Last Day Of School : :

Today was Miss E and Miss I's last day of term 3. Their teacher is sadly going on long service leave for the 4th term (sad for us, happy for her no doubt!).

I wanted to make her something just to show how much we appreciate all the effort she has gone to in helping our girls. But at the same time I also wanted it to be quick as I only decided this last night :)

I decided on the tote bag from Lisa Liam's 'The Bag Making Bible'. It came together rather fast. I cut it out last night (while watching the Bachelor *shame*) and sewed it up while Little Miss S had her nap in the morning.

All of the fabrics I used were left overs from other bags that I have made. SCORE!

It really was a difficult thing to photograph, and in this case I don't think the photos do it justice.

 

The brown thick outer fabric is an upholstery fabric I picked up from spotlight about 3 years ago. The lining is a cotton also from spotlight. The black polka dot canvas was left overs from another bag. Sorry, cant remember where I picked that up from?

 

The teacher loved it. I hope she gets lots of use out of it. It was really enjoyable to make, I think because it was just so quick. Nothing like a instant results. 

Jessica

Jamming With A Jelly Roll : :

My sister has just recently had her 3rd baby!! She now has 1 girl and 2 boys. So of course I made her a quilt as a present.  (I honestly feel like I write that that line at least once a month!)

Ive been hoarding a jelly roll of Sweet water 'Pure' since Mr Z was born (he just turned 3). If you remember I actually used the same fabric for his baby quilt!

Because it reminds me so much of Little Mr Z when he was a bubba, Ive been really reluctant to use it......but since its for my new nephew, I decided I could part with it. (Well, half of it. The other half I have stashed back away in my cupboard with every intention of keeping it forever)

I wanted a really quick sew, so I decided to use the 'Jelly Roll Jam II" pattern from The Fat Quarter Shop. Check out the youtube tutorial here.

So in between making fun of the American accents on the tutorial (ha ha you should hear my husband) and going to my brothers wedding, this quilt came together so so quickly.




I love it sooo much!! (can i just point out the blossoms on that tree? YAY! SPRING!!)

Out of all the quilts I have ever made, this quilt is the most well made. It is dead square. For some reason my quilts are never 100% square. But this one is.
Also all of my seams are perfect! (if I do say so myself).
I finally figured out why its so important to press seams in opposite directions so the seams 'nest' together! (slow learner)





The back I managed to scrounge out of the backing left-overs from the triangle quilt I made recently.
It took a while to cut all the trimmings into usable strips but I'm so glad I did. Its much better for the bank, and its a great scrap-buster!




To quilt it I decided just to use straight lines. I love it so much!! Its adds so much lovely texture!!
Another score with this quilt is that there are absolutely NO puckers on the back!! YES!! I think I may finally figured out how not to get puckers!! (we'll see how I go with the next quilt!)



The binding is a lovely linen look cotton that I picked up from my local craft store.

I love this quilt so much!! I've really noticed how much Ive improved at sewing when I look at this quilt...and especially when I compare it so some of my earlier ones.

Well, I'm going to chuck it in the mail today and it will soon be keeping a baby warm in sunny Cairns where my sister lives.  (or maybe it will be used as a floor quilt!! Ha ha its rather hot in Cairns!)

Jessica

WIP: Feather Blocks

At my brothers wedding, my sister gave me some fabric to make Little Miss S a baby quilt. It was a Moda Honey Bun (for those who don't know what that is its like the baby version of a jelly roll, at 1.5 inches). I've never quilted with a Honey Bun before, to be honest, I'd never even seen one! Apparently they don't make many.

At first I really didn't know what to do with it? The strips are quite small. I thought of using a Jelly roll pattern, and making it miniature with my honey bun, but it didn't really appeal.

I finally settled on doing something I've been wanting to do for a while....make a quilt without a pattern!! (well almost without a pattern ha ha)

I saw on pinterest some lovely feather blocks, and there was a free pattern online!! Score! So, following the pattern, i sewed my strips together then cut out my feathers.

