Finishes this past week

The church wall hanging is up on the wall at last, we were sewing the last evening from 5.30pm until 9.30pm, it was a hard push but very worth it. Although now I'm really trying hard to be pleased with it and stop finding faults with it, but hey ho that's just the way I am, on the up side at least I'm not pointing them out ;0)

My other finish is for my very good friend Jule's new grand daughter Madeline who arrived last week. A really sweet little log cabin quilt done in furrows.
I used a red and white heart fabric for the centre of each square,  as I think it really lends itself to representing the heart of the home.

I've done another scrappy back,  though with only three fabrics and I used big white dots on red for the binding.

If you've ever wanted to do a pixelated quilt there is a gadget to pixelate pictures into a quilt layout. I have quite a few patterns printed off. The only thin I would say there is part of it which doesn't print correctly, so you'd have to do a screen shot of it and print it that way - it's the part where it shows you which colours you need how many jof, it squares, triangles etc.

www.vam.ac.uk/microsites/quilts/patchwork 

Church wall hangings - WiPs Wednesday

We have had a church sewing group for a few months now, with a core of two of us, with another one coming along when she can.

It is quite strange to think that something is taking so long, but if I actually look at the hours, we have achieved quite a lot, with one of them only needing binding and I can't tell you how good it feels to be that close to finishing it. It will be unveiled at the church's Sunday School anniversary on the 29th June. We are aiming to get another one finished as well, but I don't like the lettering, it's too small, so it may not make it.

I love this one as there is so much colour in it and the back looks FABULOUS with just cotton thread.

It really shows just how many stitches are in it and you get a real sense of the thread, which does show up on the front more in the actual hanging than the pictures.

I love the quilting on the dove, I'm really pleased with it and in the sun to.

The other one the words will definitely have to be bigger. It looks a bit plain next to the first one, but I think once we've quilted it, I'm thinking in a variegated thread in a wobbly line all coming out from the heart and dove, it will look a lot better.

I also have a small finish - a little dress for my lovely God-daughter Marlie.

Linking up with Freshly Pieced. 

Ticker tape elephant wall hanging

I saw this pattern in a magazine called love scrap quilts, the original was in a mixture of blues greens creams and other pale colours.

I wanted to do mine in black and white and i'm really pleased with it, other than the fact I got a bit of hair dye on it.

I used a mother of pearl buttons for the eye, and I have just realised I forgot the quilting part of it. Oh well! It's finished now so it won't be quilted.

I think I did it in a bit of a weird way, I took a photograph of the picture in the magazine, then traced it on to grease proof paper, twice, one of which I used to sew the outline onto the fabric sandwich, the other I filled in with the little pieces placement and use that cutting that and the fabric out at the same time.

Finish up Friday - Tote bag

I have just a small finish for today - a chicken tote for my friend who is getting married, it's big enough for three bottles of wine, so it's perfect.
I used Robert Kaufman fabric and I LOVE those chickens, I have enough left over to make myself a little bag from it as well.
This is part of a number of small pressies I'll make them, as they have two quilts from me already.

The inside fabric I have no idea where it came from, but it was in my big cupboard and it's a really nice fabric, it's like that red toile, only in blue with a much bigger print.

Linking up with Crazy Mom Quilts

Wips Wednesday - Blue and green log cabin quilt

I really like the log cabin quilt and after making the huge one I wanted to make one in just two colours - though it could be more if I run out of blues and greens.

I think this will end up with one of my nephews in Bournemouth.

I'm linking up with Freshly Pieced

Pictorial cushions

A friend of mine is getting married in June, Friday the 13th no less, she loves all things Wicca so I've made her these cushions, she already has two quilts from me and another from her cousin, so it had to be something different.

I traced the picture on greaseproof paper, then using my FMQ foot I sewed over the lines, I then pulled, picked and scrapped the paper off and sewed over the lines again a few times to make them stand out.

I backed them in an olive green with pentagrams on them and I think it works well.

The fabric I put the pictures on make me think they're being looked at through smoke.

Orphan blocks - What do you do with yours?

While browsing the blogs and websites via the Sew Mama Sew giveaway week I came upon an answer to one of the questions and it really sparked my interest.

It was about saving an orphan block from each quilt that you’ve made and making it into a scrapbook quilt, I absolutely love the idea and from now on I will be keeping an orphan block to do just that.

Although if the blocks are 12.5 inches I will have to keep two, one for the scrapbook quilt and the other for Little Island Quilting for her Soy Amado (I am loved) quilts which you can see HERE.

They are all destined for a street kids home in Mexico City and she is doing brilliant so far, with two shipments already having made it for the kids. There are photo's over on her blog to show the quilts on the beds and they are gorgeous.

Anyway back to the orphan blocks and scrapbook quilts – the responder to the question was Michelle over at Michelle Bartholomew and it was in response to a quilt made by Chelsea over at Patch The Giraffe So Chelsea, Michelle and myself  are going to start a trend and we’d love it if you’d join in.

I think I’m also going to use blocks that I was giving a trial run and nothing ever came of them – maybe I should do two quilts, so that all blocks will have fulfilled their potential.

In a way it will be a little like a WiPs party and who doesn’t like a party!!