New Listing - The Large Throw Sized Quilt in Bold Colours

Had a request the other week as to whether I could extend my Colourful Geometric Baby Quilt Pattern to Throw Size.

So I sat down and started doing that last week thinking that this would be a quick and easy update on the original pattern. Not so...as it turned out I had to completely re-work the pattern, making the blocks bigger but also change the whole layout around a bit. As this is a custom layout that took a while to get right in terms of colours and shapes.

So here it is: Large Trow Sized Quilt Pattern in very bold colours

It comes to 64-1/2in x 72-1/2in, so quite large...it is made of different types of simple shapes in a custom layout. Very easy to do though and will come together quickly given the block sizes. The pattern comes as a PDF instant download and includes detailed instructions, including lots of diagrams on how to put this together. 

Head to my Etsy shop if you are interested in this pattern. 

Karin

Finished My Scrappy Cat Quilt

This was so much fun to do. I think those projects that just happen because you feel like it in the moment are often the best. 

I used solid fabrics and leftover tone-on-tone prints for this quilt. Did not have to look for long for fabric to use as I seem to have an abundance of scraps from previous projects. As I often use solids and tone-on-tone prints I had plenty to choose from. Even managed to piece together the binding from binding strips that were left from other projects (yes, do save them as well!).

The completed quilt measures 47in x 57-1/2in

This is the cutest quilt. so bright and cheerful...love it! I quilted it with an allover edge-to-edge design called Ginger Paw (by Melonie Caldwell and Apricot Moon Designs available through Urban Elementz) in a light yellow Aurifil 40/3 thread

Love those little paws! Bit harder to do on the sitdown machine as it varies between long sweeping movements and then all of a sudden you are at those little paws and have to slow down again (and concentrate!). As I have done this design before on my other cat quilt I was prepared for that and did manage quite well. Needless to say none of the paws are totally identical as you zoom around but I managed to stay straight and in line with the pattern, so was very happy with how this turned out.

I have written up the pattern and put as a new listing in my Etsy shop for people who are interested. It is truly the ultimate scrap buster and a great beginners quilting project. Easy to do and comes together quite quickly. I used 30 different fabrics to complete this quilt but it can be done really with whatever you have got on hand and can be as scrappy as you like. 

Funny how after all these years scrap quilts are still my favourite quilts to construct.

Karin

Animal Panel Baby Quilt - New Listing in Etsy Shop

I have got a new listing in my Etsy shop. Put it up there the other day, did all the social media advertising but forgot about my blog.

So here is a quick rundown on this cute little quilt

The quilt measures 33-1/2in x 48-1/2in (85.1cm x 123.2cm). 

It is pieced, i.e. the panel (Noah & Friends by Liza Lewis for Clothworks Fabrics) was extended by a coordinating sashing and outer border. The quilt top and backing are quality cotton fabrics with a layer of 60% cotton/40% polyester batting in between. The quilting was the best part of it. I used a new edge-to-edge design called 'Lorien's Festival by Hermione Agee available through Urban Elementz. Lots of fun...the design was easy to execute and flowed really well.

Quilted this with my favourite thread, Aurifil 50/2 in an orange tone. The fun, striped binding is double-fold for extra durability, machine stitched to the front and hand stitched to the back.

Close up of those cute characters. Always enjoy quilting little baby quilts and this one in particular due to its bright colours and general busy-ness. There are so many different animals in this small panel tugged away all over the place and I could imagine it would be fun for a toddler to discover them all.

An outside shot. I always include a picture of the quilt on the old outside bench. Although a bit darker this time (its winter over here) it does show the quilt in natural light.

A fun little quilt. For more pictures on the detail, head over to my Etsy shop 'The QuiltYarn'

Karin

To Do Tuesday #24

My list from last week was small and included:

- finish off the ditching around my little baby quilt pattern, then do a little bit of ruler work and hopefully make a start on the binding.✅

- finish off hand stitching the binding on my panel baby quilt and if weather allows to take some photos- partially done!

- drop off all the charity quilts and pick up some new quilts to finish off ✅

- continue plugging away at knitting the sock. ✅

Three out of four things completed...very happy with that!

My little baby quilt went much faster than I expected as it is only small. I was looking forward to do some ruler work and just when I got really into it, it was done. Used my favourite Pro Echo ruler from Lisa Calle which was very enjoyable.