For the stems I used some kaufman linen that I had left over from the nappy bag I made for myself earlier this year.

 

I then gathered up some different white-ish low volume backgrounds to use. (see the bottom fabric? thats cotton and steel!! It really lives up to all the hype!)

I've cut enough for 5 feather blocks...they will be my start and I'm just going to keep adding to the quilt until it feels done! '
I'm thinking some tiny half square triangles...maybe even a few arrow blocks too.
I don't really have a plan. I'm just going to wing it!! I've wanted to do this type of quilting for ages! But its so hard to figure out where to start. I think I just over-think my quilts, but this time, I'm just going to go for it.

Hope it turns out OK!

Jessica

Sorry, I cant remember the line of fabric...I know I kept the tag from the roll somewhere. Ill probably stumble across it soon, then I'll let you know. Its cute though isn't it?

Triangle Wedding Quilt : :

Last week one of my younger brothers (I have three!) got married!! It was such a lovely day! .....and it was also the first time we have employed the services of a 'proper' babysitter (a lovely girl from church), so it was extra fun to have some kid-free time!
(well almost kid free time! Little Miss S came to the reception as I'm still feeding her, but she slept 80% of the time *BLISS*)

So to welcome a new sister-in-law into the family, and to celebrate their wedding day I made them a quilt!
I really deliberated over which fabrics I should use, as I'm not 100% acquainted with what type of things my new SIL likes yet.
I decided to play it safe and go with something a little 'toned down'.





I raided my stash, which is happily coming into more manageable levels (and by that I mean actually fitting in my fabric cupboard!), and came up with 'glimma' by Lotta Jansdotter. I've been hoarding this fabric for a loooong time, and its the kind of fabric that could really go with any kind of decor.

I wanted this quilt to be a quick sew (well as quick as a queen-sized quilt can be) so I grabbed my trusty 12inch equal-lateral triangle ruler and started cutting out triangles.

 

It didn't take me all that long to cut, only about 3-4 hours I would guess?
Once I had my layout down pat, I started sewing. Lots of lovely straight sewing. It really was a very quick sew.

The hardest part of this quilt was definitely the quilting.
The thought *did* cross my mind as I was sewing it all together that perhaps I should do quilt-as-you-go to make it easier to feed through my machine. For some reason I dismissed that thought and joined the whole quilt top together.
BIG mistake!!

Its sooo hard to quilt a quilt of this magnitude on my little Bernina 400QE.
The quilting took me about quadripple the amount of time I thought it would, and even then I didn't quilt it the way I was imagining it in my head.

But never mind. Its quilted now. Ill just remember this for next time...(maybe....I'm a chronic slow learner when it comes to making things easier for myself!)



Jessica

Note: for those interested, the backing is by Riley Blake, called Pirate Matey (its another old line that I've been hoarding!)

The Nappy Bag NOT from heaven: :

This bag was definitely not from heaven (I'll leave it up to you to figure out where its from).  Although I must say the finished result is pretty heavenly!

One of my good friends is having a baby this October. She is also a sewer (seamstress?) and so of course she is churning out lots of goodies in anticipation of number 5 (!).
Everything I decided to make for her, she's already making! Seriously! My first thought was a quilt (no surprises there) but I think she is currently onto quilt number five at the moment. Then I thought a stool...yup she's made one of those too, and the list goes on.

So I thought I was getting out of it easy when I volunteered to put her nappy bag together.

I was wrong!

This sucker was sooo thick I broke at least 6 needles!! Yes, yes, some of you may question my needle choice, they were just universal needles...and maybe a few quilting needles (What? I was getting desperate!), but the craft store isn't open Mondays, and well, today being Monday....you see my problem?

Anyway, lets look at some photos

 

The fabric is all from fabric.com, and is mostly Cotton and steel. The outer, horse fabric is canvas, with some fake leather accents on the bottom and in the middle of the ruffle. My friend picked the pattern, and to be honest I'm not 100% sold on the ruffle and I was tempted to leave it off, but I reminded myself that its not my bag and put it on there.

