A finish! Cat Stack

Here is my completed Cat Stack wall hanging. Quilted, bound and ready to gift!

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Cat Stack

I bought an adorable pattern for a quilted wall hanging at the Knitting and Stitching Show in November, and in unusual efficiency I have very nearly finished it!

It's called Cat Stack and there are three kitties all piled on top of each other. The one at the top is my Bodd! 

I still have to do the quilting and binding, so that's the work for this weekend sorted!

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Japanese Trellis Quilt - Finished!

I am very pleased to report that my Japanese Trellis Quilt is now finished and on my bed.

I decided to tackle the quilting myself. Having never wrestled with a whole double quilt under my machine before I wasn't quite sure what to expect, but it wasn't too difficult really.

I stuck with straight tram lines on either edge of the big blocks that went right across the whole quilt, so it was a bit of a mission wrestling it through, but I managed pretty well.

I also just stuck with white thread so as not to complicate things further.

 

Very pleased with my new quilt. I had a quick nap under it this afternoon and all was well. Chalky likes it too.

 

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Super Mario Bros QAL

This is a VERY exciting new project that I have embarked on - a Super Mario Bros patchwork cushion! 

I heard about the QAL over at Cut to Pieces and signed up straight away. Fortunately I had the foresight not to want to do the whole thing but just to do a couple of blocks to make cushion covers. Although that may be reduced to just one block!

Info for the first block went up this week so I got right in there and made a start.

Here are my "pixels".

Can you tell what it is yet?!

Mario!

He's not quite done as annoyingly I ran out of the pale blue background fabric (see bottom left corner). I needed five more squares! So I'll be off to the fabric shop this week to get some more.

It's a new technique for me as well - the squares are fixed on to a stabiliser and then you fold each line in on itself and sew all the way along. That probably makes no sense, and I've yet to try it but it should be ok!

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Finished quillow

The quillow is finished! Hurrah!

This was the last block, Tangled Star. I like this one very much and it was fun to put together.

This is how it looks when it is folded away into the built-in cushion ...

And here it is all spread out, ready to be snuggled under. It's a good lap quilt so will be accompanying me to the sofa when I watch films or motor racing.

I am particularly pleased with my binding efforts ...

And also very happy with the backing fabric I chose.

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A finish! Quilted patchwork bag

Remember the quilted patchwork bag kit that mum bought me from the Knitting and Stitching Show last year? It is finally finished! 

It is easily the wonkiest, messiest bag ever made, but I still think it's fab.

My patchwork leaves a lot to be desired, but it was rather fiddly for a beginner, and the least said about my attempt at machine embroidery on the applique flowers, the better.

Still, it's a good size bag and I love the colours. But mostly, I'm just glad it's finished!

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Quillow progress

Good progress is being made on the quillow from the beginners' patchwork sessions at the WI office.

I have now finished six blocks, with one left to do at the final session next month. Better still, they have sashing on and are quilted, with two rows joined together.

Getting there ...

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Weekend sewing - A quilt top

What did you do with the bank holiday weekend? I decided to make a quilt top. Yeah, just like that!

A while back I purchased a book on quilts using charm packs, jelly rolls and layer cakes.  There was one pattern that really struck me.

And then I saw the Good Fortune fabric range by Kate Spain for Moda.

The two came together nicely and I ordered a nice big stash to make said quilt, including a layer cake and lots of yardage for the sashing, binding and backing.

Having sat in my stash for a few months I decided to put some time aside this weekend to make the quilt top.

Here are all the pieces cut out and ready to go. It doesn't look like it, but they are laid out on the arrangement I wanted.

The blocks were nice and easy to do - snowballs using the 10ins squares from the layer cake, then twist blocks using a smaller square and sashing.

The pattern actually called for two different fabrics in the sashing but I wanted the trellis effect to really stand out so I just used one.

After several hours of cutting and sewing on Saturday afternoon and Sunday morning my quilt top was finished, borders and all.

Here's a quick pic to give an idea of how it will one day look on my bed.

 
Yummy fabrics! I love this range and I think I will call this my Japanese Trellis Quilt.

Now I have to get some wadding and decide whether to brave the quilting myself. And if so, how to quilt it.

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Oops! Giveaway winner

In all the excitement of Easter (I was home for a few days being fed and watered by my dad - he makes the best roast dinners and full English brekkies!) I totally forgot about my giveaway for a Japanese folded hexagon and instructions.

I had three entries, but two were anonymous so the winner is ... Kat!

Now, Kat didn't leave an email address either, but I think I know who she is! And if it is who I think it is then I know she is keen to make her own quilt, although maybe not such a labour-intensive one!

Congrats hun!

I will be back soon with a proper blog post of what I have been up to craft-wise. Promise.

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Japanese folded fabric quilt - pics and giveaway

Yes, it really is finished! See!



I got the last hexagon sewn in late Thursday evening and yesterday I sewed on a patch with my name and the year of completion.



It now has pride of place on my bed and helps to keep me and Chalky warm.



