Lotta Jansdotter Challenge & Giveaway

Warp & Weft Sewing Society
A Warp & Weft Sewing Society project

I know I’ve mentioned that I’m part of the Warp & Weft Sewing Society before, but this spring Esmari, the owner of Warp & Weft organized something really fun for us – a sewing challenge.

And there’s something for one of you too, so don’t forget to enter the fabric giveaway at the end of this post.

There are seven of us in the sewing society, and we each got six fat quarters from Lotta Jansdotter’s latest collections MorMor and  Sylvia. Then we had to sew something related to spring.

Esmari has made a lovely, bright quilt. Sherri made some cute tote bags. Carla made a beautiful set of bags. And there are still three more days to go.

Everyone got a different bundle and you can see what mine looked like below. The fabric is so pretty! And perfect for spring.

My Lotta Jansdotter fat quarter bundle from Warp & Weft
My Lotta Jansdotter fat quarter bundle from Warp & Weft

Unfortunately, mother nature has been taking her time delivering spring, at least where I live. So I decided to do something a little different.

Instead of sewing something that celebrates the joyous bursting forth of spring with flowers and vibrant colours, I created something that celebrates the moment before – the time where  spring appears to be still on it’s way. There are no visible signs of spring – yet! – but everything is slowly building underground. It’s the part of spring when you have to have faith – that spring will come, the flowers will bloom, the birds will return and the cycle of like repeat once more.

I made a baby quit, using just two fat quarters and a grey background. It’s a bit monochromatic for spring, but that’s what spring looks like here right now.

A monochromatic baby quilt sewn by The Finished Garment.
Front detail on the spring quilt.
A monochromatic baby quilt sewn by The Finished Garment.
The in situ shot.
A monochromatic baby quilt sewn by The Finished Garment.
The backing is a bit random.
A monochromatic baby quilt sewn by The Finished Garment.
The rectangles are supposed to look like garden patches.
A monochromatic baby quilt sewn by The Finished Garment.
The wavy lines ended up making the quilt very crinkly – way more than I expected.

So that left me with four fat quarters. Actually that left me with three fat quarters, because I cut one up for the quilt and then changed my mind. We all make mistakes sometimes, right?

So I took the two coral fat quarters and made a tunic for my littlest. This is the Roller Skate Tunic by Oliver + S. It was a dream to sew. I think I finished the whole thing in just over two hours, including the cutting. 

The Roller Skate Tunic sewing pattern by Oliver + S, sewn by The Finished Garment.
The Roller Skate Tunic – front.
The Roller Skate Tunic sewing pattern by Oliver + S, sewn by The Finished Garment.
The Roller Skate Tunic – back.
The Roller Skate Tunic sewing pattern by Oliver + S, sewn by The Finished Garment.
Button detail in the tunic back.
The Roller Skate Tunic sewing pattern by Oliver + S, sewn by The Finished Garment.
So cute!
The Roller Skate Tunic sewing pattern by Oliver + S, sewn by The Finished Garment.
“Is it spring yet?”
The Roller Skate Tunic sewing pattern by Oliver + S, sewn by The Finished Garment.
Seems to have passed the quality assurance test. 😉

Quilt Summary

Pattern: my own.

Fabric: Trassel in Mist from the MorMor collection, and White sufi from the Sylvia collection, both by Lotta Jansdotter for Windham Fabrics.

Size: 36″ by 36″.

Tunic Summary

Pattern : Roller Skate Dress and Tunic by Oliver + S.

Fabric: Little Blomster in coral, and solid coral from the MorMor collection by Lotta Jansdotter for Windham Fabrics.

Size: 18-24 months.

Sewing Level: Advanced beginner.

Modifications: Colour blocked.

Results: Great!

Fabric Giveaway

Enter to win 12 Fat Quaters from Lotta Jansdotter’s latest collection MorMor and  Sylvia, generously provided by Warp & Weft.

In order to enter this Giveaway please follow the Rafflecopter instructions and leave a comment on this post.

You can obtain 7 entries in total by leaving a comment on each participating blogger’s Lotta Jansdotter Challenge post.

The winner will be announced April 28. Good luck!

Blog Hop Schedule
Esmari – Warp & Weft:  April 21
Sherri – Thread Riding Hood:  April 22
Carla – My ½ Dozen Daily:  April 23
Shannon  – The Finished Garment:  April 24
Cathy – Blueberry Patch:  April 25
Cynthia – cynthiaf:  April 26
Lysa – Lysa Flower:  April 27

a Rafflecopter giveaway
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A monochromatic baby quilt and tunic sewn by The Finished Garment.
My Lotta Jansdotter challenge sewing.

