tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-47386051863443321132024-03-13T11:08:39.593+00:00Kathryn's BusytownAdventures in sewingKathrynhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05183395919767332073noreply@blogger.comBlogger193125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4738605186344332113.post-91644161003584404702023-01-18T21:08:00.000+00:002023-01-18T21:08:12.505+00:00Flying Geese Quilt - aka the magic snooze inducing quilt<p> <span style="text-align: center;">This quilt has magical properties. I know that might sound far-fetched but it is the cosiest quilt I have ever made and whoever snuggles underneath it is destined to fall asleep! I made this as a Christmas present for my husband who has long been asking for a ‘quilt of his own’.</span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiiq2HQzlysLYbVCn55gIkooXVXoTBDbfk0_zfRdC70Im2htigC5mut3qlU0S3ExxMJhjmRSuy8e6ZVegI8bCOmBgPNrF4HFQ4kl42g8unaUv1P4BxZ9QFK0r7YJFhS5zbcZzwwetSoNl8wE1Yy2XezaFGogpC69K4GlUMEDn17hXz2S6AyxK95LzERDg/s4032/IMG_2271.HEIC" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiiq2HQzlysLYbVCn55gIkooXVXoTBDbfk0_zfRdC70Im2htigC5mut3qlU0S3ExxMJhjmRSuy8e6ZVegI8bCOmBgPNrF4HFQ4kl42g8unaUv1P4BxZ9QFK0r7YJFhS5zbcZzwwetSoNl8wE1Yy2XezaFGogpC69K4GlUMEDn17hXz2S6AyxK95LzERDg/w300-h400/IMG_2271.HEIC" width="300" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><p>The quilt block is called the Flying Geese, I assume because you could say it looks like wings. I wanted to use something bold for this quilt. I already knew I was going to use these bright pink and dark green fabrics so I wanted the design to be as bold as the colours. I did consider having a plain border, or sashing in between columns, but decided to keep it simple and use sets of four flying geese. There are so many tutorials online for making this block so if you wanted to have a go and haven't made it before then just have a look and pick the one that makes most sense to you. I used a no-waste method which means exactly what it says, there is no fabric wastage.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUlSQ-vypJMXxvCPDiH0shGpjDrrd9anuLM5U5ZN7dCSJ1IeoSzuXhAD1vKy1flmhX14xdGzJOuFbfcnKK0b69ODXs3z2eVaEDW6ZH1oD5QJpNq7tiMricoOP1bx-v8pg8z_H8ntMPivhVdR-znB04wNhXtm4zpvbCp0ebKk5R8e8azIwlZCkHuIZ0Pg/s4032/IMG_2274.HEIC" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUlSQ-vypJMXxvCPDiH0shGpjDrrd9anuLM5U5ZN7dCSJ1IeoSzuXhAD1vKy1flmhX14xdGzJOuFbfcnKK0b69ODXs3z2eVaEDW6ZH1oD5QJpNq7tiMricoOP1bx-v8pg8z_H8ntMPivhVdR-znB04wNhXtm4zpvbCp0ebKk5R8e8azIwlZCkHuIZ0Pg/w480-h640/IMG_2274.HEIC" width="480" /></a></div><br /><p>I started on this way back in April/May when it was intended to be a birthday present but, due to the thick fabrics, it took a long time to put it all together. I didn’t buy any new fabrics for the quilt front. The fabrics are: pink and burgundy fabrics - wool, left over from other projects; denim - an old dress; pale blue linen – very last of a Robert Kaufman fabric from the scrap bin at Ray Stitch; blue cashmere – belonged to my mum, made in a mill in Scotland; camel cashmere – belonged to my mum, also made in Scotland; dark green – the bottom half of a pair of Dickies (workwear trousers) that my husband cut into shorts. All these fabrics are quite thick as the intention was to make a very warm quilt to use when working from home. </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRIvfR2LPi77uygP3o7I1OIc9QJltzZwnzP2mSljDVPRsNFAfQDGdnZpRyjSiV1ljmHX9bKBWnKbeYl58o6p6K-hA-NABhHlWdyne5-xoClpldowPtb9Bl7ACrlZj0QacMJDu5n5v1IKxtSYKGkgxaBxeL675cEsRTYzQm6aREgiW3bYWGf66yY9kg1g/s4032/IMG_2275.HEIC" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRIvfR2LPi77uygP3o7I1OIc9QJltzZwnzP2mSljDVPRsNFAfQDGdnZpRyjSiV1ljmHX9bKBWnKbeYl58o6p6K-hA-NABhHlWdyne5-xoClpldowPtb9Bl7ACrlZj0QacMJDu5n5v1IKxtSYKGkgxaBxeL675cEsRTYzQm6aREgiW3bYWGf66yY9kg1g/s320/IMG_2275.HEIC" width="240" /></a></div><br />To make it even warmer I used 100% wool batting in the middle and bought a brushed cotton sheet in the Muji sale to use for the backing. I used a simple grid pattern to do the quilting. It looks really striking and, more importantly, is very warm and cosy. A real success – and I even managed to finish it in time for Christmas (just – I finished hand-sewing the binding on Christmas eve!).<div><br /></div><div>I just realised I didn't blog at all last year so I'd like to do a catch-up post with the quilts I made in 2022. I don't think I made a single item of clothing last year, hopefully, I can change that this year - I'd love to make a quilt coat and some trousers. <br /><br /></div>Kathrynhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05183395919767332073noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4738605186344332113.post-30214848745958361352021-12-30T12:18:00.003+00:002021-12-30T12:25:01.263+00:00Sawtooth Star quilt<p></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEi9wWA34DPL2acZloIlVFbjtcwKE1OK6X2eZNroRyOYZFUtcPDCUQZEeNTdgkkBxh9m9or-adl5AmkIE1yqRnK8LiVcsMC7oKR6SA_AVFMxILzC0fJpwNxtu83n_bud-yHpdl_L7pK70TzWLYDN8OPUJthP6Xfpp8C4rxOpVuA9Yyt8wZr2Lmh4uydTVA=s4032" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="A pink, blue, rust and cream coloured quilt with a star pattern is being held up by a child. They are standing on grass, in front of a large Camelia plant." border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEi9wWA34DPL2acZloIlVFbjtcwKE1OK6X2eZNroRyOYZFUtcPDCUQZEeNTdgkkBxh9m9or-adl5AmkIE1yqRnK8LiVcsMC7oKR6SA_AVFMxILzC0fJpwNxtu83n_bud-yHpdl_L7pK70TzWLYDN8OPUJthP6Xfpp8C4rxOpVuA9Yyt8wZr2Lmh4uydTVA=w480-h640" width="480" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Sawtooth Star quilt</td></tr></tbody></table><br />This is my last quilt finish for 2021. I'm quite amazed I got it quilted in time to send it up as a Christmas present. It was a gift to my parents-in-law and I'm happy to say that they both really like it. My mother-in-law likes to sew as well, and knits us all wonderful gifts. It's so nice to be able to chat to her about sewing when we're up in Scotland so I really wanted to make her a gift as I know how much she likes my quilts. I picked colours that I thought they would both like. It's hard to see here, I should have taken some close-ups, but the cream fabric has little ginkgo leaves on it (you can see it <a href="https://www.thetartanreel.co.uk/shop/fabric/cotton-and-steel/cotton-and-steel-all/gingko-cream/">here</a>)<div><div><br /></div><div>I used <a href="https://www.diaryofaquilter.com/sawtooth-star-quilt-block-tutorial/">this tutorial </a>for the Sawtooth Star blocks and then just winged it with the border, putting it together and then seeing if I felt it worked. </div><div><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgkIrJnHaU0jncanBzAjcGWqCvIyteeRXTIvmpD8xnqFmOUFMB5sxeQ1nrgWcZ1EkujDgkByK_KU1_VhBkjmkPm3GhzqT8b6Hd5zJEYJueJXuUEFN_4HZ7lneBVYJbmtBBq25hCjVbRYwyZuYbf2K1edhjLMm14ayyDe864_6GmBdqmDL1ubj8tycJTPA=s4032" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="An orange, green and white checked quilt bakc is being held up by a child. They are standing on grass in front of a large plant." border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgkIrJnHaU0jncanBzAjcGWqCvIyteeRXTIvmpD8xnqFmOUFMB5sxeQ1nrgWcZ1EkujDgkByK_KU1_VhBkjmkPm3GhzqT8b6Hd5zJEYJueJXuUEFN_4HZ7lneBVYJbmtBBq25hCjVbRYwyZuYbf2K1edhjLMm14ayyDe864_6GmBdqmDL1ubj8tycJTPA=w300-h400" width="300" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Backing of the Sawtooth star quilt</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div><br /></div><div>I've had the quilt pieced for quite a while but just couldn't decide how to quilt it. After much deliberation, I just went for straight-line quilting. The back fabric is a gorgeous IKEA tablecloth I got in a charity shop. It's 100% cotton and is slightly brushed so it's nice and soft. the binding is a mix of the pink and terracotta fabrics. I really like the effect of binding that is not just one colour and need to remember to do this more often.</div></div><div><br /></div><div>The batting is Hobbs heirloom 100% wool batting which is supposed to be washable. I haven't tried washing it yet but I did ask my fellow members of the London Modern Quilting Guild for batting advice and quite a few had sued this and recommended it. I do feel very lucky to be part of such a friendly guild, and to have a community of fellow makers for inspiration and advice!<br /><div><br /></div></div></div>Kathrynhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05183395919767332073noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4738605186344332113.post-14978573907736313862021-12-29T22:48:00.006+00:002021-12-29T22:53:08.174+00:00Pescadero Crib Quilt for my newest nephew<p></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjedJiV0qm-5qpcjihs_6L7YLmLFhtJhV6MRpm8qYMA7BJBRnqxOHCN8X-GNJ8gB615UrG1-F3M4piyYUytRu2OZjKB7-R4tDSMFTeZlZRAaZe3V47H0HfwOS7rAq4UEuovi8GtGyHzvI8RXyTGRxH9ZhXRiV3a6MpjjewEacQGgtc4xBHUYbizTPbB5w=s4032" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="A blue, yello and white triangle quilt is being held up by a child. They are standing on grass, with a brick wall behind. You can only see the child's feet poking out under the quilt." border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjedJiV0qm-5qpcjihs_6L7YLmLFhtJhV6MRpm8qYMA7BJBRnqxOHCN8X-GNJ8gB615UrG1-F3M4piyYUytRu2OZjKB7-R4tDSMFTeZlZRAaZe3V47H0HfwOS7rAq4UEuovi8GtGyHzvI8RXyTGRxH9ZhXRiV3a6MpjjewEacQGgtc4xBHUYbizTPbB5w=w480-h640" width="480" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Pescadero crib quilt</td></tr></tbody></table><br />This is a very special quilt made for my new nephew. I initially pulled these fabrics out with plans for another quilt but, when I saw them together, I knew they just had to be for a quilt for my nephew. My aim was to make a quilt that was calm but at the same time I didn't want to make one just with whites or beige, I wanted it to be bright but not too busy. The Pescadero pattern from <a href="https://www.simplegeometricquilting.com/">Simple Geometric Quilting</a> was just what I needed. <div><br /></div><div>I love the combination of the two different types of triangle, and the two shades of yellow. The brighter yellow is a Kona cotton and the more golden shade is Makower linen texture in gold. I can't remember what the white is. The blue is gorgeous and soft, it's a Habitat duvet cover I bought for the sofa bed then didn't use. So far I've used it for the quilt back on <a href="https://kathrynsbusytown.blogspot.com/2021/12/simple-geometric-quilting-new-mexico.html">my New Mexico Quilt</a> as well as this quilt and I still have enough left to back a quilt I'm making for my son. My son is so good at helping me hold up my quilts to photograph them! I won't lie, he does moan about it sometimes but then we always end up getting lots of silly photos with him poking his head over the top or out the side so he likes that.