Even managed to put the binding on so all that is left is to handstitch this to the back and then immerse myself in writing up the pattern.

Also finished the hand binding on my other little baby quilt. Need to take some photos and then that can go into the Etsy shop. More computer time coming up for me.

Feeling productive!  Dropped off my charity quilts and picked up four new ones, but have not looked at them yet.

And then came the great sock adventure. So I am knitting some socks because some bright spark in the wool shop said it was really easy once you get the hang of it. While I can knit, this was a huge challenge. Casting on the stitches on those blasted double pointed needles took me most of the day! Lucky for me though I found a really good tutorial on You Tube from Nimble Needles knitting some basic socks. So I took the pattern that I had bought (and which I did not understand at all) and  watched the video from Nimble Needles going through the motions. The pattern was only helpful in that it gave me the number of stitches to cast on for my shoe size, but better than nothing. I followed along on the video and slowly but surely the sock started to emerge.

Doing the heel flap

Managed to do the rounded heel (which appears just like magic) and the gusset and tried them on...the fit is not too bad, I just need to work on maybe easing of my tensioning of the knitting. It seems that when I concentrated really hard I would start to knit very tightly.

I cannot tell you how challenging this was. In parts I would stop the video and rewind it over and over again, looking at what the man in the video explained, then go row by row, stopping, rewinding and so forth. But, thanks to the detailed video I made it! Now it is just a matter of stitching the length of the foot (no idea how long my foot is) and then there is some toe shaping. Theoretically I should be able to finish this which is utterly impressive. Will have to start the second sock straight after, otherwise I will never get this done.

For the remainder of the week there is going to be a fair amount of computer time.

My tasks are:

- photographing my panel baby quilt and put it up as a listing on Etsy. I am hoping that that quilt will go fairly fast as I am running out of space

- hand stitch the binding on the quilt above and start writing up the pattern. This will take me a couple of weeks, I think, as it is a while since I pieced this together.

- baste one of the charity quilts ready to be quilted. Want to complete at least one as I want to freemotion quilt another table runner for my workshop in September.

- continue knitting my sock, hopefully finishing it off.

Linking up to To Do Tuesday #24 over at Quilt Schmilt.

Karin

Finally finished the listing of the little cute Christmas table runner pattern for my Etsy shop

It comes in two sizes measuring either 18-1/2in x 38-1/2in or 18-1/2in x 48-1/2in.

Took a bit longer to get the pattern together this time as I had to make sure that the templates printed out properly and were 100% correct. Would have been good to have had this pattern up before Christmas but so be it...one cannot rush these things and it will be there, ready to go for next Christmas!

Should have maybe mentioned that this is also an excellent applique design for a farm animal quilt, however in the end I just had to get this done. There may be another quilt in the making at some point

Onto the next pattern!

Karin

I have been busy!

Finished my little pink baby quilt

It came out at 31in x 40-1/8in (78.7cm x 101.9cm)

Looks great...here are a few photos of my handiwork

Even had a suitable backing that I have been saving for 'I don't know what...' since the early 2000s. Suited this little quilt perfectly.

I have put it up in my Etsy shop so hopefully it will go at some stage soon. I am seriously running out of space over here.

I am linking up to Texas Quilt Girl who is hosting her last To Do Tuesday today. Thank you Linda for taking the time to host this...really appreciated!

My list for the week to come will be simple and smallish:

- cut out the fabric for a new pattern so that I can put this together without interruption. The fabric is washed and ready to go.

- have a look at and think about the Peter Rabbit Quilt that I have agreed on quilting for somebody else. Will show a photo of this next time.

That's it for me, need to build in some relaxing...

Karin

Finished my Little Woodland Quilt

New listing in my Etsy shop...finally finished this little quilt. The pattern has been hanging around for years and I even saved the woodland print for several years for just this quilt. It is a very traditional design with its two common blocks, however it does come out really nicely once you quilt a bit of a design in the alternate block.

The quilt measures 36-1/4in x 36-1/4in and is an ideal play mat for a baby or toddler.

Here is my photo on the bench

A bit dark, but I had to hurry today with my photography as it is a pretty grey and rainy day. There was only that little bit of bright light right in morning between 10 and 11 o'clock, so I was racing against the time to get all my Etsy shots done.