Feeling Blue

Yay! My first quilt of 2014! Of course this was supposed to be my last quilt of 2013, but (sigh), life.

Anyway, this is a cross quilt, made using fabric that has been sitting in my stash for way too long. Maybe two years? I am really happy that it has finally been transformed into a quilt.

Bue Cross Quilt by Shannon of The Finished Garment
The fabrics are Kona solids in greys and blues.

The fabrics are Kona solids. I bought them as a bundle, and I had to write to Mad About Patchwork, where I bought it, to find out what was in it, because this particular bundle isn’t even available anymore (though there is one that is very similar).

Bue Cross Quilt by Shannon of The Finished Garment
The backing is quite bright.

It seems that the colours are some of, but not all of: Snow, Ash, Medium Grey, Coal, Charcoal, Black, Indigo, Navy, Nightfall, Marine, Deep Blue, Ocean, Windsor and Delft. There might also be Slate and Pepper. That’s actually more than the number of pieces of fabric in the bundle I have, so hmmm, I am not especially helpful. But definitely some of those. Clearly I need better record keeping, and maybe a colour card.

Bue Cross Quilt by Shannon of The Finished Garment
The back is Crosshatch Sketch in Royal, and yes, it really is that blue.

This quilt is also a gift for a family member, so yes, there was another quilt dance party. Fun! Hope you don’t mind, mystery family member! The angle of the photo below makes the quilt look small, but it is actually 60″ by 67″ – a nice size lap quilt, perfect for snuggling on the sofa.

Bue Cross Quilt by Shannon of The Finished Garment
Dance party!

I used Crosshatch Sketch, which is the same print I used in my last quilt, but in Royal, for the backing. It is a very bright blue. I had planned to use the same print in the Denim colourway, but couldn’t find enough online. But, in retrospect, this blue is the perfect blue for the person who will be getting it. It really is their blue.

Bue Cross Quilt by Shannon of The Finished Garment
I used some of the leftover squares for the backing.

For the binding, I used three different colours.

Bue Cross Quilt by Shannon of The Finished Garment
I used three colours for the binding: a bright blue, a navy and grey.

For the quilting, I just did some simple straight line quilting. Nothing fancy. But I think this works really well with the piecing.

Bue Cross Quilt by Shannon of The Finished Garment
The colours were very hard to photograph because there was so much contrast.

Of course the kids always check my quilts for quality, warmth and general coziness.

Bue Cross Quilt by Shannon of The Finished Garment
Quality assurance testing.

And since this was for a family member there was extra-thorough quality assurance testing.

Bue Cross Quilt by Shannon of The Finished Garment
More quality testing.

I didn’t really use a pattern, but if you are looking for a tutorial, you can find a good one online here, by Jeni Baker of In Color Order.

Bue Cross Quilt by Shannon of The Finished Garment
Outdoor shot.

Hope the quilt is a hit. I’ll find out soon.

Feeling Blue Quilt

Quilt block: cross, or modern plus.

Size: 60 by 67 inches.

Fabrics:

Kona solids. I’m not sure of all the colours, but I think these are Snow, Ash, Medium Grey, Coal, Charcoal, Black, Indigo, Navy, Nightfall, Marine, Deep Blue, Ocean, Windsor and Delft. There may also be Slate and Pepper.

Binding: Three of the above.

Backing: Crosshatch Sketch in Royal by Timeless Treasures

Bue Cross Quilt by Shannon of The Finished Garment
Hopefully the quilt will be a hit!

“X”s and “O”s Quilt

This week I’ve been tackling some unfinished objects (UFO’s) and I am really happy that I was able to finish this quilt because it has been sitting neglected for far too long.

Red Xs and Os quilt by The Finished Garment
Red Xs and Os quilt.

I picked up most of these fat quarters ages ago, before I even learned to quilt. I remember them standing out at the quilt shop because almost everything else in this particular shop was traditional quilting fabrics – small scale florals, batiks and such. There were hardly any solids. And then I spotted these fat quarters that seemed so out of place, but way cooler than anything else I’d seen so far.

Red Xs and Os quilt by The Finished Garment
The binding works really well.

I finally started piecing this last winter, but then other projects jumped the line. Maybe it’s the return of the fall weather, but it just feels like it’s time to snuggle up under a quilt. So I got to work.

Red Xs and Os quilt by The Finished Garment
Detail on the X.

