Mummy Loves Selvages

 I love selvage quilting.  I love Halloween.  It doesn't matter that it's July, right?  We'll just call it an early start.

 I am having a lot of fun free-piecing this guy.  (My sewing machine is still getting fixed, but thankfully I have a loaner.  Thanks Tina!)  This mummy just makes me smile.  He is turning out just how I imagined him in my head.  Everything it still rough and needs shaping and more selvages added, but you can get the idea.

 Figuring out how to free-piece this hand definitely took some thinking.

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I am planning to keep this mummy to a large wall hanging size, and I am declaring this, in writing, on this blog, so he doesn't end up life-size (like the crazy Selvage Snowman).  If I start posting mummy legs on here, somebody please send me an email and tell me to Step. Away. From. The. Selvages.

 Per usual, this project will eat through quite a few selvages.  Thank you so, so much to everyone who keeps me stocked in selvages!!!

I bought this dotted fabric as a possible border.  I kind of like it, we'll see ...

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And now, for some linky fun, I'm hanging out with some other crafty types over at Fabric Tuesday and WIP Wednesday!

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Thanks for stopping by.  And thanks so so much for the wonderful response to my previous post about my debut novel.  I sincerely appreciate all the kind words and support!

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Posted by Riel Nason on The Q and the U.

Vintage Sheet Quilt #2 with a Bonus Pillow!

 So here's my latest quilt, once again made from vintage sheets, and since I mentioned a few posts ago that I wanted to make some smaller things this summer, I also made a small(ish) matching pillow.

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The bear in the middle of the pillow is fussy cut from a vintage pillowcase.  The way the colours of the bear match with the other sheets is kind of, you know, perfect.  I'm sure you quilters have had that little moment of delight when you realise your chosen fabrics just click.  I may or may not have insistently called my husband to come check it out immediately (!)  I mean I had to show him that the extra stop at the thrift store where I bought the pillowcase had indeed been necessary after all -- I now had irrefutable proof.

 The quilt is made of 6 inch squares set on point.  The focal fabric is a striped sheet.  The other fabrics in the blocks are all florals.

 The quilt is about 42 by 56 -- just a nice cosy size for my four-year-old daughter.  I quilted it with a wavy line stitch just off to one side of the seams.

 I quilted the pillow too.  The pillow is 20 inches square.  I had bought several unopened Ikea pillow forms at a neighbour's yard sale for 50 cents each.  I think I probably would have preferred more fully stuffed forms if I was buying them at the store, but my daughter likes how squishy the pillow is -- meaning it is good for hugging.

 You can see the quilt backing in this photo.  It is a pretty pink floral.  The binding is a pale yellow.  All fabric is cut from vintage poly-cotton sheets.

 The batting is cotton bamboo.  The quilt is nice and light and soft.

My daughter discovered that the back of the pillow and the deep pocket I made is a perfect miniature cosy bed.

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I'm hanging out with other crafty sorts at {Sew} Modern Monday and Manic Monday.  Happy 4th of July to my friends in the USA!

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Posted by Riel Nason on The Q and the U



The Summer of Sewing Smaller Stuff?

 I've made three quilts lately which were queen-sized or larger, so I think I am going to declare the next couple of months The Summer of Sewing Smaller Stuff ... smaller as in smaller quilts, like lap-size maybe, perhaps a pillow, perhaps (gasp!) a wall hanging ... we'll see.  I thought I'd show some of the things that are on my list of sewing to-dos. 

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Above are my selvage countdown squares.  As you can see I have a big pile.  My original idea for these now seems a little boring, so new possibilities are brewing ...

 And I do have another selvage idea that doesn't involve the squares above but goes in a different direction entirely ... I'm so excited about this one!!!  And I am definitely telling myself that it doesn't have to be something life-sized like the Selvage Snowman.  Smaller is good.  Repeat after me.  Smaller is good.  Smaller is good.

