by Sherri Sylvester | Aug 8, 2015
I’ve been thinking about making my Grandma a quilt for a few months. When my mom was visiting in July it seemed like the perfect time. It would go a bit faster, (Thanks Mom!) and three generations could work on it – my mom, myself and my kids – as a gift for the 4th generation, my grandma! I picked a quick quilt pattern and we set to work.
My kids sewed at least one of the seams each, my mom cut and helped me with piecing and we basted it together. Then my parents had to leave and it sat for a little bit while I scrambled to put together a 5 year old’s birthday party and pack us up for 5 days away. Everything got finished last Thursday and I’m so excited to send it off! While I write this the girls are hard at work making a card for their Great Grandma – one they’ve never met, since she lives on the other side of the country.
I’ve always wanted to make a Giant Vintage Star Quilt. It seemed easy enough and fast enough that it was do-able and wouldn’t end up as one of my WIP quilts – I’ve got too many of them that are sooooo close to finished. I should really get on that! Turns out it was perfect. We sized the squares down from the fat-quarter-friendly 18″, to 14″ so as to accommodate the fabric available (more on that later). Turns out it is a great lap size anyhow, finishing at 65″ square. I was even able to quilt it myself.
The fabric for this project was all in my stash and already pre-washed. Of course good, because we were in a hurry! The white was a lightweight set of curtains, I think – that came with the same fabric I used for these Easter maxi-dresses. I was going to use it to make this set of blocks, but since it was needed here plans changed! I did order some white not too long ago from Double Decker Fabrics (now closed) and it will stand in for the other project. (Oh, and the label was from Double Decker as well!)
The top is Spring Bloom fabric by Bella Caronia – scraps from these self-drafted dresses for the girls. I ended up with quite a bit of fabric left over since I needed extra for fussy cutting. I over-estimated a bit since it was my own pattern and I didn’t want to run out! Turns out it was perfect, just enough fabrics for exactly creating the star on the quilt. My mom was amazing and scrounged like crazy when she cut the pieces. In the end we only had to piece one of the large triangles!
The backing fabric is super soft Art Gallery Fabric, Jeni Baker “Dreamin Vintage” from Fabric Spark. It was originally going to be a top for me, but when I saw it with the Spring Bloom colours it was perfect. The border (again, scrounged from scraps and even cut off grain to get enough pieces!) sets it off perfectly. Don’t tell, but I think the back is my favorite! The cream background on the Dreamin’ Vintage adds so much warmth! (It’s sold out now, since I bought it last year, but you can check out her other vintage inspired fabrics here!)
Now that it is done, it’s into the mail and me holding my breath that it gets there. Not that I don’t trust the postal service… but it’s a bit nerve wracking! And it has to travel across the country and over a border…. ack!
Reader Feedback: Have you sewn a generational quilt?
Disclaimer: Fabric Spark provides fabric to me at a discount, and I in return link to their shop when I post related projects.
by Sherri Sylvester | Jun 2, 2015
June is a good month! We are leaving to go on vacation tomorrow, school will be out at the end of the month – and it’s my month to pick the bundle for my sponsor Fabric Spark’s fabric subscription program!
This subscription features a bundle of 12 fat quarters from Maureen Cracknell, Very Shannon, Fresh Lemons, Blue Elephant Stitches, Modern Sewciety + The Tattooed Quilter, and me! It was finally my month pick a bundle, and so mid-May I visited Daryl from Fabric Spark and spend a couple of hours choosing my bundle. Not an easy task with such an amazing collection! In the end this fun bundle (loaded with my favorites and lots of Cotton + Steel!) was born and I decided to make a quilt with the bundle she gave me.
If you follow the blog you know I’m not a quilter – but I was determined to make something with all of these fat quarters in it. Because I put them together, so they must remain together! I sorted them by colour (there are 3 of each) and started with a “Trip around the World” in mind. Here’s where I went wrong….
- The groups of colours were not all the same value – ie. 2 dark navy and 1 lighter – they didn’t produce the nice even diamond shape I was aiming for.
- The bicycle fabric ended up all on one side because I made another newbie mistake – I wanted all of the fabrics “right side up”. This meant I needed to make each block with the diagonal lines going in the correct direction, and I couldn’t change them later based on how everything looked.
- The backing is going to be a (most gorgeous ever) border print, but the quilt is a bit larger – so I need to add to it. And since the quilting was going to be in straight lines, I have no idea how to pull off making the quilt top and backing line up so the lines are not crooked on the back.
- I have a navy backing and multi colourful front fabrics – which colour do I quilt in without ruining one or the other by having the thread show up “too much”?
Thankfully my friend Lisa (from Lisa in Port Hope) was over for our Sewcial and gave me a few tips that I think will help.
- Unless a quilt is hanging for a show, you don’t have to have everything to be right side up. You can lie under it whichever way you’d like, so aim for the fabrics to be right-side-up from the centre out.
- If I had not made everything right-side-up I could have moved the blocks around so the fabrics were spread out more evenly.