Lots of gratuitous photos coming up ...









There are 298 hexagons in total. I made all but two of them - I asked Hayley and Helen to make one each for me.

As you know, this is my first quilt, and entirely hand stitched! Bit of a mammoth challenge, but on the whole it has been great fun.

I started the project around August last year. I first blogged about it here when I had started to make them. I hadn't thought at the time just how many I would need and how long it would take!

So now it's finished I'm glad, relieved, happy and a bit sad. It has certainly kept me busy on many a train journey/cold night/boring weekend.

It turns out I had made one too many hexagons though, and I have been wondering what to do with it.

The first thing that came to mind was "burn it", but that does seem a little extreme (although a nice ending to the project in a sacrifical ritual kind of way).

However, I have decided to do a little giveaway and send it to one of my readers. Maybe it could be the start for your own hand sewn quilt?!

This is the leftover hexi without a purpose ...



To be in with a chance of winning, just leave me a comment. Maybe tell me about your biggest/longest project?

For a second shot at the prize, become a follower and tell me. If you already are a follower just leave another comment to say so.

And for your third and final chance, mention this giveaway on your blog, Facebook or Twitter and come back and tell me.

I will draw the winner on Easter Monday, April 9th, so you have just over a week to enter. With the hexi I will also send out my insruction sheet and template for how to make them. Imternational entries welcome and don't forget to leave a way for me to get in touch if you are a no-reply or anonymous commenter!

Good luck!

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THE QUILT IS FINISHED!

Sorry for shouting, but I'm so freaking excited that my Japanese folded fabric quilt is now finished. Phew!

Pics to follow over the weekend?

Now to start on some more quilts ...

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Quilted patchwork bag

Remember the fab patchwork bag pattern and kit I got from Knitting & Stitching last year? Well, it's still sat part-done in a corner of my room, along with many other WIPs and UFOs.

I have done a little more - the front and back pieces are now finished.





And quilted!

I even bought the Bondaweb to do the applique on the flap.

My excuse at the moment is my lack of sewing machine - mine is in its new home at my office so it's there ready each time for the patchwork course.

No matter, as I have plenty of other things to do ...

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Learning patchwork - Inner City block

I'm taking part in a beginners patchwork course at the WI Office in Rodley over the next few weeks.

Led by the incredibly talented and experienced Anne Starkey it is a six-week programme that shows us several different blocks and styles of patchworking.

Earlier this week our first session was English piecing, which is something I have done before. I always need more practice though and Anne is full of wonderful hints and tips.

We had a choice of Tumbling Blocks or Inner City, and I chose the latter.

Basically, you sew strips of three different fabrics (roughly light, medium and dark) together on the machine, then use freezer paper to make little hexagons. They then go together in threes to make the 3D geometric shapes.

Hopefully here you can see how it comes together.

I need to get these finished off and stitched together before the next session in a couple of weeks.

On the agenda for the rest of the course is: chain piecing, curved piecing, American piecing and foundation piecing. We'll be doing blocks such as Log Cabin and Monkey Wrench. Drunkards Path is on the list too but I don't like that and it's rather tricky so I'll be doing a different curved one.

It will probably become a quillow when finished, but we'll see what happens!

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Quick quilt update

Here's my quilt at 11 rows sewn together.



I've now done 12 and my size estimate seems to be right, so just five more rows to go!

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Latest quilt progress

Having spent all of Christmas working on my quilt I had to put it away for a while and do something different. I was getting hexagon blindness!

I've been drooling over several quilt patterns and new fabrics recently and have in mind a "proper" quilt to make, but first I really should finish the Japanese hexagon one.

So, last night at our Buns & Roses WI meeting I took my quilt along to get going on it again.



I now have nine and a half rows sewn together and it's looking pretty good.



It's getting pretty big so it keeps me warm as I sit and stitch.



I was delighted to be able to share my project with the WI ladies too. I received so many compliments on it and everyone wanted to know how (and why) I was doing it.

I do have a slight conundrum though - the edges.

When I started I thought I would leave it pointy as there are no raw edges and all the shapes are finished as they go. But now I'm not so sure - it feels like it needs something to finish it.

Any thoughts? I might keep the pointy edge but go round it with some binding. I could just straighten it off, or add a border, but the latter would be extra work and it's already taking rather a long time!

All input is welcome!

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A new patchwork project

Keeping up the tradition of doing a million things at once I have started work on a patchwork bag.

My mum bought the kit for me as a Christmas present at the Knitting & Stitching Show and I was itching to get started as soon as I got back to Leeds and had my sewing machine set up.

Good job I bought a rotary cutter and ruler as there was a lot of cutting and I had to be quite precise!

This is the front all pieced together ...





And here is the back ...





I'm quite pleased so far, despite it being a little wonky. It was quite tricky to put together but there were no major incidents and I still have all my digits attached even after extensive use of the rotary cutter!

Next up I have to start quilting it and making the flap, which involves some machine applique.

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