2014 Aurifil December block

My last 2014 Aurifil block is completed, with just a couple of days left of the year. The designer this month is Carrie Nelson.

I chose to make the flying geese using the Companion Angle and the Easy Angle ruler. The colors I chose reminds me of summer much more than winter, and I just felt better about these golden tones and the butterflies when I searched my stash.

Modern Maple In The Snow

My Modern Maple quilt is now quilted and the binding is stitched on. My December goal for A Lovely Year of Finishes (ALYoF) 2014 is thereby completed. The finished size of the quilt is 59" x 70".

One of my college sons accompanied me for the photo shoot in the snow, and there is a lot of snow! My fingers got real cold operating the camera, it was freezing!

The playground was a perfect setting for the photo session, and the color of the house in the background is a perfect match with the quilt.

My son was the perfect quilt holder, and with a few breaks in-between to rest wide-stretched arms and to heat fingers, the photo session was a success. .

All my maple leaves look like they have fallen down on a snow covered ground, literally! I am happy I used pure white background fabric for the quilt.

As you can see, we have LOTS of snow! Fortunately the snow was really dry, and it was easy to brush it off afterwards.

I did an all over woodgrain quilting with my walking foot, and used approximately 10 bobbins in the quilting process. I like the density of the quilting, and after a wash-and-dry cycle the quilt is nice and soft. As you can see in the picture above, I added a little interesting detail; a negative mini leaf.

Here is more of the quilting . I am very pleased with the quilting texture and the amount of negative space in the quilt.

I used only fabrics from my stash for the maple leaves; how is it possible to acquire so many fall-colored fabrics in such a relatively short time?

The backing for the quilt is a text fabric from IKEA, and the binding is a striped fabric I bought at Hancock's a while ago. It may be difficult to see, but the binding has got quite a lot of golden color in it. It goes very well together with the quilt, and it gives a perfect golden frame to one of my best-looking quilts so far.

Merry Christmas! (+ a little sneak peek)

I wish all my fellow quilting bloggers a Merry Christmas, and I hope you have a great time together with your family during this Holiday Season!

The last few days I have been busy quilting my Modern Maple quilt; I have to finish it by the end of the year. Yesterday I started to put the binding on, and this will be a nice hand-stitching job during the Christmas days.

Here is a sneak peak of the quilt how it looks in the start of the binding process. I bought a very nice striped fabric at Hancock's a couple of years ago, and that is perfect as the binding on this multi-colored maple quilt.

I quilted it with a quite dense woodgrain design in a parchment color cotton thread, and the backing fabric is the Britten Nummer fabric from IKEA.

When I am completely done with the quilt, I will take it out for a photo shoot in the snow.

Once again: Merry Christmas from a picture-perfect snow covered landscape.

The second Little Birdie

I needed a small and quick gift for a colleague of mine, and what better than making a Little Birdie? My previous Birdie turned out as a pincushion, but it is also perfect as a Christmas Ornament when a string is added.

The winter is dark, and it is difficult to get good lighting for the pictures. My blue-eyed bird is a fast project, and it was good to get a little break from the extensive quilting of my Modern Maple.

WIP Wednesday

The quilting of my Modern Maple has started. Here is a sneak peek of how it is going to look. My aim is to give the quilt a woodgrain structure. I am using the walking foot, but it takes time! It will take a few days to complete all the quilting, but it will be worth it.

I have also completed another quilt top this fall, the Hip-Hopscotch quilt featured in the QuiltyPleasures blog.:

A lot of people have made their own versions of this quilt, and it is amazing how different the quilts look using different colors and values. My version gives a spring feeling, and that seems appropriate for me even though Christmas has not come, yet. (I long for warmer weather...)

Linked up to WIP Wednesday at Freshly Pieced, and Let's Bee Social.

ALYoF: December Goal

My goal for December is to quilt and bind my Modern Maple before the year is over. It is not going to be a Christmas present, it will be staying home with me, because it is way too pretty to give away!

Quilty Stitches coming along

My Quilty Stitches is coming along, 12 cross stitched blocks are finished, 4 more to go. I have kept up with embroidering the white sashing, the "boring" work is done after each block.

The embroidered piece will be approximately 8 1/4" square when finished. I am planning to frame it to hang on my wall when it is done.

I wish you all a Happy Thanksgiving!

November goal for ALYoF accomplished

My goal for November was to finish the blocks and assemble the quilt top of my Modern Maple quilt, as stated here in my goal post. Now it is done, and here is my top out on the porch in the poor daylight in the weekend.

