Thursday, April 21, 2016

My Daddy's Quilt

I put in the last stitch on the binding today and this quilt is in the wash as I'm typing. :) I can't wait to gift it to my dad.




I used a wave stitch on my machine to quilt it. I just followed the seam line so it's quilted every 2" or so. Of course I had to include my custom labels and my favorite PS I love you tags. My custom labels came from Mad Mad Graphics (they are the vintage care labels) and the PS I love you tags came from my local quilt shop.



Quilt Stats:
Fabric: Cycles of Life by Maywood Studios (top and binding)
          Spot On by Robert Kaufman (108" wide backing)
Batting: Warm and White
Pattern: Jelly Roll Race
Size: approx. 51" x 65.5"

More photos on my Flickr account

Wednesday, April 13, 2016

My latest embroidery finish

I recently finished this embroidery. I started it back in June last year and now it's finally done.

It's still on the Q-Snaps but I plan on framing it. This pattern is part of a four seasons series and I hope to complete them all.
All the raspberries are made up entirely of French knots! I ended up doing them last and I kind of wish I didn't. French knots aren't my favorite stitch and so it became quite tedious. But look at them, so worth the effort!
I did change up some of the stitches. I used very little stem stitch (I substituted with back stitch) and I added on to one of the bunny's ears, it just made more sense visually to me. If you look at the original pattern you'll see what I mean.
This pattern was a challenge to me. I've never worked with a single thread and made such tiny stitches before, but I absolutely love it. I highly recommend it, even if you are a beginner. Just go slow and feel free to substitute stitches if you're not confident on one (but don't be afraid to learn something new either). I'm looking forward to starting my next one, I already bought the winter pattern!

Stats
Pattern: "His Mercies Are New" (Summer) by Clementine Pattern Co.
Size: fits in an 8"x8" frame opening
Floss: all DMC, according to pattern
Stitches used: back stitch, stem stitch, chain stitch, French knot, lazy daisy, satin stitch, straight stitch

Check out my Flickr for more photos.

Friday, April 1, 2016

Alex's twin size quilt

I finished the quilt top for my son's twin size quilt. It turned out way more busy than I originally anticipated.



Even though it's very busy, I love all the fabrics in this. I have quite a bit of the older Sarah Jane fabrics, along with some Sweetwater, scraps from Joseph's quilt and other odds and ends. My son helped pick out quite a few of the fabrics and I filled in the rest. I think if I were to do it over, I would make the smaller squares more consistent. Instead of using low volume fabrics, I would use a solid white to break it up and give your eye somewhere to rest. Or just follow the pattern and use a color solid and a white solid. Just a thought.

I'm having trouble finding the perfect backing fabric so this one may be a while until it's quilted. But I'm hoping not too long.

Quilt Stats:
Pattern: Scrappy Summer by Cluck Cluck Sew
Size: 64" x 88"
Fabrics: Mix of Sarah Jane, Sweetwater, DS Quilts, and others

More pictures can be found on my Flickr with some close ups of my favorite fabrics.

Crinkle love: Feed Company BOM

My Feed Company BOM quilt is done! It already been washed and snuggled with. I'm in love with it!







I have more photos posted on my Flickr account but I just wanted to share a few of my favorite here. Marion did the custom quilting and I have nothing but high praises for her work. She is truly awesome! I loved the quilting done on the original quilt so she mimicked it on mine. I'm so very very happy with it. If you have a quilt needed custom work please look her up. You won't be sorry!

Quilt Stats:
Feed Company Block of the Month by Sweetwater Fabrics
Started: December 2014
Completed: March 2016
Quilted by Marion McClellan

For those curious, the iron on designs do soften up quite a bit and get a bit more distressed in the wash. Just remember to wash them gently with cold water and let them air dry. After mine fully air dried I did toss it in the dryer for 10 minutes on low heat to soften it up a bit, but I wouldn't do more than that.

This quilt was part of my edited first quarter goals for the 2016 Finish Along. Well, 1 out of 3 ain't bad in my book. :)
2016 FAL