I am very excited to enter my TARDIS quilt in the Blogger's Quilt Festival.
The TARDIS is designed by the time lords of Gallifrey. (TARDIS = Time and Relative Dimension in Space)
This quilt, however, is an original design by me. This is my favorite way to make a quilt - have a general idea what I am going for and then make it up as I go. Putting the TARDIS 'on point' to imply flying through space (and time) was a bit of a risk as I cut the background fabric but it worked!
My DD is a big time fan of the BBC show Dr Who. She has managed to convert me as well.
This TARDIS quilt was gifted to her for Christmas - gifted in a very incomplete state. See the batting peaking out of my quilt sandwich in the photo? There were no pins - it was all basted - and it took me another few weeks to finish as she impatiently waited (and waited.) This was by far the largest quilt I have ever FMQ on my home machine. All the features of the TARDIS were outlined and then I did a basic stipple section by section.
When she opened her gift, her squeals of delight were the kind everyone should hear when they gift a quilt. My DD loves that can lie on top of the quilt, curl up slightly and 'fit inside the TARDIS.'
I had fun with the quilt label, wishing her well through adventures in time and space!
The quilt measures 48 x 63 inches. Fabric used was Bella Admiral Blue and Slate Gray along with two panels from Spoonflower, one of them gifted from a new blogging friend Rebeckah. The background is Kasuri Woven Texture in gray. The back is a gray flannel.
The Blogger's Quilt Festival is sponsored by Amy from AmysCreativeSide. The festival begins today, May 17 and nominations are open from May 23-27. Voting for favorites in each category go from May 28 through May 31 with winners announced on June 1. This quilt is entered into Bed Quilts category.
And just because, here is the photo of the real TARDIS with my DD's favorite Doctor.
Happy Stitching!
Look at what I found - TWO Dr Who Related stitch / quilts along starting this month.
The Dr. Who Stitch Along - starts today!!! I can't wait for this one - love to sit on my black porch and stitch. There are 12 blocks in this one - one each week.
And a Whovian-inspired Quilt-Along from Caroline and Soma from Whims and Fancies and the Doctor. Doctor Who?
First block was the Tardis (pictured above).
I spent far too much time on this paper pieced block. The main panels of the TARDIS went together quite easily, no issues. However, add the bottom foundation, the slanted (maybe if you squint your eyes) roof and the light almost did me in! I declare it is good enough. I may write Pull to Open on the small door sign.
Unclear if I will make all 20 blocks but I know I will make some more. These blocks come out every two weeks.
I don't know what size it was supposed to finish at, but this block finished at roughly 11 x 12 1/2 inches.
Happy Stitching!
I gifted - in a very incomplete state - my DD a quilt of a TARDIS for Christmas. Her squeals of delight were the kind everyone should hear when they gift a quilt. The top was pieced, the quilt was sandwiched and I had outlined the TARDIS (in the ditch) and then basted the quilt on my machine.
January 1st rolls around and I still hadn't gotten any further than the basting stage. My daughter was - rightfully! - getting impatient. I did delay a bit because of a thread purchase that I was waiting for but ... This was my finish goal for January.
The TARDIS is designed by the time lords of Gallifrey.
This quilt, however, is an original design by me. This is my favorite way to make a quilt - have a general idea what I am going for and then make it up as I go. Putting the TARDIS 'on point' to imply flying through space (and time) was a bit of a risk as I cut the background fabric but it worked!
Fabric used was Bella Admiral Blue and Slate Gray along with two panels from Spoonflower, one of them gifted from a new blogging friend Rebeckah. The background is Kasuri Woven Texture in gray. The back is a gray flannel.
The was by far the largest quilt that I did FMQ on my home machine. All the features of the TARDIS were outlined and then I did a basic stipple section by section.
I had fun with the quilt label, wishing her well through adventures in time and space!
There were really two things that gave me the confidence to FMQ this one by myself on my home machine. The first was the year long FMQ series that SewCalGirl ran which game me much practice and really built up my confidence. The second was my deliberate choice of thread color to match the fabric. For me, knowing that every issue wouldn't be visible was a big deal. Using flannel on the back was also useful - it can be quite forgiving.
TARDIS has not yet been washed but she is very much being loved. My DD thinks the flannel is the best. She is 5'6" so if she curls up just a bit and lays on top of the quilt, she can 'fit' in the TARDIS (which as all who-vians know is larger on the inside.)
I am going to link up my first finish of the year with A Lovely Year of Finishes.
I am also linking up with SewCalGal's FMQ posting.
Happy Stitching!
pleth·o·ra
[pleth-er-uh]
Not sure if this is my word for the year but it is certainly my word for January!
I am referring to the abundance of quilt projects I want to get started on - more on that to come! But it also refers to the abundance of projects I want to finish up. So I set some goals for my work in progress finishes and I am going to link up with A Lovely Year of Finishes each month.
