Cute Happy Cats - a finish!

 My focus for 2022 is my word “Consider”. Part of the process is to consider my stash: to go through my stash, using up yardage as well as scraps. This has been easier to do because of my thorough sort through last year when I reorganised and labelled everything.

At the beginning of the year I started to design little quilts around the contents of my box labelled Happy Blocks. Firstly I made the little quilt called “In the Nursery “ I recently showed on my blog and a couple of days ago I finished a quilt called Cute Happy Cats made from strips of cat pictures given to me several years ago by my dear Patchwork friend Win when she was downsizing in readiness for moving into Residential  Care. Win died a few years ago at the wonderful age of 104. Some of the strips I used to frame the cats were also in the Happy Blocks box so the top came together quite quickly. 

It measures 40” square and was machine quilted. A nice bright fun quilt with lots of quirky cats to look at, ideal for a Linus Project gift.

                                               

                                                     Now, a couple of Close ups of those Cute Cats:

                                       

   I used my Pumpkin fabric for the backing and a cream coloured fabric for the sashing and binding.

One step forward, two steps back

Well it felt like that this week.
Ages ago I was partway through sewing together columns for my latest Chinese Coin Quilt when I started to make masks, so the Coin columns were set aside (I’d been going great guns until then).
Masks finished and delivered. About to make a start on the Coin columns when my niece mentioned she didn’t have any masks. She’s a Primary teacher (like I was, we share the same birthday, so it’s a rather special relationship) and at present masks don’t have to be worn in the classroom. However, ideas keep changing very fast so we could see that masks may soon be a priority, so I made her a couple and posted them to her.
Then I realised my daughter’s friend’s baby is due in about a month and may possibly arrive sooner so I thought I had better make a start on a baby quilt and that it should be in a similar style to her 2 year old’s that I made when he was born. It had appliquéd his name on a band of fabric towards the top of the quilt. I decided to use Happy Blocks for the main part of the quilt so looked in my box of Happy Blocks.

Some time ago I had asked my daughter whether baby was a boy or girl and at that time the parents weren’t saying so I started to pull out some finished Cat blocks and more cat centres and neutral fabrics for borders. Decided on the idea then a casual conversation with Caroline led to the news that the baby was going to be a girl, so back to the drawing board.

Keeping the Happy Blocks design only lots of pink. I had a bundle of pink FQs that I’ve never used  (always seemed the wrong shade etc) so out they came  plus a few Chunks of scrap fabrics and I made 36 Happy Blocks which I was pleased with.

Set them in 6 rows of 6 blocks , all laid out on the floor. Finally happy with the layout, no two similar blocks next each other etc and sewed them together. I laid them out again before I pressed the rows and found several instances where there were similar blocks next to each other - how did that happen? So quite a bit of seam ripping, repositioning and sewing together again.

On to the ironing board and I discovered several blocks didn’t have straight seams, so more seam ripping and re sewing.

Between the First row of blocks and the other block of 5 rows sewn together there will be a band of fabric where the appliquéd name will go. As we have been in Lockdown for three months I have been using stash, and have worked my way through a lot of fabric. I only had two possible pieces of fabric and neither was right at all. So, I went to the computer and spent ages looking through various quilt shops online to find the fabric I needed. The pinks in the blocks are quite an unusual pink, more salmon and that was really hard to match buying on line. 

I finally chose one and have ordered 3 metres: enough for the name panel, a border, the backing and binding. I hope the colour looks OK when it arrives, if not back to the drawing board again!

Here’s the main part of the quilt, the 5 rows sewn together.

Even this photo isn’t good as it was late evening and we had the electric light on. But I wasn’t going to take another photo!

So now I’m waiting for the parcel of fabric to arrive and because of the extra precautions being taken by the shop to follow the Covid 19 regulations on packing ( I suppose wearing masks and gloves etc) the delivery will be delayed.
See what I mean about 1 step forward and 2 back?
Perhaps today I’ll finally finish sewing together those Chinese Coin columns? I’m not holding my breath.

Gifting a quilt to a new baby

I recently finished a Happy Blocks quilt intended for a baby boy expected in New Zealand.  Had a lovely email yesterday with the happy news that baby Niklas was born on 19th December . A good name for a baby born so near to Christmas.  Three beautiful photos too - goodness, you forget how tiny a newborn looks compared to the size of Daddy's hands holding him. The photo showed  little Niklas with a lovely scrunched up face, looking as though he was wondering where on earth he was! I'm now happily embroidering the quilt label.

Working hard on my finishes

I have had a very busy week trying to finish (and start!) lots of projects.
On the left-hand side of the photo is a very pink baby quilt which I'm gifting to my cousin's granddaughter born about a week ago.
Made from scraps. The binding is on and I hope to hand stitch it tonight.  Then I will embroider the label.
In front are crumb blocks(from my stash) and 32 x 4" squares which I cut yesterday ready to make a boy quilt like this pink one
On the right-hand side of the photo is a Happy Blocks baby quilt and it's binding, all ready to be attached.
In the middle are 5 more angels which h I will take to church this morning.
So a very satisfactory week!

Trial layout of Cat blocks

I spent a busy day (no Wimbledon on the middle Sunday!) cutting 1.5" strips from the fabrics I picked out a couple of days ago and framing my trimmed cat fabric pictures. Including the five already made I now have 32 of these blocks.  I added a couple of patterned fabrics to the three cat fabrics and cut out 31 x 5.5" squares.

