I just finished this quilted jacket that I started back in April and I am excited to have it done! It was actually more challenging than I had anticipated, partly due to working with a diagonal stripe. I managed to use up the fabric I had purchased with only scraps left over, and still achieve the stripes going the correct direction! When I first purchased this fabric, I couldn't quite envision how it was all going to come together, but I am pleased with the result.
It's funny how different "quilting" seems when you are going to wear the final product! Color choices and pattern selection take on a whole new dimension when you put the item on, instead of hang it up or lay it on
a bed! :)
My favorite part is actually the back. The pin weaving was a first for me and even though I have heard many quilters groan in protest over the process, I rather enjoyed it! I am thinking of ways I can incorporate the weaving into my fiber art pieces as well. Pretty neat!
Our local guild hosted a member challenge:
1. A miniature quilt, no larger than 16" x 20"
2. Must have at least four blocks that are 4" square or less.
3. Must use red and white fabrics.
Ever have a pattern that you've wanted to make for some time, but haven't gotten around to it? What you see on the left is my solution to that dilemma and my entry for the challenge! :) It is the Wheel of Mystery pattern and is normally pieced. My blocks measure two and half inches square. To accommodate the small size, I machine appliqued the pieces that create the circular pattern. At first glance, you may only see the "flowers" in the center of each block. If you keep looking, circles do in fact appear. Can you see them?
If you couldn't see the circles in the picture above, you will definitely be able to see them in the picture on the right. I quilted the circular pattern and continued it into the borders.
This was indeed a challenge, but I'm so happy with my results! Did I win? Nope! That's okay! I still accomplished my own personal goal of completing the project and I didn't even have to buy anything for it! Using up scraps from my stash is always satisfying!
So now I have a challenge for you....pick something you've been meaning to make for a while, but haven't because life has gotten in the way. Once you finish it, make it a present to yourself! That's the hard part, isn't it? For those of us that create, we often bless others with our abilities and we seldom keep anything we make. Well, I still believe in giving to others, but sometimes, every once in a blue moon, it is fun to keep something we make too! :)
Look at the blessing I received in the mail from my mother-in-law! She currently lives over seas and is very excited about my work. I had asked her if she ever saw any silk that was reasonably priced, because it can be so expensive here in the US (if you can even find it!). I mainly wanted scraps to experiment with because I rarely use yardage of any kind. She emailed to tell me that some was on the way, and a few days later I received a box, bulging at the seams with silk! Imagine a mix between a kid in a candy store and a quilter in a fabric store and that's about how excited I was!
The pictures don't do the colors justice (which is usually the case), but trust me when I say the colors are luscious and the textures are phenomenal. I took another picture of a couple of my favorites close-up. You can see the tone-on-tone embossed floral designs. In person, they are somewhere between a deep purple and violet. Just beautiful! Now I''m off to experiment with some of it. :)
Today, I got the opportunity to do a program for a small quilt group in my local area. I talked about batting scraps and what we can do with them. You know what scraps I mean, right? The ones we can't seem to part with, but aren't big enough to use in a quilt. Here's what I came up with:
1. Applique: Cut shapes out of plain or dyed batting and use traditional applique or needle felting techniques to adhere them to your project.
2. Trapunto. If you have elements in your quilt that you would like to be "puffy", use a scrap of batting to quilt just the motif. Then layer the entire quilt as you normally would and quilt.
3. Miniature Quilts. No need to cut large pieces of batting down for small quilts, instead, save your scraps!
4. Book and Jounral Covers. Pick your favorite fabrics and piece together a cover. No lining fabric is needed. Quilt the fabric to the batting and the batting will glide over the cover of your book.
5.Needle Books. Great for storing and transporting hand or machine needles, these handy little carriers have "pages" made out of felt, or in this case batting. Organize and store your needles on different pages.
6. Construction. That's right you can actually use the batting to create with. The photo above is a small snowman pincushion (the little guy stands about 3" tall) that I made out of 6 and 4" circles. Just think how cute a teddy bear would be, made out of dyed batting!
What else can you come up with?
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