Blousy Blooms Pillow Cushion [Hidden Zipper + Pointy Corner Removal Tutes]

Haven't done any #selfishsewing in quite a while so took a day off from the computer (writing blog posts, tutorials, newsletter and sewing patterns) at the end of last week to have an afternoon at the sewing machine.

And Tatty Said 'Thank You'

Looking back at a 2013 make and Thatcher, Tatty to her friends, wanted to say 'thank you' to her doggie minder and groomer Vicki.

I found this dog fabric and knew with a little bit of fussy cutting it would be just perfect for a cushion.

even better that it has this black and white Havanese just like Tatty sitting up front in the doggie lineup.

I moved the doggie bones around to create top and bottom borders

and there's another line of bones hiding alongside the zipper under the collars and leads.

My mbCD label of course!

Lol, Tatty's embarrassed to remember how she looked when she was growing out her fringe!

If you'd like to know how I make these cushions click through to my free Quilted Pillow Cushion With Hidden Zipper tute.

Clicking on an image will take you to through to the new page of crafty goodness :)

Disclaimer: 
This post is for informational purposes only, no payment or commission is received on click-throughs and opinions are my own.

Just Another Class Sample Quilt

Finished my sample for an upcoming class I'm teaching in Manhattan.

Jelly Roll Quilt, The City Quilter, Manhattan - $70

Held over 3 weekly sessions Thursday, 5, 12, 19 Feb 2015 

12 noon to 2.00 pm

Using 2.5" strips we'll learn a super fast Half Square Triangle (HST) method and use these to create a stunning quilt top with border.  During class we're aiming to finish the quilt top but some students may progress further towards making the full quilt.  Open to all levels but must know how to use a rotary cutter and sewing machine and sew an accurate ¼” seam. 

Contact store to register.

I've no idea what the strip fabrics are - they were put together by my friend Mallory over a year ago but I did pick the border and backing fabrics:
Dear Stella Paloma Stripe Citron #214
Blue-Green Istanbul from the Passport collection by Modern Quilt Studio for Andover Fabrics
Dogma Bubbles Teal by David Hearn for In The Beginning fabrics


I've found some photos I took along the way which are always interesting to share.

Making layout choices.

Planning borders and binding.

And then the finished quilt, 

  

pieced back,

red dots popping in the border,

one direction diagonal quilting,

yellow striped binding,

and, finally, the quilt roll.

The weather's too cold and damp to take outside photos so I'm trying to make use of what little daylight there is by my floor to ceiling windows.  This, of course, means I have a couple of little helpers always willing to test drive any quilt that hits the floor.

So I told Tatty and Watson to leave the quilt alone while I was taking photos and when I turned around they were both watching from the chair behind me.

So the quilt's off to hang in the store where the class is being held, if you've registered for the class we'll have a lot of fun along the way and I'm looking foward to meeting you :D

If you live in the greater New York area or are making a quick visit to the Big Apple, why not join in one of my classes?  You can find details of all Spring 2015 classes I'm teaching via the 'My Classes' link in the side bar or by clicking the link button below.

 

 

  

Finally Showcasing My 'Even The Dog's Got Two' Quilt

For the longest time my husband, Simon, kept commenting that I made quilts for everyone else but not for him.  I didn't pay any attention until the day he said

"everyone else has at least one quilt except me, even the dog's got two".

It couldn't be denied, the evidence is right here on this blog:

 Tatty's No Bind Pram/Stroller Quilt Tutorial

Play Quilt And Matching Dog Set

I needed to put matters right.  

I think I'd been putting off making him a quilt because I knew Simon would probably like his very own space themed Star Trek or Doctor Who quilt but there's no way I'm having anything like that in my living room as I have to live with it too. I'll leave you to make your own mind up whether I'm a total control freak ex-interior designer or maybe I just don't love him that much - either way, this is the plan I came up with.

For some time, as they wore out, I'd been collecting Simon's cotton and linen shirts and linen trousers all in shades of blue and brown so even when he's off to work he always co-ordinates with my apartment colour scheme.  At the same time, I saw a sample quilt hanging in a Manhattan quilt store for a  Pleated Patchwork class by Andrea Deal, you can see Andrea's quilt here on her website. The quilt is from the book Modern Neutrals by Amy Ellis @Amy's Creative Side and I knew this would be a perfect way to use the shirts/trousers and I think the quilt has a very strong masculine design too.

Here's a handful of photos taken as the process was ongoing

Other projects kept taking precedence over the quilt and although it was meant to be Simon's Christmas present I didn't actually finish it until Boxing Day (that's the day after Christmas Day celebrated by Commonwealth countries) but the good news is, Simon was thrilled with it.  I think I should tell you at this stage that I did also make him a travel bag lined with Star Trek fabric that I'll share with you another time so don't judge me too harshly as totally inadequate wife material (though I did say 'lined with', well I draw the line at it actually being visible!!!).

Obviously, over winter the weather was dreadful and I never got around to taking photos of the quilt.  I did pass comment that possibly the quilt should never actually be used as if it ever needed washing I really didn't want to stand and iron all those pleats back into place.

So this is the bit of the story where I totally get my comeuppance.

Our new pup, Watson, threw up on the quilt.
He committed his crime on a Saturday when I was working at the quilt store and Simon set to, washing the quilt and tumbling drying the life out of it till it was bone dry.  Every crinkle and crease were well and truly fixed in place, no iron was sorting out that mess.

Here's the only photo that exists of the quilt in its perfect, pre-washed state, taken by Nellie at our February NYC Metro Mod Quilt Guild meeting.

 .

Last week we finally had a few days of brighter weather, suitable for taking quilt photos.  I quickly rewashed the quilt and while it was still soaking wet I ironed it.  I was amazed how perfect the pleats still were, washing didn't affect them in the slightest and they required minimal if no ironing.  The most difficult part of the quilt to iron was the back - it's made from Peppered Cottons and no amount of pressing can make it look pristine as you're always pressing against the lumps and bumps of the pleats on the underside.

Ironed as best as I could manage I left the quilt to hang dry overnight and here are the pics from its photocall last week:

The quilt is really heavy and incredibly warm.  I guess the quilt top is actually three layers of fabric due to the way the pleats are created and the pleats themselves probably trap air and, therefore, heat.

This pic shows how difficult it was to iron the peppered cotton flat but you can also see how I've quilted it - either side of the ditch to create the square design and to avoid sewing over the pleats and spoiling the texture and effect of the quilt front.

So the long-suffering Simon, at last, has his own quilt to stay warm under on a cold winter's night, finally a happy ending ...

well, that's not quite how it is ...

there's two little people who have their own ideas about the new quilt on the block and they're not moving anywhere fast.  

Poor Simon, maybe I'll make you another quilt sometime or maybe you're just not meant to have a quilt at all? x

Find out more about the life of this quilt here:

Disclaimer: 
This post is for informational purposes only, no payment or commission is received on click-throughs and opinions are my own.