Its probably one of the things she loves most about the pattern :)

It has loads of storage, as every good nappy bag should.

I added the blue pipping around the lid.

 (See that baby block? That's me styling! Yeah! I'm doing it!)...that's me being sarcastic if you couldn't tell.
When I was cutting the bag I really stewed over pattern placement, especially on the lid. I knew I wanted a whole horse on the lid, but didn't want it to be smack-bang in the centre. I could've fit two horses on the lid but it looked silly, so after lots of internal debating, I settled on one horse off-centre.

I also *tried* to match up the pattern on the lid with the front of the bag, but it didn't turn out too well, so lets just pretend that I didn't and it just happened like that.

The last step in the pattern was to top stitch all around the top of the bag. I tried...I really did, but I came to the conclusion that its physically impossible without an industrial sewing machine, so I unpicked my poor, poor effort and left it.  (I don't think I'll mention that to my friend either).

The pattern is called 'The Lola Bea Diaper Bag', Im *pretty* sure it came from Etsy. Check it out if you like it.
You may notice that I omitted the strap and went for a pre-made leather strap from a previous bag. The side ring-holders (don't know what they're called!) were made by me and my ingenious brain! (and therefore are not part of the original pattern.)

Its always hard to sew for a fellow sewer, as they can pick mistakes, but all in all I'm pretty happy with how it turned out!

Next time though...I think I'll just stick to quilts :)

Jessica

Oliver + S Garden Party Dress : :

Ever since I made Miss I a new Sunday dress, Miss E has been pestering me for hers.  Usually they ask for the same dress.
I often will make them the same dress but in different fabric...or same fabric but different colour. But I decided to make Miss E a different dress this time around.

I settled on the Oliver + S Garden Party Dress. This is a sweet little dress with a shirred front bodice.
Lets just get right into photos shall we?

I sewed a straight size 7 for Miss E who is 6 (as they are quite tall), however looking at the photos, I think I could have sewed a smaller size as she is quite slender. But never mind. Who ever complained about room to grow?? (that will teach me for not measuring!!)

I changed the pattern up a little by having a different fabric for the bodice. I had this oriental-fan fabric (skirt) in my stash, but I didn't have enough. (Its Tilda for those who want to know). So I went back to the store to buy some more, but alas they had run out. So I matched it with the small floral print (also Tilda) and used it for the bodice. It ended up being a bit more work for me as the front pattern piece is one piece with the bands overlaid on top, but it wasn't too difficult.

I actually love it even more with the contrasting bodice.
This pattern would be so much fun to use for a really fancy dress. I love how Oliver + S Patterns are so easy to customise...and I honestly feel like I learn something every time I sew with one!! It feels like I'm taking dress-making courses!

I also loved the button closure. I have never made a thread chain loop, and I really like how delicate it looks, while also being very functional!! I can see myself using this for other things as well, not just button closures. 

 

Needless to say Miss E loved it. I told her she looks very pretty in it, which she followed up quickly with a "I know".

Jessica

Baby Boy Quilt : :

You remember how I posted that I made 3 baby girl quilts here?

One for my friend, one for my sister-in-law and one for my neighbour?  Well, I had given two out (to my friend and SIL), and still had the last one to give to my neighbour. I hadn't actually met her baby yet, but I wrapped it up and sent hubby over there to give it to her.

The whole reason I thought she'd had a girl was because Mr handsome told me that he'd seen her with a pink-coloured blanket. Anyway, as your probably guessing by now, when he gave it to her he found out that she'd actually had a boy!!

She said she loved it sooo much though that she was happy to keep it. She even came over to thank me, and tell me how beautiful it was.

I however was frantically whipping up a quilt for a boy so I could swap it with her.

Honestly, I finished this quilt in RECORD time!! My friend had actually given me the top sewn together to make myself a baby quilt for Little Miss S....but to be honest, I knew I wasn't going to use it for her as to me its more "boy", and I already have a lovely quilt planned for her!
I had to unstitch and resew some of it to make it more of the shape I wanted, then pin and quilt it to the back. I flipped over the back, which is a lovely soft minky, and used it for the binding as well.

