Plucky Little Polka Dots

We had a busy weekend but I still managed to get a binding made and attached to a little girl's quilt. 

Her mom is expecting their second child in about 6 - 7 weeks. Apparently Poppy, the little girl, isn't very keen on having a baby brother (actually, after having mom and dad to herself for 6 years she doesn't feel that a baby girl is necessary either...) so our quilters thought a new quilt might help ease the transition to 'big sister'.

Jan made this one from coordinated jelly roll remnants before she moved and we've just recently finished quilting it, so I brought it home to find, make and attach a binding. 

There's lots of sweet bunnies, trees, ducks, flowers, and piglets to help capture her attention.

I landed on this tiny turquoise polka dot which goes equally well with both the front and the blue and turquoise plaid flannel backing. Hopefully it will work its magic and help make the transition to big sister just a little more manageable.

We're also making an I Spy quilt for baby, the beginnings of which I will share shortly....M

Getting Close to Arkansas

Slow and steady is getting me closer to having the blocks for Arkansas Crossroads completed - just three more to go.

I've run hot and cold on this one but the more blocks I make, the more I like it. It's taking me about half an hour to make a block so I'm finding bits of time to run downstairs for to keep the progress going. When I have all of the blocks together everything will get a good press.

Each of the white and grey blocks are made with stitch-and-flip corners and when I stitch them I automatically stitch a second line to create a bonus/remnant HST.

Hence the wee mountain of small grey and white HSTs growing near my machine. Heaven knows what I will use them for but I just can't bear to toss them....M

Spring Buttercups

Things are starting to bloom in the garden, particularly my peonies and irises, and Buttercups are in bloom on my sewing table.

These little buds will be added to the orphan blocks going to Quilts for Survivors in the fall (yes, I know specially made isn't usually how 'orphans' come to be, but it is a great excuse to try something new without committing to a larger project).

The blocks are 6" finished and sweet as can be. They would be lovely on point scattered across a quilt top in various shades of pink and green or worked into a border.

You can also make the block with a stem but I prefer the openness of the block without it....M

 

A Garden of Possibilities

Jane is a gardener and loves surrounding her cottage with a riot of herbs and blooms every summer. Now she's got a textile project that reflects her passion. 

Recently, she was gifted this handmade and quilted jacket by a friend who had picked it up at a thrift shop and ultimately decided that it didn't do much for her. Seeing the potential to bring those mossy greens to life, she has set about making a garden of it, adding large blooms overtop of the greens.

She's undertaking her own version of broderie perse (French for Persian embroidery), the only difference being that her background is pieced rather than a single piece of fabric. Historically, this technique used Chintz fabrics which, in the early 1900s, were very expensive. To make the most of the Chintz, elements such as flowers and birds were cut from it and arranged on another piece of fabric either as a central design or for borders and appliquéd in place.  

All of Jane's flowers were cut from a Kaffe Fassett print that's been in her stash for 20+ years; the scale is perfect.

And the butterflies that she sourced from a second fabric add an additional hint of whimsy.

Love how this posey is popping up out of a pocket!

She's attached them throughout the jacket with fusible interfacing and is now contemplating her next steps. The plan is to embellish the edges by hand with various colours of embroidery thread and, who knows, possibly the odd bead or bauble. 

It's going to be a beauty....M