Colorful and Rich

I had to make a table runner for a lady with an optimistic spirit. Therefore it was quite comforting working on it.
I decided to use this block with print fabrics this time.

Around these parts we expect the first signs of Spring, so my green fabric choice is understandable. But for the other fabric the logical expectations stop here because instead a flowery print I liked better how it goes together with this apples color palette. And I knew that the lady likes apples and red is one of her favorite color.

The aim of my quilting was to create a smooth surface trying to prevent a too fluffy look. It has to be a decoration item as pretty as functional.

I think it came out well.
Beside all I like the melted - effect of the quilting against the pieced units.

I hope that the lady will like it too.

Have a beautiful day!

I am linking to #CreativeGoodness Linky Party in March  at QuiltShopGal.com.

A new pillow and a little tutorial for zippered closure

I made this pillow cover as a gift for a friend.

He has two hobbies: photography and sport.

I made a few designs and after a long pondering, I decided that this one is the winner.

I tried to make the pillow closer using the fastest method I knew. But necessarily with zipper.

I liked how the things went, so I wrote this

Place a fabric strip (wider with at least 2" than the zipper) onto the pillow back, right sides together. Pin them into position.

Decide the length of the pillow opening and draw a rectangle as long and 0.5" width. Draw also a central line like in the photo above.

Stitch only along the rectangle line and cut along the entire length of the central line through both layers of fabrics. Also cut along the V-shapes. Avoid cutting into stitching of the outer rectangle.

Pull the strip fabric through the rectangular hole to the wrong side of the pillow back.

 Press the strip flat and stitch the zip.

 If you used a longer zipper, cut the excess (see the blue dotted line).

Done!

Note

To prevent fraying you might add a simple zig-zag stitch on the strip edges before use it.

All is well when ends well, right?


Have a beautiful day, my dears!

A graceful little bag for a graceful season

 Searching one word describing the season we welcome these days, the first one that came in my mind was "graceful".
Therefore I chose this fabric for the bag opening the warm season of this year.

I am working at this bag pattern and I need to make a few more little bags in order to organize its steps.
It measures about 8" x 8" and it can be done pretty fast.

This one belongs already to one of my friends.
I'm trying now to match some fabrics for the next ones.

See you soon!

Have a beautiful Spring, my dears!

I am linking to QuiltShopGal.

New Kid in town

Here is the guy from my previous post.

Another collaboration with Romanian artist Lenus Dragulelei

He says: 

Good bye Winter! Welcome Spring! 

A cheerful pillow perfect for lifting the spirit, isn't it? 

 

Have a beautiful Spring, my dears!

New Kid in town - work in progress

I am busy. Very busy. Making all kind of textile things for a lot of anniversaries. And the most of them - for men. Tough job, isn't it?

But I managed to sneak someone among them. Someone who will not be a present. At least for now.

Slowly but surely he comes to life.

Have a beautiful day!

In between

After finishing a project I can't start the next one without reorganizing things around me. And above all in my head. Almost always between two projects one of my favorite method to clear my mind is a short session of quilting. Trying new shapes, new patterns. Looking to match different colors of threads with different colors and patterns of fabrics.

This time my quilting pause has one more finality: I brought together a few scraps of good and cheap fabrics I had on hand and I made two different tops for two 16" x 16" pillow covers for our bed.

I like quilting but I'm not good at it. I don't have patience to stitch over and over again the same design  following strictly the same paths. Above all I can't stitch perfect rounded or geometrical shapes. I'm not the kind of person looking and loving to do this.

I'm attracted by the free hand quilting designs. Even when I stitch repeated circles or spirals, I'm not looking to get the same shape or size. Nor perfectly straight lines, or equal distances between them...

All I want is that my quilting design to compliment the background.
And this is not easy. Not easy at all.

But I keep trying to think the final object I make, even if it is a humble simple one, as a whole composition, regarding both his aspect and usefulness and to treat quilting as one of its elements not an end in itself. And when I don't forget to think like this I find easier the answer at the well known question " How I will quilt this?"

So, let's practice some quilting!

Have a beautiful day, my dears!