Finally a proper finish

Today I am happy to say I finally finished a quilt – quilted, bound and labeled. It has been two weeks since I finished a quilt and I was feeling a little antsy about it all. So without further ado, here she is…

If you are a regular to the site you will have seen this quilt in various stages of production, but she is now all finished!

I must admit I have struggled today to get her photographed properly. The lighting conditions have not been at all co-operative, but fourth time is a charm.

I did straight line stitching using a magenta thread. I really did not know what colour thread to go with – white did not seem right, navy was a little too dark, green too light. The thread choice is okay but it is not quite what I wanted. Too late now right!

I backed the quilt with some IKEA fabric that I thought went well. Bright and cheery.

The quilting is quite effective on the back of the quilt at least!

I bound in solid navy. It is my go to binding and just seems to bring everything together nicely.

I am linking up with Crazy Mom Quilts for Friday finishes.

Have a great weekend!

29May2013

Gentle blush – wip Wednesday

Posted in Quilt patterns, WIP Wednesday by wombatquilts

This week I have been trying to get a few projects finished, but keep getting distracted. My first distraction was this selection of fabric I pulled from my stash.

I have accumulated over the last couple of months a selection of apricot fabric, and I have been trying to find other fabrics to work with them. I wanted something modern and fun so I chose a blush pink and a pink/purple, and this is what I decided to do….

I love the colours but may re-think the block. The center where the pieces join is bulky and just a pain in the “you know what”.

The other distraction the last week has been hexagons. I have now made 52 hexie flowers and have been getting quite proficient at the process. My hexie travel kit has been living in handbag and I pull it out when ever I can. Geeky I know but it is working.

And the main thing that these activities have been distracting me from is finishing my pink and olive triangle quilt. It is all cut and waiting sewing. I have decided that today that is all I am going to do – no distractions, no new projects, no excuses.

Wish me luck…. I think I am going to need it.

27May2013

Paper Piecing Monday

Posted in Paper Piecing Monday, Quilt patterns by wombatquilts

Well after much thinking and pondering and trawling through my stash I have decided that my next Paper Piecing Monday Sampler quilt is going have a bit more variety in colour, and a bit more variety in patterns. To start this new sampler off I have chosen a fabulous FREE pattern from Julie at 627handworks.

This is the first of Julie’s series Block Rock’n paper piecing patterns. It is called Bowie and can be found here. All the patterns so far have been easy to follow and lots of fun. Bowie is 56 pieces and despite a couple of mis-steps on my behalf, was quick to make.

I am now off to enjoy the last of the long weekend with my hubby. The weather is miserable so a movie may be in order.

24May2013

An almost finished Friday

Posted in Quilts, Scrap quilts by wombatquilts

Last night I finally finished pulling all the paper off my floral crackers quilt. 80 blocks, 79 different floral fabrics and 1/2 a ton of paper later I have this beauty.

There was finally a break in the rain this morning, so I dashed out to take this photo. Not perfect conditions but I was glad for any sort of respite from the deluge.

Enough about the weather… back to quilting. The top is made using the traditional cracker quilt block. I paper piece this top but you can find links to making the pattern on my original post here.

I used as many bright multi-coloured floral fabrics as I could find and only accidentally doubled up on one fabric. There is a lot of Kaffe Fassett in this quilt along with Amy Butler and Denyse Schmidt.

I used random black and white fabric for the background of the pattern but if I was to make this quilt again I would probably go with a low volume fabric option with more colour in it. Don’t get me wrong, I like the black and white but I think in hindsight more colour in the background would have made a different type of quilt top.

This quilt already has a home to go to. I have till the middle of June to get it finished, so it can be presented to a graduating foster kid in the Portland area. Project Linus every year makes sure kids graduating from the foster system & high school have a quilt to take with them on the next stage of their life.

But for now I am off to clean up the paper mess I have made…. it is the curse of paper piecing!

I am linking up with Crazy Mom Quilts for their finished Friday… I think a finished quilt top counts right!

22May2013

A very Pink wip Wednesday

Posted in Quilt patterns, WIP Wednesday by wombatquilts

This week I have been working my way through a friend’s copy of Tula Pink’s “100 Modern Quilt Blocks” . It has been a lot of fun.

I started by pulling some soft, pretty fabrics. It was the name, Tula Pink that made me want to go with this palette. I pulled soft pinks, reds and greys including a handful of solids.

Then I worked my way through some of the patterns I had flagged. One by one I selected the fabric, cut it, then sewed the block together. It was a slow, deliberate process and I loved every minute of it. I definitely do not have as much done as I would pre-cutting my fabric and working with just one pattern but this is a refreshing change of pace.

My work space is little more hectic as well, but I found a great use for my cookbook holder….