I Love Your Precious Heart

This month's theme for Le Challenge was PRECIOUS and it really got the cogs turning.  My original thought was "diamonds" but after much umming, ahhing and Google image searches I went off the idea.  Maybe one day I'll have a crack but not right now.  So, what next...???

Well, due to the soon-to-be-aired-in-Australia telemovie about INXS being advertised of late, I just couldn't get this song out of my head...


... and, wouldn't you know it, one of the lines just happens to be "I love your precious heart.".  Hello plan!  ;)

I pinned this Pixelated Heart cushion by s.o.t.a.k handmade a few weeks ago with the intention of totally ripping it off for bub's nursery and, seeing as I love to kill multiple birds with one stone, here is my entry.

For the background I moved away from the low volume squares used in the original work - and went with a solid in pale aqua.  I was nervous at first but really like the effect and it'll give me a good opportunity to practise some more of my mad FMQ skillz too.  ;)

I am mixing things up a little, though, and not intending to make this into a cushion - but rather a mini wall hanging.  I figure that baby girl probably has enough cushions for now (though I do have another planned... cough...).

Stay tuned!  :)

E.

Linking up to the last Le Challenge for the year!   Head over and check out the other entries. There are some seriously precious ones.  ;)

It's a...

Yes, I've done it again.  I had the best of intentions to link up a project to last month's Le Challenge but, alas, I just didn't get it finished in time.   Typical!  But, seeing as I've had this project in my head ever since I first heard the theme of STRIPES I figure I'll still credit the amazing Lucy and Nat with the inspiration. :)

So, where exactly did I take my stripey-ness?  Well... I went straight (pardon the pun) to the drool-worthy Haphazard Chevron Pillow, from Quilting Happiness by Diane Gilleland and Christina Lane.

I am seriously considering picking up a copy of this book (the reviews are awesome!) but, lucky for me, I didn't have to wait to do this project as it is kindly being offered for free right here.  Thank you CrafterNews!

Regular readers will know that I'm keen to make a few cushions/pillows for bub's room and I thought this would definitely fit the bill.  Problem is - what colour scheme to use???  Pink or blue???  Well, truth be told, we actually now know...

Yep, it's a GIRL!!!

So, I went with  dark and light pink solids with a touch of white for some added punch (thanks Kristy for that oh-so-perfect suggestion).

The pattern was super easy to follow and I even managed to slightly adjust it so that my finished cushion came out at 14", rather than 12".

For the quilting (which isn't part of the pattern but I couldn't resist) I again used the opportunity to get out of my comfort zone and give a new-to-me style a shot.  In this case it was concentric circles, as per this tutorial.

Ok, so she's not perfect but I'm happy enough.  Embrace the wonk, I say.  The hardest parts were the smaller centre circles but they aren't totally impossible.  I can definitely see myself giving this style another go at some point in the future.  I do quite like the effect and would love to see it off-centre as well.

The back is just my usual style zip enclosure, using some of the leftover pinks from the top.  It really is nothing special (ok, I forgot to get a pic and it's dark now) - just imagine light pink on top and dark pink on the bottom, with a lovely label slapped on there somewhere.  ;)

Obviously, the binding is just the dark pink.  I must say, I do like binding on cushions.  It really finished them off.

And, just for one more little picture, here she is chilling out with her partner in crime, the Cutie Scootie Patootie cushion.

What a pair!  ;)

So, there is my stripe-inspired project for last month's Le Challenge.  Pop over here to see where others went.  There are some great ideas!  Also, this month's theme (and the last for the year) has now been announced - PRECIOUS - so I must, must, must try a little harder to get something done on time.  A few ideas are already brewing.  What about you?  Planning to play along?


E.

Linking up to Sew Cute Tuesday, over at Blossom Heart Quilts.

Toffee Shards

I have to admit, I am in shock... BUT... Toffee Shards is finished!  Can I get a 'whoop'?!

Making this baby quilt (measuring 38.5" x 38.5") has been an eventful journey.  My original concept was shattered toffee, in honour of Le Challenge, back in June/July.  It was pictures like below that inspired me.

To (sort of) achieve this look, I went with a simple HST design, in a variety of yellow and brown solids... but, even though I had the top finished in plenty or time - I forgot to link up.  Doh!

After that... I totally fell out of love.  They aren't "my" colours.  I wasn't feeling it.  It just wasn't happening.  I tried a number of times to start quilting... but each attempt ended in complete frustration and time with the unpicker.  Ugh.  So... Toffee Shards languished.

