Value Quilt Ta-Da!

My first finish of 2016, whoo hoo!!. This quilt is a gift for my friend Michelle and her husband and took me a year to make. That's not as bad as it sounds, as I made it as a leaders and enders quilt and also it is very big, roughly 96 inches square prior to quilting and washing.

 

It is made of HST's which are a mixture of scraps and fabrics from my stash. I'd never quilted a quilt as big as this before. I initially started off doing fairly intricate quilting and rapidly realised that firstly it wouldn't show up that much as the quilt is busy and secondly that it would take forever. So I changed to doing a simple loop that looks like circles. The bias edges were a bitch but somehow ended up OK.

 

 

I bound it with strips made from scraps left over from  a Riley Blake extra wide zig zag  in white and blue that I had used for another quilt. I added a small bit of left over binding from the Bright Bamboo quilt

 

 

I used Warm and White for the batting, as this was the only one available for sale that was wide enough.

 

Quilt Stats

Size : 88 x 87 inches

 

Front : 4 inch ( finished size) HST's from scraps and stash

 

Back : Extra wide  Architextures crosshatch in grey ( Carolyn Friedlander)

 

Wadding: Warm and White

 

Binding: White and blue zig zag and Groovy from Caleb Grey Design

 

 Quilted with Glide (40 wt) in grey on top and Wonderfil 80 in white in the bobbin

 

I'm really pleased with it and it is prettier than it looks in the photos.

 

Just got to label it before handing it over on Thursday.

 

Linking up with  :

 







 

 

And also when the time comes with 2016 Q1 FAL:

 



2016 Finish a long- quarter 1

I didn't do at all well in the last quarter of 2015, only managing to finish 2 quilts. So I'm going to continue with my fantasy and list much more than I can possibly finish. It is also a way of assessing my unrealistic expectations. I'm also going to try to use more of my stash this year, as  I can no longer fit it all in my cupboards and it is spilling out all over the floor.
So to begin with:

WIP's

1) Value quilt

 



This is now quilted, just needs binding

 

2) Gnome Quilt

 

 

This is  taking a long time, mainly because of the paper piecing, but I'm working on it gradually

 

3)Triangle Quilt

 

 

This is coming on, again slowly but  I'll get there!

 

4)Siblings Together Trip around the world.

 

 

As if I didn't have enough to do, I started another quilt. I was given some fabric to make a quilt or two for ST, so I'm using some of it in this quilt ( half from my stash, half from the donated fabric)

 

5) Geese all round

 

I have enough blocks now, just need to make it into a top, quilt and bind it.

 

6)Retirement quilt

 

 

Just need to quilt and bind it!

 

7)It's a wonderful world.

 

 

I have enough blocks, just need to put them together.

 

8)Small map quilt

 

 

This ( sadly ) is not mine, but Alicia Merrett's. Mine needs to be finished.

 

Then there is my list of projects where I have the fabric/pattern but haven't started yet:

 

1) Second ST quilt

 

 

This donated fabric needs to be converted into a quilt.

 

2) Trajectory quilt

 

This one is for me. I have the Oakshott fabric, just haven't started yet.

 

 







3) Circles Quilt

I have bought some beautiful radiance fabric to make a circles quilt ( no picture)

 

4) Organiser bag

This is a pattern By Annie and I have the fabric, zips etc, just need to do it!

 

 



5)Cushions

I have the fabric, just need to start.

 

 

 



6) Starry Sky quilt

I have the pattern and enough fabric in my stash.

 

 

 

 

 

 









 

 







 

2015 Sewing Review

2015 was my first full year of retirement, so it has been interesting to review my sewing for the year. This is more a record for me than anyone else but seems obligatory! So, I managed an awful lot of quilts, 16 in total, though some of them were 'Bee' quilts and I didn't make all the blocks.

 

Of the bee quilts, there were only two that had enough blocks, all the others needed considerable input from me in either additional blocks or borders etc. I only sewed 2 blocks for the WW1 quilt- the 1914-1918 block and one of the poppy blocks, though again it required a lot of additional sewing attaching glued on pieces or those that weren't safely sewn on. I also made my first mini quilt, which proved to be my most popular picture on IG.

