Hello friends,
Did you think I abandoned this blog?
Looking at the date of the last blog post, you would be right to think like that.
The truth is, last autumn I took a second job. Since then, in the 24 hours of a day, more duties have to be done.
My passion for sewing has the same intensity, but I have not yet managed to organize my time so that writing about it on my blog to be placed somewhere above other things on my list of priorities.
Beyond this, the other thing that postponed my presence on the blog was my sewing machine. I had to take it to the repair shop for fixing the feed dog. I took it back about a week ago and I just managed to finish a quilt that I started last summer.
Now I can show you what I have been working on. My second quilt for my corner couch:
The Scattered Quilt
quilted
before quilting
Quilt size - 59" x 86".
Number of blocks - 35 (5 x 7 setting)
In this quilt I wanted to compose a layout with an improvised-like look from rectangles of different sizes.
I used Kona Cotton, Ikea fabrics, fabrics I received as gift, and fabrics from a local shop.
About the color range: as you may see, I chose the neutral gray-white background broken by red and black stripes.
The quilting was really challenging. After I finished piecing the top I realized that I have no idea how to quilt it. I drawn a few variants of designs and I even tested one of them quilting it by hand and by machine, but I didn't like any of them.
hand quilting test
I would have liked a quilting design made out of straight lines. Unfortunately, at that time my quilting options were limited by my defective sewing machine: the feed-dog not working properly I couldn't use the walking foot.
So finally, with the free motion foot, I quilted waving lines of two colors (black and red), spreading out all over the quilt surface the movement of the waved grid pattern of one fabric of the top.
In order to avoid a quilting pattern monotony, on only one of the 7 columns of the quilt blocks I alternated a few quilting designs,using only gray thread.
I bound the quilt with a white stripe of fabric when my sewing machine was back from the repair shop.
How glad I was to have again an equal stitch length on my binding!
One thing I still don't manage: non swinging quilt edges. They are straight cut and carefully handled while stitching the binding, but when the quilt was hanged on the wall to take a few photos, the edges were waving back and forth. You may see these in the first photo I posted. Maybe because it was hanged on a surface narrower than the quilt width and the long edges had no background at all? I will try to find a wall large enough for the quilt and see how the edges will look in this case.
However the quilt looks nice on the couch.
with some matching pillows
...or just thrown on it waiting for someone to snuggle under it.
The best part of sewing things for your own home or for others is seeing them in use.
And as I told you that this is the second quilt I made for my couch, anticipating someone's curiosity, I bring here also the first quilt I made for the short side of my couch: The Racetrack Quilt.
Now I miss only one more quilt: a small one for the corner element bounding the two sides of the couch. I think a whole cloth quilt would be the best option.
Until the next post,
Have only beautiful days, my dears!
P.S. If you need inspiration for sewing something nice, have a look in my little pattern shop