UK Mini Swap 2015

Just a quick post because I have finished my UK mini swap quilt ( taking place on IG). This is my first ever mini swap, so I'm a bit nervous. I have reservations about mini quilts, though now I've made one I can see how useful it is for trying out new things without committing to a full quilt. And certainly, my sewing room could do with a bit of decoration.
Anyway here it is:

 

And the back:

 

 

I nearly forgot to put in the corner triangles on the back, so it could be hung on a wall without damaging the quilt, but remembered in time!.

 

The design is not my own, it is a complete copy of a beautiful quilt ( called Portal) by a South African quilt artist called Susan Wessels. I haven't been able to find out much about her, except she makes exceptional quilts. I drew it out on paper ( I don't have the computer skills or package to do it any other way!) and then worked out how to paper piece it in sections. It seemed to work very well. I will be very sad to part with it because I absolutely love it. I just hope my partner does too. I spent hours agonising over a suitable design and pinning loads of alternatives, until I saw this one.

It is quilted quite simply with straight lines using Presencia 50/3 in a mid-grey.

This will also be my final first quarter finish in FAL 2015.

My original list for this quarter is here:http://therunninghar.blogspot.co.uk/2015/01/fal-first-quarter-2015.html

 



Scrappy Log Cabin Quilt - Ta Da!

It's been a funny old week. Last Monday, I had 3 dental implants fitted. My teeth are the product of post war dentistry (where dentists were rewarded for doing things to your teeth) and as a consequence I have had 4 teeth removed in the past. I decided now I'm a lady of leisure to have the implants ( after some research) and duly went along. I declined the sedation offered ( I am an anaesthetist ! and think sedation, which is very tricky even in trained hands, should be avoided if at all possible) but then again, I am also very stoical and knew it wouldn't upset me like it does some people. Everything went to plan and it only took an hour. I was put on a course of antibiotics as is usual after having foreign bodies drilled into your bones. I had  underestimated how under the weather I would feel for some time afterwards. My mouth is really very sore and as both sides of my mouth are involved ,eating is difficult and painful. The antibiotics have also reeked havoc- I won't go into detail as that would be tmi! It's left me feeling a bit low, which is not like me.
Anyway, I have forced myself to finish my scrappy log cabin quilt, which I had never planned to do but as is often the case with these things, is now a firm favourite. I joined in the #scrappylogcabinqal on IG and then had to see it to fruition.

 

It's raining outside, so I can't get any sunny pictures sadly! This photo does not truly convey the lovely colours. I bound it with Kona Midnight again ( like my blue chequers quilt) because it matches the back so perfectly and I had used some Kona Midnight in the log cabins but I added two small flashes of colour as well.

 

 

 The design evolved organically again. I made 20 log cabin blocks which exhausted my supply of longer scrappy strips. Fortunately, I had a smallish piece of the Kona Robins egg which I was able to use for the border. However, I didn't quite have enough to go all the way round, hence the coloured blocks in the border at each end to make up the deficit. The back is more of the Lizzie House constellations.

 

I quilted it with an overall pattern called Greek Key, again using freehand free  motion quilting, not a pantograph. This gives a slightly more graphic look which I like.

I had never intended to make this quilt, but it has turned into one of my favourites. I'm going to be sad to send it off to Siblings Together!

 

Quilt Stats

 

Size: 58 x 71 inches

Top made up of scrappy log cabins

Back : Lizzie House constellations

Binding: Kona Midnight

Wadding : Hobbs 80/20

Quilted ( top and bottom threads) with So Fine 50 wt in light grey ( 408)

 

Linking with Scraptastic Tuesday

 

 



Blue Triangle Quilt

I started this quilt some time ago, so I'm very glad to have finished it. It is also on my list for the first quarter FAL 2015  with Adrianne .I was inspired by this quilt by Lady Harvatine. However, I soon got bored and hence the quilt is quite small, though very suitable as a baby quilt. This is just as well as it's destined for the grandson of my friend Liz!

This was my first foray into using blue and green, a theme I currently seem to be obsessed with. It is also my first  solids only quilt ( well except for the backing and the binding). I'm really hoping to make some more solids only quilts in the future.
The back was made up from scraps.

 

The Moda green dottie was left over from Eleri's quilt and the Riley Blake zigzag was a freebie from Fat Quarter Shop. I should explain: I ordered 2 yards of this extra wide backing and in error they sent me half a yard instead of the 2 yards I had ordered so I got to keep it ( and they sent me the original order, which I will use for another quilt)

By chance I had some Michael Miller clown stripe in aqua and white which was a perfect match to use for the binding.

 

 

I quilted it with straight lines about a quarter inch apart. This is far from perfect and I did learn some lessons. Firstly, the blocks are biased edged and therefore stretch a little. I also think in future I shouldn't try to 'lock 'the stitches when they need finishing in the middle of a block, but should finish them off by hand sewing. With quilting this dense, the quilt is a little stiff, despite using a fairly thin wadding. Maybe it will soften up with washing. I'm just glad to have finished it.

 

 

 

 



 



Quilt Stats

 

Size: 38 x 49 inches

 

Front made with Kona solids in Blues and green

Back made with Moda green dottie and Riley Blake zigzag

Wadding : scrap from stash

 Binding: Michael Miller clown stripe in aqua and white

 Quilted with Presencia 60/3 in white

 

 My original list for this quarter is here: http://therunninghar.blogspot.co.uk/2015/01/fal-first-quarter-2015.html
 

Linking up with Fal 2015