Serger fun

We had the first snow this winter! However I took the products of my “labour” outside to take some photos. (Ha! that sounds like sewing tees is hard and a chore, doesn’t it?! And like I spend my spare time working…)

Infact, sewing tees has been a mere enjoyment as I treated myself to a new serger. My first serger. And “treated myself” is rather wrong, because I spend my christmas and birthday money that I received from my MIL and my parents.

I sincerely expected some sighing and shrugging shoulders when I called my mom to tell her how I spend my christmas money but she was very happy that I had found something that I would love to use…

So I made some tees first. I bought Rae’s flashback skinny tee pattern and couldn’t stop at one…

The pattern is easy to follow although my boys seem to be bigger than average. I first made a size 6 for my 6 years old son. It was too small in the armpits so I  shortened the arms to make it a perfect fit for my 4 years old.

Here are some details of the neck and the hem. I used a twin-needle for a more professional-looking finish.

In former times my boys have taken to their heels when I sewed clothes for them. It really helps to let them choose the fabrics and some fun iron-on patches.

This is my youngest with the first tee before I shortened the arms. It gets more and more difficult to get them pose for photos so I have to sneak in and catch them unexpectedly…

Here’s the bunch of tees together. So much fun.

Have you tried sewing apparel for your kids or nieces, nephews, grandchildren?
Do they love wearing handmade clothes?

Happy sewing and have a great new week!
Christine

In the hedgerow – a quilt finish

I recently finished the quilt that I made for my mother in law. It is (almost) a wholecloth quilt and quilting this one took forever.

My MIL loves nature, especially birds. But I knew from the beginning that I wanted to make a rather reduced quilt, not a “bold statement”. She has browns and blue-ish greens in her appartment and I didn’t want to add more colour.

Believe it or not: I tried some paper piecing! After Lynne’s class in London 2012, I only made on other block (during a Modern Quilt Guild Bielefeld Sew-in). And then I went crazy and chose this block:

A blue tit (pattern bought here). Let me just say, Lynne’s class helped a lot and despite of all those little bits and pieces, it came together rather smoothly. The seamripper came out once or twice but within three or four evenings I was able to complete the paper pieced block.

I later embroidered the eye in black DMC floss.

I “extended” that branch to both sides and added only white kona as background.

I then free-motion quilted leaves all over the background. I started with these easy leaves - until I ran out of this variegated (Aurifil) thread.

After some muttering and swearing, I chose another green-ish variegated thread and quilted some other leaves – a bit more difficult, I admit.

I am sorry, but I found it very hard to take photos of that “light-green and white variegated thread” on white fabric. Here’s another shot of both kinds of leaves together:

For good measure and to add some interest, I added a dragonfly (in a gree-blue variegated Aurifil)… (inspired by this book)

…and a caterpillar in the same colours.

I pondered on the bird’s quilting for a long time and in the end, I simply stitched in the ditch around all the larger pieces. That meant a lot of thread changes, though…

I am however happy with the result. The stitches are almost invisible and the bird is crisp and radiant compared to the (almost) white background.

I used some white-brown-blue large scale print for the back and machine-bound my quilt in more kona white, stitching the binding down with a triple zig zag stitch.

Here’s one last shot where you might be able to see the scale of the leaves. I did not want to quilt it too densely and it came out of the dryer very soft and fluffy.

I hope that this quilt brings some joy and comfort to my MIL who will have to undergo a major surgery in a few weeks. I am happy to report that she liked her quilt and I sincerely hope that she will use it often: she remarked that it was “too precious to use” (o:

Does that happen to you, too? And how do you persuade the presentee to actually use his/her new quilt?

Christine

DNA Quilt – a finish

This quilt was hand-delivered today and can now be revealed to you. It has been another long-term work in process. It began with a bunch of swap blocks from all over the world: In round 6 of the scrapbuster swap on flickr we made scrappy X blocks. I had to look it up, we made the blocks two (2!) years ago!!!

I began contemplating different layouts:

While I loved the above layout (photo taken before swapping, with my blocks only), the finished quilt would have been too small. And making 60 to 90 more blocks was out of the question.

