Pretty Patchwork Baby Quilt

It's been a while since I finished a new quilt. Quite a while. It was hard to know where to start when I started to feel like sewing again and had some free time. Pinterest? WIPs? Flickr? My list of "make someday" quilts?

Summer Finish Roundup

Nooootttt so much sewing over here this Fall! And it is certainly Fall up here! We've had a few very cold nights, and I've busted out my warm slippers.

As we move forward, I thought I'd record the work I did this summer as a way to reset and recharge for some cosy, stitchy evenings to come.

Back in May (ok, pre-Summer) I decided to devote my Summer to WIPs when I finished this quilt top.  I just finished the quilt as my last Summer project!  That full circle is really satisfying.

Cats love quilts.  I made a quilt that loves cats back (with a free pattern!).

Refresh (& Protect): Sewing Chair Covers

A while back, one of my cats adopted my sewing chair.  He proceeded to systematically love it to death, a.k.a. destroy it.

To protect my sewing seat, as well as its office twin, I  decided to make some chair covers.

Before:

After!

I didn't want to buy any fabric for the project, and luckily I found just over a yard of Sarah Jane's Out to Sea in my stash. This being Maine, some type of nautical decor is almost mandatory, and I love those pink boats ;)  For the backs of the covers, I used some tan solid I also had stashed.

Here's a rough outline of what I did. Perhaps these steps will help you make your own custom cat protectors chair covers!

Patty Pan: The Full Size Quilt

One of the first really big "fabric treats" I indulged in was a full FQ set of Anna Maria Horner's Loulouthi line.  She is one of my favorite fabric designers, and I'm always impressed with all the beautiful and quirky details that are included in her prints.

With this quilt, made up of 24-inch Patty Pan blocks, I found a way to use my loot while prominently featuring the intricate large-scale prints. This block structure allows for you to feature any 12-inch (finished) block in the center, making it perfect for sampler quilts, too.

I've been working away at this quilt for quite some time, so what follows is a pretty photo-heavy version of the whole process!

Whiskers: a Free Baby Quilt Pattern

It's no secret: cats are my favorite.

"Cat" was my second word, I'm told.

I've got one on my lap right now (he loves computing).

If I'm at your house, and you have a cat, I'll find it and pet it. Even if there is a party going on.

(I like dogs, too, don't worry.)

Inspired by the inventive work of many paper-piecing designers, I thought about creating a cat quilt block that would satisfy my own sensibilities about using animals--not too cartoony or literal, and more geometric and silhouette-ish.

I was also a bit tired of paper-piecing for hours and only having half a block to show for it, so I wanted to create templates that would result in a big, easy quilt block.

The result:  Whiskers!

July in January

My friends asked me to make this quilt in July.

And, well, now is the exact opposite of July. Until I get braver/it gets a little warmer, indoor shots may have to do. Or, next, you may see me trudging through the streets with a camera, a thermos, and a bunch of quilts slung over my shoulder.

This is Maine. There's snow. My car's thermometer said 1 degree the other morning.  BUT, the cheery colors and lighthearted design of this quilt were just the thing to warm up this winter! I've had some free time on an extended holiday break and have just been stitching away.

I decided to work with the concept of a mini version of this quilt, and went from there.

The palette is based off these Echino Lion pillows, but I wanted to focus more on the oranges, and used Kona orange, papaya, and tangerine.  There are also bits of aqua and periwinkle from Connecting Threads, and sneaky Echino scraps. Kona snow backs it all up.

A little bit of everything got thrown into the binding!

For me, making an improv quilt involves creating a bunch of little strips, and then playing around with them until I find a layout I like best. There's "no measuring" in the sense that I don't cut or trim as I go, or cut set widths of strips, but there's plenty of measuring and squaring when it comes to sashing and laying out the quilt top.

Since this is quilt is destined to be a wall hanging (measures about 45x58 inches), I included tangerine pockets on each corner of the back for a dowel.  

It is quilted in organic lines that sometimes cross intentionally. I feel like the organic lines go nicely with the feeling of the entire quilt, which is a little wonky, but still quite neat.

I had some help, as usual. Nothing beats a cold day, a cup of tea, a podcast, and sewing, so there's more to come!

Vacationland

Maine's state nickname is Vacationland. Really. One word.

Amidst my new summery life of boat rides, sunscreen, and beers in the backyard, I have been sewing, just a little. My current project has to stay secret for a little while, but here's a peek at how things have been going.

I always love to see people's before and after shots, so I quickly snapped this nice pair.  I keep my fabric in an old kitchen cupboard, and getting that thing up a narrow staircase is one of the best achievements of my move.

Before:

(Inspection, of course.)

