Liberty strips - Part one

You will notice that most of my quilts are simple piecing, I don't have the attention span or time for complicated piecing - I love the look of complicated works! I just don't have the patience in "me" at this stage of life. 

I have busy little kids around me who at times can be demanding.

On the other hand I love craft and I love creating 

I keep a few more difficult projects on the go, I have some paper piecing and I like to hand quilt - but these get put away a lot to make way for the quick satisfying achievable ones.

Patchwork and Quilting doesn't have to be tricky maths/ calculating and piecing all the time.

This quilt is destined to belong to a new baby girl that a friend is having very soon.

A baby quilt is a good example of something that should be simple.

If it's one that you intend the family to use then it is going to be washed a million times and thrown all over the place.

I still had some 3inch strips hanging around after making my Lovely Liberty quilt a while back, and I had been hanging onto them for just the right project.

I joined 15 strips together, I could have left it at that - but I wanted it to look a bit more bitsy and antique looking.I like a good scrappy quilt.

to give me the effect I was after I then cut the quilt top into 4 inch strips, as you can see below

mixed them up a bit, I use the rule of random - what ever ends up together was meant to be! I don't worry too much about the same fabric being in a row.

I then joined it all together again! 

now it looks a bit more scrappy!

This process took me about 1 1/2 hours,in between looking at my emails and chatting to my dad. Not bad for a baby quilt top.

The fabric is lovely - which is one of the reasons the simple pattern works. Later down the track I'll try it with some solids and we can compare? I still think it would look great, but I'm curious non the less.

My backing and wadding are ready, next I'll show you how I will quilt it.

Xx Siobhan

Lovely Liberty

I'm on the cover of Down Under Quilts Magazine in Australia !

well my quilt is :)

Down Under quilts Magazine #151 is now available to buy

I am extremely partial to liberty, I use it a lot. This particular quilt is ALL Liberty fabric! its so very lovely and soft.

The full story & pattern for this quilt is in issue #151 of Down Under Quilts

These two pictures where taken in the Liberty of London Store in October 2011

when I'm not in London (which is often, as I live in Sydney Australia) I buy my Liberty fabrics from Calico & Ivy Balmain. 

Its a lovely shop I highly recommend it.

This Lovely Liberty quilt had been on my mind for a while, it had been drawn and colour mapped on and off for a few months.

Then once I felt I had the right variance of colours in my fabric I dove in and made the top. It pieced together very easily and quickly. It's a nice simple pattern.

and on the back I used a shot cotton with a strip of pieced liberty remnants 

for the binding I also used liberty, its so nice to sew. Liberty binding is perfect.

Lovely Liberty, Liberty Love

Xx Siobhan

Lone Star Finale

Finally we have the Lone Star Quilt from start to finish!

If you would like to see the original blog posts & instructions on how to make the Lone Star have a peak here

This quilt was long arm quilted by Kim Bradley in a figure eight pattern, I talk a bit about that pattern choice here.

The blue spot fabric I used was very sheer, I didn't want to be able to see through to the other side & I also didn't want my messy seams to show. 

After talking it over with Kate (who works with Kim) I requested if at all possible pretty please could they use a double layer of wool wadding to help over come the see through issue......

I'm glad I wasn't there when it was being done, I'm sure my name was being hexed!

Miracle of Miracle (not really a miracle as Kim & Kate are very clever) the quilt is perfect and has a double layer of wool wadding, making it the heaviest quilt I have ever held!

& not see through, as you can see from the back

Its also really lovely and plump with the double layer of wadding

This quilt is a big Double bed size or even a queen size 

I'm happy with the spots! I was meticulous enough with my cutting to have them all running in the same direction but I wasn't that bothered about the joining up, I like that they are off set a little - it gives the quilt a bit of movement. 

Be wary if you do use a patterned fabric as your base for the lone star, you will need to think about direction of prints and how you will cut/ sew it

If your still after the diamond template to make this Lone Star have a look here

Any Questions? don't hesitate to ask :)

If you have made a lone star quilt put it into the lone star Flickr group

or if you have your own Lone Star Tutorial - Link it in the comments

Xx Siobhan

working away

Hope you all had a great Weekend

I'm on the last week of school holidays, busily getting four little people equipped and ready.

