Frolic

Finished stitching down the binding on pink "Frolic" last night.  This is a great quilt pattern from Allison Harris (CluckCluckSew).  I've made a few of Allison's patterns and they are all very well written, fresh, modern designs.

The quilting was simple ditch-stitching with the Bernina running stitch outlining the plain fabric zig-zags 1/4" in from the seam on both sides.

 
This is a great pattern for using up lots of 2-12" squares/scraps and 2-1/2"x4-1/2" little strips.  I made a slight change to the original pattern by leaving off the top and bottom borders and adding setting triangles to the sides.  It's a great cot-sized quilt.

I love the backing fabric - it's one of the patchwork prints from the Whitewashed Cottage range.

The quilt will be posted off to a precious new baby born last week.

Whtewashed Cottage

There's been some finishing off and sewing over the last few days.  I received a charmpack of Whitewashed Cottage as a gift and bought a second pack to make this lap quilt using Puss in the Corner blocks.  Karen quilted it for me with my favourite Orange Peel design.

I sewed on the binding so that I could start stitching it down while minding my little sweetheart when her Mum and Dad went out for dinner on Friday night.

Finished it off while watching the ANZAC march and services on Saturday morning.  There are so many pale fabrics in this line - they would make great backgrounds.  Love the orange peel quilting Karen did - think it's my favourite design.  The quilt is approx 50"x59" and shortly will be going to a sweet 2 year old little girl.

Have done as much stitching on Little Chicken Feather as I can before the little one arrives.  His name and birth details will then be added to the stitchery before the top is quilted.

Still trying to make a decision on border fabrics.

The weather was pretty miserable for most of Saturday and Sunday - went into the sewing room after I arrived home from Sydney on Saturday and sewed up this little child's quilt while watching some "Gilmore Girls" episodes and then "Gallipoli" - the blocks were cut out and sewn into the 9 patches probaby in 2011.  A dear friend bought me an X-block ruler and pattern book for my birthday that year - I made a couple of little quilts at the time.  I'll definitely be making more from the book.

Sewed up the backing for this little quilt yesterday morning.  I hope to quilt it soon - stitching in the ditch will be enough for this one.

In the afternoon I decided to pin baste the pink Frolic cot quilt

 

ditch-stitched the rows

followed by a "running stitch" on the plain zig-zags - about halfway stitching the zig-zags so they might be finished over the next couple of nights.

It's about time I did some more of my crochet granny squares

These are going to be something special for Miss ChaCha.  Going to visit Karen after work today and I'm hoping the Mickey Mouse Frolic quilt is ready to pick up.  It was so chilly this morning, I really wanted to stay at home.

Go Four It

This year's sewalong quilt with American Patchwork and Quilting is called "Go Four It" because it features lots and lots of 4 patch blocks.  There are three quilt designs.  I really want to start the king-size Rainbow Rows version later this year.  Jenni asked me to make a cot quilt so this little yellow and white Rainbow Rows came about.  All the photos are dull because we have no sunshine!  So much rain has been falling.

I love the backing fabric Jenni bought - fantastic Aboriginal design with touches of yellow so it really suits the front.

Karen quilted it over the weekend with lovely clouds - the curves are a great contrast to all the little squares.

Working with yellow makes me happy.

Quiet Weekend

No trip to Sydney this weekend after being up there during the week so I had plenty of time in the sewing room to sew Frolic together.  Good weekend for sewing as the weather was pretty miserable. The quilt top turned out bigger than cot size because I wanted to use up as much of the fabrics as I could.  Finished putting it together on Saturday afternoon.

Then I found another strip of black and white fabric so decided to swap the white rectangles near the bottom for more stripes.  Much happier now.

This is the cute backing fabric.  I'll make the backing tonight and give it to Karen tomorrow night at stitching to quilt.

Picked up an Aloha Girl charm pack and a pack of older Fig Tree fat quarters from Karen on Thursday night to add to my stash then finished cutting out Fresh from Camille Roskelley's "Simply Retro" book on Saturday evening and sewed up one block yesterday afternoon.  These blocks are huge at 24" finished.  So nice to be working with larger pieces of fabric and using up lots of favourite Fig Tree fabrics with Kona Snow for the background - love this milky white colour.  Very much looking forward to making more of these blocks - it will be a lovely scrappy quilt.

Late Saturday night I cut out fabrics for another design - Swell, also from "Simply Retro" using a jelly roll of pretty batiks I've been saving for ages with aqua Bella Solid background.   Think I'm going to like this one too.

New Quilts

Weekends are way too short these days.  Had a trip to Sydney on Saturday to spend some time with ChaCha while Elizabeth and Matt went out for lunch then had a lovely with visit with dear cousin when she came over to meet the baby.

Lots of catching up at home on Sunday then I could spend some time in the sewing room later in the day.  Sewed a couple more Fireworks blocks this week

and have started stitching the last block for Little Chicken Feather.  A few frogs in this one.

Spent a bit of time cutting out - another Frolic quilt - this one will be red, navy, black and white.  I'm waiting for a feature fabric to arrive - it will add a lot of fun to the quilt.

And I've also started cutting out Thimbleblossom's Fresh quilt from her Simply Retro book using Fig Tree fabrics - I had a few charm packs at home and lots of smaller pieces to use up.  Looking forward to making Fresh.

Tuesday I had to go to our Sydney office for the day.  Great view from my colleague's office.

And yesterday had a flex day and playdate with ChaCha.

Easter Sewing

Had a lot of sewing time over Easter as the weather was yukky on Good Friday so with "Gilmore Girls" Series 4 in the dvd player, I spent all day in the sewing room.  First up was putting the small Whitewashed Cottage quilt together - it's lap size.  Some of these fabrics are so pretty but very pale.

Our stitching group is making "Shortcake" this year.  Mine is being made out of loads of Fig Tree fabrics and, of course, I decided to make the extra large version - 122 blocks.  The first blocks were finished later in the weekend

and I made a start on the second blocks.  The background fabric is a Moda Bella Solid called "Butter" - it's a lovely soft yellow, even though it looks cream in the photo above.

Saturday afternoon was spent with the stitching girls - always lovely to catch up and see what they're making.  We also were able to see a quilt being quilted on Karen's longarm.  At night I've been stitching some chickens - very appropriate for Easter.

They are for the bottom row of "Little Chicken Feather" - prefer the chickens to the little piggies in the original quilt.  Stitching the last block now.

Easter Sunday was spent with the family - we had a great time at the cafe in Centennial Park - such a magnificent day.  Perfect early autumn weather.  And on Monday, after some gardening and other jobs, was Fireworks day.  About time I got back to this quilt and made a couple more blocks.  This will a very bright quilt.