A Quilt Made with Love for Siblings Together

In just 3 days time I'm going to be bound for London, heading to the Fat Quarterly Retreat 2014.   I'm so excited!  I had such a fabulous time last year (read about it here) I just can't wait to meet friends old and new, and have some quilty fun all over again.

This year I'm not going empty handed.  I shall be handing over this quilt to the charity Siblings Together. 

I used a couple of charm packs, mixed and matched, and went for a very 'loud' but fun pink dot border.  I love pink and orange, so I quilted the central panel using a bright orange.   

The binding is a funky geometric design, part of the Comma collection by Zen Chic.  It's crazy but I like it!

I really wanted the recipient of this quilt to know that they are loved and that someone is thinking about them. So I appliquéd a little heart on the back, capturing this little humming bird.

Tula Pink's fabric also features on the back for an added injection of colour!

It's not a big quilt, but I don't think it needs to be.

All I have to do now is sew on the label Catherine sent me, and squash it into my 'hand luggage' sized suitcase.  This is one finish I will be happy to part with, knowing that it will brighten someone's day knowing that they are loved.  

Sarah x

Hello Kitty!

It's the eve of the 5th birthday party.  My goodness it's been a long time coming.  Preparations have been under way for weeks.  No months.  Because about 6 months ago I had the crazy idea to turn a cross stitch pattern into a quilt.  Not just any quilt.  Oh no. It had to be a very special Hello Kitty quilt for my daughter's 5th birthday.  Which seemed like a good idea at the time, until this week when it was touch and go whether it was going to be finished in time for the Hello Kitty Party.  

It's been a crazy week of stitching.  I mean, non-stop stitching in between being a full time mum and part time teacher.  But I did it.  All 730 two inch squares of her.  Phew!!  And here she is.  

Can you see the horizontal quilting?  It took me a loooong time.  But I think it's worth it.  I wanted all that white space to have lots of lovely texture, and I think it has, what do you think?  

I also used this quilt as an opportunity to try out a new technique that I learnt in a workshop with award winning quilter Philippa Naylor.  

I just love the look of the piping next to the binding and it's definitely something I'll do again.  Sure, it's quite a bit of extra work, but I think it's worth it.  

I'm feeling pleased that a little vision of turning a cross stitch into a quilt actually worked.  This is how she started. 

And here she is as a quilt.  Kitty's favourite pastime is laying in sun.  

And I'm very envious because I can't remember the last time I laid in the sun for more than 5 minutes...I've got a party to organise!  

Quilt Stats:

Pattern:  Hello Kitty Cross Stitch Chart
Size: Approx 50" x 60"
Fabric: Kona Coal, White, Azalea, Carnation
Backing: Kate Spain
Thread: Aurifil
Quilting: 1/2 inch horizontal straight line quilting
Pieced and Quilted by: Me

Sarah x

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Crazy Mom Quilts