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Showing posts sorted by relevance for query quilting bee. Sort by date Show all posts

36 Patch Block for Quilting Bee

 Hello,



Spring is almost here. Well, in our part of the world, February is always dry and dusty and then followed by seasonal flu season. I hope you all stay healthy! 


Last week, we at the Desi Quilters group on Facebook started Quilting Bee. It's been years since we did the quilting bee. There are 24 participants divided into two groups -  Oddbees and Evenbees. I am the first queen bee for the Oddbees group. When Tina announced at the beginning of February that we are going to have a quilting bee again, I am very excited. I mean, this is the way you can learn and in the meantime get your blocks done in no time, right? 


I know I wanted to make a 36-patch block made up of mini charms in different colors. It's been high on my list. So for the 1st bee block, I go with this simple block! I made a 36-patch quilt a long ago and it's still my fave. 


This block is very easy and my block finished at 12" square. The fabrics I used are assortments of cotton fabric scraps that I previously cut and keep. 


So for this particular 36-patch bee block, I want one block in ONE color shade, and the scrappier the better.


It's super easy to make. All you need is 36 pieces of assorted 2.5" square pieces of fabric.


1.  First step is to arrange the fabric pieces to your liking, alternating between light and medium/dark. Although it's not always easy, that's fine!



2. I like to make them into a 9-patch section. Sew them together with a 1/4" seam allowance and press the seam to the darker side. 




3. After finishing 4 mini blocks of 9-patch, iron the blocks. I am using assorted fabrics, some fabrics get a bit stretched after ironing. That's fine for me. 




4. Now, trim the blocks to 6.25" square. 




5. Sew the 4 blocks together and voila you get a 12" square block.











I made 2 blocks as samples for the quilting bee and I am so excited to see everyone's block. We have 14 quilters in the odd bees group. And guess what? I already got one in the mail yesterday. Priya sent me her pretty pink block along with lovely gifts!! Thank you, Priya!! 





There are several blocks already posted in the group and I am so looking forward to receiving them. I will update again when I receive all the blocks! 


Thank you for stopping by today!

Happy Sewing

Elvira

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Quilting Bee Update - February March Blocks

 


Hello,
In the past few months, I am enjoying making blocks for the quilting bee that is going on in the Desi Quilters Group on Facebook. This red quilt as your go block is for Deepti. Oh, I love doing QAYG, and looking at what others have made in the group is really inspiring. This red QAYG block is approximately 14.5 x 14.5 inches unfinished. 

The challenge of making a bee block is when the Queen Bee is only asking for the unfinished block size without specifying what kind of block or what color they prefer. When this happened I tend to choose the traditional blocks. Like this Purple Star Block. Aparna was asking for 101/2 inches block and I am in the mood to do some HST.


I searched on Pinterest and found this star block from Bernina  Summer Sparkle Quilt Along on We All Sew. I thought this will be perfect! 





Made another one using Indonesian Batik


As usual, I recorded the video as I sew just for fun! 



Another block I made is for Revathi. She wanted courthouse steps log cabin block. The log cabin is another fave block of mine and I'm so excited to make this one. Here's what I sent to Revathi. The block is based on THIS tutorial
The centerpiece is 3.5" square and the strip is 2" wide. You can cut the fabric strip before sewing them together, or (my preferred method) is just sew and cut later like in THIS video


Courthouse Steps Log Cabin for Revathi


And of course, I made a mini version just because I love this pink and blue bundle! The block is 7 x 7 inches unfinished, I think I am going to make a coaster with it. 





This quilting bee is really a great and fun learning experience for me. For some blocks, I made a few and keep, and maybe will assemble them together later on. Meanwhile, I have received all my blocks! I will share them in my next post! I always plan to write regularly but never happened. I really should make an effort to write more.  

Thank you for stopping by today! 

Happy Sewing! 