The motif really makes this little quilt

Used Amanda Murphy's Heart template (3-1/2in) for the motif. Easy as and the hearts came out lovely. Really like the effect of this.

This little quilt went straight into the Etsy shop before I changed my mind. Just have to write up the pattern now which should not take too long. I think I am going to incorporate several sizes in this pattern as this would also make a great lap quilt.

Karin

Another Quilted Nursery Panel

Love doing those...

Cute and quick to do. I quilted it with an overall clamshell design which is easy and relaxing to do with the Handiquilter Clamshell ruler. A little bit of care has to be taken to keep it straight but if you go slow and take your time with the alignment it always works out.

This little quilt measures 33.5in x 39.5in, a good size for a 'drag along' quilt or as a floortime play mat. I used a 100% wool batting which gives this a nice plush and soft appearance.

For more detail, head over to my Etsy shop

Karin

Scrappy Squares Quilt Up and Running

Finished the write up and listing for the Scrappy Squares quilt in my Etsy shop.

Must say I am struggling with titles at times and it often stays as what first comes to my mind. Not very original but if I think too long about the title I never get going.

A couple of photos

The quilt measures 40in x 50.5in and is finished with an allover edge-to-edge design in an orange variegated Aurifil 50/2 thread.

Next is the last of my Snowmen table runners...it is already put together, just have to sandwich and quilt it... 

Karin

New Listing in Etsy Shop

Finished another cute panel with an allover clamshell design. Absolutely love doing this and always comes out really nice. 

For this quilt I used a quality 60/40 wool/polyester blend wadding which gives this quilt just that little bit more loft. Feels nice and snuggly and given its make up will be good for frquent washing.

The quilt measures 30-3/4in x 40-1/4in, a lovely size for a drag along blanket or a playtime floor quilt.

My clamshells

I quilted the clamshells with light blue Aurifil 50/2 thread on top and a coordinating beige Aurifil thread in the bobbin. Looks great...very happy with it.

This was supposed to be the last panel for a while...however, have been to the fabric shop since then and ended up coming home with another two panels. Quite ridiculous really! To my defence, one of them made sense...it is one I recently sold and when I saw it there again, I thought that this would be great to just make it again, as I can then just copy most of the information already in existence from the previous listing. Time saver, I thought! However, then I saw another cute panel and took that as well. Hopeless, truly.

Karin

A New Look at the Traditional Pinwheel Block

Always surprising what I come up with. A few weeks ago I sat down to tidy up a new pattern on the EQ8 and as is so me...started playing around with various other blocks. Before I knew it, I had another pattern which spoke to me...it reminds me of Propellers and I just had to make it.

So, here is the new listing in my Etsy shop...The Modern Pinwheel Baby Quilt pattern. Very easy to do and comes together very quickly as you can chain piece the units as you go along.

While I called it Propeller Quilt, I put it up under the general heading of Pinwheel quilt, as there is a quilt block that is called the Propeller block which looks entirely different.

In the absence of any other good ideas I just called my block a pinwheel variation. For some reason though it reminds me of blades and I could imagine this to be an excellent quilt in darker colours for a little boy.

Had some fun designing with this, e.g. look at it in just one colour with a different block mixed in

Quite liked this but restrained myself from doing this one, as I decided to use my leftover tone-on-tone scraps for the new quilt pattern. That way I could justify to start yet another thing when I originally wanted to do an entirely different pattern.

My little quilt measures 36-1/2in x 45-1/2in and I deliberately did not use an overall quilting design on it. I liked the clean crisp look of the wheels and thought that texture would distract. Maybe I could have done some ruler work on it, but decided that I had too many other things on the go. So, I just stitched in the ditch around all seams which did not take long at all. I may put that quilt up for sale in the next few weeks as I cannot continue to hoard these quilts.

Back to FMQ for me now as I have to finish a little panel with Nemeshing which should be great fun and then I will go back to the pattern that I was originally going to do.

Karin

And Another Christmas Table Runner

Finished my second Christmas table runner displayed here as a festive wall hanging (easier to photograph that way).

Had some fun with this...tried out Aurifil Monofilament thread to do all the outlining and ditching for this one. Worked well, but I must say that I find Aurifil Monofilament thread slightly more finicky than the Superior Monopoly thread. It's just so fine and very hard to see. A couple of times I felt as if I was stitching literally completely blind.

