Josie in Pink: A Memorial Quilt

I sure do enjoy the Bloggers Quilt Festival put on every year by Amy Ellis of Amy's Creative Side. There are many, many beautiful quilts to admire - grab yourself a cup of tea or coffee or whatever and take some time to enjoy them.

My entry to this year's festival is called Josie in Pink. My dear friend and coworker Nicole lost her sweet Schnauzer furbaby Josie last year, and we talked about my making a memorial pillow or quilt. I presented the quilt to Nicole this past weekend so I can now share it with you!

Nicole's decor is pinks and greys so I fired up good ol' YouPatch and played with a photo of J-Doggie, colouring it in pinks with a grey background.

Josie in Pink measures 36" square, and the smallest of the pixel squares finishes at 3/4"! A feat of precision piecing to say the least. The piecing was intricate and time consuming but I'm so happy that all of the pieces came together beautifully.

I admit this quilt sat basted and unquilted for a loooong time while I pondered how I wanted to quilt it. Finally, I settled on two all-over patterns: one in the background using grey thread and one in the pink using pink thread. I am really happy with the results.

When I finally decided how I was going to quilt it, it came together very quickly.

Can you believe this backing fabric was just sitting in my stash? The colours match exactly - a completely serendipitous discovery! Obviously, it was meant to be.

I hope you enjoyed your visit here as well as the other lovely quilts that are being shared as part of the festival!

Blogger's Quilt Festival 2016 (Original Design): Points East

Points East is my second Blogger's Quilt Festival entry for 2016. I'm entering it in the Original Design category.

I made this to enter into one of the MQG's fabric challenges. MQG members could sign up to receive a half-yard cut of Riley Blake's Sashing Stash print, which contains different motifs that you can fussy cut or strip cut or whatever you'd like.

I began by mulling for quite a while, and finally settled on a design that incorporates a wedge. Here are the beginnings of my experimentation:

When I decided I liked it, I went ahead and pieced the top, keeping in mind that my niece was expecting her second baby later in the summer and that I wanted this quilt to be for her so I kept it at baby size.

Notice at the bottom of this picture that the selvages are still visible. When I piece a quilt using fabric cut WOF (width of fabric, selvage to selvage), I don't tend to trim the selvages off first unless necessary. For instance if the pattern required precise piecing, I'd definitely trim. But in this case, I was putting the top together on the fly and I knew I'd be FMQing it. So, I left the selvages alone and trimmed after quilting.

Speaking of quilting, I quilted it with free-motion designs using my Juki 2010Q, which I love.

Binding was made with the leftover challenge fabric and voilà! A 40" x 50" baby quilt I called Points East because the wedges kind of look like direction arrows.

Thank you so much for stopping by my blog. Feel free to cruise around and take a look at what I've been up to and definitely make sure you visit the Blogger's Quilt Festival to feast your eyes on the beauty of hundreds of quilts!

Blogger's Quilt Festival 2016 (Modern): Dancing in the Moonlight

Hello! I believe the Blogger's Quilt Festival is in its 6th year - amazing! Thank you so much, Amy, for putting it together! This small quilt is the first of my two entries in this Fall's Blogger's Quilt Festival.

Dancing in the Moonlight was pieced improvisationally. I enjoyed leveraging the contrast of the purple against the neutrals to play with the two parts of the quarter-circles. I shared the quilt on social media when I finished it earlier this year for a challenge. Well, I *thought* I'd finished it. 

After looking at it for a while longer, I realized I wanted to add some hand stitching to increase the texture of this quilt. Using Aurifil 12 weight cotton thread in a creamy white colour (2310), I added several lines of stitches about ¼" away from some of the machine quilting lines (done with Aurifil 50 weight in white).

NOW it's finished. 

I'm experimenting with the side of our new house as my new photography spot.

The fabrics are all Northcott Colorworks Solids in the colourway dictated by the original challenge. I totally loved what came from having a restricted palette and a restricted amount of each fabric to work with. I'll have to try that approach again, I think.

I've decided to put this into the Modern category. Go and see the many, many amazing quilts that are being shared as part of the festival at this link: Blogger's Quilt Festival.

Bloggers' Quilt Festival: Modern Scraps

Welcome to my second entry in the Bloggers' Quilt Festival hosted by Amy Ellis of Amy's Creative Side.

Modern Scraps is a cute and quick project I made using some strips I'd cut for a different project, but didn't end up using. I really, really love how the combination of brights with dark grey makes the colours pop.

Measuring just 16" x 22", this wee quilt was one of two I entered in the Vancouver Modern Quilt Guild's Modern Mini Showcase. VMQG was the "featured artist" at a local traditional guild's (Vancouver Quilters' Guild) quilt show this past weekend.

