Finished Quilt

As I said in my last post, I have finished my quilt for the quilt along. I used my favourite fabrics from Amy Butler's Belle collection. I cheated a little on this quilt. The quilt along was for a throw size quilt and used 6 different blocks I think. I wanted a quilt for my bed so I made mine queen size and I wanted a simpler design so I only used 2 of the blocks. For the back I just randomly pieced all my leftover fabric together. I love how it turned out and I really have two quilts in one. I had a lot of fun and also a lot of stressful moments with this quilt. I have made a few quilts before but this was the first time I had ever done free motion quilting. It was easier than I thought and I'm lucky to have a sewing machine that can sew automatically without the foot peddle so this made it easier for me to maneuver the bulk through my machine. I have never really loved quilting but after learning some great tips from this quilt along, I am now hooked. I am going to do it again but I will make the one using all the blocks this time. I will probably make a throw for the couch. I think I would like to use some vintage fabrics for this one though. If you have wanted to try quilting but were afraid to, I highly recommend this project from
Oh, Fransson! She really has a gift for quilting and teaching.
Here are some pictures. They are not good pictures at all. It is really difficult to take pictures of a quilt.

New Bags

My productivity seems to have gone up tremendously. It figures since my vacation is almost over. I have finished my quilt for the quilt along and I am very happy with it. The free motion quilting was easier than I thought it would be although mine is far from perfect. I thought it came out very well for my first attempt. I haven't taken any pictures yet so I'll go into more detail when I'm ready to post them.

I have also finished a new style of bag for my shop. I have been wanting to do a larger purse version of my patchwork wristlet and I have finally come up with one I like. I actually love this purse. It has a classic a line shape. It is soft to the touch but yet sturdy enough to stand on it's own when empty. What I love about the patchwork is that each purse is one of a kind. I will be doing some without the patchwork but I'm having too much fun with these ones right now. I have 4 finished. 2 are already posted in my shop and I hope to have the other 2 posted tomorrow. Check them out when you get a chance.

Weekend Sewing

I made a couple of dresses for my niece for Easter. The first was made with a McCalls pattern and Alexander Henry fabric. It's cute, but not my favourite. The second dress I love! I bought the pattern from a store on Etsy called Frog Legs & Ponytails. It's a pillowcase dress and I have made a couple of these before, but this was by far the best pattern i have ever come across. The dress took me less than 1/2 an hour and is super cute. I made it with fabrics from Amy Butler's Midwest Modern II collection. I am seriously thinking of using this pattern to make tops for my sister and I. I highly recommend this pattern.

(The pictures are not very good but I will post more later, with my adorable niece modeling).

I also finished doing the free motion quilting on my quilt today. It is not perfect but I am very happy with my first attempt. It hurt my wrist after a while so I had to take a few breaks, but I was surprised at how little time it took. I have the binding pinned on and ready to sew tomorrow and then it's done. I have to admit, I cheat with the binding. I don't hand sew it on, I never hand sew. I hate doing it and avoid it at all costs. I don't think it makes it any less nice and I like to use a decorative stitch around the edge.

Quilt Along

I have been following a quilt along hosted by Oh, Fransson! on her blog. I have been wanting to make a quilt for my bed for a long time so I decided this was the perfect time. I have made a few quilts for other people but haven't been very happy with them. Everything goes well until the actual quilting part. This one has free motion quilting which I have never done but I'm very excited to try. I cheated a little on my quilt as well. The quilt pattern in the quilt along has six blocks I think but I decided to use just two of them. I am using fabrics from Amy Butler's Belle collection and any of you who have visited my shop, know how much I love these fabrics. My quilt top is finished and I start holidays tomorrow so I am hoping to get the back done tomorrow and then start the quilting. I am behind in the quilt along because I wanted to wait until I had a lot of uniterrupted time before I started the quilting.
Here are some pics of my quilt top. The pictures are not very good as it's been cloudy and snowy here the last few days.