A few more finished items for my notebook

Hello!

You may remember I started a notebook several weeks ago, listing all the items I have finished.  I pinched this idea from @judipop1 as I felt I had too many items on the go and not enough finished.  However, the result is quite enlightening and so far this year I have completed thirteen items!

Here are a few more I have recently written in:

My son's quilt is finished! My first full size bed quilt is completed and on his bed.  He reports it is very warm and cosy.  I am so pleased with it!  I learned an awful lot, and feel the idea of making a double or king size quilt much less daunting now.

Here it is in situ!  The embroidery patterns for the Blocks are a mixture of 'Designs by Juju' and Anita Goodesign 'Porcelein Blocks'.

I used the quilt as you go method, trimming the batting on each block to the 'squaring stitching' on each one.  This meant that the seam allowances contained no batting, and were easier and less 'lumpy' to join.  I used a half inch seam allowance. You can read more about the joining process here

Once this was all done I made a quilt sandwich with the backing and another piece of the batting ('Stitch It' 80/20)  I used a whole box of quilting safety pins to secure it and then spent two evenings quilting it along the seam lines 'in the ditch', using an invisible monofilament thread.  I tried using my stitch-in-the-ditch foot, but after a couple of rows switched to my walking foot, which was much easier.  

Then came the binding.  I needed 7 metres of it, and attached it using mitred corners.  I slipstitched it to the backing for a neater finish.  That was a LOT of hand sewing for someone who doesn't enjoy hand sewing...

Before I bound the quilt I had a little practice on a table centrepiece I made for Lent/Easter.  It was the first time I had done mitred corners, being a novice quilter.  The only thing I did differently on the bed quilt was to join the strips of the binding on the diagonal, which I think gives a less obvious finish.

This centrepiece consists of appliqued blocks (patterns from Designs by JuJu), plain sashing and was quilted with one layer of batting in the traditional way.

I also had a little play with a baby blanket I bought from a charity shop, making it into a blanket for Daisy Dog's basket.  Again, these are Designs by Juju.

I think she likes it!

I also finished socks for my husband and a work shirt for my daughter, but I haven't taken any photos of those.  My current project is five (yes, five) dresses for my daughter.  Each one has 32 darts and numerous pleats.  This will be a labour of love :)

Donna x