Comma and Pluses: A quilt for home

Of all the quilts I have made so far, only one of them has remained in our home. So this year I have decided that I need to make quilts for both my boys, and hopefully one for me too! Now, it is hot where we live, all year round, and there is only the odd evening in the year when we might even think to snuggle under a quilt on the couch. But they still look good draped over the couch or folded on the end of a bed. And I guess a time will come when we move away from the tropics, so it is good to be prepared! 

My second son turned eight this week so his was the first quilt I needed to work on. He was very particular about choosing the fabrics and design he wanted, and even specified that he wanted the quilting to be 'doodles all over in yellow thread'!! I love him for that!

I am really trying to use the fabric I have at the moment, and so decided to piece together a back. The lovely Leonie agreed to share with me the design that she put together when she made this quilt for her daughter. I had to adjust the sizes a little as her quilt was bigger, but the effect was completely worth it.

I used the last pieces of left-over fabric for the binding, and the overall effect is a colourful, but definitely boyish quilt. Mr. 8 loves it!

The design for the front of this quilt came from Issue 1 of Love Patchwork and Quilting Magazine, so I am linking up with Sew the Library this month. 

Also linking up with Needle and Thread Thursday, TGIFF and Finish it Friday.

This is my one and only finish for Q1 of the 2015 Finish Along (my original link up post is here)

Le Challenge - Dots!

With all the curves sewing I have been doing recently, 'Dots' was an easy challenge this month!

Two mug rugs or pot holders. I used Insul Bright instead of normal batting/wadding so that they can be used safely for hot items. 

A great way to use up some scraps too! 

Linking up with Le Challenge and Scraptastic Tuesday.

This may just be it!

I may just have found the skill and technique in sewing that I have been craving, but didn't know where to find! 

Improvised curves. Seriously! No measuring, no rulers, just free cutting and then stacking layers together, and the effect is slightly abstract but brilliant! 

Following along with Rachel's Curves class, last week we started off by making note cards, and learning how to cut and sew those curves. I found some scraps that I had already sewn together in straight lines and they were a great starting point to cut into and make the curves. This was fun, but it was the next project that really appealed to me.

Starting with a charm pack of Botanics fabric, and adding a few extra cuts of the gorgeous saturated colours, I just randomly sliced, sewed back together and then freehand cut the curves, and sewed them back together. I love how quick it was, I love that I didn't need to be precise and I love that I didn't need pins to sew those curves.

I followed Rachel's advice and didn't add batting to this, instead just quilting the back and front together, and then binding with one of my favourite prints from Botanics - the colour is just amazing!

These colours really remind me of Indonesia - the luscious green, the vivid orange and yellow and the deep blues.  And so I am going to gift it as a 50th birthday present to a friend here who walks beside me during the ups and downs of life, and who loves this adopted country of ours as much as I do.

Linking up with TGIFF and Finish It Up Friday.