Windows Baby Quilt

Happy Sunday friends! I hope you had a lovely weekend. Around here I have been very busy, working really hard in my sewing room. But totally enjoying every minute of it. Last week I finished this baby quilt and it was quickly delivered to my sister-in-law who is expecting a baby next month. This was a hard quilt to photograph because of the soft colors but in person is so soft and fresh looking. I adore the way it turned out. I designed this windows pattern to highlight the pieces of Aneela Hoey's Posy fabric. I just thought the sweet fabric with bunnies and chicks was just too precious to cut up. For the back of the quilt I used a larger panel of the same Posy fabric mirroring the windows from the front. And to finish it off I quilted with simple straight lines about one and a half inches apart. Such a sweet finish I hope it gets used and loved for years to come.

XO

Martha. 

Modern Plus Quilt II

Plus quilts are so fun to make and they come together very quickly. This is the second one that I make and I don't this would be my last one. Specially because I didn't get to keep any of them. The first one I made I gave it to my sister (you can see it here) for her birthday a while a ago. And this happy quilt I sent it to a dear friend. She likes fresh and happy colors so I thought this color combo would be particularly fitting for her personality. I really love the way it turned out and she tells me she was very happy with her new quilt, which traveled over 2,000 miles to get to her. 

Now I think I should get busy and make another one of this happy quilts to keep for myself.

Wishing you a happy week.

XO

Martha

Modern Maples

At long last my Modern Maples quilt is finished! It took a while, but totally worth the wait. I just love this quilt so much. The warm colors and the sort of rustic feel of the linen. I just love it The pattern is by Amanda Jennings from the book Pretty in Patchwork: Holidays; a lovely book filled with amazing designs. 

For the maple leaves I used various prints by Juliana Horner and DS Quilts and for the background I used Robert Kauffman Essex linen. I love how the linen complements all the prints so well and allows them to shine. For the backing I had chosen one of the green prints that I had used for the leaves. I had few yards in my stash. But a few days before I basted the quilt, I wondered into my local fabric shop and found the flannel that I ended up using for the backing. It is shirting flannel but it works perfectly for this quilt. And I think it makes it even cozier. Definitely one of my favorite quilts so far.

Wishing you a lovely week!

XO 

Martha

Improv Quilting: Always an Experiment

I love improv quilting, but I find it difficult. It shouldn't be that way, I mean it is supposed to be free and make it up as you go. But my brain has a hard time adjusting to the process. So I decided to create a small throw quilt as a way to use up some scraps and to practice my improv piecing skills. The result was quite pleasing and very liberating. I think next time I'd like to try smaller piecing but, I still really like the way it turned out. I quilted this little quilt by hand. So far this has been the largest project that I've ever quilted by hand. It was very daunting at first... handling a bigger piece of cloth to quilt takes a bit of an adjustment. I tried using a frame and it worked just fine; however, it was bulky and for me hard to maneuver. I ended up removing the frame and and to me it was easier to quilt that way. I guess it is all about finding what works for us.

Hoping you have a beautiful week!

XO 

Martha

Neapolitan Windows Quilt

Looking through my quilts I noticed that I haven't made that many small throw quilts. And the few that I've made get lots of use. I find them super handy to carry in the car or just throw on the couch for my puppies for when I let them come up and sit next to me. So I decided to solve that "problem" and make a few more. As you might remember, last week I finished a whole cloth quilt made out of a yard of fabric for the front. This one required a bit more piecing but still it came together super fast. The colors remind me of neapolitan ice cream... perfect for a summer quilt I think. I quilted with straight lines about 1 1/2 inches apart and I think it complements the quilt perfectly. For the binding I used the same color of the background except for a little piece of brown that I added for a pop of color and a little whimsy. 

Wishing you a lovely week!

XO 

Martha

Watercolor Quilt

For the longest time I wanted to make a whole cloth quilt, but for some reason I never got around to do it. Well, until now... a few weeks ago I stumbled upon this lovely fabric at my local fabric store and I just couldn't leave without it. From across the store I spotted the beautiful watercolor roses and the only thing I could think about was making a whole cloth quilt. I kept the quilting simple with straight lines radiating from the corners to form a star in the center. This is a lovely addition to my quilt collection and I think I'll be making a few more of this quilts. They are perfect to showcase a beautiful pice of fabric that it is simply too precious to cut it.

I hope you have a lovely week!

XO

Martha.

Improv Mini Quilt

For a while I've been wanting to learn more about hand quilting. So I decided to do a little research on the different techniques and/or styles and try to quilt a small project. For me it is better when learning a new technique to start small; otherwise it is too overwhelming. After my research I found myself drawn to the sashiko style or big stitch quilting. For this little quilt I used pearl cotton thread size 8. It is the perfect size as the stitches are visible but still look quite delicate. It is said that practice makes perfect and I agree; by the end  I noticed that my stitches were looking more even and it was easier to run the needle through the fabric. I love how this little quilt turned out, specially the learning experience. I can't wait to tackle a larger project and improve my hand quilting skills. It is such a beautiful form of art I think. 

I wish you have a beautiful week.

XO 

Martha

Granny Square Quilt

Happy Sunday! I hope you had a lovely weekend. I finally got to photograph my finished Granny Square Quilt and I'm so happy to share it with you.This was a very slow project, but I really enjoyed every step of the process. The blocks are lovely and a pure joy to make. I used the tutorial from Blue Elephant Stitches to create the blocks ; however instead of using 2.5 inches squares I used 2 inch squares. Thus creating a slightly smaller block. For the quilting I wanted something simple so I opted for a spiral square pattern. I think it gives it a modern feel to a traditional quilt. 

This quilt has quickly became a favorite. I love the soft colors and the scrappiness. I totally see myself making another quilt like this.

I wish you a very happy week!

XO

Martha