 

I think it turned out really cute!

If she loved the first quilt, she a.d.o.r.e.d this one!!

Jessica

P.S. sorry about the photos! They were super quick snaps taken on my living room floor before I rushed out the door!

Sew Bossy..or should I say "Sew lazy!!" : :

Ok ok!! So I'm incredibly lazy!! This 'sew bossy' project has been on my to-do list for such a long time!!
For those of you who don't know what it is, have a quick read of my previous posts here, and here and to see what Mary sent me, check it out here.  *ahem* please ignore the dates (2013!!...yep this has been looooong overdue!)

But in my defence, I DID finish this project about 5 months ago and I just haven't got around to blogging about it yet.

This was such a fun project. It was sooooo fun shopping for Mary, and seeing her make what I picked into a really cute little cape for her daughter! You can read about what I sent her right here at her blog.

What was even more fun was receiving her lovely package in the mail!! Honestly...if anyone wants to do this with me....I'm totally up for it!! Just leave me a comment or send me an email :)

So, as you may have already read in one for the above links, we decided to swap Oliver + S patterns because we both love them, and seriously, you just cant go wrong with any of them!

Mary sent me the Art Museum vest and trouser pattern!! I was so excited that she picked that pattern! (I may or may not have hinted a little in our emails that I really liked it ha ha)

So here is what I made....

I made the vest and trousers, so please ignore the slightly wrinkled plaid shirt and lovely neon green socks for the moment.  

It was also really had to get decent photos as my 'model' (Mr Z) was very uncooperative! He just wanted to get back to playing with his new helicopter (that you can see in the photos!).

I LOVE the material that Mary choose for the vest. Its sooo classy! I loved it so much that instead of using the material she sent for the back of the vest I decided to use it for the whole exterior. 

Mr Z loves the pants!! I just realised I didn't get a really good shot of my lovely welt pockets on the pants, but they are there, trust me. ....and they look fab! (if I do say so myself)

If you don't believe me...just check out the welt pockets I did on the vest...which i did manage to photograph!

 

Cute! These pockets usually hold a matchbox car each for during church. Mr Z is really loving pockets lately, and I usually find all-sorts of "treasures" when I'm washing his clothes!

The back has a lovely belt with button detail. This pattern is the real deal. You could seriously make a professional-looking suit from this for you little man (and for a fraction of the cost!)

I definitely want to use this pattern again! I already have two more projects lined up for it. I love the lovely soft material Mary chose for the pants (sorry I didn't get a better shot of it). Mr Z for some reason is getting really picky about his pants lately. He wont wear jeans, or anything that isn't comfortable...so mostly he wears track pants everyday. I'm glad that getting these on him isn't a struggle.

However when Mr Z out grows these I want to try making the pants with something a little more stiffer, perhaps some blended wool? I think it would really help the pants to look like suit pants, and give them that crisp suit-pant look.

Thanks Mary again for so much fun. I really appreciate everything you sent me and your lovely letter! I really enjoyed sewing this!


Jessica

3 Moda Giddy Mini Quilts (+ tutorial) : :

There are so many of my friends and family who are having babies at the moment! Really! There must be something in the water.....or maybe they all took one look at Little Miss S and got clucky *wink*

Anyway...because there are so many babies that have either just been born, or are currently cooking, I've decided to make them smaller gifts. (I just did a quick count and there are 6 babies!!)

3 of the 6 bubs are girls, and I had a moda "giddy' jelly roll sitting in my cupboard just calling out to be used.

I wasn't ready to commit to cot quilts for each of them (not because I don't love making them, I just really don't have the time...and if I'm being honest, the motivation), but I decided a smaller pram/bassinet quilt would be perfect, especially since its sooooo cold at the moment here in Australia.

