Pink, Pink aaaannnnnddd Purple!!!

I last made a quilt for my niece when she was just a few months old. One of my early works, that too a rag quilt. What was I thinking! I decided it was time I make a real quilt for her fourth birthday. Yes, she is an April Fool's baby! Anyway now that it's been gifted I can blog about it. Not that she would read this but nevertheless, I waited.

To start with I wanted to pick colors of her choice so I asked her: 'Anya, what are your favorite colors?', to which her response was: (loudly) Pink.....(run in a circle)...(softly) pink...(run in a circle again, this time with hands waving in the air) ......aaaannnnnddddd Purple!!!!(stamp feet and come to a halt). So pink and purple it was! :)

I scoured my stash for all sorts of pinks and purples and paired them with some low volume fabrics. I picked this great pattern called 'Cloud Song' from Little Bits Quilting Bee by Kathreen Ricketson. I adore all her books and always wanted to make something from them. I picked the pattern because I thought it was apt considering she is a Seattle baby.

The raindrops and cloud applique add an adorable whimsy to the quilt. I especially like the little fox faces in the raindrops. This is the only piece of Tula Pink fabric I own and love how it matches both the green and pink in the quilt. It was meant to be! Small details like this make me happy. :)

Since the top is quite busy, I wanted the quilting to blend with the background and quilted it with a simple meandering stitch. 

For the back I used Amy Butler flannel which I had bought a while back. It will provide some added warmth on chilly Seattle nights. It is extremely soft and snuggly. The roses make the quilt even more girly.

The binding is one of my favorite fabrics from Hope Valley by Denyse Schmidt. I don't have much of it left, but I am sure there will be others. I try not to get too attached to fabric. There always will be new fabric to fill it's place.

Overall I love how the quilt turned out.  I know it will be loved and used for years to come. Perfect for a little girl and can't beat the fact that all of the fabrics are from my stash. #sewmystash2015 for the win!!!

Linking up to: Crazy Mom Quilts, TGIFF, Fabric Frenzy Friday, Fabric Tuesday

Quilty Care Package

Recently I lost my trusty quilt appreciating side kick. I cannot count the hours of companionship as she sat by my side while I sewed.  I will miss her ever so dearly. Here is a picture of her from the first day we got her. She hid inside the pillow cover in the guest bedroom. 

When my mom heard about the news she mailed me a package with all kinds of sewing knick knacks to cheer me up. Most of these things belonged to my grand mother which were passed down to her.

First up this awesome piece of hand embroidered skirt. It is chunky mirror embroidery on a very sturdy canvas like fabric, similar to upholstery weight. I guess back in the day they made outfits based on what would resist the wear and tear of daily life.

This is what it looks like at the back.

There were pieces of some awesome hand woven lace. The colors are just so vibrant. I think these were salvaged off some old sarees.

A box full of sewing thread on wooden spools. I don't think the thread is usable anymore but the colors are to die for. I think they would make great display items in my sewing room.

There was a box full of sewing/tapestry needles of all shapes and sizes. Some odd looking ones that I had no idea what they could be used for. Of the lot what really caught my eye was this package of medical needles for suturing. I guess stitching up a gash was just another household sewing activity or they worked great as embroidery/tapestry needles! 

Last but not the least a bag full of hand carved wooden templates for block printing fabric. These actually belonged to my great great grandmother. So they are probably more than a hundred years old. They are still in decent condition and would love to give them a try.

There were a ton of fabric pieces from old sarees of which this one was my favorite. I just love the color and the gold block print on the fabric. This fabric is still in good condition, most of the other pieces are falling apart. I probably have to do something to preserve them from further damage.

Well the package was a pleasant surprise and I am glad I have some artifacts from my family's sewing past.

The Making of a Quilt

The much anticipated QuiltCon 2015 in Austin, TX has come and gone. A gathering of anyone and everyone interested in modern quilting. I did not attend the event but a ton of my quilty friends did and I followed the happenings vicariously through their IG feed. You can look at the pics on Instagram by searching for #quiltcon. Everyone seemed to have had a fun time!

I had my quilt 'An Ode to the Past' hanging at the show. After seeing all the quilts selected for the show I felt humbled and honored to have one of my own creations in presence of such greatness. I was hoping someone would take a picture of it for me to see. I was not disappointed. My dear friend Jess from Quilty Habit was the first one to send me a picture via IG and then my new found friend Debbie at A Quilter's Table sent me these amazing hi-res images of it hanging at the show. Thank you both, you're the best!!! Totally made my week.

On another note I was part of the group that took first place in the bee quilt category. This was started by a bunch of us at the Mid-Atlantic Mod quilting retreat. I went back and collected the pictures from the IG feed to give an overview of how the quilt progressed during the retreat. It is interesting to see it taking shape from just a few blocks here and there.

It's such a special relationship you share with everyone that contributed to it. This was one of the quilt tops that was actually completed at the retreat. Look at Rose, absolutely ecstatic over winning it! Oh well, all's well that ends well.

Here is a look at the quilt in all it's glory.

Images courtesy of @jtlevitt, @andpins, @quiltyhabit, @soniabegoniasonia and MQG