Crazy Scrappy Blocks

I've been doing more patchwork lately, and there is so much inspiration out there!  I have started checking out comfortstitching lately, and loved her crazy scrappy blocks and wanted to try some for myself!  I love how the blocks highlight a centre fabric, and even a small image looks great!  I had ordered some munki munki prints from sewdeerlyloved, and what a great way to stretch out this precious fabric (I've a bit of a miser!)

My first block turned out well I think!  My strips were so narrow, I realized I would have to do many more cycles around the centre, so I went wider at the end. 

My second block was less vortexy, but I still like it!  I splurged and used 2 gnomes this time!

I am loving this orange and pink combo right now!  I think of it as tropical punch, and I saw it referred to as Sangria.  Not sure about some of the more vivid colours, but I didn't have a lot of these colours in my stash.  Guess I need to buy some more!  Especially to go with my special munki munki prints!  I can't wait to make more of these.  These first 2 will be pillows, maybe for the little monkey, maybe I'll split them up and send one to a new little girl I know of.  The next versions will likely go into my etsy shop or the local store I sell at. 

And later tonight, after the little ones are asleep, I'll work on the binding for my first quilt!  I hope to post it by Friday, and get in on the Blogger's Quilt Festival!

First Quilt, Almost Done!

I am so excited to be almost done my first quilt!!!  I have made some mini quilts - wall hangings - but this is my first full-size quilt, and I decided to just go ahead and make a queen size quilt for our bed!  I am going to machine quilt it, but I am not quite sure exactly how to do it.  I mean, I know HOW, but free-motion, or straight lines...  I am going to do it this weekend, because I want to use it!  I'll post a finished picture after it's done!

Blogger's Pillow Party

 

I finished my pillow!  My first communal blog craft!  I started this pillow on Wednesday, and it was born out of the desire to enter a pillow in the blogger's pillow party, (a deadline is my best motivator) and also of the fact that my 2 children were napping simultaneously!  I wanted to do a patchwork pillow for our living room, and always had something else to do instead, but not that day!  Not knowing how much time I would have, I feverishly cut and sewed, with insanely uneven pieces of fabric and no pressing - not even finger pressing, just go go go!!!  My husband was away for work, and accomplishing some crafting feels glorious!  I think I could benefit from less speed and more planning, but that's next time - when he's home to wrangle the kids and I'm sewing.

So as you can see, I love colour, and curvy shapes.  I am trying to break free of my natural tendency for symmetry.  There is a lot to be said for symmetry, but while building block towers with my daughter, I noticed I only built symmetrical buildings, while she was more random.  I loved the randomness of her buildings, but had a hard time doing it myself.  Hence the different sizes and shapes of the white patches on my pillow - I'm trying.  And new techniques used?  After piecing a weird shape, I thought about what to do with it, and decided to put it on an angle, but that would make a small pillow, so I pieced additional patches here and there until it was big enough.  And I don't think I've sewn curves before.  I'll definitely do it again!  I love curves!  I wish I could say this is my best work - I was always taught to do my best work, always, but the goal was to make a colourful wonky patchwork pillow in a short period of time.  I feel I could have made something more appealing had I spent more time making it, but then I would have had to spend more time making it!  Instead, I will always look at this pillow and think of my kids, and that is better than a perfect pillow! 

Very Random Patchwork

I decided to dive right in and do some random patchwork.  This is new to me - the random part.  Also new is two children napping AT THE SAME TIME!!!  I grabbed some of my favourite fabrics ( a lot of Anna Maria Horner, you may notice, although no one is reading this, so nevermind) and started cutting.  I had no idea how long they would sleep, so I had to work fast - no time to think!  Just cut and sew!  After a very short period of time, I had this shape.

Snap a picture.  Notice the dinosaur checking things out.  Move to a brighter location for better light for a picture.  Spend some time getting some silly shots of the dinosaur with the patchwork. (Don't all bloggers do this?) Seriously, you'd think I had all the time in the world.  I could have been doing anything, but I was positioning a dinosaur and chuckling to myself.  It doesn't take much to amuse me people.  I am a fan of the ridiculous!

Then I cut a nice little curvy shape and now I am sewing some white quilting cotton to fit the curves while I wait to hear little footsteps or a cry... More pics later!