Really Big George- Finished!

In another avoidance tactic from sewing the other curtain (I really will have to finish that next) I finished “Really Big George”- based on a photo of Giant George. If you don’t know who Giant George, he was- until extremely recently- the biggest dog in the world ever!

This quilt is about a square metre and I have put it in my Etsy shop, but it’s not cheap 😉

There’s several different FMQ styles in there- my usual thread sketching but also I followed the design on the front on the background which gave a lovely effect. The fabric is from Heirloom by Joel Dewberry by the way.

The back is just simply Kona Natural, and the applique fabrics are a total mix of different manufacturers and designers I couldn’t possibly name them all.

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WIP Wednesday: Really Big George (and a lovely fabric stack)

Since it’s Wednesday, I decided to show you one of my new WIPs, based on Giant George…

It’s now all glued together and I need to sew it next and then quilt it! It’s only taken a couple of days to turn the edges under and glue. The background is Modern Meadow by Joel Dewberry and I think it looks great. I should probably get back to making my curtains soon now that’s sort of out of my system.

And this stack came through the post yesterday, just after I wrote I’m expecting my last few fabric packages before Christmas and not ordering anything else. I was lucky enough to win a $50 gift voucher for Abbi Mays from the Pets on Quilts competition on Lilypad Quilting and this is what I bought! 6x 1m cuts of Keiki Oops a Daisy from Moda. I only ordered Friday 17th from the US and they arrived in the UK on Tuesday 21st! AMAZING!

A new dog quilt

I have got a few WIPs I need to finish, a bee block to put borders on, a block to make for Fat Quarterly and a pattern I want to make into a top so I can sell my pattern.

HOWEVER (cue crappy iPhone picture featuring chewed pen)…

I have decided to map out my next dog quilt instead. It’s of Giant George, or Really-Big George as we like to call him. I just need to blow this up to span several sheets of A3 and get mapping… How big do you reckon I should go?

Right it’s bingo night and I’m hungry! Bye for now!

Penny and Fletcher – all finished at last!

It’s finally done, the binding is on, the sleeve has been sewn onto the back, the paint has been set, my label is attached and it’s in the post…

I’ve pretty much dedicated my weekend to this quilt. Aside from housework, a jaunt to Morrisons, a nap, reading Giant George’s book, watching Snakes on a Plane again and cooking roast beef, this is what I’ve been doing.

Saturday saw me finish the quilting after finally getting to grips with the free motion pre-flight checks I had to run on the machine, then Sunday morning was the painting and doubt stage (thank you to everyone who gave me feedback on the painting!), by lunch time I had set the paint and by tea I had sewn on the binding, made the sleeve (using this tutorial) and sewn that on too. By bedtime the label was tacked to the back and the threads had been tidied up and lint rollered to remove real dog hairs. It’s being posted today!

I would probably make another one. I say that- I actually quite liked the process and WANT to make another one, I’m not yet sure of the subject matter though. I’m planning on selling the pattern from the next one I do so it will take a bit of thought. Maybe a puffin from my photos last week? Or the vintage HMV dog (if I don’t sell the pattern), or maybe even a landscape. I’m really not sure yet but if you have any ideas of something other people might want to make too, you know where the comments box is!

One month today and I will be seeing it on display at the Festival of Quilts! Are you going?

“Penny & Fletcher” Technical details:
Finished size 48.5″ x 30″
Technique: Machine Turned Edge Applique
Fabrics used: Mostly scraps from my box- I didn’t keep track of them all, but there is some Pezzy Print by American Jane, a scrap of my own fabric, some Meadow Friends by Deb Strain and a couple of grey fabrics from Ruby by Bonnie and Camille.
Paint: Pebeo Setacolor in transparent black (with lightener), transparent tan and transparent dark sienna.
Piecing: Madeira Monofilament
Quilting: Machine quilted in thread painting style on dogs, bubbles on noses, squiggles (and name) on white and straight line on blue. Gutermann thread, mostly 414 but some dark grey, tan, dark brown, black and a varigated Aurifil at one point.
Backing: Peach Klona cotton
Binding: White Klona cotton

If you want to follow some other people making their first ever quilts for the Festival, see Ali (though she’s not giving very much away 😉 ) and Dvine‘s blogs…

Want to enter a raffle to win your own custom pet quilt like this? Click HERE!

Did you get here from Lily Pad Quilting’s Pets on Quilt competition? Click here to go back!

I am REALLY enjoying cutting and sticking…

I decided at the end of last week to enter this year’s Festival of Quilts in the Pictorial category. I’ve never entered a quilt competition before (you could say I’ve never made a quilt without flaws too) and I’ve also never made a pictorial quilt which makes this decision slightly crackers, but nevertheless it gave me an excuse to start on an art quilt that I’ve wanted to do for a few weeks (see this post for when the urge started!). It will be amazing to see my work on display with all the other fantastic pieces!

Here’s what I’ve done so far… I made an image map from the photo on the wall and then made freezer paper templates over the top before pressing, cutting and sticking… (starting on Fletcher first):

HOWEVER I am going to be a bit short on tonal brown fabrics for Penny – though I have lots of fabrics that a re largely brown, they have too many other colours in with them- and being a bit strapped for cash I’m going to have to not buy new. The fabrics I have used so far are already in my stash or scrap box. So, this is where the second round of Lucy’s Fugly Fabric Party comes in (OK so it technically doesn’t start for another 4 days but I like being early to the party, and it will still continue over that time, so there :P)

So I propose a brown fugly fabric amnesty!

Have you got some browns that I can have? I don’t need a lot- up to a fat quarter size of a couple of different styles in a few shades is all- in fact charm squares are probably going to be just fine for some parts. Ugly is fine as long as they’re brown, so break out your icky batiks, solids, fossil ferns, marbles, etc and send me them! In return I can offer you an equal amount of colourful and pretty fabric scraps, charm squares (including spare Pezzy Print) and FQs, or a couple of pounds if you prefer, just drop me an e-mail (kerry_l_wilkinson(AT!)hotmail.com) and we’ll go from there.

If you want to see how I’m progressing with the doggy quilt, I will be uploading pictures to Flickr (little box over there –> ) rather than updating here all the time and boring people who aren’t actually interested…

Thanks for your help!

P.S. Would making a pictorial quilt in this way be of interest to you as a sewalong later in the year?