A PRETTY FINISH!

Good morning!  I'm very pleased to say I have a finished quilt to show you today...especially because it is soooo pretty! I fell hard for Milk, Sugar and Flower and bought a complete fat quarter set along with some yardage which I rarely do these days.  I completed three tops in short order and just got around to finishing up one of them...

 

This was the last of the tops and was made with the Crazy Eights pattern which calls for eight fat quarters and finishes at 38 x 45 inches. I think it also lends itself well to scraps. I believe the largest piece is 5 1/2 inches.  Fortunately, I had just enough bits and pieces to squeak out the quilt top and I LOVE the finished product!  I really love all the Penny Rose fabric lines, but this is a particular favourite.

Linking up with Amanda Jean for Finish It Up Friday!

Have a spooky weekend!

 

L-O-V-E!!!!

 

That one word pretty much sums up how I feel about this quilt! It was so much fun reaching into my huge scrap bin and pulling out little pieces of fabric at random and trying to remember when I bought the fabric and what I made with it.

 

Of course, this quilt pattern was designed by none other than Amanda Jean, who has been a HUGE inspiration to me since my very early quilting days.  She was the one who made me realize it was okay to just 'go for it' and that I didn't necessarily have to be limited by pattern and colour.

 

It has been an interesting process watching my quilting journey evolve over the years.  For so long, my quilts were inspired by the contrast of colour against white...now, I seem to want colour, colour, colour! Let's see where my journey takes me!

 

If you're interested in whipping up one of these, the pattern can be found here... 



(This is the March/April 2013 issue.)

 



My quilt is a smaller version and measures about 36 x 42 inches. Perhaps it's time for an adult version.

Linking up with Finish It Up Friday!

Have a great weekend everyone!

The First of Many!

I felt it was about time I did a little precision piecing. It seems like most of the quilts I make are fairly simple.  When visiting one of my favourite blogs, I came across a free tutorial for this sweet mini quilt...

 

 

Isn't it adorable?

I have the feeling there are many more of these in my future!

Just when I was feeling all smug about my great piecing skills, I fortunately noticed a little error...

 

 

The free pattern can be found here...one of my favourite blogs.

Linking up with Amanda Jean for Finish It Up Friday!

Have a great weekend!

Better Late Than Never!

I just realized I completely forgot to post about my May finish!  This is 4/12 in my plan to finish up 12 WIPs this year!

I saw this fabric here, my go-to online Canadian fabric shop and just fell in love with it! I do tend to lean more towards 'girly' fabrics but this one really caught my eye!

 



 

Rocket Age by Riley Blake! I bought a jelly roll and some yardage and put together this cute little rail fence quilt!  I don't know why I took so long to finish it up...I love it!  I've always been drawn to Riley Blake fabrics and this one was no exception. I especially love the back...

 

 

A little vintage-y and great colours for a little boy!

It feels great to finish up some of these projects, and if I can stay on task for the rest of the year, I think most of my UFOs will be done!  What a great feeling!

Have a great weekend!

What I'm Working On!

Or should that be...'what I'm not working on!'

I used to fret about having too many projects on the go. Too many quilt tops, too many partial blocks made, too many stacks of fabric waiting to be cut up, not to mention too many books, patterns, magazines, etc. Fabric to be washed, fabric to be bought, decisions made about what quilt to make with what fabric...anyway, you get the idea...right?!

But slowly I have come to realize...it's not a race.  There is no rush to complete projects other than the simple fact so that I can move on to something else.  And that is precisely why I like having several projects on the go. There is not always time to baste and quilt a project...but there is time to work on blocks, such as these guys...

 



 

Fun to make but a little time-consuming.  When I find myself with a little time to sew, I can sit down at my machine and make a couple of these in half an hour or so!  They are a great way to use up scraps, too! So now, instead of coming into my sewing room and turning around and walking out, I allow myself the simple pleasure of working on whatever project I feel like and whatever time permits!

 

Meow!

Considering my love for cats, I find it strange I have never made a 'cat' quilt and decided it was time to remedy that situation! Using Elizabeth's tutorial, I put together this cute little baby quilt...

