Two Finishes

The New Year has begun with technically only one finish, the other was actually a Christmas gift, but I haven't blogged about it yet, so it's included here.

So this is it: 

It was a gift for a great nephew born in November. I guess you can tell his name. I had fun cutting out the small sections of the Hungry Caterpillar from the whole fabric. Then I put a few small borders around sashed it with the running pattern and added the checked border. The quilting was where I had fun and learned a new skill. I hadn't done any shadow type quilting to this extent before, so it was a learning curve, but a good one.

And while the cross hatching around the name looks effective, I must remember just how time consuming it is and its certainly easier if you're just doing it across negative space. Still as with most quilts, once its done it feels good to have achieved it and to hand it over.

The second is a bow tie, but in a different layout to one I'd done earlier in 2016. I decided to make it more scrappy too (the other was a blue/yellow combination). I chose to do a Baptist fan pattern which was also quite time consuming but lovely to see it unfolding.

 

Here it is on a bed before I'd added the binding. I did mark it up with dissolvable pen and so I gave it a bit of a rinse to get all the blue out before I put the binding on - that impatience to see how its going to look on a bed.
Then I laid it out on the deck (thankfully a lovely sunny day)

And finally the back, which was a simple print of three words: love, joy and peace which seemed perfectly appropriate since that's what I was having as I quilted it at our holiday place near the beach.

I'm pretty happy with that as a start to 2017. Now I still have to get back to that unfinished list from last year......

Zipper Pouches tutorial

Wow, has it really been a month since I've posted anything? I have been busy I know. I've been attempting to complete two projects, this one:

Which is a quilt as you go. I've still to add the borders on, but its gone OK so far. There's also another quilt that is more traditionally sandwiched that is at the 'begun but not yet completed' quilting stage. But as Christmas approaches, I've been working on some zippered pouches as gifts for friends in our quilting group. 

Now these may be old hat to many of you but I hadn't had cause to insert a zipper in decades. So I felt quilt pleased with myself at getting to grips with how to do this as part of a lined pouch. Here follows some instructions if you too haven't done one of these in a while. 

First of all take some squares (mine were 8 and 1/2") of fabric. I did mine in two tone style which helps to use up scraps but also makes them a bit more fun. I also used pellon to help give some stiffener and structure. 

Also cut two pieces of lining. First of all assemble your fabric, pellon and backing (if you want to use one, I prefer to as it makes movement through the machine a bit easier too). Quilt as desired. I did some with cross hatching, some free-motion patterned. 

Next take your zipper and lay it face down onto the now quilted outer part of the pouch - right side up. 

Put your lining on top, right side facing down, pin and sew across the top (using a zipper foot on your machine). Sorry took this photo before I pinned! I paused along the way and opened the zipper so that I had an easier way to sew along the zipper without the opener/closer (head?) being in the way. 

Once you've sewn that one side of your zipper, lay your second outer section of your pouch right side facing up as before, this time to lay the zipper face down, you need to flip the lining over so that its right side is visible (as below). 

Again arrange so that your second piece of lining is face down, pin across the top and sew through the other side of the zipper. 

Next open up the two halves of your pouch so that the lining is right sides together on one side and the outer parts of the pouch on the other. Pin around but make sure you do two things:

Firstly open the zipper so that when you go to turn the whole thing out you can do that. 

Secondly, leave a gap in the lining, (around 3-4 inches) also so that you can turn it completely the right way once you have sewn around the edges. 

Lining above - note the gap to leave open between the two blue pins. 

The outer half of the pouch - the pink chevron is just the backing I used as I quilted it. 

I thought this 'in process of turning through' shot looked like some kind of animal with a green tongue poking out! That's the right side of the outer pouch coming through the lining hole. 

And hey presto, when you pull it all through you get these neat pouches. You do need to just sew that hole in the lining, otherwise all the bits and bobs you put in the pouch will disappear between the lining and the outer part. 