<p></p><div><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEg2Xn1veKk2EjSPLiUAQfBq_bqHOtg9V_Cy-M0Ij4Kd2UmAS_tjrYXN713002EqoTH1XFrLsIblokACLr6cgHdhERVNK2MTJLs6NAu9IbG-v4cMc0mOa4q2B66mmCIzmCFtNtG1PZv46VJWrWHV0DkvIuZtNcsvUuX4b0ZoMSS_-gWR8rUxC702A2RgoA=s4032" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="A golder yellow and tiger print quilt is being held up by a child. They are standing on grass, with a brick wall behind. You can only see the child's feet poking out under the quilt." border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEg2Xn1veKk2EjSPLiUAQfBq_bqHOtg9V_Cy-M0Ij4Kd2UmAS_tjrYXN713002EqoTH1XFrLsIblokACLr6cgHdhERVNK2MTJLs6NAu9IbG-v4cMc0mOa4q2B66mmCIzmCFtNtG1PZv46VJWrWHV0DkvIuZtNcsvUuX4b0ZoMSS_-gWR8rUxC702A2RgoA=w300-h400" width="300" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Quilt backing</td></tr></tbody></table><br /></div><div>As you can see, the party is really on the back with this one too. I used up almost all of this gorgeous Leah Duncan print, and bordered it with a bit of pink and more of the gold. It's lovely and soft as it's filled with wool batting so hopefully, it will be cosy in the winter and cool in the summer. I am so pleased with how this one turned out and sewed it with lots of love, thinking of my nephew in another country and hoping I would get to meet him soon. I was lucky and we did get out to see my brother and his family in October, before Omicron! I'm hopeful we'll get out again sometime in the early new year. </div><div><br /></div><div>This was my second make from Simple Geometric quilting and one of my aims in the new year is to try out some of the curve patterns in the book. I made two quilts with curves way back when I started quilting but I haven't done one in a good few years and I've lost my nerve somehow. Which is silly really so it's time to get over that in 2022 and get back to some curves! </div>Kathrynhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05183395919767332073noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4738605186344332113.post-85962871080176979542021-12-27T10:09:00.002+00:002021-12-27T10:12:38.887+00:00Triangle Bear Paw baby quilt - gifting to friends.<p></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgvDJ3U_gyM_WwgZnGAvSn7W_iu_N3VKfKbpmxoBRSFalXnCI1u9Zm757rLe--q3repHlshggJjxufJZegwn6ooz04YNltHGZ5ngfVBNN5RjhiSosd3EcRCROqe_BrP26wkt9ySKLTHQtcF6s0Xg_ThzEX1wKi21GWyxM1a5DT3QrSL27n8QQThDZp3tA=s4032" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="A geometric quilt being held up inside a room. you can see the feet of the person holding it. The quilt is white, peach and blue and has triangles on it. The room has a wooden floor and children's drawings on the wall. There is a christmas tree." border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgvDJ3U_gyM_WwgZnGAvSn7W_iu_N3VKfKbpmxoBRSFalXnCI1u9Zm757rLe--q3repHlshggJjxufJZegwn6ooz04YNltHGZ5ngfVBNN5RjhiSosd3EcRCROqe_BrP26wkt9ySKLTHQtcF6s0Xg_ThzEX1wKi21GWyxM1a5DT3QrSL27n8QQThDZp3tA=w300-h400" width="300" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Bear Paw baby quilt</td></tr></tbody></table><br />I'm back with another Bear Paw quilt! I can't seem to go very long without using this quilt block, there's just something so pleasing about it. Excuse the poor lighting in these photos, it was too wet outside to get any photos (there has been a lot of very dreich weather recently here in London and my son is now learning all the Scottish words to describe this type of weather, for example, this morning's rain I would describe as smirr, which is quite a nice rain, light and soft.) Anyway, enough about the weather, and back to this quilt. I made this for a friend's new baby. This friend is very special to me (as all friends are!) and, during all the lockdowns and almost lockdowns of the past year & a half, our weekly walks in the forest together have made it all so much more bearable. So this quilt is one way I have of showing that love and appreciation. As another aside, isn't my son doing a great job as a quilt holder-upper?!<p></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgq61SxbKKuPKaRDSb2Zfi2lB1UvvIIE8VnElmBQwSCrOcsoODWx5JuKGiAGljRbT0rfsmv6iM5Cq2m_XVQU1RyyJyS52Zi0rfYKeYJ0VWBcfoRWr7Q7bfwl6A-5JxahC3s7Qii0ahKu1s6xi-OY55_zhzxAukx2C4nuvPrZ0bU_f68UjegRNwbQNutnw=s4032" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="A geometric quilt laid out on a wooden floor. The quilt is white, peach and blue and has triangles on it. There is a christmas tree visible in the left hand side of the frame." border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgq61SxbKKuPKaRDSb2Zfi2lB1UvvIIE8VnElmBQwSCrOcsoODWx5JuKGiAGljRbT0rfsmv6iM5Cq2m_XVQU1RyyJyS52Zi0rfYKeYJ0VWBcfoRWr7Q7bfwl6A-5JxahC3s7Qii0ahKu1s6xi-OY55_zhzxAukx2C4nuvPrZ0bU_f68UjegRNwbQNutnw=w320-h240" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Bear Paw baby quilt</td></tr></tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><p>Once again I used <a href="https://www.incolororder.com/2016/11/scrappy-bear-paw-baby-quilt-tutorial.html">this tutorial from In Color Order </a>as a starting point. It's just a great, clear tutorial, and one day I'll try it as intended i.e. scrappy. The triangle fabric, a Cloud 9 organic lawn if I remember rightly, was one I bought when a friend did an Instagram fabric destash. I knew I wanted to use it in a quilt but to be honest the lawn fabric was a bit tricky to work with. Maybe a quilt in all lawn would be ok but mixing it with the different weights of both Kona solids (peach, green and white) and the Cirrus solid (blue) made it a bit harder. I knew this before I started as I had the same issue with my <a href="https://kathrynsbusytown.blogspot.com/2020/04/queue-for-zoo-quilt.html">Queue for the Zoo quilt </a>last year, made with a Liberty print.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjVhhxoV3vpUhsrUZY8Dq1zCnC4KVzGCe792keAV5ew7X14V1NatV47D2qlUThfOpZjaNawuUhVSHnocx9v_lbMoCjbhZKYU_DWmcuB-49ZDNTAcEXu-MsYOQz1_ksXAaVJQ7SK_47ROHFoueeqpGAtpxqw3Uc472w6lPqWWS0Dq3YD_IoArKhyR_DjVw=s4032" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Close-up of part of a quilt, it is white, peach, green and blue." border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjVhhxoV3vpUhsrUZY8Dq1zCnC4KVzGCe792keAV5ew7X14V1NatV47D2qlUThfOpZjaNawuUhVSHnocx9v_lbMoCjbhZKYU_DWmcuB-49ZDNTAcEXu-MsYOQz1_ksXAaVJQ7SK_47ROHFoueeqpGAtpxqw3Uc472w6lPqWWS0Dq3YD_IoArKhyR_DjVw=w240-h320" width="240" /></a></div><br /><p>You can see the colours of the print a bit more in the photo above, it's a very peachy pink and the dark green is really lovely. I had fun trying to match this with solids and bought two different Kona peach/coral shades to get the right one. I love pink though so I know the one I didn't end up using will get used soon anyway.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiX7y57vekezZckU7-d6ZaXqn2ZITxFWuPxLce2f-li1_uO1c-fVQ7hEfDwH5kfAGrjIiU9MmqRqMmmgKoB9tW5jfDhm6tZFLpzRsn8WxJlc5J1-DZzPUVqJuk24kNpqjqiMuol7lKSa73SdgWhhK3vhRhsgqw7NgZOlpaESB1AtsxBbP5_OE4IgT3WJQ=s4032" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="A quilt laid out on a wooden floor. The quilt is white, peach and blue and has triangles on it. There is a christmas tree visible in the top of the frame." border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiX7y57vekezZckU7-d6ZaXqn2ZITxFWuPxLce2f-li1_uO1c-fVQ7hEfDwH5kfAGrjIiU9MmqRqMmmgKoB9tW5jfDhm6tZFLpzRsn8WxJlc5J1-DZzPUVqJuk24kNpqjqiMuol7lKSa73SdgWhhK3vhRhsgqw7NgZOlpaESB1AtsxBbP5_OE4IgT3WJQ=w240-h320" width="240" /></a></div><p>The back of the quilt is just pieced together. This is something I really enjoy doing. I had a small amount of the triangle fabric left and I wanted to use it all up so I started with that and just cut and stitched as I went. It's really good fun to get a bit improv like that, especially after following a block pattern for the front of the quilt. Spending time coming up with a design, and then sewing it up for loved ones, is such a nice way to spend time, it's time to be solitary and reduce stress whilst also being social somehow as you're thinking about the person/people you're creating it for.</p>Kathrynhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05183395919767332073noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4738605186344332113.post-44035407273638681162021-12-26T23:44:00.003+00:002021-12-29T22:49:43.687+00:00Simple Geometric Quilting - the New Mexico Quilt<p>It's been a long time since I've logged in to this blog, and if I'm honest, a long time since I've read any blogs. I would like to get back to blogging a bit more as I still enjoy reading sewing and quilting blogs but I've yet to find a good blog-reader app for my phone so I just tend to stick to Instagram most of the time. I thought I'd return to this blog and document the rest of my quilt makes for 2021 in the hope that it encourages me to get back into it again. Starting with this one I made back in the early summer for my husband's sister in Scotland. </p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiRglipQqHaKlbuQUBhl6n6AQJQvkxP7RCIkP9q06GTd2RpelxdFnh5P8tufzjF8MsaC3HhTg648dh-APauMVgx65rIIHA2n8noj5MEV1SSHOCVBcYrPLEbhZAgpwM4JSCb_89P4REDTu4aPpWj9PmAupVGsBpwyVvSWTrA3JEqrRvJMHhJLe5-YamtUQ=s1440" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="Large quilt with geometric shapes in blues, terracotta and black on a white background. The quilt is being held up by a person (unseen) in a garden, with a brick wall behind." border="0" data-original-height="1436" data-original-width="1440" height="398" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiRglipQqHaKlbuQUBhl6n6AQJQvkxP7RCIkP9q06GTd2RpelxdFnh5P8tufzjF8MsaC3HhTg648dh-APauMVgx65rIIHA2n8noj5MEV1SSHOCVBcYrPLEbhZAgpwM4JSCb_89P4REDTu4aPpWj9PmAupVGsBpwyVvSWTrA3JEqrRvJMHhJLe5-YamtUQ=w400-h398" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">New Mexico Quilt</td></tr></tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="text-align: left;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">The pattern is the New Mexico Queen quilt pattern from <a href="https://www.simplegeometricquilting.com/">Simple Geometric Quilting by Laura Preston</a><span style="text-align: center;"></span>. It is such a beautiful book and I would love to try out all the patterns and techniques. The photography is wonderful as well and just makes me want to travel - which, with the way things are going right now looks likely to stay as daydreaming for a while longer! I reduced the size of the pattern by a third to make it more of a lap quilt but it's still pretty big as you can see. