Tutorial - Simple Blossom

Materials:
* Fabric - how much depends on how big you want your flower, I used about 4x5 inches.
* Paper & Pen for making petal template
* Thread and sewing needle
* All purpose glue
* Cover button, that you can cover with the fabric of your choice

Step 1:
Fold a piece of paper in half and draw half of your flower petal shape on it. Cut out the shape, so when the paper is unfolded you'll have a perfectly even flower petal.
Place it on your fabric which has been folded in half with right sides facing together, trace 5 shapes onto the folded fabric.

Step 2:
Place a pin in in each of the shapes before you cut them out to ensure the fabric don't slip. Cut out your shapes.

Step 3:
Sew your petals together, using a slightly smaller then normal seam allowance, I used about 1/8 of an inch or they'll get bulky.

Step 4:
Turn your flower petals inside out, this might cause the seam to come a bit undone, which is why I made my petals a touch longer then I wanted them, so I could now trim off a little bit to get them the appropriate length.

Step 5:
Thread your needle with thread, leaving it double throughout. Then thread your petals onto the thread, taking care to do a small stitch first, leave a bit more open, then then do another small stitch (hope this makes sense, please look at the picture) to ensure they all end up looking the same and getting that fold in the middle, making them look flower like.

Step 6:
Using the leftover pieces of your fabric, cut out a round circle according to the instructions on your button package and dress your button.

Step 7:
Pulling on both ends of your thread, tie your flower together in a pleasing manner. The place a dab of glue in the center of the flower, and place your button in place. Cut off the thread and glue a hairband to the back if your flower is to be used as a hair decoration - leave to dry.

  
Finished!

Bows and flowers for my hair

I have such a hard time finding hair decorations that I like, so I decided to try my hand at making my own. Here's the resut of todays play, a simple black bow and a batik blue flower:

They're really easy to make too, I'm thinking I'll throw up a quickie tutorial...

UFO - UnFinished Object

So I've had this half finished little top lying around with the cubes pinned in place since last summer...

 

However, while I loved it then, upon closer inspection later it doesn't really hold up to my current standards and I've not felt like finishing it. Both because I loved it so much and was so proud of it when I was making it and today it makes me feel like crying a little - but also because I know no matter what I do I will only see it's flaws. It's more then a little bumpy (hoping to be able to quilt out some...) and the blocks are not the same size, but tonight I figured I should at lest applique the block in place as I'd noticed that the pins had rusted into the fabric (the reason I ordered the Tack tool - Malta's humidity is death to pins) and it would be completely ruined if left to it's own devices much longer.

It is still the most advanced thing I've ever made, all those Y seams nearly killed me and I ripped every seam at least 2 times I think. =)

I'll put it a way a little again now to see if I can get back enough love for it to quilt it and finish it.

Love Nest Quilt Contest

 

I'm entering the love nest quilt contest at Gen X Quilters.

I'm so very excited about this and I knew instantly I had to enter my Crazy Rainforest quilt. It's my biggest pride since it's very much my own when it comes to everything from it's happy, silly theme to bright and colorful fabrics and the, to my mind at least, imaginative backside. And not to say the least that it's my first real bed size quilt and my first try at applique =)

I'm supposed to tell you all the details so here goes, it will be long, sorry!

When I was at "quilt camp" in the forests of Sweden the summer of 2009 (I go every year, it's the BEST week of the year), Mia - the woman who hosts - it had gotten some amazing batik fabric and I was in love. I was standing there in front of that shelf every day, patting them, bringing them out, unrolling a meter or two, rolling it back up and so on. I felt I couldn't really justify buying some of them, they where so bright and didn't really go with anything we had at home but it went so far I even dreamed of them at night, I knew that I had to call my fiance and ask him. I called, so nervous I was nearly shaking (I'd already spent hundreds of euros on the trip in fabric costs and the camp itself), passionately explaining my love for the fabrics in question and he, being the awesome guy he is gave me permission to buy enough for a quilt! I first was determined to get a nicely color scaled quilt in blues and maybe purples but when I stood there I knew I just had to buy all my favorites, despite the fact that they clashed and didn't go together at all. So I picked and choose for 3 days, bringing out new colors/fabrics and keeping the bolts by me as I sewed on the quilt I was working on (you can see it in the background, my waterlilies quilt being basted):

I came home with this little pile of fabrics, Mia knew how in love I was with them and she packed them up so neatly for me that I loved it so much I didn't open it for 9 months, I just looked at it:

Then I finally got up the courage to cut it up when my fiance was away on a trip for 5 days and I got some peace and quiet to work on it. I knew I wanted to make the blocks that  many others had been sewing on during the camp and I got to work:

The technique was all new for me but the top came together really quickly and easily despite the triangles. 