Thanks, though, must go to my hubby and the lovely Kristy who continually encouraged me to get this done AND for Making Christmas (yes, I'm ticking this off of my list!) for pushing me that extra little bit I needed.  It worked and I was happily able to gift it yesterday morning, to a gorgeous 5 month old boy.

To continue with the shattered toffee theme I ended up settling on simple, crazy lines (yes, my go-to quilting at the moment) which helped turn this unloved piece into something nearing completion and starting to warm my heart again.

Then I just finished it off with more of the orange-y solid, which really makes those colours pop.

As the Mum not only loves neutrals but also green, I chose this adorable dinosaur themed fabric for the back.  It is perfectly boy-ish!  Funnily enough, I have since found out that it is actually Buddy, a character from TV's Dinosaur Train.  Hmm... who knew??

Sorry about the shadows but this was the quickest photoshoot ever - on the way to gift this quilt.  Nothing like doing things last minute!

Anyhoo... YAY!  It's done.  I am happy, happy, happy.  :)

Thanks again to those who helped me stop procrastinating... and to Lucy & Nat of Le Challenge for being the inspiration behind the whole idea.

Speaking of Le Challenge... I'm jumping back into the fun this month with the theme STRIPES.  With such an easy subject that can go in soooo many directions (*groan*) there is absolutely no excuse for you not to join in and create something awesome.  There is a $25 Fat Quarter Shop voucher up for grabs so check it out!

E.


Linking up with TGIFF, hosted last Friday by Jen of Quilter in the Closet.  You only have a few more days to get in your finished entry for OctoberQuest so quick sticks.  :)

WIP - Browns, Blocks, Baddies and Bears

I have been super-dooper pre-occupied of late and, though that has had a negative effect on my blogging, the opposite can be said about my sewing.

Here's a quick overview of some of the things I've been working on of late -

Toffee Shards Quilt

I finished this quilt top weeks ago in preparation to link up to Le Challenge on July 15... but then I forgot.  Doh!

Last month's theme was TOFFEE so I took my inspiration from images of toffee shards - hence the name.

I've since unpicked the quilting I started (stop groaning Mum), with the need to re-baste after my rather poor job initially.  I will get this one finished - and soon - to gift to a darling baby boy.  Watch this space. 

Churn Dash Blocks

For July, Rachel requested that all of us in the Care circle of do.good.stitches, make scrappy Churn Dash blocks.  I went a little crazy and whipped up three.

Please excuse the dodgy IG pics. I bundled these babies up before realising I hadn't taken "proper" photos.

Darth Vader

I've been planning to piece this bad dude ever since I saw Kristy's version, made from her free pattern (available here).  Oh yes, you read that correctly.  Free.

So... the pattern is printed and the fabrics have been pulled.  It will be interesting to see how long this takes me (to even start).  ;)

Bear Paw Quilt

I've gone Bear Paw crazy and have now completed 23 blocks out of 25.  Whoop!

Unfortunately the final two reds are proving difficult as I hunt for the perfect shades, with the probably ridiculous hope of some not-too-pink tone-on-tone fabrics.  The search continues.
 
Of course, the other projects on my FAL list for this quarter have also been playing quite heavily on my mind.  I may just have to get a move on with those soon.  That donkey will not quilt itself!  ;)

E.

Linking up to WIP Wednesday at Freshly Pieced. Stop by and say hello to the gang.

Guest Blogging

I'm posting over on the Le Challenge blog today... so please pop over to check it out.  Only 2 weeks left til the linky party so it's time to get inspired!

E.

Le Challenge - Shiver Me Timbers!

Ahoy there me hearties!

After missing the last Le Challenge (I may have been a little busy...) I was determined to play along this month.  In fact, I was soooo keen that I jumped straight online on the 15th to find out the new theme and then began brainstorming immediately.  Luckily for me, we were stuck in an airport at the time so there was plenty of opportunity to sit back and think.  AND... bug Mr C to help me.

Funnily enough, he took my "it's ok to think outside the square" to heart and went from the theme of "maritime" straight to...

He assures me this way of thinking was pure inspiration.  I have my suspicions that he was really just hanging out for a rum.  ;)

Eager to play the "good wifie" (hey, we were less than a month in at that point so I might have still been delusional.  hehehe) I accepted his challenge and spent the next two weeks of our honeymoon mulling over the idea as often as I possibly could.  Obsessed much?!

In the end I decided on a pixelated Jolly Roger.  Fun!  To make my life even easier, I did a quick search for a free pirate cross stitch pattern and totally scored...

