Well, an after progress. I actually finished this big guy last week but haven’t had a chance to get pictures of it as it is so large! But here are some progress shots.

I decided to free motion the whole quilt. In the black background of the quilt I opted for this swirly design. In the octagons I free motioned feathers. My first time doing feathers! And why you don’t see an image of them? Because well they are… okay.

For the binding I opted to do a mostly black edge. I used some scrap of the teal, white and red in the edge as well. Here I am attaching the binding. My sewing table is actually quite large but doesn’t seem like it with this King taking over the table and eating me.

Of course attaching a binding means you must have help. Matilda is making sure it doesn’t slide off the table while I work.

While taking a break both kitties had to come take a nap it in it. So it seem this quilt has been used before my Dad and Step Mom get it. Of course they left a ton of fuzzies all over it!

After I completed the binding I went to wash the quilt but it was way too big to fit in our washer. I had to stick it in my bathtub and walk all over it to clean and squish the water out. Luckily it fit the dryer. Now it’s hiding on top of my fabric drawers high away from the kitties so their fuzz won’t contaminate it.

I’ll try and get pictures of the completed quilt this week.

Cheers,

Kyle

I had some friends and family get married recently so I made them up a nice handmade gift they could use in their new homes. I made each couple a set of oven mitts, hot pads, 6 coasters, and 6 linen/rayon napkins. It worked out that they both could use similar gifts so I made them the same sets but in different colors to fit each couple.

My friends, Spencer and Brittany, have been dating since I first met them in college my freshman year. It was a happy moment to see them tie the knot as they had been together so long. Right before their wedding Spencer got a job in New York so he and Brittany relocated. They basically go rid of everything before they moved so there would be less to cart. I figured they needed some kitchen items.

They are really big into swing dancing. I actually met them from the swing dance group in college. I wanted something that reminded me of the swingin’ times. I used blacks, browns, white, and deep purple fabrics with swirly bold patterns. On each napkin I used a different strip of fabric. All of the other items are pieced with the same fabrics throughout them.

My step-brother, Austin got married the first weekend of May. His now wife, Nicole, and him registered for a dinning set that had blacks, teals and brown colors in it. I decided to use that as my inspiration for their kitchen set so it would look nice with their new dishes.

I liked how much Brit and Spencer’s napkins came out, I had to do the same for Austin and Nicole.

Before shipping the kitchen sets I added a little professional touch. I wrapped each item with my logo telling them what each item was and how to care for them.

I like how nice they looked. I hope both couples enjoy using them in their new lives together.

Cheers,

Kyle

Last week I mailed Veronica her new quilt. She received it in the mail on Saturday. She was pretty excited to get it and put it on her bed. Her dad took photos of her with her quilt and emailed them to me. Thanks, Steve! I thought I’d share them with you.

I love that her purple shirt matches her quilt.

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Veronica's mom, Judy, asked me to make some Kindle cases for their friend’s Twins.

Clara is on the left and Grace is on the right.

Judy sent me some Heather Ross Far Far Away 2 fabric to make the cases out of. I had some Amy Butler fabric in the same motif but two different colorways that went great with the Heather Ross fabric.

I think all the munchkins enjoyed their new gifts!

Cheers,

Kyle

I finally finished Veronica’s quilt. I really love how it came out and I think she’ll love it too.

For the binding I decided to use different shades of gray solid and print fabrics.

Below are some detail images of the quilting. All of the blocks alternate between different all over patterns except for the center four blocks.

On the center four I did a combination of Angela Walters signature plume feather with a box around it and filler.

I love the Ikea fabric I used for the back. I think it looks great with the front.

Here are some details of the quilting from the back.

Instead of sewing in a tag, I prefer signing the quilt. I used a fine point sharpie to write a little message to Veronica.

I look forward to hearing how Veronica likes her quilt when it arrives in the mail.

Cheers,

Kyle

I swear it’s baby season! Awhile back my friends, Athena and Austin, had their first baby, Juniper Grey! I went to college with Athena and Austin and knew I needed to do something creative. While shopping at Ikea I came by a fabric that screamed Athena with the illustrative designs on the back. I didn’t want to go pink and fru fru so I went purple and minimalist. I used a pattern from Quilting Line and Color: Techniques and Designs for Abstract Quilts by Yoshiko Jinzenji.

It’s pretty much a whole cloth quilt with applique on it. I cut some corners on the applique. On the linear pieces I sewed one side with my machine. Then I folded it over and hand appliqued the other side. It cut the hand applique time in half.

I also opted to machine quilt the blanket instead of hand quilting it. I used the same diagonal pattern Yoshiko uses in her book.

Lastly, I added a special touch of embroidering Juniper’s name in the middle of the quilt.

Here is the finished quilt. I love the binding on this quilt. It’s a piped binding that Yoshiko uses on the baby quilts in her book. It’s really easy to do and looks so nice.

Here is the fun Ikea fabric I used as the back.

Cheers,

Kyle