When it came to layout I wanted something that at a first glance was random but when you really looked you knew it wasn't so I want with very other piece diagonally:

 

When looking at this photo with a friend is when I knew that I'd made a rainforest quilt, and I knew I'd have to incorporate a little appliqued poison dart frog somewhere (as you can see in my blog header) =) 

The quilt was made together with my beloved Norwegian Forest Cat boy Edward, and of course Diana too, but it means especially much for me that Edward was there and helped me bat at strips and "iron" blocks by lying on them as we lost him much to young to liver failure this fall. I always think of him when I see this quilt now as he loved it in it's finished version too.

But here the work halted for a few months as I had run out of fabric and I couldn't quilt on my machine so I had to wait for quilt camp 2010 to finish it. I made a little border out of the tiny scraps from the strips in the meantime. 

Once back at camp in Sweden one year later the leftover blocks became a contemporary backside, which I really love, it's like two quilts in one, one more serious side, and one silly frog side =) 

It's my favorite quilt I've made, it always makes me smile when I look at it. The quilting is made with a wavy seam on my mothers Husquarna and it's quilted with a rainbow thread.

Front:

 Back:

In it's place in the spare bedroom, really cheers it up (I know it's a single bed quilt but I think it kind of works ^^)

I'm sorry for the massive post, but it said to tell everything and this quilt holds so much love for me I had to include it all =)

I did it! =D

 

 
My postage stamp quilt top is finished in time for the deadline of the quilt along! I'm so happy with it, the design is not something I would have tried on my own I think and it was so much fun (and just a teeny tiny bit frustrating ^^) to put it together. The Bliss line is so beautiful even if not my normal color scale. Now I just have to get the backing fabric and I'm ready to quilt it.

My sincerest thanks to the amazing Rachel of http://www.psiquilt.com/ for putting this together for us! It's been so much fun to participate. <3

I think I can do it!

First and foremost, surgery went well, very little trouble in and out in much less time then I'd expected and I also got away much cheaper then planned, excellent! =)

So I've been piecing and piecing like a madman last night and today, I really want to finish the quilt along quilt top before the time is up. After I took a short leg stretcher I realizes that my little workspace was adorably square today with the little pieces of Bliss everywhere so I had to snap a picture. And as I haven't shown off  my sewing area in the new apartment either I figured now would be an as good time as any: It's a corner of the living room with windows all around basically so I get tons of natural light during the day (now if I could only start quilting during the day and make good use of that ^^).

I don't know if you can see it in the picture but the seam ripper is there and has really been my friend today, I'm not 100% on top of things with the pains from the surgery and everything but I'm having to much fun to stop! As you can tell from me posting this as 00:35 at night when I got up at 5:00 this morning to go to the hospital for the surgery =D

The Postage Stamp Quilt Along is hosted by the amazing Rachel of p.s i quilt, and the flickr group with all the amazing participants can be found here: The Postage Stamp Quilt Along - Flickr.

I had no idea how much fun it would be to participate in a quilt along, the encouragement from other quilters, getting inspiration form the others work and ideas, it's fantastic! If you ever get a chance to participate on one, I highly recommend it =)

Sew, sew like the wind!

So since I've had some bad timing and we not only have a houseguest but I've racked up 2 separate surgeries (first one was only under local but the one tomorrow I'll be in hospital all day and being put under, not exactly good for productive quilting!) this week I'm more then a little behind... I'm only last night cutting my stripsets and today I'm going to sew, sew like the wind and try to catch up with the rest of the fantastic quilters in the quilt along! =)

Designer Mystery Block of the Month

   

So Fat Quarter Shop has announced this years Designer Mystery Block Of The Month  and I so badly want to participate, previous years quilts have been amazing and I would love to take part! I have to work on Andreas a bit and see if I can convince him of how excellent this idea is despite it's quite hefty price tag =) 

I have a couple of months to do so before they start so please keep your fingers crossed for me. =D

Also my order from Quilt Direct had taken a detour and ended up in Germany, really sad, they got it back yesterday and say they will re-ship it on Monday. This however means I'll not get it in time to use my new rulers for the Quilt Along, I'll have to make do some other way... :(

Crazy Rainforest goes both ways ^^

So a dear friend is visiting us (hence not much happening in the sewing department right now) and I had to set up the spare bedroom. As I did so I really felt sorry that I couldn't use my Crazy Rainforest quilt on the spare bed anymore since it was a single bed quilt and this new bed was queen size. However, as it turned out, it goes both ways I think ^^

Ok so it looks a little off with the appliqued frog but the room became so warm and cozy with it on top of the bed that I didn't let it bother me too much =) I love this quilt so much, makes me feel so happy whenever I look at it.

Why do you keep erasers in your quilt supplies?

Is a question I got while we where unpacking our new place and a number of erasers fell out. Well apart from being handy when removing marks from fabric it has another great use:

When working with and cutting fuzzy fabrics like flannels and brushed cottons, my cutting mat quickly gets deep ridges in it with little threads of fabric. These are very annoying and quickly makes it hard to cut and they're very annoying to get rid of by hand. Then one of my handy erasers gets brought out and a quick rub over my cutting mat it does wonders, and even if it's if not as good as new, it's very much usable again =)