Monday 6 January 2020

EPP coat finish

Hi All

In July (winter here) my MiL requested a colourful patchwork jacket, I told her she could have one for Christmas as it would take a while to make, of course I decided to make it using the English Paper Piecing hand piecing method.



The request was for lots of colour and no black or white - well it's definitely colourful, but there is some black and white and I don't think that that hurts at all.



I started this back in September and have been slowly stitching it since then and am really happy with the way it has turned out - bonus, the MiL liked it too!




Lots of pictures to follow showing some of the details



I know the sleeves look short, here in Qld Australia the winters aren't too cold and when I asked how long she wanted the sleeves she indicated elbow length - this was a compromise!




I used the Simplicity 8298 pattern and just ensured that I created sections that were big enough to cut the pieces out of one at a time.



I didn't even consider matching the hexies when cutting the pieces, happily the front looks good with the hexies sitting at the same height, the back doesn't look quite so good, but definitely something to consider next time!




I enjoyed making this and would certainly consider making another - but maybe not with EPP ;)

Thanks for popping by
Vicki

Sunday 11 August 2019

Irregular Patchwork Quilt Finish

Welcome,

I have to start by saying I love this quilt and really wanted to keep it, though it looks like I will just have to make one for myself.

Prepare yourself for lots of photos!


I have considered making a quilt with embroidered sections for a long time to mix my passion for both


I actually started making this in January 2018 for a friend, but as we approached the middle of the year and her birthday I realised it wouldn't be completed and instead made the irregular patchwork cushion as a gift which matches this quilt


The quilt then got put away and resurfaced in January 2019


Working on this quilt the  ramped up as her 50th birthday was in May of this year

A lot of the embroidery was inspired by the fabrics that I was using  but others  represent parts of my friend


This quilt represents
- who she is with worsds such as friend, daughter, sister etc
- her dog with paw prints
- her awesome handbag collection with a selection of bags
- our shared love of visiting prize homes with a little house
- her new home with the postcode


I started by creating 6 blocks and embroidering in all of the white squares in these

I then started creating sections to join the bloacks and to increase the size of the quilt

It was at this stage as her birthday was drawing nearer that I thought I may have bitten off more than I could chew


In the last 6 weeks I had this quilt in my hands at every spare minute and there were a lot of late nights and early mornings


I finished the quilt off with hand quilting to match the cushion I had given her last year

I didn't feel that I could machine quilt it after spending so much time on it, besides, it had to match the cushion she already had!


Each finished small square in the quilt measures 1.5 inches


The quilt finished at 61.5 x 63 inches, the perfect size for snuggling up under


Many hours of work went into this and it would have to be the quilt I am most proud of


I work a little feehand, so I literally drew each pattern straight onto the quilt block with a fabric pen and then embroidered them with colours to match the fabrics



I backed the quilt with a variety of fabrics from the same fabric line as the fabric used on the front


I bound it with a simple baby pink binding


And of course I finished it with a hand stitched label - these are actually on the front of the quilt



I am glsd to say that my friend loved it and it was only 2 weeks late for her birthday!


Thanks for popping by
Vicki

Monday 29 July 2019

Completed Barely There Quilt

Welcome!

Today I'm shareing the finished Barely There Quilt


I sandwiched it with a simple teal spot backing fabric


I'm finding it really hard to get great pictures of the colours. The teals are a little more vibrant but they are soft colours

I quilted this quilt with simple 'in the ditch' quilting in every seam


Finally I bound it with a nice simple grey brushed cotton - a favourite of mine!


The finished size of each rectangle is 2.5 x 4.25 inches  and the finished size of the quilt is 48 x 52 inches

This quilt has been listed for sale on Etsy

Thank you for popping by

Vicki

Wednesday 3 July 2019

Completed Jumper

Welcome!

I have completed my first ever jumper! And I have worn it!



I used the Winterly pattern by Suvi Simola on Ravelry.



I chose this pattern for a few reasons:

  1. it is a top down pattern which means you can try it on as you go, which is a good thing as I had to adjust the pattern - more about that in a bit - and no sewing seams!
  2. There is a lace pattern which meant it wasn't just knitting in the round where I might easily get bored


I'm not good at guage swatches and I knew my guage wasn't right before I started so I adjusted as I went!
I began the with the correct number of stiches for my size but added additional rounds in the dark grey section to make the jumper wide enough and long enough to reach under the arms, in hind sight I think I made this a little wide, but the length is good.
I also added a little extra length.


The lace pattern wasn't too complicated and kept me interested.


As I was knitting hubby seemed to think I should be knitting a jumper for him - I guess that will have to be one of my next projects.

Happy Knitting all

Thank you for popping by

Vicki

Saturday 21 July 2018

Barely There Quilt Top Finish

Welcome,

When I posted my finished jumper last week I found this draft post which has obviously been here a while as this quilt is well and truly finished - I'll share the finished quilt soon

I have completed another quilt top.


I am enjoying the movement in the pattern with the mix of rectangles and half square rectangles


There wasn't really a plan for this, instead I spent quite a bit of time moving blocks around on my 'design floor'


The fabrics used were from the first ever bundle I bought at the beginning of the year with fabrics by Rosalie Dekker, I fell in love with the muted teals, greys and pinks straight away


This was my first time sewing with half square rectangles, sewing them together was no problem, but I hadn't taken into account that the shorter edge would need a wider seam allowance to allow the points to match up!


The quilt finishes at 45 x 54 inches
made up of 216 blocks finishing at 2.5 x 4.5 inches
There are 153 rectangle blocks and 63 half rectangle blocks


Now I just need to find a suitable backing fabric and quilt it!


Thanks for popping by

Vicki