A Little Romance

Happy Valentine's Day! All the day's talk of love found me pulling together a lovely romantic mix of florals for a little bit of secret sewing. 

This project has been percolating for quite a while and the moment seemed right to at least get it cut.

The fabrics are dreamy, both individually and as a collective. It's hard to pick a favourite, but I don't have to, do I?

Everything is cut and laid out, ready for the machine. Even unsewn on the design wall they are lovely just to sit back and enjoy.

I'm also enjoying this year's Valentine from Jane, particularly that tiny little bee at the centre of it all. She puts her heart into it!.....M

And Now For Something Completely Different...

This pillow top has been sitting on a chair in the sewing room for a couple of months now and I thought I'd share it with you so that you can have a break from Danuta's Garden and nine-patch blocks for a bit.

In need of a colour fix, I made it right after I finished with the subtle tones of Sea Glass, digging into a pile of fabrics that I've been setting aside for a Fruit Salad quilt, and this was the result.

Pillows can be quite cathartic for the frenetic side of my quilting personality - you know, the side of you that wants to make everything that they see and do it now. I like seeing the mini quilts that others make but the practical side of me wants something more functional when all is said and done, and a pillow fits the bill.











It's a great you to play with fabrics that you've been looking at out of the corner of your eye, or trying a new technique, and (in theory) you have a finished project much faster than it takes to finish a quilt.













Of course the fact that this pillow top has been sitting unfinished for a few months sort of blows that last piece of logic to bits, but finishing them quickly can be done :). I got stuck at what to use for backing, but if I really set my mind to it I'm thinking that there is something in my stash that will work. Ya think?!

It's very simply machine quilted, and I stitched the top directly to the batting. Every time I do this I'm convinced that the batting will totally gum up the bobbin casing of my machine, but it's a low pile batt and worked beautifully.

At 20" square it's nice and large - but I think I'm going to have to do a little surgery on the corners because, once again, the filling doesn't fill them. Who's in charge of quality control anyway?...M