Denim Quilt

My Wednesday Work in Progress is a denim quilt.  It might be a bit premature to call it a work in progress as I haven't gotten beyond the planning stage.  What I do have is a bunch of jeans from my cousin.

I offered to make a quilt for my cousin's daughter as she is the only grandchild (there are 13) of my aunt who recently passed away who had not yet received a denim quilt from her grandmother.  As it happened, my cousin had been collecting jeans for her daughter's quilt. 

We found some flannel for the quilt back in my aunt's fabric stash, as well as some fabric for the binding if needed (too soon in the design process to know how I'll be finishing the edges).  I will be piecing the flannel with some Minky fabric as the flannel piece is not large enough for the backing.

My cousin used to work for Levi and Roots.  My challenge will be incorporating their labels, as well as some pockets or other elements of the jeans - beyond the denim itself - into the quilt.


Linked up to: Let's Bee Social

Fabric Destash Pillow Update

Slowly, but surely, making progress on the patchwork pillow.  The 2" patchwork squares for the front are now sewn together. 

Patchwork Pillow with Poetry fabric by
April Cornell

In order to use fabric from my stash of Poetry fabric for the pillow back I need to use at least two prints.  Here's what I have selected.

Fabric Selection for Patchwork Pillow Back

The two prints are similar in tone.  To keep them from appearing too bland I will be adding a strip of the blue polka dot fabric to the top piece when I sew the envelope back.

Happy St. Patrick's Day

On my list of quilts I would like to make is the Irish chain quilt.  I love the simplicity of the patchwork squares on a white background.

Irish Chain by Cluck Cluck Sew

The quilt pictured here is from Cluck Cluck Sew.  Be sure to visit her blog to view the back of the quilt.  It is stunning.  It is so different than anything that typically appeals to me, yet I am drawn to the vibrant colours.

In Memory of My Aunt

My aunt passed away last night.  I had been looking forward to visiting with her in the coming weeks and to let her know I had begun this blog when I received the news.

This is the patchwork elephant she made for my daughter. She loves it.

Typically I would not post anything this personal, but she was also a quilter so it seem right to remember her on my blog.  She was loved and will be missed.

It's Pillow Day

I pulled out my April Cornell fabric remnants on Saturday to get started on the patchwork pillow I am making as an Easter gift.  There were already some 2 1/2" squares and strips so I decided to make the pillow using squares that size to maximize use of my scraps.

Cutting 2 1/2" Squares to Make 16" Pillow Cover

I was well on my way to completing this pillow when I received an invitation to lunch for the following day at my cousin's.  The cousin for whom I have been wanting to sew a pillow since November as a THANK YOU for hosting a family gathering.  It was time to switch gears.  Nothing like a deadline for motivation to start and complete a project.

Fortunately I had all the materials on hand - fabric, pillow form, and zipper.  Or so I thought until it was time to locate the zipper.  It took as much time to locate the zipper as it did to sew it in.  Organizing my sewing corner in the basement is long overdue.

Monogram Pillow

This is the second monogram pillow I have made.  (You can read about the other pillow here.)  It now has a home on my cousin's entry way bench.



Another Fabric Destash Project

Several years ago I made a quilt for my mom.  It was the second quilt I had made for her. 

I cut some of the scraps into 2 1/2 inch squares and sewed them into a patchwork fabric piece that I then used to make a cat softie doll for a friend's little girl.  Too bad I don't have a photo.  It was really cute.

The other day my mom was looking for a throw pillow to go on the bed with the quilt.  I happened to mention that I still have some of the fabric.  A request to sew a pillow quickly followed.  Another project to add to the list.

April Cornell Poetry fabric.

Flash Back Friday - Ambleside Quilt

Ordering fabric on-line is always a risk - and not just because it can get lost in the mail.  It can be hard to judge the scale of a print and images viewed on computer monitors are rarely true to colour.

I had seen Moda's Ambleside fabric by Brenda Riddle Designs on-line.  It didn't appeal to me.  Then I saw it in a quilt store and thought it was beautiful, vintage-inspired fabric with its floral and gingham prints.  Perfect for a traditional style baby quilt.  After purchasing a few fat quarters I had to go on-line to order some more. 

The colours are lovely, but not so much when viewed on-line.  This is one fabric you need to see for yourself.

I selected prints from two charm packs to make this quilt, then sashed it with a narrow solid white and wide pink borders.

Valentine's Toque

Look what arrived in the mail today!  I have a friend who is an amazing knitter.  She knit this adorable toque with hearts for my daughter.

It makes me almost happy that we still have snow and need to bundle up to go outdoors.

2017 New Quilt Bloggers Blog Hop

I just learned about the New Quilt Bloggers blog hop that begins in March.  What a great opportunity to connect with other quilters to share tips and techniques on how to get started with blogging about our quilting passion.  I'll definitely be submitting an application.

Fabric Photo Book Project

Babies and toddlers love looking at pictures, but can wreak havoc on photos or any other paper they can get their hands on.

To create a baby-friendly photo album I have been looking on-line for a fabric photo book tutorial.  The only ones I could find print the photos onto fabric, then sew the images into the book.  I want the flexibility to change photos.

Having had no luck finding what I am looking for, I am now drafting a pattern in my head to make one.  I think I have it figured out.  Once completed it will make a little girl very happy.


I have some 'buyers regret' fabric purchased for another project that I plan to use.  It's Zen Chic by Moda.  I am happy to have found a purpose for the fabric so I can continue to destash.

The goal is to make this in time to be an Easter gift.  That gives me almost two months to complete.

Flash Back Friday - Where's Waldo?