 

 

Love it!  I had to use this sweet little mouse print for the centre block...

 



 

And, just because these blocks were so much fun to make, I finished off with this...

 

 

I think I may have to make one of these for myself!

Linking up with Amanda Jean for Finish It Up Friday!

Have a great weekend!

 

I'M ON A ROLL (and a long-winded tutorial)!

In keeping with my plan to finish one WIP a month for the next year, here is April's finish...



 

 

A little background about this semi-wholecloth quilt. This started out as an experiment quite a few months ago. I wanted to try making a quilt using the sew and turn method, in other words making a quilt without the need for binding. I was worried about doing FMQ on this type of quilt, but decided to give it a try.  Unfortunately, I didn't take any pictures along the way, but let me share with you my method for making this type of quilt! 

I first constructed the top which measures about 34 x 39 inches. I used a cute print for the centre and then simply added a 2 inch strip of solid to the bottom and top and then a coordinating print. 

This is where I got creative. I first sewed the top to the batting.  I cut a piece of batting a little larger than the top. I laid this on top of my ironing board and placed the quilt top on the batting wrong side down. I then pressed the top to the batting one section at a time moving it over the ironing board as I went. I then sewed the quilt top to the batting on my machine about 1/8 inch from the edge all the way around.  This left me with the top and batting as one unit which is much easier to work with than three pieces.

The next step was to sew the quilt top/batting to the backing fabric.  Again, I laid my backing fabric on my ironing board, right side up, and placed the quilt top/batting on top, right sides together, and pressed all three layers together adjusting it on the ironing board as I went. I then sewing them together with a 1/2 inch seem allowance all the way around leaving an opening of about 6 inches.

I turned the quilt inside out, gave it a good press, pin-basted it and did a double row of top stitching around the edge sealing the opening.

The next step was to FMQ it which was the part that made me nervous. With the edges of the quilt sealed I was worried about puckers on the back.  Much to my delight, it turned out perfectly with absolutely no issues.  I even tried a new quilting design, which, although not perfect, I'm pretty pleased with.  Here is a picture so you can see...

 

 

You can even see the little FMQ heart in the corner which I add to all my quilts.

Okay...I think this is my longest post ever. I hope my little tutorial is clear...if not, let me know and I will try to clarify it for you.

Linking up with Amanda Jean for Finish It Up Friday!

Have a great weekend.

 

March Finish!

Well, I managed to just squeak out my March finish (see previous post)!  I'm determined to keep on track with my plan to finish up one WIP a month for the next year.  It felt great to check this one off my list...

 



 

This is one of my favourite fabric lines!  Good-Natured by Riley Blake! I find myself continually drawn to fabric by this company. This is the second (and last) quilt from the FQ bundle purchased last year.  I had made a larger quilt which I sold at a craft fair and I was left with just enough to put together this little baby quilt and bib! I have a few tiny pieces left which will go into my ever-growing scrap pile bin!

Now...onto April's finish!

 

I'M BACK...WITH A (SELF) CHALLENGE!

Wow!  That was a long unintended break.  I didn't mean to be gone for so long, but sometimes life gets in the way. Anyway, I hope to be here more often from now on!

 

I've decided to start this year off with a challenge to myself. This is something I've done in the past (for example, read the paper every day, give up meat for a year [which led to me becoming a vegetarian]). 

 

This year, my challenge is quilt-related!  Like most quilters, I have a stack of quilts in various stages of completion. Mostly tops...but a few with a little more work to be done.  My challenge is to finish one each month to be either given away or donated. Seems like a realistic goal, doesn't it!  And I will still have lots of time to work on new projects!

 

I didn't manage to get one finished in January (oops) so I will have to make up for that!  Here's my finish for February...

 



 

This sweet little quilt was given to a co-worker. She is thrilled to be expecting a baby girl in a few months and I was happy to pass it on to her!

 

What are your challenges for the year?

 

Linking up with Finish It Up Friday!

Have a great weekend!