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

curved log cabin block and new stash

Jul15

New stash is always exciting : these fabrics are from my friend Kate. She visited in Las Vegas not only shows, but also a few quilting shops. It is a perfect collection of blenders and patterns in bright hues.

The colors come together really nicely and it is a great addition to my stash.

new stash = new idea = new project

The other day I was on the internet looking what other fellow quilters are up to and I came across a curved log cabin block. Log cabin is always a versatile block with different quilt layout possibilities. But the curved log cabin block makes a nice optical illusion – it looks more like a circle than a square block. I just had to try this new variant of the classical block. What better could I do with the new fabrics I got!

17 different fabrics + white background + yellow binding later :

The result is a mini quilt measuring 19″ x 19″ with 4 curved log cabin blocks. This block type is ideal for a QAYG (quilt as you go) pattern, but the block should be larger, lets say at least 24″ square. This size is good for a cushion cover or for a throw. I have a few ladies attending my classes that prefer to work on larger, individual blocks and piece them first together when all blocks are quilted. I am starting to be an expert on QAYG patterns. At the moment I am revising my scribbles and feeding the computer with all the QAYG patterns I have written down in my paper notebook.

I shall keep this mini quilt, that I have free-motion quilted with a loop pattern, as a sample for patchwork and quilting classes. Over the last few months I have started preparing different patchwork blocks and quilting samples to show to my patchwork and quilting pupils.

For the next block I have pieced, I added one more strip. Piecing four blocks together and adding an outer border makes the block 21″ square.

Here a detail (trying to take a nice pic on a windy day)

The block is now larger, but still not big enough for a QAYG pattern. I added one more strip and this brings the block including the outer border to a size of 26″ x 26″; i.e. the quilt size is 78″ x 78″ when making 9 blocks.

More details on the curved log cabin QAYG project coming soon!

barbora

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

easy sewing machine cover

Apr26

My friend Kate’s birthday was coming quickly and I didn’t have a clue what to give her for her special day. With a bit of luck I found out that she doesn’t have a sewing machine cover for her new Bernina. Kate is a lover of all Kaffe Fassett fabric designs (same as me). So this was an easy decision to make : quilt a colorful sewing machine cover.

Fabric choice was all clear. But what about the pattern? Normal piecing, paper piecing or even appliqué design? At the end it was a n easy decision : I prefer colorful fabrics and easy patterns. So I took measurements of my Bernina and went for squares – charm pack size 5″ x 5″. A layout of 4 x 6 rows, i.e. 24 different squares all in bright reds, pinks and oranges.

After piecing the squares I made a sandwich and quilted the sewing machine cover with wavy lines using the walking foot. I have added 4 straps and the binding. Voila, here we have the finished cover. I have tested it on my sewing machine if the cover fits well. From the front :