Tag Archives: quilting

Time flies when you’re…

Posted in Finished Quilts by

Avoiding blogging… I am not sure why I am finding it so hard to get into the rhythm of blogging again but I really am.  I have had photos that I have wanted to post since Summer and I have just found every excuse I could to just not post…. until today.

Today I got a lovely note from someone who follows my blog who was just checking in with me to see if I was okay.  I had kind of forgotten that people liked my quilts and missed my posts.  I had convinced myself that no one really was missing my blog in the sea of things to do/read/look at.  It was a nice reminder that there are a few people out there who like what I do.

So without further… for the Sandra’s out there… here is a quilt I made last year that I have been meaning to share…

find the quilt

This quilt was a store sample that I made for Modern Domestic from Elizabeth Hartman’s fabric and pattern.

Potted plant quilt

I do not usually post photos of my store samples but I loved this quilt.  It was so easy to put together and turned out better than I could have hoped…

plant detail

The plants are darling and such a fun idea.  The quilt did get me into a little bit of trouble as I kept talking about the “pot plant” quilt.   Now where I come from a pot plant is a potted plant… a plant in a pot.  Unfortunately I realized too late that in Portland it meant something a little different…. everyone thought I was taking about a Pot plant (aka. a marijuana plant)… whoops.

quilting detail

Things really did get lost in translation with this one.  What did not get lost on this quilt is the amazing quilting that my colleague Lane did on this piece.  He used the store’s Bernina Q20 and did some amazing ruler work on this piece.  This was one of his early pieces as he was learning to use the long arm machines.  If this was one of his first quilts you can imagine what his quilting is like now.  He is a natural… and I am only a little jealous of his quilting skills.

pot plant quilt

I make all my store samples with everyone involved knowing that they will end up at the local hospital’s PICU.  I hope the kid that gets this quilt loves it as much as I do.

Quilt Details

Quilt Size:  44 x 44
Pattern:   Green House by Elizabeth Hartman
Fabric:  Terranium by Robert Kaufman

Return of the pinkies…

Posted in Finished Quilts, Scrap quilts by

Yep you heard that right… the pinkies are back after an extended vacation…

solid wonky star

We made the most of the brief bout of sunny weather here in the Pacific Northwest and took some finished quilt photos over the summer.  I actually wanted to take all the quilts I had to photograph (about 12) to Hawaii with us on holiday but Mr Wombat did not like that idea.  So instead we stayed local.

wonky star quilt

I choose this as the first quilt to share with you after such a long break because I LOVE it.  It is so bright and fun.  It was made a one of our Portland Modern Quilt Guild charity sew days from my large stash of 3 1/2 inch solid squares.

solid wonky star detail

I process all the small scraps I make and am given into 3 1/2 or 5 inch squares using my trusty Accquilt cutter.  It has made charity sew days so much easier for me having the Go Cutter to work with… I have spent many a happy evening cutting bits of fabric while watching trashy tv….somehow I am less guilty watching bad TV if I am doing something constructive while doing it.

quilting detail

The blocks are 12 inch finished blocks and use a 4 x 4 grid or 3 1/2 inch squares.  They are so easy to make and even though there were at least 12 people making these blocks I had no trouble matching seams.

quilt feet

This was truly a team effort with PMQG members sewing the blocks, quilting the quilt and binding this beauty up…. and finally Mr Wombat helping with the photography and supplying the quilt feet and of course…

the pinkies

The pinkies…. this was the last quilt we photographed and by the time we found this great yellow wall he was pretty close to divorcing me… but all has been forgiven now.

Quilt Details:

Block:  12 inch wonky star variation
Fabric:  Kona and RJR solid scraps
Size:  60 x 72 inches

It is not easy being green…

Posted in Finished Quilts by

First of all I want to thank everyone who reached out to me after my last post. I was scared to post about what was going on with me personally but you all made me feel so loved and supported… thank you… you may have even made my mum tear up a bit.

Now onto the business at hand… quilts.  Today I am sharing a recent Do Good Stitches finish.  This one was a simple block that chose for the Bee… you can see directions on making it here…

DGS green quilt

This quilt top came together quickly, once I had received all the blocks from my fellow DGS peeps…

green quilt detail 3

I want to use the palette I selected for this project again… but this time I want to just use the colors with no white…it is such a fresh color scheme and I want to really get the citron to pop.

CW_MoodBoardMonday_BluesGreens

On Pinteres I have a whole folder full of color schemes and I love taking inspiration for how other people put together palettes… particularly when I am having a color block (which is a quilters equivalent to writers block).

green quilt detail

I also find it easy to point my fellow quilting bee mates in the direction of a color palette when setting a block for them to make…. and so far the results have been spot on.

green quilt detail 4

I got a wonderful mix of colors back from my team and also a variety of tones… does anyone else use other peoples colour palettes?

green quilt detail 2

I had fallen a little behind with my Do Good Stitches finishes so this quilt got an all over stipple… thanks to my darling friend Sam Hunter… and a Martha Stewart sheet for the back…

quilt back

This quilt has already headed to the local PICU and is hopefully giving a warm Quilty hug to someone.