This quilt uses a lozenge block, and you can see a nice tutorial online here, which I should have followed but did not. My quilt blocks ended up being a little messier than planned, and I had to trim them down, which works poorly with this particular block. And then I was quite discouraged with the actual straight line quilting, which looked anything but straight when I was stitching it. But a good wash and a little crinkle goes a long way, so I consider it salvaged.

Red Xs and Os quilt by The Finished Garment
Some of the blocks were a bit messy – but not this one.

The blocks are then arranged in an “X”s and “O”s  or Hugs and Kisses arrangement (well, one X/kiss) to be exact.

Red Xs and Os quilt by The Finished Garment
Some of the quilting.

I used this really lovely, pale grey Crosshatch Sketch for the backing, which I adore. I had looked for something suitable for a long time, and then was in my local fabric store, looking for something completely unrelated, and there it was.

The binding is Kona Coal. I made it a bit more narrow than planned, but it’s probably better that way, since it’s such a dark colour.

Red Xs and Os quilt by The Finished Garment
The binding is Kona Coal.

All that black and grey make for a monochromatic back, which I love.

Red Xs and Os quilt by The Finished Garment
There is just one X in this quilt.

The front is really bright. My husband said it looked a bit stark. “Yes, well, it’s not for you”.

Red Xs and Os quilt by The Finished Garment
Love the colours (or lack thereof).

Actually it is a gift for a family member, who I think likes stark colours, at least these ones. I hope.

Red Xs and Os quilt by The Finished Garment
And it passes the mandatory quality inspection.

Anyway, since it was for a family member, I skipped the “Hey, be gentle with the quilt!”, and there was a small quilt dance party. But hopefully the family member won’t mind.

Red Xs and Os quilt by The Finished Garment
At the red quilt dance party.

X’s and Os Quilt

Quilt block: Lozenge block in an “X”s and “O”s  or Hugs and Kisses arrangement.

Size: 53 by 53 inches.

Fabrics:

Mostly unknown, but includes Michael Miller – Ring Dot Black, Kona White, Kona Red. The rest I picked up as fat quarters.

Binding: Kona Coal

Backing: Crosshatch Sketch in Mist (or is this Grey?) by Timeless Treasures

Red Xs and Os quilt by The Finished Garment
Hanging up.

A New Quilt for a New Baby

I’ve just finished another quilt. This one is for a brand new baby, but not mine. It won’t even go to anyone I’ve met, and to be honest, I’m having a hard time parting with it.

Herringbone Quilt
A little bundle for a little bundle.

This quilt is part of the Montreal Modern Quilt Guild’s project to make baby quilts for the École Rosalie-Jetté, a secondary school welcoming teenage mothers and their babies. All of the fabric was donated, we sewed it up into quilts and the school will distribute the quilts to some deserving young mums very soon. You can read more on the project on the MMQG website.

Herringbone Quilt Top
Herringbone Quilt Top

Because we made our quilts during our guild sew-ins, I can’t take all the credit. Cinzia Allocca of Deux Petites Souris did a good part of the work, including making the quilt binding – which is always my least favourite part. Thank you Cinzia!

Herringbone Quilt Back
Herringbone Quilt Back
This way up!
This way up!

This herringbone quilt is heavily inspired by this fabulous grey herringbone quilt by Erica of Craftyblossom. But of course, since the fabric I used was donated, I didn’t have free reign, and that worked out much better than I had hoped. There is a lot more colour and contrast than my inspiration quilt, which I quite like. I arrived late to the sew-in where the fabric was distributed, but no one had taken the checks. How could you not want the checks, people? So fun!

Herringbone Quilt
I love checks!

Again, I followed the tutorial by Red Pepper quilts on machine stitched binding. I think this is great for baby quilts because they get a lot of rough use. And I prefer my quilts to be well-loved.

Herringbone Quilt
I opted for simple straight quilting.

I took a lot of photos of this quilt. I had been  waiting for a sunny day so I could have some good light for my photos, but luck was not on my side. It’s been rainy and grey for the past couple of days. Today was my last chance. Oh well.

Herringbone Quilt
Looks great with the right props.
Herringbone Quilt
I love the crinkly texture.

And then, to increase the difficulty level of the photo shoot, add three small kids. All my shots kept being photobombed by tiny feet.

Herringbone Quilt
Photobombed by tiny feet.

I really like how this quilt turned out and am a bit sad to let it go. Clearly, I will have to make another one that stays with me.

Herringbone Quilt
Herringbone Quilt – folded.

Herringbone Quilt

Quilt block: Half-square triangles (HSTs)

Size: 34 by 34 inches

Fabrics: unknown.

