Memorable Holiday Mini Quilt

This my entry for the India MQG February Challenge. The rules are using your scrap and the quilt is about the most memorable holidays. For me, every  holdays have their own memorable moments, but what I always love is coming home to my town where I was born and grew up - MALANG. Even though now Malang has grown into a mini metropolitant city, but it still hold it own charm.

What I love most about Malang is it always blooming with flowers all around the cities. Hence, the flower fabrics I used in the border. Malang is a hilly town, surrounded by beautiful mountains all around. Whereever you turn your head, all you'll see is greenaries.

"Palm Tree Block"

Can U spot the palm tree there? It's one of Malang's trademark tree.

This is the view in front of the mayor office (Balai Kota). It's called Bunderan Tugu.

 (Image Source)

This Bunderan Tugu has several road branch which lead to different part of the city. It's surrounded by favorite High Schools (MY Highschool too!!) , hotels on one side, and the train station in the other.

(image source)

The garden is beautifully maintained which is a real treat for tired eyes:)

Here is another  famous landmark in Malang, Ijen Boulevard. With it's palm trees and big colonial houses, it's a great place if you want to just strolling or taking a walk. In the middle there are mini gardens with flowers and shrubs.

(image source)

The Apples Block

 Malang's most famous fruit. There are lots of apple orchards in Malang and Batu (a hill town 30 min from Malang). Malang's Apple is called rumbutter, it's juicy and crunchy and has this sweet tangy taste which I love the most.

Below is how the apple vendors sell their apples. This is a common sight when you're travelling from Malang to Batu or to Surabaya.

(image source)

and of course I always love to visit the sea. Indonesia is an archipelago, it has the most beautiful beaches in the world, whether the explored one or the un-explored ones. I spent my childhood exploring beaches with my father who was working in a coffee plantation. Most of the time, the garden were near the sea. Almost every holidays we spent discovering new beaches, white sands, black sands, you name it, we have it :).

Last year we went to explore another beaches. You can read the post HERE. So, this block is for those wonderful holidays at the sea.

All the appliques here are handstitched by yours truly. I'm not a big fan of hand quilting, though I enjoy doing embroidery now and then.:). I must learn to master the machine decorative stitching now that I got a new Bernette E92c ;)

Until then...happy quilting

Square in Square Bright Quilt

Always walk through life as if you have something new to learn and you will. 

 ~Vernon Howard

I finished my 2nd quilt this month! yay!! it's something that I was afraid to do. I can't imagine how to quilt in my home sewing machine. I watched lots of you tube tutorial and became more scared ..LOL. Then I just started doing it. And by my second quilt, I can say I manage well, no wonky stitches at the back.

I call this happy quilt because of the colors. I thought I will make a baby quilt with the fabric but ended up make another single quilt. The size is 60x70" 

So, here's what I learned:

1. Using this Micro Stitch is really help to hold the quilt together. I won this on one giveaway some 3 years ago !!..

2. Using fleece as a batting is easier than poly-batting, because the fleece doesn't move much/not slippery.

3. I'm rolling  up the sandwich while tacking it. I find this easier and once finish I have a nice roll, ready to quilt. I quilt NOT from the middle like one tutorial I read. I started from the side. Maybe this is not the right way, but I managed fine with this method.

and 

4. scrappy binding is always a choice. It gives a happier look, I guess..;)

So, here's my happy quilt sitting on the swing:D

I used polkadots at the back. It was a bedsheet actually :). It's difficult to find a wider fabric here, so instead I go for bedsheet which works out cheaper and easier plus I'll get a matching pillow covers ;)

One more look :D

Until then....happy sewing

Simply Square Quilt

"You gain strength, courage and confidence by every experience in which you really stop to look fear in the face. You are able to say to yourself, 'I have lived through this horror. I can take the next thing that comes along.' 

You must do the thing you think you cannot do. "

~ Eleanor Roosevelt ~

I've been too scared to start making a big quilt, until the other day. It seems so hard to do the quilting part on my home machine. I had this king size polyester batting I brought from Indonesia 1.5 years ago. And it was sitting pretty in my wall cupboard waiting to be covered. Finally, the other day I completed one, a very simple design. I did a couple of unpicking, tagging and pulling and almost gave up cos there's always one part which gone wonky at the back. Then my IMQG friend, Tina, told me to "never look back" and I gain my confidence back. It took me two days to complete the quilting part (yay!)

I used scrappy binding there

for the back, I used cheery orange cotton fabric which was supposed to be for salwar kameez (Indian dress). It has continues Indian batik pattern. 

Now, can I say I graduated to the big quilting now? :D. I still need to finish my 36 patch QAL  :-/

One more shot, inspired my Shruti 

until then...Happy Sewing

Warm and Cold Pinwheel Table Runner

This winter, it blows warm and cold. One day the temperature will dip as low as 10C and the next day it will be 21C. Well, for me, who grew up in tropical friendly weather Indonesia, to be in 10C is like living in a igloo. The kids are laughing at me, cos I'm bundled up in heaps of clothes plus woolen cap.

I told you in previous post, that I love pinwheel. So now it's done. I don't know why I love working with triangles, I found it very challenging. This pinwheel was supposed to be my second entry for the Indian MQG January's Challenge, but then I couldn't resist the baby blue and pink. I don't know whether it's still qualified as a WARM? what do you think? 

Pinwheel table runner

Another one I finished today is my 3rd Quilt Block for my Friendship Quilt. I call it "whirlwind love". The original plan was to collect enough blocks to make mini quilt for wall hanging. But I hope, other participants will make at least 3 blocks so it will be a bigger quilt. 

whirlwind love

This one I made based on quilt I saw in magazine. It was just one part of the big quilt. I took the design and instead of plain square at the top left I put pinwheel (again!) there and in the bottom right. It gives quite a effect, doesn't it? It's quite challenging this one, since the mag didn't give the measurement, so I have to count it my self to make it into 12" squares. Hopefully I can make a simple tutorial later on...meanwhile now my mind is onto finishing my almost-forgotten Quilt Along #shame on me#

Until then, Happy Crafting ~_~ 

Pinwheel quilt again

I love pinwheel patchwork.

I got one from my friend for our personal SWAP




Then I made pinwheel placemats  for a friend in Indonesia 

and now I'm making another pinwheel patchwork...will update the photo once I finished the binding ;)

Until then, have a great crafty weekends ^__*

I love maple leaves

I always love autumn colors and the January challenge of India MQG is making stuff (patchwork) with WARM SOLID  colors. I was chatting with Mbak Hany and told her about the challenge and she showed me one of her new stash. It was pretty fabric with autumn leaves. That what really hit me. I started browsing and found one tutorial on maple leaf block from Country Lane Quilts. Based on that I made this mini quilt.

as a table top

Burnt Orange at the back

 a touch of green to show the life of a maple leaf from green to orange..though I'm not sure if it's gone through Red phase ;) 

once more 

Working with solid colors is quite fun. To mix and match the  color is quite a challenge it self. I think in the end, your quilt shows your moods :)

Until then...Happy Crafting :)