another star quilt on the go

I have started another star quilt made from the Irish linen that my son gave me from one of his photo shoots

I love working with this fabric and am using colours that I would never usually choose which I think is always a good thing...to be given something other than what I would usually use makes me think more outside the box.

The cutting out and piecing together of the quilt top takes only a little time, I could put together the whole quilt in a day and then take time to hand quilt the layers. 

I'm really enjoying using the Sashiko thread, it stitches so well through the layers using a long Sashiko needle.

This quilt is smaller than the blue and red quilt that I made for my son (featured a few posts back) and would be ideal for a child or on the sofa

Liberty Quilt

I love Liberty fabric and have been collecting for my stash for a number of years. I have bought in sales, charity shops and been given pre cut squares. Due to these squares being of differing sizes it's not been easy to piece them together and make sure the joins and corners match. I decided to make some triangle pairs too which added to the challenge.....

However, amazingly when I came to attach the triangles they just fitted exactly around the edge. 

I have lots of fabric left and so need to think of which way to go next. I have a lovely vintage sheet from my Mothers house which I plan to use to back the quilt. And then I need to decide whether to hand or machine quilt it. I'm looking forward to this quilt being finished after waiting so long to starting it!

                  

vintage fabric quilt...finished

I have finished the vintage fabric quilt that I was asked to make for someone. To keep the cost down I used fabrics from my stash and a vintage sheet that I had for the back. All the quilting was done on the machine and the only hand stitching was one side of the binding. It has a pretty snuggly feel to it :)

 I find it hard to hang quilts and keep them flat at the same time...making the lines look wonky

vintage fabric quilt

I've been asked by a friend to make her a single bed vintage fabric quilt. So I have had fun going through my stash to find fabrics. I have lots of vintage that I have collected and been given over time... although I will have to add some newer fabrics here and there. She wants it to be as simple as possible to keep the cost down so it will be squares with machine quilting. It amazes me just how good a mixture of different colours and designs can actually look when pieced together. 

finally finished

I have finally finished a quilt that I have been making on and off for a few years. This one is for me. It isn't huge and I have made it to use in our lounge, to hang over the Ercol sofa which is nearly finished. Its all down to me now, when I can find foam at a good price and able to be cut to shape, I will get the cushions made. But it is now being used with the original cushions and a throw to cover them. 

This quilt is made from single log cabin blocks, backed with a vintage bed sheet and hand quilted in brown thread. 

I am happy with the finished product. Most of the fabric was bought years ago whilst visiting New York. 

English Piecing

Some time back I blogged about this quilt that my daughter and I made. I had inherited the hexies years ago and my daughter pieced them together, I then made them into a quilt for her. I have been sending her lots more of the hexies to South Africa where she lives and she is making a pile of them. But she doesnt know how to make them into a quilt. So I have put together a little tutorial below for her. I have used some vintage triangles that I was also given. This method is called English piecing. 

This is her pile

Cut the correct size of backing fabric and wadding. You will only need the extra layer of backing if you are stitching hexies onto that before the wadding. If you are joining all the hexies together to make the quilt top you wont need that layer of fabric

 Stitch together hexies

 pin the joined hexies to backing using slip stitch around edge, leaving card templates in place

 When this is complete, pull backing fabric away from hexies and cut fabric away to reveal the card templates

 Cut away the tacking from the card, careful to avoid snipping your slip stitching

 Sandwich together the layers of fabric, wadding, fabric and pin through layers

 hand quilt through layers, along all edges of shapes and then around the outside of the total shape

Underneath view of quilting

If you are making the whole of the quilt top from hexies or other shapes there is no need to back that with fabric and cut the back away. You will just take the card templates out before sandwiching the layers.

Hexie Quilt

This quilt has been a long time in the making process. The hexies come from an aunt of mine who passed away years ago. My uncle asked me if I would like a bag of her 'scraps' Would I heck?? There was actually a couple of bin bags and an old hat box with all the hexies templated and colour sorted ready for sewing together. Over the years I have used them for lots of projects. These were put together by my daughter while they were staying with us waiting for their date to go to SA and begin their ministry. The blocks then spent a few years in a bag in my cupboard until I got around to making them into a quilt. I added the binding this week and there it is...finished and ready for my daughter to take back to SA after her visit to us next week

Will I Ever Finish It?

I started thisquilt about 4 years ago..it is for me. I wonder if I will ever finish it because I keep having to stop and make other things. Not that I haven't enjoyed the other projects but I would like to see this one finished. 

Baby Blanket

We have a number of babies either just been born or going to be born in the next few months, to two of my brothers children and to friends. I have just finished this crocheted blanket, I added Liberty fabric as a border, I am making another one in navy with a pink border and also working on a patchwork quilt for a baby shower on Saturday. Good job I am still on Easter break and dont go back to school until next week!

Baby Quilt

I have just taken a brief break from the Wedding Quilt to make this little Baby Quilt. A young couple from church are expecting their first baby and there is a baby shower planned next month. I really enjoy making quilts for babies, they are easy to handle and quick to finish. Now back to the Wedding Quilt!