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.  :)

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.

TGIFF - Rainbow Star Quilt

I have finally finished a baby quilt, for a gorgeous little miss born in January.

This project took so long as I was a complete stresshead about it all and unpicked umpteen times.  Duh!  Infact, it started off HUGE but then got trimmed down to result in...

... 40" x 40" of rainbow star loveliness.  Each colour is from last year's new Kona colour range - teamed with Kona White.

Don't worry, though, I've saved the trimmed sides for another project.  Stay tuned!

Quilting is quite minimalistic with straight lines spaced 1" apart on the white and no actual quilting anywhere on the star (though I did stitch in the ditch between the colours and around the star itself).

Fun spots on the back, teamed with a gorgeous rainbow / spotty fabric for the binding.  I love this little touch and was super excited to discover it hidden in my stash.  Thankfully, too, I had just enough.  Meant to be, me thinks!

E.

Linking up with TGIFF, this week hosted by the lovely Laura.

TGIFF - First Quilt for 2013

It seems that 2013 is going to be the Year of the Baby - with two arrivals already gracing our world this week.  Of course, new bubs mean new quilts so be prepared for lots of action from me this year.  Bring it on, I say.

For Baby #1 (who is actually Baby #2, as one came a little earlier than expected... and thus hasn't yet got her WIP quilt) I decided on something a little more "grown-up" than usual.  I ummed and ahhed about this decision but in the end went with it as (a) his Mum is very stylish and sophisticated and all those things I'm not so I figured something baby-ish wouldn't suit... and... (b) I wanted to make something that could be used for a looooong time, and not just get shoved to the back of the cupboard after the first few months.

So, for you, darling boy, I present the Building Blocks quilt.

This was my first foray into the world of pure solids, with a mixture of Kona Coal, Ash, Black and various other greys from their new colour range, as well as the odd splash of orange for oomph.  I love, love, love the crispness of the solids.

For the actual quilting I originally planned on just vertical lines but, after having to piece the Ash, I went with some horizontal lines too, to cover that join.   I'm quite happy with the uneven grid look but, I have to admit, some of the lines went a little wonkier than I would like.  That's the problem with solids - nothing to hide those little oopsies.

The variegated grey cotton looks fab though!

The back is a simple wonky cross, in spots.  Mr C actually told me he prefers the back.  Hmm.  I do so love wonky cross quilts so am definitely seeing more of these in my future.

The binding is Kona Black.  Yay for more solid love.  :)

In the end this "baby" quilt measures 42" x 61".  I am fully aware that it is a slightly unusual choice for a bub but I am picturing many, many years of snuggling ahead for the little man.  I hope he likes it.

E.

Linking up to TGIFF, hosted this week by Diane over at from blank pages...