Elle's Unicorn: A Finished Quilt

A colleague whom I cherish recently gave birth to a precious baby girl. This Lisa the Unicorn quilt (an Elizabeth Hartman pattern) seemed the perfect choice. The background is Kona UltraMarine. 

For the unicorn's mane I used all Alison Glass Sunprints and I LOVE how it turned out. The unicorn's horn is Tula Pink.

The backing is an old OOP Aneela Hooey print that I find charming, in a light pink.

I did organic straight-ish line quilting.

The wee bub (and her mom) loved the quilt!

Doctor Who Self-Assigned BOM

I purchased this pattern from Quiet Play some time ago, a pattern she made in collaboration with The Joyful Fox. I am a Doctor Who fan (though to be honest I only started watching at the Ninth Doctor, the recent reboot) and was enamoured with the pattern but figured it would be ages before I could make it. Unless...

Unless I made myself accountable. There are twelve doctors and twelve months (okay, so we are actually on the Thirteenth Doctor and also there is the Wartime Doctor but if you don't know anything about Doctor Who just trust me on this) so I made myself a BOM. Every month in 2019 I will make one of the 12 doctors and come December I can put them into a quilt!

Here are my first four Doctors:

First Doctor

Second Doctor

Third Doctor

Fourth Doctor 

Here are the four blocks all together.

Rather than making them all have the same background colour, I decided to use The Joyful Fox's original prints as colour inspiration so I will have a RAINBOW DOCTOR WHO QUILT GIVE ME A WHAT WHAT.

These patterns are tricky, and I wish some of the tiny pieces were better labelled so I would know where background vs shirt vs skin tone would be, but I love the results and find them quite striking. Here's to another 8 months of Doctors!

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!

Moving Mountains: A Finished Quilt

My dear friend, whom I've known literally my entire life as our moms are best friends, had her second child in mid-November. He is a tiny little peanut and he is sheer perfection. Obviously I was going to make him a quilt.

My friend is very particular about...everything, really, so I let her tell me what she wanted for his quilt. She picked the pattern by scrolling through Pinterest, then came over to my house and went through my solids and my Kona card to pick the colours. She also ordered one fat quarter of a special origami fox print from Spoonflower for me to add in as a couple of HSTs. I was surprised when she let me pick the backing- ha!

She is delighted with the end result and promised me pictures of my wee "nephew" on his quilt as soon as she can manage. 

Here is Moving Mountains:

The quilt is intentionally very modern (as per mom's taste) and is also simple HSTs.

For any "mountains" that had white space above them I did some loose echo quilting.

The backing is all one fabric because that is also what the mom prefers.

I used this grey fabric that looks like a lot of tally marks. I am not even sure who makes it but it was the perfect modern, neutral fabric for this quilt while still having something slightly interesting going on.

 Baby is still very tiny and it certainly won't be in his crib until he is older, but I anticipate some tummy time will be on his quilt from me!

Babies, Pineapples and Swimming Bags

Babies

Roar was gifted to a sweet little owner and I think she approves. (Babies on quilts- it never gets old. This is my favourite thank you).

Baby T on her new quilt. 

 Pineapples

I am making the Pineapple Farm quilt by Elizabeth Hartman for my mother-in-law. She just built a new house and I am hoping to have this done by her birthday, December 17. I think the chances are only okay because MAN, Elizabeth Hartman patterns are complicated (but gorgeous!!)

Knowing my mother-in-law wants a mostly terracotta/dusty red colour scheme (so far outside of my personal taste) and that each body of the pineapple needs three fabrics with some variety of tone (not even accounting for the two fabrics per pineapple leaves), I made a page in my little quilting book to collect trios of fabric. This helped immensely on my latest shop hop (though my friends teased me about it- they just don't appreciate genius, I guess). 

All of the fabric has been cut to the initial size (3 10" squares per pineapple) but the sub-cutting is pretty intense so I've avoided it so far. And, like I said, this doesn't even account for the pineapple tops).

There will be more pineapple blog posts in my future, of that I am sure. Wish me luck.

Swimming Bags

My mom is amazing about watching my kids for me. She is generous with her time. I was pushing her generosity one week in August, however, when I asked her to watch my kids all day Wednesday and Thursday (getting here at 7:30 in the morning!) so I could do a writing contract for work, and then all day Friday so I could go on a shop hop. 