 Then of course there are my I-Spy hexies, which are my travelling project.

 And my vintage sheet obsession continues with this new quilt I just started ...

 Speaking of vintage, check out this vintage pillowcase I found the other day!  Cutest ever!!!  So these bears will quickly be made into something.  Pillows are small right?

 I Spy Planet Hexy still needs to be quilted.  It is kind of more medium than small, and I can't decide if I should send it out for quilting or do it myself.  I really want to do it myself, but I will have to get a walking foot.  Up until now I have just used the regular foot on the machine, but I would want to be really careful with this cool quilt ...

And finally on the topic of small, my daughter is small.  (Although don't tell her that, she is a BIG GIRL now, since she's four and everything).  I am looking forward to a summer of T-ball for her, 3 pitch for my son, lots of fun with family, friends, the pool, parks, picnics and lots of summer travel ...

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Plus there is one more thing.  Although I don't mention it here much, what I do with most of my time is write.  (Here's a smidge about me, the "writer" on my literary agent's website) I am within days of finishing the first draft of my second novel.  My first novel, called The Town That Drowned is coming out in September.  I have lots of fun stuff falling into place for the summer and fall for book promotion.  I have been getting some exciting news from my publicist about literary festivals, book tour stops and book signings.  I can't wait to share more information with everyone as the novel moves closer to release. 

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I hope everyone has a wonderful summer.  I really appreciate everyone who takes a few minutes of their summer to stop in here and hang out with me for a bit!

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I'm linking up with W.I.P. Wednesday.  Cheers,  Riel

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Posted by Riel Nason on The Q and the U

Vintage Sheet Test Quilt Complete

 So here is the result of my first venture into quilting with vintage sheets!  I am very pleased.  These are simple 6 inch squares set on point. The quilt is 44 by 52.  I quilted the width of my presser foot along each seam with a wavy line in a pale pink thread.  The backing and binding are also cut from vintage sheets.  The batting is some lovely cotton bamboo that I bought a few miles of when I saw it for a great deal at my favourite liquidation store.  (Click any photo to enlarge if you wish)

 Last post I got a few questions about these sheets.  I thought I'd do a little Q and A in case anyone else is wondering ...

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1.  What do you mean by vintage?  These are between about 30 and 40 years old in my nearest guesstimation.  Some actually had dates on the tags.  Some I remember from childhood.  Some you can just tell after looking at a lot of these sheets -- simply by the style of design and colours used. 

 2. Are they 100% cotton? No. They are a 50% cotton and 50% polyester split. I specifically bought ones that were a 50/50 combo. I am a fussy, er, I mean discerning fabric shopper and in most cases the 100% cotton sheets I saw looked too worn to me. These cotton/poly ones really don't show their age much, other than being slightly faded in colour in some cases. They are not obviously bally or fuzzy looking, nor do they seem worn (just soft). The 50/50 blend makes them very durable to stand the test of time.  I know it is hard to tell in the photos, but the quilt looks very fresh and clean and new. 

 3.  How can you tell what they are made of?  Fortunately most have labels.  But after handling a few you will be able to tell by the look and feel.  The labels are usually near a corner of the sheet sewn into the seam.  They should indicate 50% cotton and 50% polyester.  They also may say things like "no iron muslin" "no iron percale" or "percale."

 4.  How are they to work with?  Great.  They are super easy to cut and I managed to cut up to ten layers at once a couple of times!  They sew well.  The only thing that was a bit funny was the ironing.  Because they are "no iron" or I guess wrinkle-resistant is what we say now, it was tricky to press the seams open.  My seams didn't lay, or stay, as flat as with cotton.  And when I folded the binding and pressed it, the fold gradually came out as I stitched it to the back of the quilt.

 And the best thing about these sheets -- the price!!  The total cost for fabric in this quilt was less than $5.00 -- and that's including the backing and binding.
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Plus I should mention that the quilt is cozy.  It passed my Sunday-afternoon-nap test and Tess slept with it last night.