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgXUw7HyFxAsy5SRV6weNz3bH0cGf1VPgfD4ZXrIklPTGgU1a1qZN-KseddPAtZpiGgaTHz8l5345VsHlv0pgG-GPBL9XE_bRWx2JpeJlNgPDhpPDEiNLDSLSyOSDN0MFwNKeL7wS3sFez2XZoccRvogedqm9VtQku2O2K1ddKtAR4cdtEz4xC9ibPW2g=s1440" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Close-up of part of a patchwork quilt. It is geometric shapes in blue, terracotta and black, on a white background." border="0" data-original-height="1440" data-original-width="1440" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgXUw7HyFxAsy5SRV6weNz3bH0cGf1VPgfD4ZXrIklPTGgU1a1qZN-KseddPAtZpiGgaTHz8l5345VsHlv0pgG-GPBL9XE_bRWx2JpeJlNgPDhpPDEiNLDSLSyOSDN0MFwNKeL7wS3sFez2XZoccRvogedqm9VtQku2O2K1ddKtAR4cdtEz4xC9ibPW2g=w200-h200" width="200" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgvJ7Fk81UXVKqaKXDOUkj30YoHf2SRDYKoK8pwOUcGrzOHXHxSpsA84M5tsb7BnSg23O9rvYfV08g3v8nM4PTjvguEN-zEs0tuX84ViJublStUa4cITjbZsB5KXeLR3JRG3OefxiY0ewbyagLb8DkQkCawl0Q2NMQwwtLI2nKETkoDn8ciRX-661QBDg=s1440" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Close-up of part of a patchwork quilt. It is geometric shapes in blues and terracotta, on a white background." border="0" data-original-height="1440" data-original-width="1440" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgvJ7Fk81UXVKqaKXDOUkj30YoHf2SRDYKoK8pwOUcGrzOHXHxSpsA84M5tsb7BnSg23O9rvYfV08g3v8nM4PTjvguEN-zEs0tuX84ViJublStUa4cITjbZsB5KXeLR3JRG3OefxiY0ewbyagLb8DkQkCawl0Q2NMQwwtLI2nKETkoDn8ciRX-661QBDg=w200-h200" width="200" /></a></div><p style="text-align: left;">The colour scheme in the book is so good and it's one that I thought my sister-in-law would really like so I stuck pretty close to the sample in the book. The two blues are both Cirrus solids, absolutely my favourite solids to use as the texture is just gorgeous. These were from <a href="https://www.misformake.co.uk/">MisforMake</a> and <a href="https://www.finecityquilting.co.uk/">FineCityQuilting</a>. The terracotta was my last scraps of an April Rhodes fabric, the white is also from MisforMake I think, their standard cotton. I can't remember what the black fabric is but it's lovely. The backing is a Habitat duvet cover that wasn't being used, it's Egyptian cotton and so lovely and soft - perfect for a quilt backing. </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgN6cQh_LaU1ko02WmklEG12WVsCCB5rO1O5R4r4Tu4KLjbe78EhtaYdjjXSI_7meZ--kImfEJJrtwPXU4XFVvLa-fFnPKjwwDCC-hMEETJCMVAFsUT2bUH0IFbLukjtd-dyYvRVveTqm7T_SjxOczXVuiYx7SDxlRiMBjTnMl-jtP39gs3-YloHyDIcg=s1440" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1440" data-original-width="1440" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgN6cQh_LaU1ko02WmklEG12WVsCCB5rO1O5R4r4Tu4KLjbe78EhtaYdjjXSI_7meZ--kImfEJJrtwPXU4XFVvLa-fFnPKjwwDCC-hMEETJCMVAFsUT2bUH0IFbLukjtd-dyYvRVveTqm7T_SjxOczXVuiYx7SDxlRiMBjTnMl-jtP39gs3-YloHyDIcg=s320" width="320" /></a></div><p>The instructions for this were really clear and I like the way the book is laid out. It has you press all the seams open rather than to one side and I did follow that but I don't think I will be again. I found once I'd pressed open that some of the stitching came loose. It happened more than once and I wondered if it was related to the fact I was chain piecing but then the instructions recommend both chain piecing and pressing seams open so there must be a way to do it without stitches coming loose. If anyone has any tips or suggestions for this then I'd be interested in hearing them. For now though I'll just go back to pressing to one side.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /></div>Kathrynhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05183395919767332073noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4738605186344332113.post-3896058379446991912021-09-25T08:58:00.004+01:002021-09-25T08:58:36.025+01:00Another Bear Paw<p> I just can't stop making these Bear Paw baby quilts. The original tutorial is <a href="https://www.incolororder.com/2016/11/scrappy-bear-paw-baby-quilt-tutorial.html">this one </a>from In Color Order. The borders on the tutorial are wider than mine are here so I didn't follow the tutorial completely. This was a last-minute present, and I'm trying to use up fabric I have, so I used all fabrics that I already had. The blues are very scrappy - some Charley Harper scraps with some other blue scraps off an old Toy Story duvet cover I bought in a charity shop and changed from single size to cot size years ago. The backing is a lovely bird fabric that a friend gave to me. I often use up smaller pieces for backings but since this was last minute it was good to have a bigger piece. The birds on the back also nicely matched the Charley Harper bird scraps. This is definitely one of my go-to quilt blocks. Does anyone else have favourite blocks? I do need to try out some different blocks soon too!</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Huh1rJU58lg/YU7WMuZD9lI/AAAAAAAA9pA/7A33f-tV5VE5GBerJxJJSgmI_JrQhGQYACPcBGAsYHg/s1440/D35D53B1-66BF-4D76-9EEE-65A3BFE23B53.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1440" data-original-width="1440" height="320" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Huh1rJU58lg/YU7WMuZD9lI/AAAAAAAA9pA/7A33f-tV5VE5GBerJxJJSgmI_JrQhGQYACPcBGAsYHg/s320/D35D53B1-66BF-4D76-9EEE-65A3BFE23B53.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Bear Paw baby quilt</td></tr></tbody></table><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-sacaZ4un1Yk/YU7WZ8RIkXI/AAAAAAAA9pE/8RUbXNm_gd4M4tfGyK3HClHvj3xhgc2ggCPcBGAsYHg/s1440/F380418E-5862-41C3-82B4-9914E1B9DCD6.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1440" data-original-width="1440" height="320" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-sacaZ4un1Yk/YU7WZ8RIkXI/AAAAAAAA9pE/8RUbXNm_gd4M4tfGyK3HClHvj3xhgc2ggCPcBGAsYHg/s320/F380418E-5862-41C3-82B4-9914E1B9DCD6.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Back of baby quilt</td></tr></tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><p><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /><p><br /></p>Kathrynhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05183395919767332073noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4738605186344332113.post-26378647782371780022021-09-08T16:47:00.002+01:002021-09-08T16:47:53.036+01:00Half square triangles<p>I've got a few quilts finished this year that I haven't shared yet so I'm going to start with this half square triangle baby quilt. </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-47r9pNjPCKY/YTjZF7gbmjI/AAAAAAAA9lU/3IxHw4dhS_cMsrzWLOGKWdYvQ_TCgPurgCPcBGAsYHg/s3024/IMG_8145.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-47r9pNjPCKY/YTjZF7gbmjI/AAAAAAAA9lU/3IxHw4dhS_cMsrzWLOGKWdYvQ_TCgPurgCPcBGAsYHg/s320/IMG_8145.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div>I had this fat quarter of the Cotton and Steel tigers and another fat quarter of the Art Gallery Fabrics moons. I really wanted to use them in a baby quilt so I decided a simple HST quilt was the answer. This is made in the same way as the <a href="https://kathrynsbusytown.blogspot.com/2019/04/monochrome-quilt.html">monochrome quilt</a> I made in 2020. It's just lots of 9.5" squares of fabric which are then sewn up into half-square triangles. The longest bit is always deciding on the placement! I think this has turned out really well and I love the colours and fabrics together. </div><div><br /></div><div>I couldn't decide what colour to bind it with and when I asked for opinions in our London Modern Quilt Guild group a few people suggested a lime green. Luckily i had leftovers of this Robert Kaufman Brussel linen in pickle. The lime green was such a good idea and it really works with the other colours. I absolutely love this shade of green, and the texture of this fabric. I'm tempted to get more but am really trying to use up fabrics I have rather than add more! </div><div><br /></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-3dqfGaT_rJI/YTjZF-rUtqI/AAAAAAAA9lU/K_Ftb6VuPA0SZQPFE_JuekMq2bdRKnkKgCPcBGAsYHg/s3024/IMG_8155.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-3dqfGaT_rJI/YTjZF-rUtqI/AAAAAAAA9lU/K_Ftb6VuPA0SZQPFE_JuekMq2bdRKnkKgCPcBGAsYHg/s320/IMG_8155.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div><p>You can see the last scraps of the printed fabrics on the reverse of the quilt, along with the very last of the green linen. I had good fun piecing together all the bits for the quilt back, I like being restricted by the amount of fabric and trying to make it work.</p><p>There's not much else to say about it really, there's a good tutorial <a href="https://www.generations-quilt-patterns.com/half-square-triangle.html">here</a> for making a simple half square triangle unit. I really like making half square triangles and it's always fun playing about with the placement. </p></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-GR3Xzxw-dk8/YTjZF4kiM8I/AAAAAAAA9lU/oObs5MJzQbQ0VlYTQsxMNqOvEpe9FJ-9gCPcBGAsYHg/s3024/IMG_8154.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-GR3Xzxw-dk8/YTjZF4kiM8I/AAAAAAAA9lU/oObs5MJzQbQ0VlYTQsxMNqOvEpe9FJ-9gCPcBGAsYHg/s320/IMG_8154.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-VSIUmUDvfgo/YTjZF4Dy4ZI/AAAAAAAA9lU/N1bD7hfTC0sTFhkdXz0sK1I95kfafR1iwCPcBGAsYHg/s3024/IMG_8157.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-VSIUmUDvfgo/YTjZF4Dy4ZI/AAAAAAAA9lU/N1bD7hfTC0sTFhkdXz0sK1I95kfafR1iwCPcBGAsYHg/s320/IMG_8157.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><p><br /></p>Kathrynhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05183395919767332073noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4738605186344332113.post-80124935933973106942021-02-24T23:12:00.000+00:002021-02-24T23:12:18.143+00:00First small project of 2021<p>2020 contained a lot of sewing of small projects - pencil cases, drawstring bags and cushions mostly - and 2021 has started the same way. I wanted to make a bag to wrap a book for a friend's birthday. This one used scraps from different quilting projects, including the same yellow I used in the sawtooth star quilt I just made, which was for this friend's son, so it's nice to include one of the same fabrics. Sewing with scraps is so satisfying, I love working out how to fit the fabrics together and having the limitations of the size of the scraps is fun. I used the WeeBrawBag pattern as a reminder on how to do the bit for the drawstring to go through, but the dimensions are based on the size of the book I wanted it to contain. I used some scraps of batting and then the lining as the backing. I made each panel then decided to try out some hand quilting for the first time. I used a 12wt Aurifil thread for this and I love how it looks. </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-6wTkKu3JO8s/YDDiaOkPitI/AAAAAAAA7EI/OUweyIC3I5s0iqFh4mdk5W4KpeTo5ljnQCPcBGAsYHg/s4032/IMG_6778.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="400" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-6wTkKu3JO8s/YDDiaOkPitI/AAAAAAAA7EI/OUweyIC3I5s0iqFh4mdk5W4KpeTo5ljnQCPcBGAsYHg/w300-h400/IMG_6778.JPG" width="300" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-j-L07mx4GGc/YDDiaAzPJ2I/AAAAAAAA7EI/joy03-i7keIJBmT5K_YSIiNRuAQMjrHZACPcBGAsYHg/s4032/IMG_6777.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="400" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-j-L07mx4GGc/YDDiaAzPJ2I/AAAAAAAA7EI/joy03-i7keIJBmT5K_YSIiNRuAQMjrHZACPcBGAsYHg/w300-h400/IMG_6777.JPG" width="300" /></a></div><p>I'm going to try some new bag and pouch patterns this year as I tend to stick to the <a href="https://noodle-head.com/2017/03/canvas-pencil-pouch-tutorial.html">canvas pencil pouch</a>, <a href="https://sweetcinnamonroses.com/products/wee-braw-bag">WeeBrawBag</a>, and the <a href="https://noodle-head.com/2011/06/summer-madras-tote-pattern-2.html">Summer Madras Tote Bag</a> (free pattern). All of which are great patterns, it's just time to challenge myself a bit with some different patterns. So, if anyone has any recommendations please let me know.</p>Kathrynhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05183395919767332073noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4738605186344332113.post-62760585447717541742021-02-20T11:17:00.002+00:002021-02-24T23:08:43.470+00:00Sawtooth Star quilt<p>This quilt has been a long time in the planning. I knew I wanted to use these fabrics together for a quilt for a good friend's second baby but changed my mind so many times about what pattern to use. So I decided to go with one of my favourite quilt blocks - either the Bearpaw or the Sawtooth Star. I had seen an outlined star block (I'm sure there's a better way of describing this but I can't think what that would be right now) on Instagram and thought this would be a great way to use these two fabrics together.