Mum’s Quilt December 1, 2010

Good news:  I finished my Mum’s quilt in time for her to bring it home with her during our Thanksgiving visit.

Bad News:  It was really over cast, windy, and cloudy every day except our last day and we were to busy rushing around to give the quilt a proper photograph…large sigh.

Nonetheless, I did manage to take a couple of quick shots as it went into her suitcase.

In spite of bursting into tears after attempting to straight line quilt the first few rows

I remained calm and carried on

and it turned out beautifully (after I got the hang of dealing with the bulk of this 70″ x 70″ quilt).

One of the greatest things about NOT prewashing your fabrics

is that they shrink and pucker around your quilting

hiding all of those little imperfections!

But best of all…she TOTALLY loved it!!!

“I never imagined it would be this beautiful!”

I just love giving something so special to someone who truly loves and appreciates all of

the time, money, effort, and love that goes into making a quilt.

I can’t wait to start on my Nephew’s quilt next.

Happy quilting,

Colette

Still Quilting… November 13, 2010

I feel as though I have been quilting my Mum’s quilt (original post HERE) for forever…

and ever…

and I really am not getting very far!

I’ve been doing straight lines (in groups of 3 every 3 inches on the diagonal of this 70″x70″ quilt)

for a couple of hours a day, every day this week, and I am only now finishing up the first direction.

This has been another “What in the bleep was I thinking???” project.

I came across this lovely quilt at Little Island Quilting HERE and thought my quilt would look beautiful quilted like hers.

I thought to myself, “Self, how hard can it be to sew straight lines?”

(I even followed her lead by not drawing lines or using tape, ha ha, the joke is on me!)

Well here’s my answer…

its pretty darn hard when you have 70 inches of quilt pulling in every which way

and trying to fit under the arm of my sewing machine!

On the upside, my lines are getting much better and my stitches are becoming much more even

By the end of this quilt, I should think I will be an expert in straight line quilting, ha ha.

I am seriously hoping to finish the other diagonal next week,

so that I’ll have time to get the binding on it before Thanksgiving.

My Mum is making that super long flight from the West Coast to the East Coast

and I sincerely hope she will have a new quilt to drag back home with her!

This is the first quilt I’ve ever made for her and I know she will love it (wonky lines and all!) because she’s good like that.

Happy quilting,

Colette

 

 

Super Rad Rugged Field Bag August 23, 2010

My Nephew’s 4th birthday was last month

and I finally got around to putting his gift together!!!

Is that so terrible???

In all fairness, I was waiting until I came across the perfect project…

and I have to say I think I’m spot on with this one!

My “Bestie” Molly sent me THIS link for an easy tutorial for a kids recycled field bag

which is what I used to make my upcycled “Super Rad Rugged Field Bag”.

My sweet friend Stephanie ~Mother to two growing boys~

generously gave me TWO pairs of cargo pants they had outgrown for this project!

I used a boys size 7 which made the perfect sized bag for a little one.

Really can’t imagine using anything smaller and might even try a size or two larger next time???

The seams of the cargos were quite bulky…

I broke my regular needle on my sewing machine and ended up switching to a “jeans” needle.

I thought making the box with an x in it would reinforce the straps nicely and it makes it look kind of cool too.

To make the straps, I cut three 2 1/4 pieces from each pant leg near the bottom

(these cuts were horizontal ~ I first cut straight up the pant leg to make the fabric flat)

and then pieced them together.

I think the straps and the unfinished top hem makes it look more rugged ;p

And to go inside his Super Rad Rugged Field Bag

I ordered THIS magnifying glass

and THIS book “The National Audubon Society Field Guide to North American Reptiles and Amphibians”.

R. got THIS N.A.S. Field Guide to New England years ago

and uses it all of the time to look up things she finds in our backyard.

Hoping he will love his field guide as much as R. does!

Now to find some cargos that R. likes to make her a bag too…

although I am a bit scared as to what might come into the house from our creek in it!

