feathers and pebbles

Jul26

Even though I have tried not to start any new project and finish all the UFOs I have on stock, I could not resist to try paper piecing. I wanted to make some pillow covers for a good friend of mine. It is Mary’s birthday end of this month. I thought it was time to try out a pattern I had for some time on my mind : Feather Bed Quilt by Anna Maria Horner. I must admit I really enjoyed working on this project. The block with 2 feathers is 18″ x 18″ finished and it makes an ideal size for pillows.

When I thought how to quilt the pillow covers I gathered that free motion quilting is the only choice. I copied the shape of the feathers with a brownish thread and went for a pebble pattern for the background. As I haven’t done free motion quilting for some I changed my piecing foot to a free motion foot and started practicing on some scraps. I am happy with the result, free motion quilting requires a lot of practice. I have some days off in August and practicing free motion quilting will be on the top of my agenda.

Here the 2 different pillow covers :

A quilting detail – copying the feather shape and pebbles for the background :

For the back side of the pillow covers I choose a beige/gold fabric and a zipper closure :

Hope you are having a wonderful summer, Barbora

black, white and grey pillow covers

Jul12

Over the last few weeks I have worked on my “mystery” blocks and today I can show you the right side of the pillow covers. This is my first time to work with black, white and grey. It was something else, but I do prefer bright colors.

There are 6 different patterns, all quilted in straight lines with the walking foot and a zipper closure. The size is 20″ x 20″; only the Dresden Plate pillow cover is 18″ x 18″. All pieces are put together with a decorative binding in matching fabrics.

You can find the pillow covers listed for sale on my Etsy shop.

Enjoy the summer, thanks for stopping, Barbora

more pillow covers

Jul3

The hot summer weather has come to Spain very quickly. At this time of year I prefer to work on smaller projects – or even Christmas projects to get at least the “cool” feeling. I have opted once more for quilted pillow covers. My friend Kate has moved into her new house and I wanted to surprise her with a small gift. She loves bears and I have seen this wonderful pillow pattern at Sometimes Crafter. So last weekend I have started with the base cutting different red fabrics by Kaffe Fassett. Using the zigzag stitch I have sewn the blue and green bears on to the quilted base :

And a collage with some more details of the two bear brothers :

My other project was to make a set of blue pillow covers. I have joined the front and the back of the pillow covers with the normal quilt binding technique.

I have redecorated my sewing room. At this occasion I had to take everything out of the room and I found out how much material and UFOs I have. For the rest of the summer I shall finish all my half-way-through projects before starting anything new!

Thanks for the visit and happy sewing, Barbora

charm pack pillow covers

Feb22

Finally I have finished the second lot of pillow covers using a charm pack. This time my choice was Lulu by Chez Moi for Moda Fabrics in combination with a nice solid orange. All pillow covers are 20″ x 20″ and have a zipper on the back. I have made 4 different pillow covers : pinwheel, broken dishes, half-square triangles and hourglass.

And a collage with all the plants that have flowers in this windy February.

Have a nice week, Barbora

charm pack + 1

Feb10

After finishing a few large quilts I wanted to make something much smaller. So what possibilities do I have? Mini quilts, place mats, table runners or pillow covers. I went for the last, bought a charm pack from Moda Fabrics Persimmon collection and a matching very light brown or dark beige solid fabric. I have not worked with charm packs yet, but I had an idea what I want to make. At the end I pieced 4 pillow covers with one charm pack and a meter of solid plus the fabric for the pillow backs. All pillow covers have slightly different sizes, starting from 16″ x 16″ and ending with 20″ x 20″. So here are the 4 different patterns for the charm pack pillow covers :

half square triangles
zig zag with half square triangles
hourglass
broken dishes

pillow cases made with persimmon charm pack

Why charm pack + 1? Easy answer – I needed 43 pieces of 5″ squares to complete the 4 pillow cases. As a charm pack has “only” 42 pieces I had to get one more square. I found a matching solid fabric on my stash. Bet that you cannot find the “extra” charm square!