Sensible or Seussical?

Sometimes we are so excited with a quilt top finished in one day, then we hang it up to take a photo of it, and realise its too small...

So, after hanging it (thank goodness this blog makes me take photos of my sewing progress), I could see that it wasn't a very useful size.

Now with these simple borders, the quilt is a single bed topper. Much better than a cot sized quilt. And that's how you make a sensible Dr Seuss quilt!! LOL!

I'm going to ask Mum to quilt large bubbles in an edge to edge design, then I plan to use vanilla coloured binding.

Memo to self: be sure to take photos with your camera as well as the phone! The phone pics, just aren't as clear.

Introducing... Be Seussical

With the excitement of the Very Hungry Caterpillar, and the fast progress on the quilt top, I'm feeling quite spurred on... so I'm taking a step towards another literary quilt.

I love vintage and whimsical quilts. I guess that's why these last two have appealed to me so much... and I've been in the mood for fast and easy, but also creative sewing.

These are pieces I've cut from the Cat In The Hat fabric panel. Fusible web strips are fused around the outer edges of each piece.

Then I've chosen other fabric from the range to use as backgrounds. Machine blanket stitched on. Now that's fast.

I love the rocking motion as I've appliqued the panel pieces on at varying angles. It replicates the whimsical and nonsensical (or should that be Seussical??) feel in the Dr Seuss books.

So, there is a quilt top in a day...

When it gets old...

Ta-da! I've achieved my goal.. kept working at it until I had a vanilla border all the way around the snowball blocks... then I've managed to work in two other caterpillar fabrics - the food print and the little caterpillar print.

I've left space on the inside and outside of the pieced caterpillar, as I plan to hand-embroider feet/legs and little hairs on the body. It's a good sized quilt - I think it will be great on a single bed.

And so, that's the first phase of the quilt top complete: now to hand-stitch the hairs and legs, eyes and mouth.

Mum has a fantastic panto of a caterpillar that I will ask her to quilt on here - especially in that large empty space.

I posted this pic on facebook... my friend Rob says that when the quilt is old and full of holes it will still fit the theme! Oh! He made me laugh!!

Every now and then one gets on a roll... a project starts and keeps going... this is one of those, and it makes me very happy...

Can you tell what this will be yet? I've spread the blocks out and I'm wiggling the caterpillar so that it appears to be crawling along...

Then adding bits at a time to the snowball blocks before calculating the next bit...

There's a bit of calculating involved... but it IS patchwork, so I'm joining pieces all over the place, and it can't really be seen....

I'd love to have the centre finished tomorrow, and borders added.

What is it?

Hmm... so, here we are with the snowball blocks.. that didn't take long!! Thank goodness I still have Judie's bobbin winder, I need to take my machine in to have a new bobbin winding motor in. And I'm chewing through the thread with all this machine stitching... (not that I mind at all!)

My next question for you... what is this???

I shall keep sewing tomorrow...

A bit at a time

Yep! I've got that "bug" again... Actually I think I have it most of the time... I just don't get to sew as much as I would like. I need to justify the time spent sewing.... that's a bit sad... I know it won't be that way forever... but it's a very busy time in my life at the moment...

So, I'm going to do one little bit at a time...

These are the fabrics I selected for "the very hungry caterpillar".

I've been wanting to make this quilt for about 3 years... actually, the centre panel is different now. The fabric designs changed, although they have been reprinted and reprinted....

I'm making snowball blocks - I pinned fabric to check scale before I cut out lots of fabric squares.

Ooh! Batik! You make me smile!!

And along came another....

I am so rapt with the look of the cranes wallhanging (almost finished)... I found a little time on the sewing machine to start a new project.

It has the same feel as the Cranes and kyomi (remember this one?)

This one is "serenity". I love the soft green and pink fabrics. The panel has cranes, geisha and koi. Oh! What a panel!!

Another two borders and the top is done... I think I'll keep this one for myself - it's a good size. I think it will be great on my green couch.