 

It's also a chance to see them all lined up and realise ( except for the last 3 on the mosaic) that they are all either predominantly blue or pink ! Maybe 2016 should be the year I try to branch out of my colour comfort zone. Grace's quilt ( the last one in the mosaic) is like that. I would never have chosen the autumnal colours but in real life it is very pretty ( much better than the photo shows) and is only let down by my piecing and quilting.

 

Of course, I did a lot more sewing than shown here. There were innumerable bee blocks, another 6 sew together bags, one for me and 5 for my friends, some lavender bags and I knitted 4 hats as Christmas presents.

 

I was hoping to spend more 2016 making quilts for myself and trying to find my own 'artistic voice' but when I made a list of all my WIP's, there were so many I 'm not sure that will happen.

Grace's Quilt Ta Da!

This is my second finished quilt in December and my second FAL quarter 4 finish ( original FAL Q4 here )  I haven't done very well this quarter in the FAL. I spent most of October sewing together this WW1 quilt which wasn't on the list :

 

And the rest of the quarter I have been busy with fun things like holidays and Christmas festivities.

Anyway, the result is very little sewing. I first started Grace's quilt nearly 6 years ago when Grace was Harri's girlfriend. They parted a long time ago and the quilt got shelved. I wanted to get it finished as I'm trying to reduce my WIP's to a manageable level.

 

 

Grace chose the autumnal colours because she didn't want a 'girly' quilt, though they are out of my normal comfort zone. It's also interesting to note that my piecing has improved considerably in 6 years! Originally, I was going to make this a double sided quilt and made a whole number of blocks for the back ( they are another WIP!!) but I quickly realised that it would be quicker and actually get finished if I chose a plain back.

 

 

 

 I quilted it with waves using a new to me longarm ruler, but I had loaded the quilt incorrectly onto the frame. I couldn't be bothered to unpick it and start again, so it is only lightly quilted. This was however a good learning experience, as I have now sorted out why it was incorrectly loaded and won't hopefully make the same mistake again.

 

 

As with Bright Bamboo, I bound it using a strips of the backing fabric with a small shot of orange dots.

 

 

It's not my favourite quilt, though the lighter quilting does give it a softer drape. I haven't decided what to do with it yet, but it will probably end up as a charity quilt.

 

Quilt Stats

Size: 69 x 72 inches

Top made in brick pattern using browns, yellows, oranges and greens  with Kona black

Back and binding : Bella extra wide backing in black

Wadding : Fabric Freedom 100% cotton from roll

Quilted on top with Fantastico 5027 variegated red with Wonderfil 80 in orange on the back.

 

Linking with Adrianne :

 

 











Bright Bamboo Quilt- Ta Da!

I managed to finish two quilts before the end of December- the children had gone back to London after the festivities and my Mum is being shared out amongst my siblings, so I had some time to myself. Bright Bamboo is the first of these finishes ( original FAL quarter 4 list here ) :

 

The blocks were made by myself and my fellow Siblings Together Bee members and aren't they fabulous! I asked for bright solids and they came up trumps.

I used some fabric I've had forever from my stash for the backing and I think it continues the bright theme beautifully.

 

 

I quilted it with randomly placed straight lines and I was very unsure about the quality of my quilting, solids show up every tiny glitch. Thankfully after washing these are not noticeable!!

 

 

 

 

I couldn't find anything I really liked in my stash for a binding ( now that is a surprise as I could open a shop with all my fabric ), so ended up using strips of the backing fabric which I think works well.

 

 

 

 

Another quilt I'll be sad to part with as it's so bright and cheerful in this rainy gloom.

 

 

 

Quilt Stats

Size: 57 x72 inches ( it shrank more widthways with the dense quilting)

Blocks made by Siblings Together quilt bee using this tutorial : http://areformedheathn.blogspot.co.uk/2013/12/tipsy-tutorials-random-bamboo.html#.Voj7XF7nkcB

Backing and binding : Groove by Caleb Grey Studio for Robert Kaufman

Wadding donated to Leeds MQG and sent to me by Hannah ( @hannahlib on IG)

Quilted using Aurifil 50/2 2000 on top and Wonderfil 80 in pale yellow in bobbin

 



 

This is my first finish for FAL quarter 4 and I will be linking up with Adrianne.