MQG Bee Quilt

At the end of November our Modern Quilt Guild Bielefeld received a new addition: our second Guild Baby!! We knew beforehand that our Guild member and my close friend was expecting a boy. So we considered several blocks and colour schemes that suited our plans for a bee quilt for the little man.

Not too many matching points (for easier assembly – somehow the quarter inch of seam allowance varies with every person?!) and not too difficult so that even the newbies could join in.

We decided on a wonky pinwheel design, using low volume prints for the background and blues, greens and greys for the pinwheels.

I volunteered to make the quilt top, baste, quilt and bind it, so I was in charge of the layout, too. This was the first attempt: All blocks arranged, I tried to spread the colours evenly. (Sorry for the bad shot, the blocks are hanging on my design wall, down in the basement –> bad lighting)

I thought the effect was too chaotic and that the wonky pinwheels were not as clearly visible as I had hoped for. So I made some more blocks and added a border.

I quilted it with semi-leaves (is there an official name for this quilt design?!) and stitched in the ditch to reach the next pinwheel. That way I could quilt coherrently, without breaking threads for every new pinwheel.

Here’s a closeup. I used a white Aurifil so that the thread blends with the background fabrics where I stitched in the ditch while it stands out within the pinwheels.

I machine embroidered the quilt label and one of our bee memberes stitched it down by hand. Who would have thought that Aurifil’s cotton thread doubles up as embroidery thread, too?!

This is the finished label and you can see the flannel backing I chose. Don’t you love it when the stars line up and you find the perfect backing?!

As for the binding… never change a winning team, right? It seems like my triple zig zag stitch and I are BFF.

For the binding fabric I chose a rather subtle one. I tried different colours from the original colour scheme but all blues and greens that I tried were… just… too much.

I rather like the effect of this lower toned binding (if I dare say so myself).

Here’s one last shot of the quilt with part of the backing flipped over.

If you’d like to see my friend unwrapping the quilt during our last MQG Bielefeld sew-in, hop over to our website.

Is anyone interested in a tutorial for the wonky pinwheel blocks? I wrote a quick and easy tutorial for our bee members. It is in german but I could translate it if someone should be interested. Just leave me a comment (o:

Oh and by special request I took photos of the binding process so there’s a tutorial on that triple zig zag binding coming soon!

Thank you very much for stopping by.
Happy Quilting!
Christine

Gemmed – a baby girl quilt

After facing the epic fail of the bearding quilt. I quickly decided that I needed to make a second, a better quilt for my new (and first) niece.

My sister did NOT want all those pink and rosy colours so I opted for low volume fabrics with some colour mixed in.

Trimming blocks in girl-ish fabrics – that does not happen often over here… I might even have enjoyed the tedious work. A bit.

I let the blocks form little wonky multicolour gems. With just a bit of pink or violet or rose. Then I backed it with a multicolour dotted flannel, chose a variegating Aurifil thread, grading from blue over pink into white, and free motion quilted it with “organic” straight lines…

… and little petals within the gems.

It makes a lovely design on the back of the quilt (if I dare say so myself):

This time I added the lettering after I finished the quilting. First and last time. Period.

Do I need to mention that I bound it with a triple-zig-zag-stitch?
No. I always do and always will.

BUT I will mention how much I looooooove the binding I chose (shameless self-praise). Following the low volume theme, I chose a fabric stating “security is a thumb and a blanket” (must be the Peanuts / Charlie Brown?!). I really love the effect it has on the quilt and how it matches a baby quilt in particular.

Here’s another shot:

Well, here it is, the “remedy” for the bearding quilt:

Well, this was a lot of recap in a short time.
Now I desparately need to sew - otherwise I won’t have anything new to show you!

Happy quilting!
Christine

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

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

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