Two Finishes

It feels rather wonderful to be finished one project in particular this week as it's number one on my 'five WIPs to be completed before end of 2015' list.
I completed the top back in April for my son's 30th birthday. But didn't manage to quilt it until now. I have been quilting it since before August but there's a lot of quilting in this one.

It began with a fat quarter of feature fabric with deer on it - that's the snowball blocks in the centre. It grew from there and the first dark border is a piece of leftover fabric from a quilt I made for him when he was around 17 I think. I keep my scraps for a LOOOONG time.

The geese came together well but there was some creative maths in getting the spacing between the outer blocks I can tell you! Then I spent some time drawing (with a blue wash out type pen) lines to make the cross hatching in that outer border. The wadding is bamboo, which, if you didn't know (like me until I tried it) is quite heavy. So moving the quilt through my machine was quite an effort. But I'm pleased with it now, just to hand sew that binding down and add a label, then it's truly finished.
It's a 62inch square, so nice to snuggle up with if you're in a different Hemisphere to us at the moment where today's temperature is 33degrees Celsius.

My second finish (which I realised didn't even make the list of 5 to go!) is a sampler I made earlier in the year to teach a group of women who had never done sewing before. They have had a great time and I hope to show a photo of their efforts a little later. They are trying 'quilt as you go', rather than quilting the whole thing together. This was much lighter, being cotton and also 20 inches smaller, a 42inch square.
I had great fun with the quilting too.

This centre row of blocks with the house, friendship star and applique is my favourite. I was trying for the effect of curtains in the window, but we all laughed as I pointed out they look more like cobwebs - which is what happens when you get addicted to patchwork, housework comes much further down the priority list.

Well, now it's a list down to four, wow, four. Not necessarily in this order:

• A 2 1/2" scrappy square top that I've had done for longer than I remember (at least a couple of years I think) but it's for me so ends up on the bottom of the list. 
•  A log cabin where the strips are 1" wide, so it takes patience. I'm about half done with the blocks. 
•  What I call 'Bugs' quilt, not the bunny sort, but the insect sort, due to the feature fabric in it. It needs some more borders to complete the top. 
•  'What colour is Indigo?' this was a question posed by my husband. In reply I put together two Moda charm packs and added a little more. That needs its final borders and the top is done. 

So it sounds manageable, as long as I don't sneak in any more placemats (did 6 recently but the panel was on special and they look good) or table runners (the Christmas one I have begun to quilt will be really quick too).

Until next time,
Lynn
Linking up with: Freshly Pieced; My Quilt Infatuation and Confessions of a Fabric Addict

I really enjoy making scrap quilts. There's something about using the small pieces left over from a quilt to create something more, something bright, colourful and creative that just makes me smile. So as I completed the binding on this last quilt I had a wonderful sense of satisfaction.

It also brought me great pleasure to know that my list of works in progress is now down to five - and that means I can add others (eventually!). Technically I didn't finish it in October, since today is November first, but it mostly feels like it was done in October which means that I've done six of my WIPs in six months, plus a couple of extra quilts which I'm pretty happy about. 

As you can see from the photo, my 'helper' was in on the action, but only as long as she could look through the gate and make sure we didn't have any unexpected visitors coming along - she's nosy that way!

The scraps for the quilt were from a bit of a 30s collection from a quilt I made back in March (eventually given to a couple with their new born son) and so I continued the blue as a contrast that seemed to work well. As I see it completed now with the thinner blue on the final border, I kind of wished I had made the inner ones a little narrower, but anyway now it's done. 

I had fun quilting a simple loop and then daisy pattern that I'd seen somewhere on Pintrest - though that one was done in a square whereas mine I did more as an all over - though it's free-motion quilted on my Janome PC Q1600. I also learned the valuable lesson of oil - how essential it is to smooth sewing. You'd think I'd know that by now, but I guess when you're quilting and preoccupied it doesn't cross your (or my) mind until you suddenly realise it doesn't sound quite like its purring any more. 

The backing was again from my stash (hurrah!) with a cream border attached to each side of some blue and cream paisley type fabric. Seems to work well. 

So now, I continue to work with my five, yes 5 quilts on the go. I just won't mention anything else that may be lurking somewhere just waiting its turn as well - there just could be some that haven't even made it onto the list yet! 

Until next time, 

Lynn

I'm linking up with Confessions of a Fabric Addict and Slow Stitching Sunday (Kathysquilts.blogspot.com.au)

HI there,

A good way to end the week, handing over a finished scrap quilt to my friend who works at our local hospice. 'Squared away' is the third quilt I've passed to her. She nurses at the hospice and she tells me she enjoys seeing the splashes of colour on the end of the bed and knowing I made it - how nice is that?

I enjoy using up scraps and it helps me explore new things, like being random rather than so regulated and more free-motion quilting too. So I think it's a win win all round as I find a home for another quilt.

Now, on to my pile of 3 flimsies ready for quilting, just some wadding to add and then the sandwiching (is that really a word?)

Maybe I'll get another one crossed off the list next week so I can start yet another project!

Until next time,

Lynn

I'm linking up to Confessions of a Fabric Addict

New Year – new quilts

5 days into the New Year and part of my resolution this year is to post regularly (at least once a week) to keep up with whatever I’m working on. To catch up first of all, I made a couple of bags as Christmas gifts and then decided I’d like to change the pattern a little as I made the first for 2014. So here they are.

First Christmas gift bag

Second Christmas gift bag

I used a pattern from Patchwork & Stitching Vol. 4 No. 4 from 2004 designed by Ruth Jennings. It’s a good one and easily made up in a short time (for me usually a couple of days, but I don’t sit at it from start to finish).

Third bag with pattern change

Then I went on to quilt a flimsy I’d completed during 2013 – (there’ll be a few of those, which I guess are U.F.O.s but now become Works in Progress W.I.Ps, which sounds more productive).  I used up some scraps from child friendly fabric I’ve used in a number of quilts to date and adapted a pattern I’ve seen in a number of places, to suit the size I wanted. It’s 46″ x 351/2″ with the small squares being 3″finished. The free-motion quilting I did I feel like I’m improving. I started last year and this is around quilt number 10 with trying feathers, now swirls and other patterns. I really enjoy it on my fairly basic Janome 1600P QC. I bought it second hand and it’s semi-industrial, which comes in really handy with the walking foot taking any variations in thickness in it’s stride.

Fruit and Cream

I’d like to give names to quilts, but I’m not sure how to go about it. I don’t think I could give them actual names, like people, but in trying to think of a ‘title’ for this one, the only thing I’ve come up with so far is fruit & cream. Bit boring as the fabric in between the squares is cream and there are a number of lemons, apricots etc in the squares. How do others name their quilts? Does inspiration strike somehow?

Well, that’s all for now, so back to working on my next piece/s which are mostly cot sized quilts at present since I know a number of relatives and friends who are expecting happy bundles in 2014.

Until next time, Lynn