Tag: Quilting

A Diamond Jubilee Celebration fit for a Queen!

If you’ve been living under a rock, in a cave, under the bed or are just plain ignorant, you may have been unaware that this weekend was the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee. The hype about this event has been building up for months and the UK has been dressing up the London city streets with an abundance of Monarchy pride!

As a great lover of all things British, and the fact my dad’s an Englishman, we celebrated the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee in style in the form of a ‘simple’ Sunday dinner.

I decked out our table with some red and blue gingham fabric, a Union Jack printed tea towel the folks bought back from their European holiday last year, my Grandmother’s 1950’s print frame of the Queen when she was younger along with fancy crockery, glasses and goofy crown hats!

We had Coronation Chicken sandwiches, a Victoria Sponge, Jam Tart and Shortbread biscuits. We started dinner with some sparkling grape drink (non-alcoholic for the teetotallers in our family) followed by leaf-tea in fancy cups and saucers with our dessert. We truly enjoyed ourselves by doing something different while acting silly with our posh little pinky fingers in the air as we sipped our tea and spoke in posh English accents – well attempted to anyway!

Before our fancy dinner, I had dedicated the afternoon to watching some of my favourite British films.

I started with About a Boy then treated my self to the ridiculously funny and classic Bridget Jones. I did have all intentions to watch Four Weddings and a Funeral but Downton Abbey was on TV and I couldn’t miss that! There are plenty of other British titles that rank in my top favourite movies; The King’s Speech, Pride & Prejudice (BBC version – swoon over Mr. Darcy!), Persuasion,  The Inbetweeners, Love Actually, Bend it Like Beckham, Mr Bean etc. I would need a whole week to watch all of these titles to truly enjoy every moment!

My movie afternoon-slash-evening became the ideal time to continue appliqueing the butterflies on the Butterfly cot quilt that’s currently in the making. Only four more to go, with 24 butterflies in total! Yay! Once they’re all secured, I can sandwich the quilt up with wadding and the backing fabric and get ready to quilt!

Saturday evening, with a stubborn itch to do some sewing, I came up with this Stacked Coins cushion cover using some coordinating scraps from my scraps tub. No pattern, no instructions. Just my imagination and mind’s eye helped to create this little gem.

It’s now ready for a quick bout of quilting and then the quirky pear print backing to be sewn on (with a zipper or buttons I’m not sure yet) and then stuffed with a cushion in-fill and it’s ready for the lounge!

I’ve finalised my design for the Quilter’s Guild of NSW’s under 35 years quilting competition based on the theme How Does Your Garden Grow?

Just a sneeky-peek…I can’t give the whole idea away just yet! Today I was researching into how I would actually construct this beauty. It’ll definately have to be some type of Foundation Piecing, either string or paper piecing or English paper piecing. I’ll have to do some mock up testing first to find out which would best. Any suggestions??

Happy Sewing! xx

A Summer Zig-Zag Quilt

So a few months ago, I started a new quilting project – my Zig-Zag quilt, with colours inspired by Summer.

Well, after being purposely left folded in some dark dingy corner of my sewing room as well as being unfairly subjected to my procrastinating ways, it’s finished!! Yaaay!

Although testing the limit of mine and my darling sewing machines patience, I’m truly glad and satisfied with how my first attempt at (my own type) Echo Quilting went.

The back view shows the quilted lines the best. I did all of it on my gorgeous Brother NX-200QE Domestic Sewing Machine – the little machine that could and does.

Think me strange. Think me weird. But I’ve named my machine Queen Elizabeth as it’s a Quilter’s Edition sewing machine and I was playing around with the initials Q & E.  She is very regal and powerful in stature and rules over all in and around my sewing table! I think it’s a very fitting name! And yes, I am a weirdo.

In other sewing news, I finished the embroideries I made for two special ladies who I work with (well won’t be any more as I’ll be finishing my very last shift at Spotlight this weekend and heading onto a new job and career path starting this Monday!). So I ironed, trimmed, framed and wrapped them, then realised I hadn’t taken photos. Dammit! Hopefully when I give them out this weekend I can quickly snap up some pictures and share them with you.

I’ve been working away on my Hexi obsession and inspiration is flowing and building in my mind as I’m stitching away. Who knows what the final outcome will be as I’m always changing my mind and thinking of new quilt designs.

