seeing stars in tilda

Like lots of you, I work on more than one thing at a time, 

but top of my list today was adding the binding to this little quilt.

Tilda back & front

'Seeing Stars in Tilda' quilt details:

Pattern: I used the sawtooth star block measurements I had here, there's heaps of tutorials available.

Fabric: Love 💕how the past & present lines of #tildafabrics can mix & match so seamlessly. 
Backing: A scrappy improv mashup of my Tilda fabrics, mixing some new with (very) old.
Quilting: Leeanne from quiltmekiwi used an E2E panto, 'Peeling Good'. The quilting really made this quilt come together; the curves seem to balance the straight piecing lines and extend out into the border too for some added visible texture.

Binding: I used a two-tone blue stripe for binding, it seems to frame all the Tilda colours nicely.

Quilt measurements: 48" x 59"

garden party quilt

This recently finished quilt ticks all the boxes for me…so many of my favourite AMH fabrics in the one quilt✔️ ultra scrappy mix of old and new fabrics✔️ mod 'cone flower' quilting✔️ scrappy backing✔️ stripey binding✔️

Checkered Garden quilt - the 'garden party' one:

Pattern: 'checkered garden' pattern from Ashley @ filminthefridge (it’s free)
Fabric: I was able to use lots of little bits from my entire AMH stash. I worked block by block, as I had decided to set myself the creative challenge of choosing colours for each block as I went. I’m super happy with this mishmash of bright fabrics, and I really tried not to be too matchy-matchy. 

I love the unifying element of the pink and cream/white corners to each block. 

Backing: I used a scrappy mix of leftovers #partyinthequiltback!

Quilting: Leeanne from quiltmekiwi quilted it with an edge-to-edge panto called 'cone flower' - which looks super!
Binding: even though my quilt was heavy with the busy bright colours, I felt that this two-toned blue stripe binding from my stash would give just the right amount of contrast & balance.

Quilt measurements: 56" x 56"

exploring the fussy-cut world

I wanted to explore the fussy-cut world just a little bit more and when I spotted Jodi @talesofcloth 'rosemary' quilt recently I decided to give it a go. The simple big rectangles appealed to me, perfect for the large-scale prints in my stash, and there's only a smattering of nine EPP flowers to add a delightful little handmade touch. 

Disclaimer: I like switching to slow stitching every now and again, I just never seem to actually finish anything!

Fabric choices took up most of my time this weekend, the fun part! One thing I noticed about *Jodi's quilt was that there's a cohesiveness in her colour and tonal choices, it's light, and reminds me of Spring. With all this in mind, I started out with a teal & pink combo using some of my favourite florals and went from there.  

here's a few planning pics from down on the design floor ...

*Jodi's quilt on the left & a selection of teals from my stash

Now that my colours make me happy, 

it's time to tackle the EPP - yes, the bit I've been avoiding!

Hopefully, this little experiment will be perfect for me & I'll end up with a finished project.

Oh, and I'd love to hear your ideas for using the fabric "lacy leftovers" after fussy cutting

#usethegoodfabric

Linda

unfolding slowly

 

I’m loving how this is turning out. And it's fun making these fussy-cut blocks, a little break from my usual. My initial inspiration was a sweet vintage quilt (see this post back here), and then I downloaded AMH's pattern for a 12" LeMoyne Star - oh my, the accompanying digital imaginary quilt was an explosion of colour and sew full of fussy cutting ideas! 

After a little quite a bit of faffing around✄, I had a wee 'light bulb' moment and realised that lots of my Anna Maria Horner prints - ones with a repeating strong, vertical design structure - were perfect for fussy cutting my diamonds without having to overthink things. I feel like no matter where I choose to cut, I'm always amazed with the new look I get from the repeats. And am super happy, of course, to be cutting into some more of the AMH fabric I’ve been hoarding #usethegoodfabric.

For enquiring minds yes, I'm machine piecing these blocks. I've cut my setting peach triangles & squares slightly larger to ensure accuracy, and I had a nice little rhythm happening with those in-set corners. 

While I love the bold & bright version, I wanted my quilt to actually have more of the vintage vibe like the inspiration quilt. So, I decided the Anna Maria Horner peach/pink 'Cathedral' print would be my unifying element, and I'm using it for the sashing & borders. I'm also repeating a couple of other fabrics in different colourways, to help with a calmer & more cohesive look.  

things have been unfolding slowly ... happily ...and as mr D. was at golf today, I kept sewing ...et voilà ...

 Linda

back from the LAQ

Now that I have my quilts back from Leeanne at quiltmekiwi 

I'm on another finishing binge!

This weekend I've been busy making a start on adding bindings.

First up, my 'star hollow' quilt in pastels

I love how those fun wonky stars give it just a sprinkle twinkle of organic freedom!

quilt details:

Pattern: a sweet (free) pattern/tutorial Star Hollow Quilt by Jolene of @blueelephantstitches 

Maker: moi

Fabric: For this wonky star🌟 quilt I started out with a bunch of summery delicate florals in various medium shades. I added in other favourite florals from my stash - more Liberties, AGF & Tilda - and I also added a good dose of solids into the mix.

Backing: pieced from pink leftovers

Quilting: E2E straight lines
Binding: a Kaffe multi-stripe in matching pastels 
Quilt measurements: 46" x 54".

stars on repeat

I spotted a vintage quilt on ig recently which really spoke to me. The combo of peach sashing with assorted feedsack prints was delightful, (*see pic below). 

The LeMoyne Star quilt has always been a favourite of mine, it's a traditional block featuring spinning diamonds to create an 8-point star. 

I had tossed up at the beginning of the year to use peach as my background for my 'positivities' quilt, it's a "much more me" pick really. So, I still had lingering thoughts about going peachy and decided to make my stars on a consistent peach background.

When I downloaded AMH's pattern - oh my, the accompanying digital imaginary quilt was an explosion of colour with The. Most. Amazing fussy cutting ideas! 

My version though, is a blend of both these ideas, lots of peach background combined with lots of bright fussy cutting. I've not gone all out with heaps of fussy cutting before, it really does eat into the fabric ... but then, that's been the whole point of my sewing focus lately, hashtagusemystash!

 *vintage quilt inspiration

- all chopped up & now I have a heap of 'fabric lace' for something else!

wow ... these fussy cuts really grab your attention and make you look a little closer. 

Yes, my favourite kind of quilt 

- inspired by tradition but reworked to look a bit modern.

Linda

an infusion of green

As many of you know, over the year I've been making the 'Positivities' sampler BOM quilt created by Rachel @stitchedincolor. It's modern, it's original, it's like an upbeat explosion of colour & shape!

I opted to use a constant soft minty-green solid as my background and pulled other fabrics month by month from my stash depending on what caught my eye.                                                                                                                                    

This week I began by making the last few segments, the quieter "space" blocks that provide some visual space with simple patchwork.  Then I moved onto the rather daunting part of sewing everything together. Here's a few progress photos ...

- on the design floor checking if everything will fit!

Panic over, it all went together relatively smoothly.

 And I now have a quilt top to share, 

it's a real infusion of minty-green for all the green lovers ...

oops, totally had my quilt upside down in this pic, 

but didn't want to ask my loyal quilt holder for a repeat session ...

It was a high-focus mission, 

with lots of FPP, curves, & inset seams while trying to balance colours & harmony, 

but so rewarding to see it all together. 

'Thank you' to Rachel @stitchedincolor for imagining up this beauty and excellent instructions.