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-q_ON1X-h0Eo/YDDUhaFtOPI/AAAAAAAA7DQ/5Z1qil2m344GfQpNTqEZQTcREwiw2SHMACPcBGAsYHg/s4032/IMG_6507.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="400" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-q_ON1X-h0Eo/YDDUhaFtOPI/AAAAAAAA7DQ/5Z1qil2m344GfQpNTqEZQTcREwiw2SHMACPcBGAsYHg/w300-h400/IMG_6507.JPG" width="300" /></a></div><p></p><p>It wasn't meant to be a winter quilt, as the baby it is for was born in the summer, but last year, and this year, it's taking me longer to get big projects going than usual. I love how the colours look against the slight dusting of snow. My son was so excited by the snow he didn't even object to holding the quilt for me! We did get more snow the next week, even enough to do some sledging, which hasn't happened here in years. it was a nice break in the routine of lockdown!</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ZLEG2nk7I74/YDDaob6i6sI/AAAAAAAA7Do/MoAIbk2jhY4IR3GW0_p10n4hKP5wGqSWwCPcBGAsYHg/s4032/IMG_6506.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="400" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ZLEG2nk7I74/YDDaob6i6sI/AAAAAAAA7Do/MoAIbk2jhY4IR3GW0_p10n4hKP5wGqSWwCPcBGAsYHg/w300-h400/IMG_6506.JPG" width="300" /></a></div><p>I used <a href="https://www.diaryofaquilter.com/2016/08/fast-flying-geese-sawtooth-star.html">Diary of a Quilter's Sawtooth Star tutorial</a> as a reminder for the construction but of course, remembered to make the centre of each star the same fabric as the sashing. I am afraid I can't even remember what size I made the stars (edit: the stars are 12" blocks) or what width I used for the sashing. Usually I write it all down but I forgot with this one, I just made big stars then used sashing in between to get the quilt the size I wanted. The grid quilting works well I think as I wanted to keep the quilting design to a minimum so I didn't cover up the lovely softness of the fabrics too much. I wish I'd taken more photos of the quilt as I'm so happy with how it turned out. The aim was for it to look calm and I think the combination of the colours and the hollow stars achieved that.</p><p>So, on to the fabrics I used. The blue is a Cirrus Solid, 'rain' I think, from <a href="https://www.misformake.co.uk/">M is for Make</a>. The Cirrus solids are more expensive than most other solids but I love the texture of them and that they are organic. The gorgeous rust brown star print is by <a href="https://www.rubystarsociety.com/">Ruby Star Society</a> from <a href="https://thecraftymastermind.co.uk/">The Crafty Mastermind</a>. The yellow binding is fabric I've had since I first started sewing and I used it in the first ever quilt I made, which was for this baby's big brother! So I wanted to incorporate it in this quilt and it matched perfectly. I meant to get a close-up of the binding and the backing as it all works together so well. The backing is a gorgeous elephant print organic cotton by Birch Fabrics, you can see it in this <a href="https://kathrynsbusytown.blogspot.com/2019/12/bear-paw-baby-quilt.html">Bear Paw baby quilt</a> I made. I wish I'd taken more photos of this but never mind, I know it's being loved and used and that's the most important thing.</p>Kathrynhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05183395919767332073noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4738605186344332113.post-20120509442502133912021-01-02T21:20:00.004+00:002021-02-24T23:10:21.171+00:00Big Kiss quilt<p><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-W2Oppv9Xl0A/X_DgxJmSo2I/AAAAAAAA6I4/0S3M3GNtHiY_k1kHP5k5-atFw0s1ak3-ACPcBGAsYHg/s3008/IMG_5696.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3008" data-original-width="3008" height="320" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-W2Oppv9Xl0A/X_DgxJmSo2I/AAAAAAAA6I4/0S3M3GNtHiY_k1kHP5k5-atFw0s1ak3-ACPcBGAsYHg/s320/IMG_5696.JPG" /></a></div><br /><p>I started this quilt in May when I saw the <a href="http://selfsewn.blogspot.com/2020/05/big-kiss-quilt-tutorial.html">sew-along</a> announced by the pattern creator @SelfSewn. It was a free tutorial and I just loved the bold design of it. Straight away I knew I wanted to use some of my Leah Duncan fabrics which I'd been saving, unsure of what to use them for. I also knew I wanted to make this for my brother and his family, as they live abroad and, at that point, I hadn't seen them in 6 months. I sewed the quilt top together during the sew-along and had hoped I'd be able to see them during the summer and gift it then but when that became more unlikely I felt a bit too sad to quilt it somehow. I decided it would be perfect to send though as, what better way to send your love to someone than in something you've created yourself. Especially when you can't give them your love in person.</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-_xT0_DRzF_Y/X_Dg99-iUBI/AAAAAAAA6I8/2ucFttSrlFQCGzXAgIXc1gisXqynR9KxwCPcBGAsYHg/s899/21A70EBE-5C72-4DFB-92D3-EE8A9A9B5707.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="899" data-original-width="899" height="320" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-_xT0_DRzF_Y/X_Dg99-iUBI/AAAAAAAA6I8/2ucFttSrlFQCGzXAgIXc1gisXqynR9KxwCPcBGAsYHg/s320/21A70EBE-5C72-4DFB-92D3-EE8A9A9B5707.jpg" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><p>Self Sewn gave really good instructions on how to use a photo of the fabric laid out in stripes, to create an image of how it would look made up. That's what you can see above. I tried a few different layouts of fabric this way and it was great to be able to get a real idea of how it would look sewn up. There are 3 Leah Duncan prints here, the two botanical ones and the blue one, which features flamingoes. It also contains some pink floral Liberty twill which was leftover from a dress I made myself years ago. Likewise, the blue cross-hatch is leftover from a skirt I made. </p><p><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-um_1t5oFI2A/X_Dh5FMewjI/AAAAAAAA6JE/fmjNtIrQ2LwGHWHUhu-A1VWj_UrCMuzxACPcBGAsYHg/s4032/IMG_5712.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-um_1t5oFI2A/X_Dh5FMewjI/AAAAAAAA6JE/fmjNtIrQ2LwGHWHUhu-A1VWj_UrCMuzxACPcBGAsYHg/s320/IMG_5712.JPG" /></a></div>The backing fabric is mostly an orange IKEA duvet cover that I bought new to make scrubs bags for a family member, and friends, during the summer. With another scrap of Leah Duncan flamingos added in. I had initially intended this as a picnic blanket quilt, which is why I used the IKEA fabric on the back as it seemed quite hard-wearing. However, as I didn't send it till the winter it's currently a blanket on the couch!<div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-4Lo5SFQx7yQ/X_DiPmQmJJI/AAAAAAAA6JM/p_NBcDPcCtsJH_vrstSrrZql45qjG3MkQCPcBGAsYHg/s4032/IMG_5714.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-4Lo5SFQx7yQ/X_DiPmQmJJI/AAAAAAAA6JM/p_NBcDPcCtsJH_vrstSrrZql45qjG3MkQCPcBGAsYHg/s320/IMG_5714.JPG" /></a></div><br /><div>I just did some simple straight line quilting either side of the seams. I love how this looks and I didn't want to make the quilt too stiff. <br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-bc8SfN4l6JU/X_Dh5NMRB4I/AAAAAAAA6JE/J7I_JT4IBCkmTgjYw8tUSlrG5Q5SQ5jcgCPcBGAsYHg/s3007/991B25BE-64B0-4D13-A06C-5349E42C2E13.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3007" data-original-width="3007" height="320" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-bc8SfN4l6JU/X_Dh5NMRB4I/AAAAAAAA6JE/J7I_JT4IBCkmTgjYw8tUSlrG5Q5SQ5jcgCPcBGAsYHg/s320/991B25BE-64B0-4D13-A06C-5349E42C2E13.jpg" /></a></div><div><br /></div>2020 was a hard year for so many and I don't have the adequate words to describe it. I found sewing really helped me at so many points this year but it was usually smaller more manageable projects that I wanted to make, like cushion covers, pencil cases and little bags. I hope you all found some ways to make 2020 more bearable and here's hoping 2021 brings us all more time with family and friends when it's safe to do so.</div>Kathrynhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05183395919767332073noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4738605186344332113.post-59584479550008436672020-05-02T23:19:00.000+01:002020-05-02T23:19:06.807+01:00Kingfisher quiltAway back in May 2018 I saw some gorgeous quilts appearing on Instagram with the hashtags #kingfisherstitchalong #epp and #englishpaperpiecing. I loved the look of it but, at that time, I had no idea what English Paper Piecing was. The quiltalong was hosted by <a href="https://www.talesofcloth.com/blog/2018/5/13/kingfisher-stitch-along" target="_blank">Tales of Cloth</a> and <a href="https://www.stitchedincolor.com/blog/2018/5/15/the-kingfisher-stitch-along?rq=kingfisher%20quilt" target="_blank">Stitched in Color</a> and I remember I left a comment on one of their instagram or blog posts asking for advice on learning EPP. They were so helpful and friendly that I decided to jump in. Well, when I say jump right in, it actually took me two months to sew my first hexie flower - that is a flower sewn out of hexagons. I would say I was hooked pretty much as soon as I started! I ordered the paper hexie pieces from <a href="https://www.misformake.co.uk/" target="_blank">MisforMake</a>, along with some gorgeous Leah Duncan fabrics. I had an idea of my colour palette - mostly pinks and yellows - and wanted to try and use fabrics I already had, rather than buying all new. I used some precious Leah Duncan fabrics, along with lots of scraps from dressmaking projects, some of my earliest dressmaking items which I loved the fabric of but didn't wear anymore, as well as some fabrics that had belonged to my mum and others bought on holiday. So every fabric in the flowers is special really.<br />
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I wanted to use low volume prints for the backgrounds, like in the quilts used in the stitchalong, but I didn't have many fabrics like that. Once again I ordered most of these from <a href="https://www.misformake.co.uk/" target="_blank">MisforMake</a> and I think also some from <a href="https://www.backstitch.co.uk/" target="_blank">Backstitch</a>.<br />
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The half triangle shapes at the side and the stripes in the border are an old IKEA bed sheet that I never liked the feel of but I thought it would work well on the front of this quilt. The pink gingham was fabric I bought on my first ever trip to Shepherds Bush market with one of my best friends and the <a href="https://kathrynsbusytown.blogspot.com/2012/10/sew-over-it-weekend-dress-making-class.html" target="_blank">golden yellow border fabric was the first ever dress I made</a>. I loved the fabric and the memories of making the dress at a class at Sew Over It in Clapham so when I no longer wore the dress I wanted to reuse the fabric.<br />
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One of the things that I loved about the look of this quilt was the mix of machine stitching and handsewing. The hexie flowers each sit on a diamond. The hexie flowers are all hand-stitched using English Paper Piecing. There was the choice to attach them to the diamonds by machine or hand-sewing. I went for handsewing. Then I sewed all the diamonds together and added the borders by machine. I was thinking of handquilting it for a while but it had been in progress for such a long time that I just wanted to get it finished so I machine-quilted it. The quilting is just simple diagonal lines with Aurifil, I think it was 40wt.<br />
