Gran's Surprise Quilt

I've been frantically crafting for the past few weeks.  Several projects have been kept secret.  Unless you know me in real life, in which case you're sick of hearing about them, sorry.  There was a very good reason for this.  Yesterday was my Gran's 90th birthday!  Happy birthday Gran!  What do you get as a present for someone who is 90?  After racking my brain I came up with an idea.  A memory quilt.  Or in this case, more of a family quilt.  That is, a quilt with photos of the family on it.

Remember this fabric roll up?

Well this is the project it was bought for.  I had a vague idea that I wanted some kind of shading across the quilt and this fabric seemed to fit the bill.  And it's really pretty!  I particularly like the greeny-turquoisey colours.  I have to say, I was a bit daunted by making a quilt from strips of fabric like this.  I like to draw things out first, however badly, and I wasn't going to be able to do that with this project.  I also had no idea how big the final quilt was going to be, or even how big it should be.

First thing I did was lay all the strips out across the dining room table, trying to put them in some kind of order.

The terracotta type colours all had two strips the same.  There were some repeats in the others, but only the odd one.  I took out the other duplicates and one or two other strips to get eight strips of each of the four colours (cream, green, terracotta and brown).  I then sewed these strips into groups, from the lightest of each colour together, through to the darkest shades.

These were then cut into square blocks, each approximately 8 1/2".  All except one.  Which I managed to cut half an inch too small.  In the photos of the final quilt try to spot which one.  It's a game the whole family can enjoy.

I then had to decide how to arrange the blocks in the final quilt.  We had a couple of options.

To be honest, in my head I'd always pictured the first option, and that's the one I went for.

Once the blocks were sewn together I had to decide on the placement of photos.  Getting the photos together in the first place was a bit of a nightmare.  When they were all assembled I printed them all on paper first.  I made them sepia with a black border so that they all tied in together and looked like they belonged with the quilt fabric.

I made sure that all the photos would fit once printed onto fabric.  When I've been talking with people about this project I kept being asked how I would get the photos onto the fabric?  The answer is really boring.  You can get specially treated cotton that will go through inkjet printers.  It comes with a backing paper on it.  The type I bought is iron on, so all you do is print the photos, cut to size (I put two on a sheet of A4), peel off the backing and iron into position.  I also put a zig-zag stitch around each photo, just to make sure they were secure.

When deciding on where to put photos I did wonder about changing the quilt to portrait rather than landscape...

... but I preferred landscape.  On the bottom photo you can probably see some pieces of tape (not pieces of eight, however).  They were just there to hold the photos in their final position before I ironed them on.  That part was scary, after that there was no going back!

After pressing and sewing the photos into position I just(!) need to add the backing, quilt the whole thing and bind it.  I did have to buy extra fabric for the backing and binding, but the rest is from the original roll-up.  The extra strips I took out weren't wasted either, I cut some (what felt like hundreds!) circles to make 'yo-yos' to attach to the corners of the photos.

And here it is, the finished quilt!

It's about 64" X 40".  The family is scattered around randomly otherwise it would have looked uneven in places!  Gran's great-grandchildren are all on the quilt twice, apart from Kyle who made an appearance after the rest of the photos were taken.  Kyle is the (proud) owner of the pirate quilt.

And here's a close up of the birthday girl herself

It being Gran's quilt she got more yo-yos than anyone else.

A close up of yours truly and my other half.

I won't embarrass the rest of the family by posting close ups of the rest of them.  Unless they want me to of course.  Just let me know!

Gran was given her quilt yesterday on her birthday.  It seemed to go down well, especially with the family, all desperate to find the picture of themselves, and to make sure I hadn't chosen an awful one of them.  Gran had no idea she was getting this.  Well done everyone for keeping to yourselves.

You may be seeing this quilt again.  It was suggested that I attach some tabs to the top so it can be hung from the wall.  Watch this space.

New Fabric!

I'm all excited!  I've just been shopping and have lots of new fabric!  Woo Hoo!  Sorry, that is quite a lot of exclamation marks in such a small space.  I'll take a few deep breaths and try to be more sensible.

I dragged my Mam to 'The Fat Quarters' quilt shop.  Tiny baby quilts were delivered and they now have another scheme running as well.  You may be seeing some pillowcases in future.  They're again for hospital patients, but this time ranging in age from babies to young adults.  I've picked up some instructions for sizing, but it may be a while before I get around to making some.  Hopefully not as long as the quilts took.

We bought fabric for two baby quilts today.

