Power Quilting!

I never seem to follow quilt patterns exactly, so I decided it would be nice for a change! The quilting book Simple Comforts by Kim Diehl  was one of my first quilt books (and still one of my favourites), and I have always loved the quilt Twilight Hopscotch (if you click on the book link you can see all the quilts in the book). I ordered some fabric that was on sale and it came last Thursday.

It was lovely to know exactly what to cut out with out figuring it out by myself.

I started piecing last Sunday, and because cold weather was in the forecast for the week I decided to challenge myself to make a quilt in a week (I have done it once before, a long time ago - probably the last time I followed a quilt pattern too!).

By Wednesday it was all pieced and ready for quilting. I tried a 'new-to-me' batting - Tuscany Cotton Wool blend by Hobbs (80/20 blend). It was nice to quilt on my sewing machine, but I don't think I would quilt a full size bed quilt with it - it is heavier than just wool or silk. It will be interesting to see how it washes - it is supposed to get softer with repeated washings.

sewing the last few stitches for the binding

Finished the machine quilting today.

The quilt is 61" square, with 12" blocks and 2" sashing and outer border. I am really pleased with how it came out and it was a fun experience.

Have a great day and thanks for stopping by!♥︎

BOM Blocks

I am participating in two block of the months this year.

These are the blocks so far for the Yankee Diary BOM from Barbara Brackman's blog Civil War Quilts. This month's blocks are the 5 Double Tie blocks. They are 6" blocks. Some of my blocks so far are just the correct size of background fabric since I haven't decided what I will appliqué yet (I'll decide when more of the blocks are finished).

These blocks are for the Welcome Home Mystery quilt from Kathleen Tracy (A Sentimental Quilter) - she posts the instructions on her Small Quilt Group on Facebook and Yahoo. The latest are twelve 3" Nine Patch blocks. I also added the border to the house block - the block is now about 15".

Thanks for stopping by and have a great day!♥︎

Some Recent Finishes

A quick post to share some recent projects -

I finished up the table mat from my last post (I pieced the blocks on International Quilting Day). The mat is 12"x28", with 4" Courthouse Steps blocks. I went with this layout, although I preferred (as well other commenters from the las post) a different layout, but I realized it would be the same as the quilt on the couch -

I free motion quilted an all over meander design.

A couple of knitting finishes using yarn that I dyed and spun-

A sweater made with all kinds of fibre - linen, 2 breeds of wool, 2 types of silk, bamboo, alpaca and tencel. You can see more information and photos on the Ravelry page. This was my own pattern.

A simple cowl knit with silk and merino. The pattern is Botanical Cowl by Megan Goodacre, a free pattern on Ravelry.

I also finished weaving a piece of fabric that I plan on making a vest with - kind of scary cutting it up, but it should work! Technically not a finish yet. It is made with yarn that I dyed and spun also.

Have a great day and thanks for stopping by!♥︎