another finish

Between starting another small scrappy quilt and working on another ufo, 

I finished another quilt this weekend. 

- a party in the quilt back!

I loved making this 2nd version of the 'checkered garden' quilt. I used the free pattern from Ashley @filminthefridge, such a fun block to assemble. There's something so joyful about turning small pieces into a cohesive delightful quilt.

I used a colourful whimsical mix of fabrics, loosely channeling my inner vintage granny chic with a touch of modern. All from scraps & stash, add a little contrast from the darker teals & bright pink, et voilà!
Backing: I pulled out a small log cabin quilt top (see back here) in pink, brown & green leftovers, and then just started building around the log cabin center with my chunky strips to bring it up to size. Hm-m-m - this quilt has a real two-sided appeal thingy happening!
Quilting: Leeanne @quiltmekiwi added some quilting goodness, using an e2e cone flower panto.

I finally added the binding this weekend. I settled on a moody teal/green with a small floral print on it for my binding, 'Handkerchief Helga' by Nathalie Lete for AMH's Conservatory. 

Happy weekending, 

Linda

current state of affairs

You never know what you are going to find when you rummage through the ufo cupboard! I first got the idea for another 'trip around the world' quilt when I dug out some small squares & part blocks that I'd made back in 2023. 

I had used a selection of fabrics in blues & pink along with some brown prints and a couple of ginghams (pics #2 #3 #4) but had put them away & promptly forgot about them!

 

Fast forward to now ... I was so disappointed when I relooked at them this week because initially the softly muted, vintage looking blocks had appealed. But I still didn't really like where it was going, as I tend to make more saturated looking quilts these days.  

 ... and the big question now was, what to do with all those little squares?

Sometimes stopping can be the undoing of a project, yes? I faffed around for a few days, scrolling ig & blogs. Like many, I'm always on the lookout for ways to use up my scrappy stash and am keen to try out different colour combos. I was inspired by a quilt (2017?) I saw by Cathy @cabbage quilts. And it was all the prompt I needed.

I decided I needed to start from the beginning again, using clearer brighter fun colours. So now I'm busy sorting out all my small squares, trying to work quickly, deciding which were in or out. And adding in few more golds, greens, oranges & purples. 

And it feels sew good to be doing something finally with some of this fabric! 

here's my first few "new" blocks on the design wall

Super happy with the current state of affairs.

Can't decide if I'll keep it small or keep going ...

because of course, while I have reused seven of the original "tired" sets of squares,

 I still have lots of other softly muted 2.5" squares to deal to too.

  (a problem for another day!) 

Linda

a quilt in the garden

A finish for February. This quilt had been pieced into blocks last year, sashing added, and just before Christmas I sent it off to Leeanne for quilting. I finished the binding this morning and then took a few pics out in the garden. 

- love how this binding works well back & front

- party in the quilt back!

Le Moyne Star quilt

Inspired by tradition but reworked to look a bit modern.

A few quilt details: 

Fabrics: It was fun making these fussy cut blocks. I decided the Anna Maria peach/pink 'Cathedral' print would be my unifying element, and I used it for the sashing & borders. The peach was a little nod to the vintage inspiration quilt, it really makes for a sweet background. 

I also repeated a couple of other fabrics in different colourways, to help with a calmer & more cohesive look. 

Backing: I had one leftover block, so I used that as my starting point. Next, I added a pink & orange mishmash from my stash, strips & chunks set in an improv log cabin style until it all came up to size. 

Quilting: edge-to-edge 'coneflower' panto, it works so well with all those AM fabrics! The bulk caused by the piecing of the stars, added to the bulk of a pieced back, meant that this was going to be best handled by long arm quilting. Leeanne outdid herself on this one. 

Binding: Love how this AMtextiles 'checkers Saturday' sings! 

Quilt measurements: 60" x 48". 

* For more details re any of my quilts, simply head to the search bar at the top L) hand side of my blog, key in quilt name, hit search, et voila. 

one punchy palette!

