...finally finished... something

This is not my longest standing work in project - I haven't even really been working on it officially of much more than a week but I have been planning it for almost exactly a year. And it feels like absolutely ages since I have actually finished anything so this is incredibly satisfying.

That isn't even all of them!

This cushion cover is made from 14x14 1.5" finished half square triangles that were the trimmings from the star corners that I had made saved from when I made this quilt over the same long weekend last year. That is 196 HST units and 392 tiny squares of fabric. Why did I think that this would be a quick project when that is more seams than some bed sized quilts have?!?

I trimmed them all to 2" - which in most cases was very little fabric indeed but I ended with with quite a pile of sneeze inducing scraps!

I quilted some zig zags into the white areas - the cushion front is simply the panel on a batting scrap - there is no backing.

I made the cushion back using about 1/2 yard of the central park trees I had and  used this tutorial for a concealed zip back - a slight error means the zipper flap faces the right way or the trees do. I chose the trees.

I love the look of cushions with a piped edge but don't think I do it well enough so this time I tried binding the pillow as I would a quilt and I quite like how it has turned out - with the frame. I might be a convert to this method.

The binding is the leftover quilt binding, the backing some fabric bought for the quilt and never used and the story of the blocks is already told! So in the end I have a 21" square cushion completely from scraps!

Charming Stars in the Park

I started this quilt with 5 charm packs a little solid and a little print for the border. The top was pieced in a (long) weekend. 

Basting required the movement of the dining room table and the whole of the floor. The quilt measures almost 90" square.

I initially quilted 1/4" inside all the sashings and borders. I then hand quilted with No. 8 Perle cotton in variegated blue inside each star to give some definition.

And now it's finished.

The stars look great I think.

The binding is the bricky print in stone. 

The backing is the large flower print in blue. I love how the sun gives a see through stained glass effect while it is hanging.

I can already say it is cosy to sleep under!

Pattern: Charming Stars from the Moda Bakeshop
Fabric: Central Park by Kate Spain for Moda Fabrics

A weekend of almost dones....

I've been really busy this weekend and have made a lot of progress with nothing finished to show.

So a series of progress shots

Claire's quilt - do Good Stitches {a Charity Bee}

This one was basted with a Ikea fabric backing, quilted in a grid pattern with horizontal and vertical lines approximately six inches apart.

The binding (Kona Coal) has been machine sewn to the front, just waiting on the back to be hand stitched.

Doll Quilt
I finally finished the hand quilting 

and this this was bound using a voile - Pastry Stripes in blue.

A label has been made using printable fabric and just waiting to be stitched on.

Charming Stars in the Park quilt
This was basted and then machine quilted 1/4 inch inside each of the sashing lines and borders.

I have started hand quilting inside each of the stars in a variegated blue perle no 8 cotton.

Charming Stars in the Park

I don't really set myself New Year resolutions, partly because I don't see the point of committing yourself to a new goal on one arbitrary day of the year and partly because I know my attention span is not generally long enough to follow a new idea or goal though for too long. Actually more precisely it has more to do with another new idea I just have to try NOW coming along with quite regular frequency.

But one thing that I have been thinking about for a little while is making more things for us to use in our home spurred on by the comment that inspired these pj pants. And I'm starting with quilts for our bed....and later for the spare bed spurred on by this discussion thread at the Doll Quilt swap.

Are you getting the picture about how easily inspired I can be?

I started this last weekend (the sewing at least, not the planning) with the Charming Stars quilt by Stefanie Roman from Little Lady Patchwork via the Moda Bakeshop and used Kate Spain's Central Park and a Bella Solid in Ivory. I made it a little bigger than the pattern so it will finish just over 80" square, perfect for a colourful layer over our plain doona. The idea is that the quilts will act as toppers and can be washed and changed around reasonably regularly. 

Each block measures 13.5" finished and all the sashings and borders are 2.5"

It still needs to be basted, quilted and bound but I have all the bits for that, save the batting, and hope to get it all completed by the end of March. Fingers crossed I don't get distracted by something else!