Mom

This is finished in time for my mom's upcoming April birthday:I just finished the binding tonight, while watching TV. I quilted it in diamonds, 3" apart, like the Grandpa Fred quilt. I didn't have a problem going through the canvas on the back, though that was a pain for binding. This is a "stash" quilt rather than a "scraps" quilt. I define scraps as fabrics that I've already cut into, whereas the fabric for this one came out of things I've been hoarding. I'm a huge fan of that green Amy Butler print; I had it in watermelon, and both have made their way into so many of my projects. All of these fabrics have so much motion and are really round, which is why I chose to make these square (for balance).

As I mentioned in my previous post, I'm really excited about that border, not only because I think it pulls it all together, but also because my mom taught me how to fish last year. She can catch and cook her own dinner. To tie in the red blocks from the front and the orange strip on the back, I used this for the binding:I think that's how I managed to bind it in one night-- there's so much to look at, it didn't get boring! I've never used fabric with a white background for binding before, but I think I like it, at least for this quilt.
It's in the washing machine now; I'll be sure to take some up close pictures after it's washed and dried. I'm anxious to mail this to her and see what she says!

new quilt in progress

My mom lives in a tiny little house on a small island. She's very crafty and has impecable taste, and just this week taught herself to knit (without a book or any instructions-- she just thought about it and applied her extensive crochet knowledge). Her queen sized bed takes up most of her tiny bedroom. The point is, a quilt could really change the way her room looks, especially a nice bright fresh one. Like this one in progress.

The pieced back has 4 stripes: pale aqua oxford shirting, orange Paula Prass, a tiny strip of IKEA canvas, and brown swiss dot. I love that canvas, but didn't want it to be itchy or too hot. Plus, I didn't know how it'd work while quilting, so I figured I'd start small. I never pre-wash (that's another post altogether) but I'm curious to see how this will hold up. Here's the back: And here's a sneak peak of the front:
It's hanging over my bannister, anxiously awaiting basting. I actually made the top sometime last year, but I wasn't crazy about it. Plus, it was just a little too small for my own queen sized bed. Then, I pulled it out, and after a good sale find of the Tula Pink fish fabric, it cam together. It's not a very complicated quilt pattern, just some framed squares, but I think my colour choices are what makes it a little more interesting.

Once I actually get this quilted, I'll be sure to take a full-length picture. Apologies as always for the bad picture-- the background is white, and the rest of the colours aren't quite so harsh in real life. This is a big quilt-- nearly 90" long, which was actually really nice for cutting my batting.

Grandpa Fred quilt update: my dad delivered it to him, and according to my dad, Grandpa "really liked his blanket and was surprised but asked for it to be taken to his house so it wouldn't get stolen from the assisted living facility". I'll take that as a compliment, for sure. Even though my dad called it a blanket, which we all know is inferior to a quilt. As I mentioned before, I come from a non-quilting culture. I guess they'll get it eventually.

quick belt

Here's a picture of a belt I made very quickly-- about 15 minutes before we went out for dinner and drinks with friends. Please ignore my painfully white skin! This was a strange self-portrait to take. The belt is just a 3" wide piece of fabric sewn in half length-wise, and topstitched on the top and bottom. I used some of my D rings left over from the purses I've been making. Just today, I saw that Sew Mama Sew's FQ project of the day is a patchwork belt. I'm not the only one thinking about quick belts.

lil zipper bag

After my success of putting in zippers, I'm hot on tutorials lately. This one came from the Moda Bake Shop and it took me no time at all. I like that it sits up by itself, and used 1 1/2 inch strips. These little strips are some of Moda's newest pre-cuts, and I don't think I'd want to create a quilt entirely out of 1 1/2 inch pieces. I decided to create my own, and used some scraps of Pop Garden and Ginger Blossom, two of my recent favorites. I think all the snow around here is influencing my colour choices.