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The backing is a Liberty print I bought years ago with the intention of making it into a garment. Then I realised it's not really something I would wear so it languished in a box for a few years. I thought it would be perfect for this quilt of flowers. There wasn't quite enough so I cut it up a bit and added in some other scraps of fabric. </div>
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There is something so wonderful about making something that is used every day and this quilt most certainly is. It lives on our couch and we use it every night when watching TV, and for me, hand sewing on the couch. It also sees a lot of use as a den and a blanket for teddy bears picnics in the garden.
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</span>Kathrynhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05183395919767332073noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4738605186344332113.post-40575832356411806802020-04-17T14:59:00.000+01:002020-04-17T14:59:47.848+01:00Queue for the Zoo Quilt<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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This is a quilt pattern I've been wanting to use for a long time, the <a href="https://www.jenibakerpatterns.com/product/giant-vintage-star-quilt-pdf-pattern" target="_blank">Giant Vintage Star pattern </a>by Jeni Baker but I could never think of what fabric to use for it as I loved the vintage sheets used by Jeni Baker in the pattern design, and the original tutorial which the design came from. and somehow couldn't see past that. However, when one of my friends had a baby boy I suddenly remembered about this Liberty Queue for the Zoo fabric I bought years ago in Liberty. I think initially I was going to make shorts for my son but the fabric is too fine for that really. I thought it would work really well with this pattern and am so pleased with how it turned out! The beautiful blue fabric is Cirrus solids in 'rain' from <a href="https://www.misformake.co.uk/" target="_blank">M is for Make</a>, these solids are just the most beautiful texture, every time I use one I wish I'd bought more of it!<br />
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It was an easy pattern to follow, clearly explained and nice and quick to put together. I kept the quilting simple too and backed it with a light blue chambray (part of a double duvet set I bought in Muji in a sale a while ago, specifically for quilting with). My son helped to take the photos, as you can see!<br />
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The new baby has a big sister so I wanted to make her something too. This was my second time making the <a href="https://sweetcinnamonroses.com/collections/bags-and-pouches/products/i-heart-you-bag-pdf-pattern" target="_blank">I Heart You bag by Sweet Cinnamon Roses.</a> It's such a cute pattern and, although it's a bit fiddly to cut out and make, it is totally worth it!<br />
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<br />Kathrynhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05183395919767332073noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4738605186344332113.post-83712087161851580042020-03-28T17:26:00.000+00:002020-03-28T17:26:50.026+00:00Cotton + Steel Bear Paw baby quilt<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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These are very scary and strange times we are living in right now and it's awful seeing the death and devastation which Covid-19 is causing. I hesitated about posting about quilt making but sewing is what helps me when I'm anxious and stressed and seeing other people's creations never fails to make me feel a bit better so I thought I would continue to share what I'm making here. I hope everyone who reads this is well and has a good support network around them, at all times not just in these current times.<br />
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I've got a few quilts to post about so I'm going to start with this one. If this looks similar to my last quilt that's because it is the same pattern, the <a href="https://www.incolororder.com/2016/11/scrappy-bear-paw-baby-quilt-tutorial.html" target="_blank">Scrappy Bear Paw Tutorial</a>. I think this colour combination might be one of my favourite ever in a quilt I've made. It just works so well, especially with the gorgeous rich shades of these Cotton + Steel prints. I made this for some friends who had a baby boy recently. It didn't take me long to decide on these two fabrics and I was so pleased I had enough of both to make it. The backing is a gorgeous double-gauze I've had for years, I think it came from <a href="https://www.misformake.co.uk/" target="_blank">MisforMake</a> and I had just enough to make the backing come round as the binding for the front.<br />
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The last time I made this pattern I rushed it and forgot to square off the half-square triangles, resulting in some less than perfect points! This time round I really took my time to square everything off properly and I'm pleased with how all the points turned out.<br />
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My son helped me take the photos again, he's the perfect height for holding these baby quilts! You can see the beautiful backing fabric below. I used a simple grid quilting pattern which is very satisfying to sew, especially with the Hera marker to make the lines nice and straight.<br />
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Now I've made this twice it'll be a while before I make it again but I'm sure I will one day as it's such a great tutorial and the perfect size for a baby quilt.<br />
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<br />Kathrynhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05183395919767332073noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4738605186344332113.post-84846530683331374792019-12-23T08:06:00.000+00:002019-12-23T08:06:27.546+00:00Bear Paw baby quilt<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Another Bear Paw, I really enjoy making this block so much! This baby quilt was for a Uni friend who had a baby girl during the summer. I had lots of this gorgeous elephant fabric which I used to make curtains for my son's nursery previously and I thought my friend would really like it. It's an organic cotton, I think Birch fabrics, I got from <a href="https://www.misformake.co.uk/" target="_blank">M is for Make</a> way back in 2013/2014. I think I've had the orange Atelier Brunette, also bought from M is for Make, almost as long. When I put them together I thought it would work but I had a moment of doubt while making it. Thankfully it worked out well and they match perfectly I say!<br />
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My son makes a perfect quilt model helper doesn't he?! After making the Bear Paw cushion I knew I wanted this baby quilt to be one giant bear paw block. I had a wee look online and found the brilliant <a href="https://www.incolororder.com/2016/11/scrappy-bear-paw-baby-quilt-tutorial.html" target="_blank">Scrappy Bear Paw baby quilt tutorial </a>from Jeni Baker of In Color Order. I already followed Jeni on instagram and admired her quilt patterns but hadn't seen this tutorial before. The instructions include cutting measurements for a version from scraps or from yardage. I only just had enough of the orange but luckily had enough of the elephants that I could back it with that too.<br />
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The quilting is just a simple grid quilt pattern which I think looks really good with this block. The batting is the Quilter's Dream orient quilt batting, bought from <a href="https://www.cottonpatch.co.uk/acatalog/Natural-Wadding-Batting.html?gclid=CjwKCAiAis3vBRBdEiwAHXB29IFr6TLyS0zu_rTvKi0JLMFoA7sym6dNEMkI5jRZOgRoq-sb2Qmp2BoCBHIQAvD_BwE" target="_blank">Cotton Patch</a>. The quilting is done with Aurifil 50wt thread. I was in such a rush to get on with this quilt that I completely forgot to square off the half square triangles! So if you look closely you can see the points aren't all the same, I also somehow managed to attach some of them the wrong way round. In spite of that I still love how this turned out and the recipient seemed really happy with it too!<br />
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<br />Kathrynhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05183395919767332073noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4738605186344332113.post-25958041838483676252019-12-13T23:18:00.000+00:002019-12-14T10:13:06.065+00:00Improv Quilt<br />
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This quilt was started way back in 2017 when I made my '<a href="http://kathrynsbusytown.blogspot.com/2017/01/little-critters-quilt.html" target="_blank">Little Critters' quilt</a>. It's funny as I'd say pink and yellow are my favourite colours yet I seem to make a lot of quilts out of blue and yellow! The block in my Little Critters quilt was called the 'Odds and Ends' quilt from Quilting Happiness' by Christina Lane & Diane Gilleland. Making this block left me with lots of little odds and ends, and when I put them together with the scraps from the quilt I thought they would make a good quilt back. I put the scraps together in some different shapes and as it started to grow I realised I'd like to make it into a quilt top so used something else to back the quilt and decided to keep working on this top. It started off quite small then I put it aside for two years as I couldn't decide what to do with it. Earlier this year I found the folder with all the scraps in it so I bought some more of the white & black triangles and just started improvising again. It was so much fun just to let this develop naturally.<br />
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Some of it was left over shapes from the other quilt - the lines of black and white fabric so I used them as the were. With the other scraps I made some half square triangles for some shapes. The most fun bit though was just picking up small scraps, stitching them together without too much thought then making these new pieces into different shapes and patterns. I loved this process and think I'll do some more improv quilts in 2020. <br />
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I used a polyester eco batting made from recylced plastic bottles from <a href="https://www.cottonpatch.co.uk/acatalog/Man-Made-Wadding.html" target="_blank">Cotton Patch</a> as I planned for this quilt to be a picnic blanket and thought that would be quite hardwearing. However it's currently residing on our couch as a winter blanket!<br />
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The quilting pattern is from 'Walk: master machine quilting with your walking foot' by Jacqui Gering. I bought myself a Hera marker so I could try some of the patterns in this book with a bit more ease and it's definitely my favourite new sewing tool!<br />
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You can see some of the different stages of this quilt in the photos below. It's nice to have another quilt in our house and I plan to make more for myself and our home next year!<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">the 'odds and ends' block where the scraps that started this quilt came from</td></tr>