Happy sewing,
Colette

Tahitian Shawl Quilt Top August 22, 2010

My “Tahitian Shawl” quilt top for my Mum’s birthday.

Made using the Russian Shawl quilt pattern in Jane Brocket’s “The Gentle Art of Quiltmaking”.

I really can’t say enough just how much I LOVE this book (HERE)

and I hope to try and make just about every quilt in it =0)

This throw quilt is much larger than I expected…

ha ha, don’t know why I never grasp the dimensions in my mind correctly!

The pattern instructions were very clear and easy to follow.

The first few “rounds” I whipped up the first day

and then I completed a round here and there as I had time.

Really though, it came together very quickly!

Martha Nelgley large floral fabrics (purchased from Alewives HERE) were my primary inspiration for this quilt

and a touch of Kaffe Fassett and Jennifer Pagnelli are used in the small borders.

This is my first “girly” quilt I have made and it was so fun working with the pink and purples (as per my Mum’s request).

Now to get some backing fabric…it takes a whopping 4 1/2 yards!

This may take a while as I used all of my fun money to order a super cute (and funky!) pair of Kate Spade eye glasses…

I so look forward to being able to see clearly!

Happy quilting,

Colette

Who Knew? June 28, 2010

Who knew that old Scrabble game my MIL gave us from when my Hubby was younger would come in so handy?

We LOVE Scrabble here at our house

and since Santa brought us a super fancy deluxe Scrabble game a couple of years ago

we really didn’t need the old game she gave us

so I was HAPPY to put the tiles to such a BEAUTIFUL use!

I am feeling very sentimental about wearing one of these tiles around my neck ;0)

R. and I had such a fun time making these…

she actually made the brown one on the right pretty much by herself!!!

This lovely one in the box is on its way to California for my Mum’s birthday ;0)

Do ya wanna know how we made them???

Kirsten at Three Dancing Magpies has a super great tutorial HERE

as well as DIY kits (including the beautiful Japanese papers) HERE.

But if you are one of my really good friends you won’t need to make one for yourself (hint hint!)

as these make FABULOUS birthday gifts =0)

Happy crafting,

Colette

Its Official! June 27, 2010

I am no longer a quilt class “dropout” because this time I’ve GRADUATED!!!

Rhea from Alewives fabrics (here) taught a “Virtual Turning Twenty Class”(of course I HAD to take it)

and this quilt I made for my Father was completed by me from start to finish

including the machine quilting and the binding!

Eeek!  I feel so legit now…like a REAL quilter ;0)

This is actually the second Turning Twenty Quilt I made using Rhea’s on line class tutorial,

but the first (here) I sent to her shop to be quilted and I have yet to add the binding…

hope to complete that this week!

Pappy this will be coming to you soon with LOTS of love from all of us!

Just as soon as I finish stitching my label made from this tutorial over at p.s. i quilt HERE.

Happy quilting,

Colette

Turning Twelve… May 29, 2010

This time around I turned twelve, instead of twenty (quilt here), and it was sooo much easier!

Maybe it was easier because this is the second time I’ve worked up the Turning Twenty pattern (here)…

or maybe because with every stitch lovingly sewn came with it the intention of good health and love for my Father?

As this will be a quilt for him to comfort and keep him warm at his cancer treatments,

I sought to use a soothing color palette of greens, blues, and beiges.

I wanted it to be masculine, but not overbearingly so…

there is one small-scale floral in a celery green with a white background snuck in there.

It’s funny how much I LOVE this floral fabric.

I really hesitated to add it, but am so glad that I did.

In fact, I think it is my most favorite of all of the fabrics in this quilt ;0)

Wishing you a lovely long weekend!

Happy sewing,
Colette

Mother Daughter Scarves April 26, 2010

Over these past few weeks I have frantically searched for inspiration for my Mum’s Mother’s Day gift

ONLY to find it waiting in my email inbox a few days ago!

Lindsay, from Hawthorne Threads (here), sends out a lovely little Newsletter

filled with inspiring projects and beautiful fabrics (of course you can sign up too!)

and in her last one she gave the instructions for a very easy scarf she made for her sister

from “The New Handmade” (here).

