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!

Layers of Charm, Fat Quarter Shop Shortcut Quilt

A couple of months ago, I received an email, asking me if I wanted to take part in a blog hop with Fat Quarter Shop.  Imagine my reaction.  My first thought was Fat Quarter Shop know my name!  And then I thought of course they do I buy from them all the time! And then I thought definitely yes I want to make Layers of Charm.  I love the short cut series having made Charm Pack Cherry and Fat Quarter Fizz.  So welcome to my stop on the Fat Quarter Shop, Layers of Charm blog hop! 

The pattern requires 1 layer cake and 1 charm pack  or thirty six 10" squares and thirty six 5" squares.    A printed layer cake and a solid charm pack is recommended.

As soon as I saw the pattern I couldn't stop thinking about Solids!  I thought maybe the 1930's Colours Bella Solids would be fun but I settled for the Modern Bella Solids in greys and off whites.  My layer cake and charm pack of Bella Solids white were duly dispatched last November, and then stepped into the quantum leap accelerator that is the Chicago Postal depot, and vanished!

I did eventually get my hands on that elusive layer cake and put the quilt top together.  Instead of using all solids in the centres, I cut up one of each layer cake colour to give me 20 squares and added 16 solid white.  I really like this quilt top but have to admit I am somewhat relieved it was not my main blog hop quilt.  Quilting this one has me running scared.  All that open space.  How would you quilt it?  Straight line, free motion?

In the meantime though, while Moderns was wandering around the world, I decided that Layers of Charm would be perfect for large scale prints that I usually have trouble figuring out what to do with!

I had some yardage of these fabrics by Amy Butler and decided to cut a 10" strip from 9 different fabrics.  I was able to get four 10" squares from each strip and used Moda Bella Porcelain for my 5" squares.  I love this colour and it may be my new background fabric of choice this year.

In the end I didn't like the stripey fabric dominating too much and swapped 2 out for a blue dot.   And this is the finished quilt!

Winter weather interfered with getting lovely location shots, so I tried a few photos in trusty places.  I usually use this fence to take outdoor close ups of quilting.  Wilbur was getting a bit agitated as I was pegging the quilt up and when I stepped back to take the shot, he dived in digging and came out with a rawhide bone!  He's a bit of a digger and he has 4 or 5 spots around the garden.  Guess this is his latest one!  Sorry Wilbs for invading your spot!

I quilted this with an all over flower pattern and wrote about it and solving tension problems on my machine on this post.

I left Wilbur to chewing his bone and decided to try some indoor window shots to give you a better view of the quilting.

I really like the effect on this quilt but it is slower than a wiggly stipple and gives some challenges moving around the quilt top.  You have to be careful to not leave too empty a space.  I used my favourite Aurifil light pink 50wt thread #2410 for the entire quilt. I love that thread colour, it just seems to go with everything!

For the backing, I used 4 different prints I had on hand in half yard cuts.  I just sewed them together 2 per row and trimmed off the excess.

Trying to match binding was a little bit tricky with so many colours in the quilt top.  Mum suggested Navy, Gordon went for orange but in the end I had to trust my instinct and go with this green stripe, again from Amy Butler.

I turned away from  the table to make a cup of tea and came back to find Charly, on guard, perched on top.  There are two terriers bigger than her that walk past our house on a Sunday morning, Spot & Buddy.  She does not like them!  She does like doing a Princess and the Pea impression though. 

Sorry Charly you can't keep this one either!  This is going to my friend Caitriona.  I kept getting reminded of our holiday in China (4 of us spent 22 days there - best holiday ever!) and this, I think, is Caitriona's style.  Hope she likes it!

The fog didn't lift for the whole day yesterday.  Final photo artfully draped over the sofa (artful draping is not easy!).

So, what do you think?  Feel like making a Layers of Charm Quilt?  Solids or print?

The video will be available today on You Tube and Kimberly shows step by step instructions and some handy hints for pressing seams open.

You can also download the free pattern at Fat Quarter Shop where there is a whole host of free patterns and video tutorials including Layers of Charm.  There are size options for a table runner all the way up to a King Size bed quilt.

This really was a fun, very quick to piece and very versatile quilt pattern.  Probably the quickest quilt top I've pieced to date.  If you have large scale prints, looking to make something quickly or just want to use up a layer cake feeling unloved in your stash, why not give Layers of Charm a try?

Linking up to Finish it Friday