Red Needle Quilts: bed covers

Showing posts with label bed covers. Show all posts

Wednesday, December 31, 2014

UFO Challenge 2015

Where did 2014 go?

It's the last day of 2014; exactly 14 hours and 55 minutes to go until midnight (this side of the globe). No celebration at our place, just an ordinary day / evening.

Have you counted your UFO's? How many projects did you start and did not finish this year or previous years? :)

I thought I have less than 10.... I have SEVERAL; about 20!!! EEK!

Quilts! Quilts! Quilts! on Etsy is having a UFO challenge that runs from January 1st to June 30, 2015.

I have joined the challenge with 8 of my UFO's; most of them bed quilts. I'm not sure I will manage to finish them all, but some of them should be done!

UFO #1

I think some of you will remember the BLOGGER'S BOM from 2011/12? I thread-basted it in May 2013, but have yet to decide on how to quilt it.

UFO #2

Scrappy green, cream and yellow log cabin quilt. This is ready to be quilted and I have decided on how to quilt it.

UFO #3

Gray and purple Irish Chain quilt - ready to be quilted.

UFO #4

Scrappy disappearing pinwheels - ready to be quilted.

UFO #5

Postage Stamp Quilt - have to add a few more blocks and then work on the border.

All charms are from swaps.

UFO #6

Just ordered fabric for a border and binding.

UFO #7

Wall hanging for a friend, left to do the quilting and finish it up.

UFO #8

Easter wall quilt. Waiting for fabric to make a 'Flying Geese' border.

I have more UFO's, but I think this post should include those I have chosen for the UFO Challenge.

More to come! :)

You can see the other entries for the UFO challenge here or here.

Saturday, May 8, 2010

One of those days.....

Yesterday was one of those days when almost everything went wrong...

I started the morning with a very bad headache, so perhaps I shouldn't have touched the rotary cutter or sewing machine at all...

I mentioned in my previous post I want to make a lap quilt for a lady in Norway. I decided to use fabric from the Cider Mill Road collection - Art to Heart.

Some years ago I bought Marti Mitchell's book; "Log Cabin ABC", so nothing was supposed to go wrong - I thought! Marti always cut strips of fabric on the lengthwise grain for log cabin blocks, providing extra stability when sewing and pressing...

Piece of cake - I thought - and forgot about doing that when I started cutting! All the strips I cut are on crosswise grain... That is how it started....

Happily I cut the strips; blues, yellows and pinks/dark red. I was so engrossed in the idea of using blues on one side and yellow/pink on the other side, so I completely forgot the "rule" of light and dark colors...

The first block didn't turn out OK, because of one fabric (color) that didn't fit in where I placed it. Unpick! :(

Above is the second block... Blues on one side and yellow/pink/red and the last strip brown on the other side. This is not how I meant it to be...

Should I remove the dark red and brown strips? I don't have any other light color (pink) I can replace the dark with...

Dear friends and readers out there - your opinion/suggestion is much appreciated!

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Today I've been busy with house work, and I even managed to re-do the kitchen curtains.

To be on the safe side - after yesterday's experience - I didn't touch the log cabin strips! Instead I added the last border to the Split Hourglass quilt. I followed Zarina and Karen's suggestions to make a scrappy border and this is how it turned out.

I've used the same reds, blues and green to make the scrappy border.

Didn't it turn out great? I think so! :))

Thanks for the suggestions - Zarina and Karen!

Monday, May 3, 2010

Split Hourglass quilt & other WIP's

I'm tired of UFO's!!!

After finishing 14 - almost 15 - UFO's since January 1st, I got the urge to do something new. Inspired by Nat and Ria (scroll down) 'Klosjes quilts', I decided to do a 'Split Hourglass" quilt. (Thanks for your inspiration, ladies!) The pattern is from an Australian magazine I received from my dear penfriend Jocelyn (no blog) in New Zealand. I have wanted to do this quilt ever since I received the magazine, but there has always been other projects.

I have used scraps. Such a quilt is perfect for using up scraps. I had to buy the very light blue tone-on-tone background fabric though.

The last border and binding are supposed to be dark blue, but that color doesn't suit my quilt. I intend to use a medium blue. I have so many different blues, but 'of course' I don't have enough! I need a little bit more than 1 yard, all blues I have is less than that. At the moment I hate searching for fabric at the net - terrible slow internet connection - so instead I'm going to see if there is a blue I already have that will be fine, and I'll check if it is still available.

Ragna (no blog) in Norway - if you are reading this post - I'm sure you recognize many of the fabrics! :)) (I received a lot of fabrics from Ragna a few years ago).

OMGosh! I googled 'klosjes', and I'm surprised how popular these blocks are! Take a look at Julia and Karen's blogs...

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Last year I promised my dear friend Johnny to make a Christmas Tree skirt...

