Off-centre: A modern baby girl quilt

Maybe even too modern?

What do you think? It is off-centre, has lots of negative space, wonky squares and linear and free-motion quilting.

I regret using a contrasting white Aurifil for the quilting. It works well within the white frames but I think I should have chosen a blending thread for quilting the negative space.

The back is more little-girl-ish: Anne Kelle’s Kites on flannel surprisingly matched well with most of the scraps I used within the wonky squares.

Of course it showcases the baby’s name.

I chose raw-edge appliqué again but changed the width often to match the width of the letters/strokes (does that make sense? You can see the width difference in the photo above).

So, all in all, what do you think? Too modern for a new born? Too much grey?
I’d love to hear your thoughts!

Happy quilting everyone!
Christine

The Yellow Lessons Learned Quilt

I recently finished another quilt. A quilt that is definitely not one of my favourites. But I learned a lesson or two making it.

I started out with some improv blocks I made about 1,5 years ago. Then we had an improv class during our MQG Bielefeld meeting last year. I neither liked the improv cutting nor the colors.

I decided to combine them with a rich and saturated yellow – now was better – but still not exactly my cuppa.

I had that quilt top sitting around for a year or so before I started basting it. And it would have stayed in that state had I not needed my basting needles for another quilt. I started quilting “Atomic Squares” on the yellow background. This design is one of my favourites from the book “Free Motion Quilting with Angela Walters”.

When I returned from London, I had learned so many new FMQ designs in Trudi’s Class that I decided to use this un-loved quilt as a Free Motion Practice Quilt and to try different FMQ designs in different areas:

Big-Ls…

Wavy lines and shells and clam shells…

A giant flower…

A feather, some swirls

…and some petals and leaves…

I used a white binding and my favourite zig zag finish.

I liked the “Atomic Squares” best and will definitely use that design again. I did not mark the fabric, I used some seams as guidelines and had a small ruler at hand to doublecheck the size of the squares from time to time.

I forgot to take a photo of the backing, it is pieced using leftovers from the top.

All in all, it is a fun little quilt, I am glad I finished it at all.

Besides the technical lessons I learned (improv cutting and piecing, colour combination, FMQ designs, etc.), I learned something more: perseverance (I finished it after all) and acceptance of imperfection (I forced myself to NOT rip out those ugly stitches).

Oh and by the way, I learned to NOT quilt so close to the edge of the quilt that half the stitches are buried underneath the binding ):

Many lessons learned – even if the result will never be a favourite. Because most of all, I learned that improv is not my cup of tea at all. Give me squares and rectangles and circles and triangles. But no more improvisional cutting and peicing, please…

Thanks for visiting!
Christine

Another quilted patchwork panel project

Confession: I’m addicted to quilted patchwork panel projects. I tried Elizabeth Hartman’s technique once (about 6 weeks ago) and made around 10 projects since (most of them are Santa’s Secrets for some more days…)

Here’s one I made for myself. (Btw. one of those things I want to do next year is to do more “selfish-sewing” – sewing for myself and my family).

When I saw Rachael’s blogpost about her craft book project, I knew I had to make a bath mat for our own bathroom. The bathroom is grey and white and I used red as the only other colour (for towels, paintings, kleenex box covers, etc.).

This is my quilted patchwork panel bath mat:

Once again finished with my favourite triple zig zag stitch:

Thank you very much, Elizabeth, for your great tutorial! I love my new addiction (o:

Happy Quilting everyone.
I hope you’ll all have a joyful christmas time!

Christine

Improv w.i.p.

I started working on a first christmas gift. It is never too early to start, is it?! Sometimes I see something that fits someone’s style but by the time I need a gift for that person I have already forgotten about it because I didn’t take notes when inspiration struck. So that’s why I started right away last night when the idea crossed my mind.

I did some improv block following this tutorial of Elizabeth Hartman. For obvious reason I can’t show you too many details but here’s what I’m working on:



And here’s a close-up. I love love love these fabrics that I found at a local fabrics-and-notions-thrift-store. It is also great for a backing because it has a width of 2,40 metres. It is 100% cotton and from Turkey. It says “MODEV Lux Ranforce Carsaf” on the selvage.

Have you already started your christmas sewing? Do you write down ideas for gifts?

Happy Sewing (for Christmas)!
Christine