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<br />Kathrynhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05183395919767332073noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4738605186344332113.post-6063172516543238332019-10-17T22:15:00.000+01:002019-10-24T10:02:04.297+01:00Bear Paw cushionThe Bear Paw quilt block is definitely one of my favourite blocks. I love the name, the striking design, and how easy it is to put together. I know there are still so many blocks I've never made but I think it would be hard to displace the Bear Paw from my favourites.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A Bear Paw quilt block cushion</td></tr>
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This was a birthday present for my brother. I wanted to make him something using some of the fabric I have that belonged to our mum. I would like to make him a quilt too but the birthday present was late enough as it is so a quilted cushion it was. The dark blue fabric is a beautiful cashmere, made in Scotland. I can't remember where it is from but do remember my mum telling me a story of visiting the factory and coming away with this fabric. I've made myself a skirt from it and had some scraps left over. I always thought it would be nice if I could use it for something for my brother. I decided to use the bear paw as I wanted quite a bold and simple design. The pale blue wool is a scrap of Harris tweed which my mother-in-law brought back from Harris (she brought me a bag of scraps and I'm sure they will all be used in quilts over time!) I didn't think it would look right with a plain white fabric and wanted something with a bit of texture to complement the wools so I found this Robert Kaufman remnant I picked up in Ray Stitch a while ago though I can't remember what the exact name of it is.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Bear Paw quilt block cushion</td></tr>
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<a href="https://www.generations-quilt-patterns.com/bears-paw-quilt-block.html" target="_blank">The tutorial for the Bear Paw block</a> is one I've used before and it's such a good tutorial. It gives you different sets of measurements for different sized blocks, the instructions are really clear and it gives you midpoint measurements which ensures you get accurate and consistent blocks. It is also a no-waste method which I like because, well it's no waste but it also makes it very quick!<br />
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I used the 14" size block and then found a <a href="https://shop.mybluprint.com/quilting/article/how-to-make-a-quilted-pillow-sham/" target="_blank">tutorial</a> online to turn this into a cushion. I know I should have stretched myself and gone for a zip at the back but I just stuck to the envelope opening. The instructions in this tutorial provided too thick an envelope though so I had to reduce the size of both back pieces.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">In-progress photo of basting all the quilt layers.</td></tr>
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The colours are much more muted than I would normally go for but I really love the way it's turned out. It feels really good to have shared this fabric with my brother by making it into something which can be used every day. I've just finished a Bear Paw baby quilt and feel I'm on a bit of a role with this block as I have another baby quilt planned and some more cushions!Kathrynhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05183395919767332073noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4738605186344332113.post-72402433194216998932019-09-22T15:54:00.000+01:002019-09-22T15:54:12.760+01:00Gift bagsI love making little gifts such as pencil cases and bags but don't always remember to record them here. I thought I'd share these ones as the tutorial I used is so good I thought it was worth sharing again. The elephant drawstring bag was made with some scraps of this organic cotton from M is for Make. I bought this fabric years ago to make curtains for my son's nursery. They didn't fit in our new home so I washed the fabric and unpicked it all. It was used to make <a href="https://kathrynsbusytown.blogspot.com/2019/04/baby-doll-quilt.html" target="_blank">this quilt and bedding for a dolls bed</a> but I still have plenty left.<br />
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This was a present for the son of one of my best friend's so it's nice to use special fabrics for special people! I chose this book as it was one of Harris's favourites when he was 3/4 years old - we now read the Jolly Rodgers chapter books but he still likes the picture books too of course.<br />
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So lets get to the tutorial! It is called the <a href="http://www.handmadejane.co.uk/2011/11/kids-wash-bag-tutorial.html" target="_blank">Kids Washbag Tutorial</a> from Handmade Jane. Obviously it is meant for waterproof fabrics but the tutorial works just as well to make bags for all other purposes. The one I made for my son is used to transport Lego, cars and other toys when we go on holiday. The elephant one was used as a book bag but with the intention it would work as a toy bag too. I've made some <a href="https://kathrynsbusytown.blogspot.com/2017/01/christmas-makes.html" target="_blank">before</a> and will definitely make them again! I made my son's one to match his pencil case but now he's asked if he can have another pencil case so that he can have one in his school bag and one at home so maybe I'll make another drawstring bag to match a new pencil case. This time he's requested superhero fabric so I'll need to do some shopping for this one!<br />
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As an aside, I'm not sure how many people still read blogs. I mean I know I do but I definitely don't comment nearly as much as I used to, mainly because the Bloglovin app was so terrible on my phone and I never really got round to looking into a replacement. I hope people still read this but when I was thinking about whether or not to post I realised I post here as much, if not more, for me than for anyone else. having this reminder of everything I've made together like this is very good for me. Whenever I feel anxious or stressed about what I am doing, or not doing, one way I can cheer myself up is to look at my blog and remind myself of all the things I've created. So that's me up to date with finished makes, now it's time to get on with some of those unfinished ones - cushions, quilts, EPP project etc etc!<br />
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<br />Kathrynhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05183395919767332073noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4738605186344332113.post-61822997710630846952019-09-19T21:34:00.000+01:002019-09-19T21:35:22.307+01:00Modern fans quiltYou'd think I hadn't been sewing given that my last post here was in June! I haven't finished many projects but I have been sewing over the summer, quite a lot of EPP work on my Grandmother's Flower Garden quilt as well as a drawstring bag for toys for our holiday. The last big project I finished was this gorgeous quilt made using Suzy Quilts Modern Fans quilt pattern.
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I bought this pattern for the sew-along which Suzy Quilts hosted but then of course didn't get round to it at the time. Plus I couldn't really have posted about this on Instagram during the sew-along as I was sewing it as a surprise for a friend's new baby!<br />
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The starting point for this was the Moda Yucatan fabric with the cactus. I bought it from M<a href="https://www.misformake.co.uk/" target="_blank"> is for Make</a> last summer and had been saving it. When I saw this pattern I thought it would be perfect. The gorgeous limey yellow colour is Cirrus solids in Sprout, also from M is for Make. I've had the green and pink fabrics for ages and they worked well with it. The blue is a Cotton and Steel fabric but I can't remember which one. The backing fabric is from the Wonderland range of fabrics by Rifle Paper Co. and is the most beautiful quality fabric with so many lovely details in the illustrations.<br />
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I was a bit apprehensive about all the curves but <a href="https://suzyquilts.com/modern-fans-quilt-pattern-video-tutorial-included/" target="_blank">Suzy's tutorial</a> is so good I needn't have worried. I also found using my walking foot helped, both to keep everything together and also because I don't have a 1/4" foot so the walking foot is the only 1/4" measure I have. It definitely meant this piecing was more accurate so I'm using my walking foot for piecing all the time now. I enjoyed the piecing on this one as it was a bit more involved than the last few quilts I've made.<br />
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I did my usual binding method, machine sewing to the front then hand sewing it to the back. The quilt pattern is just a simple grid and I'm really pleased with how it looks with the curves. I really love the colours in this and think I'll need to buy some more of the Cirrus solids in Sprout, in fact the quality of the Cloud 9 Cirrus solids is lovely and looks a bit linen-like.<br />
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My next plan for this quilt pattern is to make a cushion for our house and I'm sure I'll use it to make a quilt again in the future. Right now though I'm starting to think about Christmas sewing, anyone else?! <br />
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<br />Kathrynhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05183395919767332073noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4738605186344332113.post-25241317813958501022019-06-13T10:30:00.001+01:002019-06-13T10:30:27.999+01:00Starry Skies quiltI think this quilt was my first sewalong quilt <a href="https://www.instagram.com/explore/tags/starryskiessewalong/" target="_blank">#starryskiessewalong</a>, I didn't finish by the deadline but having the sewalong was really lovely, seeing everyone's progress and chatting to people. The quilt pattern is the <a href="https://thencamejune.com/collections/quilt-patterns/products/starry-skies-quilt-pattern-pdf" target="_blank">Starry Skies Quilt by Then Came June patterns</a>. I finished making the quilt top in May 2018 and finally got it quilted in May 2019!<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Starry Skies quilt, pattern by Then Came June</td></tr>
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I really should keep a note of which fabrics I buy specifically for projects as it would be interesting to see. In this case I really can't remember. I think I may have bought the Cotton and Steel crosses yellow and mint for this project but I think most of the others were ones I already had. The peach, deep pink and white are the only second-hand fabrics in this quilt, the peach was a large piece of fabric I got in a charity shop in Wales years ago and it's been used in lots of things. The white is a 100% cotton sheet I got in a local charity shop.
