I've been quilting

I have a couple of finishes to share that I've nearly forgotten about! With the end of June closing in on us, I thought I'd better focus and write about them before they're totally old news!

Recently I shared a block I'd made; another of the ones I've tested for Juliet of Tartankiwi. I'm pleased to say that it's now a finished cushion.

I figured the front didn't need a lot of fancy quilting, the sweet hedgehog takes centre stage, so I cross hatched the light background and stitched in the stitched in the ditch of some of the spines, the eye, nose, etc. The first border I didn't touch, apart from more ditch-stitching, then a simple feather in the last border....it's been ages since I quilted feathers so I quite enjoyed that!

The back was a different story. I like quilting my backs as well - it gives the cushion a lovely finish and is another way to practise some new quilting designs.

I'm not sure but I think this was Lori Kennedy's Fantasy Flower

And this was her Modern half circles.
Quick and easy.

Juliet has now released this pattern - *here* is a link to her Etsy shop.
I added an extra border to make it a bit bigger than Juliet's pattern asked for. That way I could use it on the nook sofa with more of Juliet's designs.

Just fabulous!

Last month I finished the two heart quilts I'd made to send to Christchurch for victims of the terror attack down there.

There was a phenomenal response from all over the world and I think they will receive close to 1000 quilts. There will be quilts to gift to all those affected; family members of the dead, the injured, affected members of the Muslim community, emergency services, support workers.

I hope my two small contributions bring a bit of love and support to those who receive them.

A lot of my heart blocks were made by ladies in Australia, who I gathered with at retreat in NSW. I then pieced the tops and then quilted them. 

(Green being the colour requested as a colour of significance for the Muslim faith).

This quilt I stippled/meandered in the light areas and did a bit of straight line stuff in some of the borders and coloured areas.

And popped the odd extra heart in too.

On the second quilt I did a looser meander, more of a loop de loop.

— some straight lines, and this loopy thing I cant remember the name of in the sashing/border.

I used the same green fabric from the front as the backing and hoped to bind with it too, but soon discovered I didn't quite have enough left for traditional binding.

Out came the tutorial for two fabric flanged binding by Karen's Quilts Crows and Cardinals .

This uses two narrower strips of different fabrics sewn together and is a good little trick in situations like this!

And viola! just enough green for this binding!

I'm trying to keep my quilting machine (Sweet 16) busy with another flimsy on it at the moment but that's slow going as my piecing machine needs humming time too! (Have to get my One Monthly Goal finished!!).

'til next time,

Happy stitches,