And after:

(Likely the most organized --mostly by project, few by color-- this space will be for a good long time. Yep, this is neat, for me!)

Moving break...

I'm getting ready for a HUGE move at the end of the month, so I won't be around much for a few weeks.

Of course, I've determined that my fabric and sewing supplies should be packed last, just in case I get the itch.  

But other things...

...many other things... are getting packed up.

It's a little stressful.

And flat-out exhausting.

But totally worth it, since this is the prize at the end!

Picnic String Quilt and Happy Mothers Day!!

I'm so happy to reveal my latest finish, which I had to keep under wraps, since I decided to give it to my mom for Mothers Day!

Although this string quilt has always been intended as a gift to her, quilt-worthy occasions for just kept creeping past me!  When I finally got around to finishing it a few weeks ago, I needed to squirrel it away until a holiday, and luckily Mothers Day wasn't too far off.

I used mostly Denyse Schimdt's line for JoAnn, (DS Quilts) Picnic and Fairgrounds, and threw in a variety of other prints that fit in with the pure navy, red, blue, and green tones. Whenever my mom comes over and inspects my fabric and projects, she always loves the modern retro prints like these, so I knew this line would be perfect for her.

It measures about 60x72 inches, and I backed it in a lovely large-scale DS Quilts floral. I quilted it in various straight lines along the diagonal white stripes, as well as the horizontal and vertical seams.  I really like the plaid grid that resulted! (♥ those disembodied Vans...)

The scrappy binding is made up of leftover fabric from the strings, and I think it goes really nicely with the random feel of the rest of the quilt.

For some reason, this quilt attracted a LOT of, um, "help" along the way.

I usually don't let these two become quite so involved in a project, but since I knew my mom doesn't mind a little cat hair, I was more lax than usual.

I had piecing, quilting, and binding assistance. All steps covered.

When it came time to try for some "quilt on a bed" photos, it was just hopeless.

If you can't beat 'em....

...join 'em. Little hams.

Happy Mothers Day!!

Edit: Since this is the Summery-est thing I've made so far, I'm linking up to Ellison Lane's Summer Sewing contest!

Rainbow Vortex Quilt

Viola! Just in time for Spring! 

Back in September, I had to decide what to send my bee-mates for my month in the Quilting Under the Rainbow bee.  I chose Aneela Hoey's crazy scrappy blocks, which I think look like a swirling vortex! The only problem was that I didn't have enough true "scraps." So I made some by cutting strips and squares from my stash, sorted them by color, and packaged them up for mailing. 

Each person got two bundles: scraps + one white center piece.  Over the next couple months, finished blocks came back to me from my fellow bees, and I also made up a bunch myself from the leftover scrap packs, each measuring 10 inches unfinished. 

Then the blocks sat for a while, until I was seized with the urge to sash, and spent a lazy Saturday with strip upon strip of white.  

Once the top was completed, I admit, it sat for a bit longer.  

 

But then, on yet another Saturday, I sandwiched, basted, and quilted it up in randomly spaced horizontal lines. Washed and dried for crinkles!

 It's backed in a sweet aqua ikat, 

and bound with fun watermelon dots (Lipstick Ta Dot)!

I really love how each block bears the imprint of its maker-- I hope my bee-mates can spot their blocks! A HUGE thanks to them all for their amazing work!

(Meow-approved.)

Edit: I linked up to the Festival of Scrapiness over at Stitched in Color-- what amazing scrappy quilts people are making!! 

And I won a whole roll of batting!  a WHOLE ROLL! O_o

Take a Rest

Whew.

I'm a sucker for certain animal textiles.

This Echino Chelsea by Etsuko Furuya lion in the garden print stole my heart.

"Look at me!" it called, "I've got your kind of colors, admit it.

Check out these flowers.  Is that a bird? Orange bushes? Pink bugs!"

As I tried to walk away, it asked, "How handsome is my Lion?"

Done deal.

Had to make some pillows! These big ones are 18x18 inches.

I balanced out the Echino's bright bright brightness with some Kona Stone, and some ecru machine and hand-stitching. They've all got a layer of cotton batting underneath for structure and extra cushion.

I also learned how to put an invisible zipper in a pillow! Not that hard!

Using Elizabeth Hartman's mod mosaic method, I switched up typical values to make a smaller 12x16 inch companion pillow for those lions.  Instead of using colorful scraps with white "tile grout" sashing, I used pieces of Kona Snow with turquoise sashing (I think it's Aqua from Connecting Threads and totally on sale right now).

They're all backed in the same: some kind of linen/cotton/miscellaneous natural fiber  upholstery-weight fabric. Quite sturdy and earthy.

 Cotton double gauze + pillows = softest place to rest.