I fished out the fabrics yesterday evening. When I had read the instruction, Birre-Liten decided HE needs attention - not the fabrics! :)) He was a bit angry, because DH was late in feeding him his favorite food; boiled sheep liver!

Birre-Liten got tired of waiting, and I cut part of what is needed for the tree skirt.

I made the star for the center piece this morning. There's a lot of applique and many small pieces to fit together on the remaining blocks.

This is a pattern from 'Art to Heart'; Star of wonder.

My friend Johnny's mum is moving house within a couple of months.

I'm going to make her a lap quilt, using fabrics from the 'Cider Mill Road' collection by Nancy Halvorsen - Art to Heart.

Wednesday, April 28, 2010

Santa goes to Svalbard (UFO) finished

You may believe I'm 'not at the right station' or still celebrating Christmas?!

No, it's not like that. Just another UFO finished! I never thought I was going to finish the bed cover, because it is big. At times I wonder if there's something wrong with me.... I tend to end up with bigger projects, which I love to do. I like it when a project takes some time to finish - like this quilt.

It all started here... a day in October last year... I intended to make something for Christmas 2010, but.... the blocks were put aside until March this year - you can read about it here.

When I started working on the blocks last year, I had no idea what to make. It was first back in March I decided for a bedcover for our bed. I didn't have a pattern for it, so it was quite some brainwork to figure out how I wanted it.

For the batting, I have used 1cm polyester batting, which gives it a nice look.

As a newbie in designing, I miscalculated the length. :( After more brainwork, I decided to add some smaller Santa's to the header and footer, which didn't turn out that bad - I think?

This is from the side. I see now that I should have placed the Santa-blocks the other way - turned it one turn to the right - if you know what I mean.... I think that had looked better? But - done is done! :)

I have called the quilt 'Santa goes to Svalbard', because Santa rides on a polar bear!

For those of you who don't know what I'm talking about, take a look here! :)

There are polar bears in Svalbard... and there surely is Santa's too!

If you would like to see some stunning images from Svalbard, take a look here.

Saturday, April 17, 2010

Weekend job and 'winter' approaching

It feels like yesterday we all complained about the heat and humidity.

'Winter' is approaching - I love this time of the year! Situated 20 degrees South of Equator, it never snows here of course, but the temperatures may go as low as 8 C (46F) in July/August. I love the crisp air and cooler days - reminds me of Norway.

April 14th is the first day of summer in the Northern Hemisphere. I don't think the day is celebrated anymore among Norwegians.... Tamil New Year was celebrated here this April 14th. I don't know if there is a connection between the Tamil New Year's celebration and the first day of summer in Norway.... You can read more about Tamil New Year here.

Sunset between Corps de Garde and St. Pierre Mountain.

Batting and backing for the bedcover. I hate doing this, but a quilt will never be finished if this part isn't done! :)) I tape the backing to the table so that it doesn't move... Not the table, the backing! :)) Then I put the batting and the top, pin, and....

... ready for quilting.

I didn't have enough safety pins so I sent DH to town buying 100 pins! :) It's not that he had to go buying the pins only, he had other errands too.

This photo was taken some days ago. Yesterday I finished the quilting and this weekend I'm going to do the binding.

I can't believe it! I've received another Award - this one from 'Lappedamen'!

As I said in this post, I find it very difficult to choose other blogs that deserve an Award. There are SO MANY great blogs and crafty bloggers in Blogland, so in a way it won't be fair to choose a few only.

I have seen quite some bloggers who say 'no thank you' to Awards, but personally I feel childish honored that I can be to any inspiration to others, and by that I do add the received Awards to my blog.

Therefore - if YOU feel you deserve this Award, please grab it and add it to your blog!

YOU deserve it!

It's such a beautiful morning; 20C (68F), blue sky and crisp air.

I'm ready for the garden!

Sunday, March 21, 2010

WIP's pending...

I have four WIP's - all pending...

The "disappearing 9-patch" lap quilt is almost done.... I ran out of the light pink fabric; more on its way.

"Alouette's Quilt" - waiting for backing! I'm a bit desperate... No, not a bit only - I am DESPERATE, because the fabric was purchased from the US February 9th and I still haven't got it! I fear the parcel is lost, but there is still hope! Yesterday I received a thorn flat rate envelope sent from the US February 7th!!!! Thank goodness the fabric was not destroyed!

Needless to say I'm far from impressed by the Postal Service! :(

A Christmas bed cover. Almost done too; blue fabric on its way!

Christmas lap quilt - almost done. Waiting for more fabric!

I couldn't help it! :) What is he waiting for?! I guess he's waiting for the bedcover to be finished so he can play on it; roll, kick, bite etc!!! :))

I'm really happy about the progress I've done on these quilts! What makes me most proud is that I haven't started any new project this year - these are all UFO's!

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