Memory Quilt

Here's the finished Memory Quilt! All my old band /camp t-shirts remembered for eternity!

Some things I learned:

1. T-shirts are stretchy.
Very stretchy.
Very, very stretchy.
Stretchier than you ever dreamed of.
Even with ironing on fusible stabiliser.
Even when you've quilted it.
It still moves.

2. Using a few matching fabrics really brings the design together.

When I looked at the t-shirts I was using for my quilt NONE of them matched. Yeah, there was a few blues and browns but there was also bright pinks and greens stuck in there too. I used Makower - Mineral Forest in Pumice, Dear Stella Ravena Navy Sunburst and Dear Stella Ravena Cream Vine from Plush Addict. Using the blues and browns as a basis, I then picked out other fabrics with those colours plus pinks and green in them. I think it worked quite well and was more pleasing to the eye.

3. My boyfriend is really hot

4. I love Beck apparently.
A lot.

Just go with it.
My t-shirts went baggy on the quilt. I could have quilted over them (I would if I did it again) but I didn't. I still love it. It's comfy and cosy and MY quilt.

The backing is from Ikea. Gotta love it.

Evening Star Quilt

A bit of an alternative "Evening Star" block that I saw somewhere on Pinterest and now can't find it again!

I used "Moda's 30's Playtime" charm square pack, a solid pale lemon and a solid white. The border, sashing and backing are all from a vintage sheet picked up in a charity shop.

The "Flying Geese" border was sewn using foundation piecing because it's just so much easier (until you have to rip the paper out of the back!) This quilt began as a baby quilt but I kept adding bits until it's now a bit smaller than a single!

I love the vintage feel of this quilt and the slightly aged "shrunken" look that some quilts get when they are washed. I think this one will be an heirloom...

Colour Love/The Grand Budapest Hotel

What a magnificent, joyous film. As with every Wes Anderson, the attention to detail in the set design and characters is just beautiful. Feeling very inspired by the gorgeous bright pink/rose/fuchsia cake boxes from Mendl's... there's a recipe for how to a make a Mendl's Courtesan au Chocolat at the end of the post (I am available for tasting if needed).

Frida Kahlo Baby Quilt

Hooray! I've just finished my Frida Kahlo Baby Quilt. I'm sooooo happy with it.

I used a simple triangle design using the fabulous EZ Quilting Triangle Acrylic Template. It makes everything so easy to measure.

I added a wide yellow border and rounded the edges (using a plate as a guide!). The Frida Kahlo & sugar skull fabric was a gift from a friend and is called "Frida Skulls" from the Folklorico range by Alexander Henry. The rest of the fabric are leftover scraps of Kona Solids and a vintage pillowcase. Unfortunately, on the back I used a fleece blanket. In theory this was going to work well but I hadn't looked at the fabric properly and it was actually ridged with a stretch in it :( Lots of tucks ensued and therefore there are no pictures of the back...

I must admit I have never done rounded corners before in 14 years of quilting! It's very easy though as long as you cut the fabric for the binding on the bias. That gives it a nice stretch so it doesn't wrinkle at the edges.

The black & white pic on the wall is me as a baby!