This week I discovered one of the best things ever on the net – Pinterest! Wow! I mean, wow, is this the right website for inspiration or what!? I’m absolutely addicted to pinning anything and everything that grabs as well as trawling through different themes and keywords and seeing how people represent these things through pictures and words. If you haven’t checked it out – DO IT NOW!!

Happy Sewing! xx

A New Obsession: Mini Quilt Blocks…

Looking for a challenge? Try making some mini quilt blocks! These adorable little blocks are so tiney-tiny, they make me feel like a giant with fat fumbly fingers. Finished block sizes range from three to five inches (7.6cm to 12.7cm) and are just so sweet to make and swoon over! These are the two I’ve made within the past 24 hours…

                                                                                                                                                            –Snail-Trail–

                                                                                                                                                                   –SailBoat–

These beautiful blocks were sourced from a wonderful book called 130 Mini Quilt Blocks written by Susan Briscoe. There are so many I want to make including a little aeroplane, a kimono and the english traditions and art deco inspired blocks. Will definately share these at a later date!

In other quilting news, I finished the final touches to my BFF’s Cherry Quilt and gave it to her a few weeks ago. Thankfully she absolutely loved it and is all ready to snuggle underneath it just as the colder months are approaching us. The photo’s abit grainy and amaturish – but you can still see the elements of what makes up a finished quilt 🙂

I’m still in the process of Echo-Quilting my Zig-Zag quilt, trying mine and my sewing machine’s patience! We’re only half way but we quilt on and will triumphantly finish and parade it to the world via this wee blog!

There are a few more projects in the works but I’m not quite ready to post them up yet – these include a sweet little cot quilt, a Gum-Nuts Baby themed quilt and hopefully a future exhibition quilt for a NSW Quilter’s Guild competition with the theme of ‘My Garden’. Whew! Stayed tuned!

Happy Quilting! xx

Just.Keep.Quilting.

It’s time again to share my next two blocks from my Craftsy’s Block of the Month! Yay!! This month was foundation piecing, which I had never done before, and I created the String block and the Broken Spider Web block. These blocks were quite simple and fun to make, especially having the opportunity to to rummage through my fabric scraps tub! An afternoon of sheer delight finding old scraps of some of my favourite fabrics!

During the week I started quilting my Zigzag quilt and I love the progress so far! I’m thinking of doing a few things differently than I had first planned; I was originally going to quilt the whole top following the zigzag line but now I’ve decided to leave calculated spaces quilt free enhancing the lines I’ve created with the zigzag line quilting. (Does that makes sense?!) If not, once I’ve finished I’ll post a picture and explain it again!

Although I haven’t quite finished my Zigzag quilt, I’m onto yet another new project! I just can’t help myself!! This one is for a friend who has a new baby due in June! I love, love, love making cot quilts; beautifully sweet prints and colour pallettes, endless creativity and cuteness all around! Here’s a quick sneaky peek of what’s to come….

There are those spots again! I just can’t seemed to get enough of spotty fabrics!

So that’s it at the moment! I hope to sit down for a few afternoons after Art School this week and Just.Keep.Quilting. until finished and ready to bind! Hurrah! Oh and maybe do some more of my new cot quilt project!

Happy Sewing xx

Here’s to a Summer We Never Had!

One of the best feelings in the world for a quilter is the spark of excitement you get when starting a new quilt! It’s all about that instant thrill and buzz you get when finding the right pattern, mixing and matching the right colours and prints and then beginning! The first cut into the fabric, the first sight of a crisply sewn and ironed block lying on your desk, the feeling of triumph and satisfaction rising in your chest! *sigh* I just love quilting!

So obviously after that stirring paragraph, I’ve started a new project!! Whoo! Complimenting my addiction for half-square triangles at the moment, I found this very quick and simple pattern from work that we give out for free when a new range of quilting fabric comes in. This was for Denyse Schmidts’  Daisy Mae quilting range we just received, in which I swoon over and must touch every time I’m at work! You can find at Spotlight’s homepage, print it out and make it yourself!

Unfortunately, I didn’t use D.S’ fabric as I’m a poor art student and really need to start using the endless amounts of fabric I have stacked up all over the place (it was very hard to restrain myself from buying new fabric!). I chose a beautiful cool colour palette of lime greens and turquoisey blues with brilliant white homespun. Very summery indeed!

160 beautifully crisp and freshly cut triangles ready to be chain-stitched….what a beautiful sight!

