zaterdag 26 januari 2019

Sheep in a Meadow Quilt Finished and Photographed

I told Lucas I would finish his quilt in 2018 and I did. I stitched the last of the binding on on the 31st of December, so he could take his quilt and cuddle into the New Year.

Sheep in the backyard!

The colours make me smile!

Bunny

Fleur

Captain Slow

Daisy (Madeliefje)

Amadeus

Buttercup (Boterbloempje)

Frosty

Little Bow Tie (Strikje)
The pattern for the sheep is from Farm Girl Vintage, by Lori Holt of Bee In My Bonnet. It's a really fun book, with 45 blocks, both pictorial and abstract or traditional. The instructions are really easy to follow and every block can be sewn at 6 inches of 12 inches finished size. What I really love about the book is the second section, with lots of setting options and different ideas of what to make with the blocks. The photographs are so lovely, it's just a nice book to leaf through, even when you don't want to sew anything. I'm really itching to buy Lori's newest book, Vintage Christmas, as well!

"What do you love most about your quilt, Lucas?" "How soft it is!"

I got Farm Girl Vintage for my birthday last year and immediately made a sheep block, without any real plan. And then the herd grew and grew and it became a quilt. I found a coupon at the Fairy Tailors in Tervuren that was perfect for a prairie point picket fence, a 100% cotton fleece that makes a wonderful backing and makes batting unnecessary, and free motion quilted it with stars and zig zags in the sashing and borders and just outlines of the sheep.

Chunky colourful scrappy binding.

I added a chunky scrappy binding which I absolutely adore, and a sweet label in the corner.

For my sweet Lucas, from mum.
And most important of all: Lucas loves it! He names the sheep before going to sleep and puts the quilt under his duvet, so he can snuggle against the fleece. And when he's sad, he hides under it for a good cry. He's a bit ill now, with a bad ear infection, so he uses it for comfort.

He's so cute!
Update on my sewing machine. I'm still ill today, so I had my husband drive me to the shop to fetch my machine after it had been serviced. I got home, tried it, and it didn't work! Ever since I got it, there have been problems with sinking and raising the feed dogs. When I took it in to be serviced the were stuck in the up position. When I got it back this morning I could sink the feed dogs without problems, but now they are stuck in the sunken position, no amount of moving the lever up and down will bring them up! So frustrating! So I took a nap while my husband took the machine back to the shop. I guess I'll be installing my old Singer to sew on while my fancy new machine is gone, and will just have to be patient before I can do any more free motion quilting.


donderdag 24 januari 2019

Pickle Dish ... Yet Another Project

On the 26th of December I went shopping in Mechelen with my husband, while my parents took the kids to Technopolis.
I was fun to walk through the park together, shop for clothes for him, eat at Le Pain Quotidien and talk a bit without kids interrupting.
In a thrift shop I found a very pretty quilting book by Kaffe Fasset. It's in perfect condition and was only 4 euros, so I bought it, a little treat for me!

I really like the quilt on the cover, so I made two blocks, just to try it out. And I think I feel a complete quilt coming on!


pinks
teal

green
a bit of orange



I decided to go with a broader colour pallet than the quilt in the book. I had already picked colours to possibly make a quilt for my mum with, and I want to use those for this quilt: pink, orange, teal and green.
All my fabrics ... so far...

The background fabric is also a thrift store find, an old duvet cover.
If my mum likes it, this will be hers. But there is a distinct possibility it's too busy and bright for her. She keeps asking for a quilt to cover the tears in her comfy sofa, and I really want to make her one, but agreeing on a design and colour scheme is difficult. She wants something simple and beige. I agree that since it's main function will be to cover the tears, and for people to sit on, it shouldn't be too loud, but beige ... is not my thing... . So we sort of agreed I'd just make a pretty quilt, something I like and might fit the bill. Then we can "audition" it on the couch, and if she doesn't like it, I keep it and make another. I'm not sure this is a good plan. I'm a very slow quilter and she is quite picky, so it may take years before a quilt actually lands on that sofa!

woensdag 23 januari 2019

Some Little Things

I made these little things in December:

Mini mittens for a baby on the way ...

They are tiny and cute!

And soft and cuddly!

A simple snowflake of my own design.

Little pouches for Marieke and her friends Ava and Ayshe.
Unfortunately, my sewing machine broke. I've been having trouble with the feed dogs since I got it. First they kept getting stuck in the down position, and now I couldn't lower them. So it's been sent back to Pfaff. It's really frustrating, because I got the machine specifically for machine quilting, so dropping and raising the feed dogs is something I do regularly... I hope the issue will be resolved now, or that they give me a new machine. Since I can't sew much, I've been reading more, and even doing some knitting on a project I started 6 or 7 years ago, a dotty Kaffe cardigan for myself. Luckily, I still love the colours, and since I lost some weight last year, I think it will fit me, if I ever get it done!