Doll quilt sneak peek - or why quilters are insane

The doll quilt swap is on again and here is a little sneak peek for my partner.

It has been a drama filled few months trying to get this quilt created.

Plan A would have been easy, there was plenty of fabrics in the stash that would have worked. But Plan A got pushed aside by Plan B when I uncovered a special fabric in the stash.

Plan B required a few more special fabrics. I found the border and background fabrics at a local quilt store, and the perfect backing and 'extra' fabrics on Ebay. The design was all worked out.

Then the fabric went missing in the post.

There was no way I could go back to Plan A after spending weeks thinking of Plan B, and I couldn't get substitute fabric in time to complete Plan B, so it was time to come up with Plan C.

Plan C required another search through the sewing cupboards and led me in a totally different direction.

Out came the 1930's fabrics I used for last year's swap and I unearthed some perfect neutral co-ordinates as well, so this will be totally made from the stash (yay me).

Plan C became Plan D and then has probably moved on to Plan E or even F, but I've given up trying to keep track. So much for a quick and simple doll quilt!

(As a post-script, the fabric for Plan B has been replaced by the seller and will probably turn up here before I finish this one. It will be hard to remain focused.)

And this is why quilters are insane - see those big squares in the top left corner?

They are 4 inch squares. Take two of those, sew them together, cut them apart, sew them together, cut them apart, sew them together and cut them apart again (give or take a few repetitions) and you (hopefully) end up with two 2-ish inch squares like those purple pin-wheels on the centre-left.

And see those tiny triangle off-cuts in the bottom right corner? I'm finding it hard to throw them out!

Insane.

Spring sewing

 Back in August I was intending to make these little zippered pouches for a spring-themed sew-along. August, September, October all came and went, but they were finally finished off in November.

Last I heard November was still in Spring, so guess it still counts :)

Perfect stash-busting sewing. The fabric was from a Spotlight quilters-cotton jelly roll out of the stash. The orange ribbon was tied around the jelly roll. The zipper was from the zipper box, and the lime green lining was a remenent from a garage sale job-lot that has been in the stash for years.

Despite the length of time it took to reach the finished project stage, these were remarkably quick, easy and satisfying to make.

Do you like the pretty calendulas from the garden? So sweet in the little brass vase picked up at the same garage sale and recently polished up during a bout of spring cleaning fever.

Here they are - two little pouches for two not-so-little birthday girls, and only a month or two late for their birthdays.

And if you look closely you can see a freshly picked cucumber snuggled into the fruit bowl.

Spring sewing, spring gardening and spring cleaning all in one post :)

Star quilt - on the bed

Exactly two years after blogging that I'd completed this quilt top I managed to finnally attach the binding. It took a few days of hand sewing to get it all done but now it is complete and in use:

That blue valance does not do it any justice, a quick trip to the shops will fix that. I'm very happy with my stars. The quilt needs a name and a label - any ideas?

Getting closer to a completed quilt

I've been busy quilting away amd look how much I've completed!

Just need to do the borders now.

And here is a shot of the back with the light shining through.

It is very hard to get a shot that shows up the quilting. I'll try again when it is bound.

June 23 - Cars 2!

This was a 'Nuffnang' post - only posted because I expected to recieve free movie tickets.

Be warned, if you go to the effort of doing as they ask expecting to get a freebie in return, don't be too upset if nothing arrives in the mail.

Don't expect anything other than a curt reply from the 'customer service' department either.

Under the needle (or Surprise...I'm quilting!)

I've finally forced myself to sit down and get some quilting done on my big star quilt.
I was crazy enough to unpick everything I had done, peel off the backing, replace it with a lighter fabric and then rebaste the whole thing.
It was a big effort but I am much happier with the way the quilting looks on the new fabric.
Lesson learned: don't let the quilt shop lady talk you into a fabric you really don't want.

I chickened out on the free-motion and am using the walking foot instead. It means lots of turning and pushing and so on but I'm learning a lot as I go. I'm finding it easier to manage the more I do and my stitching is becoming more even. Pity I can't sew a straight line...

As soon as this is quilted and bound I will try some more free-motion on a much smaller quilt.

I'm not quite half-way through and so far I really only have one little section I'm unhappy with. I'm prepared to call it a learning experience and leave it alone.

Simple Quilt-As-You-Go Potholder Tutorial

This is a super-easy project and a beginner can easily whip up a batch of these in an afternoon.

(This is my first attempt at writing a tutorial so please leave a comment if you notice something wrong with the instructions)



Requirements to make one 10.5" square potholder:

1. 6.5" square feature fabric


2. Scraps of co-ordinating fabric (I used 3 fabrics, each aprox 6" by 10"


3. 1 x fat quarter for backing and binding


4. 2 x 10.5" square cotton batting


5. Thread to match backing fabric


6. Walking foot


7. Pins/ruler/cutting mat/rotary cutter

Step 1: Cut 1 x 11.5" square from your backing fabric. Lay it out right-side down and then centre the two 10.5" squares of batting on top of the wrong side of the backing square. Pin securely through all three layers at each corner.

Step 2: Cut a 6.5" square from the feature fabric. (This is a great way to use printed panels). Centre the feature fabric square on top of the batting/backing sandwich.



Step 3: Cut the scraps of co-ordinating fabrics into strips. I cut 4 x 1.5" strips from each fabric, but you can vary the width of your strips, or cut them on an angle to create different effects.


Step 4: Trim the first two strips to 6.5" and pin one strip to each side of the feature square, right sides together.


Step 5: Using a walking foot and a 1/4" seam allowance, stitch the first two strips in place, using a straight stitch and a longer stitch length than you use for normal sewing (I used stitch length 3).
Start and stop stitching between 1/8" and 1/4" from the edge of the fabric.
Pull the bobbin threads through to the front, tie them off and trim them. The next row of stitching will cover the ends.

Step 6: Flip the two strips open and "finger press" them flat. (Run your finger along the seam line to make the strip sit flat). Pin the next two strips in place to complete the frame around the feature square and stitch in place in the same way.




Step 7: Flip these strips open and finger press. Add the next row of strips in the same way and continue for each row untill the batting is covered.

Note: After you finger press each set of strips open, roughly trim edges of the strip level with the edge of the batting square. (Photo courtesy of the three-year-old...)

Step 8: Use the rotary cutter to trim the edges of the completed block and backing level with the edges of the batting.

The piecing and quilting is now all complete. Here is the back view showing the quilting.

Step 9: Bind as normal and add a hanging loop at the same time.
Here is a tutorial that shows how to attach the binding: http://http//modifytradition.blogspot.com/2010/02/potholder-tutorial.html
I use 2.5" strips for my binding.
Use a leftover strip of binding to make a hanging loop.
Fold the long raw edges into the centre and press, then fold the strip in half so the raw edges are sandwiched in the centre of the strip.
Stitch close to the each edge along the length of the strip.
Fold the strip in half (short edges together) to form a loop.
Stitch the loop inside the binding seam allowance on the back of the potholder before turning binding and stitching it in place on the back (you would do it before commencing step 3 of the Modify Tradition binding tutorial).

Step 10: Find a spot to hang your fantastic new potholder where everyone can admire it. Maybe even bake a chocolate cake to test it out!

Step 11: Sew up lots more for handy house-warming gifts...