I wanted to keep it simple. No triangles or flying geese...just strips. So I opened my jelly roll (am I the only one who loves opening a new jelly roll?) and selected a good range of colours.....really no need to over think this part....just reach and grab.
When I had a good handful of strips I cut them in half...again no need to measure, I just eye-balled it...and started sewing the strips together into runs of 4. I just kept grabbing more strips and adding them in as needed.
Then once I had a smallish pile of 4 strips sewn together, I cut them into 2 1/2 inch strips. (I didn't take any photos...but its not that hard to imagine)

After that I just sewed all the strips together and voila! Baby quilt!
I continued this until I had 3 quilt tops.

Then it was a simple matter of pinning to the wadding, quilting the top (just 1/4 inch from every seam), then I pinned it to the back and just run down a seam every 5 inches or so.

These were the first quilts that I have backed with fleece. They turned out so soft and warm, but not too heavy like minky can be. I think its the perfect back for newborns.
I ran out on the last one however to I threw in a strip of tilda farbic in the middle. It still turned out cute.
I then used left over jelly roll for my binding. 

Two of these quilts have already been gifted and are currently keeping a couple of baby girls warm. This one will be going to its new home tonight.

If your looking for a quick make...I can definitely recommend. They were quick and easy...but look fab!

Jessica

Oh, I should add they measure roughly 32 1/2 inches by 24 1/2 inches for those interested.

Oliver + S Library Dress : :

It's been a while since I made Little Miss I a new dress, and her dresses seem to be rapidly shrinking in the wash...or is she really growing that fast?

I decided to make her an Oliver + S Library Dress. I know I've said it before, and I'll probably say it again....but I LOVE Oliver + S patterns. They are the best!! The whole time I was sewing this dress I was thinking "I'm such a good sewer!" "look at this, its amazing"...yup sewing with Oliver + S is definitely a confidence booster because their patterns create such professional results!! (You can see my other Oliver + S makes here, here, here, here, here and here)





I had stashed away some lovely Tilda fabric that my local craft store stocks. Its so pretty and feminine. I used it for the main part of the dress, the waist band was just another random fabric that I found.




I made version B with the long sleeves (because we are currently in the depths of an Australia winder (ie. its cold with the sun shining!), and I omitted the pipping option because I wanted a 'classier' dress......and because, lets face it, piping is extra work, and I'm lazy :)

I didn't realise it until Little Miss I put it on, but it kinda reminds me of a kimono? Ha ha, I'm sure that is what its meant to look like, and I'm just a bit slow on the uptake.
I'd love to get some authentic Japanese fabric to use for this pattern.....or maybe even some quirky, fun Japanese fabric...hmmmm, decisions, decisions.



 I love that sleeve detail!

The only thing I changed from the pattern, was I used more buttons than the pattern stated. I only did that because I didn't have any 1/2 inch buttons on hand, and Little Miss I picked out these lovely little pink buttons with the silver detail.

Little Miss I and I spend about 5 mins trying to figure out what the picture on the buttons was? I thought it was someone riding a horse, and if you turn it around, Little Miss I thought it was someone stabbing something!? I decided a man riding a horse was the safer bet, so that's the way I sewed them!



I decided to position them a little more close together, and continue all the way to the bottom of the dress. It reminded me of a wedding dress with all those small buttons.





Little Miss I is 6, but I made a size 8, only for the length. I wanted it to be below her knee...I have a real thing about wearing clothes below the knee.


When I make it again, I will definitely make it in a smaller size, because all my kiddos are quite slender, and just use a size 8 back lining, and lengthen the skirt pieces to get the length I need to satisfy my prude-ness. More is definitely more in regards to clothing :)

I'm so so happy with how it turned out. Its so cute, and to say Little Miss I loves it is a huge understatement!!

Now I have to make another dress for Little Miss E, because her clothes seem to be shrinking too......that's one of the things about having twins....I need double of everything!! I'm thinking of maybe making a Garden Party Dress for her??