 
This is for quilt number one.  We don't know whether it's going to be for a boy or a girl, but I was allowed to get bright fabric.  I'm just not sure they're prepared for my kind of bright.  The photos don't really do justice to quite how yellow that fabric really is.  You almost have to wear shades.  When I made my first quilt (for Charlotte)  I picked some lovely bright colours.  We had a blue fabric with brightly coloured balloons on. I matched this with lots of bright orange and yellow.  I love that quilt.  It was shortly after I completed it that I bought a quilting book (The Quilter's Ultimate Visual Guide).  It has a couple of paragraphs devoted to the colour yellow in quilts.  I quote

Even when paired with purple, its natural complement, it is recommended that yellow be used sparingly.  Three parts purple to one part yellow is generally considered a pleasing and harmonious proportion.

Well, there's no purple at all in Charlotte's quilt and I certainly didn't use the yellow sparingly!  Whoops.

Second quilt is for a baby boy. I found pirate fabric!

I love pirates!  I considered it as a career choice when I was about 7.  When we found the pirates we did wonder whether it was appropriate to have bottles of rum on a baby quilt.  It didn't stop us buying it though.

I also bought a 'Roll Up'.

This is for a top secret project that I'll share with you later in the year.  It will look very different next time you see it.

I also thought I'd share the fabric I've got for the dress I'm making for Auntie Linda's wedding.

I'm not sure whether I'm using the shiny 'right' side of the fabric or the slightly duller 'wrong' side.  It's not really shiny, but I'm a bit concerned that it's going to be too 'bridesmaidy'.  That's the right side showing in the photo, so it maybe won't look too bad.  I have started drafting a pattern for this dress, but I'm going to need to make a mock up for it because I think I'm adding boning(!) to give it some structure.

In other news, I tried the latest version of the christening dress on Libby yesterday and I think I'll be full steam ahead with that at the weekend because it did fit.

Five Tiny Baby Quilts

I've finally finished some incubator quilts.  They've only been a year or so in the making.  But now they're all pieced, sandwiched, quilted, bound and ready to go.  Yay.  Now I just hope they're suitable!

We have the star design and the pirates which you've already seen partially completed.

Then we have pink and lilac fairies.  It's really quite girly.

Frogs.

And my personal favourite (i.e. the brightest) the insects.

I did have a bit of a whoopsie when cutting the fabric for this one.  The orange background was going to be spotty, but I managed to cut the strips too small.  I'm not quite sure what it says about my fabric stash that I had another bright orange fabric that I could substitute.

I'm proud of them now they're finished, but I didn't see much of the weekend.  I was either at work or sewing.  Mainly by hand.  My machine is capable of quilting, but I've never had time to practice!  One day maybe.  I didn't draw blood too many times either.  Woo hoo.  I'm afraid you will probably be treated to many more pictures of quilts over the coming months.  I think I'm up to making three for later in the year.

The nieces haven't been neglected either.  I mean they have been sewing-wise but they now have their first loom band princesses.

Made using videos by Izzalicious Designs we have Rapunzel from Tangled and Elsa from Frozen.  The girls were thrilled.  They're now debating as to who to get next.  Charlotte's fancying Aurora, but Katie can't decide between Ariel (with a tail, no surprises there!) and Rapunzel.  I think she liked the long hair of Rapunzel.

My next project is a somewhat scary one.  I don't mean it's Halloween themed or anything.  Although come to think of it I'll probably be doing a couple of those as well.  If anyone creates a machine in the next few months that's capable of making time, please let me know.  I'd be most grateful!  Anyway, I digress.  I've been asked to make a christening dress (definitely more a dress than gown).  Remember the baby blocks I made?  Well, Libby is going to be christened in August and her Mam asked me if I'd make her outfit.  The scary part is I'm going to be using Libby's Mam's wedding dress!  I'm really flattered I've been asked, but I'm very nervous.  There is a train on the dress, so the idea is to remove that and use it to make the bairn's dress.  Wish me luck!  I feel lots of deep calming breaths coming on.  It generally takes me ages to get up the nerve to cut into any fabric.  On the plus side, the christening is in August, so I haven't got long to procrastinate!

Also in August, my Auntie Linda is getting married.  And, you've guessed it, I'm going to be making a dress for myself.    I've found a dress on Modcloth that I think I'm using as inspiration.

How pretty is that?!  I'm not sure what colour to do, but I think I want something quite pale as I'm wearing nude colour shoes.  That's right, I have shoes, but no outfit.  Why not do things backwards?

So about that time creation machine...

Incubator Quilts

I haven't been sewing much lately.  Unless you count sewing labels back onto Other Half's work T-shirts.  And I don't.  I have been making cards, but nothing too exciting.  A few days ago I ordered a Loom for making those band bracelet things.  This trend has completely passed me by, by the way.  I was only vaguely aware of their existence until last weekend when the nieces were showing me them.  I looked on the internet afterwards to see what it was all about.  I found some fab tutorials on making Disney princesses with them and thought it would be a good way to bribe (sorry, encourage) the girls for their Maths (long story, don't ask!).  So, loom is ordered and I'm stupidly excited about it coming.  I know, I'm a grown woman.  I'm aware how sad and pathetic it sounds.  But I just want to play.  NOW!  Why do parcels take ages when you're waiting for them?