- Quilt on the diagonal to avoid having straight lines that are not parallel to any lines on the back.
I am not certain that I have solved the quilting thread colour issue. It was suggested that I use gray, but I don’t know that I want it to show up that much? Any suggestions?
Don’t get me wrong – I am not in any way sad or disillusioned about the quilt. I really LOVE the fabrics. It’s the picky details that are bugging me and I could have made it so much simpler by following the second list of “rules” above! (“Wasting” time gets on my nerves!)
I’m taking my machine and quilt(s) with me on vacation, hoping for a bit of down time during our 10 days off. If all goes well I’ll sort everything out and come back with a finished quilt! That would be fun!
Disclaimer: Fabric Spark is a sponsor of this blog. I was given this fat quarter bundle in return for this blog post. As always, my opinion is my own – thanks for reading!
by Sherri Sylvester | Apr 28, 2015
I’m tired y’all! I had an amazing weekend at Creativ Festival – but I think the amount of time and energy I put into getting everything ready is now showing – I haven’t even unpacked or pre-washed any stash yet! I’m going to post a review of the weekend, but first I’ve got a quilt for you. (And, if you are expecting an email from me about the weekend I’ll hopefully get it out tomorrow!)
This is one of the projects I made in collaboration with my sponsor, Fabric Spark – for use at Creativ Festival. It’s a blanket/play mat made using the Wee Gallery collection from Dear Stella. I’d already fallen in love with the front “Dress Me” fabric when Daryl suggested making this quilt for the show. (I’ve got a yard stashed away from when Daryl first listed it!)
After I got the kit I was totally smitten with the backing fabric – Wild – Alphabet! Would you believe it’s even got a “N is for Narwhal” on there? (If you are looking for the “Dress Me” fabric, this little quilt did its job and now Fabric Spark is sold out of the “Dress Me” print. You can still get Wild – Alphabet here. *EDIT: Apparently Daryl is all sold out of the Alphabet as well.)
The quilt is made using the free “Dress Me Up!” Tutorial by Modern Handcraft on the Dear Stella blog. It’s such a cute idea! The only thing I changed is to use coloured thread for the quilting. In an effort to make it unisex, I used pink, blue, orange, yellow, gray and cream – generally matching the colours on the Alphabet backing – but lighter. I had a false start with a few quilted lines in bright pink and darkish blue that “showed up” too much for my liking.
Using wool felt for the character’s clothing is such a great idea. My oldest has already been designing clothes for them with the left-over felt. I’ve never used wool felt before, and I was so pleased with the quality and feel of the pieces provided in the kit. You can get wool felt from Fabric Spark as well – they have wonderful names like “Pea Soup”, “Vanilla Latte”, “Fresh Linen” and “Bluer than Blue”!
I learned a good lesson from this quilt as well – a quilt does not have to be hard, or even pieced! This whole-cloth quilt was so simple to make – and the end result is so cute! My favorite part is the coloured quilting. I didn’t even use any fancy quilting thread.
My new motto more often needs to be “Simplify Your Projects” and “Done is better than Perfect”!
Your Turn! What is your favorite sewing motto?
Disclaimer: I received this quilt kit at no cost in exchange for it’s use at the Fabric Spark booth during Creativ Festival. All of my opinions are my own and I won’t take on projects I don’t believe in. Thanks for reading!
by Sherri Sylvester | Mar 7, 2015
Oof! I’ve found it so hard to stop and blog this week! I’m in a mood to just sew, sew, sew and not stop. I’ve made a muslin of the Sailor Top and Bess Top, started finishing my quilt, worked on my CBC logo pillow… Tonight I’m trying to sew up a quick Seafarer top, after I blog this of course (and I know, it’s late here!). Anyhow – the purpose of this post is to show you some pretty fabric and prod myself into getting started on yet another project (see below) – ‘cuz that seems like a good idea too!
For two months now I’ve been aiming to follow along with the Simple Simon and Co. monthly block tutorials. Since I’m a newbie at quilt blocks I figured it would be useful to practice making some of the more common ones. And, since I’m a creative person with too many “good” ideas, I’ve been trying to do that since January!
The good thing is, though, that I picked out a group of fabrics right away to use for this. I’m hoping that I can make 2-4 of each block and then put them together at the end of the year to make a semi-random quilt top. Who knows, maybe I’ll even get it quilted before Christmas?! (Just don’t hold me to it!)
The farther I get into these tutorials, I’m finding that it is a super-beginner friendly process. January – Half Square Triangle (HST) Block. February – Rail Fence Block. March – Square Block. Maybe too beginner-friendly for me? Not sure, but I’m excited to see what comes out at the end of the year. It’s very mysterious not knowing what’s coming next month!
I pulled out the Tula Pink fat quarter bundle I got from Fridays Off Fabric Shop at Creativ Festival in November 2013! Some solids and a few stashed fat quarters got added in as well. I happened to have a large cotton tablecloth that was gifted to me in a box of random fabrics to go with it. I’m excited to use the white throughout the quilt, I love how it makes the colours brighter.
