A Finish: Sapphire Mini Quilt

I made this mini as part of the #igminioz swap being run over on Instagram. The finished mini has a gemstone-like quality, so I have named it "Sapphire".

My partner said she liked (amongst other things) blue, orange and stars.. I think I ticked those boxes...

While scrolling through Pinterest waiting for inspiration to hit I stumbled across the Shoeman's Puzzle pattern. I was struck by the geometric design and the prismatic effect of the alternating light and dark colours. I couldn't find a pattern anywhere so I decided to draft up my own. I went down the paper piecing route as I find it gives me the best accuracy.

Originally I had planned to make the mini in light and dark blue, but then I played around with the idea of broadening the colours I used to try and get a gemstone effect. I love that look (especially this quilt). A quick bit of colouring with the kids' pencils and I had a plan.

When making this I realised I have a LOT of smaller pieces of fabric (smaller than a fat quarter). I had to use more prints than I had originally planned, but that worked out ok. I think it gives a bit more depth than all the same print. I also had loads of off cuts that were biggish and I hates the thought of wasting them.  They were all a bit random as the were just the trimmings, but I got my improv on and pieced them together into a largish mug rug (or smallish placemat, take your pick).



My first effort at improve. I just couldn't bear to throw away those scraps. It was quite liberating to just whack everything together and quilt random lines. I ended up quite loving the result, to my surprise.



The final package of goodies I sent off.

So here are the quilt stats.

Name: Sapphire
Dimensions: 24" x 24"
Inspiration: Shoeman's Puzzle by Denyse Schmidt
Method: paper piecing, self drafted templates
Fabric: various from my stash, Kona Snow for the background
Backing: Orange fabric from Spotlight
Binding: Dulcette in Bluestar from Color Me Retro by Jeni Baker (as an aside, can I just say how much I love this fabric as binding, I think it really makes the quilt pop).

This crosses one thing off my Q2 FAL list. 

Q2 FAL goals

So it's time to set my goals for Q2 for the FAL. 

First off, here's what's left from Q1:

• Alder skirt
• Swoon quilt
• Cargo Duffel
• Lucy hobo

And then the new goals. I'm going to divide them up by category like I did before. 

Minis / swaps

• IG mini oz swap
• Aussie Tula Pink swap
• AHBC April 
• AHBC May
• AHBC June

A Garment a Month

• Well there is the Alder skirt that rolled over from last quarter. To that I am adding:
• Sutton blouse by True Bias
• Bianca top by Madebyrae

Realistically, I think that is plenty for the quarter. I am not signing up for any more swaps or bees for a little while as I really want to finish off some of the quilts for me! I think the second half will have a big quilt focus. 

Linking up with Adrianne for the FAL linky party. 

Q1 2015 FAL Check in

Right....time to see how I have gone with my Q1 FAL list.

This quarter I finished:

• My Schnitzel & Boo Mini Quilt swap
• My Rainbow mini quilt swap
• January Handmade Birthday Club
• February Handmade Birthday Club
• A Wiksten Tank
• A Bess top
• Scrappy Union Jack baby quilt

(My rainbow mini all bundled up)

Not bad at all, me. That leaves the following goals to roll over into Q2: 

• Alder skirt
• Swoon quilt
• Cargo Duffel
• Lucy hobo

There will be some more to add to the list too, but I'll write up a proper post later.

Having a list is definitely helping me stay focused and get stuff done! 

A Garment a month: March - Bess Top

Ok, I know you are wondering what happened to February, right? I'm claiming my Roly Poly for that month. It might be small, but it's still a garment.

Anyway, this month my infatuation with Imagine Gnats patterns continues, this time grown up size. For March, I made a Bess top. I'd seen this on Pinterest in different versions and thought that I'd give it a go. I liked that it didn't have sleeves to set or darts in the bust (I'm starting off easy, remember?). 

I had a panel of Nordika fabric by Jeni Baker that I loved and was reluctant to chop up. Plus I (still) have a load of that sheer chambray, so a Bess top they were destined to become. 

Now, I stayed up late last Thursday finishing the top so I could wear it Friday and I got instant gratification. A complete random in the park came up to me and said she liked my top and where did I get it? Ka-Ching! Doesn't look handmade then. Next up I got a compliment in my local quilt store. Double Ka-Ching!! So clearly I must make more clothes. 

Slight downer was the discovery of this hole later in the afternoon

But I stitched it up and it seems to be holding so far. 

I made the pattern pretty much per the instructions with the exception of using a knit to bind the neck / arm hole / hem. I didn't have any on hand and I didn't want to buy some just for this, so I used the finishing method from the Wiksten tank and bound it with the chambray. 

Next time round I think I'd like to try French Seams down the side. I don't have an overlocker and I think a finished seam looks so much nicer than pinking / zig zagging. Plus I think it may be a bit sturdier construction for people that have small children hanging off them. I suspect that the pinking may have had something to do with that hole...I don't know for sure, but the seam looked a little skinny there post pinking.