Elvira


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Quilting Bee

This one I made for Vidya, the queen bee of the month of September. I call it a tetris block. Let see if I can come up with something else. Since the queen bee doesn't give any specific instruction just it has to be MODERN with lots of NEGATIVE SPACE. So till the month is up, hopefully I'll be able to make something else.



This wonky log cabin I made 2 months back for Vidya


And this one is for Veena. 


This is my first time joining a quilting bee and I'm having a lot of fun making and learning new block every month. Currently I'm in 2 bees with Desi Quilters, the second one I join is called Sunny Bee. Quoting from the blog "The theme is the 'Sun' and all that it means to you. Its all about living life 'Sunny Side Up". So, yes, it's going to be a lot more FUN...

Happy Quilting



The Best of Five in 2023

 




Here we are again at the end of 2023. Looking back, there were a lot of things going on. Even though I didn't write as much as I intended to do at the beginning of the year, but I accomplished one thing from my bucket list which is to reach 10K subscribers on my YouTube Channel!  

However, the blog is still very important to me as this is where everything started. Now, once again I join Meadow Mist Best of 2023 Linky Party to reminiscence how's 2023 had been. Let's get started! 

Here are the 5 best posts of 2023

1. Scrappy Patchwork Pouch

I love making stuff from scrap fabrics. I made a few last year and have a whole bunch of scrappy panels in my PhD bin which hopefully I can make into something in 2024. 




2.  Scrappy Wallet Video Tutorial

Another scrappy project! This time I made these small scrappy wallets and made a video tutorial too. These small pouches are very handy to use and also make a great gift! 


Small Quilted Wallet


3. 36 patch Block For Quilting Bee

After years, I finally participated in another quilting bee at Desi Quilters Facebook group. It was fun to make a few blocks every month and I learned a few things along the way. This will be another quilt to complete next year! 




4.  Patchwork Quilt Wallet

Another list that is ticked off from my bucket list is to start making a patchwork wallet.  I'm looking forward to making more patchwork wallets in 2024. Insha Allah. 


Patchwork Quilt Wallets


5. Kodomo Kids Wallet

This simple kodomo wallet is one of the most popular with my customers. It's so easy to make and kids love them. 


Alice in Wonderland & Red Riding Hood Wallet


Thank you so much for stopping by my blog, reading, and leaving comments. I may not be as regular as I'd like to be, but I hope I will be able to share more meaningful content in 2024.

Here wishing you a great creative year ahead, I'm looking forward to reading your stories too (even though I may not always leave any comments, but I enjoy reading blog posts!)


Happy New Year! 


Elvira



The finished quilts

Hello,

My quilts have come back from Tsala Quilting Studio, Bangelore and I finished the binding last week. I'm so happy with how it turned out. Thank you Vatsala and team! The quilts finished just in time for my elder son's birthday and he chose the blue and yellow marble star  quilt one! 


Now, we have several long arm quilter here in India and Tsala Studio is one of them. I was speaking on the phone with Ranjana Ma'am and discussing about quilts and bag making in general. And we wished we had one long arm quilter here in Guwahati, which is from climate point of view, we should have one, since we have quite cold winter. But I have not seen a quilting culture so much in here. Most people will do knitting or weaving woolen blanket. Hopefully one day!! 



Back to my quilts, the star quilt one, as I mentioned in my previous post, is from the Desi Quilter Quilting bee. I used yellow block print mulmul fabric for the backing. Why mulmul ? Because it's soft!



Here another shot on the sofa :D. I hope you can see the quilting details.



I really love the Batik Double Star Quilt! I did a wide binding, inspired by Laurie on Instagram. I cut the binding 5" wide, double fold it and stitch a scant 1/2" on the back. Deciding which color for the binding was tough! But everyone at home voted for blue. And it looks lovely, IMO! :)


As for backing, I used this ikat print glace cotton fabric. The fabric is also soft. It has a smooth sheen finished. I guess we can use it as a reversible quilt :D

I have 2 more quilt tops, I am yet to decide the backing though. I plan to send it to Tsala Studio by next month so it will be in time for my younger son's birthday! 

Thank you for stopping by!