I actually finished the top almost a week ago, but there is no daylight left when I come home from work, so the official picture taking had to wait for the following Saturday.

I am very pleased with how it turned out; I love the warm colors of the maple leaves and the contrast with the white background.

I actually managed to baste the quilt today. The back of the quilt is pieced. When the quilting is done I will show pictures of the final result.

2014 Aurifil November block

This month's block is designed by Scott Hansen of Blue Nickel Studios.  It is called Tossed Salad and is a Modern block with traditional parts.

I chose to make it in cool colors, a real winter block. The background is full of snow, and the flying geese portray the winter green trees. The fussy cut blocks gives a nice color addition to the frosty scenery.

The block is entirely made of leftovers from this table runner.

Now there is only one block left for this year's Designer of the Month series, I wonder what that block will look like?!

One Little Birdie Pincushion

Last night I made a Little Birdie Pincushion from this tutorial by Deonn Stott from Quiltscapes.

It was really fast to make, and I enjoyed making it. I see lots of little birdies in the future!

Linked up to:

ALYoF: November Goal

My October goal was a little ambitious, and I wasn't able to make it. For November I am setting a goal that is not that extensive.

Fall is definitely here, as this maple leaf after the first freeze shows. The pavements are getting icy in the mornings, and a little gravel helps the pedestrians to walk safely.

What better to do when the cold sets in than to make a quilt capturing the beauty of maple leaves turning into a colorful work of art?!

I am making a Modern Maples throw quilt. Several of the maple leaves are already made, and my goal for November is to complete the rest of the leaves and assemble the quilt top. And, who knows, maybe I will be able to quilt and bind it before the snow comes?!

Maple Leaves and Apple Crop

The maple leaves on my design wall are multiplying, there are only 14 more to go. When I checked my stash, I have plenty of fabrics that are suitable for this quilt. It will be a colorful one, appropriate for the season.

To speed up the process, I am doing a lot of chain piecing, and the quilt comes together quite fast. I am using the Easy Angle to cut the half square triangles from 4 1/2" strips, which means there are minimal waste.

Apart from piecing I have been very busy taking care of my apple crop. You can see on the picture above the size of the apples we had this year!  Here is a selection of what has been made so far with the apples. Today I made Apple Jelly, in the jar with red lid on the picture. The jar with the grey lid contains Chunky Apple Sauce. The bottles contain Apple Juice and Concentrated Apple Juice, respectively.

I have also made Apple Muffins, and I guess there will be a few Apple Cakes and Pies in the future. The apples are actually very good to eat as they are, they are really sweet. They are my preferred fruit for the season.  But I have to process more apples so I won't loose too many, because they do not keep too long in our basement.

Now I am going to assemble a delicious apple dessert containing chunky apple sauce, bread crumbs fried in butter, and whipped cream. Everything put together in layers. Yummy!

Fall is here

I got very inspired by all the different maple leaf quilts that can be found pictures of around on the web. I decided I needed to make one on my own. I gathered all my seasonal fall fabric, and here is the first block made; 12 1/2" square. I will make a modern version, with lots of negative space.

I also managed to finish my knitted cotton cloth. It has been a long time since I knitted such a "complicated" pattern as this. There will be more of these in the future, though in different designs. It is a perfect project to work on in front of the TV.

2014 Aurifil October block

The October block is called 'Circle of Love' and is designed by Jane Davidson. The block will be 12" x 12" when finished, and will fit well into my colorful quilt together with the other blocks. Only two more blocks before it is over.

I will most likely use the setting design I had on my  2013 Aurifil quilt, with added solid blocks to make it a good-sized charity quilt.

Getting Dizzy!

This is my latest finish: the table runner Dizzy Delight  a free quilt pattern by Debbie Taylor, from the Fat Quarter shop.

This is a very colorful runner that will brighten up any table.  The table runner is 16 1/2" x 44 1/2", and I only used fabrics from my stash and scraps. I free motion quilted it with stipples in the white background and some echo lines in the blue "propellers". The colorful borders got some simple leaf structure all around.

You might see the quilting better on this picture. It is difficult to catch the proper light now when the afternoons get darker and darker. Yesterday night we had the coldest freeze so far this fall, the grass was frozen over and it took several hours of sun before the frost was gone from the roads.

The table runner will be gifted to friends; I guess it will be a surprise when they get it in the mail!

Now I am up to start on a new project, or maybe continue on an old one, time will show!

In the mean time: Happy Quilting!