Another Quilt Top.

I'd say hang on to that obsession. It's way more healthy than a lot of other things you could be obsessed with.

 

The fabric that I ordered for backing has a cream background. It looked white on my tablet. It'll get used, but that clashes with this quilt's white and grey. So I used up a lot of the left-over fabric, and made a backing. I wanted to work down the fabric pile, and this helped a lot.



It doesn't have to be flashy. It's just a backing. I cut large squares. When I ran out of fabric large enough for squares, I cut triangles. I actually like how those look.

Then I layered the backing, batting, and quilt together, with three inches of overhang for the backing and batting. That gives extra for shifting and stretching while sewing.



Then I moved it to the kitchen island, which is more ergonomic. It's also as slippery as a politician on camera (I was going to link but thought better of it.), so easy to move the quilt around. I used safety pins to secure the three layers together for quilting.



Getting closer to completion! I also cut strips for binding. The quilting is tedious and slow, so might take a week or two, to complete.

I like this pattern. I might make another one, using multi-coloured Indonesian batik, and cream backgrounds...

 

What magnificent work that is, Daniel. Stunning result.

 

Thank you Sjoerd. I made some mistakes, but I think I'll be happy with the final result. I wondered how well the top, which is not perfectly flat, would adhere to the batting. Now I think it will work just fine.

Here is a very early preview of the next, which will use the same pattern, including my own changes.



I will play with the colors over the next few months. No hurry.

 

It's really beautiful Daniel. I enjoy the soft calming colours. The Indonesian one is very happy, isn't it. I admire anyone that can sew a straight line, never mind be so creative. My ex mother in law asked me to help her piece and sew blocks together once....only once. hahahaha. Well done. The enjoyment you get is the same enjoyment that I think all quilters feel - it must be very fullfilling.

I'm sorry if I missed it, but do you hand stitch as well after you put together with your machine? Or only on the back of the final binding?

 

Mel thank you for your supportive words .

I think the basic idea of quilts is pretty easy. Being more creative about it can be more difficult. I also take out a LOT of stitches, when I realize I did something wrong, or badly. It helps me focus and be mindful, and keeps me off the internet so much. Another part is trouble shooting when the sewing machine decides to go haywire. Almost always, that means I loaded the thread wrong, or the needle is dull, bent, or wrong, or it needs cleaning. I think old sewing machines are more resilient than new ones, but it still happens.o

Currently I do it all by sewing machine, including the binding. I think about hand sewing but have not so far.

I keep thinking I might have too many quilts one day, but so far I dont. I also think about making them as gifts. Currently I don't know that many people, that well, to do that.

 

Eileen, that's a great skill to have. I've often thought about making pajamas or a shirt, but never have. I did take apart a shirt and resize it. Then I gained weight and it no longer fits LOL!

 

Whoa Eileen! That is incredible. Jeans would be tough. You're very talented.

(But please....please...I beg of you - do not post that on the thread about patching my hubby's jeans hahahahahahaha. Pinky swear. ( or a parcel may arrive in Scotland one day - with a charming note from Hubby and a pair of his "put-togethers" pleading for your help at reincarnation).

 

Do you keep stashes of fabrics and stuff for future projects in your head? I have a huge amount of fabrics in plastic bins. I used to have them in cardboard boxes until these plastic bins came along. The bins are so much nicer and keep supplies clean. Rodents had gotten into my boxes, and I had to throw out a lot of ruined materials. I hope I get to those projects!

On sunny days I work in my garden, and on rainy/bad weather days I work indoors.

On Pinterest, there is at least one person who makes lovely curtains from vintage doilies and cloth napkins. They are so pretty and airy looking, no two are alike. I saved pictures in my phone, but do not have them in my computer. I tried looking at my Pinterest account, but cannot find those at the moment. I also get very distracted looking at everything over there....

Another pinner makes things like hats, mittens, and slippers from old sweaters, especially if they have shrunk. Even some nice purse ideas. I like those too, and have some sweaters laid by if I ever get that far.

Some like to make light fixtures from old plumbing pieces. Cool.

 

Yes, night owl, I do. Sounds like you do too.

Gardening is also sort of the same way. Lately though, I've started clearing some things out to make it cleaner and easier to maintain.

I try not to accumulate too much, so now I'm trying to work down my fabric bins and do some bucket list projects. At the moment, that is making a set of quilted pillow shams based on the drunkards path quilt block, and fabric left over from previous quilts that I made, so they sort of match. I might make another sewing machine cover with that block, too. And a Chinese Lantern quilted wall hanging, made from necktie silk. The one other bucket list quilt is a Dresden plate quilt. After that, I don't know. There are lots of ideas in my head, enough to last quite a while.

 

I'm taking a little break from the big quilt, and experimenting with pieces from the scrap bin. This is "Drunkards Path" quilt block. The curves are a challenge but I'm learning. This is the front panel for a pillow sham to contrast with a previous quilt.



This one includes a fabric that looks like old newsprint, and some corduroy as well as other shirt fabrics.

 

I like the contrast on this ...and I love the idea of quilted pillow shams. I usually see the quilt being extra long and the pillows tucked under - but you end up with so much quilt that it can be like a hostage taking during the night.

I have a "dog quilt" that I've been meaning to send you a picture of. It's made from flannel,so it's super cozy. The creator made little representations of the special dogs in our lives over the years. Each block has a different dog. Only about 6 of the dogs are reminiscent of a beloved pooch. You could make a Rufus quilt I'll try to take a picture soon. I think you may like it.

 

Here is the first quilted pillow sham. It was fun. I got to try several different techniques, Best to trial new techniques on something small that didn't take months to make. So it has some significant flaws, but I'm happy anyway. It's laying on the bed-size quilt that I made a few years ago.