Friday Finishes

Ned has cousin.  Say hi to Fred!  Hedgehogs are going the right way up.  I gave up on even attempting pattern matching but I think he looks alright! (see earlier post for details on Ned!)

One thing I noticed is that Ned and Fred's shape means they are prone to rolling over when you try and stick a pin in them (well they are hedgehogs after all!) so this time around I put a weight in Fred to keep him upright.

Not having any fancy walnut shells or anything like that I used some rice in a little pouch I made - basmati - as that was all we had in the cupboard!  I'm happier with it this way as I was starting to feel a little bad sticking pins in poor Ned lying sideways!

This week I'm not going to leave with this as the only finish! I did get the baby quilt panel finished and added in some lettering in the quilting to personalise it! First time using a panel and though I prefer piecing a quilt, I think for a quick baby gift they do work well!

And there's more!  I forgot to tell you about the Fat Quarter shop quilts I finished over the summer.  Last year I took part in a blog hop for the Layers of Charm quilt pattern using a layer cake and a charm pack to make a lap quilt.  I picked some grey squares but the fabric went missing in the post so made this quilt using Amy Butler Fabrics.

Eventually the greys turned up and I finally got around to quilting it and the Charm Pack Cherry quilt top I had made the year before!

I chose some variegated thread, 40 wt by YLI and I like to use a plain colour in the bobbin using variegated thread.  If you use it in both top and bobbin you can get some funny colours coming together on the quilt top where the threads change colours.  So, I put a pale grey 50wt Aurifil in the bobbin and played with the tension until I was happy with the results and then using the walking foot I straight line quilted both quilts by echo quilting the seam lines.

 Bound in Moda Christmas Red solid fabic and backed in Ikea Britten Nummer!

Instead of a border I free motion quilted the corners with Layers of Charm, Fat QuarterShop Blog Hop by Ruth Bourke.

I used different colours in each direction of the Layers of Charm Quilt but for the Charm Pack Cherry quilt below I stuck with a blue/yellow/green thread and used that for the whole quilt (second on the top row!)

The quilt is made with Noteworthy by Sweetwater for Moda and with some Essex Linen and Moda Naturals.  The pattern calls for 2 patterned charm packs and 2 plain.  Instead of using all the same colour in the plain I used what I had on hand of creams to light browns and this quilt has to be one of my favourites.  It's all mine, just for me when I want to snuggle in reading a book - Charly has been allowed up on it on my lap so I guess I'm kinda sharing!

I backed it with the leftover bits of Tula Pink Freefall fabric I had on hand and it wasn't quite enough so this quilt got a funny long rectangular label!

Finished at last!  Could get used to this!

Happy Friday!

Make Modern Blog Hop

Welcome to my stop on the Make Modern Magazine Blog Hop!  Make modern is a new online magazine from Australia, with patterns and articles for Modern quilters.  Lara, Jane (Where Jane Creates) and Kirsty (Quiet Play) have put together a great first issue and today I get to show you my contribution to the magazine.  

This is Storybook, a quilt pattern using pre-cuts to make a colour block quilt.

This was my first time using a brushed cotton and even though you can't see it in the quilt it is super soft (a little like flannel) and perfect for a baby quilt.

I used 2 charm packs of Storybook by Kate & Birdie for Moda for this very quick to piece baby quilt. My cousins in Chicago have just had a baby girl so I may just have to make another one!

As this was also my first pattern published in a magazine I asked my friend and fellow Just Threads (Sewing group) member Paula Rafferty if she would like to quilt it for me on her longarm.  She did a fantastic job quilting the cow jumping over the moon (keeping with the storybook theme!)  I love it to bits!

I think Teddy does too!  Not having any kids ourselves (just the 2 dogs!) I used this teddy bear as my model!

One of the things we were asked to think about, when writing our patterns, was to include options so things can be changed up a bit and add a bit more value for the readers.

I scaled my pattern up to a layer cake to make a bed sized quilt for my mum.  Since I began quilting, I've not made a proper bed quilt for my mum.  She has 'borrowed' 2 pieced cushions, a mini-quilt and I am under orders to make her a Christmas table runner but no proper big quilt.  Feeling a bit guilty about that I thought this was a good opportunity to finally make her something for the winter.

This version of the pattern uses 2 layer cakes and the layout is included in Make Modern with the baby quilt above.  The fabric used is from the Limerick Quilt Centre and is called Table for Two.

