a noteworthy quilt

I received a surprise package in the mail from Sew Sisters in thanks for participating in their Kona challenge- remember the pregnant doll tutorial?  Included were some more Kona solids and a charm pack of Noteworthy by Sweetwater.

Now, normally when I get new fabric, it sits out on the kitchen counter awhile so I could look at it, then progresses to the desk in the craft room, eventually to be put away in the appropriate storage bin in the Closet of No Return. Then, much later, I find it, wondering why I have never USED it?

Not this time.

It was no sooner out of the envelope than I tore into it and sewed it into a patchwork baby quilt top.  Just. Like. That.  I kid you not, the top was sewn and pressed within 20 minutes.

While I was at it (and totally because I was too lazy to clean up and put away my machine),  I grabbed a scrap of batting, my 505 spray and a piece of perfectly coordinating Nicey Jane dots (rescued from The Closet) and basted that baby.  Continuing on, I decided to quilt it with some pretty free motion flowers, one in each square, to add a little something to the simple patchwork.

I especially love how the quilting looks against the backing.

The binding is a pink with loopy flowers as well, just made for this quilt.  This stuff is from my local Fabricland, and has been hanging in The Closet since my very first quilt, almost 3 years ago!  I attached it and finished hand sewing it on that night while catching up on trashy t.v.

So there you have it, the story of a quilt, made in less than a day, completely unplanned.  Noteworthy, I think :) 

Ghastlies quilt is finished!

It's done!  Muahahahahaaaaaa!  (Did that sound evil?)

This quilt has to be the most "unnecessary" quilt I have ever made.  And the most fun!  It all just fell into place so instinctively, and I enjoyed every minute of the process.  Let's face it, normally I utter more than a few curse words in the quilt-making process,  but this one was smooth sailing!

Truth be told, I don't even really like Halloween.  But when I was introduced to Alexander Henry's The Ghastlies while at Sewing Summit last fall, I loved it, and bought a half hard with no particular plans.  I started making some wonky blocks with it last fall, inspired by Thumbelina's quilt.  I thought I would just make a wall hanging, but as the blocks accumulated, I ended up with more than enough for a quilt, especially once adding the wonky border- this thing finished at 65 by 75 inches!

Once the top was made, I instantly had visions of quilting it with a large, sprawling spiderweb. The epicentre is to the top left of the quilt (you can click on the photo to enlarge and see the quilting better).  I used a thick Aurafil thread in a yellow-orange shade so that the quilting is quite pronounced.

 I used the same thread to topstitch the binding for continuity.

I even love the back- found this perfect spiderweb fabric at Fabricland on clearance for $3.50/meter.  Score!

It was Canadian Thanksgiving yesterday, and we headed out to rural Manitoba to have dinner with The Hubs' family.  This "Haunted House" is just down the road from their farm....all perfectly rusted and falling down!  Even the day was grey and rainy and desolate...perfect for photographing a Ghastly quilt.  I have to give a shout-out to The Hubs for climbing over barbed-wire fences, avoiding the multiple cow patties, and patiently holding this up in the rain while I gleefully took photos!

Wishing you a SPOOKTACULAR day!

Shared at Quilt Story and linked up to A Ghastly Gathering at alidiza, which runs until October 28!

"the July post": 3 finished quilts!

Wham! Betcha weren't expecting THAT after my long radio silence, eh? Haven't made it to the blog (or visited many of my faves in a bit....hello, friends!) but I did manage to pound out a few quilts in the last few weeks, and have 2 more on the brink! Instead of separating them into individual posts, I thought I would bypass the foreplay and just do one Kristie-style rambling post with the three of them, and call it a month ;)

Quilt 1: laid my granny to rest


Finally finished off my granny square quilt, and I must say, as many have before me who have made this, I love it. It was made entirely by stash and scrap fabrics, including the backing and batting, so it was fun to resurrect some favorites from quilts gone by. I have never really made a block quilt before, believe it or not, and it went quickly....a block here or there when I had a spare moment, and suddenly there was a big enough stack for the top with what felt like no effort.


At first I wasn't keen on the backing fabric (from the Bell Bottom line by Jennifer Paganelli for Free Spirit), but in the end I think it is the perfect cheery match for the top. The orange binding, just from my local Fabricland and in my stash since my first quilt, was the perfect frame.


This quilt has travelled a distance! Twenty years ago, I did an exchange trip to Japan with a girl named Wakako (embarrassing photo was shown here). We have kept in touch over the years, and she visited and stayed with us for a week in early July, along with her husband and 2 children! We shared a frantic week that surely included every landmark in and around Winnipeg, and I think my favorite part was watching our children bond, despite not speaking more than a word or two of eachother's languages. Wakako's birthday was on the last day of her visit, so I gave her this quilt as a birthday/good bye gift. I got the response any quilter would dream of- happy tears and an exclamation that this was the best birthday gift she had ever received! Can't ask for more than that :)




Quilt 2: Children at Play quilt


I started this quilt way back, intending it to be a double sized quilt for on our guest bed. But, even though I loved each and every fabric and the pattern, I wasn't feeling it all together. Then I added borders and loved it even less. I decided to put it away for a bit until I determined where to go from there.

I found it again when cleaning out the guest/craft room in preparation for Wakako's visit. Then a lightning bolt struck- Last But Not Least is finishing up with our wonderful babysitter this summer before heading off to Kindergarten in the fall, and what could be more perfect as a thank you gift than a quilt containing Children at Play fabrics?? Upon inspecting it, I was clear that the borders had to go, so I picked them off, then recut the cute red floral fabric to use as a binding- much better.


I backed it with my favourite grey dot fabric, and quilted it in a soft stipple, my favourite, to get a nice crinkled effect. Voila! And now I love it. The End.



Quilt 3: a wonky baby quilt


Baby quilts are always a favourite for me as they come together so quickly and they celebrate something so special! I decided Esther Mae needed a quilt to go along with her Sunshine hoop.


Her mother is not a fan of pink, so I opted for some pretty blues, yellows and greys, made in a random wonky pattern using Kate's stack and slice tutorial. I opted to flip one block horizontally just to add some interest. I quilted it in a wonky, random, organic grid to match the style of the quilt and I love it.


On the back, I framed a strip of the wonky blocks on either side with my favourite grey dot once again. I applied some black fabric paint to stamps to personalize the quilt with her name on the back. I love the back as much as the front.


Then I did some hand stitched binding in one of my favourite fabrics of all time, from Hunky Dory...have to use it up sometime!



So that is a tale of three quilts. Now, I am off to enjoy summer skies before the snow flies (hey, that rhymes!). I will pop in again with some more projects eventually, in the mean time, take care :)