A Playmat Quilt

I've had this in my 'To Finish' pile for almost a year now and it started life as a single bed quilt for someone else's birthday.  But that birthday came and went and another present was needed as this quilt took much longer than I anticipated! 

L is rolling around and is outgrowing the room she has available under her baby gym. With our wooden flooring I wanted to give her something softer to roll onto. I also wanted to make something that she can use in the garden when (if!) the weather gets nicer. The finished quilt measures 1.2m by 1.2m so she has a bit more room! I actually had 16 finished panels and was going to make a 4x4 panel quilt but decided that this was going to be too big so it became a 3x3 panel instead. I've used another panel to make a matching cushion which has been useful in protecting L's head as she learns to keep her balance. (I've still for 5 panels left so if you fancy a cushion let me know!)

I still don't own a walking foot so had to quilt by hand. I purchased a large embroidery hoop and found quilting around each star really quite relaxing. It did take a while so I decided to machine stitch the binding on - I was getting desperate to finish!

But I'm thrilled with how this looks even if it has taken forever to complete. I'm now planning a King size quilt - although it could be many years before I get to complete it!

A Patchwork Cushion

I've finished L's quilt top and because it originally started out as a larger project for someone else I've got some panels left over. I also had a cushion pad that needed a cover so I decided to use one of the panels to make a cushion cover. L isn't sitting yet so I thought a matching cushion for her quilt will be useful. (Mind you by the time I've finished the quilt she'll probably be leaving home!) 

I didn't have a pattern for this (or a zip!) so I made a cushion with an envelope opening based on the measurements of the cushion that I had. Because it was all straight lines it was very easy to sew and, even with having to make some adjustments to ensure it fit the cushion pad, it took me less than an hour to make. This doesn't include the time it took to make the patchwork pattern though but if I want to make some plain cushion covers in the future its good to know it won't take me long! I've also got some ideas for presents so this was a good practise! 

(Please excuse the creases on the cushion - it was used before I got a chance to take pictures!)

I really do plan to get the quilt finished soon. I did start to machine quilt but I haven't got a walking foot for my machine and after a brief attempt I have decided to hand quilt it. My plan for the quilting will also look nicer with longer stitches. Watch this space!

How to... make a coffee pot cozy.

After making the 9 patch quilt block last week I decided to use it for something practical and make a coffee pot cozy.

1. Sew two 9 patch quilt blocks together.

2. Layer the two 9 patch quilt blocks with wadding and backing. I used the same blue material as I used in the 9 patch block. Pin together.

3. Quilt the layers together. I decided on a diagonal criss-cross pattern in blue cotton so I could see how accurate I was (not very! I need to get a special tool to help me with this. I’ve seen in in my local sewing shop so will add this to the list of crafty things I need to purchase!). Then Trim to make the edges neat and easier to stitch the binding on.

4. Sew on the binding.

 5. Sew on a button...

6. ...and a fabric loop …

7. All finished!

All ready to keep my coffee warm.

How to... make a basic 9 patch quilt block

After making a basic quilt recently I realised how much I have to learn about quilt making. I decided to do a bit of internet research and see where I should start. So armed with my fabric stash I'm going to practice some different quilt blocks before I attempt my next quilt. This week I've made a basic 9 patch quilt block and this is how I did it: 

1. Cut fabric into equal width strips. You will need 3 strips in each colour. (I was aiming for 5 cm squares in my finished block so cut 6 cm width strips to allow for a seam allowance of 1/2 a cm).

2. Rearrange the strips as shown in the photo below.

3. Sew the strips together and press the seams flat. (I need to practise my seam allowances as I've actually ended up with a 4 cm width strip!)

4. Next cut the sewn strips.

5. Rearrange the strips again as shown below and sew together to form the 9 patch quilt block. Easy! 

My plan is to sew two of these blocks together and make a coffee pot warmer so watch this space!

A Cot-Bed Size Quilt

Front

I've finished my quilt! The fabric arrived 3 weeks ago and after the planning and preparing all the pieces I've put them all together. It is not quite the idea I had in my head but for a first quilt I am really pleased with the finished product. I really wanted to finish this for T's birthday so I have probably rushed this and I need to learn how to do some things properly (binding for instance!!).