Looks very nice though as it is literally invisible.

Also did a pieced backing for this one as I had some coordinating fabric left. That's where the fun started...I had to align it so perfectly to frame the main winter scene on both sides...I cannot believe that that actually worked. The stars must have been aligned! If I had just made the center a fraction smaller I would have had it 100% perfect, however I was just really happy that it was nice and straight.

This one is also up in my Etsy shop for sale if you want to see more detailed photos of that.

That's it for me with the Christmas table runners. Just have to finish mine now and then there are three snowmen left, but I will leave that for a bit of a side project for next year to use up all of that panel.

Karin

Gingerbread House Table Runner

Finally finished my Christmas table runner listing for my Etsy shop. 

The table runner measures 16-1/2in x 34-1/2in with just three stars, but I have also given the option of making it with four stars. Was easy to make and comes together very quickly. Took me a weekend to construct and another few days to quilt in the ditch around the seams. The hold up was writing it up and deciding to include another size. It got done though and now I am back to finishing off my snowman table runners.

Also a bit of bragging which does not come naturally to me

For this month I am a star seller on Etsy. It's a new program which has received a fair amount of criticism as it is very hard to achieve for some of the shops on there, me included. If you sell mainly digital items you are missing out on the benchmark of delivering on time as you do not actually ship a physical item. In addition you have to maintain around 10 orders (around (300 USD) in sales, which of course is a bit difficult if you are selling cheaper items and don't have the numbers of people buying that larger shops have.

Also with digital products you very rarely get messages from buyers as they will receive their item immediately...all in all very difficult and the concern amongst Etsy sellers is that it will be incorporated in their search algorithm with time.

I did achieve the badge for this month as I have had  some messages and lovely reviews (which was great) and also did happen to sell a quilt. I think I will keep the badge for another few months (3 month evaluation period) but then I will probably loose it, so I thought I do need to celebrate this a bit. 

It was exactly October last year that I did look at my Etsy shop and thought...either do something with it or close it! I have done an enormous amount of work on there, some days just living and breezing Etsy, researching, learning and increasing my inventory. It has been quite work intensive and along the way I have learnt quite a bit and have been able to increase my sales to the moderate amount that I was aiming for. Really happy how it is all going and at the moment very chuffed that I got that badge even though it is controversial and probably does not mean much for the people who are looking at items on Etsy. To me it almost felt like a bit of a personal reward for all the work that I did put in over the last year.

I will not be too concerned loosing it again as it would be incredibly difficult to maintain with just digital pattern sales...I can always look back at this blog post and have a bit  of a smile on my face seeing that star badge on here.

Karin

Quilted Nursery Panel Baby Quilt In ETSY shop

New listing in my Etsy shop:

Cute little nursery panel quilt that I quilted the other day with an allover cloud design.

The nursery panel used in this quilt is a cute jungle themed panel from the 'World of Susybee' for Hamil Textiles. It makes an ideal baby shower gift that can be used as a small 'drag along' blanket, playtime floor mat or as nursery wall decor.

The quilt measures 33-5/8in x 39 -3/4in and has a nice soft consistency due to its 100% wool batting.

Have one more panel to go in my efforts to clean up my stash of all things fabric...let's just hope I do not see any other cute panels in the near future. This is fast becoming an addiction.

Karin

New Listing in Etsy Shop

Always takes me about a day to put up a listing in Etsy, even though the process is pretty streamlined. Taking photos takes me the longest time and I always have to chose my timing quite carefully to get the light right. The editing of the photos takes even longer and I often discover things that I can do differently or a little bit better. 

I have put the little quilted nursery panel up for sale. The panel is from the Hello World collection designed by Cori Dantini for Blend Fabrics. To make it a bit bigger I attached an outer border using a fun dotty print that I had left over from a different project. Initially I thought that there was too much white, but turned out really cute once I had the green binding attached.

The small quilt measures 29-1/2in x 39-3/4in (75cm x 101cm)

Useful as a small drag along baby blanket, playtime floor mat or even as nursery wall decor.

Close up of the cute animal characters

I quilted an overall clamshell design over it...really love that for small baby quilts. It's easy to do and goes quite quickly. For this quilt I used a softly variegated yellow thread which goes really well.