I have just quickly laid them out on my sewing room carpet:

Good to take a photograph as it gives a clearer idea of placements of blocks and colours.

A few things immediately jump out at me:

• I like the orange frames (there are two different orange fabrics and I have more of both) so I can scatter more on the right hand side of the quilt.  I hadn't realised they were all over the other side.
• I also like the grass green solid framed blocks
• Too many pale framed blocks
• Another 2 brown framed blocks would help to strengthen the contrast too
• I need another one or two variations of fabric for the 5.5" squares, it's a bit too "samey"
• Probably too many of the blue and white background cat squares too. I have other cat fabrics in my stash but they have pink and purple in them and as I am making this a gender-neutral quilt they won't be quite right. So a bit more thought here or a visit to my LQS for another cat fabric option.

I have used a pretty bird print frame for two of the blocks - 2nd row, 6 along and also in the 6th row, 6 along. I think I will cut a couple of 5.5" squares from this fabric and swap for a couple of the other paler squares.

Not worried about making more blocks as I have lots of the cat picture fabrics and there is always the option of making another Cat Quilt another time so I am happy to stockpile the leftovers with the remaining fabrics chosen for this quilt.  I will create another "Project Pack"!

I have enjoyed making the framed blocks - Happy Blocks a la Cathy (Sane, Crazy, Crumby blog) so I won't mind making some replacements.

New baby quilt being created

Our step granddaughter has asked me if I would make a baby boy quilt for her friend who knows the baby she is expecting in June will be a boy. We have looked at some photos of baby quilts I have made and she has chosen a strippy style one with the name appliqued near the top.

I made a start on it this week and have made 2 strips of Happy Blocks:

And 2 strips of fabric circles: each one is a different animal fabric.

 I have already started to applique these with hand blanket stitching. Once they are all stitched I will create a strippy quilt, interspersing these strips with strips of bright fabrics.
I enjoy making these quilts as I design as I go along. Good fun!

I have also started some baby knitting today. One of my young friends is expecting a baby in August and I asked  her if she would like some hand knitted cardigans.  Yes was the answer so I was off to the Wool Shop for some new patterns and wool. Amy sent me some photos of the type of style she likes and when I looked through my patterns I decided I needed more up-to-date ones.
The colours are different for me too - navy, grey, yellow, red. I have bought navy and grey for one cardigan and a lovely variegated soft greys wool for a hooded jacket.  I haven't done any knitting for a while so this is a lovely change for me.

Well, I'm off to do a few more rows of knitting before I make our tea.

Where's Mr Pukeko?

I have just finished a baby boy quilt using Cathy's "Happy Blocks" idea.

Each Happy Block measure 6.5" before being sewn into rows.
Each centre ( cut at 4.5") is different, cut from scraps and yardage and I tried to make the framing strips ( cut at 1.75") from a variety of fabrics.

One of the blocks features pukekos, a beautifully bright New Zealand bird.  We see a lot of them when we are in NZ, one of my favourite birds as they are so distinctive with their bright blue feathers and Pillar box red beaks, legs and feet.  Their other name is Swamp hen as their habitat is swampy paddocks.

The quilt is going to baby Jayden, born in NZ on 29th April, a new grandson for friends Miriam and Frank.  So, the title of the quilt is "Where's Mr Pukeko?" and I hope baby Jayden will have fun looking for the pukeko when he is a little older.

Definitely a Girl's Happy Blocks quilt!

I am enjoying making Happy Blocks from my stash.  They are fun to make, sorting out suitable fabrics for the centres and the block borders and the quilt tops come together very quickly.

I started a "Girl" top on Sunday, using quite a few charms from a set I won from Sew Sisters in a recent Scraptastic Tuesday draw. I needed 25 centres, all different and I found some that were suitable in my small packet of already cut 5" squares. I only had to cut a few more from stash scraps.

Then I cut some 2" strips from other scraps for the borders of the Happy Blocks centres and started to sew those to the centres.

Yesterday I finished making all 25 blocks and sewed them up into a quilt top:

Now I have two Happy Blocks tops ready to sandwich with batting and backing.  Both quilts will finish at around 38" square, a size I like to make for new baby gifts as they are useful as a Playmat as well as a snuggling quilt.

Thanks again to Cathy of Sane, Crazy, Crumby Quilting for the idea.

On a roll with Happy Blocks

After a very busy week I decided to spend much of yesterday and some of today making
Happy Blocks. Idea gleaned from Cathy's Sane, Crazy, Crumby Quilting blog.

I have made similar blocks before, using 2.5" chicken themed fabrics and a double frame around the blocks,

 

This time I looked through my stash for "Boy" fabrics, either 5" Charms or fabric I could cut 5" blocks from.  As I want to make a few baby quilts I cut an extra set of blocks and also a few extra

2" strips for framing the squares.

 

Today I finished sewing 25 blocks together and made this top:

 

 

I have set it aside whilst I think of a border fabric.

 

Here's the other set of Boy squares and the 2" strips for framing them.  Not enough strips so I need to look through my stash to find some more.

 

 

 

Now I'm off to find some Girl fabrics for another 2 sets of 5" blocks.