Meadowland QAL

I have wanted to make a Meadowland Quilt ever since Then Came June released her pattern. I bought the pattern but assumed it would sit, as many patterns have, waiting to be made. Then it was announced there would be a Quilt Along and I figured that was my push to actually get one done!

Not to be reasonable, I decided to try to make TWO Meadowland quilts at the same time. One for my daughter with a bundle I curated close to two years ago and one with a bundle to make a quilt as a gift that is for secret sewing.

These are the two bundles I curated. Secret sewing on the left, quilt for my daughter (who is 10) on the right.

A closer look at the bundle for my daughter's quilt.

The piles to make the blocks seemed huge.

Mixing and matching them was interesting having never done it before. I learned afterwards that I prefer more monochromatic blocks.

First five done.

Look how cute one block looks!

The finished quilt top didn't come out quite how I intended (I decided I like a bit more restraint in colour to make this pattern pop) but I will finish it this summer and move on to the next one (that I need to get done for a September gift!)

Rainbow Radiance: A Finished Quilt

When my scrap buckets were overflowing I decided to make several colour-block slabs and then make one gigantic scrappy quilt using those blocks. They were a blast to make and when I found myself lacking in some of the colours (beige and lavender in particular) my quilty friends jumped into action. If you check the lavender block there is some very precious Tula Pink Parisville from my friend C. That's friendship, people.

The plan because of the size and shape was to make the quilt an outdoor quilt, designed for the many picnics and play events my eldest daughter engages in all summer long. I chose a colourful and inexpensive thicker weight (and looser weave) fabric from Ikea as the backing and used (mostly) polyester thread to make the quilting stronger. I also did machine binding instead of hand binding (which I hate because it doesn't look as good as hand binding but it would make it much more secure for heavy play).

For the binding I used up bits of leftover binding from other quilts and it worked out perfectly!

Here is Rainbow Radiance:

I am tempted to take an individual picture of each block so you could revel in the gems in each and every colour block. It is a delight for me to remember each fabric and point out "There's Lotta! There's Lizzy House!"

This is the backing. I was worried about the brown that was in this print but I find this picture reassuring because you really don't notice the brown.

This shows you the binding a little bit more. It is colourful and perfect.

Doesn't it look perfect for a summer picnic?

Here is the thicker weave that is the backing fabric.

I opted to not use batting for the first time ever. The backing is thick and heavy already so I wanted it to not get too heavy and I thought it would dry more easily when it gets damp in the grass. I feel mixed about the end result. It is already VERY heavy as a quilt but the batting would have prevented the colour of the backing from being seen through the lighter colours. It also would have kept the stitches more even.

I also opted to quilt each block with a different pattern, some free motion and some with the walking foot. The size and weight of this quilt made that a giant pain many times but I powered through. I'm happier with some blocks than others in terms of quilting. It adds an interesting texture to the quilt for sure.

I am also glad that I have another WIP off my list!

Oceans: A Finished Quilt

I used to work with a lovely man in my last position at my job, and this same man then started playing ultimate frisbee in a league with my husband. We both adore this guy and so when he and his wife had a new baby I knew I wanted to make him a quilt. Now, counting on my husband, I was informed they had a new baby girl. Perfect! I pulled some fabrics and got to work. While the quilt was in progress, I happened to come across a post on Facebook by the dad with the first pictures of their...baby boy.

Ooops.

So I dug back into my stash and started with a whale print I have had floating around for some time. Then I added in a whole bunch of navy and ocean-themed prints and put together this simple patchwork baby quilt.

Here is Oceans:

Simple patchwork with this mix of navys looks so nice, IMO.

This gives you a better sense of how dark the blues are (the top picture is in bright sunshine so the blues are more washed out). I echo-quilted on either side of each seam.

And I used up the last of the Lizzy House Mini Pearl Bracelets in blue that I have had since my shopping trip in Ann Arbour last year. I had to fill in the edges with some bits of other prints since I didn't have quite enough.

