A group quilt

Today I want to share a group quilt we made for our first “Modern Quilt Guild Bielefeld Baby”.

We knew that our guild member and New-Mom-to-be  was expecting a girl but does not like too much pink and rose. So we picked a grey background and decided on wonky star blocks. Each of us made 2 or three blocks and I volunteered to put the quilt top together and baste, quilt and bind the quilt.

Here’s our baby girl quilt for little Leona:

I used a variegated red-pink Aurifil to free motion quilt stars and loops…

…and outlined the stars using a white Aurifil thread.

All stars are scrappy and some are multi-coloured and others are monochromatic.

I found a fabric with little stars in colourful circles for the backing and used a multi-colour-striped fabric for the binding.

Below you can see the baby’s name quilted in the top left corner for some extra little individuality.

During our last sew-in the little baby came along for the first time. Below you can see a snap shot of her on Brigitte’s arm with her new quilt. She was such a cute addition to our party. Napping in her pram or being carried around by other quilt members.

You are most welcome to cheer us up with your little smiles and “uh-ohs” and we hope to see you again soon, little Leona!

So this was a long kept secret (we started sewing in October, I think) and I am glad I was able to finish the quilt just in time for her first visit.

Do you have a go-to baby-quilt pattern? I have to start another baby quilt soon, so if you know a good pattern, I’d love to read your advice!

Happy (secret) sewing!
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

Felt bunnies

March 20th is the first day of spring.
Looking at our front yard it is obvious, isn’t it? Sigh.
It started at 1 pm and it is still snowing now.

We decided to make some easter decorations nevertheless. Our eldest son (5) is very fond of cutting out figures. Even even masters difficult shapes.

I was looking for some easter deco that we could make together. I decided on felt bunnies that double up as egg warmers. I drew the bunnies onto the felt (white was his choice, not mine…) and he started cutting.

He had some difficulties cutting with my large fabric scissors and with the felt that shifted in his hands. But he managed to cut out the shapes well enough. Not as exactly as he had cut out the paper-pattern-bunny minutes before but fair enough for a very first try with big scissors and felt/ fabric.

My original plan was to sew the halves together with my sewing machine but when I proposed to show him how to sew them together by hand, he was eager to give it a try.

So I pinned together the two bunnies with some basting pins and showed him how to stitch. I was worried it might be to difficult and that he would end up being disappointed and frustrated but he was neither!

He concentrated hard on his stitches…

… and the first ones were incredibly even!

He almost finished his bunny but got distracted when his little bro (3) started colouring some eggs that I had cut out of the felt leftovers.

He decided to finish his bunny tomorrow and to “help” his brother instead.

I guess we will sew together the next bunnies with my sewing machine – but I’m very proud of my little sewing pal.

On other news, I finished my March Blocks for Sew-Euro-bee-an. Floh asked for wonky stars – another first for me. They were easy to make – and if I had not prompted Mr. Seamripper to make an appearance it would have even been a quick finish.

On the third and fourth block I somehow attached the triangles the wrong way (see lower right block). After some muttering and swearing and seam ripping I finally got it right and finished two 12,5” blocks.

I tried to use different colours from those that my fellow bee members had chosen. I hope you’ll like them, Floh! I already added a wonky star quilt to my to-sew list…

Happy sewing everyone!
Christine

Quilted Christmas Pillow Cover

I finished my Christmas Pillow Cover that I started during our last Modern Quilt Guild Bielefeld meeting. Every 4 or 5 weeks we meet for an entire day to sew together. Each time we have a different workshop for the first 2 or 3 hours and afterwards there’s free sewing and chatting time. Last meeting’s topic was christmas paper piecing.

Using this free tutorial each of us made a wonky star block. I turned mine into a pillow cover for christmas.

I used some off-white linnen as the background and a deep orange for the star.
I quilted around that star with matching orange thread using a triple straight stitch. Then I changed threads and quilted stars on the background with matching thread using my walking foot.

Those stars are connected at some edges so I didn’t have to break thread.

For the backing I used a matching cotton fabric as I didn’t have enough linnen left.

I added a covered zipper that turned out much better than I would have dreamed. Seeing that I kind of made it up myself. Trial and error. This time without the error part (o:

I really love that little cussion. It does not scream “CHRISTMAS” at me every time I look at it and it matches our sofa beautifully. First christmas object that matches that deep orange. I’d never buy that sofa again though. It is too hard to find matching decoration. Aaah! With my Kona Colour Card on hand I might now be able to sew up more matching decoration. If ever I find time enough to sew for myself.

I tend to sew for others rather than for myself. Do you, too?

I fully intend to change that. I made a start with this cussion and my lunch bag. Now I still need two or three throw quilts. But that may take some time… I think I’ll ask the Sew-Euro-Bee-an Ladies to help me with that.

Have a nice week!
Christine

Space Rocket Quilt

Yesterday evening I finished a quilt for my eldest son. I made my first quilt ever for him which turned out to be too small by the time it was finally completed. One evening when I was searching the Fat Quarter Online Shop he pointed at the pictures of “Space by Makower” and  asked me to buy him “some rockets”. Secretly I bought some and I turned it into a light summer quilt. I gave it to him this morning and he is dragging it around the house ever since he came back from kindergarten. His little brother was refused to even touch it. Which provoked tears and jealous screams. I guess I will have to make another one…

For the backing I chose a stars print that I already had in my stash…

I added a little appliqued star as a quilt label…

I drew connecting stars with a water-soluble pen and FMQ the silhouettes.

Some more quilting within the appliqued rocket…

… and it was done!

Hopefully it will be used frequently… and that’s why I opted for a no-binding finish using the envelope method.

Happy Sewing!
Christine