Tag Archives: quilting

Forgive my tardiness…

Posted in Finished Quilts by

This week I am sharing a quilt that I finished up a while ago but I completely forgot to share…. though the photos are not brilliant as they were taken quickly before I gifted the quilt.

finished fox quilt

This quilt is one of the rare quilts I have made for and given to a friend… a friend who has an affinity with foxes needless to say….

I actually started making this quilt a few years ago, well before I taught classes on making Elizabeth Hartman’s Fancy Forest.  I learnt so much teaching and I wish I had known how to make her patterns before I started this….

fox quilt detail 2

Some of things I learnt the hard way is to make sure you are cutting accurately (there is no wiggle room in her patterns)…sew with a scant quarter inch to give yourself  some leeway …. and make sure you trim the subsections to the correct size before you sew the block together.

fox quilt detail

As this quilt was a gift I sent it out to be quilted and loved the wood grain that was used to finish it up.    I also learnt with this quilt it is worth taking the time to take decent photos… and I now try very hard to get good photos before I send the quilt out into the world.    Mr Wombat did not even get a chance to stick out his pinkies…we were in that much of a hurry.

But my friend shared a great photo on Instagram which shows the quilt in the wild…

katies cat

Quilt Details:

Pattern:   Fancy Fox by Elizabeth Hartman
Fabric:  Various orange/red scraps.
Kona White and Windsor for faces and Cross Hatch in blue grey.
Size:  60 x 72 inches

Saved the best for last…

Posted in Finished Quilts by

So this is my favorite Cotton & Steel quilt I have made so far…. and yes it uses the same block as last week’s quilt – the Ohio Star.  I always use the wonderful tutorial by The Sewing Chick when making this block.

C&S Ohio star quilt

Same quilt block but such a different quilt…. the Cotton & Steel fabric really make this quilt sing…

c&s ohio star detail 3

…modern, bright and fun.   It always surprises me how different quilts can look with different fabric…

ohio star detail 5

This version feels so much more scrappy because of all the different low volume fabric used (there is not one repeat!)…

ohio star detail

Oh and all the colors used… I did have a blast fussy cutting the centers for these blocks…

ohio star detail 4

The beautiful quilting was done by our wonderful guild member Kazumi Peterson, who is so generous to our Charity program with her time and talent.

ohio star detail 2

I finished the quilt with just a solid navy binding… the quilt is so fabulously busy it did not seem to need anything else.

So this is Cotton & Steel quilt number 5 and I have just finished the top for number 6.  I may have a C&S problem and they are not helping at all… have you seen the latest collection to hit stores?  It is called Spectacle and is by the amazing artist Christian Robinson.  Now in my defense I have not bought EVERYTHING they have released but they really do make fabulous fabric.

Quilt Details:

Quilt Block:  12 inch Ohio Star block
Fabric:  Various lines from Cotton & Steel
Size:  60 x 72 inches

Finishing up some more quilts…

Posted in Finished Quilts by

I am finally getting around to finishing up and sharing some of my long over due Do Good Stitches quilts…

dgs ohio star quilt

With the Do Good Stitches quilts I do try and challenge myself to do gender neutral or boy orientated quilts.  As a card carrying pink lover it is always difficult to try and keep to a less girly palette.

ohio star quilt

With this quilt I went with a very traditional block but got my fellow Bee members to mix up the blues and to throw in some boy based novelty prints.

ohio star quilt detail

It really like the way it turned out.  The fun quilting was done on the long arm at my local Quilt shop – Modern Domestic.  I can not tell you how much I love having a local shop…  and one that is just 5 minutes drive away.  I am very very spoiled.

pinkie detail

In the next month there are two quilt shops in town closing down, which makes me a little sad.  I love going into Modern Domestic and petting the fabric, getting advice and teaching/taking classes.  I can not imagine what I would do if my LQS shut down.   If you are lucky enough to have a local store make sure you appreciate them and frequent them – they are such an asset and it would a sadder world if we could not physically go and touch the fabric…. stepping off my soap box… and now back to the quilts…

quilt back

For the back of the quilt I used an IKEA pillow case (cut open of course).  I am having a blast using sheet sets and Doona (duvet for non-Queenslanders) covers for the back of my quilts.  Between IKEA and Martha Stewarts Whim sets the novelty print choice is too fun.

helpful helper

And it is thanks again to my trusty quilt holder and pinkie model… Mr Wombat.  He really is getting good at this quilt holding thing!

Quilt details:

Pattern:  12 inch Ohio Star blocks
Makers: Do Good Stitches Hope Circle
Fabric:  Scraptastic – blues & cream/whites
Size:  48 x 60 inches

I was not joking about my new obsession…

Posted in Finished Quilts by

Last week I said had a Cotton and Steel…and to prove it here is Exhibit B….

hop skip jump cs quilt

This pretty little thing was made using a pattern from V & Co called Hop Skip Jump.  It is just one block but two different color ways to give the scattered affect.

Cotton steel quilt

The prints are all Cotton and Steel prints, of course with Kona Snow background….

hop skip detail

The block is made up of half square triangles and broken dishes sections…. I became quite proficient at matching my points by the end of this process.  I may have cheated a little by using glue basting to match my seams for the broken dishes section of the block… but don’t tell anyone!

hop skip detail 2

What I really love about the Cotton and Steel selection in this quilt is their “kind of grey” color that they use.  It is not quite a grey and not quite a bone color.  It is really a unique color shade that they use over and over again in their prints.  I must admit my stash of this color took a big hit with this quilt particularly because…

cs quilt back

I used a swath of it on the back.   This print did not work in the block so I kept it whole on the back.  I know the typewriters are the wrong way but I love them anyway… and as always the kid that gets this quilt is not going to care at all.

QUILT DETAILS:

Pattern:  Hop Skip Jump by V & Co
Fabric:  Assorted Cotton & Steel prints and Kona Snow
Finished size:  60 x 72 inches
Expert quilt holding:  Mr Wombat

A New Year and a new start…

Posted in Finished Quilts by

Welcome to 2018…the year I actually get my act together and post more of the quilts I have finished and share more of the work I am doing.  I am determined to get back into good habits…

To that end I am going to play catch up and share some of my finishes from last year starting with one of my favorite quilts that was made during the PMQG Charity Sew Days last year….

finished eh quilt

This quilt was made using hundreds of mini charm squares of Elizabeth Hartman fabric. Elizabeth is a member of our Guild and very kindly donated the fabric to the charity program.

eh block detail

The quilt is made of two alternating blocks – one starts with a patterned square in the middle and the other starts with a white square in the middle.  I love the overall pattern these blocks make.

amended

The colors from her fabric lines works so well together – we have bits of Rhoda Ruth, Paint Box basics and Pacific lines all together.  I must admit I am waiting for Robert Kaufman to make a wide-back fabric from her butterfly fabric.

elizabeth hartman qulit detail 2

My quilt helper on this overcast day was my cousin who was visiting from Australia.  Claire was battling with the size of the quilt and the wind this morning…

batttling the wind

As always thanks to the army of people who help make these quilts… the volunteers that show up to sew, the wonderful long arm quilters who quilt these big quilts and to Elizabeth for her generous donation – last year we backed 18 quilts with her fabric, thanks to her donation.