I opted for some randomly stacked blocks but wasn’t convinced either.

Then I put the blocks together in one long row and found that the layout reminded me of a double helix. Hence the name DNA Quilt.

Once sewn together, I put it away because I didn’t have enough Kona Coal to finish the quilt. And time went by.

More Kona Coal arrived and was neatly folded. And put away. And time went by.

When in April 2013 Celine, our Queen Bee of Sew-Euro-bee-an asked for two scrappy X blocks, I seized the opportunity and made some more Scrappy X Blocks for this quilt. The additional blocks were safely stored with their sisters (brothers?).
And more time went by.

I finally finished it last December.

I echo quilted within those Xs…

…and straight line quilted the background by extending the diagonal lines of the Xs.

I backed it with grey and white leaves (I think it is from Moda’s Shades of Black) and bound it with a grey zig zag print.

All pictures a pre-washing and you can still see those chalk-marks I used to keep the lines straight.

I guess that quilt would still be an u.f.o. (unfinished object) if that stroke of fate had not happend.

A close friend (for more than 30 years) of my husband sufferd from two ruptured celebral aneurysms in October. Thanks to the quick reaction of her teenage daughter, the neurologists saved her life.

But her brain suffered from the hypertension and she was kept in an artificial coma for several weeks. She is almost hemiplegic ever since BUT her cognitive abilities are almost fully restored. Her longterm memories did all come back but her short-term memory does not work (yet). At first she conversed with pencil and paper, slowly writing down her thoughts and wishes. She is now able to speak and makes process with her movements. She really fights her way back into life.

My husband brought her this quilt today and came home shaken and very thoughtful. Our thoughts are with her family, especially with her three kids (her youngest is only eight years old). She still has a long way to go on her path back to (what we call) normality.

Hopefully my little quilt will bring some comfort and love to our friend and her family.

Christine

Gifts received

During the last months I received some handmade gifts that I want to share with you.

My friend and sewing pal Verena made this heat bag for my neck and shoulders. I made several to give away but never made one for my self. Thank you, Verena! Since I own one I use it almost daily!

I received this pincushion as a christmas present from Brigitte of Zen Chic. She used her newest fabric line for Moda: Sphere. Another fabric line I looooooove!

And then there was a pincushion swap at our Modern Quilt Guild Bielefeld. I drew a wonky stars pincushion made by Verena. I love how she combined the colourful Kaffe Fasset fabrics with the blue solid. Makes the colours stand out even more!

As a bonus, she gave me this little elephant that she didn’t think good enough for the swap. Whaaaaaat? I think it is the cutest pincushion I have ever seen. Next time she comes round for a nighttime sewing session, we plan to write down the pattern for this cutie. She made it up all by herself!!

And here comes another favourite of mine: A handstitched hexie pouch from Brigitte of Zen Chic.

Made from my all time favourite fabric line “Comma” AND in my favourite colours: grey, white and mustard-y yellow.

And last but not least, a pillow that is perfect for reading. It was made by another friend and sewing pal. Thank you, Meike!!!

Thank you so much for spoiling me, dear friends!

Have a great new week!
Christine

Gifts made

Although I have not been blogging much lately, I managed to get some little things done over the last months. Here’s some of my secret sewing:

A fabric basket for my neighbor (she asked for berry as the main fabric):

A keychain for my colleague:

A tote bag for our little neighbor turning 5 who is a huge fan of firefighters:

A coaster/ mugrug than can double up as potholder - for our friend’s birthday (Pattern from Sarah Fielke’s “All that and the hatter”)

Fabric baskets for my friends… (free tutorial here)

 

4 Coasters for my friends in Québec, Canada, who love cats. (The free pattern was part of Elizabeth Hartman’s “Catventalong”). So much fun. One day I might make an entire cat-quilt.

And last but not least, I made another tote bag. This one is for my sister’s MIL:

That variegated aurifil thread is my new favourite!!! And those FMQ Stars are way easier than I feared. I shouldn’t have procrastinated quilting that tote for so long…

If I can find a minute or two this afternoon, I might get a blog post ready for tomorrow with all the handmade gifts I received (o:

Have a great sunday!
Christine