Cushion addicton…

I have recently become slightly obsessed with quilted cushions. It all began when I started making class sample for Modern Domestic (my local quilt shop)…and it has not stopped yet.

After making my tiny Economy block mini quilt I wanted to do a bigger version of the block, just for fun. Using a 5 inch block I made this easy cushion in no time…

I used more of my Cotton and Steel stash and just loved fussy cutting the little bunnies in particular…they are so darling. What I love about the Economy block is it is so easy to pick three colours – with this pillow it was pink, navy and yellow… and just go.

Your colourway guides your fabric choices as you rummage through your scraps and stash. As I was pulling fabric I made sure I had a variety of tones – lights and darks in the three colours. The rest is as easy…make the blocks and sew them together. Because you have a coherent colour scheme you can lay out the blocks randomly and get beautiful results.

The cushion top took twenty 5 inch blocks or if you are more adventurous you can do a baby quilt with just sixty three (63) blocks..

This cushion gave me my first opportunity to test out the walking foot on the Bernina 550… and oh what fun it was…

It was so easy to attach the foot (unlike my old machine which involved screw drivers and painters tape!) and the sewing was a breeze. I can not wait to try a bigger quilt with this foot. Hopefully next week I will have quilt done and dusted!

6Feb2015

Wee Wanders finish

Posted in Finished Quilts, Quilts by wombatquilts

This week I managed to get a proper finish on one of my old wip quilt tops…finally.

This darling quilt has been made for a friend’s daughter who lives on a horse ranch. When I saw the fabulous fabric I knew I had to make her a quilt with these horses on it..

The block I used is a modern interpretation of a classic block. You can see my original post about starting this project from July last year, which includes a link to the block pattern HERE.

Most of the fabric is from the Michael Miller Fabric’s Wee Wanders by designer Sarah Jane with a number of different blenders thrown in. I love the warm colour palette floating on the crisp white background.

I must admit it was pouring rain this morning when I photographed this quilt, which means I did not get as many shots as I wanted. The quilt and the photographer were getting way to wet!

I did manage to get a quick shot of the quilt back which uses some of the left over pieces of Wee Wanders and Kona Snow. To finish up I used Kona Flame, a wonderful tomato red, for the binding.

Quilt Details:

Pattern: Rolling Stone – traditional and paper piecing
Fabric: Wee Wanders by Michael Miller
Size: 55 inch x 55 inches

30Jan2015

Constellation crosses

Posted in Quilt patterns, Quilts by wombatquilts

In a moment of crazy at the end of last year I decided that I would not start any new projects in January or February this year. I have so many wips and unfinished quilt tops I thought I needed to do something to clear the backlog. This “resolution” saw me pulling out some old unfinished blocks this week and getting this quilt top done…

I actually started making these blocks in March of last year. I had made a 4 inch paper pieced version of this block for the PMQG medallion and then blew the pattern up to 6 1/2 inches to play with. There is a link on my original post to the free paper piecing pattern in two sizes (4 and 6 inch) in you are interested.

So this week I made a pile more blocks and this morning finally got them all wrangled into a top.

The quilt uses the wonderful Constellation range by designer Lizzy House. I love the fun bright fabrics that Lizzy makes and though I was late to discovering her fabrics, I have been hoarding and using them for a couple of years. I do not think there is a quilt I have made in the last year or so that has not had Pearl Bracelets in it somewhere.

This range is all about stars and fun Constellations, but you could easily use this pattern in any fabric range…the trick is to make sure you have a nice contrast in your blocks and that you embrace the light and dark fabrics from the range.

To really up the contrast with this top I also pulled in some solid white fabric as well as the white on white Pearl Bracelets. I also did not shy away from adding a touch of red/purple. One of the fabrics in the line had a touch of this colour and I thought I would embrace it…just a little. I used the design rule of three and added three blocks with the purple.

I just love how the quilt seems to sparkle and your eyes are forced to move around the top. Now all that is left for me to do is remove the paper and quilt this sucker up!

I am linking up today to Crazy Mom Quilts Friday Finishes.

18Sep2014

A work in progress to change the pace…

Posted in Quilts by wombatquilts

I recently had the privilege of receiving a review copy of Cheryl Arkison’s book “A month of Sunday’s”. The PMQG is often sent books to review and when this title was offered I jumped at it. I loved Cheryl’s first book “Sunday Morning Quilts” which she co-authored with Amanda Jean Nyberg.

This book has a different feel and pace to it than Cheryl’s last book. It has recipes, bag patterns, musing on life and the best chapter EVER on low volume quilting. The chapter “Turn it Down” does a marvelous job of explaining what low volume is, how it works and how to select fabrics. It has tips on value, scale and colour in low volume fabrics and I learnt some neat stuff.

The book’s quilting projects are all fabulously low key, low volume and fun. You are challenged to take what you have learnt about low volume and apply it to patterns. There are helpful hints about turning up the volume on the patterns too but they are all perfect for the quieter style.

Flipping through the book there was one pattern in particular that caught my eye and I knew I just had to make it…

So fabric was pulled (I had a surprising number of text prints!) and then cut. Now, after months of loud bright colours my design wall at the moment is full of scrappy low volume prints.

The wall looks so strange with the random placement but as the rows are sewn together I am seeing some magic appear. I used more creams in my top, which gives my Crossword an old newspaper” feel I think.

I have no husband for the weekend so I am hoping to have this top finished for a reveal next week.

12Sep2014

Starry Night… the big reveal

Posted in Finished Quilts, Quilts by wombatquilts

Okay I finally managed to wrangle the Starry Night quilt top enough to get some photos. I must admit there are a few strangling pieces of paper still attached to the back…

but I promised a reveal today so here goes…

As you know, if you have followed this quilts progress, I did not have a plan of how to put this together. I just went with the flow, putting pieces up on the design wall and jigsawing the blocks into a top (a technical maneuver I do not want to attempt again!).

My design wall was too small for it, so I had pieces hanging off the wall and laying on the floor….

My first step was to arrange the star blocks in a rough layout that made sure that they were as evenly distributed and as balanced as I could get them.

I carefully placed the bigger stars around the quilt making sure that the fractured stars were separated as well as the ringed stars. I wanted the eye to move around the top exploring and I felt this was the best way to do it.