Photographing this was a little tricky.  It was quite windy so Gordon had to stand on the tripod legs to keep this from blowing over while I grabbed a photo.  It blew down 3 times and we got some funny smiles from the neighbours walking across the green with a bed quilt draped over a photo stand!

The back was made with a a panel pieced horizontally and I quilted this on my home machine using a wiggle stipple.  I just have to label it and then it'll be on it way to mum this week!

If you would like to see more of Make Modern there is a preview here on Issuu and if you would like to buy the first issue or subscribe you can do so here on the Make Modern website.  The Make Modern blog is worth having a look at with many guest posts and interviews with the contributors.  

The blog hop is continuing throughout September and there is more to see on the following:

1^st September                   Make Modern
3^rd September                   Kristy @ Quiet Play
5^th September                   Where Jane Creates
7^th September                   Gina @ Party of Eight: Our Story
9^th September                   Molli Sparkles
11^th September                 Juliet @ The Tartan Kiwi
13^th September                 cat&vee
15^th September                 Ruth @ Ben and Charly’s corner
17^th September                 Kelly @ Kelliotmagic
19^th September                 Alyce @ Blossom Heart Quilts
21^st September                 Serena @ Sew Giving
23^rd September                 Melissa @ Ms Midge
25^th September                 Anne @ Hudson Valley Quilts

Charm Pack Cherry - a fun & quick quilt top!

You know when you see a new fabric range and you just have to have it.  You try and ignore it, given the fact that you already have 2 unopened FQ bundles sitting on the shelf, but eventually you can't help it, you visit every online shop you know of, wander around etsy for a bit and even check out ebay to see if the shipping charges are any better! 

Well that was me with Noteworthy by Sweetwater for Moda.  The moment I saw it I knew I was going to end up buying it.  Feeling totally guilty, I did avoid the FQB (see 2 on hand above!) but I did buy 2 charm packs, a layer cake and a jelly roll!

So they have been sitting in my stash for a while now.  I do have plans for the layer cake and the jelly roll (another Strip & Flip quilt and Anita Grossman Soloman's Arrowhead Block quilt) but I had nothing in mind for the charm packs until I saw the free pattern from Fat Quartershop Charm Pack Cherry.  There is even a you tube video that walks you through the process.  It's made up of 9 patches which when chain pieced go together very quickly.

You make 8 of them starting with solid, print, solid and the other 8 print, solid, print.  I had a charm pack of Moda Bella Solids in neutral shades.  The colours varied from cream to beige and I thought it would mix in well with Noteworthy and instead of using all the one solid colour it could be interesting variation.  The pattern called for 2 charm packs of prints and 2 of solids so only having 1 solid on hand I cut up some yardage of Essex linen in natural and a cream tone on tone in 5" squares to get enough for the 16 blocks. 

The free instructions are really easy to follow and even give recommendations for pressing to make matching seams really easy.  The only difficulty I had in the piecing was down to me and my seam allowance.  I got a new machine for Christmas, a Pfaff Passport which is much smaller and lighter than my Husqvarna Viking.  I intend to bring it to sewing nights and classes that I hope to take this year.  I did get a 1/4" foot with it and decided to try the new machine with this project to get a bit more used to it.  I snapped on the 1/4" foot without testing it and it is not 1/4"!

It's leaving me the teeniest bit short so I need to play with it and probably move the needle to find the sweet spot.  Of course I should have done this before launching into a project but at least with this pattern consistency is more important that exact measurements.  I'm not making blocks for Bees or swaps, so I can live with a smaller dimension.  Once I noticed I was coming up short I kept on going without changing anything to ensure the blocks were consistent and would nest together ok.

The pattern calls for the blocks to be cut in half and gives dimensions.  As mine were slightly off I folded the blocks in half to find the centre line and cut along that.  Re-arranging the cut pieces as below gives the 2 blocks that make up the rest of the pattern.

 

So here they are up on the design wall ready to be sewn together.  I really like the scattered nature of this quilt and am delighted with the colour mix between pattern and print.  If you have 2 charm packs, forgotten about in your stash or just waiting for the right project, check out the free pattern.  It's a quick, fun pattern to make.  I've really enjoyed it and am thinking of stippling it all over in the quilting stage to make it nice and wrinkly!

 

(Oh and in case you are wondering my makeshift design wall is propped up at the moment on the dogs travel crate!)


Linking up to Linking up to Design wall Monday and