And since the Vintage Sheet Test Quilt is a horrible name for a quilt, the quilt shall be known from now on as Summer's Parfait which was suggested by Devona and suits it so well.

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And yes, my vintage sheet adventure continues with another work-in-progress which I have about halfway done.

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And for some linky fun, I'm hanging with other crafty sorts at {Sew} Modern Monday, Manic Monday , Made by You Monday and Fabric Tuesday. Thanks for stopping by!
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Posted by Riel Nason on The Q and the U

Playing with Vintage Sheets ...

 I'm still working hard trying to get all my writing-related things finished up before my son and daughter are home for the summer, but, as I work away, I have set up a little project to play with during breaks ...

 I am experimenting with vintage sheets by making a simple little quilt just to see how these older fabrics are to work with.  I have some more ambitious ideas for these sheets in the future, so I wanted to try a little test quilt first.

And the results of my experiment:  no problems at all.  Except I should add "yet" as knowing me there could still be quilting problems.  But hopefully by Monday I'll have a pretty wee quilt to show.  Happy Weekend!

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And thanks so much for all the wonderful comments lately.  I haven't been able to respond like I usually do, but I sincerely appreciate them!

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Posted by Riel Nason on The Q and the U

Attack of the Mutant I Spy Quilt

 Okay, somebody better call Guinness to see if there is a category for World's Biggest I-Spy Quilt. This thing is redonkulous. It is 106 inches long (!) and about 90 inches wide ... it is made of 538 unique four inch squares (no repeats) ...

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Click any photo to enlarge if you wish.

 Here's a long shot to get an idea of the size.  It is on the upper deck of my parents' big old house.

 And yes, I'll be the first to admit that I went a little overboard, but oh well, life is short, my kids will only be little for so long, etc. ... And speaking of the kids, they are very excited it is done!  We will be taking this quilt along with us as we travel this summer -- to help make hotel rooms cosier and to serve as entertainment whenever the need may arise.

 I sent it out to be quilted by long-arm and chose an allover teddy bear pantograph.

While making this I mentioned that I used a different colour of Kona cotton to sash each of the 16 different 25 patch squares.  It helps the whole quilt look less busy and also serves as a "clue" to use when playing I-Spy ...

 This strange purple fabric is what I used for the backing.  It kind of has an I Spy feature itself.  Those are walking sticks on it.

 My handsome helpers.  My Dad and my husband Shane.

Thanks for stopping by!  I'll be having linky fun by going all out for my one post a week that I link up by joining in with  {Sew} Modern Monday, Manic Monday , Made by You Monday , Fabric Tuesday and a new-to-me linky Sew Cute Tuesday! 

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And it is hard to believe but this is the final week of kindergarten for my son and next week is the final week of preschool for my daughter!  I'll be mostly away from the computer over the next little bit, finishing up some writing-related things before summer fun starts ... see you again in a week or so!

The Glowing Quilt

 The other night I was sitting on the back deck on our swing with Eli, my six-year-old son.  We were wrapped in his Log Castle Quilt.  He kept ducking under the quilt because he said he wanted to see it "glowing."

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The sun was setting and hitting it just right.  It did indeed glow if you were under it, wrapped up tight, blocking out any other light besides the sun filtering through.  These pictures give some idea, but don't quite capture it.   It is so great to be able to see things from a child's perspective!

 And of course kids say funny things.  I am not making this next story up.  Honest.  So, the other night (a different other night than the glowing quilt incident), my daughter Tess (she's four) came into bed with my husband and I.  After a bit she seemed as if she was having a bad dream and was tossing and turning and whimpering a little in her sleep.  I smoothed her hair and, while still asleep, she said forcefully, "No!!!  I can't find my FABRIC!"  Really.  I was laughing so much that both Tess and my husband woke up. 

