...notes and pictures from the weekend

A busy weekend full of baking, sewing, cooking and all the normal weekend chores. 

After my post on Friday looking for some new bread recipes I got one from Becky. I tried it out and the finished texture is great. The quantities didn't quite yield the dough weight I need for it to prove to the lid in the pan but I think a 1.5 mix might work. For now I took the lid off and made a domed loaf that we are already a lot of the way though. 

I also started a scrap project that I kept the bit for for the last 51 weeks - these are the off cuts from the star points from this quilt. I had already sewn them into half square triangle units, the job now is just to trim them all to 2" and sew them together. 

It will end up 14x14 units - 1.5" finished units for a 21" cushion. 

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I also finally got pictures of my finished Giant 'Valentines' Swoon. The top is 80" square, I'm just considering quilting now. 

An afternoon movie yielded the latest Dessert of the Month stitchery. 

My tip for keeping track of where you are up to - use a highlighter to mark the stitches executed

A few more seams on the scrappy stars too - I hope to have this one finished by the end of the month.

...what I was doing last night

I was putting together the blocks for May in Bee {a little bit} Japanese!

This month Christine had asked for two block different to each other but that would be used to make a quilt for her nephew Zac. So we have each made a Cheaters 8 Pointed Star from this tutorial and a transport themed block of our choice.

I had actually been really looking forward to the star and it really did come together wonderfully. Because of the placement of the solids and prints all the HST were cut across the centre exposing the bias before sewing which didn't really phase me.

What I was both a little peeved and a little please with was the cutting directions allowing some extra to trim the units down before sewing the blocks together. And when I say a little I mean a lot. I think I cut about 1/4" to 3/8" off each side. And when you are thinking about a whole quilt that is a lot of extra fabric. If I was to make the block again (which I just might I would probably cut the larger squares to 4"-4.5" and I think this would still leave heaps of space to cut the HST units to to 3.5".

The other blocks of this type in the Flickr steam so far all seem to have a blue background so I am waiting patiently to see if my little yellow fella has a friend in the final quilt.

For the second block I could not go past the aeroplane I have made in the past based in a Badskirt tutorial. I mean what little boy doesn't love a plane?

The fabrics for this block (in a separate bag, Christine was so organized.. my hero) were most solids in primary colours and I thought a red plane was just perfect. The blue surrounds is a little sky-like and the white stripe I think makes is most surely racy!

And because the plane is for Zac surely the airline should be named after him, right?

I can't wait to see this quilt together - I think it will be a sure fire winner!



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!