lucky winner of this wonderful prize:

My winning bundle of fabric arrived in the mail today:

This envelope with the word "fabric" on was met with a little happy dance at the letterbox.

And the fabrics inside well worth all that anticipation. These fabrics have been dyed by the very talented artist Malka Dubrawsky from A Stitch in Dye. The colors so vibrant and the patterns so unique, I adore them all.

My favorite!

I will need some time to look at, touch, and play with these before I can even dare to cut them. However, I know that when I do get started I will be inspired by Malka's wonderful textile creations.

Lunar Dust and Frog Ponds

I have again been sidetracked, this time by one of my purchases at the Melbourne Craft and Quilt Fair last month. I bought some gorgeous solid fabric from Reece Scannell. They are a Sydney based company selling high quality cotton fabrics that have a silk-like reflective sheen.

Their solid fabrics are soft, light-weight and their color range is extensive. Their fabrics are available only in single packet lengths of 19 inches x 36 inches, and I purchased two pieces in colorway 56 Lunar Dust. It is a grey fabric, but with a texture not unlike that of linen.

Several of the fabrics that I had set aside for this little quilt featured frogs and the rest of the printed fabrics were picked to compliment the overall frog pond theme.

Finished Quilt Size: 24 inches x 31 inches

The back of this baby quilt is also pieced using some of the same printed fabrics as in the quilt top and the all of the remaining solid grey fabric.

I keeping with the overall light-weight feel of the quilt top and backing I used QuiltLite as a batting. I have used this product in some of my previous quilts, and can described it best as a very loosely woven flannel fabric.

QuiltLite

I love using this product as it makes for a really drapey and thin quilt. This quilt is more like a thin light-weight blanket and is definitely soft enough to use as a baby wrap.

This little frog pond was quilted with straight vertical lines just over 1 inch apart, and bound (by machine!) in a light green floral Japanese print. It is now for sale in my Etsy Store.

Be Brave

If you will cast back your mind to last week you might recall that, amongst others, I pulled out these fabrics:

When I first started making quilts I would select fabrics for a quilt top from just one range or designer, which took the challenge (and difficulty) out of selecting fabrics, but generally guaranteed a quilt top that looked nice. I have since then tried to step out of this comfort zone, playing with fabrics, mixing ranges, designers, colors and textures. I have not always been successful at it, but I have become more confident and it does get easier.

The fabrics that I selected last week were based on color but the aim was also to make a quilt top with fabrics from various designers, prints, textures and styles.

(It was hard to get a good photo today as it is overcast and windy in Melbourne!)

I therefore chose fabrics from Amy Butler, Kaffe Fassett, Valori Wells, Etsuko Furuya, Heather Ross, Mrs March 30's, Aunty Cookie, and added stripes, dots, toile, as well as texture with double gauze fabrics.

I have learned that although choosing fabrics is hard, you must not be afraid of throwing together colors and prints that you normally would not. This was the first time I have used a toile print in any of my quilts and actually really love the dainty drawings that add so much interest to the quilt.

Be brave and bold. Step outside your fabric comfort zone, you have nothing to lose.

Labels & Finished Quilts

Look what arrived in the mail Friday afternoon! Labels!

I ordered some custom made cotton tape to be used as labels from Lilla Lotta. This Etsy store has wonderful quality cotton tape/ribbon which Anna from Lilla Lotta, is happy to customize to your needs. I can highly recommend Lilla Lotta, Anna's communication was excellent, the service was speedy and a top quality custom product.

I immediately put the labels to good use. (I am notoriously lazy when it comes to labeling quilts!). I have finished the three baby quilts, label and all!

Baby Quilt - One

Baby Quilt - Two with Red binding

Baby Quilt - Three

The quilts are all the same size, measuring 25.5 inches x 35 inches. Baby quilts One and Three have the same binding, a green Micheal Miller dot called Heuvos. The backing of both these quilts is a lovely soft pastel blue monkey flannel fabric.

Baby Quilt One, Two and Three - Backing Sock Monkey by Erin Michael for Moda in blue flannel, and yellow cotton

Baby Quilt two has a Red binding with White polka dots. The backing is also a Sock M0nkey fabric, but this time just a cotton fabric. All three quilts have a top quality natural cotton batting by Matilda's Own.

These baby quilts have been added to my Etsy store or feel free email me if you would like more details.

Sunday Stash #14

When I first saw these two fabrics I was not initially inspired by their color, but I looked beyond to the printed design.

I love the whimsical freehand drawings on this fabric which all lend themselves really well to fussy cut blocks and panels as I did in this quilt:

Strawberries and Cream Baby Quilt (Click here to see)

These fabrics are by Valori Wells from her latest range Del Hi and are called Paisley in Earth and Scarlett.

In my Head

Do you have projects floating around in your head? Some that just float and you dismiss, and others that you just can't seem to shake? I do. Projects that you just can't help but start pulling fabrics out for, even though you have more unfinished projects on the go than you can handle?

That's what is happening here.

It happens all too frequently I am afraid.

I really would like to make a quilt with fabrics that are designed by vastly different designers. I have gathered together some Amy Butler, Kaffe Fassett, and Valori Wells, but also some classic stripes, toile, Echino double gauze by Etsuko Furuya, and Mrs March 1930's collection.

Some of these fabrics are way out of my comfort zone, and I am not even sure if they will all work well together. I am surely going to give it my best shot, but not until the binding is on those baby quilts! Maintain focus!

Three Baby Quilts

Progress has been made on the baby quilts I have been working on this week. There has been a lot of quilting going on around here and some late nights.

I did encounter a few tension problems, which is fairly unusual. A quick consultation with my sewing sister revealed that I was turning the tension knob the wrong way, of course! I can't get my head around tension, even after studying the sewing machine manual, I get it wrong. Yawn...

These baby quilts are now awaiting their binding. Aargh, not the binding. Once again I have encountered much indecision. But I will insist on finishing these this week.

Triplets anyone?

Wordless Wednesday

Well almost ....

Three Baby Quilt Tops

Made from printed cotton fabrics and Handkerchief Linen (Linen/Cotton Blend)