Jessica

Cute Baby Shoes : :

Last year when Little Miss E & I where at kinder their kinder teacher was really worried about their lack of clear speech and how they would cope at school.
Going back to when they were bubs they didn't talk much (well...they didn't talk much english! They were always babbling to each other), and as a result they were behind the eight ball with their alphabet and numbers when starting school this year.

They are now half way through the year and they know their numbers up to, and backwards from 20, their alphabet and are even reading now!!
Their teacher has been so great! She loves to teach and gets excited when her students learn something new. She's a fantastic teacher.

Anyway, the point of all this is she has been so excited that her first grandchild was born, a girl called Isla, and I wanted to make her something smallish for the new bub.

I decided to try and make some baby shoes...

EEP! Aren't they just sooo cute!!

These went together super quick, although some parts where a bit fiddly. I was planning on making them a bit bigger, about a 3-6 month size, but they ended up smaller than I intended, pretty much for 0-3 months, which was fine because the baby is only about 1 week old, I'll just have to remember for next time to make them bigger.

I think they turned out really sweet!! I'm going to make Little Miss S a few pairs to wear for church!

I sewed a button onto the top of each closure using these little wooden buttons I got from a craft show a few years ago. If I was making these shoes for an older baby, one who is putting things in their mouth, I would definitely leave this off, just in case they managed to find their way into little mouths.

The fabric I used was "Happy go lucky" (Love it!), and I put some thick fusible fleece lining on the insides to keep those little toes toasty during winter!

These shoes have already been given and hopefully they are getting loads of wear!

Jessica

Hot Water Bottles : :

For mothers day I made two hot water bottle covers. One for my mum, and one for my mother-in-law.

To be honest the fabric I used isn't really to my taste, but hey....trying to get my mum to like anything nice is near impossible (love you mum ha ha!)

The one for my mum is the country red coloured one on the right. I wasn't really sure what to make for my MIL, so I used some 'Glimmer' canvas (that I accidentally ordered instead of the cotton-oops!!) because I though it was a pretty safe option. 

I then wrapped them up with a hot water bottle each (a necessity when giving a hot water bottle cover) and VIOLA! Mothers day presents!

The pattern I used was borrowed from a friend. Its called "hot water bottle cover" by Amy Kallissa. If you want, you can find it on Etsy, or just make up your own.

Jessica

Baby Play Gym : :

I wanted to make Little Miss S something to play with as she is now just about 4 months old (where did that time go?). She is just hitting that really fun stage where everything looks tasty and it all goes straight into her mouth!

I decided to make a baby gym for her as I've never owned one, but I did lend one from a friend and know how much babies like them.  I used the pattern from the book "Sew Modern Baby" by Angela Yosten, which I picked it up on a whim at spotlight ages ago.

However...if I had a crystal ball and could have known how much trouble it was going to give me, I definitely wouldn't of bothered!! 

I'll get to that bit later....first onto the quilt part, the mat!

I appliquéd!!!......AND I didn't hate it!! 
I honestly think this is the first quilt I have ever appliquéd something that looks half decent. 

(Let me just cut in here to say...i did it on my Bernina...not by hand. That's a hurdle for anther day!)

There are two types of blanket stitches on my Bernina 440QE (number 45 and 46 for those who want to know).

They are both the same, but 46 is double thickness. I decided to the thicker stitch, and while it definitely ate through my thread stash quicker than I would've liked, it looks so much better than the thinner one!! 

I mean, just look at that stitching!!

And again...

 
And again....

 
Yup, I think I can definitely say I'm more than a little proud of myself!!

Now onto the stuff that seriously gave me nightmares! The arches!! *shudder*
I sewed up the 'tubes' of fabric from my Sarah Jane stash (which is seeming never ending at the moment!! No matter how much I use, there is still just sooo much!).

 

That part was simple enough, but threading the black pipe insulation through the tubes took me hours and hours and hours!! 
Then after I finally had them threaded and sewn together I connected it to the quilt with baby links (like the patterns states) the whole thing just flopped over. (que me chucking a bit of a tantrum and refusing to look at it again for about a week!)

