Disney Quilt Swap Part 2

After finding out my original partner was ejected from the #disneyquiltswap four days before the shipping deadline, I had to expedite my usual stalking/brainstorming/creating process to make sure I was done on time.

My new partner was a fan of the Cinderella Castle at Walt Disney World since she got married there (lucky!). She had this poster in her inspiration board, so I decided to recreate it in her favourite colours. 

I added quilted fireworks in silver metallic, purple variegated, pink, and teal to match the colour story of the castle.

I also snuck in a hidden Mickey with glow-in-the-dark thread!

I made a Mickey Mouse label for the back again. Can't go wrong with the mouse! 

I made her a needlebook as well, from some Lady and the Tramp fabric, and included needles, wonderclips, a baby tiger needleminder and scissors with little pink Minnie Mouse bows.

Front

Inside

Back

I also made a pin cushion from a lion fabric that reminded me of the pride from Lion King. 

I somehow managed to get all this done in under a week, and got the package mailed out in time! Big thanks to my husband for taking the baby to give me the time I needed to finish. 

The complete package

From my partner, I received another awesome Ariel mini, this one with human Ariel walking out of the water in her shimmery dress. 

Now I have two Little Mermaid quilts; wouldn't you say my collection's complete?

Disney Quilt Swap Part 1

Before baby Stanley was born, I signed up for the #disneyquiltswap on Instagram. Since it didn't ship out until the beginning of April and baby was due mid February, I figured I would have plenty of time to plan, construct, and mail a mini quilt plus some extras to my partner.

My partner likes Mulan, especially Mushu and Crikee, so I dreamed up a mini quilt based on the first time they meet Mulan. That means fire, a dragon in shadow, and snarky quotes!

I created the background from 2" squares of yellow, orange, and red fabric placed in a gradient. Then I cut out silhouettes of Mushu and Crikee and used raw-edge appliqué to attach them to the quilt. I had to do a bit of embroidery for Crikee's legs and antenna, since they are way too skinny to cut out of fabric. 

Mushu

Crikee

I chose to use part of the Mushu quote "I'm not tiny, I'm travel sized for your convenience." I dropped the "for your convenience" simply because that was way too many letters to cut out! 

I had a brainstorm to try to make the quilting for this mini look like flames to evoke that first meeting scene even more. So using orange and yellow variegated thread, I free motion quilted flames all over the quilt. I used a black backing fabric to let the quilting pop. Last but not least, I made a quilt label in the shape of Mickey. 

The back with flame quilting

Mickey quilt label

Before mailing, I made a couple extra to include. I made a Beauty and the Beast needlebook complete with a rose needleminder, needles, wonder clips, and scissors. 

Front

Inside front

Inside back

Back

And because my partner likes Yzma from Emperor's New Groove, I recreated this scene:

I made an Emperor Kuzco flea, and painted two boxes to match the scene from the movie. This is such a fun and funny scene, that it deserved to be honoured with crafting! 

Then, with four days notice, I was informed that my partner had been kicked out of the swap! I had to start all over again for a new partner with less than a weeks worth of time and a newborn! My original partner contacted me and we agreed to do a private swap between the two of us, so this package still got to go to its rightful home.

In return, my partner sent me an Ariel mini quilt in the shape of a shell, a Mr. Tumnus cross stitched mini, and some awesome Harry Potter items. This was a super fun way to swap, as we knew that each other was sending to us, so we were able to post sneak peaks and get excited about our packages. 

Mini by Alyx Hashman

All these fabulous goodies!

Stay tuned for my next post showing what I made for partner number two!

Cotton + Steel Mini Quilt Swap: Pt 2: Outgoing

I had so much fun with the Cotton + Steel Mini Quilt Swap.  

It was the perfect excuse to sign up for the monthly Cotton + Steel Club over at Pink Castle Fabrics . This club is the best for building a stash of C+S without having to specifically choose what you want.  Which can be hard to do when you want everything!  After a few months, I had everything I needed and more to put together a mini quilt and extras for this swap.

My assigned partner said that she likes minimalist quilts made with paper piecing, loaded with amazing machine quilting.  Huh.  I can definitely rock the paper piecing, and I like minimalist quilts too, so that is no problem.  But I was very nervous about how I should quilt the thing.  My free motion skills are beginner at best.  I have dabbled in stipples and vines with leaves before, but nothing close to "amazing machine quilting."  But, inexperience has never stopped me before.  I am a first believer in just trying.  You never know how you might surprise yourself!

Completed quilt top

I chose a meandering geese pattern I spotted on Pinterest, some Essex linen, and a variety of C+S prints to make the top.  Then I spent the next couple weeks practicing graffiti doodling with pen and paper.  

My first attempt

This way I had some ideas of what kind of motifs worked well together, what filler designs I could use in between larger designs, and a general idea of placement within the quilt.  After making a quilt sandwich with a black backing to show off the quilting, I set to work.

First, I quilted triangle spirals inside the geese.  I decided to use the spool of Glow-in-the-Dark thread I have been hoarding.  Just in case the quilting was terrible, at least I had some special effects to fall back on!  Then I started the graffiti quilting.  My practice doodles definitely helped.  I ended up adding in other things as I went, and tried fancier designs as my confidence grew.  I wouldn't say the quilting is perfect, but I think I gave it a good try and am happy with the results!

Not too bad for my first time!

I designed a quilt label to look like a postcard, complete with a C+S stamp from one of the fabric prints, and bound it with a colourful print from the August line.  I prefer hand binding to machine binding, but up until this quilt, I have never been happy with my corners.  This quilt I really feel like I got those corners perfect!  It was a proud moment for me.