Anyway, that's it for now -- just a couple of little things I wanted to write down and share so I won't forget them.  Happy Weekend everyone!

I Spy Planet Hexy Quilt Top

This is possibly the strangest quilt I've made yet, but I think I LOVE strange.  My son Eli (he's six) and I decided together to call this quilt I Spy Planet Hexy.  Those tall pointy triangles are towers.  All the hexies are piled ever-so-carefully on top of them. (Click any photo to enlarge if you wish)

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It is my own design.  I can't remember the thought process that led me to this, but it was a jump from idea to idea to idea before I came to Planet Hexy.

This quilt is for my son who will be finished kindergarten on June 24.  I must say I love a good milestone as an excuse to make another quilt.  *wink*

It is made all from scraps or stash.  I didn't buy any new fabric for it.  The hexies are I Spy scraps.  The towers are Kona scraps left from my I Spy mega quilt (back at my house now waiting for binding).  The sky background is fabric I had bought as a possibility for the background of The Selvage Snowman quilt, but it had been too light for that.  The grey rock fabric is some I had bought for a pillowcase but didn't use.

There are 146 one inch hexagons in it.  I'll probably add a few more to take it to 150.  I was wary of overdoing it with the hexies that are falling off the towers, but I think a few more wouldn't hurt anything, we'll see.

I am planning to quilt it myself.  I think I will do some very simple straight lines.  Unfortunately my sewing machine has had a bit of a bad attitude lately and has been throwing some thread-tangling tantrums, so it will need to go in for repair before I attempt any quilting.

You may remember that the I Spy hexies were supposed to be my summer travelling project.  Well, I'm still going to make more.  I have more ideas for them.  And my daughter Tess could always use her own hexy quilt.

Now an off topic message: Happy Birthday Dad!

And for some linky fun, I'm hanging out with other talented crafty sorts at {Sew} Modern Monday , Made by You Monday , Manic Monday ... and of course I have to party with Fabric Tuesday at Quiltstory.  Click any link to see piles of fabulous projects by bloggers from around the world!

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Thanks for stopping by!  Happy Quilting!

I Spy Quilt Top Layout

 It seems I have been working on this I Spy quilt a long time ... or maybe it just feels that way because the kids keep asking me if it's done yet.  I love their excitement about it.  And it is finally close to finished.

 This is the first time I've shown it with the large squares sewn together.  There are 16 blocks made of 25  4 inch squares each and sashed in 16 different colours of Kona solids.  The sashing is 2.5 inches wide. 

 Across the top I'm adding this band of squares along with the letters spelling "I Spy."  The fabric I had to fussy cut the letters from only had lowercase letters so I actually used the lowercase "l" as an uppercase "I."  I just couldn't use a lowercase "i" so thankfully there was a solution.  I am kind of old school and can't stand seeing "I" as a word as lowercase.  Know what i mean ... ;-)

 So the quilt is currently at 469 squares, all different.  I certainly used many of the same fabrics over (good ones with large repeats), but the exact image isn't the same in any square.  And I thought I was done, but I want another 69 squares to put a border across the bottom.  It will be just like the one on the top to balance it out and make the whole thing more rectangular.  I have almost enough squares cut now.

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When I told my husband I was adding the last *few* squares, he said, "Why stop now, why not just go for 1000 squares? Then you could cover the whole room."  (Cut to me rolling my eyes)  I told him that smarty pants comments like that would end up on the blog. Anyway, as far as the quilt goes I will admit I am very much the sort to say, well I already put a lot of time in it, so what's a little more? It's totally worth it.  

Anyway, I LOVE it and hopefully within a couple of weeks I will be able to show it all quilted and bound.  (It will be going out to be quilted ... it is going to be about 90 by 108 I think ... )

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I'm linking up to W.I.P. Wednesday. And I'm going to try two new linkies for fun -- The Sundae Scoop, and The Sisters Sunday Link Party!  Happy Quilting!