Dresden Plates in Hoops

Hi all

I hope you have all had a wonderful week.

I spent half the day Monday finishing another Dresden Plate, this time the plate has curves.  In the class I did on how to make Dresden Plates we learnt how to make the template from scratch so I am pleased that the template was right and the plate came together easily.  I really love it and have decided to sew both plates on to fabric and place in an embroidery hoop.

I used a paper pieced hexagon from the same fabric as the backing to cover the hole in the centre.

I have 2 different size hoops so the Dresden Plates will fit snugly within them.  These are going to hang in the sewing room once they are finished.  I can't wait to add some colour to the walls.

I am linking to WIP Wednesday.

Pillowcase Dress

I have had this pattern for a Pillowcase Dress for quite a while now and never got around to making one.  On the weekend we had visitors who have a sweet little girl so Saturday morning I decided to whip one up for her.  I am so glad it was a simple pattern and was very easy to read.  I found the pattern at Viola Lee Patterns.

The fabrics were all my stash which was fantastic.  Normally I end up buying at least one new fabric each time I make something so I was happy not to need to visit the shops.

I am linking to Fabric Tuesday.

It's finished! Rapid City Quilt done...

So on Wednesday I promised to post the finished "Very Blue" Rapid City Quilt and so here it is!

My husband is extremely happy with his present and even went so far as to say he thinks it's the best quilt I've made so far, of course he's going to say that though :)  I was very happy though when I finished it and it was perfectly square.  That doesn't happen every time :)

To make it look a little more manly I got the step ladder out to take some photos.

For the binding I used a simple navy and white pinstripe which I wasn't too sure about before sewing it on but I am very happy with the way it looks having finished it.

I kept the quilting simple (mostly because I'm too scared to use the free motion quilting foot, I will one day though).  I started by sewing a diagonal from each corner of the quilt through the middle.  I put the guide on the walking foot and used those lines to follow the triangles.  So it's looking a little chevron or like an X but meeting in the centre of the quilt.

We are heading out for dinner tonight which will be nice.

 Hope you all have a fantastic weekend!

2 Blocks Down

I have had an exciting past week.  It started off with doing my first Marti Michell BOM at Sew This & That (my local sewing shop) on Thursday night.  I really enjoyed the class and got a lot out of it.  I got some tips for piecing accuracy and on using starch to hold my folds.  I also now have my machine set up to sew a scant 1/4 inch.  I think all of these will help with quilts I make in the future (cross fingers :)).

Below are the fabrics I purchased for the BOM quilt.  The quilt is called The Romance Continues and is a lot more traditional than you would normally see here.  I loved these floral fabrics by Tilda and then added in a few fillers to tie everything together.

I was so happy when the first block was completed in the class.  The second block I did at home following the instructions provided.  I am quite happy with how they turned out.

Waltzing Together Block

Champagne Toast Block

Next up was my mission to finish my husband's "very blue" Rapid City Quilt.  It is now finished and I will share with you the finished quilt on Friday after I've given it to him.  The top can be viewed in this post.

It turned out to be a really productive weekend although not a lot of sewing got done.

My sewing room got a massive reshuffle and the piles which included boxes and half finished projects, on the floor are gone so I can get in the room without needing to walk over stuff.  Normally a box of fabric would not remain that way too long as I usually pull them out as soon as they arrive, so I'm glad I was able to unpack it and can now see them all.  They'd been there so long I'd forgotten what I'd even ordered.  It feels like a space I want to sew in again which is awesome.

Hope everyone else had a great week as well :)


I am linking to WIP Wednesday and Fabric Tuesday.

WIP Wednesday Rapid City Quilt

I am pleased to share the finished top to the Rapid City Quilt  I started last month.  It's mostly blue as requested by my husband.  He really loved it when I showed him.  No surprises around here but only because I needed his help to baste it.  Since then it has sat on the dinng table looking at me and it even says 'quilt me!'.  I am hoping to finish it for our 2nd wedding anniversary but I may be pushing it since it's only a week away.

I used Elizabeth Hartman's pattern which you can find in her book Modern Patchwork.

I got started on a new yard sale wrap skirt,  I really love how easy these are to wear and with holidays not to far away I thought another one was in order.  You can see the last one here.

And lastly I did a sewing class at Sew This & That on how to make a Dresden plate.  We created our template from scratch with graph paper and template plastic.  I decided to try the pointed Dresden (i't seemed easier) to start off but have the template for a rounded one ready to go.  I am planning on make them into a mini quilt although they'd make cute cushion covers as well.

I am linking to WIP Wednesday and Fabric Tuesday.

Posy Quilt & WIP

It has been so nice to be back behind the sewing machine, even if it's only been for short periods at a time.

For the past week I have been finishing up the Posy Quilt and I have to say, it is super cute!  You can see more about the fabric used here.

The colours in the Posy by Aneela Hoey Layer Cake are gorgeous.  I used Cotton Couture Crocus for the binding.  I really love working with Michael Miller's Cotton Couture collection, it is so soft.

For the backing I used Sarah Jane's Children at Play On Parade.  It gave the backing some interest with the pattern running down each side of the quilt.

As with most of my quilts (except the ones I've kept) I've made a little drawstring bag to keep the quilt in when not in use.  I couldn't believe I found the exact same purple for the ribbon in the first shop I visited.

I really hope Sidney loves it.

I am still working on my husband's quilt.  I have now finished all the small blocks and am now in the process of piecing them together.

I am linking to WIP Wednesday and Fabric Tuesday.