Cathedral Flora Quilt Blocks

These were the May block for my MetaQuilter quilting group. The designer Melissa chose some great fabrics, and she pointed us to a detailed tutorial explaining exactly how to put them together. I had admired cathedral window quilt blocks in the past but figured they were probably really difficult. Turns out that bias is magic, baby! I LOVED doing these! I used my trusty Uhu glue stick to aid in the initial triangle placement, and after that everything came together perfectly. My patchwork skills are improving nicely and I’m finding it much easier to get my seams to line up.

I’m now 5-for-5 on my MetaQuilter blocks! I have to say though, I was disappointed when the organiser sent out an email offering amnesty to the apparently several people who haven’t been sending their blocks back. That sucks. I understand that life happens, but why would you sign up for a group that involves people paying money to send you lots of fabric and then not follow through? Gah. Frankly, I wouldn’t be surprised if the whole thing falls apart before we get to my month (which is scheduled to be December)…

Another completed sewing project! Tova Top in vintage cotton. Not sure it’s me…

Commenter Mel recently recommended I check out the Tova Top/Dress pattern. It’s a downloadable PDF, so on a whim I bought it. As soon as I did I started to second guess it. It’s really much more of Fiona’s style than my own. But what the heck – I should branch out, right? Last weekend I convinced the Snook to go on a bike ride with me to the Sydney Fabric-a-brac for some fabric stash acquisition. I was looking for something interesting to make the Tova, and I settled on this blue vintage cotton. I got 1.7m for $7, which was just enough to make the shirt. The project was very quick to put together, starting Saturday night and finishing Sunday morning.

It was interesting to sew from a non-Colette pattern, since that’s what I’ve been using so much lately. The markings were different and I kept forgetting/missing them. The instructions are relatively easy to follow though. I had been worried about setting in the sleeves, but I breezed through that. The hardest part was actually attaching the front inset pieces, which require you to pin and sew on three 90-degree sides of a square (with the bottom also involving gathers). Yeah, I swore a bit through that part. But overall in terms of technical skill, I feel like I’m coming along leaps and bounds. This is definitely the best constructed garment I’ve made yet.

That said, I knew when I tried it on halfway through that there were going to be sizing issues. I made the largest size – which is a 14 – but I think it’s definitely intended for a more slender, boyish figure. It’s quite tight around my hips, which made me glad I didn’t go straight to the dress. (If I do that, I’ll definitely be adding in some width there.) I could also use some more width across the shoulders. I feel like if I crossed my arms tightly, I could pop a seam! And along with that, maybe a bit more depth in the armhole.

So not a total win, but definitely a wearable muslin. It’s totally in the “post-modern Laura Ingalls meets Japanese minimalism” vibe that I was going for. (Whether I can work that into my wardrobe is another question.) And I’ve got some good solid pointers for how to adjust the size on my next one. On to the next challenge!

Modified Log Cabin Quilt Blocks
I just realised that I forgot to blog the April MetaQuilter quilt blocks! I finished these really early in the month and posted them off to Melissa, the designer for the month. They were a simple modified log cabin. Well, I say “simple,” but it’s just not patchwork if I don’t cut something the wrong size and swear repeatedly. But I managed to get them right in the end. 🙂

Melissa said to feel free to put in any scraps we had that were LOUD. So the piece with the crazy fruit on it is actually mine!

I sewed myself a new shirt today! #crafty

Edited to add: This is the Colette Sorbetto, a free PDF pattern. I modified it by leaving off the front pleat and adding some sleeves. The fabric is a Liberty Tana Lawn I bought last year. I’m still learning, so simple tops like this give me plenty of practice. I think this one will get some wear!

Earn Your Stripes Quilt Blocks
Quilting took a back seat for a few weeks as I frantically finished all my Easter Show projects. Finally today I got a chance to put together the March MetaQuilter blocks. Amelia was the designer this month, and her quilt is the Earn Your Stripes quilt from Block Party: The Modern Quilting Bee. These were fairly free form, and I had fun playing with the beautiful fabrics she sent. I’ll be posting these off tomorrow…