The pink was given to me by a friend whose grandmother had passed on lots of fabric to her. The small diamonds are from a pink Betty Jackson fabric I bought in Cloth House years ago and made a tank top with, it wasn't very well made so it came apart and has been re-used for quilting projects. I love these two centre fabrics, I think the terracotta is April Rhodes for Art Gallery Fabrics and the horses is a Leah Duncan print.<br />
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I found this instructions for this so clear and easy to follow and I love how the stars aren't in straight lines. It is obvious in these two close-ups that my stars are far from perfect, they don't line up properly at all. However I don't really care as I love the colours I used and this quilt makes me happy. I think I'm getting more precise now and have found using my walking foot helps with this as it has a proper 1/4" seam allowance, previously I'd just been using my standard foot and assumed the edge was 1/4" but it's slightly bigger. Also I am slightly more careful with cutting out now than I was a year ago. But really, I'm not that into being precise and perfect anyway, I'd rather have it finished and loved!<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Quilt backing, photographed in a garden.</td></tr>
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For the quilt back I found a single IKEA sheet in my local charity shop. I didn't buy it the first time I saw it, kept thinking about it and went back the next week to find it was still there. The terracotta colour matches the April Rhodes fabric on the front really well and I added in some other pieces as it wasn't quite big enough. The binding is made from all the little scraps, not cut on the bias this time as there wasn't enough fabric. This is the second quilt I've made for our own home and by the end of this year I'd like to have another 2 finished for us. Seeing this quilt, and the <a href="https://kathrynsbusytown.blogspot.com/2018/12/sawtooth-star-quilt.html" target="_blank">one I made for my son's</a> bed, every day brings me joy!Kathrynhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05183395919767332073noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4738605186344332113.post-48105362130808825692019-06-12T15:40:00.000+01:002019-06-12T15:49:20.939+01:00Gift sewing - free pattern<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
I feel like this post should have a warning - contains many photos of pencil cases!</div>
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I had a wee spate of making book bags for gifts<a href="https://kathrynsbusytown.blogspot.com/2017/01/christmas-makes.html" target="_blank"> in 2017</a>, then again in 2018, though for some reason the second lot never made it to the blog. Now it seems I've moved my attention to sewing pencil cases. The main reason for this is the pattern is just so good! The pattern is the <a href="https://noodle-head.com/2017/03/canvas-pencil-pouch-tutorial.html" target="_blank">free Canvas Pencil Pouch tutorial from Noodlehead Patterns</a>. I found the instructions so clear and easy to follow and the result is a really neat professional looking pencil case. This is a free pattern, thanks Anna! It only has 3 pattern pieces and is perfect for using up scraps. All you need to add is one 10" zip and some interfacing.</div>
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The first one I made was for my son for Christmas and it's already all covered in pen on the inside but I don't mind. When I create things I want them to be things that are used every day and I love seeing him bringing this out on the table to do his drawing or practice his letters. The yellow stripes are scraps from my <a href="https://kathrynsbusytown.blogspot.com/2018/06/stripes-and-herringbone-quilt.html" target="_blank">Stripes & Herringbone quilt</a> and the sweet panda/polar bear fabric was a fat quarter from <a href="https://www.sewscrumptious.co.uk/" target="_blank">Sew Scrumptious</a>. I picked up a bunch of lovely metal zips in a charity shop a while ago and this is one of the 10" ones I had, it's perfect for small hands as it has a built in zip pull. </div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Photos of pencil case sewn using Noodlehead free canvas pouch tutorial</td></tr>
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Then I decided that the older brother of the recipient of my recent <a href="https://kathrynsbusytown.blogspot.com/2019/04/monochrome-quilt.html" target="_blank">Monochrome quilt</a> really needed a pencil case in matching fabric so I made this one up. For this one I interfaced both the outer and lining fabrics to make it a bit sturdier.</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Photos of pencil case sewn using Noodlehead free canvas pouch tutorial</td></tr>
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This one was for a friend's daughter's 7th birthday. I love this horse fabric which I also used in a recent quilt top (which still needs quilting). I thought it went really well with this scrap of Kona pink from my <a href="http://kathrynsbusytown.blogspot.com/2018/04/sleep-tight-panel-quilt.html" target="_blank">Sleep Tight quilt panel</a>. The lining is a lovely wavy stripe fabric I bought years ago in Liberty from their quilting cotton section and I love how nice and bright this pencil case turned out. I'm sure there will be more to come!<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Photo of pencil case sewn using Noodlehead free canvas pouch tutorial</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Photo of pencil case sewn using Noodlehead free canvas pouch tutorial</td></tr>
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And finally I made this one very last minute for a birthday gift on Saturday, 2 hours before the party. It's nice to know I have a reliable pattern I can whip up quickly now. I bought this fat quarter of flamingo fabrics ages ago with no real purpose, I just really liked it. It was perfect for this little girl and I've since heard that she really likes it which is great!</div>
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<br />Kathrynhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05183395919767332073noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4738605186344332113.post-43030581957745486322019-05-01T16:24:00.000+01:002019-05-01T16:24:29.120+01:00Sew u Home Stretch basic crew neck teeIt seems when I need to get over a break in garment sewing that jersey fabric is the way to go, and the Sew U home stretch book provided the pattern again. I have been needing some new t-shirts for a while as last summer I sent quite a few misshapen ones to fabric recycling and never replaced them. There are quite a few t-shirt patterns I would like to try out but as I had the Sew U Home Stretch book already I thought I would give the basic crew neck pattern a go first. I am so glad I did as I now have 2 new t-shirts which I know will get worn so much.<br />
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Today is the first day of Me Made May, if you don't know what that is then check out <a href="http://sozowhatdoyouknow.blogspot.com/2019/04/me-made-may-2019-sign-up-here.html" target="_blank">Zoe's post here</a> for more information. I haven't decided on a pledge yet that works for me but I've started the month off wearing my new blue/white stripey t-shirt!<br />
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I've just amalgamated my two Pattern Review reviews together below.<b> </b>These two items are the first part of my mini-wardrobe for the Pattern Review contest I mentioned in <a href="https://kathrynsbusytown.blogspot.com/2019/04/pattern-review-contest-plans.html" target="_blank">my previous post</a><b> </b>Even if I don't get the rest of the wardrobe done in time for the contest I am very happy to have two new t-shirts to wear!<b><br /></b><br />
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<b>Pattern Description:</b> Basic crew neck t-shirt<br />
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<b>Pattern Sizing:</b> XS - Large. I sewed up the size small and my measurements are b34, w29, h 41.<br />
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<b>Did it look like the photo/drawing on the pattern envelope once you were done sewing with it?</b> Yes. However if I’d used the recommended seam allowance on the sleeve hems I think the sleeves would have turned out much shorter than in the drawing.<br />
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<b>Were the instructions easy to follow? </b>Yes. The book gives different construction methods graded easy to hard. I did shoulder seams>attached the neckband by marking 4 equal points on neckband piece & on neckline then stretching it to fit as I sewed>attached the sleeves>twin needle to hem them> sewed one side seam>hemmed the bottom with a twin needle>sewed other side seam. A very quick sew! I did consider using some kind of tape in the shoulder seams but I didn’t have any to hand & realised that I’m still wearing a T-shirt I made 4-5 years ago without stabilising the shoulders & it's holding up fine. I also didn't overlock the seams on either of these t-shirts, except on the neck band of the blue and white striped one. The jersey won't fray and no-one else sees the inside except me so I didn't see much point.<br />
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<b>What did you particularly like or dislike about the pattern?</b> I really wanted a crew neck pattern like an old favourite T-shirt I have. Not too fitted, a bit boxy and this fitted the bill perfectly.<br />
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<b>Fabric Used:</b> Version 1. A very stable cotton jersey from a local fabric shop. The inspiration for this T-shirt was actually an old photo of my mum looking very cool in the 70s in a pair of wide legged navy trousers and a pink or purple and navy striped T-shirt. I wish I could find that old photo! This jersey was so nice to sew with. I just made a dress with a viscose jersey and I cannot get the hem to sit nicely, I've tried hem tape, zig zag, twin needle, wooly nylon in the bobbin case! So it was lovely to sew with a fabric that just behaved itself!<br />
Version 2. A lovely cotton jersey (95% cotton 5% elastane - Oeko-Tex Standard 100 certified). This fabric did curl a bit at the edges but not enough that it made it more difficult to sew with. I found the stretch twin needle, with wooly nylon in the bobbin case, and a slightly looser tension worked well with this and prevented any tunnelling.<br />
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<b>Pattern alterations or any design changes you made:</b>I shortened it by 2.5” and only used a 1/4” hem on the bottom and sleeves instead of the recommended 3/4”. I'm assuming the hem allowances are bigger because it's given for a cover stitch machine.<br />
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<b>Would you sew it again? Would you recommend it to others?</b> Yes I will definitely sew this again, probably not for a wee while though as I have another few T-shirt patterns is like to try out too.<br />
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<b>Conclusion:</b> A perfect everyday T-shirt pattern that I feel has already become a TNT pattern for me!<br />
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Kathrynhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05183395919767332073noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4738605186344332113.post-36104258999051462212019-04-26T12:09:00.001+01:002019-04-26T12:09:44.042+01:00Pattern Review contest plans<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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This year I'm determined I'm going to get back into garment sewing and have more of a balance of quilts and clothes. not least because I could really use some new clothes! One of my favourite summer skirts has shrunk and has some stains that won't come out so I think it's going to become part of my next quilt (the non-stained parts of course!). My two favourite summer dresses are, respectively, 15 years old and vintage (c1980s), so I would really love a new summer dress for this year. I'm also short on t-shirts and a summer jacket. I am trying really hard not to buy anything new, unless I know who made it and that they were paid and treated fairly for doing so. This means that, along with scouring the charity shops, I hope to make some new clothes for this summer.<br />
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When I saw the Mini-Wardrobe contest on Pattern Review I thought it was the perfect starting point! We're off to Amsterdam for a 4 day break at the end of May so the timing of this contest is perfect - hopefully I can have a nice wee capsule wardrobe ready to take with me.<br />
