basting day!

I have two recent quilt tops finished that haven't ended up stored away in the UFO wardrobe yet! Both are small & cute, and I decided I could easily turn these tops into quilts. I baste down on the floor, always have, smoothing & checking my layers as I pin baste. But I must admit {wink wink} it's getting trickier as I get older. 

First up, my little quick palette cleanser project from a week or so ago … 'trippy' quilt Inspiration & pattern at Southern Charm Quilts. I've made 2 larger trip around the world quilts in recent years, both gifted now. However, I didn't start this one because I was bursting to make another, but more because I was super keen to try out this soft colour palette, with a healthy dose of low volumes.
I rummaged around in the wardrobe and found a large piece of a delightful vintage lawn, perfect for the backing fabric!

My second little quilt top was my #maggiepearlquilt, a free pattern @penelopehandmade, pieced back in September 2021. 

Do you ever have a pattern or technique that you just needed to try? The 'maggie pearl' was one of those for me! I wanted to try this pattern without committing to a huge quilt. 

I started out using Liberty lawn fabrics then added in a few fabrics from The Deco Dance Collection, Liberty by Riley Blake Designs, and just a few other rogue fabrics from my stash to balance things out.

In case you haven’t figured it out yet, I’m a  straight line machine quilter. I do admire those that create intricate designs, however personally, I really struggle with free motion quilting. I send my larger quilts out for long arm quilting, however, I do quilt my more manageable quilts and they all get lots of straight lines. And usually, each one gets the run- off- the- side thread treatment, where those beginning & end threads get trapped up in the binding for good measure.  

I do also love adding in some big stitch hand quilting to some of my quilts, after all the machine stitching is done. Hand quilting adds such a unique texture, different to machine... and it shows the hand of the individual maker. 

For this one, I opted for piecing my backing. I had a bunch of fat quarters, large print florals that I’ve been hanging onto, and have had a hard time using in projects. But, I realized that pieced together, they would make a lovely, scrappy blue- toned backing for this quilt. So I trimmed off all the selvedges and stitched them together in one big 9-patch, I do love a scrappy back #partyinthequiltback! 

Off now to make a start on some machine quilting, 

Linda

trust the process

Here's my March Sawtooth Burst block {+ a little filler block} for the pas de deux QAL,

a modern sampler quilt designed by Rachel at stitchedincolor .

I'm loving all the separate little groups of fabric magic in this QAL,

and playing with colour & value is my "happy" place!  

Each monthly ensemble is composed of two main colours {aka the two main dancers}

and this latest block certainly bursts into life using a range of values to create movement & energy. 

It is a little bit hard though, 

waiting a whole month between block instructions & wondering if this is all going to gel together okay 

- just have to trust the process I guess

The upside is that this quilt will be laced with memories from the whole year!

And I’m enjoying getting to know the other quilters making it too

Meantime {wink wink} I'm sure

I have a few other sewing projects happening around here that I can be busy with! 

Linking up with Kelly for NTT here

Linda 

a quick trip quilt

I'm stuck between things just now, sewjo somewhat lacking, so I decided to try a little quick palette cleanser project. A 'trip around the world' quilt is a very traditional pattern dating back for generations. Often there are planned chains of colour forming darker diagonals to emphasise a diamond shape. 

I think this version has a little bit more of a modern look, more of an "anything goes" look, with no real cohesion running through the blocks, but you can still see the vague diamond shapes.

I have made two larger trippy quilts in recent years, both gifted now. However, I didn't start this project because I was bursting to make another TATW quilt, no no no, but more because I was really keen to see how these pretty colours all played together.

I spent a bit of time collecting my fabrics together and began cutting & sewing … I've upped the proportion of light value fabrics, more than I usually would have put in a quilt like this.  And, I'm repeating combinations that appeal to me.  I plan on making a further eight 1/2 blocks* to go across the top & bottom to keep things symmetrical & to make it just a tad bigger, perfect for a little cot quilt I think. 

I'm super happy with this scrappy delight, the colour combination and the randomness of the design speak to my heart on so many levels.

* updated pic

Inspiration & pattern from Melanie at southerncharmquilts

Linking up with Cynthia for 'oh scrap' here

Until next time, Linda

scrapilicious

 

- reshuffling blocks around down on the design floor

- cutting into a few early Denyse Schmidt fabrics, 

love how they add to the vintage vibe

- on the bed in the afternoon sunshine

Super happy with this scrapalicious quilt top! I was going for 56 blocks, but I realised that because I'd enlarged the pattern a smidgeon, my quilt was a good size with 36 blocks, yes! 

