Quilt Finish: City Streets

One of my goals for this month was to put to rest this sweet 'n scrappy quilt project, one which I started back in... oh dear... July 2011? Wow. I really really gotta work on turn-around times. I think what held me back on this one was the idea that I HAD to, and could not NOT, hand-quilt it.

I think hand-quilted quilts are the ultimate. I've only ever hand-quilted. There's something about the feel and look of them that is so warm and old-timey. I just love them, needless to say. However, if I was ever going to finish this project, compromises were going to have to be made by me. Over the Christmas holidays, I re-considered machine-quilting as an option, and I have to say, it was such a relief to make that decision. There's no question: I can be extremely stubborn. But it's nice to know that when push comes to shove, I can still be flexible.

Now, I recently inherited a lovely 1973 Elna SU sewing machine (to replace Betty, my even-older White sewing machine) from my mother-in-law. It's in ship shape. It's like new in fact. She took tremendous care of it over the years. So last weekend, my husband kindly took me around to all the little sewing/quilt shops in town (he was so encouraging) and I was pleased as punch to find a walking foot for it. The walking foot (similar to this one) turns my regular sewing machine into a quilting beast. It's darn great!

So, as you might have guessed, the quilt is quilted and bound and done and totally finished. Amazing! And as for my first walking-foot experience, I'm a satisfied girl. I've still got stuff to learn but I'm pleased with this first effort. I've dubbed the quilt "City Streets". Here it is!

You have a lovely day now. I'll be back soon!

♥M

Quilted Tea Towel Table Topper

I found these cheap tea towels the other day. They were your most plain, most basic, most run of the mill tea towels, but I bought 4 of them because I thought, ya know, I could probably make something with them. I mean, it’s possible, right? I’ve been known to make stuff… At first I thought I’d make some placemats... And then I thought an apron might be cool... Some curtains maybe… Or maybe some napkins… Suffices to say that I had a lot of ideas about what to make with these here tea towels. Decisions, decisions. Eventually I settled on this: a quilted tea towel table topper.

Here’s what I did. I started by cutting the edges off every towel. I found it hard at first to cut into these brand new towels but I (obviously) got over it...

I cut the towels into variously-sized rectangles and squares using the pattern on each towel to guide me. Then I sewed the rectangles together in rows.

I came up with two different row designs which I alternated to give me my final basket weave pattern.

I pinned the rows together…

And sewed ‘em up!

I made some binding. The binding fabric is in my stash and I will NEVER use it all up because I still have like, 3 YARDS of it, and I’ve used it in countless projects, and it’s always there, and it never gets used up… It’s like a relative that comes to visit and then never leaves.

So, once I had the top together, I made a quilt sandwich (yum, my favourite) and basted it together with safety pins no less. Never done that before. And then I decided to MACHINE-quilt it together! What? NO!... YES! You heard me! MACHINE-quilting! It happened here folks! At my house! With ye old Betty the ancient one! I know, I am a little over-excited! But see here! I’ve had Betty for 25 years and I have never machine-quilted with her, she doesn’t have a walking foot and the only “feature” she possesses is the zigzag. The ZIGZAG!!! So. You can understand my astonishment when, after playing with Betty’s two buttons and bravely sliding in the sandwich, she just started quilting! All on her own! Okay, I helped a little. But she did it. Now, obviously, she is not practiced. I dare say the quilting… well… sucks the big one. But I don’t care! She quilted. My Betty quilted by gum! And that’s all that matters.

Here. Here it is... Betty’s first quilt, the tea towel table topper! (snif snif)

I'm joining a few link parties today: Make It Yours Day at My Backyard Eden, Hoo's Got Talent at Night Owl Crafting, and Whatever Goes Wednesday at Someday Crafts!