Polar Bear quilt (UFO #11) finished

The Polar Bear quilt (bed spread) is finished - at last! I'd never thought I was going to finish it! Well, exaggerating of course, but at times it felt almost overwhelming, because it is a big quilt (approx queen size).
I bought the fabrics September 2008, because it looked so beautiful! Isn't that the reason why we buy (hoard) fabrics, because of its beauty?! I can't remember when I started working on the blocks, perhaps 2 years ago? What I know is that it was after the Colorado Star quilt - started April 2009.
I wonder what Birre-Liten has in mind?! I bet he wants to play on the quilt! :)   

I had no pattern in mind when I started working on the blocks and I didn't even know how big it was going to be. I just kept on sewing blocks. What I knew is that I wanted to use as much of the polar bear fabric and panel as possible.

From EQ7 I picked snowball and Arkansas snowflake (if not mistaken) blocks. I made them in different sizes to match the size of the blocks I cut from the panel.

Details of the blocks.

More details...

It was a puzzle adding the blocks together...

I had to rotate this photo, to show one side of the quilt.

Finally, the back. I used all the leftovers from the top and had to add a few other fabrics.

The navy blue fabric in the center has polar bears too - a fabric I bought local long before I started making the quilt. It came in handy for this quilt! :)  

The quilt measures 76 x 110 inches / 193 x 280cm.

It is FMQ in a meandering pattern, using Superior Thread's King Tut on the front and Masterpiece on the back.

This is my last FUFO (Finished UFO) for this time. :)

It feels wonderful to have some finishes! 

Postage Stamp quilt (UFO #10)

The Postage Stamp quilt!

I'm taught not to brag, but I can't help it; I LOVE IT!

It didn't start with love though! I decided to use colors out of my comfort zone; yellows, browns and greens, just to get rid of those fabrics I thought I'd never use for anything else.
How wrong I was! I love the way it turned out and it has become one of my favorites! It won't be the last PSQ I've made! No, it won't be, because this year I'm participating in a Postage Stamp charm swap, which you can read more about here. If that is not enough; NNC in Malaysia is starting a PSQ-QAL May 1st! I'm quite tied up with several projects right now, but I hope to squeeze in time for it.

I had lots of fun making this quilt. The original idea was to make a small one. It started with the rectangle in the center - 375 squares. Then I added the first border and thought that was enough...

It looked odd, so I got the idea to add the 'piano tangents' with 9-patches in each corner and the second border.

Still not satisfied... I still had fabrics enough, so I decided to add more squares for a bigger quilt. I'm glad I did! :)

The outer border has pieces of leftover fabrics.

I've done the quilting (FMQ) in a meandering pattern and decided to do the borders (sashing? lattice? Mixed up with those words!) different - as you can see. Some 'drunk driving' here and there, but... not easy to manoeuvre a huge quilt on a domestic sewing machine. :)  

The backing; the rest of the leftovers. :)

The quilt is made of 2.5 inch squares and rectangles (yellows, browns and greens).

It has 1011 squares and 88 rectangles (if my counting is right!).

It measures 74 x 95 inches - 188 x 240cm.

This is the first quilt I have used Quilter's Dream cotton batting. It's wonderful! It turned out so soft and cuddly! Can't wait to snuggle up on the couch on cooler nights with this quilt wrapped around me! :)

It's LOVE! lol!  

 

Colorado Star quilt (UFO #7, 8 and 9) finished

I can't believe it myself; four more FINISHED UFO's - or FUFO's - as I like to call them!

I have been rather busy over the last few weeks and I have been determined to finish those UFO's that have been occupying the sewing table for weeks. If not on the sewing table, they have moved from the corner table to the couch, to the rocking chair, back to the sewing table etc. I concentrated on adding the binding to them all and they were lining up on the sewing table to get the binding hand stitched to the back. :) I thought I'd never finish the hand stitching, but I'm amazed how fast it went. A few minutes here - a few minutes there - and it's all done!

I think I'll start with the oldest UFO; the Colorado Star quilt. It was started in April 2009 - not that old - huh? I decided to make two for covers on our couches. So far, one is finished. The second one; the top is finished. I need more batting, which I buy local. It is a very thin polyester batting, which I think does fine to the purpose those two quilts are going to be used. I have used blues only, from light to dark shades.

