Summer Dreamin'

Welcome to TGIFF, the party where we celebrate our finishes! Around here, the quilts sometimes get finished in a timely manner, but then the blog post doesn't 😅 This week I'm finally getting around to sharing a quilt that I finished near the end of February, which means it has taken me almost 6 months to take the time to sit and give Summer Dreamin' its rightful place on the blog.

Summer Dreamin' was the Stash Artists pattern for March, so I was working on these blocks in January and February, when the world outside was snow and ice and cold. As I sewed the blocks and added them to my design wall, they felt like a little pop of summer in my sewing room. The more blocks I put up, the more summery it felt, until I knew I had to reference summer in the name somehow. Since it was the dead of winter, Summer Dreamin' felt like the perfect name. It's not often a quilt name comes to me so easily, so that was a nice change.

All the fabrics came from my stash and they're a mix of new and old, batiks and regular quilting cotton from a bunch of different companies. Most of the white pieces were cut from my white scrap box, so there are a few brands of white mixed together to make the background. Do you have your scraps organized in a way that makes it easy for you to actually use them? If not, check out my Escape Scrap Overwhelm guide!

Those scrappy blue pinwheels are probably my favourite part of the whole design. Blue and pinwheels always make me happy! 

I took a bit of a shortcut making the flying geese for the pinwheels. I've been making blue and teal flying geese as leaders and enders for the last while so I can eventually make a quilt of scrappy blue and teal Flying Together blocks. I knew I had a nice stack of them that hadn't been sewn together into blocks yet, so I raided that for this quilt, leaving me needing to piece only a handful more to have enough for all the pinwheels. Of course, that means my Flying Together quilt is pushed even farther into the future, but I'll get there someday (maybe).

Since the quilt felt so much like summer to me, I knew I wanted to quilt flowers on it. I considered the loop and flower meander I used on Ombre Twirl and New Life and this Formal Garden baby quilt, but that wasn't quite what I wanted. At some point while I was piecing and thinking, I noticed the daisy chain banner I have on two of the sewing room walls. Could I replicate that as a quilted flower? I tried drawing it on a scrap of paper and was excited that it had exactly the vibe I wanted for this quilt.

Now the only question was, could I quilt it large enough? I tend to quilt small, even when I'm trying to quilt bigger. I blame it on learning to free motion quilt on a Kenmore machine with a 5" throat space and no extension table - I didn't have room to quilt big back then! I wanted these flowers to feel big and showy, though, so I had to really focus on keeping them from getting smaller and smaller as I went. I'm happy to say I was successful at keeping them big, so that most of them finish around 4" across. That's huge by my quilting standards!

In keeping with wanting the flower to be showy and summery, I used yellow Aurifil thread (2135) for the quilting. From a distance, you can't see the colour of the thread, but as soon as you get close it becomes noticeable.

I didn't have quite enough of the sky blue for the whole back, so I added a chunk of royal blue to make it big enough. Here's a picture I took in the backyard in February. The yellow thread really shows up on the royal blue, even from a distance!

A bright pink binding felt like the perfect choice. 

I had to take the cover picture for the pattern in the snow in our backyard in February, but then Zach and I took Summer Dreamin' to the beach for these pictures in April. It wasn't exactly warm (in the one picture I took of Zach he has his coat zipped up, the hood of his hoodie pulled up, and his hands in his pockets!), but the snow and ice were gone, so this summery quilt looked right at home.

Summer Dreamin' has since found its forever home with our niece Julia, who sent me a picture this week of her cat draped over it, saying George loves it. I love when the quilts I make get used, even by the cats!

That's my (finally blogged) finish this week 😊 What have you finished that you want to share? Link it up below so we can celebrate with you.

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My First Quilt with Ange Wilson

It's time for another My First Quilt interview! This month Ange Wilson of Gnome Angel shares the story of her first quilt.

In her own words, Ange is "a self-confessed fussy cutter, lover of patchwork and a proud fabric fondler. I design quilt patterns (specialising in traditional patchwork and samplers), host a podcast (Fussy Cutters Club) and run the annual 100 Days 100 Blocks event. I can talk for hours... sometimes it's even all about fabric!"

You can connect with Ange at her website, her shop, and on Instagram. 

And now, here is Ange's first quilt!

What year did you make your first quilt? What prompted you to make it?

2011. My Nana was moving into a care facility and so she gifted me her Janome sewing machine (which I still have). I don't know why she did it, but it changed my life forever. I grew up in the tropics of Australia and so quilts weren't really a "thing". However, for as long as I can remember I've been fascinated by them in American culture. I used to love seeing them in film, in books, on the internet. I was just enamoured with the idea of being able to make something and have that thing be passed down through the family. To be able to still be a part of your family for generations. It's an amazing concept to me and still gives me comfort to know that if anything were to happen to me my son would have a hug from his Mum in quilt form whenever he wanted it. 

