Lexie Hoodie

I am very excited to say I made myself a quilted hoodie!  When I saw the pattern for the Lexie Hoodie just before Christmas I knew I wanted to try my hand at making one.  So glad Santa and an elf figured out how to get one in my hands.

The pattern is from Australian designer Melly and Me.  It is drafted to work with the non-stretchy nature of quilted fabric.  It has very easy construction techniques that would be approachable even if you haven't sewn any garments before.  I found the sizing to be perfect if you went by the included measurement chart and didn't worry if it was labeled small, XL or 3X as those labels do not relate to any commercial sizing.

I have big plans to make a second one of these but for the first I pulled some fabric that I already had at home.  The stars are made from the Make collection from Kristy Lea of Quiet Play, and the background is from the Hush 3 collection all from Riley Blake.  I had just enough fabric in the one fat quarter of the stripe to get my bias binding cut out.  I enjoyed fussy cutting the motifs that first drew me to that fabric collection for the centers of the star.

I sewed the lining fabric together to test the fit before I cut into my quilted panels.  I decided to make a couple of adjustments to fit me better - I tapered the sleeves to reduce the wrist opening and I made the neckline about an 1" lower.  The pattern suggests either a thin batting layer or a piece of flannel.  I chose to use Hobbs Thermore batting as it has been recommended for garments for a very long time.

Abbey Gate and more

Marlene made this stunning quilt from her fabric stash.  The pattern is a Bonnie Hunter one called Abbey Gate.  You really have to love making HSTs to tackle this one!

Marlene selected the Sweet Pea pantograph which really compliments the pretty little prints in so many of the red and cream fabrics.

Marlene kept digging into her scrap stash and put together this 64 patch quilt.  All those squares finish at 1"!

The popcorn pantograph was a lovely way to finish this one.

Blue Beauty

Sandra made this lovely lap quilt in a really pretty blue color palette.

The Soho pantograph added some nice movement to the top and looks just fabulous on the cuddle backing fabric.

Sandra opted to utilize the binding service that my associate Marion offers and her fabric choice adds a nice bit of interest.

Belgian Lace

Val started this quilt as a mystery project with Melissa Marginet.  Some fabric challenges caused her to make a slightly different quilt than the one that is now published under the name Belgian Lace.

Val chose the Tickle pantograph and a light lavender thread for a really nice finish.

Memory Quilt

Karen made this memory quilt for a friend who lost her husband.  She used some shirts and added some extra fabric to come up with this treasure.

The love of music carried in to the fabrics and the quilting.  The focus print contains musical instruments and Karen selected the Musica pantograph to tie it all together.  The thread is a muted burgundy.

Karen always adds a little something extra to her quilts in the borders or the backings.  The little addition of one row of on point four patches really enhances the back of the quilt.

Add take a look at the corner block - she included a full pocket!  I had to adjust the patten of the pantograph to avoid the button, but what a cool addtion.

Christmas Figs

This beautiful sampler quilt was made by Marion.  The pattern is from Fig Tree and Co and is called Christmas Figs.  Marion's color palette is so different from the original it is almost hard to believe it is the same pattern!  

Marion used fabrics from the City Lights collection from Northcott fabrics and as you can see the results are stunning.

Marion asked me to select the pantograph for this one.  I find it less stressful and prefer to work with my clients to select the designs, but because I have gotten to know Marion's style I agreed.  I selected the Yo-yo pantograph for its round shapes and movement that it has across the quilt.

Marion added the wide backing from the City Lights collection to really pull a cohesive look together.

Marlene's Vintage Sampler

 

This beautiful sampler quilt was made by Marlene.  This is actually the first quilt that Marlene ever started.  She took a class from Marilyn Weibe in the late 1980s.  She was obviously an amazing teacher and Marlene was a good student as these blocks are perfection.  Oh, and the entire top was hand pieced!!

Marlene had begun the process of hand quilting this one, but other projects took priority and it never got finished. Maybe she lost motivation when she no longer lived in the house with the wall paper that matched the border fabric? So instead of letting it continue to languish in the closet, Marlene decided to remove all the hand quilting that she had done (gasp) and bring it to me for an edge to edge treatment.

Marlene chose the Feathered Garden pantograph which I think adds a lovely design element especially in the wide borders.

It is good to remember that it is okay to change original plan when making a quilt.  There is always more than one way to approach anything.  This was a really fun project for me to get to see up close!