I'm enjoying the process, I've made around nine so far with a few more to go. Thank goodness its not December yet!

Until next time,

Lynn

Bow Ties

I've been having fun with this bow tie quilt. Not one that was on my goal list - must get back to those, I'm behind even from September, but meanwhile I enjoyed using my scraps, except for the backing for this one.

I was inspired by Sarah [Confessions of a Fabric Addict] and her post which I think was back in March or May where she used green scraps to make one a little larger than this. I'm clearly much slower when it comes to completing projects, but I had fun with the quilting too. 

You can see I did a simple quilt around the bow ties themselves and a little chain loop in the background pieces.  My free-motion quilting is getting a work out doing straight lines but I'm getting better at them and its far easier than changing to my walking foot and then turning the quilt frequently. 

And as I mentioned, I only had to get a backing for this quilt. This navy with a small gold coloured shape seemed to fit the bill. 

 

Not sure whether this might find a home at our local hospice. I don't currently have anyone else who needs a quilt that I can think of. I've also already begun cutting out more ties for the next quilt - more of a varied colouring for that one. 

But meanwhile I must get on and finish my other goals. This is one from September which may get completed this month. I like the on point setting and since it's almost together, with the corners needed, I'll just need to sandwich it and get on with more quilting. 

Until next time,

Lynn

Free-motion quilting

Well my September goals are still not progressed one iota, but perhaps by the end of the day they may move forward a smidgeon. Part of the reason is a beautiful quilt that I didn't do the blocks or assembly of - here below, the embroidery and assembly done by a friend.
She didn't want to do the quilting though, so I said I'd be happy to do a simple stitch in the ditch and then a loopy flower in the cornerstones and a kind of stretched figure 8 in the border.
So that's what I've been doing.

The quilt itself is just lovely - a graduation gift for her daughter. The buildings are local to Perth, Western Australia. My friend enjoys the embroidery (not really my thing on my machine) and so I was very pleased to help. 

I think the final product, once the binding is on, will be such a special graduation gift, one for her daughter to cherish over the years. So I feel quite chuffed to be a small part of it.  A little nerve wracking to begin the first stitches, since I've never done something (other than just a gift) for any one else like this before. I think she'll be happy with it though, so that's the main thing. 

Now speaking of main things, better get on with September goals!

Until next time,

Lynn

September Goals

We're already five days into this month before it dawned on me that means new goals! I think I was still lingering in August.
I have been busy, just not really on the goals I thought I'd be working on.

I'm working on a couple of projects - one for a friend who is sending things off to Tanzania (blankets for babies or elderly), and another who is raising funds for Burundi- her brother works with villagesoflife.org there.
The year since I made a quilt for the Burundi effort, seems to have flown by. This year my friend suggested bags might be a good idea. So I enthusiastically began the first one, thinking I'd take it easy with a ready made print in squares.
Having done the lining, pockets and all, I was feeling quite chuffed with myself, until I realised one rather large error once I turned it all through - (having secured the handles going over them several times of course!). Here it is in all its glory.

I'm sure being astute people you all realised its upside down!! If only I'd thought to check that before I sewed the bottom and side seams and then cut the corners off to make the squared bottom. Ah well, fortunately I had another duplicate of all the fabric so I did make another one. I guess I'll just have to keep and use this one myself - and let that be a lesson to me!

So, on to September. I think this will be completed into a blanket to accompany a couple of others to Tanzania. Here's hoping I can get it done. 

Another friend (thank goodness for them, but they can create work sometimes!) asked me about making a weighted bag, just a lap size for some of the Pre-Primary students in her and a colleague's classes. The inner part of the bag goes together quite quickly, but I thought an outer bag might make the washing easier, even though it has Poly-pellets inside. 

So I added a few bits and bobs and here are a couple just lounging around on the sofa:

What amazes me is the calming effect the weight seems to have on children who are somewhere on the autism spectrum. Any shouting out, or inability to sit still for a while seems to be addressed with the weight across their lap. Very glad someone discovered this at some point. 