Happy Crafting!

- Elvira-


Sunny Bee #1 - Sunflower Applique Block

The first Queen bee for the Sunny Bee at Desi Quilters is Bhavani. She wants us to make sunflower block and here's my block. 


I'm not very good with applique but I love doing it sometimes. For this one, I made the template according to Bhavani's instructions and cut off 9 pcs petals on the interfacing and ironed in on the fabric. I'm using Easy Applique Tutorial.




 The starching part was really helpful and it really makes applique-ing a breeze. I thought of finishing it by hand but I didn't have much time in hand, so second best was using blanket stitch in my Bernette ^o^.



Until then....

Happy Quilting 



A few wallets

 Hello,


Last week, I was pretty productive. I made a couple of wallets for orders and also finished 2 wallets from my WIP bucket! It feels good to be able to finish a few from the WIP list. 

This pink strawberry wallet is one of my best sellers! There's a Blue and Red one too in the shop. I love making this Nuno Small Wallet and is still my fave wallet to use for everyday, and I made one for my son too! 
 

Cute Strawberry Wallet



I love this wonderland fabric from Rifle Paper Co. Well, I love all their fabrics and purchased a few fabrics before the pandemic,  but now it's too expensive to buy because the shipping charge is pretty high. Anyway, I recorded the video when I was making this Wonderland wallet. I am still editing it now and hopefully will be able to share it soon! Pattern available HERE. 


Wonderland Bifold Wallet


When making a wallet, choosing the fabric combo always takes a long time for me. Sometimes, I even end up using a different combo than what I initially picked. 
(I had fun making the BTS video below!) 





The second WIP I finished was this Red Floral Wallet. The fabric is from Sevenberry and I love the tiny floral print. This time, I used metal zipper and I love how this turned out. Also for the zipper end, I used the metal zipper end cap. I kinda love it although putting the tiny screw on the cap was a bit hard for me! I need to get the small screw driver! 


Floral Small Wallet

Small Bifold Wallet  


Earlier this week, I went to the Post Office with Meenakshi, from Rustic Origin. We thought we'll check the latest update regarding sending parcel via India Post. It was totally waste of time because the person in charge in the main Guwahati PO were not interested or not willing to help.  So we deciced to go hang out for a bit at the Starbucks at the Brahmaputra Heritage Center. It's good we decided to go there because the view is so good. I think during sunset would be lovely! 


Brahmaputra Heritage Centre


Brahmaputra River


After chilling out in Starbucks we went back to the PO and I still could not send my parcels. I decided to go the the University PO near my house, instead. The lady at the PO is very nice and seems to be well informed, and very helpful. Finally all my packages were on their way. 


In front of the University PO

This week, I will catching up on my Quilting Bee block. I have 2 blocks to finish! Wish me luck! 


Until next time,

Happy Sewing


Elvira

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Linking up to these wonderful BLOGS

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Around The World Blog Hop

Last week I got inbox from Madhu asking if I’d like to join the AROUND THE WORLD BLOG HOP. 
I was excited and readily agreed cos I've been reading postings from bloggers around the world.
it's fascinating to read their blogs and you can learn a thing or two from them.
{see, this is why I love blog more than micro blog } 

Madhu Mathur is one of the quilt artist in India if I may say so. Her works are one of a kind {OoAK} , very neat and her choice of color is superb. She’s meticulous in her work. Check out her BLOG to see her work or her facebook page for updates on her projects.

The rule for this blog hop is quite simple, you just have to answer these 4 questions. Well, it  looks simple but –for me- I am quite nervous =,= .

