Archive / Quilt

Fabric Stash Report #4 and new String Quilt

On Friday, I was just thinking that I have neither ‘IN’ nor ‘OUT’ to report this week since I have not been sewing much at the machine. Oh soooo boring. But over the weekend, sewing happened!

Fabric IN
Zilch (for now!)

Fabric OUT
3 yards (and more on the way out!)

I’ve seen many beautiful string quilts on Flickr and they look like really good scrap-busting projects to work on. There are essentially 2 methods of creating string quilts – piecing with fabric foundation or paper foundation. Piecing with fabrics sounds like a great way to bust some serious stash too. But I don’t think I like the extra weight, plus I can imagine the amount of seams in the quilt (by the way, I’m aiming for a Queen Sized quilt). So, it is paper piecing for me. For fabric foundation method, click here.

I have a ream of A3 sized, low GSM paper that we used for mapping out projects (day job) ideas and they are perfect for paper foundation piecing. So, I did a test block, following this tutorial from Film in the Fridge. I find it ‘slippery’ to sew with paper and because some of the scrap strips are cut on bias, it was a little challenging trying to set the 1st diagonal straight. This will create problems when I put the blocks together and I would expect the center strips of the blocks to match. So, I modified the instructions a little by marking two lines, 1/2″ from the center diagonal on the paper (my center strip is 1″ wide).

Mock-up block

Back to the drawing pad, I planned the colour way and layout of the quilt.

Afterwards, I pulled out the scrap buckets and started sorting them out by colours. So, most of the scraps are in 6 bags now (and why do I still have the same number of scrap buckets left under the table???). I also cut up some fabrics from yardage to make up for the colours and centre string.

Scrap bag

ooooouuuglies

This also gives me the opportunity to use up some Uglies in my charm packs and FQs that I probably will never use in a non-scrappy project.

Week 4: 26 April – 2 May

In: 0 yds
Out: 3 yds

YTD total:
Purchased: 24.59 yds
Busted: 7.75 yds
net: -16.84 yds

Tales and Tidings Baby Quilt – DONE DONE!

Another quilt DONE DONE.

The Tales and Tidings quilt is one of my ‘oldest’ project. I bought it AGES ago and it took me a while before I found the ‘inspiration’ (read: procrastinated long enough) to cut it up.

The top was completed in Aug’08 and I put it away, and went shopping for the backing fabrics. After I ordered it, I put it away some more and agonised over the quilting. I finally sent it off to a quilty friend who did the quilting for me late ’09 and I’m soooo happy with what she did with it.

Free motion quilting detail

One of my favourite blocks...

*heart* stripey binding fabrics

Since this is Quilt #3 for Benji, I think it is time to get a quilt for our OWN bed now. :p

Fabric Stash Report #2

What a week! I am most glad LAST week was over – had my wisdom tooth extracted (ouchie!), rushed Benji to see the doc for his worsening sinus infection (had to wait an hour because we didn’t have an appointment) and worst of all, we had to fire our live-in domestic helper because she was smuggling men into her room in our house, even while we were all at home (that incident was complete with the police arriving at our home in the middle of the night). I’m glad it is over now.

tapes are so fun! esp. when they retract at high speed.

{pull out & retract} x 100

Well, while the babe was recovering from the infection with the help of Indiana Jones movie-marathon, I managed to cut up some precious (read: in my stash for a while) baby panels, backings and also for a custom crib quilt for a friend’s brand new niece.

Fabric OUT
some for baby panel quilt and for custom Baby R Quilt (crib size)

Fabric IN
ZERO (though I ordered more to be delivered soon!)

Sneaky peek of Quilt Back

This came together very quickly (I love making crib-sized quilts! :D) and I’m loving the colours and look. Blue, pink, plum and brown… yummmm….

Fav. part of the quilting process: Binding

Week 2: 12 April – 18 April

In: 0 yds
Out: 4.5 yds

YTD total:
Purchased: 18.59 yds
Busted: 4.75 yds
net: -13.84 yds

Still here…

Happy Easter, everyone!

There are so many updates that I would like to share with you, which I promise I will do so over the next few posts ;> Hint: Shopping in Japan, Fabrics, Stamps and Bags!

Ok. Hubby just signaled that I have 10 mins before we leave for a party… so, lemme show you what’s keeping me up in the (late late) evenings.

Remember the Star QAL monster of a quilt? I finally outsourced the quilting as I was really NOT keen on fighting the Queen-sized quilt on my machine. I’ve decided to gift the quilt (not saying who’s the recipient now), so I’m really happy that the quilting was done professionally and that is also a motivation for me to get it bound and DONE before the end of April.

11 yards of binding

Hand sewing the binding down

And of course, I NEEDED to start on a new project. That would be the Cathedral Window quilt. Fortunately, I had the good sense to work on a wall hanging size. Man, it is really intense working on this quilt and I find it such a quirky little project! There is a crazy amount of handsewing but I have to look at the bright side of things: no backing, no batting, no quilting and no binding required. PLUS it really does look beautiful 😀

Cathedral Window in Mod fabrics

At the other end of the quilt

Alrighty! 10 mins up, gotta run now. Check back soon coz I will be sharing with you some fabric-licious buys I hauled back from Japan! 😀

Princess Snowball quilt

The princess snowball quilt was delivered to G earlier this week. It is such a girly sweet quilt.

I gotta make me more baby quilts! The size is more manageable and quicker to piece compared to larger bed quilt.

More straight line quilting, using the variegated thread. I pulled out more fabrics for a couple of baby-sized projects. But those will have to wait a little more as I’m working on a couple of special hand sewing projects. More to show soon! 😀