Purple Me Chainsaw

After a long thought, I finally decided to make a Chainsaw Quilt that I learnt from Kimberley Einmo in a Craftsy class. However I didn't enough supplies like she suggested. So I improvised the supplies by using some fat quarters and solids, instead of layer cake and jelly roll. It turned out rather well, actually, and I am so pleased with it. From a FQ n solids, it yielded 4 blocks of chainsaw. In total I use 4 FQs and nearly a meter of Moda Solids. I used Kate Spain's collection: Cuzco for the patterned sides.  And oh my, the line is just so delicious, that I couldn't cut the whole collection. I wanted to keep some of it. Alas, I used purple as the theme, so I called it Purple Me Chainsaw.

Now, it's time to play for the arrangement!...

Obsessed with Sarah Fileke

09.35, Friday. Knock, knock, knock!

Hurry up! Open the door before the man goes away!

Yaayyyy, he's here with a package! I am sure it's my third Sarah Fielke's book: Quilting from Little Things. Quickly openthe package, and voila!

Before ordering it, I consulted with Sarah Fielke as there are two books with same title but different cover. According to her, it should be the same content, but sometimes the publisher put different stamps. Same case with the other book of hers: Material Obsession, which comes out also with different cover. 

Just like her other books, this book is loaded with beautiful inspiring pictures, and also comes with patterns. But unfortunately her first book, Material Obsession 1: Contemporary Quilt Design doesn't come with pattern.

Sarah Fileke is a genius with her work. She approaches quilting in a fun way, but still leaving the traditional feeling on her work. I admire her works that I can't help to spend more quids taking her class, Big Technique from Small Scraps at Craftsy. And I don't regret, it's a real good class!

Gone To Earth

I had been waiting for Mr. Postman.  And I was so excited when he knocked at my door because he needed to hand me over a package. Normally he would just shuffle the letters through the mail slot. Hurraaahhh....it's here! My order at Gone To Earth has arrived.

Gone To Earth has been one of my favourite online shops to get beautiful fabrics.  It has a wide range selections of designer fabrics such as Amy Butler, Anna Maria Horner, Tula Pink, Joel Dewberry, etc.  It also has solids from Moda and Free Spirit, and some other sewing-quilting stuffs.  They are all reasonably priced, but comes with extra postage fee for the customer to pay. I wish GTE would apply free postage for order over certain value, like some other seller.

This is my third order at GTE, and this time I asked the owner, Julia, to send me two colour swatches from Moda and one from FreeSpirit, because I want to match the with my fabric. She fulfilled my wish so well. She sent me not only little swatches, but a good length of the solids. This way I can feel the solids better. Thank you Julia and Gone To Earth.  Hopefully I will come back to order from you soon!:-)

Draught Excluder

My DH has been urging me to buy a draught excluder from one store. I promised him that I would make one. Yesterday while my baby daughter was napping, I took out my scraps and chose the ones to form a block around size 9' x 30'. With a quick whip, it ended up like this...

I didn't have soft toys filling, so I decided to use the sample sandwiches for FMQ. I sewed 2 practice sandwiches together so it got to the length I want. Folded and stitched it to keep the shape.

I stitched the blocks around, but left an opening to get the filling in. And then I used another 3 of the practice sandwiches to give the draught excluder better shape.

 And voila, it's done...it's rather good to have it finished just in time when baby awaked crying...:-)

Angela Walters' Lecture At Quilt Con 2013

          My latest project, The Attic Window is halfway done .The quilt top is done and so are the cushion panels, ready to be quilted. But I have been putting them on hold, for worrying not to do  a good job in quilting. At this point I feel OK with the any phase of making a quilt, but still not really happy with the quilting using the free motion technique.  I really don't want to spoil my work.

The Attic Window cushion panel

   

So to get my self ready for this, I am watching Angela Walters' lecture as much as I could. I really love and admire her work. Her quilting style is so inspiring, artful, unique and it feels so fluid that gives character to the quilt that distinguished it from any other quilt. Her quilting design doesn't compete with the patchwork. It blends wholly and beautifully, yet it doesn't make the quilt over the top. And I really recommend her book, Free Motion Quilting with Angela Walters.

         For me deciding the design  is the most difficult part. But Angela has great answer. When speaking at the Quilt Con 2013 in Austin Texas, Angela explained that she used quilting to add interest to a quilt, to create a secondary patterns, and to add movement. Whhoaa , that's a lot to dig in...Well, let's talk about each of those points.

        Angela likes adding interest to a quilt is by using quilting design in different ways and a combining several designs that give the quilt a different look. With this way, her creative mind won't stuck at  one point, and she won't get bored easily. This actually the answer of my question. If we have one,  two, or more design that we like, why not use them all?  Surely not to forget considering the most important element of the quilt, the pattern, fabric, and the inspirations of the quilt. And most of all, by considering what is the most important thing about the quilt and the inspirations of the quilt pattern. 

         All the above mentioned will lead to creating a secondary pattern. We can do this by extending  the piecing of the quilt, and  working with the negative space. She has brilliant class in Craftsy, Negative Space with Angela Walters, which teaches how to work with the negative space of a quilt. I love this class so much that I have watching it over and over. 

         To add movement, she uses quilting design that have long flowing lines and design that moves our eye across the quilt. She would add contrast through pattern, shape, colour, or density of quilting. Though she doesn't use colourful thread, she would add the movement by putting contrast design and different direction. She likes adding movement at the back of the quilt. 

That is a lot to learn, and feels a long way to get there. It'll take time, but surely by practise, we'll get there. Now, off to prepare some sandwich samples to practice. And Angela, thank you for the inspirations!

A Quilted Mind

Only a year ago at the end of February, I took a plunge into the world of sewing and today I decided to do a simple blog about my new hobby, QUILTING. Well, it's not gonna be solely quilting but I suppose this would also include the other needle crafting activity that I embrace more, apparently...


In the first post in my quilting journal, I actually don't know where to start. Things are just too much to talk about, or even to write down. And I can feel that my mind is so crowded and quilted with so much inspirations and ideas. Not sure if I could ever transfer them all...


I can't promise that I would be able to keep up noting down my creativity juice daily, but it's worth to try doing this blog as I want to preserve the memory in making the quilt...


So let the thoughts, time, energy, love and passion run through, transformed into something beautiful...


London, Sunday 17 March 21:32