Sweet Pea Quilt

My cousin and his wife had Sweet Pea 22 hours before Q Man was born. 22 hours! How crazy is that?! I mean, really?

Of course I had to make a quilt.

This quilt was so fun and easy to make. I fussy cut the center squares from a variety of fun fabrics then bordered each with a solid reading batik. I love it! I did some great quilting in the center of the squares, too. It was so much fun to do the free motion quilting in the center of each block.

Sadly, I’ve had the quilt pieced and quilted for ages but just hadn’t bound it. Partially because I was being lazy and didn’t want to make the binding and partially because I wasn’t sold on any particular fabric for the binding. Originally I planned to use the black and white flower print that I’d used for the inner border. Then I decided I didn’t like it.

I’m trying to finish up projects now that I’ve found balance in my life and make time to sew. Since this partially finished quilt was in my sewing room for a year (gasp!) I decided I needed to just get it finished.  I was digging through my binding scraps (yes, I keep all the little parts of binding if I have some remaining so I can use it on other projects or piece several bindings together for quilts, or…. you get the idea). Anyhow, I ran across this stripe that, ironically, I used as the binding for a baby quilt for another cousins kid born a few months before Q Man. Perfect! I just love striped bindings.

Sweet Pea’s Mamas favorite color is purple so I put this funky purple-ish Kaffe on the back for her. Okay, I had enough fabric in my stash, too. But it soooo screams of her Mama.

I’m super pleased and hope that Sweet Pea will treasure this for years!

Progress

I finally got my tree quilt basted. The top has been finished since February 2010. Yep! Over an entire year ago, though I’ll lovingly blame it on having a new baby.

I was thrilled to dig through my stash to find the backing fabric. It couldn’t be any more perfect!

I also received a package of some Japanese taupe fabric from a cute little shop in New Hampshire. I’ve never been to the shop but they have lots of taupes online. woot!

The fabric has been washed and dried and is eagerly waiting for me to cut into it. I have some applique work calling my name.

Just. Can’t. Wait.

Needle Know How

I wrote and posted a blog for my favorite quilt shop and thought I’d share it with you.

There are quite a few hand sewing needles and sooner or later you’ll need one, but do you know the difference? After some research I realized that I do occasionally (gasp!) use the wrong needle for projects. As long as it works I’m relatively happy, and while I can’t speak for all of you, I suspect you have from time to time been guilty of the same. So, what is the purpose of each needle?

If you are going to pick buy one kind of needle (not that we recommend that) the best needle to buy is a sharp. Sharps are good, all-purpose needles. As the name suggests they have a sharp point and are a medium length, compared to its shorter cousin the between (but we’ll talk about that needle further down). Sharps needles are good all purpose hand sewing needles and work well for attaching bindings or other hand work. Sharps have a rounded eye and come in a variety of sizes.

Betweens were specifically designed for traditional hand quilting. The shorter shank provides good control and the needle is thicker than others, giving it strength to move between the layers of the quilt. The small size of betweens allows the quilter to make small, even stitches. Like a sharp, a between has a rounded eye making it easy for threading. You can buy betweens in several sizes, the smallest of which usually speaks to those that have been hand quilting for a while (or have really small hands).

Straw needles have a narrow shank and the eye of the needle is punched within the existing shank – that makes a straw needle great for hand applique since the eye won’t hesitate when pulled through the fabric. Straw needles are also great for hand basting.

Long needles, or basting needles, are used to hand baste a quilt. The needles are long, hence the name, and the added length makes hand basting faster. The needles have a slender shaft to decrease movement between the three layers while basting. The larger eyes of long needles make them great for tying quilts, too.

Sashiko needles have significantly thicker shafts than traditional needles. The thicker shaft prevents them from bending and a larger eye enables the needle to be easily thread with perle cotton or embroidery floss. Sashiko needles are the perfect needle for big stich, Japanese sashiko or embroidery. Sashiko needles are available in several sizes. The shop typically carries a variety pack.

When choosing a needle size, it’s best to consider the type of fabric you’ll be using. In general, the lighter your fabric, the thinner the needle you’ll want to use with it. We carry variety packs if you are unsure of the best needle. If you’re unsure of the best needle, just try passing a few different-sized needles through an inconspicuous place on the fabric to determine the needle that passes through the fabric most easily and leaves only a small hole. Keep in mind that needle size increases as the number decreases so a 10 is larger than a 12 (I know, seems counter-intuitive to us, too).