I pieced strips of solids randomly then cross cut and rearranged to complete the centre panel. The two strips top and bottom were added because they were left over and needed a home. Quilting is simple wavy lines, echoing at random widths. 

BQF Category: Mini quilts
Quilt Dimensions: 16" x 22"
Designed by: Me
Quilted by: Me, with 50 weight Aurifil thread in dark grey

Thanks for stopping by!

Bloggers' Quilt Festival: Selfie

Welcome! The first of two quilts I am entering in the Bloggers' Quilt Festival hosted by Amy Ellis of Amy's Creative Side is Selfie.

 

I designed this quilt with the help of You Patch, a website that not only converts your photo to a pixel quilt, but gives you the Kona Cotton solid colours to match it as well!

Measuring about 35" square, this quilt began as a photograph I took of myself and subsequently put through a black and white filter on Instagram.

It came together quite quickly , and even though those small squares finish at 3/4", I was delighted that my seams all matched up and the quilt was pretty square and flat once I completed it!

 

There is more on this quilt (including more close-up photos of the quilting) in my original blog post here.

BQF Category: Small Quilts
Quilt Dimensions: 35" x 35"
Designed by: Me, with help from You Patch
Quilted by: Me, using Aurifil 50 weight thread in black, grey and white

Thank you for stopping by!

Blogger's Quilt Festival

There is always a feast for the eyes over at Amy's Creative Side when the Blogger's Quilt Festival is on! I'm happy to link up The One That Got Away in the Original Design Quilts category.

I love this quilt, I really do. It was made on a whim and it's easily one of my favourites.

More details about it are in my original blog post, but this quilt came together as I tried out a piecing technique to create those wonky-pieced rectangles.

The decision to have one rectangle be The One That Got Away came to me as I was putting it all together, and I love the whimsical element it adds to the quilt.

It is quilted with Aurifil 50 wt in two sets of concentric circles to emphasize the design. I'm proud to say that this lovely will be hanging in Quilt Canada's National Juried Show next month!

Enjoy the festival and thanks for stopping by!

Bloggers' Quilt Festival: Miss Kate in the Stars

Have you seen the wonderful quilts that are being shared in the Bloggers' Quilt Festival over at Amy's Creative Side? They're awesome!

I've already shared one quilt in the Large Quilt category, and now I'm sharing a little something in the Mini category! Regular readers of my sporadic blogging have seen Miss Kate in the Stars before, but since we're allowed to share two quilts, I thought I'd share this lovely again.

I made this for Jade (Stitch Mischief) in a mini quilt swap we did at the Vancouver Modern Quilt Guild. More details are here in my original blog post, but Jade loves Bonnie and Camille so I was so happy to put a charm pack of Miss Kate to good use in a quilt for her. The design is a block by Judy Martin called Star Struck, which I adjusted slightly so that I could use the full charm squares, and so that I didn't have to figure out flying geese math. The mini is about 18" square.

I am particularly happy with the quilting I did on this quilt. Lots of loops, and some feathers, too.

Thanks for stopping by and I hope you enjoy the Festival!

Bloggers' Quilt Festival Fall 2014: Liberty Goes to the Circus

I do so enjoy the Bloggers' Quilt Festival hosted by Amy Ellis twice a year at Amy's Creative Side. She rounds up great sponsors and creates a fantastic online quilt show for our viewing and inspiration. It's wonderful!

My BQF entry this year - in the Large Quilt category - is called Liberty Goes to the Circus.

I was gifted a half-dozen packages of Liberty of London tana lawn fat quarters by my neighbour who's in the clothing design business. He'd had them hanging around in his office for a while and one day offered them to me. I could barely squeak out a thank you, knowing what I did about how precious Liberty fabric is.

I paired each FQ with a coordinating Kona solid...

...and used this tutorial to create a total of 42 St. Louis 16-patch blocks. I hoped that the brightness of the solids would unify the disparate patterns and backgrounds of the various Liberty fabrics.

I do believe the solids did their job of unifying the whole thing. Having said that, however, I'm reminded of my sister and brother-in-law's first home that had different coloured carpet in every room in the house (colours included burgundy, purple and royal blue) and she commented that it seemed like the previous owners used "Circus" as inspiration when they were choosing their décor theme. Which is why I'm calling this Liberty Goes to the Circus.

The quilt is the biggest I've made - 87"x101" and I wasn't able to use my usual strategy of pinning the quilt to the wooden arbours in our courtyard (seen above) for photography purposes. Instead, I had my husband hang it over the railing of our top balcony.

It's free-motion quilted with an neutral(ish) Aurifil thread in 40 wt (colour 2324) in a petal/leaf motif in each square.

The backing is a fabulous Martha Negley print plus a little bit of Jay McCarroll Habitat and an extra block.