Blimey!

Then, using some new skills I learnt in Caro Sheridan's free Craftsy class, Pictures to Pixel Quilts, I roughly transferred the chart into a workable quilt design on Excel.

From there it was a simple matter of counting, measuring, swearing, re-counting, cutting, cutting, cutting, sewing, pressing... sewing some more... until...

The finished "Shiver Me Timbers" pirate quilt top (at 41" x 55") is as far as I've gotten at this stage but, I have to admit, I LOVE it.  You just have to get excited when the picture in your mind comes to fruition like that.

No idea how I'm going to quilt this one (any ideas?) but thinking of either getting some snuggly flannel for the backing or some cool, theme-appropriate cotton like...

Hmm.  Decisions, decisions.  I might need to think some more.

So, that's my entry for this month's Le Challenge (thankfully finished quilt tops are acceptable.  Yay!).  A different take on most people's interpretation of 'maritime', maybe, but I'm glad that, firstly Lucy and Nat encouraged me to think outside the square... and then Mr C pushed that even further.

Yo-ho-ho!

E.

Le Challenge... Accepted!

On Sunday I promised a big reveal of my Le Challenge project and so... without further ado...

This baby quilt is destined for a new little miss, born last Tuesday.  As she came early, and I didn't know the sex beforehand, I hadn't really planned for this project and therefore needed a quickie.  This proved to be just that - with cutting started on Wednesday and binding finished early Monday morning.  Gotta love that turn-around!

I'm also pleased to brag share that this entire quilt was made from items I already had on hand.  Yay!  Of course, Mr C took this as another opportunity to point out that I have too much fabric (*gasp*) but I am choosing to ignore that.  Seriously, I know many of you have much, much, much more than me.  ;)

The finished quilt measures about 36" x 36".  Perfect size for bub - and it helped make the whole process even quicker as a pieced back was not necessary.  Now we're talking.

I absolutely love this funky print - and actually let it dictate the whole palette for the quilt, minus the yellow.

For the binding I originally imagined dark purple (Kona Mulberry, to be precise) but as I didn't have enough, I made do with a dark pink with just a hint of mulberry. 

I have to admit, I actually love it.  Hopefully the mum (who is a purple lover like myself) agrees.

The quilting was based on this quilt, the obvious inspiration for the whole project.  You know the saying, if it ain't broke...

Basically, it consists of straight-lines, quilted in a random pattern (or "crazy lines"), just like I did here.  Let me assure you, this method also ticked the "quick" box!  For a bit of added extra I used a variegated thread in pinks, blues and purples.

So there we have it... a geometric-inspired baby quilt in less than a week!

How's that for challenge accepted?  ;)

E.

Linking up to Le Challenge.  Be sure to fly over and check out all the fabulous projects - and find out this month's theme.  ;)


Also linking up to this week's TGIFF linky party over at Erin's place.  She has a fabulous finish to showcase so be sure to pop over.

Le Challenge #1 - Geometrics

When Lucy and Nat first announced Le Challenge I just knew that I had to jump on board.  I mean, these ladies are awesomeness personified and the idea of a monthly project, with various themes, was such a winner I couldn't possibly miss out on the fun.

I eagerly awaited the 15th and the announcement of the first theme - and was thrilled when it turned out to be Geometrics.  YAY!  As a bit of a self-confessed shape-nerd I immediately started thinking of ideas.  The choices were endless.

I considered many, many new projects and loved the inspiration the net offered, such as...

Tetris-style Cross Stitch

DIY Geometric Embroidery wall art

Half Square Triangle Quilt

 Paper Pieced Hexie Pillow

and, believe it or not,

Circle Quilt

And, then, I took a long, hard look at my (many) works in progress to see what fitted the theme AND what I could realistically get done in time.  Those that made this list include...

Plus quilt

Tippecanoe cushion cum quilt

Summer House of centre squares quilt

... and ...

Girly Road Trip quilt

In the end, though, a new baby was born and I couldn't resist starting a whole new project especially for her.  Sorry for the tease but all will be revealed tomorrow.  In the meantime, I'll give you two clues - it is a quilt and it was inspired by a pin on my Pinterest board.  ;)

I know, I know, I've left you hanging.  To quell your anger, and to make the wait a little less long, be sure to head over to see all the fabulous items being linked up to Le Challenge, especially this most amazing, gorgeous, special ring cushion that Lucy made for little old me.  Talk about lucky!  I am beyond chuffed!!!  Thank you Lu.  I love it.  x

Til tomorrow...

E.