The Finish

 This is the entire finished quilt I made by cutting raw edge applique pieces ad lib.

I used one Anna Maria Horner print for the centre.

And a border print. Mixed with pink and green grudges.

Followed by a Kaffe Collective binding. 

Using a limited fabric pallette was stimulating and fun!

The Kantha stitches were done with 2 rows in each colour, alternating. 

Grunge green 9 patches on the corners.

And a neutral kind of beige through the centre. 

It's hanging on my wall. 

I don't know how all my quilts for home end up pink and green.

I do love the fabrics, even though I don't plan on having  pink and green decor as a whole.

Eye of The Tiger

I'm enjoying hand quilting Eye Of The Tiger. 

I eyeballed the distance between where I'd stitched and where I wanted to go next.

Would you believe the local quilt shops had no quarter inch quilt marking tape? Maybe people don't often hand quilt anymore?

So I used tape I already had. A double sided tape that I also used to make seam and contour lines on the dressmaking model.

Not as easy as it could've been, if I had the "right" tape. 

Do you know anyone who hand quilts with tape?

 

Eye of The Tiger trial quilting

There's a trial run at the quilting.... it's just so freeing and soft in the hands. I've used the parlan (spelling) from Just Country Quilts once again, as the needle slides through deliciously with the perle thread.

 

Which binding?

I am auditioning fabric for binding the Octopus' Garden (Anna Maria Horner fabric freehand raw edge applique).

pink

green

purple

And the answer is: the most unpredictable, the purple one.

I don't know how I had enough of this for binding, but it's perfect. I think I chose it as an interesting piece to create appliqued leaves from.

 

Whimsy

The evenings have been filled with loving company on the couch with the beloved, while I sit nearby creating a kantha quilt with raw edge applique that I designed on the hop.

The back is amazing. Who would have thought some Christmas fabric I picked up in 2015 after Christmas for $2 a metre would come up so well as a backing?

I've used a few moda grunge greens and a pink. 

The rest is from an Anna Maria Horner border print and a panel.

I cut out what I wanted and placed them wherever. It's a delightful piece of whimsy.

Whimsy, what a word. It was the naive and whimsical that first drew me into patchwork and quilting - rather than fastidiously perfect placement.

I love stories, evolution and flow.

I can't wait to show you this piece when it's hanging on the wall. Just the hanging sleeve and binding to go. 

Time to audition binding.

 

Testing out kantha quilting

Oh! I am so happy with this! I've finished freehand cutting and styling the applique, and now it's time to get them adhered/ stuck down by using kantha stitches in a rainbow of Wonderful perle threads.

I am using two rows of each colour, then switching.

All I've used to tack these is one of those soluble glue sticks from the quilt shop. I didn't want the stiffness I thought I would find from backing the fabric with fusible web first. ( I don't use the vliesofix word, in this humidity it just peels off the paper, I prefer the hemline brand, and that's why I don't use the V word!)

It's getting close to Christmas, and I'd like to finish some Christmas pieces, so I can feel this going on hold for a little bit. This will be an evening project I will enjoy in front of the TV.

I used a special wadding from Just Country Crafts, I think Katherine calls it parlan, but I can't be sure, it sounds similar to pellon, but it's not synthetic. It's perfect for kantha quilting.