The first blocks I made - 'newbie blocks' - didn't turn out the size they should; they became smaller. Guess I didn't pay enough attention to the 1/4 inch seam allowance. Not bad that four of those blocks had the same size. Even if I couldn't use them together with the other blocks that had the right size, I decided to turn the blocks into a matching table topper.

Another table topper I made last year. The idea was so hand quilt it, but I knew I'll never get around to do it and decided to machine quilt to get it finished. I have used batiks for the top and binding.

More FUFO's to come...

  

Potholders and UFO #6

Finishing UFO's become a bit overwhelming at times, doesn't it?

I have worked on UFO's lately; the binding is thread basted on 6 projects, but I can't get myself to sit down and do the hand stitching. I get myself into several excuses and one of them is to make a pair of potholders.

UFO #6 this year is finished.

A winter/Christmas table topper featuring happy dancing snowmen. Looks like it has been approved, or... am I wrong? LOL

I still have 6 winter/Christmas place mats to hand stitch the binding and do some embroidery, but I'm not sure I'll do them now.

Confession: I'm tired of seeing winter/Christmas fabrics! LOL



Scraps, Charms, Swap - Postage Stamp Quilt

Do you have in mind - some time in the future - to make a Postage Stamp quilt, but today you don't have charms (squares) enough? Perhaps you are a newbie who doesn't have enough charms to swap? As a newbie, you can now request a gift pack of 50 charms. Or perhaps you have many matching squares (from the same fabrics) and want to swap some with other quilters around the world?

This year, Mary over at The Curious Quilter, is hosting a Postage Stamp charm swap. There will be four swaps this year and the second round is open now - April 6 - 22, 2012. Click here for all the details.

I knew about the swap this month, but do you believe I got around to prepare the charms in time?! NO! I will be punished for that over the next couple of days! LOL. Well, I am a bit organized; for every project I finish, I do cut leftover fabrics - what is suitable - into 2 or 2.5 inches, but sort them, that's another story! :)

Yesterday I pulled out all the boxes with 2 inches and 2.5 inches squares, to sort them into colors. Most of them were already organized on size, but not on colors.

Two boxes; 2 inch and 2.5 inch charms

Yesterday I attacked the 2 inch charms, sorted into colors

Matching charms sorted on colors.

Now I'll pick 100 charms (matching sets) for the swap. 

Today I shall see if I'll attack the 2.5 inch charms.... Still have to make a few more 2 inch matching sets for the swap.

Come join the fun!

Blogger's BOM #6 and #7

I had in mind to blog block #6 after I made it some weeks ago... That never happened, so here are block #6 and #7. As you know; I make two of each, for a bigger quilt.

Blogger's BOM is hosted by Jackie from Canton Village Quilt Works.

The February block #6 has Amy Smart from Diary of a Quilter's tutorial. Click here for the tutorial.

The March block #7 has Allison Harris from Cluck Cluck Sew's tutorial. Click here for the tutorial.

The April block #8 will have Amy Lobsiger from Mrs. Schmenkman Quilts' tutorial. Check back around April 25th.

New York Beauty QAL block #8 and #7

If you never have sewn any New York Beauty block, I'll tell you; ADDICTIVE!

We had 3-4 days of continuous rain this week, which meant no gardening. What was the option?! Snuggle up in front of the sewing machine and get going with two more NYB QAL blocks. Well, snuggle up... exaggerating! If you count all the seams these blocks have, you can imagine how many times I was up and down from the chair - between the sewing machine and the ironing board! Good exercise! :)

The NYB QAL is hosted by Sara from Sew Sweetness and you can read more about the QAL here.

Kati from The Blue Chair has the tutorial for block #8.  

  

Jeni from In Color Order has the tutorial for block #7.

(There's no link yet for the tutorial, since I made the blocks days before the tutorial will be published. The tutorial is due April 2nd).  

For block #7 I have concentrated on more contrast in the arch (is that the right word?). I'm not that very happy about the two 'dark' blocks (#8), but they'll have to do! :) I'm running out of light colors, hopefully I'll get the purchase earliest next week.