I was originally going to use a dark solid of some kind as binding, but instead I went with a favourite "neutral" of mine - Kona Curry. It is a surprisingly versatile shade, and provides a nice pop of colour there (like this thing needs more colour ha ha) along the edge. Plus, this lighter shade will wear a little more nicely than a darker fabric that will fade after many washings.

I puffy heart love this quilt, and it's mine alllll mine. Except when the kid steals it for afternoon reading/snuggling purposes.

Thanks for stopping by for the Bloggers' Quilt Festival! This quilt is entered in the Large Quilt category.

Blogger's Quilt Festival (Throw Category): New Wave

Hello! A special welcome if you're visiting because of Blogger's Quilt Festival - I sure do enjoy these online quilt shows that Amy has organized!

I always seem to have a finish very close to Blogger's Quilt Festival but I never can wait to share it so I end up (re)sharing something that is pretty recent. Oh well! I invite you to click on the tab under my header called Quilts - it will take you to a gallery of sorts and you can check out my other stuff if you like.

Here's New Wave! This project was begun in January 2011, about a year after I started this blog. I cut out all the pieces and then the project sat in a plastic box for more than two years (!!!!!) before I finished it. It wasn't an urgent finish - like for a birthday or birth of a baby or what have you - so it kept getting bumped from the to-do list by other, more urgent projects.

But I never stopped loving the fabrics or the design (by Elizabeth Hartman of Oh, Fransson!). So I finally just made the time to finish it up and I'm so glad I did.

The back is two of my favourite Ikea fabrics - I love their fabrics because they're inexpensive and extra-wide.

Thanks for stopping by and enjoy the rest of the Festival!

Quilt Size: about 60"x67"
Category: Throw

Bloggers' Quilt Festival - Fall 2012

Hello! If you're here for the first time, welcome! If you're a regular, welcome to you, too!

I truly didn't think I'd get a quilt done in time to share, but the stars aligned this past weekend and I got lots of time to finish up one of my WIPs.

I'm calling this quilt Land and Sea and it's my own design (patttern coming soon!). These photos are the pits - sorry! - but it's that time of year.

I've had this quilt backed and basted for a long time, but the quilting stumped me. I asked for advice, and got some great suggestions but I admitted to myself what I had known all along: that this quilt needed some funky FMQ.

I'm really, really happy that didn't rush the quilting like I usually do. I was willing to spend the time needed and I'm super pleased with the results. I still need a lot of practice, but I'm satisfied for now.

Like those plume feathers? ME TOO! I am so happy with how they turned out 

(thank you, Free Motion Quilting by Angela Walters!)

I used my beloved Aurifil thread. The blue and green are 40wt, and for the first time ever, my machine and Aurifil didn't see eye to eye. The clattering was so bad, I was afraid I was doing permanent damage so I switched to the white 50 wt in the bobbin, and it solved the problem but I was so sad that I couldn't use the coloured thread in the top and bottom!

I pieced the back in a pattern that echoes the front. I likey. The fabrics are Kona solids in Chartreuse and Turquoise, and the binding is a black and white check I found in my stash.

This quilt is destined to be given to Siblings Together, a charity devoted to bringing together siblings who are "in the system" and have been separated from their siblings.

Blogger’s Quilt Festival Stats
Linky #439

Finished quilt measures : 44" x 60"

Special techniques used : Quilt is my own design.

Completely Free Motion Quilted by me on my Bernina 145.

Best Category : Favourite Throw Quilt, Favourite Home Machine Quilted Quilt

Thanks for stopping by, and please do go and see all the gorgeous quilts on display at Amy's Creative Side!

And I'm also linking up to Sew Happy Geek's Manic Monday and Quilt Story's Fabric Tuesday linkies!

Bloggers' Quilt Festival

Hello and welcome! I hope you're enjoying the Bloggers' Quilt Festival - a wonderful collection of beautiful quilts from all over the world!

I'm sharing my most recent finish for this BQF, Rainbow I Spy. It is a quilt for my 4-year-old daughter since she's outgrown the Hungry Caterpillar quilt I made her a couple of years ago.



I wanted this quilt to be fun, but able to grow with her a bit. I do like the idea of I Spy quilts but all those novelty prints can sometimes run the risk of being too young-feeling after a while.

Beginning with 6½" I Spy charms grouped by colour (including black/white), I double-framed them with strips in matching and complementary colours. Then, I arranged the blocks in ROYGBV order, inserting the black & white/white & black blocks before the R and between the Y and G. I'm really pleased with the outcome.

 

And so is my daughter, who hasn't let me take it off her bed long enough to stitch on the label.

I'd say it was a success!

Thanks for stopping by, and enjoy the rest of the Festival.