Tag Archives: Quilt

One Shabby, One Contented Kitty Block

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While I got a lot of printing done over the weekend, the amount of stitching that was done was rather minimal. I’m still working on the secret project, but can see the light at the end of the tunnel.

More of the shabby chic yin yang shapes were printed — a total of 95 more, that is. To make the quilt the size I want, I need to print at least another 125 shapes. That I’ll work on over the next week or two. None of the fabrics for the contented kitty blocks got printed. Nor did any of the backgrounds for the Dresden Plates. Those fabrics are pulled and waiting on the disaster area known as my sewing table. That’s another job for this week or next or else I’m afraid there will be an avalanche.

I’m now so far behind on responding to comments that it’s embarrassing. Rather than promise to catch up, I’m just going to say I’ll do my best — and tell you that I do really appreciate all the comments. Once I get past one last hurdle with this project, things should quiet down a bit and I’ll get back to normal.  I hope.

Smudge was curled up on the couch while the baseball game was on — and close to Mr. Q.O.’s baseball glove.

More Shabby Yin Yang Blocks

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I can’t stop making these!  Probably not a big surprise, given my love of curved piecing and shabby chic fabrics but there’s something extra special about these. They really do go together amazingly quickly and are much simpler to piece than they appear.

Now there are 8 completed. I’ve got a plan for a quilt using these and another type of block that involves curved piecing. Now I have 3 –no, 4 — no, make that 5 projects on the go, all of which I’m really excited about. This is going to be a great summer — lots of stitching choices for days when stitching on the roof garden is possible. Today just may be one of those days.  It’s supposed to be hot as can be with a humidex reading of 41C. But, as it’s always markedly cooler on the roof garden, it’s probably going to be just perfect.

The giveaway is still open for entries.  You can leave a comment at the post from Friday here to be entered.

Smudge was curled up in his kitty bed, looking almost exactly like the Contented Kitty blocks.

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Another Contented Kitty Block and Playing with Fabric

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One more Contented Kitty block to add to the collection. They’re just so much fun to stitch that I can’t resist. I have enough pieces printed and cut now for another 3 or 4 blocks. There are other brown and gold fabrics I want to add to the mix. Before I stitch any more of these blocks, I’m going to print on the other fabrics and mix them all up.

Wednesday night I was sorting through one of the containers in which I keep pieces I’ve printed and cut and ran across these edge shapes for clamshells. I have no idea what I had in mind when I printed them (note to self: make notes of what you’re thinking!) so decided to just have some fun stitching the little shapes. Curved piecing and tiny blocks — what more could I ask? Each of these blocks finishes at 3″. I think these will be perfect for a mini quilt.

We went from a humidex reading near 40C on Tuesday to a high this morning of 11C. That’s a huge change and completely explains the migraine I’ve been battling for the last 24 hours or so. It was brilliantly sunny on Wednesday but very windy and the wind continued through the night.

Smudge wasn’t affected by it at all.  He was too busy posing for the camera.

Contented Kitty Block

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Much as I’m trying to concentrate on just one project right now, I can’t resist these Contented Kitty, aka Yin Yang, blocks. They are incredibly satisfying to put together and so quick to stitch. While I want to get the Contented Kitty quilt done fairly quickly, I’m contemplating doing some of the blocks in my favourite shabby chic fabrics. It’s so much fun to see how different they look when other fabrics are used. Then I keep thinking that they’d be amazing done in a variety of batiks and hand-dyed fabrics.

The possibility of doing a quilt using just 2 fabrics also intrigues me. I have a feeling the effect would be rather spectacular when the blocks were all joined together. The Inklingo Yin Yang collection makes the idea of doing a few different small quilts using this block completely possible. I wouldn’t want to try making these without it.

The press like a dream and the back looks almost as good as the front.

I laid out the pieces for another Contented Kitty block. Every time I stitch one, I”m as fascinated as I was by the first one.

Tuesday was incredibly hot, with a humidex reading of 39C. Out on the roof garden it was quite breezy and the heat wasn’t quite as oppressive.  I think today we’re going back to more normal temperatures, but it was sure nice to have that first real taste of summer.

Smudge was lounging.

Two More Dresden Plates

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Two more finished on the weekend. That’s 5 complete now, and now the decision has to be made as to the layout, as the ideas I have don’t require more full plates but rather half and three-quarter plates.  That will be a decision I have to make this week, as I really don’t want to stop making them for any length of time.

Finally – finally! – I managed to learn enough in EQ to design a quilt. I’m thrilled!!  It has been years that I’ve had EQ but had never really gotten anywhere with it. This weekend I just sat down and worked my way through it and was so pleased at the end. Now I understand why people like it so much — I was so tempted to play and design a few more quilts once I had made it through the first one, and have a feeling I’ll be doing just that sometime today.

We’ve had what seems like weeks and weeks of rainy weather, which has meant very little in the way of adventures for Hugo. He was helping Mr. Q.O. do a cryptic crossword the other day. It’s about time for Hugo to leave here. However, I’m a bit concerned about sending him off anywhere as there’s the threat of a postal strike here and I’d hate for him to end up languishing in a box in the post office while a strike is on.

