Sunday, September 26, 2010

Log cabin quilt

I purchased this as a precut kit about 12 years ago.
I had problems at first putting it together as instead of the usual 1/4 inch seam allowance it had a 5/8 seam allowance.
This was not explained in the instructions and I started to put it together as usual.
Of course, the pieces didn't fit and it was abandoned several times until I took the time to work out the problem.
I finished the top last year and it has been waiting in the queue to be quilted.
This was another done on the new machine.
I had some issues with the monofilament but I think they were mainly caused by the stitch length I was using
I think it was too long.
I have one row that needs to be redone but I think the rest will do.

not adding to the pile

DDIL requested some summer sleep sack for DGS.
I was pleased that I could find the fabric, zippers and binding all in the cupboard.
It is rewarding to put things to good use.

A a quilters camp recently the participants were all gifted with some fabric from a quilter who had passed away.
She had left behind a very sizeable amount of stash, 50 tubs of fabric in just one shed, and more in another.
That is not what I want to leave behind.
Although I do not have that quantity, I still have more than enough to see me through for the next couple of years.
I don't want to add the gifted fabric to what I already have.
I have passed some on and have plans for the rest.
The first piece has been made into a library bag for DGS.
He loves dogs, so I thought this was very suitable for him.

from deep in the past


This quilt was started about 19 years ago when my cousin was pregnant.
I thought she was having a boy, but when she had a girl I thought the quilt was not feminine enough.
This was my first hand pieced quilt and I had started hand quilting it as well.
It was worked on spasmodically but mostly sat in an open fronted cupboard and as a result the border fabric and some in the blocks faded, some very badly as can be seen in the second photo.
I replaced the fabric ( I still had some of the original) and then machine quilted the remainder of the quilt.
I had to adapt some of the quilting designs so they were suitable to machine quilt.
I have a new machine, so as well as mastering free motion machine quilting, I am mastering a new machine as well.
So far we are working things out together.

Tuesday, September 21, 2010

Field of Flowers

This quilt was started maybe 18 years ago?
I started hand piecing it and then sometime later I finished machine piecing the blocks.
I had one row joined and it went into retirement again.
I pulled it out last week, joined the top and quilted it.
Once again, I was not that happy with the quilting. Well, the actual quilting was OK but I think a more adventurous design would have done the quilt more justice.
I couldn't think just what to do, as the blocks are quite big, 15 inches.
But it is now finished and that was the really important thing.
I have some plans formulating for broadening my quilting expertise so stay tuned.
My next post will feature a quilt from very very deep in the archive.
Cheers

Saturday, September 11, 2010

Finished at last

It feels so good to have this quilt finished.
It was started in 1999 in the lead up to the new millennium.
The idea was to piece the quilt and then have it quilted by New Years Day 2000.
I got the top finished and started hand quilting it, but that was as far as it went.
When I revisited this quilt last month I decided to take out the hand quilting that I had done and re-baste the quilt.
I then machine quilted it.
I was not overly happy with the border quilting but did not know what else to do.
I am now just very pleased that it is finished.

Sunday, August 29, 2010

An exciting finish

This was a six month mystery quilt started in 2005.
I pieced the top speedily but
there it sat until this month.
I tried free motion machine quilting around the applique blocks for the first time and I was pleased with the way they turned out.
I will be doing more free motion quilting around applique in the future but can't yet get my head around doing all over machine quilting.
For now I am happy with quilting with the walking foot.

Friday, August 27, 2010

August Finishes

This is the start of a new quilt I am handpiecing.
The pattern is from Quilters Companion and most of the pieces were printed using Inklingo.
The applique on the centre still needs to be finished.
The stars need connecting diamonds and other shapes added.
A larger I-Spy quilt that I finished today.
I pieced four of these tops to use up the fabric.
Two are now quilted and the other two will be finished this year


This was a quilt kit purchased in Grand Rapids last August.
The fabric is very pretty and there are fussy cut butterflies in the alternate blocks.


Tuesday, July 27, 2010

A knitted shawl

This shawl pattern is from the book "Victorian Lace today " which has some lovely patterns.
It is knitted in Knitpicks lace weight yarn.
This is a closeup of the centre.
A closeup of the outer pattern and border.


The overall shawl.
The pattern was easy to follow and I enjoyed knitting it.


#3 is Finished

Here is the finished mystery quilt.
I am pleased with the way it turned out.
I did pull out several rows of quilting while I decided how to tackle the quilting.
Onto the next project

Thursday, July 22, 2010

The start of # 3

This is the point at which I am resuming quilt # 3.
This was a mystery quilt from a long time ago, but I think more than 10 years.
The pattern and fabric was from the Quilters Barn.
I was timely in finishing the top.
At some point I basted it and started hand quilting but didn't progress very far.
I unearthed it from the blanket box on Tuesday, pulled out the hand quilting, undid the basting ( which was a bit scanty), re-pressed the top and backing and rebasted it.
I am not very happy with the batting, puffy and polyester I think, but I am not going to waste it.
I will ditch quilt to stabilise the layers with monfilament and then cross-hatch it in dark green.
I will bind it either in the rust or the green.

Legacy #2

This is my finished Jane Austen quilt.
The finishing has bitter sweet memories for me.
My mother and I hand pieced this during my DD first hospitalisation 10 years ago.
I have finally quilted it...and DD is in hospital.
There are some aspects that I could be critical about but I won't as it is finished and overall I am very happy with the way it looks.
It is pieced from scraps except for the sashing fabric .

Tuesday, July 20, 2010

Legacy #1


The first finish for the legacy, a baby quilt for my niece.
It tokk a couple of sessions to get into the quilting, but once I was "in the zone" I really zipped along.
So much so, that when I finished the quilting I whipped the next quilt on the list out and quilted half of it before I even took a photo.
I will just have to post a finished photo of that, hopefully soon.

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Friday, July 16, 2010

First on the list

This is the first of my legacy projects, a baby quilt.
It is basted and now needs to be quilted.