This week the issue #151 of Down Under Quilts should be in store & my Liberty Quilt is on the Cover, pattern etc included and lots of info/ stories about Liberty of London

In other news

I'm working on a full instructions & post about the Lone Star, sneak peak above

 and I also have been seriously side tracked by this block - Swoon by Camille Roskelley at Thimble Blossom

my block is made up from all of my Spoonflower Designs

Katy from I'm a ginger monkey is hosting a swoon-along

Back to work for me!

Xx Siobhan

Sydney summer sunset & a scrappy quilt

What a glorious day in Sydney,on these types of days its nice to go for a walk after dinner with the kids and take in the beautiful harbour.

& of course bring a quilt or two to photograph ;)

The Scrappy Quilt is bound & finished!

must admit It was a very slap together affair with this quilt. 

When I made it I felt like making something and wanted it done quickly - I also happen to have lots of fabric scraps that I wanted to use up.

So this quilt is perfect for using up scraps and also for a quick project 

Its now in my favourite pile!

I really really like it.

I had this one long arm machine quilted by Kim Bradley

My "go to" long arm quilting pattern is this figure eight pattern.

I like to have a pattern that doesn't take away from the quilt top. A while back I looked around at shop quilts and noticed they usually had a similar all over repeat pattern. I had also taken a liking to Denyse Schmidt who has quilts quilted in a very similar style.

beautiful Sydney Harbour from the northside

This quilt is a large single bed size (or really a double bed)I like my quilts to hang over on the bed not just sit on top.

hope your all having a great day

Xx Siobhan

Trimming a Quilt & a bit about Machine Quilting

A lot of my quilts are long arm machine quilted by Kim Bradley. It started out when I was making the kids double sized quilts and my machine of the time couldn't handle quilting them. I had previously made a few larger quilts on my Nana's sewing machine (going back 12-15 years ago)but they didn't handle my vigorous washing and drying regime. 

This time around (3 years ago)I had spent a lot of money on fabric and time on making quilts for the kids beds, I wanted these to last & be easily washable. I also didn't have the time I would have liked to quilt them nicely.

With that I looked into long arm machine quilting and decided to give it ago. They wash perfectly and I haven't had any issue with them.

I have a formula I go by now

Who is the quilt for ?

Where will the Quilt be?

What material is it made out of?

depending on the answer depends on how I finish the quilt off

Home machine top quilting

Hand quilted

Long arm machine quilted

 it also has an impact on what fabric I use as well. Picnic or outside use I'd go for a linen/ canvas or even denim. Kids beds I stick to natural fibres and adults can have a huge mix.

I also have my "go to" patterns that I choose for long arm quilting, but more on that in the next post

When I'm teaching I spend a lot of my time teaching students how to cut fabric, bast quilts, trimming & binding

sewing the top seems to be the easy bit for most once they have chosen a pattern!

I thought today I would show you how to trim a large quilt square ready for binding

This is the scrappy quilt I did back here

I like to find a large clear flat space - I usually use my dinning table.

Start by having one of the edges on the cutting matt.

I use my longest ruler, to start my first cut I like to get a nice right angle.

I line up one of the lines on the ruler on the bottom edge and then cut straight up with the rotary cutter.

I then use this first cut as my guide and continue up the side of the quilt as you can see above & below

from time to time I may use a seam & my ruler to check that I am still cutting straight - see the line on the ruler matches the line of the seam above

keep going around the quilt the next edge should be easy because the bottom will already be straight and squared

all the excess! which I go through and salvage, material goes into my scrap basket and the wadding gets folded and goes into a box for other small projects I may do

one trimmed quilt ready for binding

 & another quilt trimmed & I'm starting to bind  Lone Star Quilt

Every one does things differently, If you have a tutorial or info you would like to share - leave a link in the comments. 

or if you have a question I'll see if I can answer it for you :)

Xx Siobhan