A Quilted Pillow with HandWoven Fabric

A couple of my friends asked if it was possible to use my  handwoven fabric to make a quilt.  I didn't want to make an entire quilt to find out - so I decided to try a variation.
Making a quilted pillow cover would allow me to play with the idea without a huge time investment. I considered some possibilities and did a lot of research.  I have played with several ideas and methods.  Finally I settled on a way of combining the two that works wonderfully and makes me very happy.
Today I took a pieced pillow top that I had shown once before and finished it into a pillow.

The combination of the hand woven fabric, some hand dyed fabrics and some commercial quilting fabrics really make this a fun pillow. I love the quilting method that I used for this.  I am sure I can even teach a beginner to quilt a pillow top this way.
I have worked this method up for a class that is planned for August in Peachtree City Georgia.   Now there are three complete samples - I showed the other two on this post.  I have made some other "pieces" to use as examples in the class.

Planning a class like this is a good bit of work, but it certainly helped me to refine the technique for this.

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Piecing Wildly (and Wonkily)

Precision piecing?  Most of you know that it is not my strong suit or my style. "Let's just see what happens!" is more my style.
I have a Kaleidoscope ruler that I got a few years ago when I was still trying to do precision piecing. I thought it would be fun to make a kaleidoscope block with hand dyed fabrics.  My plan was to strip pieces and cut from the strip set.  But I decided to make a "simple" one first.

Yes you are seeing correctly - the points are a bit of a mess.  I even pressed the seams open thinking it would be more precise.  Oops.
So I decided to just play.  I had four pieces left from cutting off the "waste" when cutting the triangles. So I sewed them all together.  Then I used that as the center of a log cabin type block.

True confession: I am that quilter who has never made a log cabin block - or if I did I don't remember it.

My usual wonky style prevailed. I ran out of dark strips that were long enough so I pieced one.  Okay, there was more fabric but I didn't want to get up from the machine.

As I started the block above, I realized that making two would allow me to chain piece them.  On alternate strips, I pieced this one.

It is a bit more traditional - but still wonky - and I used a square of a dark for the center. Don't judge me - it was play time.

The kaleidoscope was supposed to come out to nine inches. Too late, I realized that it was nine inches finished.  That is why the outside edges look chopped off - they are.  I needed nine inches that finish at  eight and a half inches.

These will all go into the quilt that I am planning to make with the pineapple blocks.  It will be decidedly scrappy and a bit crazy and completely imperfect.  I am sure I will love it.

Several of you asked me to report back when I use the bamboo batting that I got from Fat Quarter Shop.  If any of my readers gets to try it before I do, please report back to me.  I know that it feels delightful right out of the package.  I love bamboo and cotton together in my weaving, so I thinkI love this just as much. Since they are both plant fibers, and the bamboo is a longer staple fiber, I think it will possibly be better than just cotton.  Bamboo is considered a luxury fiber and is very eco-friendly.  Fabric made with bamboo has a beautiful drape and is soft to the touch. Bamboo is also a breathable fiber similar to cotton.


Comments are welcomed. I will reply when possible unless otherwise stated. Of course if you are a "No Reply Blogger"- I can not reply. Links in posts may be affiliate links for which I am compensated if you click through and purchase.

This and That Friday

In Alabama this past week, it has been hot every day.  The daily high has been in the mid 90s (Fahrenheit) for more than a week.  I haven't been overly motivated to create as much this week.  But I have played with a few things.

My loom for weaving is a two harness loom. This means that using the loom as designed creates a very even surfaced cloth.  I would like to weave some kitchen towels - and they are usually woven with texture added - on a loom with at least four harnesses.   I decided to play with some  string heddles to make a third shaft for my loom. I did this on threads that were already on one of the other two shafts. It is a bit "fiddly" but it works.

As you can see, I didn't do it all across the warp, but just in a few places as this was an experiment.  I hope you can see the texture that was created in those areas.  It made me happy.

I also saw that the Fat Quarter Shop has a new batting line.

There are several choices: All Cotton, Cotton Poly blends in 80/20 and 50/50,  Wool, and Bamboo/Cotton blend.

I have never used a Bamboo/Cotton batting, so I had to have one.  I also ordered the 24 Hour flash sale deal.
Here is the batting I received. I almost always order queen sized battings and this time was no different.

I haven't used it yet, but I did split the plastic to feel it. Ooooh, it has a very soft and lovely hand.   I am thinking that this will make a wonderful quilt.  The package says that it is naturally anti-bacterial and eco-friendly.  That is also a great plus.
Then, in the box underneath it was this:

Yes! When I saw that the Flash Sale was Batik squares I could not resist.  Plus the price was amazing! Tip of the day - when shopping at the Fat Quarter Shop, always check the Flash Sale.

Until next time - remember to change the needle in your machine regularly so you can sew sharp.

Comments are welcomed. I will reply when possible unless otherwise stated. Of course if you are a "No Reply Blogger"- I can not reply. Links in posts may be affiliate links for which I am compensated if you click through and purchase.

Trapped Pineapple and an EQ Tip

I am still playing with Pineapple blocks in my spare time.  I decided to use a trapezoid shape for the center this time.  Again the edges started to converge after are few rounds so I just trimmed as best I could and made it work.

The edges converging also led to the extra strip on the bottom to make it size correctly.  I think it is a fun scrappy "pineapple type" block.

For those of you who use Electric Quilt,  the Behind the Mouse blog is a great resource.  Today's Quick Tip Tuesday post is on setting your snapping options when you design a block.   This was a great "tip/lesson" for me.  I now understand how to get my blocks to be more exactly what I want.

Until next time,  keep your bobbins filled and your machine cleaned out!


Comments are welcomed. I will reply when possible unless otherwise stated. Of course if you are a "No Reply Blogger"- I can not reply. Links in posts may be affiliate links for which I am compensated if you click through and purchase.