If anyone is planning on making this project take note...this book is American..so the materials listed aren't exactly the same as the materials I found in the hardware store here in Australia!!

After leaving it all in a corner for a few days, I decided to give it one more go and got my husband to go to my parents farm and get me a few lengths on fencing wire. 
I then cut them to length and wrapped the sharp ends in duct tape so they wouldn't poke through my fabric. 

After unpicking, threading then re-sewing, I can finally say that it works!! *happy dance*

And the best bit? Little miss S Loves it...which I guess makes it worth it in the end!! 

She is seriously happy under this thing. I love how I can change up her toys as well so she gets a bit of spice in her baby-life.

Jessica

Beautiful Bow Quilt : :

Have you ever had a project that you just wanted to be perfect?
Most times when I quilt I do try for perfection..perfect seams, perfect quilting but I don't get too carried away if things are a teeny-tiny bit off.
But for my kids I wanted to make them all a special quilt each. The type that they can give to their children when they're all grown up (not yet please!)

Well I FINALLY finished the first one. I wont tell you how long I've been working on this quilt (but I will say it would be measured in years, not months!). Its for Little Miss I. I chose the fabric randomly, instead of using fabrics from one line of fabric (which is what I usually do), and I think its perfect for a little girl!!

I wanted it to be a little bit vintage (and one or two of the fabrics I used are definitely vintage as they were given to me from an older lady who had had them for years and years!)

I also didn't go with all quilting cotton, I threw in a bit of eyelet fabric for added texture and to make it look more vintage-like, as obviously quilts were originally made of left overs and the 'good bits' of worn through items.

This is without a doubt my all-time favourite quilt.

 

 I. love. this. quilt!!

When I was looking for fabric, I pretty much just picked anything that was floral and pretty. I also tried not to introduce too many clashing colours, but at the same time tried to keeping them miss-matched enough that it looked vintage.

I nailed it :)

All the way around the edge is a super cute ruffle. I've never added any type of 3D accent to my quilts, but I'm really loving how it turned out.
The bows are 'free' as well, and by that I mean that they can move. They are obviously sewn into the seams on the edges but the rest has been fed through the middle square that was sewn onto the cream fabric.

Its just so pretty. 

 To quilt it I stippled in the cream background behind the bow, then stitched in the ditch along the seams, continuing from one block to another. The pattern is supposed to be quilt-as-you-go (QAYG), and I have made a QAYG quilt before, but I used a different method last time, and the way the pattern tried to explain it I just found it too complicated and fiddly (which probably says more about me than it does the pattern), so I just sewed all the front together and quilted it like normal. I find that the extra throat space with my Bernina really does help when quilting quilts this size.

I used some lovely floral blue fabric for the binding. I usually cut my binding 2 1/2 inches, but I decided to make a wider binding for this quilt. Its not too much wider than normal, I cut 2 3/4'' strips, but I do like just that little bit extra thickness around the edges.

For the back I used some strawberry-print cotton that I've been hoarding for years in anticipation of finishing this quilt!

 

I think it goes really well. You can also see the quilting easier in this photo.

 For some reason I've never really been into the whole pieced quilt backs (maybe I'll join that party extremely late...like I do with pretty much all trends!). For now I prefer to have a nice uniform back! I also pinned this quilt extra carefully and it really paid off....look!! No puckers!!

Quilt Details:

Pattern: Beautiful Bows by MoonShine Designs

Fabric: Random finds from about 3 different stores, and some old vintage fabric

Size: 60'' x 84'' (or 152cm by 215cm)

Blocks: 24

Little Miss I adores this quilt! She has been waiting and waiting for me to finish it for quilt some time (only about half her life!!).

Now that its finally done I can move onto something else!! Little Miss E (Little Miss I and E are twins) of course wants one...but I'm thinking of designing my own quilt this time!! She wants princesses..but I'm thinking strawberries? 

I'm thinking about making a matching quilt with the same fabric, and same block size, but different pattern. 

We'll see :)

Jessica