So my quilt “sampler” will be a random bunch of fabrics from all over the place sewn from a bunch of random quilt block tutorials! If you are looking for something a bit more advanced, Caroline from Sew Can She has posted monthly blocks as well. You can find her tutorials within the others she has written, look for the words “Classic Quilt Blocks” on the photos.
I’m off to sew… again! I really hope to have lots of clothing for myself soon. It would be great to have a more handmade wardrobe!
Reader Feedback: Do you sew a lot of clothing for yourself? Do you have a favorite pattern you’ve used a lot?
by Sherri Sylvester | Jan 26, 2015
The title says it all… literally! I’ve made and photographed a dress with a gorgeous chevron pattern through the skirt (re: the ups and downs) – but more about that on Friday!
On a less literal note, last week was CRAZY on the sewing front. Everything I tried to make went haywire. Seam ripped threads were flying everywhere. I think I inserted the zipper on something 3 times. Note to self – don’t make a zip-up hoodie without sorting out the construction method first! On Friday I just gave up and cleaned my house.
Thankfully this week has been so much better. I took a bit of a brain break over the weekend and I’m happy to say that I am back! Today was much better and I was able to have one of the best photo shoots I’ve ever had with my oldest. I’ve yet to look at the photos properly, but it was all smiles and fun. SO Great!
I picked up and did a bit of quilt making again a few weeks ago. These photos have been patiently waiting to be published since then. I’m still working on my hourglass quilt since I received my blogger bundle from current sponsor Fabric Spark, last April. (edit: thought it was out of stock, but there are a couple still available here!) As you likely know by now, I am not a quilter. But I seem to have acquired about 7 fat quarter bundles that I have put together for future quilts, and I’m working my way through them. At this rate I will be done in 2024 or so. And by which time I will have stocked up on at least 35 more bundles. I may have to re-think my strategy!
Once I cut the “required amount” of squares, I was left with more uncut fabric than I was expecting. So, after I square up my blocks and calculate how big they will be once they are sewn together. I plan to decide if I should save the uncut pieces for the back, or if I add to the front. I’m trying to leave one night a week open to work on my quilts, I’d so love to see this finished!
We recently closed the giveaway for the book “Just for You” by Caroline from Sew Can She. This time the random generator chose Lori M. from Ohio as the winner. She will be receiving a copy of the book in the mail soon!
Hope your week has had a great start. Be back soon!
by Sherri Sylvester | Oct 14, 2014
It’s been a great relaxing long (Canadian) Thanksgiving weekend over here – extra long, if you count the fact that my youngest was home (unplanned) from school last Thursday, and Friday was a PD day so both kids were home. My husband and I spent much of the weekend planning and re-organizing our work space. We’ve both got a bit more counter space and it’s a lot easier to move around in our little 9′ square shared office. When it’s finished I’ll have to share photos and a little review of my new sewing machine with you. I’ve had it for about a month and I’m loving it!
I’ve been enjoying quilting lately, and thought I’d share my progress with this one today. I’m calling it a “proper” quilt – since it’s more than “just pieced squares” this time! Interesting side note – I’ve found that repetitive-block quilts are extremely relaxing. The difference between sewing garments and this type of quilt, is that a garment rarely requires the same instruction to be followed more than twice – once for the outer and once for the lining. And sometimes there is no repetition at all. Because of that, you are constantly checking the instructions, re-reading, sewing, and moving on to the next step. With the blocks in this quilt, you must follow the same steps over and over – creating space in your mind to ponder other things, tasks, life or just the process itself. Ahhhh….. (long pause while I remember relaxing!)
This quilt is a personal project, since it’s made with my blogger bundle from Fabric Spark. When they asked me if I would to create a bundle earlier this year I was over-the-moon excited and I knew it would have to become a very special quilt. This bundle and quilt mean so much, and are such a good reminder and encouragement along my bloggy journey. To be able to choose fabrics that I love and have someone put them up for sale. What an amazing opportunity, and I am still so grateful to have been chosen for it. (The bundle is available for sale here.)
I am making an hourglass quilt with these, using this tutorial from Cluck Cluck Sew. She calls it a baby quilt, but I am adding in more squares than she mentions, randomly using up every last scrap of fabric that I have – so we’ll see how big it is in the end! I’ve mostly used some light gray Kona I had around for the background pieces. But since I don’t have enough I’m winging it with a few solids in other colours – I can’t wait to add these in and see how it turns out! I also added two Bonnie Christine “Sweet As Honey” Art Gallery prints to the bundle fabrics to increase the prints, hoping to make this as large as possible!
I’ve yet to decide if I’ll add any borders to this and of course I’m not sure about backing and binding yet. But I think I’m supposed to choose that after the front is finished – so I’m getting ahead of myself! I do have quite a bit of Kona Charcoal from another project – so it might make an appearance later on – I’d love to find a good print for the back though. Makes it seem more cheerful I think! I can’t wait to get to spend some serious time making the little hourglass squares so I can lay them out, that seems like a lot of fun too!
Reader Feedback: Are you quilting anything right now? What project are you working on?