Head over to my Etsy shop if you want to have a bit of a closer look.

Karin

New Listing in Etsy Shop

Just listed another handmade quilt in my Etsy shop. The pattern for this rather colourful and bold quilt is already up in the shop, however I now decided to let the quilt go. I rather like this quilt...it is so bold and cheerful and I think it would make an ideal playroom floor quilt or a 'drag along' comforter blanket for a baby or toddler. 

The quilt measures 36 1/2in x 45 1/2in. 

It is made off 100% tone-on-tone cotton prints, constructed with coordinating cotton thread and quilted in a variegated Superior Fantastico Polyester thread. The batting is a 80/20 Cotton/Polyester blend. The quilt is quilted with an edge-to-edge floral design for added durability.

It is hard to price these quilts. I always go by what the materials have cost me to make the quilt. I obviously cannot put a value on the hours I worked on it as that would drive the price up exponentially, so I try to keep it as affordable as I can without cutting myself completely short. In looking at my quilts, I do look at level of difficulty in putting it together, whether it is just straight piecing or some applique and then I also look at the degree of quilting as some more dense quilting obviously takes more time than straight in the ditch quilting. Postage of course is an absolute killer. I would love to offer free postage to people but that is just not feasible for overseas. I do offer it for Australia in the hope that I can just get rid of some of these quilts.

Anyway, I digress as per usual...if you are in need of a quilt I have got a few to look at in my Etsy shop.

Karin

New Pattern in ETSY Shop

Finished the write up of the table runner pattern for my Etsy shop. This is a variation of the traditional Maple Leaf block which gives the appearance of leaves gently falling to the ground. Turned out really nice in the autumn colours of Shannon Brinkley's Dryad fabric range.

The table runner measures 18-1/2in x 48-1/2in and is quilted with an overall woodgrain design. I used cotton battting so the quilting made it come out nice and flat, perfect for the dining table or as a wall hanging.

A few more pictures

Close up of the quilting

The backing was a perfect match for this project

I think I might do a few more table runners. They are so fun to make, take very little time and are a great little project to practice particular freemotion-quilting designs on.

If you are interested in the pattern, head over to my Etsy shop to see a bit more detail. And here is a bit of fun...I obviously got a bit bored when doing the photos for my listing and started playing around with various videos apps ending up with a 15 sec process slideshow. 

Karin

New Pattern Coming Up

This is going to be my new pattern...a quilt that you can literally construct in a day! While it looks simple it does require being able to work with partial seams, so hopefully I will be able to get my diagrams right so that people can follow this. Otherwise it is obviously super simple and quick to come together. It reminds me of the colourful wooden blocks that the kids used to play with.

I do seem to like bright colours...did not think twice about putting all those bright screaming colours together. Maybe because the last quilt I made was just so pastel and while quite pretty, pastel really does not appeal to me at all.

I will quilt this with an edge to edge design, probably in variegated thread. Just noticed that I have no batting, so this will have to wait a few days to be put together. Looking forward to the quilting part.

Karin

New Listing In Etsy Shop

Finally finished that little pastel quilt and put it up as a new listing in my Etsy shop.

The colouring of this quilt was an absolute bugger to photograph...spent hours on that!

The quilt measures 35-3/4in x 44-1/2in and came out nice and soft. I used Minijumbuk Nu-Wool wadding which is 60%wool and 40%polyester. The overall line design was just right for it, giving it a soft, cuddly feel. 

Now it's on to the next pattern which is already waiting for me.

Karin

Stretched Star Baby Quilt Pattern

My Stretched Star Baby Quilt pattern is finally up and running in my little Etsy shop.

Some close ups of my quilting: only did minimal quilting on this quilt. Obviously wanted it finished but also thought that it did not need that much quilting. Alternatively, I could have just meandered or looped over it but I really wanted to try out my HQ Star Flower ruler with that little star. You can read how I went with that ruler HERE.

This took a lot longer than I had anticipated, maybe because I offered two additional sizes which took a little while to work out and get down on paper. This is also the first time I included a pressing diagram...I sometimes struggle with getting muddled up in terms of pressing the seams and I thought that might be useful for people.

Happy that's done and looking forward to the next project

Karin