Blogger’s Quilt Festival – New York Beauty Wall Hanging

When I submitted my first entry to the Large Quilt Category of the Blogger’s Quilt Festival, I thought that would be my only entry this year.  But when I read that Amy  is extending the deadline for entry to the Blogger’s Quilt Festival, I decided to enter another of my quilt to the Small Quilt Category.  This wall hanging was completed a few years back when I was at a very low point in my life.  I used sewing and quilting to keep me sane and it helped me pulled myself out of the pits.  Till this day it is still my favourite.  It is a combination of machine embroidery and quilting.  The machine embroidery pattern was purchased from Laura’s Sewing Studio.  She did a great job digitizing the New York Beauty.  Using the New York Beauty blocks, I sewed them into flowers.  I also embellished the quilt with free-standing butterflies and buttons

The quilt measures approximately 40 x 25 inches.  See the full quilt hanging on the wall.

I bound the quilt using prairie points.

Do pop by Amyscreativeside to view all the other beautiful creations by talented quilters.

 

Blogger’s Quilt Festival – Charlotte’s Basket

It is time for Blogger’s Quilt Festival, organised by Amy’s Creative Side.  You know what, I’d only just found out about this Festival.  LOL.  I discovered this while reading Quilting Jetgirl’s blog post.  Where have I been all this while??  Well, better late than never.  I must say the quilts posted are eye candies, not to mention inspirational.

2016 is the year that I started setting goals for my quilts and this has helped me in my quilting journey.  I have more finished quilts this year than the prior few years added up together.  The main reason for not finishing my quilts is my perfectionist attitude.  Knowing my ‘weakness’, my daughter sent me this quote:

‘Perfection is intimidating.  I think most artists blocks come from the fear of creating something imperfect. … putting it even more simply: just make shit, eventually it’ll be good shit.  Maybe most of it will just be shit but you can’t make good shit if you’re not make a lot of shit.’ LOL.

Well I would like to share with you one of my shit Oops, quilt.  Those of you who have been reading my posts would know that I started Charlotte’s Baskets last year with the intention of giving it to my daughter who was going into the University last year.  It was still work in progress when she entered Uni in August last year.  This year I started setting goals and that was when I managed to finish it.  It is my biggest quilt by far measuring approximately 73 x 83 inches.  A scrap buster.  I was able to use up strings of fabric from my scrap bin.  The quilt is based on a pattern in String Fling by Bonnie Hunter.  I changed the border to a piano-key border and I used HSTs made from bonus triangles for the cornerstones in between the basket blocks.

Before gifting this quilt, there was a small misunderstanding between mother and daughter.  But all was good as new again when the quilt was presented.  The quilt was able to convey the love I have for my daughter and all is forgiven.

I am entering this quilt in the Large Quilt Category of the Blogger’s Quilt Festival

September Goal, another FAL Finish and another quilt top pieced

This past week was bad cos I did not get much sewing done.  Was working late in school grading scripts most of the weekdays and even brought them home to grade.

My pastor’s wife commissioned me to make 2 baby quilts.  I have pieced 1 of the quilt top but what about the other?  Lee Meng did it for me.  Lee Meng was my colleague for many years.  After retirement, she spent some time in Australia where she picked up quilting.  When she came back, she dabbled in small quilting projects but it was always hand stitching.  She took some classes with Sing Mui Heng and Quilts and Friends as she was not confident to attempt any projects on her own.  With persuasion, she bought a Brother sewing machine last year which she left sitting in the ivory tower.  What is the use of a machine is one does not use it?  In one of our conversations, I told her that I normally sew on Saturday mornings and she is welcome to join me (she lives just 5 minutes drive from my house).  Since the beginning of August she has been coming to my house with her machine to sew every Sat morning.  I cut up the fabric and she pieced the top for me.  It is a win win situation as I got help with the baby quilt and she learnt to use her machine. LOL Let’s see Lee Meng  in action.

