Green and Purple Wallhanging

I made this mini-quilt way back in May to practice making pinwheels like the ones I made for Olivia's quilt, but didn't want to post about it until now as it was using scraps from Laura's Wedding Quilt, and I didn't want to risk ruining any of the surprise of her quilt, including the fabrics.

 

I used some 2.5 inch squares, cutting them in half with a slight diagonal line. After deciding on my layout (see above) I stitched them back together along the diagonal line and trimmed the blocks square (approx 2 inches)

After adding a white border the top of my mini quilt was done:

I then basted it and quilted it 1/4" from the seamlines of the squares (a decision that I promptly regretted and learnt from before making Olivia's quilt).

After binding the mini-quilt was complete. It is about 9.5x14" and is the first quilt in the (to be) collection of mini quilts that I want to put on my bedroom wall in a little cluster.

Little Bouquet Wallhanging

Finished a little while ago but I've only just gotten around to taking photos of it. (images are clickable for bigger versions)

I quilted the roses as suggested with wonky spirals, and quilted the leaves with a typical leaf vein pattern, which I then echoed around the edge of the bouquet on the background.

and now it's finished I'm not convinced that I like it... again!

One Down!

Finished!! I stitched the binding on last night, so now I just need to have the will power to keep it packed away in a box for 6 weeks until I'm allowed to get it out and fill it with chocolate for the beginning of December.

The binding is pieces of leftovers from the red pockets, mostly alternating pattern and plain. I thought it would be more interesting than a plain binding... that and i had cut all of the plain red and green up into squares. It really finishes it off, before the binding was on we were worried about putting it on a white wall and it getting lost, but there's no chance of that now!!

Stipple, Stipple, Stipple...

After a very lazy Saturday I spent this evening finally doing some more work on my advent calendar; doing the quilting in the sashing.

After practising with pencil and paper I thought I was just about ready to give the real thing a go, so replaced my pencil with my sewing machine and my paper with my advent calendar. starting in one corner and some what randomly wandering over the quilt I've been wiggling, meandering and wavering all over the sashing. There have been a couple of 'oops' moments, a few stitches slipping across from the sashing onto the pockets, but nothing too horrific.

I marginally deviated from the tutorial and decided to do a square of stitching around each pocket so that the integrity of the shape of the wall hanging once the pockets are stuffed doesn't depend entirely on my limited free motion quilting skill.

On reflection my wiggles, jiggles and meanders may be packed a little tighter than they need to be, but for a first try I don't think they're all that bad. So far I've done about two thirds of the wall hanging so I should be able to finish it off tomorrow. Then I only need to decide what to do for binding... oh, and make a second one!

Major Progress.

Because I'm sad and pathetic like that, last night (Saturday night) I ended up going to the supermarket and then spending the rest of the evening sewing - exciting times! I did however, make super progress with my advent calendar. All the pockets were sewn and the layers basted together:

Borders added to two sides:

Then added to the remaining two sides:

And even managed to sew it all together and baste (with spray) into the quilt sandwich, just using calico on the back:

Now it's ready to be quilted - I just need to pluck up the courage! I'm planning on stippling it like in the tutorial, but think I need to practice with pen and paper a little more first, to make sure I am better at the line and can get it even all over.

I have no self control...

...when it comes to fabric that is.

I wasn't supposed to be starting the advent calendar until next weekend when we have our 'sewing day' but I couldn't resist starting it over the weekend... and justified it by saying to myself that I wouldn't have much time to work on it on sewing day anyway as I'll be helping Kylie with her dress.

So on Saturday I cut the fabrics into 4.5" squares and paired the plains with the patterns:

Then switched around the arrangement of the squares until I was happy:

Then traced the numbers onto the paper side of the heat n bond:

And then on Sunday I ironed the numbers onto the correct fabrics, cut them out and ironed them onto the pocket fronts:

And lastly, because I couldn't resist, I stitched around one set of numbers and sewed it up into a pocket:

I also did stuff I should have been doing this weekend, I finished my Little Bouquet, which I shall post about later.