It was not my intention to be MIA for so long. Good intentions are sometimes just that... which is why my summer vacation whisked me away without so much as a peep. Traveling for long periods of time and blogging don't exactly fit together, not to mention lugging sewing supplies here and there... (although I did a little of that too)
... so I'm back from my vacation, and it looks like I have a lot of cacthing up to do. I had planned my Zen Chic Contrasting quilt as a present for my parents to match these pillows, and had a deadline to get it finished before I flew in. There was a point when I thought I might have to bind it once I got in. Luckily I was able finish it and snap a few pictures before I left, but didn't have enough time to share them here... and then the laziness and business of summer set in.
I used the different meeting points in the quilt for my quilting lines, and it seemed natural to keep this with simple straight line quilting. Like my Facing East quilt, I varied the widths of the lines for interest, and if I'm being completely honest... it gets done faster than if I had quilted them all the same width.
... and what else would you expect, but a pieced back? I suppose that it's turning into my trademark. Sometimes it does feel a little like making a second quilt top, but I like putting those leftover bits to good use.
... are you somehow hearing the song "Fields of Gold" in your mind about now? I loved shooting a few pictures in these wheat fields. Hmmm... it makes me think that I should plan all my quilts to match whatever is blooming in the fields outside.
Stay tuned for a few more catch up posts... so, how was your summer?
Quilt: Pattern: Contrasting from Brigitte Heitland for Zen Chic
Started: May 2018
Fabrics: Basic Grey Grunge fabrics
Finished quilt size: ca. 57" x 65" in. (ca. 145 x 165 cm)
Almost a year ago this month, I sat in a quaint little restaurant with my husband for a birthday breakfast, soaking in all the charm of the centuries old building. The fact that we often don't take the time to treat ourselves, made the day even more special. As I sat across from my husband, my gaze kept falling on the cross stitch piece that was behind him... which ended up being the inspiration for my latest quilt pattern Lovebirds' Garden, to be released next week, March 15th!
I could not have finished the quilt as quickly had it not been for a little help from Iva. She did the amazing quilting while I have been busy working on other upcoming patterns. She actually joined us this fall for our quilting retreat, and she found this perfect little spot on the grounds for a nice background... isn't it fun how the green in the quilt is picked up by the moss covered doors in the background?
It was at the retreat that we were able to coordinate quilting plans... I just love how she framed the center medallion, really making it the focal point of the quilt. I love the simple shadowing of the leaves and orange peel accents throughout.
Does this couch look familiar? Well, it should... somehow this blue keeps following me despite not being a blue fan.
I have to admit that this had to be the hardest quilt photo shooting that I've done... remember all those weather shows that were talking about the "beast from the east" cold weather front that swept across Europe? Yep, that was our photo shooting day!?! My hands were so cold that I could barely hold the camera, and the wind gusts kept us from taking more shots.
I'll be sharing more next week with the pattern release, so be sure to check back in... just in case you happened to miss the full story about the Lovebirds' Garden quilt?... then you can find it here.
Quilt: Pattern: Lovebirds' Garden Applique Medallion Quilt from Allison Richter for Campbell Soup Diary, releases March 15th 2018
Started: March 2017
Fabrics: Alison Glass, Basic Grey Grunge, Carolyn Friedlander, 1 Canoe 2. Various Low Volume backgrounds
Finished quilt size: ca. 82" x 82" in. (208 x 208 cm)
Linking up for the 2018 Finish-A-Long!
I'm a quilter without a plan... that's just how I operate. Ok, well, I do from time to time make a plan for my ongoing projects, but a good majority of what I do, starts out with no real A to Z, start-to-finish, mapped out direction. Usually such quilting projects leave you with a pretty good story once you do finally make it to the finish line... so, are you ready for a sit back and grab a cup of coffee kind of tale?
I actually started my Churnstile quilt back in February of this year when I wanted to "audition" potential bee blocks for when it was my turn to be queen bee. It didn't take long for me to figure out that I liked the block so much, and had such a very specific color direction, that I decided to keep it for myself. After adding several blocks, I had my usual debate of layout and size. (I guess one could argue that since I do this with almost every quilt, that this IS actually the plan)
In the end, this quilt came with a nice surprise... it turned out way bigger that I thought it would, and even big enough to be a bed quilt! (I seriously didn't plan that one!?!) By summer I was able to get the back finished and the quilt basted just before our big move, but as you can imagine, pulling up roots in one spot, and setting them down in another can take some time to get adjusted. By the time I found my sewing table again, there were several quilts that had cut line, and it was hard to pick this back up since it felt that I wasn't really sure where I had left off. But there's nothing like the push of a deadline to put you back on track... aka end of the year Finish-A-Long.
For the backing I used two leftover blocks that didn't make it in the quilt top, and added two blocks of color. Somehow I really wanted a simple backing, and used a good bit of cream Basic Grey grunge fabric for the rest.
I kept the quilting pretty simple by following the extending lines of the blocks. Perhaps if I had stayed on track the whole time with this quilt, then I might have done something a little more creative... do you get that way too, just going with whatever gets the projects done? Well, I suppose that's not all bad because a finished project means getting to start on the next one.
Quilt: Pattern: Churnstile from Stitchery Dickory Dock, Churn Dash block from the January Sugar Block Club
Started: February 2016
Fabrics: Alison Glass,
Carolyn Friedlander, Cotton & Steel, Lizzy House, and various
additional prints from my stash. Low volume with color background
fabrics
Finished quilt size: ca. 66 x 82 in. (168 x 208 cm)
...behind the scenes shots are always such fun... can you spot my little helper?
Linking up with Let's Bee Social and 2016 Finish-A-Long
How many quilters out there find themselves wowed and awed when admiring the work of a really, really, and I mean really good free motion quilter? After all the ohhhhing and awwwing, the progression of things seems to shift to start comparing it to your own work, often self confidence is too quickly washed down the drain.
I know that practice makes perfect, but I have come to the conclusion, that I really don't like freem motion quilting... that is to do it myself. My grand ideas to practice some free motion on a smaller quilt, quickly came to a halt when I finished the first row of leaves on my Woodland quilt. Quick, quick, I've got a pressing deadline on this one resulted in shifting to wavy line quilting, but I couldn't drop the idea of incorporating leaves in the overall quilting design. It hit me that on such a small quilt, it was still doable with a walking foot!?! Ok, so there would be a little bit of turning, but still doable.
I think what I am most proud of on this quilt finish is that it a.) it pushed me to incorporate some unfinished blocks for a finished project and b.) I used mostly scraps on the blocks, the background, and the binding... it's a great feeling to use what you have from those scrap bins!
Quilt: Wooland Friends
Blocks: Mini Woodland Bundle from Tartankiwi, Forest Floor from Lillyella's World, reverse applique leaves from Campbell Soup Diary
Started: August 2016
Fabrics: Basic Grey grunge and various stash scraps. Low volume background
fabrics.
Backing: Various scraps
Finished quilt size: ca. 48 x 60 in. (122 x 152 cm)
Do you end up comparing yourself to other quilters? Do you find it discourages you when you are not able to master a certain technique?
Linking up with Let's Bee Social, Sew Cute Tuesday. and Scraptastic Tuesday.