My Mum looks beautiful in this Lavender top she wore for R.’s birthday tea

and it happens to be my favorite color

and the Four Square print reminds me of all the Amish quilts we oohed and awed over on our recent trip

so I knew I HAD to use these fabrics to make our Mother Daughter scarves!

I purchased 2/3 of a yard of each of these Anna Maria Horner’s “Little Folks” cotton voile fabrics:

On the left ~ Four Square in Lilac (here)

On the right ~ Village Path in Lilac (here)

which is enough fabric to make TWO scarves!

The great thing about using this voile is that it is 54″ wide so you only need a 9 1/2 piece for each side.

Wash and press (with steam) the fabric well before cutting.

To cut, simply line up your fabric, right sides together, selvage to selvage,

and cut both of your fabrics into a 9 1/2″ long x width of fabric (cutting off your selvage) strip.

With right sides of fabric together and using lots of pins

pin your two fabrics together about 1/4″ from the edge

making sure to go in and out of the fabric a couple of times

AND making sure that the flower (pin head) is always facing AWAY from the needle of your sewing machine (towards YOU).

Pin really REALLY really well because this voile is buttery soft and extremely slippery!

I know it is a pain in the tush, but it is well worth your time!!!

If you have a walking foot for your sewing machine I highly recommend using it.

Lindsay’s instructions said to use a 1/2″ seam (I marked off 1/2″ from my machine’s needle by using painter’s tape).

Staring about 2″ from the bottom of one of the long sides (the one with the pin heads facing you)

begin sewing (don’t forget to back stitch!) and remove each of the pins as your needle approaches it

by stopping your machine with the needle still DOWN in the fabric and gently slide the pin towards you.

Continue until you get about 1 1/2″ from where you began and end by back stitching.

Clip each of the corners at a diagonal (not too close to the seam!)

Press (with steam) well to set the seam.

Using a chopstick (or other turning tool) turn the scarf right side out.

Again press very well with steam, making sure your opening is turned in and even with the seams.

Pin the opening closed and ladder stitch it shut (tutorial here).

One will get sent to my Mum and one will be kept for me

and each time I wear it I will think of our sweet trip we spent together =0)

Happy sewing,

Colette

Turning Twenty Class 3 April 24, 2010

My new Rowenta iron (here) finally arrived and it presses/steams perfectly!

I did a bit of research and considered going with another brand but in the end I stuck with Rowenta.

My past two irons were Rowentas and I didn’t have any trouble with them…other than smashing into my wood floors, ha ha.

I love how heavy they are and they get really hot and give a good steam.

Remember my “B” block?

Finally finished up those “A” blocks which completes my Turning Twenty Class 3!

I spent the afternoon yesterday moving into my new sewing loft,

(spent most of the time moving my daughter’s stuff out of it!)

but managed to squeeze in some time to start working on a Mother’s Day gift for my Mom.

Here’s a sneak peek at the fabrics…

Everything has been cut and pinned and is ready to sew…

of course I do not have the color thread I need and will have to pick some up today =0)

Hoping to finish it up tomorrow and will post a quick and easy tutorial so you can make one for your Mom (or yourself!) too.

Happy sewing,

Colette

pinwheel quilt top finished! April 17, 2010

Remember the Quilting for Babes project posted here (fabric post here)?

Well, I spent just about the entire day Thursday working on it…

but I finished the entire quilt top!

This is the first time I’ve ever made a pinwheel block and I am thrilled to tell you how easy it was!

I followed along with this super fantastic in depth tutorial:

Old Red Barn Co. pinwheel quilt tutorial (post 1 is here) where she gives detailed instructions over three posts.

Here are some pics I took along the way:

I love how bright and cheery these colors are…they can’t help but make me feel happy!

It’s yucky and rainy here this morning ~

the perfect excuse to stay in and sew!

Hope you have a wonderful weekend!

Happy quilting,

Colette