LONE STAR MINI QUILT: FINISHED!

Dies used: Diamonds, 2 1/2in (2 3/4in x 6 1/2in Unfinished)
                 Half-Square Triangles, 2 1/2in Finished Square
                 Square, 4in Finished (4 1/2in Unfinished)


Hello again!

There were only a couple of jobs left to do to finish my Lone Star mini quilt. So that it can be hung on the wall easily and lie flat against it, it needed a couple of pockets on the back to fit a baton in. I cut a couple of 4 1/2in squares on my Big Shot Plus, pressed them in half diagonally and basted them in the top two corners on the reverse of the quilt.

The binding was then sewn on and a baton cut to size and fitted into the back pockets.

And then all that was left was to hang it on the wall. It's finished size is approximately 27 1/2in square.

I love the 'rings' of diamonds that make up the star, it is such a striking shape and it really brightens up the room. I want to make a huge one now and cutting all of the diamonds out with my Big Shot will make it SO much easier!

Happy sewing, see you next time!

Lone Star Mini Quilt: Part 2

Dies used: Diamonds, 2 1/2in (2 3/4in x 6 1/2in Unfinished)
                 Half-Square Triangles, 2 1/2in Finished Square


Hello again!

The Lone Star mini quilt I've been making with diamonds and half-square triangles is progressing nicely. Picking up from last time, the next stage was to make 8 large half-square triangles with each star point and 3 background sections and then to join them in pairs to give 4 squares.

And then the squares were sewn together to give one large square mini quilt top.

Then it was time to start quilting. I drew out a geometric design on the lone star with water erasable pen and once it was completed I looked at the swirl effect created by the fabric in the centre of the star and decided that instead of the pattern I'd marked out, a spiral would be much better! So the pen lines were blotted out and the centre of a spiral drawn out instead.

To help the star stand out from the background only the star was quilted with the spiral and so once it got to the white background I stopped quilting a continual coil and instead did each of the star points one at a time working from side to side. Each of the background sections were quilted with straight lines to contrast with the curves on the star.

Progress has stalled now as I can't decide on a binding fabric but hopefully a decision will be made and it will be finished and hanging on the wall in time for my next post.

Happy sewing, see you next time!

Lone Star Mini Quilt

Dies used: Diamonds, 2 1/2in (2 3/4in x 6 1/2in Unfinished)
                 Half-Square Triangles, 2 1/2in Finished Square


Hello again!

This new Sizzix project ticks off 2 entries on my 'want to make' list. I've never made a mini-quilt before and would really like one to hang on my bedroom wall and I love Lone Star piecing designs and had yet to have a go at making one. So I'm currently making a Lone Star mini-quilt and killing two birds with one stone! I've been wanting to use my long diamonds die and cutting mats for a while and before tackling a full-size quilt this was the perfect tester project to play around with print and pattern.

For the star, I selected 5 different fabrics and decided in which order they were to form the rings of the star. I then cut the following number of diamonds from each fabric on my Big Shot:

1st and 5th (central and outer) ring: 8
2nd and 4th ring: 16
3rd ring: 24

The diamonds were then divided up into 8 sets that would form each section of the star and then sewed together into rows and then the rows were joined to form a large diamond.

Matching the points when joining the rows together took a little getting used to. With right sides together, inserting a pin 1/4in down from the raw edge through the diagonal seam and through in the same position on the opposite side was the most convenient method for me.

Once the 8 star sections were completed I cut out the background pieces on my Big Shot. I chopped 144 solid white half-square triangles and 72 low volume white on white half-square triangles and joined them like this to make 24 larger half-square triangles.

These triangles will fit on either side of the outer points of the star to give a square mini-quilt top.

So the next job is to sew the star and background together and complete the top ready for quilting and binding and eventually hanging on the wall.

See you next time. Happy sewing!

Prancing Deer Cushion

Die used: Prancing Deer

I've been using the Prancing Deer die recently for a project that I can't blog about just yet but I really love this die and so have carried on using it to make something that I can post about! It's such a classic, stylish deer shape and perfect for some Christmas crafting - I have a plan to make some paper and card deer bunting nearer to the festive season with one in the chain sporting a mini red pompom on it's nose. For now though I've been using it to make an appliqué patch to embellish a cushion cover.

Applying a piece of iron-on adhesive (fusible web) that is slightly larger overall than the deer to the reverse of the appliqué fabric

and then positioning the adhesive-backed area over the cutting area of the die and cutting with a Big Shot

results in one perfectly cut out deer.

I cut out a simple cushion front and peeled off the backing paper from the die-cut deer and pressed it in place in the bottom right-hand corner of the cushion front. Then, with a scrap of fabric pinned behind the deer to support the patch, I sewed an outline all around the inside edge of the deer sewing twice around the body but just once over the antlers (just carrying on past them on the second circuit).

It is quite an ornate shape but a perfectly stitched outline isn't required just one that will hold it in place securely, a sketchy outline looks really effective especially over the antlers.