So, let’s start:

1.       What I am working on?

Hmmm..to tell you the truth, I always have dozen things going on.  Besides doing my custom orders for my Etsy shop, I have lots of other projects {mostly quilting} which keep be distracted busy *ahem*. One project too many!

so, here's what currently lying around across my dining table and sewing room 

#1  Sailor squares 


#2 Scrappy postage stamp QAL which going on in Instagram


#3 more wallet projects, all cut and ready to sew ;)


#4 HST baby quilt. I used Indian mulmul fabric here. Top is done just need to find a matching backing and quilting it


#5 MMDQ BOM - Dahlia by Madhu Mathur for Desi Quilters - Indian  Quilters Group on Facebook

#6 umbrella in a bottle 


# 7 my Desi Bee Double Star blocks. You can find my tutorial HERE

#8 My DQ Sunny Bees blocks
{I have more blocks but haven't taken the pics}


That's to name few. I still have more in my UFO bins. Arrghhh now I need to really take them out and put it up on the wall so that I can start finish them one by one. 
Out of sight out of mind 
That's really true, isn't it? *SIGH*


2.        How does my work differ from 
others of its genre?

Frankly speaking, I really don’t know how to answer this question. I think your work is an expression of who you are. I simply do what I love doing. You really cannot imitate someone, even if you’re doing the same work/pattern,  your personality will show in your work.



Personally, I like traditional quilt pattern more. Maybe I will give a modern twist on it. I am not very comfortable working with something abstract. I like something  with regularity.



My  color choice really depends on my mood, one day I’m in a bright color phase, sometimes I will be in a pastel color phase.




 But overall, I prefer something simple, sober and balanced  then ‘loud” ones. Even when I do scrappy project, I try to balance the colors and pattern.

Caterpillar



3.      Why do I create what I do?

As far as I remember, I always love sewing and crafting. I remembered I used to follow my mom around, when she gave craft classes in ladies club at my father’s workplace. When I was in college, I sewed my own dresses, making tote bags, decorating scarves, making cards, and what’s not. I even took sewing classes when my friends were taking computer classes. I guess it’s  my destiny. 



Crafting and sewing make me happy. Gifting handmade to people around me, give me immense pleasure 

Spring Swap

xmas gifts for a friend
And I always cherish all handmade gifts from my friends around the world

I love to use/wear handmade. 

fabric brooch

Why buy it, if you can make it ;)



4.      How does my creative process work?

Well, it usually starts with something  I see. Whether it’s a picture in a magazine/book, 





 a painting on the wall,  some movie I see, 

K-drama 

or fabrics. 


When I feel low and uninspired, I will start  tidying up my fabric piles, and I will immediately bursting with ideas. I’m a visual person. I need to write my ideas on a paper or computer to see how it is. 

no fancy app,a simple worksheet will do for me


Choosing the fabrics is very important for me. I will take days to decide which one will work best.  Then I will make few sample blocks, taking tons of photos, rearrange it on my design wall and try to visualize how it turn out.

This one?


or this?


I am making lots of notes as I go. Even as small as stitch length I use.
I like my work to be neat. I have many PhD {project half done} in my bin just because I'm not happy with how it turn out

36 patch qal
Matching points, an even stitch length, etc

Hand Applique table runner

one more thing, I like to tidy up my sewing table in the morning before I start sewing

tidy table and favorite songs in the background
and I'm ready to roll ;)

Ouch, that's quite a lot of pics

Well,that's more or less my story

So, now it’s my turn to tag my friends. It was rather difficult to tag cos lots of bloggers now prefer microblogging in twitter and instagram or share their work on Facebook.

 I personally enjoy writing and reading blogs. And sometimes, sharing tutorial too. So, here  are 2 talented Indian ladies who I want to hear their stories.

1. Anusha Krishnamurthy  who blogs at Petite Faerie. Her quilts are like painting. So lively and she writes well. She will take you to her creative journey and enjoy everything she writes. 

 2.  Diptee Raut who blogs here. She's another blogger who I recently follow. Met her through Desi Quilters and I enjoyed reading her witty stories. It's like reading those chic lit novel I love. She will make you laugh and giggles, while admiring her quilts. 


 3. My Indonesian friend living in KL mbak Hernik who blogs at Jari Jemari, one of few friend who inspired me to start quilting. 

So, let's hear their stories next Monday


Happy Blog Hopping





















  











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