Winter Blooms - Blogger's Quilt Festival

For the Blogger's Quilt Festival I want to share a gorgeous quilt called "Winter Blooms". The pattern for this quilt is made by Gail Pan. I finished the quilt in February 2012, and is my favorite among all the quilts I've made ever.

This is the second "Winter Blooms" I've made. The first quilt where made in almost similar fabrics and where made for my local quilt shop Quiltegården. You can read about that one here and here.

There is no secret I just love Gail Pan's designs, and I am so glad I've got to meet up with her twice. Both time was when she where over here in Norway, and I attended her classes. 
I was thrilled when Gail decided to join facebook, and it was a lot easier to stay in touch and chat. My friendship with Gail is a friendship I really appreciate. She is a warm and gorgeous person. 
This quilt went home with her when she was here in April 2012. I was so happy to give it to her, since I know she really loved it. This is also a miltestone for me when it comes to quilting. It's the first custom quilted quilt I've made and finished, and really like how it turned out:-)

Blogger's Quilt Festival Stats

Finished quilt measures: 42" x 46"

Special techniques used: needleturn applique,bias

Quilted by me on my Innova longarm machine

Category: Favorite Applique Quilt, Favorite Scrap Quilt, Favorite Wall hanging

A couple of collages that shows some close up's:

I'm looking forward to read about the others who joined Blogger's Quilt Festival, and thanks to Amy for hosting this :-)

Wish everyone a great new and creative week,
Laila

5 Year Blog Anniversary

I just can't believe it's five years since I wrote my very first blog post! I've made a lot of new friends with the same passion for quilting here in Blogland. I've also had lots of fun and learnt so much during these five years! I've got inspired by so many talented quilters, and I hope I've got to inspire some too :o)

To celebrate my anniversary I will host a giveaway. Wanna join?
No hatches, just add a comment and I'll use the random generator to choose one person to win some stuff. Feel free to tell your friends about it :o) I will pick a winner on November 1st.
It's three patterns by Carrie Nelson, one pattern by Camille Roskelley (used it to make the Dilly Dally quilt), a set of scissor/tape measure and a toiletry purse I've made. Hope some of you will like the things I'm giving away to one lucky winner :-) 

(Just click on the photo to enlarge it)

I have been making a few more blocks using the Quick Curve Ruler (see my previous post) during this week, but when 'life happens' there's not so easy to find time to sew. 
I got a gorgeous bundle of Tula Pink fatquarters yesterday, ordered from Fatquartershop. Just had to have them! Gorgeous colors! And will be perfect for a quilt I'm planning to make, using the QCR. I will also use these fabrics for the Curve it up QAL. Hope to enjoy some time in my sewing room during the weekend, so I can make the first block. I think I will use a white solid for the background on these blocks.

I wish you all a great weekend,
Laila

No productive weekend

The other day Helen Stubbings told me she would make iron on transfers for the quilt I started. It's called "Blessed Baltimore" and the pattern is from her book "Faux Appliquè". I had traced only four of the blocks, and did the happy dance when she told me I could order the iron transfers! It means a lot less tracing, and get right to the coloring part :o) I think that's sooo great! Got my set of transfers ordered :o)

This is the block I got to add colors on today.

There has been no sewing for days, since the darn migraine have been stuck with me. I was happy that I could do some coloring this evening, so I got at least a little done :o)

I'm kind'a frozen with the panel quilt on my longarm machine... Got most of the "blocks" quilted, but suddenly I just didn't know how to move on and finish the rest of the spaces. 
This is some of the quilting I did early this week:

I think I get frozen because I'm a perfectionist, and find it very hard to accept what I can do with the little practice I get to do. I think it would be better if I just do what I can, and then get better as I move along. But when you stand with your nose just a few inches from the quilted stitches, you can see every little mistake... I think I need to just jump in and stop being so hard on my self and maybe get lot more done... 

I've decided to join the"Curve it up QAL" hosted by  Jenny at Sew Kind of Wonderful and Helen at HGMR Deco Quilting . It looks like so much fun! There will be blocks made with the Quick Curve Ruler :o) 

Hope to get a little sewing done in the next days. And maybe get to finish the panel quilt so I can move on the the next quilt waiting to get quilted (at least one of them).

