Something New

I have spent far too long admiring other people's quilts. I even went as far as buying the Last Minute Patchwork and Quilt Book by Joelle Hoverson, which has some wonderful modern quilts in it.

I prefer more modern designs, I'm not that keen on dark, heavy looking quilts covered with patchwork stars, although I appreciate the effort that goes into making them.

So when I saw a "beginner" quilt design in Sew Hip, Issue 1, I decided to have a go.

All in all it went relatively smoothly. I did a few hours here and there, some before Xmas, then I finished it off last week, with a few hours each day from Wednesday onwards. The hand sewing of the binding took 3 nights while watching films, 2 of the films had subtitles, so I was watching more film than sewing!

I used Moda's Swell range by Urban Chicks and the apple fabric from Sandi Henderson's Farmer's Market. It was fun to use a charm pack for the centre, and certainly took a lot of the hassle out of all the cutting. I also had to order a new Big Foot sewing machine foot so I could do the meandering style of quilting. The wait was worth it, as it was such fun to be able to travel across the fabric with such ease.

I love the back, as much as the front. The front is very girly, not my husband's taste, but it's nice to have some more feminine things around at times! The next quilt I'll do will fit in more with our combined aesthetic. And probably a king size one. This is a lap quilt, so quite small.

It's currently in the wash, hopefully shrinking slightly for that lived in look!