I chose these four prints as each pair complete each other, the colours are similar and I love using different sized prints as they add movement and contrast to the overall look of the quilt. Plus I really like them….

Admittedly, at the point I took this photo, I hadn’t yet ironed my rows or stitched them together to finish it off, but I was way too excited to finally see how it had all come together and look so beautiful! Since sewing all those 160 triangles together, I was astonished at just how quick this quilt came together and at how easy-peasy it was!

Now that Autumn has arrived here in Australia, I’ve decided to dedicate this quilt to the summer we never had. To those who have no clue what I’m talking about, all it ever did this past summer season (the last three months and counting) was rain. I think we had maybe 7 or 8 days of the beautifully hot Australian summer sun and that was it – the rest of the time it rained. And still is. So here’s to a summer we never had!

And now I’m up to the dreaded part of basting….I hate basting! But I’ll suck it up and just do it as I know how ridiculously sweet it will look when it’s finished!

Happy Sewing! xx

Craftsy Block of the Month

Craftsy Block of the Month 

Join me in The Craftsy Block of the Month!

‘Learn fun quilting techniques, make new friends and create a one-of-a-kind quilt with the FREE Craftsy Block of the Month! Each month, Amy Gibson will guide you through a specific quilting technique – half- and quarter-square triangles, appliqué, string quilting, paper piecing and more. Then she’ll teach you two nifty 12-inch blocks using what you’ve learned. Some are brand-new designs, others fresh twists on traditional favorites. Along the way, you’ll make 20 blocks from fat quarters, then assemble them into a throw-sized quilt.’

I’ve just recently finished my first two blocks for the month of January and found it so easy to make after watching Amy on the video tutorial.

I’ve teamed my blocks up with pure white cotton homespun (one of my favourite fabrics!) along with some retro and contemporary printed fabrics. I plan to use some of the small quarter and half metre cuts of fabric that I’ve bought and just added to my ever growing stash of fabric.

So being my first ever online class, I pretty excited about getting started and being involved in the conversation pages on the website and recieving feedback about my blocks etc. I’m looking forward to learning new techniques, especially sewing curves properly and what string quilting involves aswell as having a lovely sample-like quilt at the end of it!

I’ll post up my blocks as the year progresses aswell as all my other sewing and quilting projects. Gee, it’s not even the middle of January and I’m already busy planning and blotting for the rest of the year!

Happy Sewing!

‘Purple Rain’ – The making of a Quilt….

So, a few months ago my cousin in the U.K asked if I could make her quilt…and of course I said yes…

So here’s a very quick way of how it was made!

Sally (my cousin) wanted purples and lilacs in her quilt, so I set off first finding the best block/quilt design that jumped out at me and gave me an insight of how to work and manipulate her colour choice. I found a great picture in google images of this quilt using shades of green blending in to neutral and white toned fabric. It was titled ‘Jungle Rain’ and it was exactly what I was looking for!

These are the fabrics I chose that I thought best suited and that Sally would like as well as the original picture of the ‘Jungle Rain’ quilt I followed from.

After figuring out all the correct measurements and cutting all the pieces, I started to assemble the quilt top by laying out the coloured squares, following my picture guide, from the lightest toned fabric up to the deepest. Only then I started to realise just how big the quilt would eventually be and mentally prepared myself for the task ahead…

Once I was happy with the placements of the squares, I started sewing! I added cream sashing to the opposite sides of the squares to make 15 long strips. This then started the process of framing off the squares, allowing them to stand out and make a bold statement on the final design of the quilt…

After sewing all the sashings on and sewing the strips together, I began to add the border to finish off the quilt top. Only now I could really start appreciating the graduation of colour and tone between the purples, lilacs, neutrals and whites. It’s easy to say that I was mega pleased with how it was coming on and just how awesome it was looking!

So now it came to the step of quilting I hate with a passion: basting! This quilt is close to queen size and it took all of my safety pins plus extras that had to be bought to baste this baby up! But with alot of persistance, patience and alot of cursing, I did it and started the mammoth task of quilting it.

I chose a really simple but effective straight-cross quilting that gave a tradtional and elegant feel to the quilt. And added great texture to the front and back!

Finally onto the finishing touches, binding, in which I chose to use one of the deeper purples to bring all the colours together and tie it all up and……ta-dah!! The finished result!

And the back…..which I think is as awesome as the front!

And that’s it! Now it’s ready to be sent over just before the cold winter months come along in the U.K….