The next quilt...
I really fancied working with some bright, strong colours. I had found some fabric which I bought in Hong Kong a few years ago. It's a classic Chinese print with phoenix and chrysanthumums in bright colours on a red background. I was sorting my stash out the other day and fell in love with it all over again.
Here it is as a little make up bag.
I wanted vibrant, strong colours for this quilt. For me choosing the fabrics is the MOST FUN bit of making a quilt. That and handing it over to someone who will love it. To me, buying pre-cut, pre-chosen fabrics in a jelly roll is sooo boring. I did buy a Kaffe Fassett layer cake once, but that's because I couldn't choose one fabric or afford more than one layer cake.....and it was in strong reds and pinks. I thought it would be going into a jewel coloured quilt I've been collecting fabrics for forever but I never intended to use it all at one in a Kaffe only quilt. There are also some Kaffe fat quarters in my brown and orange fabric collection (been collecting those for the same length of time!)
Choosing fabrics can take ages. At first, I was thinking red and pink, maybe a splash of blue. And I knew I wanted to do something fairly simple, to let the bold colours and patterns show, rather than fiddly piecing. I looked at all the colours in the first fabric and pulled anything out of my stash that might fit. I cut a few 6" squares from each fabric. More squares from fabric I had loads of, and less from those I had earmarked for other projects, so I still have plenty of fabric in my jewel colours quilt.
Here are some of the off cuts from my squares. Lovely bright colours! They all fit with the key Chinese fabric. It doesn't matter if two of the fabrics don't look great next to each other alone, because that central fabric will tie them all together. A navy blue would look awful. A pastel pink would look awful. But by keeping them looking good with the key fabric I know they will all be good together.
I started by sewing pairs of squares together. I used chain piecing. It's the quickest way of joining lots of squares together! You feed the first carefully lined up pair of squares, right sides together, through the machine, using a standard seam allowance. If you are following a pattern, it is important to use the seam allowance stated, but for a simple squares quilt that I am making, with no prior planning (no idea how big it will be/ haven't bought the backing yet etc!) what matters is that you are consistent with your seam allowances. I used the markings on my machine to sew a typical quilter's 1/4 inch seam allowance.
When you have sewn your first two squares, don't cut the threads....just stitch a couple of stitches ane then feed the next two squares-carefully lined up and right sides together- forming a chain....and repeat!
It makes a lovely inside out flag bunting!
Next I snipped the chain of squares apart from each other pair.
Ironing, unfortunately, is really important when you are sewing. The first thing I do when I go to my sewing room is turn on the iron. If your fabric isn't properly pressed when you cut it, your cutting will be out. If you don't properly press your seams, you can loose millimetres from your squares, preventing them from fitting together properly and your quilt from laying flat. First I ironed over the stitching, still right sides together. This sets the seam and stops the stitches at the ends from coming apart (don't bother tying off your threads!). Then I flipped them open and pressed the seams to one side on the back. Usually you press towards the darker coloured fabric, but there are lots of exceptions to that! then flip it open and press the seam on the right sides.
Aren't they lovely? I have broken what seems to be the quilter's rule: 100% cotton only in a quilt. There is a little scrap of silk, some silk cotton blend from my travels in India (the blue solid), the batik (from a place called Tai O in Hong Kong - village all on stilts over the water, where you can (apparently) see the pink dolphins swim) is much heavier than the other cottons and - Shock! Horror!- the Chinese print is a polycotton (I hang my head in shame). I hate man made materials. But, you know, these items cannot be something my grandchildren have to deal with when I die. I must use them up! I'm not actually finding the poly that abhorrent to work with after all, so I guess I live.
I tried laying them out on the bed to see if I wanted a totally random or more considered approach (and to see how many more squares I needed. I am perfectly capable of doing the maths, but that's not so exciting as doing the sewing, so I work on more of an ad-hoc basis!
Here it is as a little make up bag.