Quilt Details:

Block:  12 inch Double T block
Made by: DGS Hope Circle
Fabric:  Green, turquoise and citron scraps
Finished size:  48 x 60 inches

Need to get organized…

Posted in Finished Quilts by

I am in desperate need of a some organization… I have not posted anything for the last couple of weeks because I was not organized enough to get the photos up and posted.  I have about 5 quilts finished and photographed but I have not been able to get them sorted and corrected so that I can post.

So here comes the admission… I am not quite myself at the moment… and actually have not been for a little while.  You see it seems the knock to my head a the end of 2016 did a little more damage than originally thought.  I have not been able to read properly for a little while… my eyes and brain are not communicating the way they should be.  It means that blogging has been a much more of a task than it used to be… and I have been reluctant to do it.

The quilting though has been surprisingly easier than my Neuro-optometist thought it would be.  There is a lot to be said for muscle memory.  It seems all those years of mindlessly sewing has helped me continue working during this fun phase… though some of my paper piecing stitches have not followed the lines the way they should…

After keeping this under my belt of the last 6 months I thought I should come clean about the struggle.  I am seeing a large number of people with the word “neuro” in front of their title and things are getting better…slowly.  So I ask for your patience as I try and find a rhythm as my brain heals.

All that being said I do have a quilt to share this week… and it is one I LOVE…

finished solid star quilt

This quilt is another beauty that came out of a PMQG Charity Sew Day.    It took tons of brightly colored solid scraps as well as some cream/white scraps – I spent a lot of time with my Accuquilt cutter cutting 5 inch squares for this one!

quilt detail

The solids worked so nicely and I have become a bit of a solid fan for charity quilts…. though I do miss the novelty fun that comes from using prints…

solid stars quilting detail

The quilting on this piece is beyond amazing.  One of our talented long armers, Cindy Lund had a field day… each star is quilted with a different pattern and the sashing is free motioned.  The quilting really does make this quilt so much more special.

the pinkies

I mean it is beyond anything I had imagined when I handed the quilt over… I am always in awe of the work of our amazing long arm quilters… they do such an amazing job… and it is a job that I am not particularly fond of, which makes me even more grateful for their time and talents.

quilt back

As this is quite a large quilt I used a nice piece of wideback for the backing.    The backing  was donated by Elizabeth Hartman and is part of her widleback collection for Robert Kaufman.  I have a been so grateful for the wide back donation we got from Elizabeth… it has saved me piecing backs for so many of the larger quilts.

quilt detail 2

To finish the quilt off I made the unusual decision to bind in white… because the sashing was not added around the outside of the quilt a darker binding would have made the quilt a little imbalanced I think.

This beauty is labeled up and headed to Camp Erin.  We have a wonderful collection of quilts going to this cause this year.  I was thrilled to run across the documentary “One Last Hug” on HBO last month, which is about Camp Erin… it is always nice to know more about where the quilt are going and who they are helping.

Quilt Details:

Quilt Block:  Traditional block known as African star or pinwheel star
Block size:  12 inch
Fabric:  Solid scraps with Kona white and Snow background.
Finished Size:  54″ x 68″

A little Friday Improv

Posted in Finished Quilts, Scrap quilts by

The quilt I am sharing today was made during one of our Guild’s Charity Sew Days.  For these sewing adventures I usually pick a block to make in advance, pull and cut all the fabric and do a couple of sample blocks.  There is quite a bit of prep work… but not on Improv days….

golden improv quilt 2

On Improv days I get to pull fabric but I do not have to cut anything….  I really like those days… and Improv log cabins are the best…

quilt detail 4

This quilt was inspired by some mustard metallic that had been donated to the program – some Mirror ball and some Lizzy House Pearl Bracelets.   I also had a stash of black and white scraps which needed using and a plan came together…

golden detail

There are some wonderful novelty prints in this quilt and some great fussy cutting.  That dog looking out put a smile on my face every time I see him…

quilt detail 5

The color scheme is gender neutral and I think a little more grown up than some of the brights I usually do… and I thought this would be a great quilt for an older kid.

golden improv quilt

The photo shoot for this quilt (and a few more I will share in the coming week) took place at a local garden. Mr Wombat was very patient and a real trooper as some of these quilts are quite big…

the struggle is real

And the wind did not always co operate with us… I finally gave us trying to get a decent shot of the back of the quilt… and went for a close up instead…

quilt back detail

The close up gives you a better look at the fabulous ostridges and their golden butts that are on the back.  This is actually part of a sheet set I bought at Macy’s… I have become obsessed with the Whimsy sheet sets Martha Stewart does as they are perfect for backing  kids quilts.

Quilt Details:

Block:  12 inch wonky log cabin
Fabric: black & white scraps with a smattering of mustard.
Size:  60 x 72 inches