Loving the mix of *scrap sewing & this super punchy palette. It all ended up working well together
- the lights & brights, with cool and warm tones - a bit of everything really.
Joining up went fairly smoothly too, but I must confess - a few pins may not have survived the process (wink wink).

*Inspiration for this quilt & palette came from Jolene's new book 'scrap quilt diary'. I'm finding Jolene’s quilts so inspiring, and as everyone’s stash is so different, the results are very much unique. There may be more in my future. 
I used the 'vintage diamonds' quilt pattern @theowlhutch
My quilt measurements 66" x 52", a little smaller than the pattern.

vintage diamonds: update

I began joining up my *Vintage Diamonds in scrappy brights this week.

Here's a few a lot of progress photos, taken over a few days ...  

- working thru' my scraps & stash but not making much of a dent!

With my last batch of diamond units, I repeated several fabric combos to help towards achieving a scrappy, but balanced, look. I sewed my diamond units into long rows, and then finally, I slowly started joining my long diamond rows together - on the diagonal & carefully nesting my seams. 

I had hoped to get it all together, but it's way way too hot to sew anymore today. And that's ok, there's always tomorrow. Or the day after. 

Feeling just a wee bit excited about this (almost finished) quilt top ... more to come.

*Inspiration for this quilt came from Jolene's new book 'scrap quilt diary'

and I'm using the 'vintage diamonds' quilt pattern @theowlhutch

scrappy diamond quilt: update

We've had a busy couple of weeks heading off out & about enjoying our summer ... the treetops loop walk was a cool spot, and there's always lots happening at motat nz (the make music hands-on space was incredible). We took a drive one day & lunched at the 'flat white' cafe at Waihi beach, had several sleepovers with the grandchildren and their baking++ experiments were fun, rock climbing (the grandkiddies not me!), and a pedi may have happened - it's the little things that count, yes!

Only teeny tiny bits of sewing happening here, it's almost getting too hot for summertime sewing. While it is slow going, I'm super happy with how this wildly scrappy diamond quilt is progressing. Here's a few pics from the design wall ...

- lots of fabric surprises to explore!

I have repeated fabrics and scattered them throughout for continuity, mixing everything up to achieve a scrappy, but balanced, result. I'm also placing the darker fabric top & bottom in each diamond unit.

I've still got a few more rows to complete but I'm running out of design wall space! I think I'll have to make a little start on joining things up over the weekend.

Love how it reminds me of those strings of beads in an old-fashioned curtain, so pretty.

until next time, Linda

vintage diamonds in scrappy brights

Like many, I enjoy making a quilt "look" like a scrappy quilt, and this latest WiP is the perfect example. I used one 10" layer cake Firefly by Sarah Watts RRS as my starting point, and then I'm adding contrasting & blending bits & bobs from my stash into the mix to add more variety & interest. 

I sourced the 'vintage diamonds' quilt pattern @theowlhutch, pattern link and quilt inspiration from Jolene @ blueelephantstitches (if you haven't stopped by her blog yet, it's so well worth a visit). My focus is to try and capture some of her ‘vintage vibe’ and yet still be reflective of my stash here.

I must admit, it's been a while since I cut 60° diamonds, so I faffed around a bit, checking out different rulers ... Mr D was quick to chip in here & commented "how can you make all these quilts and NOT remember how to make a 60° diamond?"  We-l-l-l- loved that feedback! I'm just putting it down to a wee senior moment😕 

Anyways, I quickly found my rhythm, 

here's a few progress pics ...

ta da! almost half a quilt ...

And a couple of excellent tips I learnt from Rachel @stitchedincolor - first up, to making a scrappy quilt like this fun, yet not visually overwhelming, is to create long strings of same (or nearly same) diamonds/flying geese/or whatever. She also suggests adding a couple high-contrast units too, such as the black with raspberry, which also cleverly helps emphasise the vertical directionality.

I will need to lay all my pieces out on the design wall first as the rows are joined together diagonally ...
I may be sometime ... but I'm loving how things are looking so far for my scrappy quilt #2. 

Linda