More Small Projects

I mentioned Julia Gahagan last week - in fact my blog is lagging a little, as I took part in her workshop at the end of January!

These were the items that I created during three hours in a Zoom workshop with her.

First of all a book mark and card topper ( actually I made the card topper first, realised how much my top layer knocked the colours of the collage back, so tried a bookmark with more saturated colours.

These are the backs so you can see the quilting.

Fun to use the fancy stitches on the machine in a straightforward way to add interest to the back ground.

As you can see, my little bird is a little clumsy, but I gave it my best shot without using any tracing or marking.....

This was the A4 piece that I made during the workshop.

Again, I went for saturated colours, on the whole, that toned with the vintage embroidery taken from a tray cloth.

Fun to add so many different elements to a small peice.

Again, this is the reverse to show the quilting.

The day after the workshop, whilst I still had my scraps out and a good memory of what we'd been encouraged to to, I made this A4 piece.

Again, using the vintage tray cloth as a centre piece to it, and this time personalising the FMQ embellishment.

 

The following day I was still enthusiastic - and with all the scraps still out, decided to make three more card toppers!  I stuck with fairly neutral backgrounds for these three, and with so few pieces on each card, I decided that I didn't need the overlay for them. 

I'm pleased with all of these pieces.  I'm sure that 'proper' artists would do even better with the composition, but I'm happy that I've done the best I could without spending too much time stressing over it!

Third Orphan Block Project Complete

My next orphan block project is complete!

I've added to the chequerboard pieces to make a cover for a ring binder.

The blue stripy fabric was a little loose and wiggley - even with starch I couldn't really tame it - but I decided not to worry about that!

This is the front.  I embellished with a line drawing design based on one shared by  Julia Gahagan in a recent workshop.

It fitted the space really well.

This is the whole item opened out.

And the bird shown from the reverse, so you can see it more clearly.

These were the start point.  Making them into 4 x 6 blocks took them to close to A4 size, with the loss of a couple of triangles and the addition of two more coloured squares.

Another fun project to complete!
 

Second Orphan Block Project Complete

 

A simple project this one, based on a couple of strips of charm squares that I'd picked up from the orphan blocks table.

I think that the fabric range is from Janet Clare.

I had just the right number of squares to make a chequerboard 16-patch.

Which was easy to add a narrow border to, in the same fabric that I used to make an envelope back for it.

Difficult to see the quilting, but it was an 'oyster shell' pattern - easy to sew, nice and flowing, and relevant to the maritime theme of the fabrics.

My DD2 was utterly charmed by it, and it's nestling with the other cushions and quilts in her room.

Thank you, kind donor of the blocks! 

First Orphan Project Complete!

So I showed you the orphan blocks that I'd picked up from my quilt group.

Here is my first completed project with them!

This applique is my response to the charming fabric that was used in the three blocks that I'd acquired.

Here is a reminder of the original.

I put them together with sashing - nature themed, but I hadn't got anything with more fungi or a woodland theme.

This would have made a cushion cover, but I remembered that I had a fleece on hand, so I thought that I'd extend it into a lap quilt size and see how I got on with making it into a two layer coverlet.

To be honest, I think that I've concluded that I don't really like it!  I felt inhibited from quilting it in the way that I usually would, and although it's joined securely on the vertical seams, I'm not sure that it would still lay flat if I went to work on it with some FMQ, or even some walking foot lines.

So, an interesting experiment resulting in a cosy lapquilt (and a scarf with the fleece off cut!), but not something that I'll repeat in a hurry!  I think that I like the stability of a woven third layer!

It finished at 44" square.