This will be delivered to our friend and his SON sometime soon. I hope everyone loves it!

Gruff: A Finished Quilt

I have a whole new set of colleagues this year thanks to a change in my job, and one of these new friends/co-workers has three little boys, the youngest of which is almost one. The dad and I have formed a friendship and since the dad is an artsy sort of guy who expressed once his appreciation for fibre arts, I knew I wanted to make his little guy a quilt.

This Burly Beavers print that is making the rounds on Instagram seemed like the perfect fit for this rather hipster family. I pulled out some Carolyn Friendlander to go with it as it has that architectural quality, as well as some Cotton+ Steel. Simple 5" squares was the way to go for a straight-forward baby quilt that I know the family will enjoy.

The photo session for this quilt was particularly challenging because my usual quilt holder (my husband) is away for a week, so I had to enlist my eight-year-old. And it was a very windy day which is always awful for pictures. So this is an interesting bunch of photos! (Plus a bonus outtake photo of my helper).

Here is Gruff:

This was the best photo I could get, and it was on my phone instead of the camera. The jumping off point is those delightful beavers, but you can see some Friedlander, Jansdotter and C+S in there too.

The backing is more of that C+S print in silver (so it is metallic and slightly shiny) with some grey or the other from my stash to beef it up to the right size. You can really see the quilting in the photo. I straight line quilted on either side of each seam.

My cat was excited when I put the quilt on the floor to try to take photos. This one shows off the prints much more clearly. You know, under the cat.

And here is the full quilt, laying flat. With cat for scale.

And my helpful kid who complained her arms were hurting from holding up the quilt. "Now I know why Daddy always complains" she told me.

I am quite sure the dad to whom I am gifting this will be surprised and will love it. Can't wait to give it to him for his little guy to start enjoying it!

QB Travelling Quilt

I have the privilege of having not one but two quilty friends who are always up for sewing days and shop hops. And when I suggested to them that we try a "travelling quilt" they both jumped on board! It is cost effective because we all live close together (zero postage!) and C and I have extensive stashes so we didn't need to purchase a thing (A is a buy-with-purpose quilter- I know, I don't get it either- but she ordered a beautiful bundle for hers!).

We each make the first "foundation" block and choose two words to represent our vision for the quilt. Mine are "decadent geometry" and I pulled a bunch of super saturated fabrics based on some colours in this Katy Jones limited edition print from Art Gallery Fabrics. The teal, navy and deep pink just delight me for some reason.

The fabric pull with the pattern for the foundation block.

I went with half of one of these pillow fronts from Love Quilting magazine. 

This is my favourite quilting magazine and it is, unfortunately, very expensive because it is a UK import. My hubby paid for two years subscription but I told him not to renew...I can choose if I want to buy it from the local bookstore.

The cutting was actually a bit of a pain in the butt, but I was like where it was going when I finished cutting all the templates and laying it out.

I could see it coming together.

And here is the finished result!

My foundation quilt block.

Decadent Geometry will come back to me two more times before being finished by one of the other two ladies in January 2018. We have a spreadsheet and a list of rules and I am soooooo excited to give this a try. It pushes us all out of our comfort zones in the best way!

I'm sure you'll see peeks into  #QBtravellingquilt as I work on the other two. I wonder what we will all end up with in January!!

In the Garden: A Finished Quilt

One of my husband's aunts is turning 65 this year. She is a kind, generous and very humble person and has never asked for a thing in the 15+ years I have known her. But two years ago she hinted that she was going to be turning 65 and she sure does love my quilts....

Well how could I say no to that? I asked her for colours and she said "brown and earthy." I hate those colours. Yuck. And I have to love the fabric to love making the quilt. So I found the perfect Lewis & Irene print for my starting point and then went with it. This unusual colour combo is the result and I really love it!

Here is In the Garden:

I still am not sure if the flying geese look better up or down. The recipient can decide!

