Strip Quilt

OK - I know this colourful quilt top doesn't match the wallpaper  -  but I just laid it out in the spare bedroom to check if it was big enough to cover a double bed.

I've still to back and quilt this top and it's going to be given to a local charity to use in a raffle,  It was easily pieced -  Just strip piecing onto a foundation - and it used up lots of scraps plus some fat quarters that I wasn't so fond of.  When pieced like this however, I don't dislike any of the fabrics in this top.

I was a bit unsure how to quilt it - but took some advice from Barbara, a prize winning quilter who is in the local quilt group.  I'm keeping it simple with some crossed wavy lines.

I had hoped to have it finished in time for this weekend as I go on holiday next week - but it's not going to happen!.  I'm missing the town's 'Charities Day' when we could probably have sold quite a lot of raffle tickets for this.  Never mind, I'll have it finished in time for the Highland Games day in August.

What do you think?  Would you buy a raffle ticket?

Baby rag quilt

A friend's  daughter had a baby girl recently and I decided I would try my hand at making a rag quilt. I ordered flannel online in pinks and white.  The batting was just another layer of flannel.  I kept it simple - just squares sewn together.  Then came the tedious part of snipping the seams.  It took me an evening just to snip the seams - mind you I was using ordinary scissors and my hand was just about dropping off by the time I had finished!
Then into the washing machine it went!  Warning - don't be tempted to put anything else in along with this quilt, or it will come out covered in threads!!
Next - very important step that I missed!  Take the quilt out to the garden and shake it hard - then shake it some more!!  Only then put it in the tumbler dryer. You don't have to keep it in the dryer till it's totally dry.  It just needs 10-15mins to fluff out the raggy seams.  And here's how it turned out.

I love the sheep - and I added in a little green I already had.  The quilt turned out perfectly!   The flannel is so lovely and soft for a baby.

Cot Quilt

When my granddaughter comes to stay with us she sleeps in a travel cot. When she grew out of her sleeping bags I decided I'd make a quilt for the travelcot.

I bought a panel which was made from flannel and minky.  Now I know it's blue and she's a very girly girl - but this was so cute I couldn't resist it.  Anyway, you've got to have a contrast to all that pink!!

I backed it in brown minky so it's lovely and soft and cuddly.  Don't you just love these cute puppies?

Lusting after fabric!!

What is it about some fabric ? - it calls out to me, I have to buy it!  I don't have a project in mind for it!  Sometimes I get home with it then think - what am I going to do with this??
It doesn't matter - sometimes just having it is enough!!

Like when I just happened past my local fabric shop the other day and popped my head in to say hello!
There it was on the shelf!   Just a few fat quarters of the loveliest batik .fabric.
Aren't they just delicious!

Then I spotted some really fun fabric!

Fish!  Lots of fish!!  What on earth could I make with this!  Oh it doesn't matter - I love it so I'll just buy it!!

This is how I end up with drawers full of fabric!  I look at it now and then!  stroke it - enjoy it - but cut into it??  How can I do that!

I have one fat quarter that I LOVE! It's a pretty lemon colour with parasols on it and I can't bear to use it.  Then it would be gone and I would no longer have the prospect of maybe using it one day!

Am I the only one!  Does anyone else just love to have fabric because it's pretty!!  

Watch this space - maybe one day I'll be showing a picture of what I've made with this fabric

Or again - maybe not!  ;)

Ruth's Quilt

My lovely mother-in-law Ruth has always been such an encouragement to me.  She prays faithfully for us and always has an encouraging word!  She's 92 now and is still as sharp as a pin.

I decided I would make her a quilt for Mother's Day.  I chose some fabric and thought I would just use a simple disappearing 4 patch pattern.

Once I had finished the pieced top I just didn't like it!  I went wrong somewhere in the piecing together and tried to compensate by shuffling blocks around!    Anyway -   I still didn't like it.  Don't know if it was the colours or the pattern or how they didn't work together................I REALLY DIDN'T LIKE IT!!!

So I bundled it up, stuck it in a corner and started from scratch- with different fabric and a different pattern altogether.   Pattern is maple leaves and I chose colours to represent all the seasons.  I did slip in some of the red coloured fabric I had use in the other top to make the small diamond shapes.

I like this pattern much better.
I backed the quilt in minky so that it was warm and soft for her to cover up when she had a wee lie down on her couch.
She loves it!



