...the pirate quilt

I finished this last weekend...finally. 


I say finally because this was cut out about the time I made my first two deliberate quilts almost two years ago. An earlier version of this quilt was the first I cut out and the first top I finished but the second quilt I finished. 

The fabric is a collection from Spotlight, the find that was featured in the catalogue and had a pattern sheet that went with it. The solids are all the Homespun range. It really is just a twin size square within square design. 

I made the original as a practice quilt before I started a baby quilt to give to a friend for her unborn child. The second, this one was made with the scraps (plus a few centimetres extra of one or two of the fabrics). That is right I had almost enough scraps to make another quilt. 

I machine quilted Mark II .25" each side of the seam lines of the larger block and the Xs in the smaller squares and rectangles. The original was quilted in much the same way, but by hand. 

The backing is one of the wide backings in a mottled grey, also from Spotlight. 

Now I just have to work out what to do with it. We don't need two the same in this house and I don't know any pirate mad little boys at the moment. Ideas?

A stack of pin-basted quilts

I know I'm breaking a quilter's rule folding quilts after they have been basted and before they have been quilted but they have to go in a box somehow.


One of my goals for this past weekend was to get this stack of quilts based, and I've done it. I have had a pile of pieced tops sitting around since the April school holidays were I got as little excited and pieced a whole lot of tops. I had the vague idea that I would quilt one a weekend but somehow, on a Saturday or Sunday morning when there were other things to do moving all the furniture to base them on the floor was not the most attractive option.


But I did have all the bits for them and I really wanted to deplete the big roll of batting I had so it didn't need to get packed on the roll. So on Sunday afternoon I swept and mopped the floor, moved all the furniture and success!


Now I just have to work out how to quilt each of them, because I want to do that before starting anymore big quilt projects.

This first quilt is a twin size with a whole cloth backing that was bought at 250cm wide in a mottled grey. This is the second time that I have made this pattern, which was one of the free ones that Spotlight used to post on their website from time to time to coincide with a new fabric range they had in store. At the time I bought and made this quilt I was also planning to make a quilt for my friend to celebrate the birth of her first baby. Because that was a present I didn't want all the learning and practicing to be on the gift so I made this one for my partner (he really is just a big kid when it comes to pirates). So it was the first quilt I ever pieced but the second I ever quilted. Both the first two quilts I made were hand quilted in perle cotton, this one in the ditch around all the outer and inner squares and the Xs across the small squares and 2 across the smaller rectangles. Now I am a more confident with machine quilting I was thinking of outline quilting the squares and doing the same Xs on the machine.

This quilt was made with the best part of a layer cake, A Breath of Avignon by American Jane for Moda Fabrics, and a pattern from Layer Cake, Jelly Roll and Charm Quilts by Pam Lintott. I was thinking of quilting two parallel lines down each of the sashing strips and then echo lines inside the 'flowers' to simulate petals. It is a small quilt so I think that may be manageable on the machine.

This is another quilt made from a pattern in another of Pam's books, Jelly Roll Quilts. I scaled the size down and so had jelly strips left over for the border and some blocks used in a pieced strip down the back. The fabric used is Make Life for Moda. I think I'll outline quilt each of the coloured squares, some will overlap a little but I think it will look great. This is one of my favourite tops I've made to date.  

This simple square in square design was not made from a pattern, but I bought the fabric especially to make a 'boy' quilt. This one is backed on the print that is the outer border of the second block from the left on the bottom row so I think I'll, once again, outline quilt the blocks (I'll end up with those narrow parallel lines again) and then stitch across the blocks diagonally to reflect the spokes on the fabric print. This thing I can't decide about this quilt is what colour thread to use. A blending brown would be the most obvious choice for the outline stitching on the top but this won't blend into the back (and I don't seem to have much luck with different top and bottom thread colours) and choosing something for the diagonal lines is tricky!

I had just enough pins to baste this last quilt, although a little less heavily than I normally would. This was made with an Attitude Girls for Moda jelly roll from a pattern in Pam's third book Jelly Roll Inspirations. I think I might quilt inside the stars for this one and then I would like to stipple in the coloured 'block' sections but this is a skill I'm yet to feel comfortable in my level of mastery with. Perhaps I'll just have to practice on some smaller projects first. This one in backed in blue dots on white from the range with a strip made from the trimmed corner squares.


Phew, that should keep me busy for awhile! If anyone has any suggestions about the quilting please let me know. I won't be able to start on these for at least a few weeks....

Crafting for a Cause - The Gracie Jane Project

For those one or two of you that read my somewhat random and infrequent posts on my, now sadly neglected, Facebook page you might remember the series of quilty projects I completed for organizations based in the Quilting for Peace book. The last, the project for Binky Patrol was featured on one of my first blog posts but the size really did not make for one of the prettiest quilts ever. It was, however, really warmly recieved.

Since then I have bought the Craft Hope book that grew out of the blog of the same name with the idea of making some of the projects and donating to some more local charities.

In the meantime I came across the Gracie Jane Project, as a result of a post on Quiltstory.


So with some charm packs in the overflowing cupbaord, some Kona solid without a specific purpose and only some flannel needed to buy for the backing it seemed like a great, quick, cheaper to post project that would have the double benefit of being of benefit to someone and making the amount needed to pack and unpack just that little bit smaller.


I have used the Lollipop range by Sandy Gervais for Moda, and because of the small size needed for the quilts and the solid already used for the backgroud I have omitted most of the plain/solid squares in the charm pack and well as the red colourway.

As per the the common pattern to be used for the project the quilt is straight line quilted on one direction about 3/4" apart and backed in cream flannel.

I made these two over two nights and machine stitched the Kona solid binging by machine yesterday morning. They have crinked up beautifully in the wash. A quick satisfying project. These will be winging their way to Canada in the next few days....

A Set Back and A Completed Project

So I was on my way home from work last Thursday. And it was a bit later than usual as I had had a busy day and was looking forward to getting home and completing the Icecream dress from Oliver+S I had started earlier in the week. I had been a bit delayed by running out the of colour match cotton I needed and, as the dress has a fair amount of top stitching, I really thought I should match up the colours rather than make do.


But, as is often the case, that best laid plans oft go arwy. In this case when another driver thought that the give way sign did not apply to him and he drove straight out in front of me. And then, after checking I wasn't hurt, drove away again without giving me any of his details.

Needless to say I was severly unimpressed with him, but extremely greatful to the lovely woman that had been driving along and stopped to help, and gave me a jacket to keep me warm while we waited for the police.

So, I was even later home than I had planned, didn't finish the dress that night and spent most of my time on Friday trying to organize to get the car fixed, especially in time for the move. None if which is sewing, and that made me cranky.


But I did get to finish it Saturday and that made me happy. As did the dress itself. It came together really well (why is it that when I sew children's clothes everything matches up right but not when I make things for myself ... I have some ideas, but that, I think, is another post) and the instructions were easy to follow.


My only slight disappointment is that the plain fabric does not stand out as much as I hoped. I did not want a total contrast but I think that some, particulary the top of the pockets, disppears into the main fabric of the dresss. Something to consider next time.

Next project on the list.... basting and quilting 3 more unfnished quilts.