So, I hope to get back to the quilting soon, but since September only has 30 days, I've only 25 left already!

Until next time,

Lynn 

Postage Stamp 2

Several months ago (January this year actually) I did a 2 inch postage stamp quilt that I really liked- such a great way to use up those scraps.
Only problem was it was rather small - 41" x 52", more a baby sized quilt. I've enjoyed seeing it laying around on a chair or bed, but since a friend of mine is soon to be a grandma for the first time, I thought it might make a nice quilt for her to either use or pass on to her son and daughter-in-law.

Here it is in the bottom left of the photo, with its newer larger sibling recently created.

So I thought OK, I'll have another go, using two and half inch squares this time to make it a little larger to go on a single bed. (This one is a 57" x 77" now). So I did some of the 16 patch blocks by hand at night, then as I laid them out on the floor, chose a little more carefully so that the oranges and reds were more scattered over the surface.

Another shot of some of all of those squares. So glad I didn't count them until I'd finished, not sure I would have kept going if I'd realised there were 824! Who am I kidding, of course I would have kept going. 

These things are definitely addictive! So I kept cutting more squares and adding to the blocks. I sandwiched it a couple of weeks ago and did the straight line quilting only a week ago. For the first white border I was keen to try some 'ribbon candy' I think its called. Scrap quits are great places to try new quilting I find. So I gave it a go. I'm quite pleased with the result, though corners will take quite a few more attempts until I'm happy with them.

I realised that in order to do the final border, I needed to make sure I knew where to put the frames for the quilting I wanted to do there.  So I actually put the binding on first - something I haven't done before on a quilt either. So having done that I'm debating about doing a more open figure eight kind of pattern in that final white border in the next day or so.

Still, its usable now and I have all those lovely reminders of quilts I've made in the past - lovely to glance at it as I go by!
One of my goals for August completed, so on to the next one I go - unless of course I get distracted along the way.
Until next time,
Lynn

August goal(s)

Yes, August, the eighth month of the year is actually here. I have posted various quilts along the way, but haven't always managed to post the goal and then the completed quilt in a timely way to link up with Red Letter Quilts, so here goes for August.
I have several quilts on the go (what else is new?) and as to what order they will get completed in I'm not entirely sure. First of all there's the 2 and half inch squares that began as me cutting scraps rather than putting them away - well, we know how addictive that can be! So I have quite a few all sewn up, but having made a 2 inch one of these - (likely to be given away as a baby gift) I realised I might want to keep a reminder of a number of quilts I've made and given away in the past and this could be a nice way to do it. So it may continue to grow yet.
Project number 1 - (for now).

Then there are these Amish type rolling stars that I've actually done half of - just need to stay focused and complete the other ones in varying colours. I like how they meet and create more space - Hmm, how will I quilt that? Oh yes, and I've remembered I was going to try another quilt as you go with a very narrow pale grey sashing on this one. Project number 2. 

Then I was making up a sample block for a friend who wanted to try a star and wasn't sure of the dimensions. Well, that led to me adding some more and then an alternate block to go with it. Not sure about sashing or quite what to do yet.... Project number 3:

And then I had some half square triangles that just didn't quite seem to be going together. I realised the one that I'd chosen as a feature and then tried to get others in the various colours, was the key one that was not really fitting in. Then as often happens, as I was tidying some corner where fabric was lurking, I found something that just made sense. Here's what I mean: 

The 'balloon' fabric - if you look closely you'll see that multi-coloured fabric is actually little hot air balloons, the one I was trying to match with blue, orange etc fabrics. Well, the one I found is the corners with 'rope' - how fitting is that for a hot air balloon? Needs to be tied down at some point, a bit like Project number 4!

Well, I could go on, Stretched Stars (Project Number 5) and I'd really like to make a Bookcase quilt for a friend (number 6) but I'd better not start anything else really had I.....

Until next time,

Lynn