Creative designing and some new blocks

This morning Mr K. was packing for a short trip to Sweden, for a casting competition. He asked if I had a piece of fabric I could use for something he had in mind and needed, today. Well, as you know I save all kinds of rest pieces, and had a long and narrow scrap of green fabric I had used to make summer trousers for our youngest, many years ago. Mr K.'s suggestions for this project were quite useless, so I did some thinking and soon the scrap of green fabric had turned into this:

I added the flap because I wanted the contents to be safe.

His casting rods will now be safe and unscratched. He has such faith in my skills in the sewing room and still he is every time so surprised when I can fulfill his wishes, be it a simple pouch for a reel or a tailored fly fishing vest with 19 pockets and ten zippers.

Best of all, he remembered to pack every rod he will need there. 

I have been busy with the sampler blocks this week. The Splendid Sampler button on my right sidebar takes you to the QAL's website, and there you can find all the patterns, 34 by now plus many bonus projects, for free.

This is finally my block number 20, using a piece of the antique cushion cover I showed in my previous post.

I'm working on another stitched block, number 31, but this flower was a quick one:

I use the blanket stitch of my Husqvarna Viking Sapphire 870 Quilt for the applique.

The selvedge block was an easy one, and I could finally use at least some of the selvedges I have been saving ever since I saw the most wonderful dress .

The newest block, Lemonade, was a bit scary. I have only sewn a couple of curved quilt block seams in my life, and didn't like them, and didn't do very well. It was in a class,  for a very ugly cushion cover I never used. I'm taking this quilt-along as a learning process, so I thought I'll keep sewing those two seams until I manage to produce two 2" squares. I have enough of those fabrics. To my great surprise, my first attempts were, after being ironed, quite acceptable. So, here is my Lemonade:

Happy Scrappiness

My top is finished! At least I think so. I left out 15 leaping bunnies on the sashings and some small wool appliques from around the quilt.

 

 

 

I was surprised how fun and easy it was to applique the wool fabric on the blocks. I have done a fair amount of applique by hand using cotton fabrics and a heat and bond material, and especially when there are many layers, getting the needle through was difficult. This worked like a dream!

 

All the fabrics in this quilt are from my stash except for the dark brown squares of the sashings. Most fabrics are also recycled, plaid and other shirts from the family and the almost last bits of my grandmother's grey and pink floral summer dress. The stitcheries are on quilting fabrics in cream and white. I had only some suitable wool scraps at home and so I  bought the wool felt I needed from Raspberry Rabbits, not only because their name was so suitable for this quilt but also because they delivered something to me earlier and I was very pleased with it.

 

Kaaren of The Painted Quilt who designed this quilt, has had an operation and is recovering from it in hospital. Maybe you would like to pop in at her blog and wish her well?

There was some rain in the morning but in the afternoon the clouds were gone and I could have a photo shoot outdoors.  But who is there on the lawn?

 

I zoom my camera like a paparazzi and reveal the secret: Mr. K getting a finishing touch for tomorrow's Finnish Championships, of course.

 

 

Can you see the bumble bee in this flower? The air is full of humming and buzzing, and this bee had yellow pollen all over its furry back. Bees and wasps and all other insects are having a feast with the flowers and fallen apples and last raspberries.

 

Have a very nice weekend!