Look at those mitred corners in the binding!

All done and ready to send

After completing the quilt, I made a few extras to send along.  First, using another paper piecing pattern I found on Pinterest, I made a couple mix tape blocks, using C+S selvedge as the label to turn into a zippy pouch.  I think the little Hot Cross buns make the perfect wheels!  I stuffed the pouch with a notebook and pen, and some quilty washi tape.

Front and back of the pouch

I also made a needlebook (my fave quick project!) with mostly coral fabrics, and a pop of mustard inside.  And I finally got some wool felt from Modern Textiles when I was in Fargo last April, so I used some of the good stuff for the pages.  I also made a needleminder from the bunny fabric from the Mochi line.

I always love a needlebook

I rounded out the package with some lotion and lipgloss (always essential), some Canadian contraband treats (Coffee Crisp, Smarties, and the illegal-in-the-US Kinder Egg!), and a Berenstain Bears book called God Bless Our Home, as my partner just recently moved to a new house!

Rolled up for shipping

I had a great time putting together this package, and loved getting to know my partner through her photos.  It's always nice to make a new friend, and what better way than by sending a fun present?!

If you want to see what I received in this swap, see Cotton +Steel Mini Quilt Swap: Pt 1: Incoming

Charley Harper Swap pt 2: Outgoing

The #charleyharpersewnstudio swap wrapped up at the beginning of April. My partner finally got the package yesterday (it took 3 weeks to get from Winnipeg to Tennessee - ridiculous!) My partner said that her favourite prints are Foxsimilies, Family owlbum, and Mice Invasion. So I incorporated all of them into the package I sent.

A Charley Harper label to hint at what's inside!

First, the mini quilt. I waffled back and forth about what I wanted to do, until inspiration hit in the shower (where I do all my best thinking). I decided to recreate Family Owlbum as the main feature of the quilt. 

The original artwork

The owls were pretty challenging. I combined a few different techniques to achieve the final project. I used English Paper Piecing to make the large eyes and the baby owls. I used machine and hand applique to attach all the small parts, and embroidery to draw around the eyes. 

The owl family

I used needle turn applique to attach the portrait to the centre of a cream panel, and added four circles of the feathers fabric around the owls. Then I framed the whole thing using the twigs fabric as the corners. 

The front, before quilting

On the back, I attached a label made to look like a Charley Harper nest. 

This is my favourtie label ever

I wanted to make the circles really pop, so I left them unquilted, and did some free motion stiples around them on the cream fabric. And I did straight line quilting in the frame. I attempted machine binding for the first time for this project, because I wanted to try using a decorative stitch on the binding.  I prefer hand binding.  Maybe I'm just not very good at machine binding, but I wasn't thrilled with how it turned out.  

After quilting

Free motion stiples

Binding closeup

Love the pop!

In hindsight, I wish I would have centred the quilt label on the back to coincide with the owl on the front. It ended up half in and half out of the stiples, which I think is less than ideal. 

The back, post quilting

I made a few extras to include with the mini quilt. I made a needle book featuring Foxsimilies during my stay at 52 Quilters.

Those elephants were perfect for the inside!

I made a needleminder from the ladybug fabric.

And I made a pincushion/jar from the Mice Invasion fabric.

Jar and button courtesy of Grandma's hoarding!

I loved putting this package together for my partner. I enjoy Charley Harper's artwork so much, so it was a lot of fun to get to interact with it like this. Thanks Sewn Studio for hosting this super fun swap!

If you liked this post, you may be interested to see what I received in this swap!

Charley Harper Swap pt1: Incoming

And if you love reading about my love for Charley Harper, here's a few other gems for you.

Feelin' Good on a Wednesday: Charley Harper Love!

The Charley Harper Conundrum

The Charley Harper Resolution

First Rosette! (2015 project of the year)

I finished my first rosette for my La Passacaglia quilt! 

I used some of my Bluebird Park fabric from Kate and Birdie to put this cog together. It was definitely a challenge to figure out what direction I wanted to go with this. At first, I had a different centre to this cog. 

The original version

I just wasn't feeling it though. I tried auditioning other fabrics, but nothing was really working. 

Neither really works....

So I percolated with it for a while to figure out what was wrong with it. I looked through so many pictures of rosettes that other people had made, and thought a lot about what I liked about them. I realized that one thing I love about these quilts is the beauty in repetition. Another thing I love, is the distinct layers of each cog, like a bullseye. A bold star shape in the middle is a solid base to build upon. 

So when I looked at mine, I felt like it was strong in repetition, but weak in the distinct layers, especially the star. So I picked apart what I had so far and started over with the centre. I changed the middle to make a definite star, and changed the long diamond shapes to the green with a white flower instead of the dark grey linen. The dark grey just blended in too much with the bunnies/butterflies above. Also, the green tied in with the star points so much better. I like the final version much more than the original. 

In the making of this first rosette, I also realized the need for some fussy cutting templates. So I made some (and wrote a tutorial, in case you need some too!). And I also felt the need for a needleminder. I was inspired by @tinkerellen on Instagram to put together a simple magnetic needleminder made from a small wooden fox. 

He fits in well here!

And in case you were wondering what size these pieces are, here is a picture to give you an idea of the scale. 

Tiny!

I have really enjoyed working on this first rosette. The journey so far has been so enlightening, and I loved figuring out what works and what doesn't. I can't wait to keep making more!

To read more about this project, have a look at :

The Homemade Heart's La Passacaglia Quilt Index