Summer stitching and hooking!

Starting the new year with some Custom order quilts is a great way to get back in the swing of things after the Christmas break.  This brief was for a girly version of the the Koala Quilt I had made for a little man late last year.

The Koala fabric I ordered through Spoonflower - they are great when there might be something quite specific you are after.

I went through my stash to find an array of fabrics to go with the Koalas sitting in the trees.  With the top all complete it is now time to sandwich and quilt this cot size quilt.  

This cutie is called Roxy Long Socks - the pattern from The Red Thread is well written and the instructions are easy to follow.  I made this one for my God Daughter as a Christmas Gift.  

This quilt was also gifted over Christmas to my niece.  I love the checker board centre - well I do love squares!

With several projects finishing up it is time to get started on a new Crochet project.  

These luscious Cascade Ultra Pima Yarns that I bought from Tangled Yarns look so pretty when they arrive all wound like this.  I am going to make this sweet Granny Square Flower Bobble Blanket.  I have already started to make a few flowers so will update with some progress shortly.  

With the girls on summer holidays I am looking forward to some lazier days filled with crafting, coffee and just time to get ready for what I am sure will be a busy year ahead.  I have a long list of projects I am so keen to sink my teeth into.

Jemima x 

FIREWORKS !

A while ago I started this quilt - Fireworks by Thimble Blossoms.  I had been wanting to use some 1930's reproductions for ages and I thought this quilt design would be a great showcase for these patterned prints.  

Well fast forward many, many months and while the quilt top did take a little time to come together I was definitely the hand quilting that took me ages.  As I was making the quilt top I started to think about how I was going to quilt it and it just shouted "Hand quilting" to me.  I love Perle 8 threads and these Fincca threads were just divine to stitch with.

I started to quilt each of the stars with the same colour thread a 1/4 inch in from the fabric.  I had not thought about it to start but as I continued to sew each block and as I had used a white backing fabric I had unintentionally made a design that now is such a feature of the Back of the quilt.  I think I love all the hand quilting just as much as the actual front.  You don't really see the hand quilting on the front of the quilt unless you are close up.

I don't often make quilts just because.  With no shortage around my home for something to snuggle under I usually like to make quilts with someone in mind and for an occasion or special celebration.

But this quilt I just made because.

And I must say I am pretty stoked with how it has all come together.

Jemima x 

Strawberry Social all finished

Well my Strawberry Social Quilt is now all finished.  I was so thrilled with how it all came together and the combination of the bright pinks and reds that my little girl chose.

I sent it away to be long arm machine quilted by Carol of the The Quilting Cottage and asked if she had a Strawberry design that could be quilted all over.

I made an extra Strawberry block and added into my backing - I always love to put an extra little detail or something in my backing - just for some interest.

This week the latest Christmas Issue of Tickle the Imagination Magazine was released.  I was very excited as in there was a tutorial I put together to make this Large Cushion.  I love seeing projects that I make put in print and love sharing with others ideas to get creative.

I made some time over the weekend for some sewing "just because".  I often have orders and deadlines for projects so it is nice once in a while and getting in my sewing to sew to make something for no other reason that I want to.  I let both my girls into my Liberty stash and they chose some beautiful fabrics for me to make them some bunting each for their rooms.  

Jemima x 

Attack the Scrap!

This is my scrap bucket!  Being somewhat OCD - when my scrap bucket looks like this - my heart starts to race a little.  So the best way to attack it is to make something right!  

It was actually my little girl who started to pull it apart and she pulled out these coloured groups of fabrics. There was obviously a lot of pink, purple, aqua and then prints that featured several of these colours in the bucket.

Taking some of my stashed Grey and White Sketch fabric I started to sew the fabrics randomly to the sides, across on a diagonal of the squares that I cut from the Sketch.  Pretty soon I had a large pile of squares all ready to be sewn together.  

I played around quite a bit with the arrangement of the blocks making lots of different patterns with the way the points matched or were apart.  

I settled on this pattern and then set about sewing the blocks up into rows to now have a small quilt top .

Now for a border.

On a side note- after sewing up so many of the fabrics I started to really dislike the word "scrap".  Many of the pieces of fabrics are the last little pieces of some of my favourite fabrics so I decided rather than a scrap quilt I am going to name it a Treasure Quilt.

Jemima x

A finished Busy Bee Custom Order Quilt

I know it seems like I only do squares - I don't - it is just that lots of my last custom orders have all been squares and I just love them anyway.  This custom order quilt has now made it way to its new little owner that will be gifted for a special Christmas gift. 

I love the grey and white doily print in this quilt and teamed with modern prints like the chevron the colours of grey and yellow are so fresh.  I machine quilted it with straight lines to compliment the squares. 

And this just called out for stripy binding.

To add some detail into the backing I used this yellow and white Chevron print.

I love how these all roll up.

Jemima x 

A Special Koala Quilt

What else could an Aussie family living abroad want on a quilt for a new baby on the way - Koala's of course!

If you remember a while back I was ordering some fabric from Spoonflower as I had had a special request for a quilt for a baby on the way with Koalas on it.  Almost thinking that there would be little chance of finding Koala fabric with greys and whites that would be suitable for a new baby I was proven wrong.  Knowing that I had not seen any in any shop around after checking on Spoonflower this Koala fabric could not have been more perfect.

I love that the gender of a baby is a surprise but keeping quilts gender neutral can be a little tricky. I cut the Koala fabric into large squares and then made up nine patches in matching fabrics to make up this quilt.  The backing is a Michael Miller fabric and just matched the greys, aquas and greens perfectly.

The Grey and white stripe Bias stripe binding is from Tasha Noel's Little Red Riding Hood range.

So after winging its way to the States this special order quilt has made it to its new home to be received by a new Baby Boy.  

Jemima x

Working on some Custom orders!

Well the crazy busy that is school holidays (I love not having to make lunches) is over and now with the girls back at school it is time to get on with some orders.  So on the cutting table is this neat little pile of squares - shades of dark grey, light grey yellow and white.  

And all now sewn together for a little young lady for Christmas is the finished top ready for sandwiching and machine quilting.

Also going out this week were some more Personalised Santa Sacks for a little brother and sister.  I am sure Santa will be thrilled to fill these up on Christmas eve.

Jemima x