Mandatory Quilt Inspection
Mandatory Quilt Inspection

Herringbone Quilt – Work In Progress

This past March the Montreal Modern Quilt Guild held their latest sew-in. We’re currently making baby quilts for the École Rosalie-Jetté, a secondary school welcoming teenage mothers and their babies. All of the fabric has been donated, we sew it up into quilts and the school distributes the quilts to some deserving young mums.

I have been away from the blog for much too long. Unfortunately, a little family emergency has kept me mighty busy. Everything seems to be pretty much back to normal now, but of course there has been no time for any sewing. So instead I thought I’d share a work in progress (WIP).

This past March the Montreal Modern Quilt Guild held their latest sew-in. We’re currently making baby quilts for the École Rosalie-Jetté, a secondary school welcoming teenage mothers and their babies. All of the fabric has been donated, we sew it up into quilts and the school distributes the quilts to some deserving young mums. You can read more on the project on the MMQG website.

You may have seen this fabulous grey herringbone quilt by Erica of Craftyblossom. It’s really quite lovely.

Not knowing what fabric would be available, I thought I’d do something similar, since it uses small pieces to make half-square triangles and just requires a bit of contrast to work well.

Here are all the half-square triangles up on a design board. The blue is actually a teal colour, but I took these photos in a rush with my iPhone, and the colour is a bit off.

Herringbone quilt on the design board.
Herringbone quilt on the design board.

I’ve been working on this quilt with the very talented Cinzia Allocca of Deux Petites Souris. We only had a few hours to work, but I’m quite impressed by how much we were able to do. And I love how it’s turning out. I may have to make my own. I especially like the checks.

Half-square triangles (HST) that need to be trimmed.
Half-square triangles (HST) that need to be trimmed.

I have a big pile of half-square triangles (HST) that need to be trimmed before the next sew-in. Hopefully, we’ll finish up the rest of the quilt then. I’m so optimistic when I’m excited about a project.

A terrible photo, but at least the colour is accurate.
A terrible photo, but at least the colour is accurate.

The fabric isn’t what I would normally choose, but it’s quite liberating sewing with donated fabric since you can try pretty much anything.

Instead of sewing, today we made some Easter cookies. I know, I know, a little late. If you count the fact that I bought this cookie cutter for Easter last year and am only using it now, it’s actually a lot late. Oh well. And of course the kids are responsible for the rather (ahem) generous portion of sprinkles.

A little baking. I know these area little late.
A little baking. I know these area little late.

By the way, the Montreal Modern Quilt Guild is looking for new members. If you’re interested, you can attend our upcoming sew-in in May and see what it’s all about. Membership fees are quite low ($30 per year) and you can attend just one meeting and pay for just the one month, which comes out to about three dollars, I think. You’ll have to check with the organizers for the exact amount. I’ve been corrected! You can attend your first meeting for free (yay!) and after that, membership is pro-rated.  We alternate with a sew-in or a meeting each month and there are also some special events like workshops and lectures. You don’t have to be an expert (I’m on my fourth and fifth quilts) and I even saw people sewing (gasp!) clothing at the last sew-in. It’s all very friendly and laid back.

Sunshine Bug Quilt

I think I probably started this quilt in the depth of winter last year. That probably explains why I chose such bright, colourful, sunny fabrics. So it’s fitting that I finished it yesterday, the day after another big snowstorm.

Sunshine Bug Quilt
Sunshine Bug Quilt.
Sunshine Bug Quilt
Sunshine Bug Quilt – folded.
Sunshine Bug Quilt
Sunshine Bug Quilt – folded.

This is a stacked coins quilt. It was quite quick to piece the front.

I didn’t piece the back this time, but used a single piece of Tangerine Dots from Anne Kelle’s Remix collection. It’s a baby quilt, though it would also fit on a toddler bed, so it’s small enough for a single piece of backing fabric.

Sunshine Bug Quilt
Sunshine Bug Quilt – back with Tangerine Dots from the Remix collection.

For the quilting, I just did some straight line quilting, but it is quite dense over the white sashing.

Sunshine Bug Quilt
Sunshine Bug Quilt – front detail.
Sunshine Bug Quilt
Sunshine Bug Quilt – quilting detail.

Again, I followed the tutorial by Red Pepper quilts on machine stitched binding. The binding is entirely machine stitched. I save quite a bit of time this way.

So far this quilt has no home. I didn’t have anyone in mind when I started it. Of course that’s probably a good thing, because they would have been waiting a long time for me to finish.

My toddler has already refused it. She wants a quilt with birds instead. I’m working on that. Even though she doesn’t like it, I like it a lot. I really like the sunny colours.

