'Birdies' - pillow

One of my finishes for the 2015 Finish Along (first quarter): I can't think of a better name for it...I love the fat little stylised birdies on the front of the pillow, so am going with 'Birdies' as a name.

Made from two separate fat quarter sandwiches that I used to practice some free-motion quilting on for a couple of other projects, I inserted a zip and a 16" pillow insert.

large stipple

loops and daisies

Tutorial: Slice of Summer lap quilt

 

This is for my future reference, I am not a professional at this so am just recording the process for myself, so the instructions may not be perfect! For my original post about this quilt click here.

I started with five fat quarters and, while I didn't measure it at the time as I had such a long amount of yardage that I knew I would have plenty, I must have used about (making calculations...) 60" (is that just under 2 yards?) of white solid for the sashing and border.

 Cut each fat quarter into two strips of 3" and four strips of 2". I layered 2-3 fat quarters together to save time.

Cut each of the 3" strips into three 6"x3" rectangles. Should now have 6 of these per fat quarter.

Cut each of the 2" strips into three 6"x3" rectangles.
Should now have 12 of these per fat quarter.

 Mix and match the rectangles so there is a 3" piece in the centre with a 2" piece on either side of it.

I used pairs of the 2" rectangles.

 Chain piece the side pieces to the centre pieces.  Press towards the centre (or darker fabric, whichever!)

After both sides are sewn on, the block should measure 6" square.

Place the blocks, five across, six down, to make an arrangement that you like.

I rotated each alternate block by 90degrees.  They could have been left all the same way up.

Cut the sashing fabric: I cut five 3"xWOF strips, then cut each of these into five 3"x6" rectangles. Should be 24 of these. If the fabric is 42" wide (and depending if you have cut the selvedges off) you could maybe cut seven from each WOF and therefore only need three and a half WOF strips?

Sew a 3"x6" sashing strip to the right hand side of 24 of the blocks (not the ones in the right hand column).

Sew each row together.

 Now cut the background fabric into five strips of 3"x WOF.

Sew one strip to the bottom of each of the top five rows. Trim the excess.

Sew each row/sashing to the one below it until quilt top is assembled.

 I added borders: cut five strips of 6.5"x WOF.

I cut two of the strips to 38" and attached them to the top and bottom of the quilt.

I cut one of the strips into two pieces and used these to make the side panels long enough for the quilt top.

I made a big enough backing (and made and attached a label to the backing), layered and pin-basted the quilt.

I stitched in the ditch along the sashing between the rows and around the border first to stablilise it all and then I did the large stipple FMQ all over.

Square up and trim the edges of the quilt.

I used a 2.5" binding: cut five 2.5"xWOF strips plus another strip of about 15"x2.5" and sew together into one long strip etc.

Attach to the quilt using usual method.

Finished quilt size: 49"x 56"

Slice of Summer

 

Linking up with Caroline's Show Off Saturday and Crazy Mom Quilts' Finish It Up Friday!

My first finish of 2015, and is the first completion for this quarter of the 2015 Finish Along...Slice of Summer...so called because the block design makes me think of a baked slice, while the colours make me think of the fresh, cool water that we might crave to drink or swim in on a hot summer day.  They also make me think of all the pictures you see of Greece, with the blue of the sky and water and the white of the buildings...might get there one day!

The sun is definitely shining this morning, so I've done my best with the photos...

Sugar and Spice textiles fat quarters from Spotlight.

A cool b&w binding. In my stash I had the matching S&S striped yardage for the backing.

(Fonterra's Edendale milk processing factory in the distance)

(In the shade for this one!) Finished dimensions: 49"x56"

For a 'tutorial' (a.k.a. my notes) on how I made it click here!

October 2015: quilt given to my lovely workmate Heather Robertson as a house-warming present for her as she starts a new chapter in her life xox

WIP Wednesday #2

Welcome to visitors from Amanda's Finish It Up Friday and Kelly's Needle and Thread Thursday and from Lee's WIP Wednesday link-up

This is my ultimate sewing week! I love my husband and child, however I have to say that having five days at home on my own (they are visiting family in Napier) is sewing heaven! Not to mention the fact that I have the TV to myself and can eat whenever and whatever I want!

This week's progress...three quilt tops so far...

#1 quilt top...Spiderman theme, single bed size

10" sized blocks alternate with bordered 6" blocks

#2 quilt top...red/black/grey, single bed size - based on the pattern above...- I actually had enough blocks to make a double-bed sized quilt but decided I preferred it as two smaller quilts...

Striped 10" blocks, with bordered striped 6" blocks

#3 quilt top...red/black/grey, lap size

2015 Finish Along Challenge - 1st Quarter goals

Right-o! Here is my planned list of projects for the next three months for the 2015 FAL link-up party being hosted by Adrienne (On the Windy Side blog), remembering that school will start in February (with planning and prep before that) so that will run interference...

1. make a pillow out of these two fat quarter FMQ practice sandwiches (below) - get a zip first. DONE!
2. put the binding on Slice of Summer lap/baby quilt...just have to find the right aqua shade of binding! DONE!
3. a twin-size red/black/grey quilt...bought fabric yesterday using my loyalty discount at Kitz'n'Thingz.
4. a twin-size Spiderman quilt...fabric waiting in stash - I have a special Spidie fan in mind for it! DONE!
5. the quilting and binding on Amelia's Hot Cross Buns...about three years overdue!
6. quilt and bind Country Jigsaw quilt...about five years overdue!

...I'd better make the most of the next three weeks!!

Work in progress Wednesday #1 2015

Happy New Year to all my followers and to visitors from Lee's (Freshly Pieced) WIP Wednesday link-up!
And also to visitors from Kelly's Needle and Thread Thursday (at My Quilt Infatuation)! and those dropping by via Amanda Jean's Finish It Up Friday (Crazy Mom Quilts)!

It is the summer school holidays here in NZ and I am loving my 'definitely-no-school-work-for-at-least-three-weeks' break! From Christmas Eve until the second of January I enjoyed camping with my husband, son and cousins at Lake Te Anau; my favourite thing to do there is to read ( I busted through six books while there!), meaning that by the time I get back home I'm itching to use my free time to stitch!

Before Christmas I put together the rows for this 'Fancy' quilt, using the French General jelly roll that I got for Christmas in 2013...it is the Moda  Bake Shop 'Fancy' pattern by Keera Job of live.love.sew

And when I got back from camping I sewed the rows together. It now waits for the right backing.  

I then got straight into putting together these five Sugar & Spice fat quarters in a delicious aqua blue...

I was inspired by the crispness of this quilt that is on one of my Pinterest boards and put together a pattern (will post about that soon). The aqua reminds me of the cool clear water that we might crave for (to drink or to swim in) on a hot summer day, so I am calling the quilt 'Slice of Summer' as the block design reminds me of the layers in a baked slice...

I am just about to do a fat quarter practice sandwich (which will eventually become a large pillow) to practice FMQ of a large stipple, as I just want to do a soft quilting design on this so it stays nice and soft with the emphasis on the colour. 

Once the FMQ is done on Slice of Summer I will get stuck into putting these into a bit of a creation that I have got planned...