Monday, November 26, 2012

Christmas Sewing




The pillow covers for my mother in law are done!  I really love them.  My goal was to make them modern but still have a  warm homey vibe to them.  I found a bunch of inspiration on flickr and went from there.
I pushed my quilting by attempting patterns in the book "Free Motion Quilting with Angela Walters."  This book is so beautiful to look at and definitely inspiring.  I was really proud of my wood grain quilting.  It was fun to try and gave a lovely result.  The attempt at concentric circles didn't leave me too happy at first, but after the cases were washed it looks a whole lot better.
Less than half a layer cake was used to make these.  I bought it from Pink Castle Fabrics via an instagram sale. I have enough left to make some more Christmas gifts.

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Dresden blades
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First time trying this wood grain technique.  I started with some marking lines to get the hang of it.  I also went in an up and down motion instead of side by side.  It felt easier to me that way.
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A reindeer in the making.  (November 2013 Here is an update on how I did it.) 
When I made it last year I was looking for the perfect deer head silhouette.
This is the link to the one I used
http://www.itsoverflowing.com/2012/10/no-sew-pillow-antler/

What I did was trace the shape on my computer screen,  outlined it in a black sharpie, and then enlarged it by copying and printing it at a larger size. Hope that helps :)
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It was not intentional to have him look like he had shades on but I think it makes him cooler.
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Fabrics Used:
layer cake of Joy by Kate Spain for Moda
Aviary Woodgrain by Joel Dewberry
Kona Snow
Michael Miller Clown Stripe in Red
Backing - Christmas collection fron Joanne's

12 comments:

  1. Oh, these pillows are absolutely fantastic! I love that, like you said, they're modern yet so homey. The wood grain binding on the Christmas tree pillow couldn't be more perfect.

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    1. Thanks Marta! I love that woodgrain fabric, there is so much you can do with it. Your work is great, especially the quilting on your marbles quilt. Thanks for visiting!

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  2. Beautiful pillows! Love the variety of design, fabric choices and quilting...and they go together so well!

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  3. Hello, I'm Camila, I have fourteen, and I love sewing ... you have a very nice blog! ... Do me a follower of your blog ... and I invite you to my blog.
    Greetings from Argentina.

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  4. So cute! I especially love the tree pillow. Great work on your FMQ. The wood grain looks great!

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  5. I'm just crazy about this pillow set! Do you do the quilting before applying the appliques? My new favorite is the woodgrain quilting - I hadn't seen that before, and it's so cool!

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    1. Hi Amy! Yes, the quilting was done before I added the appliques. You should definitely check out both of Angela Walter's books. They are full of beautiful techniques, and are broken down into steps so you can try them yourself. Thanks for visiting!

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  6. Hi,
    Love your pillows. I live in Sweden and would like to sew one pillow to a friend that is a moose hunter.
    Can you send a file with the Reindeer applique?

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  7. these are so gorgeous! absolutely love them, my dream to be able to sew similar one day!

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