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The contest runs from April 15 - May 15 and the rule is to make a mini-wardrobe that will coordinate and work together, It has to be 5 garments, 3 tops and 2 bottoms and all tops must be able to be worn with each bottom.<br />
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These are my plans, all with fabric I already own. From top to bottom these are:<br />
1. Peach/coral fabric from a charity shop. I'm not really sure what it is, maybe viscose, rayon. It's nice and soft and drapes well. This is going to be a <a href="https://www.readytosew.fr/en/store/tops-and-shirts/jily-tank-top" target="_blank">Jily top by Ready To Sew</a> but this time without the tie as I already have a <a href="https://kathrynsbusytown.blogspot.com/2018/12/jily-ready-to-sew.html" target="_blank">pink one with a tie</a>.<br />
2. Turquoise jersey (<span style="background-color: white; font-family: "news_gothic_mtregular" , sans-serif; font-size: 14px;">Oeko-Tex Standard 100 certified) </span>from <a href="https://raystitch.co.uk/products/fabric/jersey-and-knit-fabrics/cotton-jersey-striped-aqua-white" target="_blank">Ray Stitch</a>. I've just finished this up, it's the Crew neck tee from the Sew U Home Stretch book. I'll post a review soon.<br />
3. Blue/pink striped cotton jersey from Saeeds in Walthamstow. This is also finished already, another Crew neck tee from the same book as above.<br />
4. Rust coloured silk/linen blend from a market stall in Walthamstow. This is going to be the <a href="https://elbetextiles.com.au/products/fremantle-pants-digital-sewing-pattern" target="_blank">Freemantle trousers</a>. The pattern is printed off and taped together and I hope to make a start on these this weekend.<br />
5. Blue chambray cotton from the Village Haberdashery. This is going to be another <a href="https://megannielsen.com/products/brumby-skirt-sewing-pattern" target="_blank">Megan Nielsen Brumby</a> as I love this pattern. <a href="https://kathrynsbusytown.blogspot.com/2016/11/brumby-2.html" target="_blank">My purple version</a> has shrunk and has stains (the skirt I mention at the beginning of this post) so I could do with another in rotation as I tend to wear my Brumby's most days in the summer! However I am now wondering if I have enough of it to make this longer summer skirt, the <a href="https://www.readytosew.fr/en/store/dresses-and-skirts/justine-skirt-free-pattern" target="_blank">Justine skirt from Ready to Sew</a><br />
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I have already sewn the two t-shirts and hopefully I can get started on the trousers this weekend. However we've had a fair bit of lovely weather recently which is throwing a bit of a spanner in the works as I'm so enjoying getting out in the garden and pottering around! This particular patch of wildflowers below is making me extremely happy! The previous owners of our house really looked after the garden and it's lovely but it's all a bit neat and ordered for me so I'm hoping to make it a bit wilder with more colour and variety over the next few years!<br />
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Kathrynhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05183395919767332073noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4738605186344332113.post-2471526409929657472019-04-25T11:35:00.001+01:002019-04-25T11:35:40.945+01:00Monochrome quiltIsn't it funny how sometimes the things that seem the simplest take the longest to actually do! This quilt was one such project. I had it in my head that I wanted to make a black and white quilt for some friend's new baby boy. I knew they would like a monochrome quilt and I knew the new baby's older brother loves pandas so that was my starting criteria.<br />
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When I saw this Sevenberry Panda & bear fabric from Sew Scrumptious I knew this was my starting point. I paired it with some circle time fabric from M is for Make. I already had some of this but of course had to buy more to make this quilt! The black is a Moda cotton and I think the yellow is a Kona cotton, curry probably. The backing, which I didn't get a photo of, is a lovely soft organic brushed cotton flannel from Ray Stitch.<br />
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I really enjoyed making <a href="https://kathrynsbusytown.blogspot.com/2018/12/over-rainbow-baby-quilt.html" target="_blank">my last half square triangle quilt</a>
so I decided to make another. These are 9" half square triangles (for my previous quilt I used the <a href="https://suzyquilts.com/half-square-triangles-tutorial/" target="_blank">tutorial from Suzy Quilts</a> as a reminder on making HST). I did think this would be a relatively
quick quilt to make but it just took me so long to work out the pattern
placement. Even then after I'd made all the half square triangles I
laid it all out and decided there was too much black so had to unpick a
few half square triangles and piece together some of the white circle
time fabric in order to have enough. In the end though I am really happy with how this turned out, I think the balance between the dark and light coloured fabrics works well and the yellow binding gives it a nice touch of colour - I don't think I could do a quilt completely in black and white!<br />
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The good thing about making smaller quilts is having a little helper to hold them while I take photos. He seems to quite enjoy it too!<br />
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I was quite conscious that for this quilt I bought a lot of new fabric, in fact since I started quilting I've bought a lot of new fabric. I do try and use sheets or duvet covers from the charity shop for quilt backings whenever I can but I am now also going to try and stick to using the fabrics I have and only buying from charity shops for new fabric as much as possible. I've been tidying up my fabric and can't quite believe how much I have accumulated - both for quilting and garment sewing - so it's time to use what I have. <br />
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Next up I have my Starry Skies quilt top basted, pinned and ready to quilt and I'm also hoping to get back to an improvised piecing quilt I've been working on for ages. What projects have you been working on?<br />
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<br />Kathrynhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05183395919767332073noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4738605186344332113.post-69083834001442980312019-04-03T21:52:00.001+01:002019-04-03T21:52:06.324+01:00Baby doll quilt<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Baby quilt on top of my baby's quilt!</td></tr>
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It used to be when I wanted a quick fix project I would make a t-shirt or a jumper. However I'm so out of practice with garment sewing though that if I want a quick project at the moment I'm better with a quilt-based one. My son has just happened to mention he would like his dolls to have a quilt on their bed like the one I'd made for him. So that was enough for me, I knew what to make next!<br />
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Back in 2014 I made a pair of curtains for his nursery from some gorgeous elephant print organic cotton from <a href="https://www.misformake.co.uk/" target="_blank">M is for Make</a>. When we moved house last year they didn't fit in his room anymore so I wanted to do something else with the fabric, this was the perfect project. Then I remembered that in 2016 I had used some remnants to make my first Sawtooth stars using the brilliant <a href="https://suzyquilts.com/reverse-sawtooth-star-quilt-pattern/" target="_blank">Suzy Quilts tutorial.</a> I put 4 sawtooth stars together and was going to make them into a big cushion but never got round to it. These formed the basis of the quilt. Then I unpicked the stitching in the curtains, something I'd long been putting off doing! As well as backing the quilt with it, I used some of the curtain fabric to make a wee mattress and a pillow - I know, overkill a bit, but I was having so much fun! Also my son enjoyed helping to stuff the pillow with wadding.<br />
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I added a quick border to the sawtooth stars then basted it together. This is the smallest quilt I've ever made and it was very nice to get the basting done so quickly, and the quilting! I went with a grid pattern on the quilting. Afterwards I realised I could have made it even quicker if I'd just carried the quilting on right to the edges but I decided to stop at the border so I then had to tie in all the ends. I was going to link to the tutorial that taught me how to tie in ends but I can't remember what it was! I made some doublefold bias binding out of the green fabric - is it weird that I love making bias binding and attaching it?! - and used the <a href="https://www.purlsoho.com/create/sewing-on-double-fold-binding/" target="_blank">Purl Soho tutorial I aways use for attaching it</a>. I put a wee label in the quilt too and it's already getting a lot of love. In fact today he had it down in the living room to sit on when he was watching TV after school. So now I've finished two quilts for our own home - both for my son. I need to get on with basting and quilting the two large quilts I've made for the living room next! I've still got lots of the elephant fabric left - they were long curtains - so I'm sure it'll make its way into another quilt before too long.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">'helping' me take quilt photos</td></tr>
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<br />Kathrynhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05183395919767332073noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4738605186344332113.post-10854066373115374632019-02-11T11:06:00.002+00:002019-02-11T11:06:48.079+00:00Sew U Home Stretch raglan sweatshirtHello! February already and I haven't posted yet this year, oops! That's mainly because I spent most of January working on my <a href="https://www.talesofcloth.com/blog/2018/5/13/kingfisher-stitch-along" target="_blank">Kingfisher English Paper Piecing (EPP) quilt top</a>, which is now finished hurray! Last year I got so absorbed in making this quilt as I loved all the hand sewing. I've already started two more EPP quilts but I'm back today with another garment - the first item I've made this year! It's a repeat of a favourite pattern of mine - the Built by Wendy raglan sweatshirt from her Sew U Home Stretch book.<br />
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This is my third time making this pattern and, as previously, I made no alterations. I sewed up a straight size S with 1 metre of a gorgeous denim blue sweatshirting (95% cotton 5% elastene) from Ray Stitch. The rust coloured ribbing was from, I think, Kitschy Coo fabrics, and I only had a small amount left as I previously used it on a sweatshirt for my son. I had to piece the underside of the cuffs in order to have enough but you don't notice it and it's very satisfying to be able to use up quality scraps in this way. <br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">pieces cuffs</td></tr>
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The book gives you a number of ways of constructing this but for some reason I always do this sweatshirt the same way - cuffs attached to sleeves first > sew sleeve seams > sew side seams of front & back > attach sleeves > sew neck band >sew hem band. I wonder if maybe it would be easier to sew in the flat like I do with a standard teeshirt but I guess you just get into habits with repeat patterns and I find this way works well enough. I also pressed all the seams and overlocked them with the overlock foot on my Bernina. For sewing the seams I use a straight stitch with a small zig-zag on the inside and this has worked well on my previous versions so I'm sticking with it! I've made this twice before, both in 2016, and as they get so much wear they're both looking a bit ragged. My favourite version, the <a href="http://kathrynsbusytown.blogspot.com/2016/05/sew-u-home-stretch-raglan-sweater.html" target="_blank">pink one</a>, has holes in the cuffs. I'd like to try some visible mending on this though rather than get rid of it as I still love it!<br />
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This sweatshirt is also one of my Make Nine plans for this year so that's a good start to the year. Maybe I'll get more than one item of clothing made this year! <br />
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<br />Kathrynhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05183395919767332073noreply@blogger.com2