She told me that in payment she wanted me to make her a new swimming bag using the Chubby Charmer pattern. I made her one with fabrics she had bought on a whim about...three years ago? Four? And since she swims every single day the bag is a little worn through.

I had her jump into my stash and though she was reserved at first, as we pulled more and more fabrics and she could narrow down what was speaking to her and what wasn't, she honed in on this gorgeous combination. Like, I even love this combination and usually my mother's tastes are NOT my own.

I had very, very little yellow in my stash (my mom loves yellow) but this combination was just right. That solid is Kona Bluegrass, a personal favourite. That is a Heather Bailey print on top, and a very OOP Violet Craft on the right. Also two Elizabeth Hartman prints, some C+S sprinkle and I'm not sure about the others. That back yellow print that looks like little leaves or something will be the lining.

This will be something I putter away at over the next month or two. I am back to work in a week and it will be wild for some time, I imagine! Who knows how much sewing I will be able to sneak in!

Triangle Terrace: A Finished Quilt

While on a girls getaway weekend with a lifelong friend, my friend C picked up a bunch of fabrics from the quilt stores we visited(even though she doesn't sew or quilt). There was one fabric in particular that got her excited and then she built a bundle from there. She chose a pattern and I promised to make it for my goddaughter, my friend's daughter.

The pattern is called Corn Rows by Atkinson Designs. I used Kona White (obviously) for the solid. Corn Rows is cleverly designed. It looks complicated but the construction is actually straight forward. I was making a double quilt for a big girl bed but this pattern's idea of double is wildly out of wack and indeed the quilt fits on a queen bed with ample hang-over on each side. My friend's reaction was "then I guess I should buy her a queen bed instead." That, people, is why I agreed to make a quilt for this person. She truly appreciates the time, expense and skill that goes into a quilt and she will ensure her daughter treasures it as well.

Here is Triangle Terrace, all finished:

The quilt is so large that my husband had to hang it over our second floor deck and have me take a picture from below!

The fabrics are soft colours; the purples in particular are really soft and muted and very difficult to match.

The backing is all one fabric, the one that my friend first fell in love with. Honestly, the fabric is not something I would gravitate to, but the end result is soft and beautiful and my friend (and my goddaughter!) love the result.

I straight line quilted on either side of each diagonal seam AND I straight line quilted on either side of the vertical seams. This seemed to be just enough quilting for this quilt to keep it soft but stable with how many bits are in the piecing.

The quilt label is a black cat. My goddaughter's dad requested a black cat be incorporated into the quilt somehow to honour their late black cat, Fonz. He was a sweet, dumb kitty with lots of health issues and he was loved fiercely. It was lovely to add him to the quilt.

My friend LOVES the end result and my goddaughter, who received in on the day of her fourth birthday party, loves it so much she insisted on sleeping under it that night...despite still being in a small toddler bed! (New bed is coming).

Mixed Bag (Pun Intended)

Just a few things to note.

One is that I gifted this quilt to a lovely family and this was the picture I got with the thank you. Honestly, this is my favourite part of gifting any baby quilt- getting a picture of the sweet babe on it!

Baby S likes his quilt.

 Also, I am working on making a Sleepy Fox pillow for my "nephew" coming this November. Despite my huge stash of solids I still needed to order two colours from Mad About Patchwork to continue. Darn it!

Where are Flame and Creamsicle when you need them?

 I have had plans for a couple of years to make some Lined Drawstring Bags using the pattern from In Color Order to use as reusable Christmas wrapping. What finally got my butt in gear this year? Buying a small bundle of Ann Kelle Jingle fabric on my recent shop hop with friends. 

Four Everything Size, one Project size and one Snack size.

I pulled out some Laurie Wisbrun Brrr fabric I have had for ages too which you see in several of the linings, plus some other random fabrics from my stash.

I am so pleased that they are done!

On to the next item on the list!

Slogging Away on My Aviatrix Medallion

One of the things I most wanted to work on this summer was my Aviatrix Medallion, started ages and ages ago and stalled after the fourth border.

These blocks involved some careful organization of the different colours. They were time consuming.

The end results were so delicious, though, and I could easily enjoy a quilt made just of these blocks.

It was then a time consuming step to follow the diagram (seen in the top right corner) to lay out each of the sides.

I just loved how they looked out once they were pinned to my design board.