Regardless, it was a quick and easy sew. The pattern says intermediate because of the sleeves wrapping around requiring some thinking (I thought ''I have to do what?'') but I just went ahead and sewed and it was pretty straight forward. I would definitely not class myself as an intermediate garment sewer and I had no troubles following this pattern at all. I am pretty happy with how it all came together and I think there are more Bess tops in my future.

This is also my finish for March ALYoF (I was #40 in the original goal linky). Now I have to start planning for my garment for next month.

Sierpinski Mini Quilt

Back in the day (a long time ago) I got myself a math degree. One of the subjects I had to study for the degree was called Topology and Chaos (hi Professor Morris!) and in that subject I was first introduced to the Sierpinski triangle.

Now, the Sierpinski triangle is way cool for a whole load of maths reasons, but in addition to that (math pun unintentional) it is also very aesthetically pleasing. Ever since that first introduction the ST (as I am going to call it, it's onerous to keep typing it out) has remained in my mind as my boring meeting doodle of choice. Late last year I was at a work conference, so loads of doodling to be done, and as I sketched out a ST I thought "could I make that a quilt? Even better a rainbow quilt?" And so this quilt was born.

This is my mini for the Rainbow Mini Swap in Instagram (check out the #rainbowminiquiltswap hashtag for some eye candy) and also a finish for my Q1 FAL list. 

So the deets...I paper pieced the smaller triangles. Having never sewn triangles before I didn't want to lose all my points. Then once the smaller triangles were pieced I did regular piecing til it was all stitched together. All in all it came together pretty fast.

(PS: isn't my quilt holder cute? Lucky it's a mini since Ms Moo is a shorty. She loved being my "assistant").

I quilted in the ditch around all the coloured pieces and then I echoed the pieced pattern in the background using Aurifil in white. I am quite happy with how this came out. First, I think it looks pretty good and secondly I managed to do it so that I did not have to bury one single thread. (well, one, but only because the bobbin ran out). Every time I quilt something I definitely feel myself improving.

I backed it in this awesome rainbow stripe from Spotlight (why oh why did I only bu one meter? At least I managed to get a few strips for binding) and bound it in this Lotta Jandsotter print from her Sylvia line that I bought on sale a while back for binding.

The finished mini is approx 24 inches x 36 inches (shhhhh, don't tell the mini quilt police - I had some quilt math issues).

Princess Twilight Sparkle cushion

This week one half of the power duo who are the namesakes of my blog turned five.

Ms Moo is going through a high intensity My Little Pony phase and so I thought I would make a MLP cushion for her. I asked which was her favourite which resulted in her naming all of them, so I made an executive decision to make Princess Twighlight Sparkle. 

I got the pattern from here. It is paper pieced and finishes at 10 inches square. Let me just say that there are a lot of teeny tiny pieces in this. See that eye? Twenty six (!!) pieces. Still, it was relatively easy piecing and I banged it out in a few nights. The process was greatly expedited by sticking pins through the end of the sew lines and marking them with a heat erasable pen. With the number of pieces and dark fabric there was no way that holding it up to the light in the garage was going to work. 

I backed it with fusible fleece to quilt as a few of my seams were quite scant and I thought that might give the pillow some extra longevity. Of course, I backed it with the Mustang ponies - there was really no other choice. I put a zipper in using this tutorial from Svetlana at s.o.t.a.k handmade. This was the first time I have used binding on a pillow and I love the way it turned out. 

So how was it received? With a maximum of excitement. The only gift that topped it was the Rainbow Dash play doh thingie. I did get told that it was missing the horn, but that hasn't stopped it being slept with every night since her birthday. I would count this as a success. That level of excitement about a gift is definitely one of the things I love the most about being able to sew. 

March ALYoF Goal: a Bess Top

Last month, I cheated a bit on my garment a month challenge and made my little one a Imagine Gnats Roly Poly out of Wee Wander fabric. Technically, it is a garment, just not one for me...

This month I am back on the wagon (so to speak) and making something for myself. Another Imagine Gnats pattern - this one a Bess Top.

I have seen a few of these on various social media and they look quite flattering and comfortable. Hopefully also a relatively easy make. I am trying to ease my way into more complex garments.

I just cut my fabric. I am using one of the panels from Jeni Baker's Nordika line. I remember when this first came out and I was so in love with it. I bought a fat quarter bundle and then one I got came with half yards of the two panels. Perfect for the front of a top! The back is the same lovely chambray I used for the Roly Poly.

(Crap photo, sorry, but it was midnight when I took this so I wasn't up for getting a better one)

I hope it suits me because I will be cross if I have wasted this lovely panel!

This is my March goal for A Lovely Year of Finishes