Smudge was absolutely tuckered out after one of his sessions at the water bowl on Sunday. Mr. Q.O. managed to get a video of him drinking which will be edited and posted sometime this week.


Bright Yin Yang Blocks

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I just couldn’t resist and had to see how the Yin Yang block would look in brights as well as the spice fabrics. These blocks may be the beginning ones for a stitching book cover or, who knows, maybe I’ll make a small Yin Yang quilt of primary colours.

I still can’t get over how wonderfully the blocks press, so have to show the backs:

Yesterday I had a link to the collection in my post, but it didn’t work.  Here’s the correct link for the Yin Yang collection.

Sleepy Cat Hollow left a comment on yesterday’s post with a suggestion for another name for the Spice or Chocolates and Caramel quilt that I loved — Contented Kitty, saying that it looked like Smudge curled up in his kitty bed.  So now I think that quilt will end up being called Contented Kitty.

Smudge likes to lounge by the water bowls before he sticks his head right in the water.  Mr. Q.O. got this shot of him just before he moved over and put his head in one of the bowls and was dripping wet.

Playing with Fabric

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One of my favourite things to do is to lay out groups of fabrics.  I may not have a specific idea what they will get used in, but I love to put groups like these together. Sometimes just looking at the groupings will be enough to give me an idea for a design they’ll work well in.  This bundle will end up in a quilt I’m going to call Spice, I think.  No idea yet on design or even when I’ll start to play with them, but they’re grouped together now and set aside and the photo is in my inspiration folder.

This is another grouping, although I can’t take credit for it.  It was put together like this — and it’s one that I can’t stop gazing at.  The ideas for this are numerous, although I still haven’t settled on one.

Then I thought I’d try the butterfly print with some more muted hand-dyed fabrics.

Finally, I put the brighter fabrics with the hand-dyed ones to see how they would play together.

The photos are all in a folder on my computer and I will, at times, open one of them and leave it open on my screen so that I can look at it periodically throughout the day.   A digital camera and computer screen are fabulous design tools!

It’s the beginning of our Victoria Day long weekend here and finally, after what seems like a week of non-stop rain, we have some sun today.  I don’t know if it will last all day, but waking up to sunshine was a wonderful treat after days and days of grey skies and rain.

Smudge has been ensuring that his kitty toys don’t get too far away.  Lately almost every time we look at him in his kitty bed, he has a paw stretched out to touch the toy basket.

Bloggers’ Quilt Festival, Spring 2011

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Amy's Creative Side
It’s that time of year again, when Amy at Amy’s Creative Side is hosting the Bloggers’ Quilt Festival.   There are all sorts of beautiful quilts entered — lots of eye candy and tons of inspiration.

I decided to show the first applique quilt I made.  It was all done by  hand — the piecing, applique and quilting.  Each plate has 20 blades, and looking at it now I realize that it has to be the scrappiest of the quilts I’ve made.  In it are some novelty prints, batiks, ’30s repros, checks, stripes and florals.

That was the first time I used a fusible batting and I remember the day I basted it — we vacuumed and vacuumed the living room carpet, laid out the backing, batting and the top and then out came the iron.  It seemed like it took next to no time and the quilt was ready to quilt.

There’s something about Dresden Plate variations that I always seem to have been drawn to.  Not only have I made this one, but also Ferris Wheel (which is about to be quilted), the new one I’ve started and showed yesterday and yet another which is in the planning stages.

Now I think I’ll spend a lot of time over the next few days looking at all the gorgeous quilts being shown.  This has to be the best way to go to a great quilt show — no travelling, no line ups, no trying to get a good view.  Just click on the links and you’re there.

Smudge continues to improve.  Here he was reaching for the toy basket in typical Smudge fashion.  He’s a very laid-back cat!

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New Summer Quilt Project

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Ever since I finished the Ferris Wheel top, I’ve been playing with the idea of another Dresden Plate quilt.  I finally succumbed on the weekend and started to print the shapes for the pointed blade on a layer cake of Fig Tree’s Buttercup collection.

Years and years ago, I started a pointed blade Dresden Plate but the dozen or so blocks that I did finish ended up in the orphan block box.  They were small 6″ blocks and it was going to take dozens upon dozens of them to make a quilt.  Since then, I’ve repeatedly thought about making one with the pointed blades, but didn’t want to go through that whole process of folding the blades to get the pointed tip. Using one of the blades in the Dresden Plate Fancy Pieced collection was the solution.

I haven’t attached the background to the plate yet.  It’s going to be a wonderfully feminine summer quilt, one that I can almost see draped over a white wicker chaise. Not that we have a white wicker chaise, but that’s the sort of setting I can imagine for this quilt.  It will be very soft, very feminine and a perfect summer project.  When it’s ready to quilt, this one absolutely has to have a silk batt.

Smudge seems to be improving.  We have found foods that he’s happy to eat.  Last week there was a lot of syringe feeding done until Friday, when he finally started to eat sufficient amounts on his own.  Obviously we’ll have to watch his food intake carefully and be ready to jump in with syringe feeding, but I’m feeling optimistic that maybe we’ve turned a corner.  He’s curling up in his kitty bed, and is acting more like himself.

Here he was taking a break after some play time with his favourite toy, Cappy.

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