Thursday, January 25, 2018

Quilted Logo Pillow

I created this quilted pillow cover as a gift for my taekwondo instructor. I drafted a foundation pattern to replicate the studio logo, and I'm really pleased with the accuracy I was able to achieve. And even though it looks really good with my Candy Coated quilt, I'm still going to part with it.
The quilting on this 20" pillow took longer than I thought it would, but I'm happy with the results. I used my walking foot and red thread to quilt the logo and filled the negative space with a simple square meander using a free motion foot.
My favorite finish for quilted pillows is an interfaced backing with a lapped zipper and hand finished binding. The pillow feels appropriately substantial and sturdy. I love the peek of red from the zipper.

Tuesday, January 16, 2018

Winter WIPs

Bone chilling cold has settled over the Midwest, leaving me starved for color and warmth indoors. I started this project as a way to use my favorite Anna Maria Horner scraps, but I soon realized I wanted a larger quilt than my scrap stash would allow. I pulled out the good stuff, and I'm resolving to cut it up. It's silly to leave it on the shelf. The riot of color and pattern is somewhat calmed by the alternating low volume prints, another stash category that needs thinning.
For a hand sewing project on the go, I'm creating something more austere. I've never worked with this English paper piecing shape before. I suppose it's really just an elongated hexagon. I'm not sure where this doodle is going yet, but not knowing is half the fun.