Wish you all a new and creative week,
Laila

Something new...again :o)

Had my day off work today, and wanted to start on a project I've had on my mind for a long time. Back in April I attended a weekend class with Gail Pan and Helen Stubbings. Helen did teach some of us her technique to make faux appliquè. She calls it Colorquè. In her book "Faux Appliquè" is the most gorgeous quilt. It's made of nine blocks and a border using this technique. I got to trace four blocks, and I got to add colors to one of the blocks. I think it looks good so far :o)

I've started to stitch the outlines with the thread I bought from Helen when I ordered the color pencils and textile medium from her website Hugs'n Kisses. This will be a project I will be working on during the winter. I'm really looking forward to quilt this one! 

I got some nice mail today too! I ordered the Quick Curve Ruler and a pattern from Lappemor. The ruler and the pattern is made by Jenny, owner of Sew Kind of Wonderful. Jenny has two blogs I've been following for a while, and she is such a great longarm quilter too! I just love the different quilts she's made using this ruler, and I really wanted to make one of these quilts so I could play with "Miss Monster" on it. I love traditional quilts, but I also love the modern quilts, with different quilting patterns. 

I watched Jenny's videos on Youtube, and decided to try the ruler tonight. 

First attempt failed.... I was not paying attention to the size of the pieces. Second attempt was perfect, until I cut the block an inch too small... *sigh*

Lesson learned...

Third attempt did not fail, and I got half a block looking almost perfect  :o) Yep, I'm doing the happy dance :o) I've NEVER pieced a curved seam before, so I'm proud of myself (even if I used such a long time sewing those two seams...).

I'm using white cotton for background, and will use a lot of different scraps/fatquarters I've got stashed. Hope to at least make the other half of the block tomorrow. 

I'm almost finished quilting the panel quilt. I spend too much time wondering and thinking about how to quilt the different spaces. But think I've got some ideas to finish up with. Will post a photo of it in my next blog post. 

Happy sewing,

Laila

Practice...practice...practice...

 I bought a great book by Angela Walters a while ago, and have been following her blog for a long time. She is a really talented longarm quilter, and it's fun to try her designs. Very different from the designs I've been trying so far. The designs are perfect for modern quilts, but I think a lot of them are perfect for traditional quilts too.

Until now I have only been doodling with a pencil on paper, but thought it was about time to try quilting with my longarm. I bought a panel at Spoonflower designed by Angela. The panel is a perfect size for a wall hanging. The panel has painted blocks, so no need for sewing before you can start quilting :o)

I've been trying to quilt swirls with space between, and filled in with waves. I think I made my swirls too small, and they should have been closer. But at least I got to try this. Now I will quilt "the blocks" on the middle of the panel, and then there will be a larger space to fill with a pattern or two on the bottom.  

I hope to figure out what to fill those blocks with. I'm using Superior's So Fine thread, so it will blend and "hide" some of my thread play. 

BTW! It's 1year since I bought my Innova longarm machine, "Miss Monster".
You can read about it in this blogpost :o)

Happy sewing,
Laila

Autumn

I did see a gorgeous quilt in a post on facebook a few days ago, "Blooming Springtime" by Irene Blanck. I just had to get the pattern, and my local quilt shop Quiltegården had the pattern in stock :o) Can't wait to start making this!

(I did borrow the photo from Focus on quilts)

It's a beautiful season, Autumn is my favorite with all the lovely colors. The leaves are about to fall off the trees. Here is some photos I promised my blog friend Kathy, and I hope my other readers will like them too.

There hasn't been any sewing over here this week, but I hope to enjoy some sewing during the weekend. Maybe some quilting too ;o)

Wish you all a great weekend, with or without needle and thread :-)
Laila

Customer quilt is finished :o)

Yesterday I got to spend some time with "Miss Monster" and I finished quilting the beautiful quilt I've had on the frame for a while. Like I told you in the previous post, these blocks are all hand sewn. I've spent some hours quilting this, but I learned a lot while working on it. 

The feathers on the border was the hardest part, but it I did my best :o)

The quilt felt very soft, even if it's heavy quilted. I also like the wool batting that Unni, the owner, chose.

I've made three blocks for a new quilt. It's a quilt called "Pie in the sky", and the pattern is in  Kim Diehl's book "Simple graces". I made a couple of blocks using japanese fabrics a while ago, but I just feel that this quilt will look best with reproduction fabrics. I've collected different fabrics for a quilt like this for a while, so I can't wait to make more blocks.

I also made one block from the pattern "Swoon" by Camille Roskelley. This block is huge, but it will be so much fun quilting this quilt. I've seen a lot of gorgeous Swoon quilts, and some of them are stunning. If you google "Swoon quilt" you'll see what I mean :-)

Wish you all a great new week! 
Happy sewing,
Laila