Round the World Blog Hop

I was asked by the lovely Margreth from Quiltstudio 22 to join the "Round the World Blog Hop" and I thought why not?  I love the idea of getting to know more about one quilter to another other than their beautiful quilts they make.

1) What am I working on?

Currently I have been working on my English paper piecing Star quilt that I started about 2 years ago.  It's a very long on going project but one that I enjoy working on when I don't feel like sitting in front of the sewing machine.  It is also a great way to use up scraps and play with different prints, colours and fabrics with abandon inhibition.

2) How does my work differ from other its genre?

Having only started getting into quilting three years ago, it's hard to define how my work differs from others.  I am still in the process of discovering what my 'signature' is.  However...

I do love simple geometry type quilts as I feel it makes a lovely interesting play of fabric and in my opinion by far the best way to showcase the fabric.  For example this simple Half Squared Triangle Baby Quilt,  Snowball Baby Quilt and Madeleine's Quilt

I am starting to love using print on print fabrics as I feel it gives a simple block an interesting story to tell.  For example this Economy Baby Quilt 

I also do love working with colours.  I think colours whether bold or subtle would be one thing that I enjoy playing with the most.  For example Pinkylicious Wunderland Quilt and Summer Love Quilt

Last but not least, I do love hand stitching.  Even though it's a long process, I find that by adding some hand stitching, it adds another dimension and texture to the quilt top.  Here is an example of a hand quilted baby quilt for Olivia

3) How do I write/create what I do?

For me quilting is a hobby that I enjoy very much.  It is sort of my relaxation time when I am not studying and working full-time.  It is also a great a way for me express myself creatively.  

I draw countless of inspiration from Instagram and the quilting community on Instagram.  I also draw my creativity from nature, images, prints and colours.  In addition, commission quilts allows me the opportunity to explore with the client they types of prints, colourway, pattern and style which allows me to be adventures and suggest styles that both the client and I could potentially explore.

4) How does my writing/creative process work?

My creative process starts from either a fabric collection, a pattern I see online, objects, patterns and colours around me or inspirations from other quilters.  Then I would start drafting the pattern on Auto Cad, playing with the block to create a design that I would resonate with.  After that I would add in colours from the fabric that I intend to use it with.  It helps in visualising how the fabrics would talk to each other together with the intended block.  

When I am satisfied with the design, I will tend start on calculating how much fabric I would need and cutting measurements.  When all that is done, the fun part begins when I cut into the fabric and start assembling the the quilt top together.  Here is an example of the creative process I go through to the end product for Under the Sea Quilt

I hope you have enjoyed reading a little about my creative process and where is all comes from. 

The next person that I would love to continue the link to the blog hop is Mary from Molly Flanders Makerie.  Mary is an amazing talented quilter.  She inspirational, always generous with sharing her skills and her contribution to the quilting community is one to treasure.

Thank you for stopping by and giving me your time to read this "Round the World Blog Hop."

Jacqueline
xx

Blogger's Quilt Festival 2014

Another year of the fantastic Blogger's Quilt Festival.  

This is a great festival to have a look at the array of beautiful, creative and inspirational quilts.

Here's my submission for the original design quilt - Flutter Your Wings

This is my very first own design of flying geese. I love the way the arrangements gives a sense of wings fluttering in the wind.

This quilt is hand quilted following the flow of the design to further accentuate the idea of wings fluttering in the sky.

More photos and information on material, fabrics, and dimensions can be found here

Here is the link to Blogger's Quilt Festival website.  

Hurry up and come join in the fun as today is the last day to submit your designs (23rd May).

Stripey

I have always find making a baby boy's quilt a little challenging.  Not because I am bias to a particular gender but what I struggle with is the fabric selections.  I wasn't particular drawn to animals, rockets, dinosaurs or cowboy prints.  What I wanted was a quilt that had a bit more millage that could see the use of it from new born to say 10-11 years old. I also wanted something modern for this quilt.

So I thought... what would be suitable for a baby boy's quilt?  In came in stripes! I thought it would be suitable for 1) a boy's quilt 2) modern 3) millage.

I have decided on a simple hourglass design to express a modern feel to the quilt, and I was also pressed for time as I had to get this done before 2nd semester of school starts next week - Bo!

Any how, I am very happy with the outcome of the quilt.  By adding some blue clown stripe fabrics from Michael Miller combined with the fat quarter bundle of the colourful stripes and white solid fabric has made this quilt simple, modern and suitable for a boy.