Once the appliqué was done it was just a case of sewing an envelope back onto the cushion front and turning it the right way out. Voila!

I think this die is going to see a lot of use over the next 2-3 months.

Happy sewing!

Circles Baby Quilt: Finished!

Dies used: Drunkard's Path Quarter Circle
                 Drunkard's Path & Fan Background


Hello again!

The little man that is set to receive this baby quilt has yet to make an appearance but it is now all ready when he is!

I've loved making this quilt. Sewing curves made a nice change, they weren't too tricky to handle and work so well on a small quilt like this one (approximately 32" x 32"). The circles are a really good size for quilting in that they are big enough to contain a specific pattern/design but not too big so that it's awkward to keep track of the design during quilting. I used 4 different quilting patterns and had 4 circles of each design.

The brushed cotton backing is super-soft and is lovely to touch especially with the ridges formed by the quilting.

All that's left now is to wrap it up and wait!

Happy sewing :)

Circles Baby Quilt

Dies used: Drunkard's Path Quarter Circle
                 Drunkard's Path & Fan Background


Last time I posted about the baby quilt I had just begun for my friend's baby that is due in a couple of weeks time. Having made the first four circles as a test run it was time to work out how the rest of the quilt was going to come together. After going through my entire stash of blue fabrics I opted to use some blenders to bring out some of the more detailed prints and not to repeat any as I'd originally intended and instead use 16 different fabrics.

I have to say that I'm not sure I'd have managed a quilt even as small as this if I had to cut all of those curves by hand! Here are all 16 circle blocks ready to be sewn together.

I always photograph my final intended layout and use the photo as a guide to work from as once sewing them all together gets under way I always lose track of what goes where! They were sewn together into four 2 x 2 blocks and then joined in pairs and then together to give the final quilt top.

The quilt is now basted and the backing is some super soft organic brushed cotton with a clouds design, perfect for snuggling a newborn under.

Quilting has begun and the plan is to have 4 different quilting designs for the circles, so there will be 4 of each style. One down, 15 to go.

As it's only small it's easy to manoeuvre on the sewing machine and fun to quilt. Next time I post there may be a little baby tucked up in it!

Happy sewing!

Works In Progress: Baby Quilt & Table Runner

Dies used: Hexagons, 1 1/4in Sides
                 Hexagons, 1in Sides #2 (for the papers)

                 Drunkard's Path Quarter Circle
                 Drunkard's Path & Fan Background

We're back home again now after our family holiday to the Isle of Wight. The days were packed with visits to castles, beaches, Roman villas, boat trips, dinosaur attractions and more but the evenings were much more relaxed with plenty of time for some English paper piecing. The box I took to hold my basted hexagons filled up nicely over the course of the week.

Still going to need quite a few more though to make a 6ft+ festive table runner!

Returning home again meant getting back to the deadlines and trying to get back on top of the to-do list. One of my close friends is due to give birth in the next few weeks and I want to make a little quilt for the new baby's arrival. Whilst there isn't quite the same pressure as a work deadline, time is running out quickly and so it was time to get on with it!

I've been wanting to use my Drunkard's Path dies for a while to have a go at a circles design and this seemed like the perfect project. I decided to make 4 circles using some printed children's fabric and see how it went. Having spent years sewing toys full of tricky curves as a result I don't really mind sewing curves and found that the quarter circles and background pieces went together really nicely. With the finished circle being quite large at 7in diameter, the curve isn't too tight and didn't feel awkward to manage instead it felt quite comfortable to sew.

I think 4 circles by 4 circles will work out at a good baby quilt size and so the top is almost a quarter complete already. Oh and if you haven't guessed, it's a boy!

To make the children's prints stand out more it might be good to add a few circles made with basic blender prints, or add another background fabric, hmm. Some more playing about with fabric is needed I think!

See you next time and happy sewing!

Holiday Hexies

Dies used: Hexagons, 1in Sides #2
                 Hexagons, 1 1/4in Sides


We're away on holiday at the moment and the last couple of times we've been away I've taken some English Paper Piecing with me and it's the same again this time - it may qualify as a habit now! When preparing a project to take on a summer holiday thoughts don't automatically go to Christmas but I was sent a couple of bundles of gorgeous Dashwood Christmas fabric last week and I wanted to use it straight away along with a few others from the festive section of my stash.

Also my son's teacher told me that her mum, who is a keen quilter, has recently made 30 mini stockings like the ones I made as teacher gifts using my Big Shot and posted about on here last Christmas. Suddenly making Christmassy things in July seemed thoroughly reasonable!

Using the Hexagons, 1in Sides die and a few sheets of scrap paper otherwise destined for the recycle bin, I cut a pile of papers. Then with the Hexagons 1 1/4in die I set to chopping the fabric.

They are intended to become part of a table runner which will need to be 2m long to fit our dining table and so Christmas 2016 may be a more realistic finish date if sewing is to be as relaxed and enjoyable as planned.

