Soy Amado No. 20

Now I know I promised some fancy shmancy look back at the first 20 quilts but it's exam week coming up. Younger daughter was supposed to be producing the goods so if you don't mind, we'll have to wait a while more until she's able.

This is a 'blue for a boy' quilt I think.

I was on sparkling form as when I turned it round, I realised the text fabric was all over the place and really, I still think it should all 'read' the same way.

Love the random orange fabric

If you had a hand in the making of some of these blocks, please say. I'm losing track of remembering who sent what and would like to give a mention each time.

Thanks for your continued support and a big thank you to 'Donna' who sent me nine beautifully made pillow cases (the home will find those incredibly useful) and some blocks but what made me happy the most was lots and LOTS of pre-made binding. Complete time-saver so thank you.

Sew Mama Sew Giveaway Day

THE GIVEAWAY IS NOW CLOSED

Woot woot.

Ok. Excitement over and down to business.

Once again I am offering to make someone their very own cushion/pillow cover.

Here are some I've made for people over the last few years.

The rules are very simple and you have up to five chances, none of which involve you tweeting, bleeting, IGing or FBing it because life's too short.

• Leave one comment with ONE word ONLY describing the type of cushion/pillow cover you'd like ie. 'scrappy', 'monochromatic' etc. If you leave any more than that, such as 'thanks for the giveaway' etc, I won't include you in the draw. My giveaway, my rules ;-) 

• If you are a follower you get to leave a second ONE word

• If you have helped me out with my Soy Amado project (whether that be whole quilts, blocks, binding etc) you get to leave an additional three comments with ONE word in each comment which will give you a total of FIVE words spread over five comments

Giveaway will stay open until late Friday May 16, after which a number will be drawn at random.

***

If you would like to help me with my Soy Amado project all the details are in the main menu bar - Giving Back - Soy Amado. In an ideal world I'd love whole quilts but if you can't, I'd love to receive any random 12 1/2" blocks you may have, that have had batting and a back added to them and been quilted. Please email me for my address if you're interested.

Thanks.

Soy Amado No. 19

I had such grand plans for combining more selfish sewing with Soy Amado but then the painters and decorators arrived and my plans have been temporarily scuppered. I have so many quilt ideas spinning round in my head. Unfortunately, my sewing room is being used as a furniture storage room while the rooms around are redecorated.

Before my sewing room became completely inaccessible, I moved my sewing machine downstairs and plonked it ceremoniously on the dining room table, grabbed some bits and bobs and decided that would be my work station for the next month.

But I forgot to grab any fabric and the pile of Soy Amado blocks were also in the dining room and so, I'm sewing them up because they're there, they're accessible and I have to sew.

And this is no. 19

All the blocks are from one person (@nantucks on Instagram) save for one, which when you see the back, you'll probably be able to work out which it is.

I love it for being bright and fun.

And then I love the back too.

Particularly the big floral print.

I think it's my favourite 'back' so far

I know there are different ways to join the two ends of your binding and I thought I'd show you how I'm doing it.

I always join my binding strips on the diagonal so I want to finish on the diagonal so you can't tell the different between any of the joins. Binding on the diagonal gives (in my opinion) a less bulky and more subtle finish than butting two bits of fabric ends up against each other and sewing vertically straight down...if that makes sense.

So when you start sewing your binding down (I cut 2 1/2" binding on straight of grain) I leave a 'tail' of about 9-10", I sew my binding on and then probably leave about a foot gap from where I first started stitching.

See pic below.

I then lay one tail on top of the other (probably cutting the tails down if there is too much excess for them to lay flat within the unsewn (my spell check doesn't like that word...maybe I just made that word up) gap I have left.

If you can remember to call the tails 'leftovers' (which is what I do and what they technically are) it'll help you with the next step.

You need to measure 2 1/2" from where the end of the underneath leftover/tail is, along the top leftover/tail.
That measurement will always relate to the width of your binding. So, if you made a 2 1/4" width binding, you'll want to make the overlap between the two leftovers 2 1/4" and so on.

It was then at this stage, when I first started out making quilts, that I could never remember which end went over which but then I stopped calling the ends 'tails' and instead they became 'leftovers' and there is my answer. The left end goes over the right end.

So the left one is pinned on top of the right. You are pinning the top edge of the left hand side to the end of the right hand side - right sides together.

You're then going to stitch diagonally from left to right - just like you do, if this is the way you join your  binding pieces.

Snip the excess fabric to the right of the stitch line to about 1/8", give it a good press and then you can finish off attaching the binding.

So I'm curious.

How do you join your binding ends?

Linking up to Finish It Up Friday

Soy Amado No. 18

All the blocks for Soy Amado number 18 came from just one person in Australia who sent her contribution to my sister's house and then I brought them home with me in our suitcases.

Several Aussies sent blocks to my sister's house and I apologise as I packed all the blocks in one suitcase and the notes that came with them in another and then here we are, several weeks later, and I am not sure who to thank for their generosity. I do remember opening up the box at the time and thinking 'wow' when I saw all the blocks.

They even included pre-cut sashing pieces too and enough fabric to do the binding, so really, I had very little to do with this one.

If it's you, please stick your hand up and let me know so I can thank you!

(Edited to add: It's Wendy - thank you Wendy...see comments section)

I love it.