Have you ever been drawn to a quilt and couldn't stop thinking about it?  That's how I was with the Fresh Cut quilt by Heather Bailey using fabric by the same name.  When she re-released the line I knew I had to make the quilt.

It's a strip quilt and creates an interesting kaleidoscope design.


I opted to make my quilt without the ruffle border.

 

Selecting Strips

Arranging Finished Blocks

Waldo

My cat has a fondness for quilting.  Whenever I arrange blocks on the floor she runs over and slides over them like she is on a crazy carpet.  With this quilt the blocks were laid out on a white sheet.  Somehow she managed to get under the sheet and crawl around messing up all my carefully laid blocks.  Perhaps she didn't like my arrangement and wanted me to start over.

 

Fresh Cut Quilt Finished

As with so many of my quilts I made adjustments.  In addition to making it without the ruffle, I added a row to create a lap-size quilt.

 

Fresh Cut Quilt - My Very Own Quilt

This is the first quilt I have made for myself.  The rest have been gifts.  It's so nice to have a quilt to enjoy. I may have to make a few more to keep!

A Little Sweetness ... Perfect for a Little Girl

Tasha Noel has a new line of fabric coming soon.  It's A Little Sweetness and will be available in the Fat Quarter Shop in July.

The fabric is whimsical.  I can envision the adorable dresses and aprons one could make with these prints.

2017 Project Planning

Rather than make any New Year's resolutions I am going to make a list of projects to help with completing them.  I want to organize my sewing room and know that finishing projects I'm storing (some for years) will make a HUGE impact.  Some are works in progress, and others are quilts that need to be started.

As I inventory my stash I will be adding to the list.  Here's

• Monogram Pillow (same design, different letter as this one)
• Pinwheel Quilt

The pinwheel quilt was started years ago. 
It is based on the pattern by Freckled Whimsy.

I know there will be extra fabric once the quilt is complete that I can repurpose for another project.

Birthday Pennant Banner

I made a Happy Birthday banner for a special little girl.  It is made from Bonnie & Camille's Little Ruby fabric.  I am so happy with how it turned out.

If only the lighting was better so the photo would capture the actual colours of the fabric.  I used the green, gray, and aqua dots for the pennants; the pink bows for the applique; and the sundae print in red for the ties.

Flash Back Friday - Once Upon a Time

I was searching for some fabric to make a quilt for one of my nieces when I came across Alexander Henry's 'Once Upon a Time' fabric.  What little girl doesn't love fairy princesses, dragons and magical forests? 

This quilt is one of my own designs.  I miscut the fabric. Had there been enough to redo I would have switched locations of the large-scale and small-scale prints, as the dragon is cut off being placed in the narrower strips.

 

Even though he knows I quilt, my niece's dad thought the quilt was store bought.  He didn't think someone could make something that nice at home.



Christmas Stocking & Gift Bag

I have made several Christmas stockings based on the tutorial by Sew Like My Mom.

 

I had extra fabric so I decided to make a matching gift bag.  You can find the tutorial on the In Color Order site.

Christmas 2016 Quilt-a-thon a bust

I'm sick.  Not just too sick to sew, but too sick to do anything but lie around doing absolutely  nothing and even that is draining.  So much for completing projects on my December sewing list.  Only two items to sew, a pillow and a quilt and it's just not happening.

The best I can do is post about past Christmas projects.


Flat Emelie & Flat Matt 
I always enjoyed playing with paper dolls as a child.  Using the Flat Emelie and Flat Matt tutorial by Angela Yosten I made a set of fabric 'paper dolls' for my niece. 

 

And a change of clothes.  Instead of flaps of paper to hold on the clothing, these ones use Velcro.  The doll clothes were a great way to use scraps of fabric and batting.

 

I also made a carry bag to store the dolls and their clothes.

Christmas Quilt-a-thon

I work well with deadlines, especially the non-arbitrary kind.  As a result, it seems I often have a back-log of projects to complete in December in time give as Christmas presents.  I will sew for hours on end, days in a row to complete gifts.

This year my list is fairly short:

• monogram pillow
• finish last year's Christmas quilt - a work in progress

The Christmas quilt is based on the Tinsel & Baubles pattern by the Fat Quarter Shop and uses the Jingle fabric by Kate Spain.

  The quilt should be a quick finish as I have already sewn all the 'baubles'.  It's just matter of sewing the squares together, quilting, and binding.  As it is a quilt for myself I packed it away last year once Christmas had passed to finish this fall, which has turned into December.

Flash Back Friday

Welcome to Flash Back Fridays! 

I am going to post about past projects, completed prior to beginning this blog, on the last Friday of the month.  As I have sewn more than a dozen quilts since making that first quilt for my mom many years ago, I have many quilts and stories to share.

This is a quilt I made for my niece using Arabesque fabric by Anna Griffin.  Her mom is a dance teacher and had painted my niece's room in soft pink and gray. 

Work in Progress

 Last minute photos before it goes in the gift bag.  I can't believe I forgot  (well almost) to take photos before gifting it.

  

Monogram Pillow

I needed wanted to update the throw cushions on my couch.  Rather than the prints and stripes I have had in the past I decided to go with a more neutral palette, something similar to some denim pillows I had seen in a store.

Off I went to the fabric store to buy white denim. I thought white denim covered pillows would be perfect for my tan couch, but no longer felt the same way once I placed the white denim on my couch.  That clean, bright look I was going for now screamed bland.

Yikes!  Was this another fabric purchase that was going to sit and collect dust?  No, I really needed updated pillow covers.  I was determined to make it work.  I searched on-line for inspiration and came across this pillow:

The peace symbol wasn't what I wanted, but I loved the texture and tone-on-tone look.  I decided to make a monogram pillow.

I'm very happy with the result.