The Dupioni Quilt, Finally Finished

No, I did not just make this quilt from start to finish.  I did finally finished it in May after it languished in boxes, closets and suitcases for over 10 years.

(Read the story of this quilt here.)

Recent Quilting Adventures

Back in 2009, I have finished my second ever quilt.  The workmanship of the "elephant quilt" was not too great, but it was my own design, and I was (and am) quite proud of it.

My finished Elephant Quilt (2009)

This past year, almost two years later, I tackled another quilt.  Rather than trying to come up with a design, I decided to follow instructions from  One Block Wonders: One Fabric, One Shape, One-of-a-Kind Quilts book by Maxine Rosenthal.  (Stay tuned for my review of the book.) 

Making the quilt went something like this:

 

I "shredded" 4 yards of fabric into 600+ unilateral triangles (648 triangles, to be precise). 

648 triangles (plus some scrap fabric)

In the course of the next two weeks I sewed the triangles into 100+ hexagons.  (Honestly, they were really half hexagons pinned in the middle.)

Hexagons

The next step was particularly entertaining--deciding how to arrange the hexagons.  This part was so much fun that even Nick got involved, and we spent several evenings arranging and rearranging the hexagons.  (In the end we have decided that the process is pretty much infinite.)

Hexagons

We were taking care of a tiny adorable and most rambunctious dog, Rascal, right when it was time for me to make the quilt "sandwich"--pin the backing, the filling and the top layers all together.  Rascal really wanted to participate.

Rascal is helping me with the quilt
(Don't worry--I washed the quilt when I finished it)

Then I decided that I just have to do "free motion" quilting on this quilt.  So I put together several flannel baby blankets to practice the technique on them.  In the end doing free motion quilting on the quilt turned out a bit easier because it was much stiffer than the baby blankets.

The quilt "stuffed" into my new machine!

Unfortunately, I don't have a photo of the finished quilt, because I finished it literally hours before gifting it to my friend.

My Winnie the Pooh Quilt

While in the midst of sewing bags, I got the idea of making a baby quilt for a friend of mine who was expecting a baby girl at the time. That was back in April. I have set out to make a quilt twice before, but have never finished either one. Now, three and a half months later, and after my friend had her baby girl (on July 7th) I have finally finished this quilt, my third attempt.


I am posting photos of it before it goes through the laundry, because I am not too confident that it will remain quite the same afterwards. We'll just have to wait and see.

P.S. I have washed the quilt and it has survived.

Sewing Craze: Bags

Today the result of my most current craze, sewing bags, is making its world debut. This large flowery tote is perfect for summer time. Attractive, sturdy and functional, it includes an inner pocket. The outer shell and the lining are 100% cotton.

Back to reality: "Wonderful" as it is, this bag is the "beta release". Many small issues remain, such as poor finish of the handles and sporadic uneven stitching. I am also aspiring to make the next one with a zipper!

If you would like to participate in this most singular beta program, and help identify those ideal traits that make up a perfect tote/bag, please let me know!