Something is happening...

... a little bit of quilting!

Do you know how -- as soon as you don't have something any more -- you want to use it? Well, I've loaned my sewing machine to a friend who wants to fix her curtains. So of course, now I have the urge to quilt.

In the absence of my machine, I sorted through patterns and fabrics (especially my charms collection) and prepared the pieces for a couple of baby quilts.

More to follow on these later...

And the Warm and Fuzzy quilt I posted about last --- well, it was missing 2 corners. Yes, I just had to cut 2 triangles and couldn't get myself motivated... until now!

So as soon as my machine is back, this quilt top will be finished, and the 2 baby quilts will be assembled!

Warmer and Fuzzier

Here's an update on my Warm and Fuzzy Quilt project, which has been in the making for eternity (it feels like).

Originally, I wanted to alternate burgundy log cabin blocks with green log cabin blocks...

... but when I had the burgundy ones finished, I was (1) tired of making these blocks and (2) found the mix too colourful. I played around with different ideas and in the end decided to keep the whole thing burgundy.

Putting the blocks on point somehow made the whole design more dynamic:

I made a couple more blocks (I needed 12 instead of 10 now) and calculated the size blocks I needed for the solid diamonds and triangles.

Once it was sewn together, I really liked it! Now I'll think of a spiffy border and put the thing together!

I still need 2 small triangles for the last 2 corners. Right now the quilt measures around 60"x80".

It's good to be quilting again!

Julia's Quilt Finito!

Okay, in the interest of ease and time, I stippled this quilt with rather big loops. My machine is quite slow on the different voltage in Europe. Maybe it's the adapter I use, but I haven't looked into a different model yet. I also bought a machine here that I use for piecing (I'd go mad piecing at the speed of my old Singer from Canada), but I haven't bought any attachments for free-motion quilting.

Amazingly, no problem quilting or putting on the binding, and ah! it was so pieceful and quiet to sew down the binding on the front...

Here's the finished product, delivered on schedule to my grandmother's:

Measures about 55 x 78 inches.

Putting the Pins in Julia's Quilt

You know, when you're used to basting on smooth floor, using tape instead of pinning a quilt to a carpet, it makes such a difference to live in a place with laminate flooring again (after a few months in a place with carpet).  Big sigh of relief!

I ruined my nails during pin-basting, as usual :) They were quite long, admittedly.  Apart from the tape getting old and coming off the floor over night, the basting went quite well.  What a refresher quilt this is!

I finally got to hear that great sound of hundreds of safty pins clicking on the floor when I shook out the quilt in the end :) Music in my ears.

And now it's ready for binding, one of my favourite steps!

Back of Julia's Quilt

Okay, next installment of the quilt for my cousin Julia.

This is a close up of the backing fabric:

I took some of the fabrics from the front and cut out the letters of her name and enlargements of the flowers on the white fabric, to be appliqued.

I don't really bother with heat'n'bond paper, glues or sprays to fix applique in place; I either find that the quilt gets too stiff with an extra layer, or don't have the stuff and can't be bothered to buy them for the rare times I need them.  I'm more of a piecer, on the whole. So pins do the trick for me...

I did the quick way of appliqueing, i.e. zigzagging around the shapes. Folding the edges under and hand-appliqueing is a lot prettier, but also takes a lot longer, and of course, there's a deadline for this quilt (upcoming birthday).

Okay, time for basting!

Special Order For My Cousin

See that white background fabric? My grandma bought a big chunk of it and said "Please use this an make a quilt for your cousin Julia, pattern doesn't matter, I leave it all up to you".  Okay :)

After a year of pretty much no quilting, I had to remember quite a bit, but it was pretty much like cycling :) 

I decided to use the white fabric for the back and picked a bunch of fabrics for the front that match in colour. 

I found it a bit too girlish, despite the green I added for a splash of something else, so I switched the purple against a burgundy. Much better, and better contrast, too. I know, I know, it's a quilt for a little girl, but in my experience, most girls grow out of pink/purple :)

I decided to do a pattern that I've used once before using brown and turquoise. The idea was that I wouldn't have to do any calculations, but of course I did, because I ended up making the blocks a bit smaller to fit the backing fabric. The page of notes in my design book got pretty messy, and I noticed how rusty I was considering seam allowances in my calculations...

After a few blunders, I got the hang of it again (especially the 'measure twice, cut once', haha).

And here's my first layout of the front, hooray!

I've always liked photos of quilt tops against the light (have seen that on several other blogs) - it looks so much like a church window, so I decided to take one of these too!  I'm excited about this quilt and to be quilting properly again...

Now the question is: will I remember how to turn corners on the binding???? :)

New Home for my Mom's Mobile

That's what happens when people like the results of one's craftiness.  I almost didn't have to look up the instructions on how to layer the lining, padding and outside on this case.  If I do a few more, maybe I'll even lose the thrill while I'm turning the thing inside out (the thrill of wondering "will it work again?")