cushion covers and a placemat

Nov21

Before starting to work on my UFOs and giving it a go to finish them, I have decided to piece a few smaller projects. What could be better to work on than a cushion cover or a placemat?! I have promised my colleague to make two cushion covers with the Bunny block from the Fancy Forest quilt pattern by Elizabeth Hartman. It is not the first time I have worked with this pattern. The cutting and piecing of the individual blocks is explained very well and easy to follow. I have a quilt top with one section of the Fancy Forest ready to quilt. I checked what sizes of cushion inserts are available and found the right size for the Bunny cushion covers : 30 x 40 cm / 12″ x 16″. The actual block has a finished size 8″ x 11″ and by adding the borders I got the desired cushion size.

I have quilted the cushion covers in a wavy pattern with the walking foot. My favourite quilting pattern at the moment! Thread used is Gutermann Sulky 30 cotton in light grey #1328, wadding is Quilters Dream Cotton Natural Select.

Both cushion covers have a zipper closure on the back.

The next cushion cover is knitted and it is for a charity auction. I have used one 100g ball of Aura yarn by Sirdar and the knitting pattern is called Chevron Seed Stitch. As I have mentioned before, I do like to knit, but only basic patterns. This is why I look for knitting patterns that use only knit and purl stitches. The cushion size is 16″ x 16″. The back is in a coordinated burgundy fabric and has a zipper closure.

The Chevron Seed knitting pattern in detail.

My last project over the weekend was a placemat inspired by Tomomi from Slaney HandCraft. This is and ideal project using fabrics from the scrap basket. The size is approx. 12″ x 18″.

The photo of the back shows well the quilting – straight lines with the walking foot following the seams. Thread is Mettler Quilting 40 #0959 in fuchsia.

And a close up of the quilting.

Well, hope you all have a good week,

barbora flower small skalabara quilts

Joan’s quilt

Nov13

Joan bought fabrics for the quilt of her choice, but due to an eye operation she could not start with piecing. She asked me to take over and finish the quilt.

The pattern is called Moscato d’Asti and Joan wanted a throw size for this quilt.I started piecing the blocks without purchasing the pattern. The block is straight forward and suitable for beginners, but precise sewing is of advantage. An ideal pattern for jelly rolls. Each block is finished 10″ x 10″ and consists of 5 differently pieced strips. The blocks sewn together make a nice star pattern. I didn’t add the outer borders as in the original pattern. The throw size is 74″ x 54″.I have quilted this throw with the wavy stitch (#4 on the Bernina aurora 440) using the walking foot. Thread is Gutermann Sulky Cotton 30.The quilt backing is a marbled purple fabric as well as the binding.

Thanks for visiting, have a wonderful week,

barbora

christmas and quilting

Oct30

Wow, hello everyone! I haven’t posted for some time, but this doesn’t mean I have stopped with patchwork or quilting. I have fully enjoyed my August holidays that I divided between 2 weeks in Prague and 2 weeks at home. I went back to work in September, both in the office and teaching patchwork and quilting. September was filled with visitors that came to see us after the hot months of July and August. With October nearly over I am slowly getting back to my normal routine.

Never the less I have worked in the meantime on a few small Christmas projects :

table runner

table runner size : 60″ x 18″; free motion quilted with meander pattern using Gutermann Sulky

A lady from my quilting classes send me a photo of a table runner with this design that she liked on Pinterest. As there was no pattern on the web, I started cutting fabrics and piecing until I got all the measurements right. It is a straight forward design, a table runner that you can make in an afternoon.

place mats

place mat size : 12″ x 18″; quilted with walking foot following the tree shapes with Gutermann Sulky

I found this pattern for place mats and a matching table runner in a quilting magazine, but can’t remember which one it was. It is quick and easy design with appliqué.

mini quilt version #II

mini quilt size : 23″ x 24″; free motion quilted with meander pattern using Gutermann Sulky

Below is a photo of version #I of the mini quilt. But I wasn’t satisfied with the design, I thought that the Christmas tree glass ornaments and the present boxes turned out too bulky. So I refined the design – see the photo above with version #II.

mini quilt size : 23″ x 24″; free motion quilted with meander pattern using Gutermann Sulky thread

Some older Christmas mini quilts that I made over the years and shall donate all of them for charities in our area.

Thanks for stopping, feel free to leave a comment, enjoy the rest of the weekend,

barbora flower small skalabara quilts

place mat with frances firefly block from the fancy forest pattern

Jun4

This place mat is the result of a Frances Firefly block that was not wide enough to use it in a small version of the Fancy Forest quilt. Precise piecing is a must for all blocks as well as accurate cutting and pressing. So that you do not end with a few more place mats.

I have decided to practice my free motions skills on this small project and got out some variegated cotton threads from Superior Threads : King Tut Quilting Thread. I have been using this thread for many years and I think that the quality is outstanding. I buy neutral colors in cones and color threads in spools.

But what free motion pattern? I started practicing an “eight” pattern on some scraps. After getting more confident I filled the wings and the body with the new design. Even though my Bernina sewing machine came with a BSR (Bernina Stitch Regulator) for easy free motion quilting, I prefer the ordinary embroidery foot. And practice, practice and practice …….

For the background quilting I used the pebbles pattern. It keeps the place mat nicely flat and smooth.

The binding fabric is a solid in bright fuchsia. Solids are my favorite fabrics for binding a quilt – it is like adding a frame to a nice picture. It should underline the quilt design, but it shouldn’t be the highlight.

I didn’t quilt the small colorful 1″ squares on top, they just pop up.

My next project is a second place mat with Hazel Hedgehog block, once more with free motion quilting finishing to match this place mat.

barbora

small fancy forest quilt

May29

When I first saw the Fancy Forest quilt from Elizabeth Hartmann I knew it was the right project for a wall hanging to decorate the spare bedroom. First I got the Hazel Hedgehog pattern and made pillow covers for kids in the family. At the Prague Patchwork Meeting I finally found a fabric collection that was the right one to start with the Fancy Forest quilt. The pattern is written very clearly, it is easy to follow. Precise cutting and precise piecing with a 1/4″ allowance is a must. It was fun work and finally I pieced all the blocks needed for the small version of the pattern. I have added the sashing and the quilt is now prepared for quilting.

fancy forest quilt - skalabara

Here details of the individual blocks :

fancy forest quilt 2 - skalabara

fancy forest quilt 3 - skalabara

fancy forest quilt 4 - skalabara

I wasn’t very precise with cutting and piecing with the upper firefly block and it turned out that it was a 1/4 inch narrower than it was supposed to be. I had to make a new one and changed the colors. I shall make a place mat with this one.

ff frances firefly thread

Now it is time to select a backing, make a sandwich and start quilting! A good project for the next week (or maybe weeks).

You are welcome to leave a comment, I appreciate it! Thanks for stopping by and have a good start into the new week,

barbora flower small skalabara quilts

skalabara quilts

modern handmade quilts and patterns

Category Archives: quilts

cushion covers and a placemat

Joan’s quilt

christmas and quilting

place mat with frances firefly block from the fancy forest pattern

small fancy forest quilt

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