2018 Wrap Up

Blogging is just not something I seem to prioritize these days, which is also the case for the vast majority of quilters I know who have blogs. Still, I see this blog as a way of tracking finishes and goals and so I will do a wrap up of 2018.

My goals as set in January were:
1. Turquoise and yellow quilt for my cousin's new baby that I made but have been avoiding basting. FINISHED!

2. Teal and grey baby quilt for a friend. FINISHED!

3. Finish binding my Christmas Improv Quilt. FINISHED!

4. Quilt the Rainbow picnic quilt. FINISHED!

5. Quilt my Aviatrix Medallion. FINISHED! (Though technically I had it quilted).

6. Finish a Knuffle Bunny quilt I have waiting. FINISHED!

7. Pineapple Farm Quilt (for April). FINISHED!

8. Gamer Quilt (for hubby...maybe March for his birthday?) FINISHED! (Though for our anniversary in July instead).

9. Finish the QB travelling quilt that I have been doing with friends...assuming C gets out of thumb jail after some minor surgery on her hand in the new year. FINISHED! (Just waiting for A and C to finish so we can exchange at March Break!) I can't show you a picture because they haven't seen it yet!


I also made these things in 2018:

Baby quilt for a co-worker

A map quilt of Southern Ontario from a workshop I took through the Toronto Modern Quilt Guild with 3rd Story Workshop.

Pillowcases for my nephews.

A shoe storage bag for packing for my MIL.

A pineapple Sew Together Bag for my MIL (my other MIL...yes, I have two!)

I kept it simple for her and she loves it.

I used the stars I won at the West End Modern Quilt Guild for our Block Lotto to make this baby quilt to donate.

I made 17 of these vinyl pouches using the pattern Pouch with a View from Three Owls.

They will be the goodie bags for my daughter's fifth birthday party the second weekend in January.

And they have these adorable charms on them.

I put binding on this quilt that my friend C pieced and A quilted as a gift to a principal friend who was retiring.

My older daughter had a sleepover party in October and each girl got a pillowcase.

A Peppa Pig pillowcase for my youngest daughter and a Mario pillowcase for my best friend's son.

I made more of these then I can count, but this large size (Project) was for a family friend's son who LOVES flamingos. It held his birthday gift.

This Thank you Nadia quilt for my daughter's Grade 4 teacher in June. I guess I never posted about it? It uses the free Art Gallery Plenum pattern and I quite love it. (The teacher's favourite colour is red).

So I was busy quilting. I do not have as many quilt finishes as I normally would (only 11 this year) because of our new, furry family member who arrived in August. Basting has now become impossible because of the help of our very friendly puppy. I have FOUR quilts ready to baste at my friend A's house later this week! So stay tuned for some new finishes soon!

Hooray for another awesome year with lots of great finishes!

Summer Sewing

Despite having a busy summer I did find time to sew. I have several that are nearing finishes but I thought I would track a bit of what I have been up to!

My Aviatrix Medallion is almost done! I just need to get the binding on it and then it is going right on my bed!

I had it quilted because I was worried that I would mess it up. I chose an edge to edge pattern and Quilting by Design quilted it for me.

The binding is ready to go on. It is the same fabric as the backing, an Alison Glass fabric from my favourite of her lines, Ex Libris.

I have also been hard at work on my Polaroid quilt. The top is actually all finished and I just need to get the backing made. I even have the batting ready to go!

I also have been enjoying Summer Sampler 2018. You receive a new travel-inspired block pattern every Monday. This coming Monday, September 10, will be the last of the blocks. I have managed to make every block on time! I challenged myself to do them in neutrals (blacks, white, grey) and with scraps. It has been such a good exercise for my creative brain! Here are the first blocks!

I will have to decide how I want to finish this one up.

I also did LOTS and LOTS of fabric purchasing this summer. I mean, that is not unusual but I am definitely ready for a fast. From September 1 to January 1 I will not buy any fabric with the following rules: 
1) I can preorder Lizzy House Constellations. She is THE designer for me and she is not even designing fabric anymore so I absolutely need her to add to my giant stash of LH.
2) My guild has a shop hop on October 20. I will try to be modest but to not be able to buy anything will make it much less fun.
3) I can buy materials that are required to finish a project. Batting, more of a solid that I need, zippers, fusible, etc. If it is for a specific project that can't be completed without that then I can buy it.
4) Spending gift cards doesn't count.

I think the just because buying will be shut down with this fast but note that I have many preorders arriving in the next few weeks because of preorders so I will still be showing lots of pretty on my Instagram account!

Hope everyone else has been getting lots of sewing done!

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!

Pineapples: A Finished Quilt

I finished a quilt for my mother-in-law using the pattern Pineapple Farm by Elizabeth Hartman. I showed her the pattern before I checked out complicated it would be and...guys, don't do that. Check how much you're committing to before it is too late! It was complex and time consuming but my mother-in-law is worth it so I persevered.  

The end result is pretty awesome, and she definitely loves the quilt, but I can't pretty much promise I will never make another one of these ones!

Here is Pineapples:

There was a fresh layer of (spring) snow when I took the pictures which worked out for me because quilts look great on the white background!

I did a crosshatch quilting at varying widths.

My little helper was very useful holding up the quilt. This is the quilt in totality. Warm, mostly red colours as per my MIL's request.

I LOVE this backing I found on extreme clearance at Sew Sisters (I think it was $4.99/m!). I used the backing fabric for the binding as well. It reminds me of the inside of a pineapple.

She sure added cuteness to the photo shoot.

I'm really happy with the end results and I am glad my MIL is too. It will be appreciated and loved which makes all the hours of work worth it!

Linking to Finish it Up Friday with Crazy Mom Quilts.