My January project is to finish the quilt I gave to my daughter for Christmas. I need to complete the FMQ and attach label and binding. You can read more about the quilt on my post here. The quilt is by far the largest FMQ project I have attempted on my home machine so I am enjoying the challenge.
My daughter is quite anxious for me to finish her TARDIS quilt and tells me her friends are quite jealous of her gift.
I've backed this in flannel which I find to be somewhat forgiving if I encounter any minor FMQ tension issues.
A special thanks to Mdmn Samm and Linda for our latest blog hop - In Your Words - which starts on Monday. My day is Tuesday, Jan 8th and please join me in visiting all the quilters in the hop. You can find the full schedule on Linda's blog.
Happy Stitching!
With incredibly few days to go before Christmas, I decided to make my youngest (14) a quilt as a gift. I knew it would not be complete but the goal was to get it done enough that wrapping and snuggling on Christmas Day could be accomplished and then I could whisk it back up to the machine and finish.
It all started with her great love for all things Dr Who on BBC. (She even has me hooked now!) I've made a couple of TARDIS bags before and blogged about it using fabric I got from Spoonflower. A new blogging friend Rebeckah saw the creations and sent me the Police Box banner sign she had created on Spoonflower. From there, my idea to create a TARDIS quilt for my daughter was born. ((BTW, this is her favorite Doctor, the 10th Doctor.)
I banned everyone from my sewing studio aka bonus room. (There are two entrances to the room. One has a door with a lock and the other is the back staircase from downstairs. So I had to count on everyone honoring my 'stay sway'.)
Using a photo, I pieced it together as I went - trying to make it 'to scale' but really working with the Police Box banner I was gifted and the 'pull to open sign' that I found on Spoonflower.
I assembled the TARDIS 'on point' to simulate a journey through space. (You see, this is really a space traveling time machine.)
This was the first large quilt that I've attempted to FMQ on my home machine. With a well defined object in the middle, I did in the ditch quilting around the TARDIS and all the little boxes inside with a plan to fill (eventually) more of the Tardis with FMQ. The grey area was to be all FMQ and I got about a third of it done before running out of thread!!! (More thread had been ordered but I thought I had more than I actually did.)
So more incomplete than I had planned, I machine basted it together and removed all the pins and wrapped it up!
I was successful in keeping a secret from the family, especially my daughter. The gift sat wrapped under the tree without a name in the 'to' column. It was the last present to open and I asked my daughter to get off the couch to open it up. I warned her that it was not complete but that I had removed all the pins.
Her reaction was incredible!! A very loud scream followed the unwrapping. All quilts should get this reaction!
There is a Dr Who Christmas special on each year so the quilt was basted together well enough so she could cuddle under it. She can't wait to tell her friends all about it.
From my home (and the TARDIS), my very best wishes for a HAPPY NEW YEAR and a 2013 filled with much time for quilting!.
Happy Stitching!
My youngest daughter (14 years old) enjoys science fiction and keeps herself busy with dance classes in ballet, jazz and tap. She does many, many things well except maybe one tiny little thing - a very small thing actually - she can't ever find anything including where she left those various dance shoes each week!
For her 14th birthday in August, I handed her a yard of fabric with an IOU for a bag that combines two of the things she enjoys most - dance and Dr Who.
See how the shoes fit nicely inside with room for even a book - she always has one at her side.
This bag is completely my own design and finished 17" by 12" by 3". I added handles on the side and a long shoulder strap.
I started with fabric I ordered from Spoonflower - Dr Who fans will recognize the TARDIS!
(BTW, this is her favorite Doctor. And for those that don't watch - the TARDIS is a time traveling machine disguised as a Police Box.)
I did straight line quilting. Before I assembled the bag, I made a pocket pouch and then sewed it to the inside - sewing straight across on a quilt line at the top and bottom. This leaves the pocket very accessible but it isn't flapping away inside.
The top zipper sites nicely inside a casing - my favorite way to do zippers with quilted bags.
My DD loves the bag and no more last minute scramble to find her shoes for class!
A few weeks ago I blogged about the pouch I made for my DH for his Nexus - he saw the fabric I had on my sewing space and asked for a pouch made from that fabric. This is a first - my DH making a fabric selection! Clearly he has good taste!
Linking up this finish at Such a Sew and Sew.
Happy Stitching!
This TARDIS quilt was gifted to her for Christmas - gifted in a very incomplete state. See the batting peaking out of my quilt sandwich in the photo? There were no pins - it was all basted - and it took me another few weeks to finish as she impatiently waited (and waited.) This was by far the largest quilt I have ever FMQ on my home machine. All the features of the TARDIS were outlined and then I did a basic stipple section by section.