What techniques were used in that first quilt? Did you quilt it yourself?

It was super simple squares and rectangles. Super basic. Ha! No. I'm not a quilter, I'm a patchworker. I haven't quilted any of my quilts. My bestie, Raylee of Sunflower Quilting quilts all my creations. 

Who taught you to make the quilt?

The pattern I brought had basic instructions and then I winged it. It was shocking. I used a 1/2" seam! I had no idea. I ended up making another quilt after it before someone recommended I take a beginners class at our Local Quilt Shop. It was a game changer. 

Are the colours you chose for your first quilt ones you would still choose today?

Probably... I still use a lot of blue and green, but I think I'd likely fussy cut the prints if I was to do it over and be more conscious of tonal differences in the fabrics I used.

Did you fall in love with quilting right away? Or was there a gap between making the first quilt and the next one?

I was in love before I started. After my 3rd quilt I challenged myself to make a quilt top a month for 1 year. The rest they say is history...

Where is the quilt now?

In my cupboard. My Nana passed and she wanted me to have it back, so I have it here. I'll pass it on to my kiddo when I go and pray that he finds someone he loves to pass it on to. 

Is there anything you wish you could go back and tell yourself as you made that first quilt?

Nope. I think I'd just smile knowingly and tell myself I'm about to go on an amazing adventure. 

Anything else you want to share about your first quilt?

My quilt photography has gotten a LOT better since I made this quilt! LOL

Thanks for sharing your first quilt with us, Ange!

Sparkler Baby Quilt in Modern Vintage: Treasured

I'm part of a FB group for quilt pattern designers, where invitations are sometimes posted asking if anyone wants to take part in a blog hop sharing projects with a new fabric line. When Rachel Rossi posted her invitation for the Modern Vintage: Treasured blog hop, I quickly jumped on board. This beautiful collection blends nostalgic charm with a fresh, modern palette and I knew these fabrics would be perfect for a new Sparkler baby quilt!

I love how the quilt top turned out! Yes, it's only a top at this point. It's way too hot in my sewing room lately to be quilting anything, plus my parents and Aiden are visiting, so we've been busy hiking, searching for sea glass, and watching for whales (they've all been hiding, though).

For all my other Sparkler quilts, the sashing has been a neutral colour, but this time I decided to use the gorgeous Etched Glass print in dark teal. The Etched Glass is my favourite print in Modern Vintage: Treasured, so I used it in the sashing and for two of the blocks, in Earth and Terracotta.

The Treasured Poppies print is beautiful in both Natural and Turquoise, but it's definitely a larger scale print than I normally use. I'm a blenders and basics kind of girl. I love looking at these larger prints, though, so it's fun to incorporate them into a quilt sometimes!

I used the Loopy Lace print in Natural for the secondary sparklers, the ones that kind of recede into the background when you look at the quilt as a whole. It's a great basic print! There's a bit of pattern and colour, but it's all low-volume and perfect for playing a supporting role in the quilt.

I'm looking forward to getting this one quilted, whenever it cools down in the sewing room. I always used to say we didn't need air conditioning in Newfoundland, except for maybe 2 or 3 days a year, but that has been changing in recent years. Now we seem to have more and more hot days each summer, which is a struggle for this girl who does not enjoy the heat.

I also find it seems to get windier every year, which can make it hard to get quilt pictures, especially when it's only a quilt top. Without the added weight of the batting and backing, a flimsy quilt top billows and blows in even the slightest breeze. Paul came to my rescue this time and made a form to hold the quilt top. He taped together panels from a dishwasher box to make it large enough for the quilt, then added a handle to make it easier to hold. I pinned the quilt top to the cardboard and we headed out to a local trail. Even though it was quite windy, this worked like a charm! It might not be pretty, but it works 😊

If you'd like to make your own Sparkler quilt, the pattern is available in my shop.

That's what I made with Rachel's beautiful fabric, and all of the designers in this hop have made something unique using Modern Vintage: Treasured—from quilts and bags to garments and home decor. Follow along to see all the inspiring ideas AND to win some excellent prizes!

Meet the Designers & Their Projects

Devoted Quilter – Sparkler Baby Quilt (you are here!)

Ember Craft Company – Girl’s Dress

Snapdragon Quilting – Louise Quilt

Around the Bobbin – Essential Tote Bag

@dragonflysquiltingdesginstudio – Pillow Featuring a Panel + Modern Vintage: Treasured

Katie Mae Quilts – Baby Quilt

Quilty Zest – Placemats

Rachel Rossi – This link goes to a blog post with ALL the projects!

 

Find this fabric collection in a store near you: Modern Vintage: Treasured Store Locator