Happy stitching!

More Japanese Taupe Applique

Blocks three and four (from this book) are complete except for some embroidery. I don’t have the correct color perle cotton and need to order that from here. If I’m lucky I’ll accomplish that in the next day or two. Fingers crossed (sigh). I was planning to mix pieced and appliqued blocks but I love the applique so much that I think I’ll just stick to that.

All in all the blocks have turned out really well – including the 1/4″ bias tape that I made AND the 5/8″ wide yo-yo’s (and quite frankly, it’s kind of fun to make such itty bitty yo-yo’s!).

Monster Pillow

I have been absolutely in LOVE with the patterns from Don’t Look Now. I think they are adorable and really fresh. While at my favorite local quilt shop the other day I ran across the Little Monsters pattern and knew I just HAD to make it for Q Man. Then I got it home and took a long look at the pattern. Realizing it was a lot of applique I decided that a pillow was a safer option – I can finish a pillow, right? And I did….thank goodness for the satin stitch and fusible applique!

I do worry that the pillow has a white background. I know it’ll be a recipe for disaster one day, but for the time being I’ll just enjoy.

Hooray, Horray for Applique!

I think applique work is beautiful. It’s even prettier when the person that made the block or quilt is experienced with applique. I’ve always loved what applique adds to quilts and been in awe of those who can beautifully create it. I have, however, been scared to tackle this particular element of quilting for some time though.

I’ve appliqued before but I generally stick to flowing, sweeping curves – circles and such. Yes, I admit it – I’ve been a complete and total scardy cat but I absolutely REFUSED to be someone that made an ugly block. You’d think that I’ve been quilting long enough to just get over it (hello, almost twenty years).  It’s a curse and a blessing that I strive to do the absolute best I can.

On. Everything.

I wanted to do something with my taupe fabrics and wanted to include more than pieced blocks. Enter the applique. I found a few blocks I liked from Susan Bricsoe’s book Japanese Taupe Quilt Blocks. The blocks didn’t seem that scary and I got the first one down without any problems.

See? Sweeping curves. Easy. And the yo-yo added fun!

The second block was a bit intimidating. I can never seem to get my points quite right, which is the reason that I’ve stayed away from this particular method of quilting. I found a great tutorial and Oh! My! Gosh! Got it on the first try. I couldn’t be happier! Seriously? I think I’m addicted now.

I’m trying my hand at a more difficult block. The background of the circle is a Japanese fabric I picked up at City Quilter in New York. I was itching to use it on this quilt. This particular block is just perfect for that fabric! Now, the author suggests using fusible bias tape around the edge of the block. I would have been happy to do that because, let’s face it, it’s easier that way, but I didn’t have any. And my favorite shop didn’t have any. And I didn’t want to order it. So what’s a girl to do? Make her own, of course! I’m a glutton for punishment but think the 1/4″ bias tape I made looks quite nice. I didn’t have bias bars to make it so I cut 3/4″ strips of bias fabric and ironed down a quarter inch on each side. Really, it was quite simple and I’d absolutely do it again if necessary.** See? Looks nice, huh? And yes, the orange thread is just where I’ve basted down all my parts. I find this works rather well for me.

* Yes, some people make ugly applique blocks. Sorry, but they do. I’m not in awe of those folks nor do I want to be one of them.

** Really I’d rather just buy fusible bias tape and likely will, though I won’t use it for this quilt since I’ve already deviated from that particular item.

It’s in the bag

The last day of school is next Monday. It’s been a great year for us and I’m sad to be leaving his class. Little Mister had the best teachers this year! I just loved them! As a small token of my appreciation and eternal gratitude I made tote bags for them.

I was sneaky and found their favorite colors. The totes are 15″ wide by 16″ high, have a 4″ base, can fold up nice and small so they are great to pack in your suitcase* and they are machine washable.

I didn’t use a pattern but did get inspiration from a Heather Bailey pattern. Her pattern has a flap on the front so you can fold up the bag into an itty bitty packet. I didn’t do that. I also didn’t put any pockets inside the tote. In retrospect it may have been a good idea but sometimes a tote bag without too much fun is the perfect bag to take on an outing*.