And so along with the clothes packing an EPP sewing bag containing all of the essentials had to be packed too.

Cutting the papers and fabric and getting the travel EPP kit together was so much easier and took a fraction of the time it took to pack one of the boys' bags! My Big Shot Plus really is an invaluable piece of kit.

Hopefully a week of relaxed hexagon sewing in the sunshine lies ahead!

Happy sewing!

STAR QUILT: PART 5

Dies used: Half-Square Triangles, 4 1/2in Finished Square
                Square, 4in Finished (4 1/2in Unfinished)
                Star, Nested

One single-size boys quilt, completed!

I'm so happy with the results and more importantly so is its new owner, Aidan. It was really very straightforward to make (especially the cutting, obviously!) using just two shapes (and therefore only two dies) for the pieced quilt top - definitely an example of simple but effective! A third die was used for the small applique stars that pepper the low volume, in-between areas.
There are plenty of colours in it but it meets his specification (thankfully it passed!) of 'mainly blue' with the orange fabric really bringing out the blues and providing some depth.

The backing fabric was picked up in the sale in Ikea and although it wasn't ideal to quilt with being more of a canvas weight it looks really good, the large print contrasting nicely with all of the fine detail on the front.

Hand-sewing the binding took longer than usual as making a stitch through thick backing fabric wasn't as easy as it would have been with quilters weight cotton but it wasn't too much of a hardship.

I really enjoy hand-sewing binding but it's starting to feel a bit indulgent when deadlines are looming and other sewing projects are stacking up, it may be time to investigate machine binding techniques!

Here it is in its new home.

Now to start something new, probably not another full size quilt just yet but I do have another son wanting one for his bed.

Happy sewing!

Star Quilt: Part 4

Dies used: Half-Square Triangles, 4 1/2in Finished Square
                Square, 4in Finished (4 1/2in Unfinished)
                Star, Nested

There are 2 lessons that I really should have learnt from making my last quilt:

1. Multiply the amount of time expected to complete the quilting by 4

2. Buy 1 more reel of thread than required

Oh and maybe a third lesson should be added on:

3. Never say 'X should be finished in time for my next post'.

Sure enough the quilting has taken an enormous amount of time, largely because it's so dense to make sure the die-cut applique stars are well secured (I love those little stars so much alongside the big, pieced ones). I'm in complete awe of people who can quilt a substantial item in a day or so.

And of course my thread ran out within a whisker of the end, again. Ho hum.

Before basting and quilting a border was added all around the edge to increase the overall size to just larger than that of a single duvet so that when on the bed there won't be any duvet sticking out from underneath. The backing fabric is from Ikea, it was half price in the sale and although it is a heavier weight than is ideal, the larger apple print was too good to resist.

This quilt is for my son, Aidan he turned 8 last week and his birthday made a natural target deadline. Unfortunately it wasn't possible to meet that deadline but as things worked out his birthday became a bit of a non-event as he became ill with a throat infection the day before. As a result his trip to Legoland had to be cancelled and replaced with 2 visits to the doctor and he didn't manage a single mouthful of his own birthday cake. A re-run of his birthday once he's fully recovered is set to take place. In the meantime he can snuggle next to me under this quilt and watch films as I hand sew the binding down.

See you next time when this quilt should be...no, lesson 3, I won't say it.

Happy sewing!

Star Quilt: Part 3

Dies used: Half-Square Triangles, 4 1/2in Finished Square
                 Square, 4in Finished (4 1/2in Unfinished)
                 Star, Nested

The piecing for my eldest son, Aidan's quilt is now finished.

I mentioned in my previous post that there was an issue with the quilt top that needed ironing out and so after the piecing was done resolving that was next on the list. I ordered the background fabric online and so didn't examine it thoroughly before buying it but I knew that the many little line drawings of everyday objects that covered it would fascinate and appeal to Aidan. So far so good. It was only when I began to cut it into squares and half-square triangles on my Big Shot that I noticed an unexpected picture that wouldn't really be at home on an almost 8 year old boy's quilt. I'm not going to go into detail here about the not-particularly-suitable items that were depicted (I have gone into more detail on my own blog http://twoowls.typepad.co.uk/ ) but after some thought, concluded that they should probably be covered up.

Applique was the obvious choice of cover-up method and a star shape to echo the patchwork design seemed most appropriate. I fixed some iron-on adhesive (fusible web) to the reverse of some scraps that were just big enough to cover the smallest, central star on the Stars, Nested die and cut out a neat pile of perfect little stars.

After removing the backing paper from the stars, I then pressed them in place over each of the unwanted pictures wherever they occurred on the quilt top. Considering the stars were added purely to solve a problem, they really add something to the overall look of the quilt top and it looks better for them.

Each star now needs to be sewn around to ensure that they are firmly held in place and they will also be quilted over later for extra security.

From now on I will be posting every other week and so hopefully this quilt will be finished in time for my next post - it has to be really as it's Aidan's birthday in 10 days time!

Happy sewing!