I have opt for a simple grey solid backing from Kona called 'Iron' and added a boarder of the quilt design vertically to give the backing some detail.  I have machine quilted this quilt with simple horizontal and vertical lines, about an inch spacing in between seams.

I must admit that my lines are a little wonky and not completely dead straight but I hope with lots of quilting practice in years to come, I would master it a wee bit.

This quilt is making its way to London as present for a dear friend who is expecting her second child.  I hope she will love it and will keep the baby warm till he is too 'grown up' for it.

Quilt facts:
Size: Approximate 45" x 54"
Fabric: Stripe from a FQ bundle, Clown stripes in Aqua & Blue by Michael Miller, Solid White by Emma Louise; backing in Kona solid 'Iron'
Quilting: Machine quilted using Auril 40wt in White

Progress

I have been on a snail pace at the moment with my quilting journey due to the demands of work and studies.  It has been hard finding the time to do some quilting but... Here are some photos of the progress since starting this project in February.

I figured that every little time I have, no matter how slow and long it takes to piece these together, the closer I am to having it finished.

I must say I am happy with the progress with no deadline attached to it

Thank you for stopping by and Happy quilting!

Happiness is...

Chocolate &

English paper piecing over the long Easter break.

Happy Easter!

A Few More Dots...

Nearly there with Fluery Dresden quilt, just a few more dots to applique and it'll be ready for hand quilting which I hope I'll get to do over the Easter break.

"What I make with my hands, I give of my Heart" (www.aprairiehomequilts.com)

Summer Love Quilt

Summer is outdoor entertaining, BBQ and Stan Getz

Summer is warmth on your skin, sunglasses and summer dresses

Summer is fun, cheeky and exuberant

Summer is beach, sand and sunscreen

Summer is ice-cream, mango and watermelons

Summer is love.

Quilt facts:
Size: 92.5" x 92.5" (washed)
Fabric: California girl charm pack, Bella solids in Feather, and Paisley in Pink inner border; backing fabric in Super ring dots in cream by Red rooster fabrics 210; scrappy binding
Quilting: Machine pieced and hand quilted using DMC Perle no.8 in Ecru
Time frame: 4 months

Progress links:
Slow & Steady
WIP Summer Love Quilt
Summer Lovin'

Paper + Fabric

Who would have thought using paper and fabric together would result in a lovely quilt?  That's right, I am talking about English paper piecing (EPP).  I have seen some lovely examples in the blog world and have always been in oohs and aahs about them.  So I thought I would give it a go myself.  It was not as daunting as I thought it would be once I figured out the size of the diamond template I want, go through the tutorials and Viola! I have made my very first star EPP.

The fabric combination are endless and I think it is a good way to experiment on different fabric colours, designs and texture that you never thought could look good together, or to use up your scraps from other projects.  I found a few great blogs that has really good tutorials on EPP and some really beautiful EPP quilts for inspiration.

Tutorial links:
EPP Tutorial - selfsewn
EPP Graph & Tutorial - My Bear Paw

Inspiration links:
EPP Inspirational Quilts -selfsewn
EPP Rose Star WIP Quilt - Sewing Over Pins

Happy Quilting!

p/s: Clare @ selfsewn is giving away a star quilt - all you have to do is follow her blog and leave a comment.

Summer Loving Work In Progress

I picked up my Summer Lovin' quilt yesterday after leaving it undone for close to three months.  I had to put it on hold to make way for the Swoon quilt and Childhood quilt.

Now that summer is here, I am hoping I'll get it done by end of the month (fingers crossed).

Hand quilting is a slow but therapeutic process.  It produces an organic feel to the quilt which I think adds to the overall look to the quilt.

Hand quilting can feel overwhelming at the beginning but once you get into the rhythm of it, it is not as daunting as it seems.  I have attached a tutorial on hand quilting by Sarah Fielke on my last blog, do check it out.  I have done my hand quilting a little differently, I don't use a quilting loop but spread out the basted quilt on my dinning table.  So far it has worked well on big quilts like this.  However, I am going to try hand quilting with the quilting loop at some stage this year.

In the meantime... Happy Quilting!

p/s:  I have found a new love - Instagram (I am a little slow in catching up with things like these).  You can follow me at http://instagram.com/bind_quilts

I Heart Quilts