And Tadah…

I am so proud of her.  She is definitely more confident in using her machine so for this month she is piecing her own project, a fabric panel that she had purchased some years ago.

For my September OMG goal I am setting a goal to sew 20 pineapple blocks.

These blocks are meant for a project that will help with raising funds for our church’s land lease renewal.  I am really not confident I can achieve this goal but putting it down in writing means that I am committed to achieving it. LOL

I also finished another wall hanging for my 2016 FAL goal.  This is my 3rd finish for Q3 FAL.  My original intention was to make this into a table topper.  But decided that I wanted a wall hanging instead.  I have quilted different motifs on it and a wall hanging would be able to show off these motifs better.  The front of the wall hanging.

And the back

I got my inspiration for the quilting of circles from Living Water Quilter.  Dena is such a talent when it comes to FMQ.  The wall hanging is now beside my grandson clock.

I am linking up with Red Letter Quilt OMG; Mid Week Madness and Linky Tuesday Freemotion by the River

August OMG Finish and Q3 FAL Finish

August has been a productive month in the quilting sense.  First to report, I accomplished my August OMG with 2 draw string bags.  The first was made using a tutorial from From My Carolina Home .  Carole’s draw string bag requires a plastic thingy, the type that is used when we do rug hooking.  I was not able to get this plastic thingy but I managed to purchase corrugated plastic sheet from a stationery shop.  I had thought of using paper cardboard but that would mean that I will not be able to wash my draw string bag.  The picture below shows my corrugated plastic sheet minus the 3 inches circle I cut out using scissors.  The 3 inches circle is meant to be the base of the bag.

I am rather pleased with the resulting bag.

I used a batik fabric with Christmas theme for the lining.  I fell in love with the fabric when I first saw it.  Brought it home and started washing it (I prewash all my fabric).  To my horror, the colours bled and they bled so badly that the fabric was smudged.  I had contemplated trashing the fabric but now I found a good use for it.  Hehee..

The rounded base really gives it shape.  My only complaint is that it is slightly small for my needs.  I had cut the circle using Creative Grid Circle Savvy ruler and the maximum diameter that can be cut from this ruler is 15 inches.

After allowing for seam allowance, I am down to about 14 1/2 inches of diameter.  I have to think of another way to draw  and cut a bigger circle, approximately 18 – 20 inches in diameter.  Any suggestions?

I also made another draw string bag using the pattern written by Jeni from In Colour Order.  This draw string bag is much bigger and definitely allows me to put my stuff like handphone and wallet into the bag.  My only regret when I made this bag is that I did not use an interfacing for the exterior fabric.  I did fused an interfacing for the first bag and that gave it body.  Without the interfacing, this bag looks a little ‘flat’.  However I did have a ‘bottom’ for the bag using the corrugated plastic I bought.  See the 2 bags sitting side by side.

Next up is the Cambodian quilt top.  It was a tough decision on whether to rip it out or not but in end I did and now we have 2 quilts.  This is my second finish for Q3 FAL.  One of the quilt measures 38 x 38 inches, just nice for a baby quilt.

and the other a small table topper measuring approximately 23 inches by 17 inches.

This past week, I was invited by a colleague to his home for lunch.  Last minute, I decided to sew up a gift, a table runner based on a pattern I found on Craftsy by Vendulka.  She has some very pretty table runner patterns for sale.

I have lots of scraps, bonus triangles from previous projects, and I have been thinking of ways to use them.  I sewed these up to form HSTs and with these I constructed the centre of the table runner.  I then cut up strips of fabric from my fat quarters and whatever leftover fabric from previous projects.  See my progress as I auditioned my fabric and added the strips of fabric…

 

After adding the last chevron round,

And finally the finished table runner on the console in the host home.

I have to say this is one of my fastest project so I should give myself a pat on the back.  LOL.  Most importantly the colleague and his wife love this.

