Circles Runner

 I recently had occasion to create another wedding table runner, so I thought I'd try my hand at a new design.  I've never used circles in my quilting designs, so I was excited to experiment with them.  In the end, I think it ended up simple, modern, and lovely.  I hope the couple likes it!

 I quilted random circles all over - a first for me - so I marked them in chalk rather than doing them free form.  It took a bit longer to accomplish than my usual method.  

 Here's the back.

 I used white thread for the quilting so it would pop on the back.

 And I had to make some coasters to go with it.  I think it rounds out the gift nicely.  Here's the front of them.

And the back.

And that's it!

Wedding Table Runner

I've been trying my hand at pattern-making recently and it's a challenge I really enjoy.  One difficulty in writing sewing patterns is that my style is so improvisational I have to take meticulous notes on what I'm doing as I go.  I'd rather just be diving in, so it goes a bit against the grain.  Another challenge is that sometimes (more often than I like), things just don't work out.  I usually have a clear picture in my head of the general feel of a piece.  Often I even make a sketch, but if something isn't working as I go, I change it.

This project is one of those cases.  I was going to make two pillows for my cousin and her new husband as a wedding present, but somewhere along the way, I was derailed.  What I came up with instead is this Wedding Table Runner.

 Because it was so improvised, I really couldn't write a pattern for it, but if you'd like to see more, check it out after the jump.

Fractured Rainbows

After a month of hard work I finished my first self-designed quilt!  It's a playful baby/toddler quilt with big swatches of color and since I didn't hate it when I was finished, I consider it a huge success!  River's school had an evening out for the grown-ups, complete with an auction to help support our search for a new space.  This was my donation to the cause.  I finished the binding Friday night, took some pictures Saturday morning, and handed it over that afternoon.  I didn't get to enjoy it in the house very long, but with two cats and two little kids, that's probably for the best.

The auction was a big success and the quilt is going to a lovely family, so I'm very happy.

As you can see, the pattern is pretty simple, but with just about a month to complete it, I wasn't going to attempt constructing a ton of complicated blocks.  I wanted to simulate a rainbow, but with a loose, modern interpretation (the deep purple on the bottom and binding photographed really dark, but it's not nearly that close to black in person).  Since I was able to use fabrics from my stash I didn't have to spend any extra money on it. (Which is really great considering how much money I spent bidding on other items last night!  I blame the free-flowing wine.)  

I love the back! I had just enough of the ecru fabric to finish - thank goodness!  The quilting was perhaps the most difficult part of the whole project.  Each block is quilted in matching thread, so up close there's a subtle rainbow affect on the back too.  The ecru sashing is quilted in parallel lines and all of the other blocks are done in concentric rectangles.  I marked it all out with chalk before I took it to my machine, and getting those lines to match up was quite a feat!

After a month of sewing exclusively for other people I'm ready for a project that stays in this house!  I recently picked up some fantastic Japanese fabrics and an adorable dress pattern, so I think Lila has something coming her way in the near future.  :)

quilted pillow

Getting back to my machine has been wonderful.  I was starting to go through withdrawals after a month and a half without it, so when I had some time last week, I plowed into the first project that caught my eye.  I've been dying to use this cute tree fabric since I snagged a fat quarter of it some months ago and these fabric boxes seemed like the ideal place for it.

After I decided what to make I realized my mother-in-law had a birthday coming up, and I knew these would make part of a great present for her.  I wanted to to something more, though, and with it being pillow month at Sew Mama Sew! my inspiration was easy to find.

 Since I first started quilting a little over a year ago, I've learned a ton.  Some of it by doing, but mostly by reading blogs and drooling over beautiful pictures.  I've tried a wonky improv quilt before (a table runner that I'm sure I would be horrified to look at now), and I wanted to try again, with a little more experience under my belt.

First I gathered some coordinating fabrics - using the tree fabric as a color guide - and cut them into random strips.  In the past my work has been a bit busy because I've neglected to pair any solids with the crazy patterned pieces.  This time I was conscious to use a minimal pallet and help the few patterned pieces pop.

 I sewed a bunch of random strips together into three rectangular blocks.

 I squared the edges and made them all the same length and width.

 Then I cut them into six even strips and chose my favorites.  (I'll save the others for another project.)

 Previously I would have mushed all those pieces together and made a hot mess.  But I've learned how effective it is to create negative space, largely by reading Elizabeth Harman's blog, Oh, Fransson!  I framed each block in white and squared it up.

 Then I added a green border and the pillow front was complete.  I added a big square of white to the back of this piece and quilted them together with meandering vertical lines.  That way, if the cover needs to be washed, the seams from all the patchwork wont fray and get ugly.  Instead of doing anything too wacky on the back, I left it a simple green (with an opening) and I was done!

I'm really happy with how this turned out.  If feels like most sophisticated work of quilting I've done so far, and it's given me confidence to keep trying new things.

just in time for goodbye

We've enjoyed the very close company of my brother-in-law, Kevin, his wife, Crystal, and my nephew, Finn, here in Cambridge for years.  But we knew our luck couldn't hold out forever and I'm devastated to say that in a few days they're moving on to - if not greener, then certainly more sparkly - pastures in Las Vegas.

Tonight we're throwing a goodbye dinner with some of their closest friends and I just finished up a project for the baby they're expecting in November to give to them this evening.  I'm pretty excited to present it to Crystal et al as it's probably the biggest hand-made gift I've ever made.  The little one should have a great time playing on this blanket until he's big enough to use it on his toddler bed:

The primary fabrics are technically germs, but I've broadened that out to a larger alien/space motif (inner space... outer space... it's all connected, right?).  Design-wise the gigantic log cabin couldn't have been easier, but I loved the fabric so much I wanted to keep it in large pieces. I think Crystal will love the colors and I'm not totally horrified at my first attempt at free-motion quilting, so I'm pretty pleased overall.

I think quilts will be rare projects for me since I enjoy piecing, but I really, really don't like quilting.  My husband had to clear the room of little ones because of the horrific stream of vitriol coming from my mouth as I tried to man-handle these gigantic pieces of fabric through my machine.  Uh-oh, kids, mommy is quilting.  Let's go to the playground...

But it's done and I'm happy. 

Now I just have to find a way to get along without Kevin, Crystal, and the boys in town.  If I thought quilting was hard, I can't imagine how difficult that will be.