Foundation Piecing

Whilst researching for my mosaic for Mouthy Stitches, I came across this fabulous design and couldn't stop thinking about it.

I've not used foundation piecing before but thought it might be worth giving it a whirl. So, I sorted out some diamond templates from paper and set too. There seem to be various learnings on foundation piecing - some stitch straight through the foundation paper, others suggest you should not do this. I opted for the latter, just stitching at each corner around the diamond then slip stitching the 6 diamonds together & pressing before removing the foundation pieces. I stitched the finished star onto a 9" piece of backing fabric and then machine & hand quilted per the original.

First try using same fabrics as in Mouthy Stitches swap pouch with Osnaburg

Reverse & interior - you can just see the 3 lines of hand quilting I added to the back for continuity

Pouch no. 2 using my beloved Echo prints and grey solid cotton for the background

Reverse of pouch showing lining, zipper choice & straight line machine quilting

 I actually have another on the go using my Joel Dewberry Heirloom fabrics. I think I may be a little zippy pouch addicted! But what a great way to use a little of my fabric mountain for fabulous linings and deminish a little of those ever growing scraps I seem to hoard - both fabric and batting!

Seriously, though - when I can't be bothered to drag my machine from the top shelf in the dining room and set it all up, these foundation pieced stars are a great way to share evenings with DH snuggling under a quilt and catching up on some telly. We've recently re-discovered BBC iPlayer through our fabulous internet TV and have been watching some great British Dramas - Prisoner's Wives we are now up to date with - The Insiders is next on the itinerary - two down, two more to watch this evening!

Who knows - I might even start a foundation pieced quilt. Or am I really that crazy???

A Bit of Lou Lou Thi

*Picture heavy post coming!*

I am still here - it's been a mamouth month with my 39th birthday (eek! Too close to 40 now!!) and our 3rd Sarah's Cards Ltd retreat at the beginning of the month followed by monthly kit packing, grab boxes and then a nasty cold to contend with. But I have still managed a little sewing

I bought a half yard set of Anna Maria Horner's Lou Lou Thi range from Fabricworm a little earlier this year and have been pondering what to do with it. In the end, I made 3 quilts! It's surprising just how far 5 yards (10 x half yards of print) will stretch when teamed with solids - in fact, I still have enough scraps for a few pots or pencil cases if patchworked together. We'll see. I am trying to build my scraps a little to make a string quilt eventually.

So, for the first, I purchased some Kona Ash from Mandy and set to making another HST Quilt. I had slightly miscalculated, so had to order more for the back, but really like how it came out.

I used the same fabric to make a scrappy binding for this one and quilted on the grey Kona, around 1/4 inch away from the coloured fabric. It makes the colours pop more somehow

The next one I made using Bleach White Kona (almost ivory white - it suited these prints - I think white may just have been a little too stark)

I had intended to make a zig zag quilt using these HST's when I first started but really wanted to see how it would look in this pattern (which is my absolute fave right now!).

I do want to make a zig zag quilt at some point but when you've gone to all the effort of 130 HST's (to include the zig zag on the back) I somehow feel that zig zag is the "easy looking" option. I may try Crazy Mom's Quilts zig zag without the HST's - we'll see!

Finally, I made another stacked coin quilt

I just love this and love love love the colours of these fabrics together. I always lean towards blues, aquas, greens, browns & greys so it was great fun using these brighter prints.

The top grey sashing quilt is finished - the other two have backs but need to be basted & bound - a job for the coming week. All three quilts are destined as presents - I wonder if the recipients can guess which is for them??!

Linking up to Crazy Mom Quilts Finish it Up Friday, week 5 (yes I know that technically it is Saturday here but, hey! It's still Friday somewhere in the world!)

xxx