I love how the small flying geese look next to the big ones.

I did lots of straight line quilting at random places to add some texture to the quilt overall (as well as secure all those geese!) This picture also gives you a good shot of the Lewis & Irene print that started the whole thing!

There are a few playful details like this mouse block which is a bit of whimsy, perfect for the whimsical recipient.

The binding is Carolyn Friedlander in this lovely dark shade of brown.

The back is my go-to Lizzy House Pearl Bracelets in chocolate. I didn't even try to match up the pattern. I went with all one fabric this time because I specifically ordered this from a clearance sale at Pink Castle Fabrics and since brown is NOT my thing I didn't want too much left over!

I used white Aurafil for all the quilting and I like how it adds subtle texture and interest on the reverse of the quilt as well.

I will not be seeing this aunt until (Canadian) Thanksgiving, which is two weeks after her birthday. My mother-in-law saw the quilt and is sure that the aunt will absolutely love it. I hope so because I sure love it!

When Love Wanes

Ages ago I put together a bundle of oranges and turquoises and set it aside to make a Squares and Strips quilt. Every year it seems to make it to my "To do" list but I never get to it and I was starting to wonder why. Why was I not excited? 

I pulled out the bundle, to which I've added a couple of prints over the years, and contemplated. Once you pull fabric for a project, if that love wanes and you no longer are inspired, should you keep it in the to do pile? I decided to look at it carefully, draw it out in my sketch book, and if it still wasn't speaking to me then I would abandon it. I've learned the hard way that if I am not loving the fabrics, then the quilt itself will feel like labour instead of pleasure.

Here is the bundle.

I drew it up in my sketch book and started to fill it in. And something clicked for me. There was too much of just two colours. When I started adding more teal to the mix, like that one on the far left of that top picture, there was more depth to the quilt and more interest. And, most importantly, I was more excited.

Sometimes sketching it out helps!

So then I went into my stash and update the bundle a bit and I was much happier.

Doesn't teal make it so much better?

And then that yellow-y orange was bothering me so I pulled it, added a Lizzy House print (of course) and now I'm happy and wanting to work with it again!

Here is the new pull. This is something I could see being worth working with!

Have you had that happen? Put together a fabric pull and then had your love wane? Did you stick with it or is your less-than-loved bundle still sitting on a shelf somewhere?

Flying Geese: Trying a New Technique

I started a new quilt, this one for my husband's aunt who turns 65 early in 2017 (she gave me two years notice about how much she might *wink wink* like a quilt for her big birthday). The pattern comes from Issue 13 of Love Quilting & Patchwork Magazine, a British publication that my husband got me a subscription to so I could stop stalking my local bookstore for the day the one or two copies came in with the "imported" magazines.

The quilt is mostly flying geese, which is fine, but the technique for making those flying geese is the 4-in-1 method which I have seen but never tried. I was a bit trepidatious but I went for it anyway.

If you have not seen this method before, I took pictures of each step so you could see what I mean by the alternative method. 

Draw a line with pencil across the two small white squares.

Sew 1/4" on either side of the line.

Slice.

Press. (They look really weird at this step. Like this will never work and what-have-I-done).

Place another square and draw a line through the middle of that one, then sew on both sides again.

Another slice. Here you can see that maybe this will work after all.

Ta da! Here is a flying geese (goose?) unit after pressing. You end up with four.

The method results in no waste, and that is fantastic considering how many stray HSTs I have floating around from various projects. The sizes also end up really accurate, which I wasn't so confident about. There do end up being a lot of bias edges and that is not ideal. I definitely found the method very efficient as the quilt top came together in no time flat. 

Stacks of flying geese turn into...

Initial layout of the quilt.

I would say that IF the pattern I was following was designed for this method of making flying geese, I would do it again. But if not, the traditional method seems more reliable to me. Maybe I'm just too uncomfortable with innovation in this case?

Have you ever tried this method? What were your results?