I am linking up with Red Letter Quilt OMG, Let’s be Social and Mid Week Madness @ Quiltfabrication

August OMG and Aurifil Block for July

Aurifil July’s Block of the month is designed by Wendy Sheppard.  She is one of my favourite designer and free motion quilter.  I completed the block and here it is:

All the 7 Aurifil blocks together look like this:

When I saw the post by Heidi of Red Letter Quilts about a tutorial by From My Carolina Home on how to make a sewing kit, I was inspired.  I have yet to prepare Christmas gifts and Christmas is just a few months away.  Drawing string bags are versatile and so suitable as gifts especially to the womenfolk.

My August quilty goal is to sew up at least one draw string bag.  There are so many patterns to sew from.  Beside the pattern from From My Carolina Home, I like the patterns from In Colour Order   I hope to be able to sew more than one so as to get gifts ready for Christmas.

I am linking up with OMG at Red Letter Quilts, Can I get a Whoop Whoop and Aurifil Designer of the month.

July’s OMG Finish and a finish for Q3 FAL

I finally decided on a pattern for the first baby quilt.  It is from the book ’29 Scrappy Quilts’ by Better Homes and Gardens.  After cutting up my fabric, I kind of regretted my decision and the reason was the blocks for that quilt were small, they finish at 4 x 4 inches.  To piece up the blocks I had to cut 1 1/2x 1 1/2 inches squares.  But what was I to do as I had cut up the fabric.  So I pressed ahead and sewed up the quilt top.  I am not good with sewing a consistent 1/4 inch seam so sewing a small square to another small square poses a problem.  I had to sew slowly and used a stiletto.  Still some of the seams were not ‘ideal’.  Anyway, here is my finished quilt top.

I have to say I am rather pleased with it as the colours are so sweet and apt for a baby girl.

I have also finished quilting and binding The Rugged Cross.  This is my 1st finish for Q3 FAL.

However, I am having difficulty with the Cambodian quilt cos the girls there have overlocked the seams (see pic below) and that makes them very bulky.

I am now in the process of unpicking these seams.  I forsee difficulty in sewing them back together later cos the pieces of fabric were not cut accurately and their sizes differ.

Linking up with Red Letter Quilts’ OMG and Can I get a Whoop Whoop at Confessions of a Fabric Addict

Q3 Finish-A-long Goals and June’s Aurifil Block

I did not complete all my Q2 goals.  3 out of 4 goals set for Q2 are still uncompleted.  But I am working on them.  For Q3, I am adding 3 more goals, so here is my list:

Goal 1 for Q3

Finish quilting The Rugged Cross.  It is currently loaded on the long arm frame.  It is almost done.

 

Goal 2 for Q3

Quilt and bind the following table topper.

Goal 3 for Q3

Complete the wallhanging below i.e. pieced it up, quilt it and bind it.  I am looking forward to hanging this up for Christmas this year.

The above 3 goals were Q2 goals which I have rolled over to Q3.  Now for the new goals that I am adding.

Goal 4 for Q3

The Hearts Intertwine quilt top is still a WIP.  Definitely something for me to finish before the end of this year.

Goal 5 for Q3

Another Storm at Sea WIP that I would like to call a finish, the table topper top I pieced last month.  I expect this table topper to be completed quickly as it is rather small.

Goal 6 for Q3

Someone brought back a quilt top from Cambodia.  This quilt top was sewn by girls in Emmaus Women Centre in Cambodia.  This is the first time they are doing a quilt top so their choices of colours and materials have much to improve.  Well I am tasked to make the quilt top prettier.  I can unpick and sew together the parts that I want or simply quilt it with suitable motifs.  Can’t decide on what to do with it.  I am toying with various ideas and asking for suggestions as to how I can salvage the quilt top.  Feel free to let me know if you have any suggestions.

If you look at the back, they overlocked the seams.  Is this is an acceptable practice for quilt making?  Moreover the seams flip to opposite sides at both ends.  Looks like there is quite a bit of work to do on the quilt top.

On another note, I have sewn up June’s Aurifil block.  Can’t wait to have all 12 blocks together.

I am linking up with FAL 2016 Q3 and

Aurifil Designer of the Month