 After I had Border 5 on I felt like I had some momentum going into Border 6. The blocks for Border 6,  however, were more challenging in the type of block (though the colour organization was much easier). 

I did a lot of chain piecing which was boring but efficient.

 I am now encountering an issue with Border 6. You see, a year ago I used a blue marking pen, which is removed by water, to mark all of the blocks as per the instructions in the pattern. The pen does come out when I wet the spots but when I use my iron they come right back. I am now feeling super paranoid that I am going to finish the huge, complicated, beautiful quilt and have all of these terrible pen markings! Any suggestions?? 

Border 6 sure does look nice, too, don't you think?

Border 6 has since been added to the quilt and now I have just the final, outer, 2.5" solid border strips to attach. Thing is, I could have sworn I bought backing for it but...no? When I went through my stash I found pre-determined backing for my Snails Quilt and my #QBTravellingQuilt but, alas, not my Aviatrix Medallion. Do I piece together some favourites? Invest in a single fabric for the backing (keeping in mind my very large purchases from my recent shop hop!)? Also, how am I going to quilt this beast? My friend C sent hers out to get quilted in an all-over design and it was beautiful- but do I want to do that?

Decisions, decisions, but it does indeed look like at least this top will be finished this summer!

Irons in the Fire

As someone who rarely has more than 2 or 3 quilts in progress at once, I have been absolutely all over the place in 2017 with many quilts on the go.

I'm doing a little check in of just some of the quilts I'm working on.

I am working on a quilt using the Diamond Tread pattern for my daughter's teacher's end of year gift. I made the centre panel and then attached one of the sides and discovered that I had accidently mixed up my Kona Shadow and Kona Silver. Yikes. It had to be pulled off (the border) and I went to make new borders (they are huge: 12" wide and 26" wide) and discovered I was short 1 yard of Kona Shadow, the colour I actually need. Sigh. I've placed an order and I'm waiting for it to arrive.

On the left: Kona Silver. On the right (in the HSTs): Kona Shadow.

Here is the Silver and Shadow side by side. You can see why I made the mistake under overhead lights!

I've also been working on a Corn Rows quilt for my goddaughter. Her mom picked the fabric. I had 98 HSTs to trim, so I spent a Friday night watching Netflix and carefully trimming.

The pattern called for quite over-sized HSTs so the trimmings were also quite large.

Also had lots of pressing to do...

And chain piecing.

 I also am making three baby quilts at the same time, two with the same fabrics and one with totally different fabric. This is one of the quilts, laid out and ready for sashing. This one is for a woman at work expecting her first baby, a little boy, this August (but I need to have it done soon because she may be leaving to work in another building soon!).

These snails, snakes and bugs in jars are super cute!

And so I jump around from project to project and I still have more that haven't been mentioned here on the go. To be honest, part of this approach is a result of me having to steal time when I can as a mom with two little kids, plus working full time. And I think as long as I can get the WIP situation under control by summer, I'll be satisfied I'm back on track!

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!

Sweet Peach: A Finished Quilt

The reality seems to be that the only time I can eek out to blog is when I have a finished quilt. I will try to blog a bit more progress. For now, however, here is Sweet Peach, a sweet baby quilt for a brand new baby girl born to our lovely neighbours just last week.

I had a whole bunch of this peach owl fabric from the Les Amis line that I found on a discount table during a shop hop some time ago and this seemed like the perfect use for it. I also pulled out some coordinating fabrics from the brand new Pond line from Elizabeth Hartman. These were probably my least favourite colour-way from Pond and yet they worked so perfectly with these owls. It was made to be! 

The quilt is very simple in that these are 4" squares with alternating Kona White. I love the impact such a simple pattern has and it seems perfect for a baby quilt.

 I did simple straight line quilting echoing each seam line which creates a nice grid and isn't too fussy.

Those polkadots are a chocolate brown colour and those storks are the same colour but on a simple peachy-pink background. I also inserted some coral Art Gallery triangles that I picked up to win a bet with my friend C who said I only ever buy blues and greys. A Kona solid- I would have to check my colour card for the exact colour-rounded out the colour prints.

The backing is more of this owl fabric. Aren't they sweet?

I used more owl fabric for the binding which is very unlike me but finding a colour that worked was difficult so I went with simple.

The parents loved the quilt and hopefully the baby will get lots of use out of it!