Digressing slightly; I was in a bee a few years ago and when it was my month I sent out black, white and red fabric only and asked for blocks made with the half-square triangle only - so I know how striking a limited colour palette can be.

Anyway, getting back to No. 18.

The blocks were a complete array of patterns and all just beautiful.

And even the backing fabrics continued the colour theme.

Couple of things while I remember. Some people are straight stitching right around the edge (or as close to) of each block and I've found that really helpful. It's not a deal breaker but if you do fancy doing it (and it really helps me if you are using quite a high loft batting) that would be great.

Some other people have mentioned that when they are quilting their blocks, it does shrink the end measurement a little. If you're starting out from scratch maybe start with a 12 3/4" block and then trim to 12 1/2" once you've finished quilting it. If you can't, again it's not a deal breaker.

Big thanks too, to everyone who is sending me extras - I didn't realise how grateful I would be for pre-cut binding ( 2 1/2") and pre-cut sashing strips (1" and 1 3/4") but having had it to hand, it's really speeded the process up. A couple of people even enclosed money which, although very kind, is not necessary. I've donated your money to the home in Mexico City so thank you.

And so I continue.

Onwards and upwards to No. 19.

Soy Amado No. 17

And this is what number 17 looks like.

With another sozzled birdie.

I sort of, in a vague way, tried to put lightish blocks together.

I need to go back and catch one of the blocks that I missed.

Lots more Soy Amado quilts to come as I have such a pile of blocks to choose from.
Thank you.
I'll just be a bit slower putting them together as I combine selfish sewing as well.

Like these bags.

Which I love.

A great way to use so many different coloured fabrics and zips and gives you an almost instant sewing hit when time is short.

Linking up to Finish It Up Friday

Which it is at the moment.

Catching up

It was a lovely three week break and although no sewing was done, I didn't completely forget about quilting.

Just a twenty minute walk from my sister's house was Material Obsession. I have long been a follower of Kathy's blog and a huge admirer of the quilting style that seems to emanate from her shop so on Day Two off I went and it didn't disappoint.

The place is a riot of bright, quirky quilts and I loved it.

Kathy has her own line of fabric out (as well as another book 'Adding Layers').

And is not averse to having her photo taken.

The whole shop is brimming with creativity. I came away with the bits and bobs to make a felt cushion and have slowly been plugging away at it. I put a photo on Instagram (@littleislandquilting) if you want to see the progress I have made.

I also bought some of her first fabric line, including the large scale bird print above.

Kathy only has distribution for it in Oz at the moment but said she was speaking to a European distributor so hopefully it will become more widely available which would be great as I think the designs are a bit different to what is out there at the moment.

And if you do make it to the shop, just a five minute walk away is a Spotlight where I stocked up on some Juliana Horner fabrics.

And these, just because I liked the simplicity of them.

Oh and I may have squeezed in a trip to Ikea too which had the best restaurant views - of the planes landing and taking off at the airport.

And then in between this...

...this...

...this...

...this...

...and this...

...we came across a town called Berry and there was a quilt shop there too. Each to his own but for me it was chocked full to the gunnels with Moda pre-cuts and I think I'd been spoilt by the creativity at Material Obsession to really fall in love with it.

Things I loved about Oz:

• Tim Tams - all varieties
• Material Obsession
• Double 'de-merit' points on your driving licence over the Easter Period for traffic offences such as drink driving. What a brilliant idea
• Tim Tams
• Any shop that claimed to sell 'Australia's best pie, 'patisserie of the year' etc. We just had to call in and try
• Spotlight
• Tim Tams

Things I didn't like

• the price of fabric. I knew it was expensive in the UK but in some cases it was even more expensive and it really does make you think twice before buying. Does Tony Abbott know?
• just how far away it is...it took us four flights to get there and another four to get back
• the service in Spotlight. Unlike a quilt shop where (I think) the staff have a genuine passion for what they do, I think in Spotlight it's just a job. As much as I enjoyed listening to Julie telling her colleague she wanted to go home, it would have been nice if Julie had served me or indeed any one of the other cheesed off customers waiting in line before she decided to go home and leave the fabric cutting desk unmanned

And then when we got back home there was quite literally a mountain of quilt blocks awaiting. Since picking up packages from the post office today, I now have over 300 QAYG blocks ready and waiting. 

Another delivery of quilts went last week to the home in Mexico City so I need to get cracking on these.

Thanks for continuing to send them to me - it is much appreciated.

Give me a week and hopefully I'll have another Soy Amado quilt to show you :-)

Soy Amado No.16

This one has some wildlife on it.

An owl that looks like it's been imbibing.

It came with a mate that's going into the next quilt

And a rather beady-button-eyed bird.

Which have formed to make No. 16

I'm giving you the back first, just because I never do and I need to keep you on your toes and not nodding off please.

Unlike those birds in the second row that are actually lying down with their feet in the air because that's what that particular breed of bird does when it nods off.

 In case you were wondering.

And here is the front.

My younger daughter has offered to make me this mosaic thingy that brings the Soy Amado quilts up, one after the other.

I'm thinking I need a stage goal for that so when I've done 20 quilts we'll indulge ourselves with a bit of a virtual show and tell.

Meanwhile, I'm going to have a wind down now and step away for most of April. Please keep the blocks coming though, as then I shall be refreshed and ready to carry on.

Thank you.