I didn’t use a pattern for this quilt – it’s quite a simple design. But if you are a beginner looking for a pattern, there’s one that is very similar in the Moda Bake Shop called the Stacked Coins Baby Quilt. This project is linked up with Finish It Up Friday.

Sunshine Bug Quilt

Quilt block: Stacked Coins

Size: 36 by 43.5 inches

Fabrics:
Sashing and binding: Kona White
Orange stacked coins:
Deena Rutter’s Happier collection for Riley Blake Designs: Happier Floral in Orange, Happier Bugs in Orange
Kona School Bus, Papaya, and Corn Yellow
Beetle Boy by by Ellen Crimi-Trent
Spots in Taffy from Kaffe Fassett for Westminster
Stof basics fat quarter bundle in orange/yellow
Backing: Remix Tangerine Dots by Anne Kelle for Robert Kaufman
Batting: Hobbs Heirloom Cotton

Sunshine Bug Quilt
Sunshine Bug Quilt – pieced front.

Whale Quilt

These are some photos of my second quilt. Unlike my first quilt, this is the first quilt I made myself without a pattern or a class, and I’m quite happy with how it turned out.

Whale Quilt
Whale Quilt folded.

When I started, I was very sure about how I wanted the front to look, but didn’t really have a plan for the back.

Whale Quilt
Whale Quilt front.

When my cousin announced she was pregnant, I thought this would be perfect for her new baby. But now that the quilt was for a very special little one, it needed something a bit more fun for the back.

Whale Quilt
Whale Quilt back.

Anne Kelle’s whales were perfect and exactly the right colours!

Whale Quilt
Whale Quilt

I did some simple straight-line quilting, and I love the crinkly look it ended up with. I bound it in Kona white. It’s not the most practical choice, but it does look nice. I followed the tutorial on how to machine bind a quilt from Red Pepper Quilts. It worked very well. So much easier than hand stitching!

Whale Quilt
Whale Quilt close-up.

The quilt measures about 50 by 56 inches.

I’m not sure what all the fabrics are. But here is a partial list.

  • Kona white from Robert Kaufman.
  • Anne Kelle’s Urban Zoologie collection Whales in the bright colour-way from Robert Kaufman.
  • Crystal Palace from Classic Cottons.

The dark blue, light blue and yellow are just fat quarters that I picked up at a local quilt shop.

Whale Quilt
Whale Quilt test drive.

There may have been a test drive (ahem) before I shipped it.

My First Quilt – The Pink Rails Quilt

Isn’t it pretty? Since this blog is brand new I thought I’d post an older project that I couldn’t share before, because I had nowhere to post it. My first quilt!

Pink Rails Quilt

I made this baby quilt as part of a class at Montreal’s Emeline & Annabelle sewing lounge (now closed). It is about 36×36 inches.

This is a simple strip quilt made using only four fabrics on the front and a fifth on the back. I hand stitched the binding, but since then have switched to machine stitching bindings. It’s just so much easier.

Pink Rails Quilt

I have been sewing for ages, but had never made a quilt before this one. I thought a class would be a good way to get started. And I wanted a good excuse to get out of the house and spend some time with grown ups who also like to sew.  I was correct on both counts. Emeline & Annabelle also used to offer “Block of the Month” classes which were great for beginners.

Pink Rails Quilt

I made this quilt in the fall of 2011. I didn’t have anyone to give it to when I made it, but my last baby arrived the following summer. So I was making it for a very special someone, I just didn’t know it at the time.

Pink Rails Quilt
Pink Rails Quilt – My very first quilt

Sadly, Emeline & Annabelle’s sewing lounge closed this past fall, so I can’t go back and take another class. However, there is now a modern quilt guild in Montreal. The Montreal Modern Quilt Guild is a local chapter of the larger Modern Quilt Guild. There are monthly meetings and sew-ins. I went to my very first one last month. So much fun! You can see a picture of the January sew-in on the Montreal Modern Quilt Guild website. I’m the one way in the back, with the stroller 😉 .

Pink Rails Quilt

Quilt block: Rail Fence

Size: 36 by 36 inches

Fabrics:
Loulouthi Framed in Shadow by Anna Maria Horner
Joel Dewberry’s Heirloom collection, Blockade Blossom in Garnet
Joel Dewberry’s Heirloom collection, Blockade Blossom in Blush
Joel Dewberry’s Aviary 2 Lodge Lattice in Lilac
“Grand Bazaar” collection by Patty Young produced by Michael Miller, Spade in Charcoal
Organic bamboo quilt batting