Wongys Wanderings

I have been wanting to make a small quilt in this design and never seemed to get around to it...so I made the time and put in the effort. Here she is. I did have to use my unpicker as I was carried away and sewed row 7 and 8 together at the wrong side.  Plus my fabric is directional (and I carefully pieced these this way) so I couldn't simply reverse the order of all rows  😕  oh well - it will make me check a second time next time I make it! The binding is a coordinating fabric.  This is a 56 square pattern and I've made the top and binding from 6 fat quarters.  It is a great way to get coordinating fabric - knowing it will all go well together.  The fabric range is Riley Blake's Scoot by Deanna Rutter and is from years ago.   It has gorgeous line drawings of different transport vehicles and then some prints to coordinate - like the trains, dots, helicopters and coloured vehicles.  There are also prints with words relating to transport and v...

This is my go-to gift for newborns.   It makes an ideal pram rug, floor mat for tummy time or a great tablecloth for your teddy bears picnic.   I tend to be a little casual with seam allowances once I am comfortable - as long as you use the same width all the time for the whole project, this pattern is very forgiving.   As a small quilt, this also doesn't use much backing fabric so I can use a fun coordinating print or contrast with something completely different.  I can select from any quilting fabric and I don't have to use a specific wide-back fabric where the choices are more limited.   I usually sew this with a charm pack as I know the fabric range will work together and I can just sew merrily along without a layout.  I usually halve the pile and turn one over so that I am getting random pairs together.   Now that I have learned how to make my own bias binding and just how little fabric it actually takes to make metres of ...

I am so pleased to have taken the time recently to learn how to make my own continuous bias binding.  This looks tricky, but I have read several sets of instructions and watched different videos.  I tried this, became over-confident, used my unpicker (everyone's favourite job) and tried again.  I can now make continuous bias binding using any fabric perfectly to match my project! This is a neat way to make continuous bias binding, and while your first attempt might send you bananas, I promise it will get easier.  🙂 You can use binding made from straight cuts of fabric; however, this will not curve around shapes (e.g. necklines or curved corners).  Bias binding has the additional ability to curve and provides a stronger folded edge as the fold sits on the cross-section or diagonal of the woven threads (and not with the grain of fabric).   This technique works with squares or rectangles of fabric and creates an amazing length of bias binding...and only...

I think this is the quickest I have ever made a quilt...(*she says thinking about all the UFO – unfinished object – quilt projects at various stages she has yet to complete).   I was able to gift this to my mum who should have explored Venice in March 2020.  When I remembered the charm packs I had stashed away I just had to make them up into a small quilt to enjoy. This used most of four charm packs of fabric.  I used two packs of Moda Grand Canal by Kate Spain (the prints) and two of Moda Bella Solids – one cream and one in soft pastels, which tied in beautifully.  The binding is Moda Bella Solids in Leaf Green.  The backing fabric is called Moonscape.  The pattern was Charm Pack Cherry – a free pattern available online. As this was a random pattern, it was quick to sew the stacks of plain and print squares into three, then into nine, then cut and reassemble.   I stitched the binding on as single binding onto the quilt top by machine and th...