I wanted vibrant, strong colours for this quilt. For me choosing the fabrics is the MOST FUN bit of making a quilt. That and handing it over to someone who will love it. To me, buying pre-cut, pre-chosen fabrics in a jelly roll is sooo boring. I did buy a Kaffe Fassett layer cake once, but that's because I couldn't choose one fabric or afford more than one layer cake.....and it was in strong reds and pinks. I thought it would be going into a jewel coloured quilt I've been collecting fabrics for forever but I never intended to use it all at one in a Kaffe only quilt. There are also some Kaffe fat quarters in my brown and orange fabric collection (been collecting those for the same length of time!)
Choosing fabrics can take ages. At first, I was thinking red and pink, maybe a splash of blue. And I knew I wanted to do something fairly simple, to let the bold colours and patterns show, rather than fiddly piecing. I looked at all the colours in the first fabric and pulled anything out of my stash that might fit. I cut a few 6" squares from each fabric. More squares from fabric I had loads of, and less from those I had earmarked for other projects, so I still have plenty of fabric in my jewel colours quilt.
Here are some of the off cuts from my squares. Lovely bright colours! They all fit with the key Chinese fabric. It doesn't matter if two of the fabrics don't look great next to each other alone, because that central fabric will tie them all together. A navy blue would look awful. A pastel pink would look awful. But by keeping them looking good with the key fabric I know they will all be good together.
I started by sewing pairs of squares together. I used chain piecing. It's the quickest way of joining lots of squares together! You feed the first carefully lined up pair of squares, right sides together, through the machine, using a standard seam allowance. If you are following a pattern, it is important to use the seam allowance stated, but for a simple squares quilt that I am making, with no prior planning (no idea how big it will be/ haven't bought the backing yet etc!) what matters is that you are consistent with your seam allowances. I used the markings on my machine to sew a typical quilter's 1/4 inch seam allowance.
When you have sewn your first two squares, don't cut the threads....just stitch a couple of stitches ane then feed the next two squares-carefully lined up and right sides together- forming a chain....and repeat!
It makes a lovely inside out flag bunting!
Next I snipped the chain of squares apart from each other pair.
Ironing, unfortunately, is really important when you are sewing. The first thing I do when I go to my sewing room is turn on the iron. If your fabric isn't properly pressed when you cut it, your cutting will be out. If you don't properly press your seams, you can loose millimetres from your squares, preventing them from fitting together properly and your quilt from laying flat. First I ironed over the stitching, still right sides together. This sets the seam and stops the stitches at the ends from coming apart (don't bother tying off your threads!). Then I flipped them open and pressed the seams to one side on the back. Usually you press towards the darker coloured fabric, but there are lots of exceptions to that! then flip it open and press the seam on the right sides.
Aren't they lovely? I have broken what seems to be the quilter's rule: 100% cotton only in a quilt. There is a little scrap of silk, some silk cotton blend from my travels in India (the blue solid), the batik (from a place called Tai O in Hong Kong - village all on stilts over the water, where you can (apparently) see the pink dolphins swim) is much heavier than the other cottons and - Shock! Horror!- the Chinese print is a polycotton (I hang my head in shame). I hate man made materials. But, you know, these items cannot be something my grandchildren have to deal with when I die. I must use them up! I'm not actually finding the poly that abhorrent to work with after all, so I guess I live.
I tried laying them out on the bed to see if I wanted a totally random or more considered approach (and to see how many more squares I needed. I am perfectly capable of doing the maths, but that's not so exciting as doing the sewing, so I work on more of an ad-hoc basis!
Looking at it now, I find it hard to believe, but I thought this was too cold, too much blue and green, not enough pink and yellow. Yes, I want this to be a super-girly, brightly coloured quilt!
So I went to the shop (I had to go for work anyway, honest) and picked up these two lovelies
Then I sewed up some more pairs of squares and tried a white sashing around each group of four squares to really make the colours and patterns pop!
I decided on no more than one blue/green square per grouping of four and some grouping with no blue at all. I think it's working well, what do you think?
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