Back

There are lots of things I need to practice. My Grandma has just given me her fabric stash so I'm going to use that to make lots of smaller projects and single blocks before I attempt my next quilt. I think I am also going to follow a pattern for my next quilt. 

Folded Up Quilt

A Teapot Cozy

This is a birthday present for someone who loves her tea! I also wanted to have a go at quilting something a little bit smaller before I quilt my son's quilt together later in the week. I've already worked out they I need to have plenty of pins in place to prevent bunching of the fabric on one of the layers so I'm glad I've had a go at this first.

I used Messy Jesse's Blog to make the cozy. Mine is a little bit wonky! The fabrics were cut exactly the same so I think they got wonky when i sewed them together. I need a little bit more practice sewing curved lines! 

Hopefully the recipient won't notice the mistakes!

My Top 5 Online Fabric Shops

Often when I'm searching for fabric online I find fantastic designs but then I realise that they are based in the USA or Australia. With the exchange rates the fabric seems to be cheap but when you add on the shipping costs it works out to be really expensive. So I thought I'd share some of my favourite fabric sites with you - all UK based!

1. Emma's Fabric Studio: Love this site! Lots of modern fabrics with a very large choice.

2. Fabric Rehab: An excellent range of fabrics, including Japanese designs. They also have a shop in Dedham, Essex.

3. M is for Make: A smaller selection of fabrics but they also sell a range of sewing patterns.

4.  The Cotton Patch: A huge range of fabrics, quilting equipment, and haberdashery.

5. Patch: Selling everything to meet your quilting needs!

Update:

6. Plush Addict: Super quick delivery and their minky fabric is so so soft!

Have you got any sites that you'd add to this list?

Preparing The Fabric For My Quilt

After some research on the internet and reading a few other blogs I followed these steps to prepare the fabric for my first ever quilt! (I'm sure there are some technical terms that I should be using so apologies to those who know them!)

Step 1. Wash the fabric. If this is not done first you risk your finished project shrinking or the colours running together. I wasn't prepared for the amount of fraying that would occur during the the wash though. 

Step 2: Iron the fabric - This is important to ensure that the fabric can be measured out properly. 

Step 3. Square up the fabric - I cut the edges of each fat quarter to ensure that when I cut out the blocks they would all be squares rather than slanted squares!

Step 4. Cut out each of the blocks. Because this is my first quilt I decided to keep things simple by cutting by largish squares to stitch together. (This quilt was my inspiration.) To have 15cm square blocks, my 10 fat quarters gave me 60 squares (with fabric left over to make a cushion cover!). The quilt is for my son's toddler bed so this should (in theory anyway) be enough to cover the bed with some overhang. I will need 3 more blocks so have cut these from white fabric I had in my stash.

Next step is to sew them altogether!

To remember for my next quilt (and there will be one as I'm finding quilting to be quite addictive!):

1. Cut a little corner off of each section of fabric before washing. This will not stop the fraying completely but should prevent most of it. 

2. Plan the quilt a little more carefully before purchasing the fabric

A Hand Stitched Patchwork Ball

After making a duvet cover for my son I though that it was only fair that I made something for my daughter! I attended an afternoon patchwork class last year and made a pincushion with the traditional paper technique. I found the technique really relaxing and, because it was all done by hand, I didn't need to get the sewing machine out. Attendance on the course meant that I received a free copy of Cath Kidston's "Patch" which is filled with patchwork projects using different types of patchwork,  so I chose the patchwork ball so I could use the paper technique again. (So this isn't strictly a New Thing as I have completed something with the same technique but I've never made a ball before!) 

The cutting out of the pieces of fabric and the paper templates took a while - I really need to invest in a rotary cutter to make this process quicker - but the sewing together of the pieces didn't take that long. I completed this project in three evenings. 

If  I made this again I would want to think more carefully about the positioning of the different fabrics. I used six different fabrics to make the two halves of the ball that I then sewed together but having made both of these the same, the finished ball has the same fabric together in two different places. (You can see this in the photo with the dark pink fabric). This might not bother some people but it just looks odd to me.

I am fairly happy with it but my daughter is only 10 weeks old so it will be a little while before she plays with it!