Sewing the blocks was easy peasey, it was choosing fabrics and the cutting that took me a little time. 

There were a few things I was mindful of as I chose my fabrics for this … as my centre squares were all a teal/green solid, I wanted a good proportion of my other fabrics to have some teal and/or green too, to tie up with those centres.
Also, because my stash is predominantly medium value florals, I wanted to make sure I had a good mix of spots & plaids and lights & darks to ensure some contrast was happening.

Yet again my obsession with collecting spots and stripes has paid off. Highly recommend the practice! 

My finished quilt top measures approx. 70" x 58". Pop over here to see lots of other versions. Pattern available at treehousetextiles.

February reads

While I mainly blog about my sewing progress, I thought I'd share a few of my reads this year 

- it's all about fun, variety & distraction!

Here's my reading roundup for February

"A Slow Fire Burning" by Paula Hawkins {some might remember "The Girl On The Train} twists & turns just as a thriller should. 

"A young man, Daniel Sutherland, has been found deceased on a houseboat. Leaving the scene of the crime is Laura, a young woman known to police. Fortunately for Daniel, there is a noisy neighbor Miriam who takes detailed records of all of the comings and goings. However, Daniel's mother, Angela, died just a few weeks before Daniel in an accident. Are these deaths connected? Was it Laura? What do we really know?"

While I found it somewhat slow going, the writing was superb. It was the pacing and the large cast of unlikable and unreliable characters that bogged me down a bit.

My fav this month was 'Before the Fall' by Noah Hawley which I read while away on a holiday. A plane crash, eleven on board, only two survive, Scott a painter with a troubled past and the young boy, J.J. that he manages to save. Like when the Malaysia aircraft went down, there is speculation about why, who. Controversial figures were onboard this plane, could they have been targeted? Is Scott a hero or villain? Either way he has lost his right to privacy. 

I found the in-depth look at what goes on after a disaster interesting, the role of the media and all the conspiracies frightening. 
There are so many layers to this novel, it is difficult to describe without spoiling the entire story.

An annual backpacking trip has deadly consequences in this chilling new novel from the bestselling author Andrea Bartz. 

Kristen and Emily, drop everything for six months of wanderlust. They travel to Chile and Cambodia and meet up with two very unlucky backpackers.
They wind up in a little situation.... they need to pull it together quick, think, no one at the hotel speaks English. They need to hide the body quick. OMG what have they done?

I had a lot of hope for this one. There were some strong parts, but yeah, no.
 

Well I haven't read this one yet, it was a julielouread recommendation. According to reviews, "Pack Up the Moon" is an emotional love story about a woman dying of a terminal illness. This is a story about grief, love, loss, acceptance, and embracing life... and I need to be in the right frame of mind to start this one. 

Love to hear your thoughts if you have read any of these too ?

Linda

crossroads: it's growing!

 There's a vintage vibe happening in my sewing room

- checking my values out

and I'm thinking I need to add a few darker prints into the next batch.

- adding in a few lights

- down on the design floor

Yes, it's growing! 20 outta 56 blocks made now … not quite on the home stretch yet though! I'm enjoying piecing this. Loving all the florals mixed up with a few spots & checks, and I think the teal/green centers on the blocks are a great way to pull my fabrics together. Until next time, Linda

crossroads

Super excited to be making a start on the ‘Crossroads’ quilt from Treehouse Textiles this week.

It's simple ✔️

and it's fabric driven ✔️

Over the past month as I've been working on other things, I've been cutting out rectangles too. Today I thought I'd sew a few up and make sure if I was in fact still keen to make enough blocks for a quilt top. 

I've increased the size of my blocks a smidgeon and swopped out the centre red squares for a teal - it seems to suit my stash better I think. 

It’s a lovely scrappy quilt, with a real vintage vibe. I've included some of my favourite fabrics from several years of stash building! I love them so much but now l'm thinking l need to stop {unintentionally} hoarding and start cutting it up! Super fun pairing up prints, and the simple piecing is perfect for letting those fabrics shine.

Here's the next batch all ready to sew …

There's something delightful about this wild mix of prints and colours … what's not to love! So yes, I'm continuing the road trip and looking forward to seeing where all these crossroads take me.

Linda

p.s we are off on a real road trip next week, so looking forward to some time away.