*I just found out yesterday that BOTH teachers are taking amazing trips overseas this summer so a tote like this may be a perfect for their travels! And it’s okay if the bags don’t make the cut, too.

Quilt Transformation – part two

What began as a blendy, rainbow type quilt has ended as a red quilt. I have to say that it surprises me a bit because I don’t generally gravitate towards red*. Don’t get me wrong, red is a lovely color, but I think it’s more than fair to say that I wouldn’t make a red quilt just “because”.

I completely forgot to snap a photo of the quilt while I was auditioning the sashing and cornerstones but, oh, well. It took me a while to decide on the borders. This quilt is made entirely of scraps (except a few pieces like the sashing) so it seemed appropriate to have a scrappy border.

To answer what may come to mind** – no, the center blocks are not paper pieced and yes, the edges are all bias. A lot of patience, practice and precision required if you intend to duplicate.  The sashing keeps the quilt from getting wonky and wavy. The edges of the border are all bias as well so I stay-stitched along the edge.

* let it be known that my favorite color is blue and has been since I was about six.

** yes, I should take another photo of the blocks so I don’t have a thread in the middle but, quite frankly, I’m very proud of this quilt and want to share it as quickly as possible. woot, woot!!!

Handmade not Homemade

Handmade not homemade.

Seems like a silly set of words to compare but there is a difference.  I think most artists would agree. To me handmade implies that an item was made by (usually) a single person and a considerable amount of thought, time and love went into it. Think about a handmade quilt, dress or flowerpot, pottery or jewelry. I’m certain I shouldn’t  but I do get offended if someone refers to anything I make as homemade.*

A neighbor of mine is a Doctor at the CDC. Sapna studies Tuberculosis and travels the world doing amazing things. I’m truly in awe of her. She is getting married at the end of May. Our neighborhood had an engagement party for her the Saturday before Easter. It was a lot of fun.

Sapna is one of the most down to earth, likeable people I know. I decided to clean off this flower pot and use it for her gift. I had all the kids in the neighborhood leave their handprint on the flowerpot. Then I added stems, leaves and grass. My friend Amy painted on “Bloom where you are planted” across the top (she’s an architect and has amazing handwriting). I added some day lilies, zinnias and a draping green plant (the name escapes me) to complete the gift. It was a big hit, and handmade gifts are best.

Another neighbor is having a little girl in three weeks. I made this taggie blanket out of some scraps a friend gave me. Love it!

* homemade isn’t necessarily bad, either. Think of homemade jams, breads, cookies, and other confections. That’s how I want my homemade. Might have to go make something homemade now.

Quilt Transformation

I’ve made many quilts with strips and scraps and scraps of strips. It goes without saying that the goal is to use some of the fabric in my stash and create a beautiful quilt.

I began this quilt about a year ago.

 The quilt was achieving the look I wanted – colors bleeding into one another to form an asymmetrical rainbow – and I had great plans! But the corners were very thick with all those pieced parts and since I didn’t paper piece the blocks I had some wave in the quilt. But mostly the corners were making me crazy! They were unruly. I was starting to dread the entire project, including the quilting, and I was nowhere near quilting the darn thing.

So I put the quilt and all the extraneous parts away in a colorful little box.

Except for a few small pieces that taunted me for a year.

Then a few weeks ago I took a small square of strip pieced pink fabric and put a yellow border on it.

I liked the results but wasn’t quite sure what to do or where to go so I just looked at the block for a few weeks.

Then! An a-ha moment! What if I take apart my “rainbow” quilt and border each square in a complimentary color?  Armed with my seam ripper at a neighborhood meeting and a completely uncomfortable chair, my quilt was deconstructed into all these little parts.

I ironed all the blocks and starting sewing borders on my “new” project. Then I decided that a complimentary border was too orderly for me, so I mixed them up to get this.

I bordered three blocks, put them on the design wall but wasn’t happy with how my quilt looked.

I was, once again, a bit frustrated…then I looked at the rather large pile of red squares I’d made and put them on my wall. I didn’t want to make more blocks. So far I have this and I really like it.  I’m pondering a golden yellow sashing with red cornerstones but really I haven’t settled on anything yet.

I think it’ll look good. What do you think?