While waiting for new toy, I thought about a project I started ages ago.  Embarrassingly, I think it must be about 2 years ago.  A shop I go to for quilting fabric (The Fat Quarters at Blackhall Mill, if you're interested) held an open day and were giving out flyers about Tiny Lives.  This is a charity that supports premature and sick newborn babies and their families at Newcastle RVI hospital.  The charity gives help and support to every family that passes through the special care baby unit.  They also give a quilt to each family.  Which is where The Fat Quarters comes in.  Niece number 1 (Charlotte) was very premature.  She was only 1lb 9ozs when born.  You could have held in the palm of one hand.  If she hadn't been in an incubator.  Although she wasn't born in the RVI, she was operated on there while still tiny. So this was a cause that resonated with me.  I picked up a flyer with details of the size of quilts (to fit in the bottom of an incubator) and bought fabric ready to make quilts.  I made part of a quilt top.

Fast forward to today.  While between projects (and more importantly awaiting parcel) I thought I'd actually do something with the fabric bought.  I thought it would be a good way to ease myself back into quilt making.  I haven't made one for ages.  Probably since I made that partial quilt top.  Added to the fact that I'll be going back up to The Fat Quarters over the next couple of months to buy more fabric and I'll be able to (finally) hand them over.  I'm also hoping by typing this I get my butt into gear to finish them.

So here's today's sewing.

  
Two completely opposing designs and colourways.  The second one is much more the type of thing I normally do.  I do gravitate towards the bright end of the spectrum for baby quilts!

I have a photo I need to share of youngest niece.  While in the Lake District over half term, Katie needed to go on a train.  Everyone's been on a train apart from Katie.  She was so excited when we found a steam train to have a ride on.  She was slightly nervous as well.  I mean, who knows what could happen?

Then the train started...

She was not impressed!

Updates

I've been quiet on the blogging lately because I've been too busy actually crafting.  And it's only going to get busier.  I've finished the black and white spotty dress.  I love it!  It's definitely the most wearable dress I've made for myself. I've had a couple of comments at work about it and I've done really well not to point out all the flaws and mistakes in it.  You're not going to get off so lightly though I'm afraid.  I need to get other half to take some photos of me in it.  I'm not sure I want to post pictures of myself, but fair's fair.  I'd have some done already but in the past week when I haven't been at work it's been really foggy here.  And I think it's going to be bad enough posing as it is.  Although, in the mist nobody would see me.  I didn't think this through fully.

I've just started this project in the past week

Recognise it?  Yes, Charlotte decided she wanted an Elsa dress for her birthday in May.  We've had tears.  From Katie.  Who doesn't think that Charlotte should get the same dress as her.  Charlotte has decided on a couple of changes.  She wants red sparkles on the cape and a bow on the front.  I'm really not sure how this is going to work out.  But, if it's what she wants, who am I to argue.  I'm just the slave.  Sorry, the adoring Auntie who loves to sew and make costumes for her two delightful nieces.  I think I was closer with the first description!  SShh.  Don't tell Katie, but the point at the front of Charlotte's bodice and the matching of the panel seams is loads better than the first one I did.

I should think myself lucky.  When I was looking for inspiration for Katie's Elsa dress I came across this website.  Charlotte saw this and wanted, I quote, "the pink one with the big bum".  By which she meant this

How amazing is that?  I think I dodged a bullet there mind!  I heard a couple of days ago that official Elsa dresses were sold out in Disney stores in America and were being sold for hundreds of dollars on Ebay.  I think I'm in the wrong business.  While I was in a fabric/haberdashery shop the other day I got talking to a lady in the queue who was on making her fourth Elsa dress.  I feel quite inadequate only being on my second.  

In a couple of weeks I'm off to a wedding.  I wanted to make my own dress and it's suddenly dawned on me just how close this wedding is.  Panic has started to set in.  I bought this fabric (hence the trip to the fabric shop).

I now just need to decide what to make with it.  I want the basic silhouette of the black and white dress, but with a fuller skirt.  I have no ideas on the details yet.

Also in the next few months I'm going back to my patchwork and quilting roots.  There's several babies on the way from family and friends so I'll be making quilts and blocks for them.  I also owe a friend of other half's family an outfit for their not-quite-so-new baby.  She was born before Christmas.  On top of all that I have my usual cards to make.  As well as a few special ones.  I think I need a lie down, and that's just thinking about all I have to do.