I like this one much better

Dolly Quilt

My 2 year old granddaughter Sofi, has a baby doll and a little pushchair that she pushes around the house.  When I was visiting she kept coming into the kitchen to take a dishtowel for a 'cover' for her baby!  So I though I'd better make a quilt for her baby.  Whipped it up in an evening!

She's a happy bunny!

Jenna's Throw

My daughter Jenna asked me if I would make her a quilt as a throw for her couch.  She has an eye for colour and her lounge is decorated in  pale grey and white with teal and lime green  accent colours.

I bought some fabrics that I felt would blend with her colour scheme.  A couple of Robert Kaufman's -
'Metro Living'  Lime Green with white circles and 'Spot On' a dotty white on white.  I also used 'Fresh' from Moda - blue and white with a tiny sprinkle of lime green  and 'Verona' from Riley Blake designs which is a paler blue with white flowers.

Then to find a pattern .....oh so many to choose from.  I discovered 'The Quilters Cache' online  .... lots and lots of inspiration and free block patterns.  I eventually settled on the pattern 'Carrie Nation'.   Here's the link to this great site - if you've never seen it I recommend it.  Quilters Cache.

Began cutting the pieces on 2nd January  and finished the quilt on 17th January.  I backed it in a teal coloured minky and bound it in the Moda fabric.   Then to finish off I made her 4 matching cushions.

Pieced Top Completed
then
Borders added
then
backed and bound

Winnie the Pooh

I decided my first attempt at a quilt should be something small (and easy), so I bought a quilt panel to make a cot quilt for my granddaughter. I bought batting - don't ask me now what type it was!  I knew nothing about batting at this stage. I had taken yellow fleece across to the the checkout as well but the checkout girl suggested that a dark blue may match better.  So I bought the dark blue.

When I got home (100 miles away from the shop) I discovered  that the blue fleece was a bit short to back the quilt panel.  It had been the end of the roll and I think the girl in the shop had just wanted rid of it!  I was a bit annoyed but decided that I didn't actually like it with this quilt anyway.  I ordered some pale blue fleece - more than enough - to back the quilt. I stitched in the ditch round the panel and round all the shapes in the quilt. Then turned the backing to form the binding.  Here's a picture of how it turned out. 

My granddaughter loved it - that's what I care about!

 

First Sewing Project

The very first thing to be created with my new sewing machine was a set of Christmas table mats.  I scoured websites about sewing/quilting to come up with ideas for patterns.
I found a block that looked reasonably simple to make  and headed to my local knitting/sewing shop for some fabric.
I bought some fat quarters of some Christmassy colours, then went to work.

. Here's a picture of the tops made.  I didn't take a photo of the finished mats but I quilted in the ditch and bound them with red bias binding.  These were given to my daughter for Christmas!  I also used some of the leftover fabric to make her a pincushion to go in her new sewing box I gave her for Christmas. Next project here I come!

Am I creative?

Last year, when my daughter decided she would like to get a sewing machine to try making her own curtains cushions etc., I squirreled away the idea, thinking it would be a good idea for a birthday or Christmas present for her!  Her birthday's in December, so at the end of November I began to look online for a sewing machine for her.  I wasn't going to buy an expensive one - just in case she found she hated sewing!!
I ended up seeing one on e bay - an ex demo model - that actually had lots of different stitches, needle threader, needle up/down etc. I bid for it and won it! Yay!  It sat in my living room for a week or two and I kept looking it, thinking 'Actually, I would like that for myself!   Will I open it??  I'd better - just to check it's ok!!  Will I try it out??  I'd better, just to make sure it's working for her!...........  I love this!!  I'm keeping it!!

It's my first real live 'working' sewing machine.  I did inherit an old frister-rossmann machine from my mother, but could never get it to work, so to sit at a sewing machine that actually sewed a straight line of stitches, didn't bunch up thread and held two pieces of fabric together beautifully...well.....this opened up a whole new world of possibilities!
What could I make?  I knew nothing about sewing so there began my quest?  ....and then I discovered quilting!  Well that was it!  A new love was born!  The last 5 months has seen me make 3 cot quilts & 2 throw quilts.  I have just completed a double bed quilt top. I'll show you all these in future posts.

I never imagined I could be creative?
As for my daughter........ I had to buy another sewing machine for her!!