A LIGHTHOUSE QUILT

A little late-night hand sewing allowed me get my Lighthouse Quilt Along quilt finished yesterday.  Adding the binding to a quilt is my favourite part of the whole quilt-making process and this time was no exception.  In fact, the whole journey of this quilt was highly enjoyable.  If I had my way (and a Harry Potter style time turner) I’d quilt along all the time.  The idea of making something at the same time as somebody on the other side of the world is one of the many things that I love about our creative community.  Alas, time is not always on our side and with two quilts already in various stages of competition I wasn’t sure if I could dedicate myself to the Lighthouse Quilt Along.  I’m so glad I did!  There was paper piecing, which I love, Tula Pink, who everybody loves, and an amazing pattern by a quilter and blogger who I’d admired for a long time.  How could I possibly say no?

The quilt construction was a breeze.  My inner perfectionist always gets a bit vocal whenever I use a paper piecing pattern (seams and points and pins oh my!) but for anybody new to paper piecing, Faith’s clear and concise instructions took you by the hand and gently guided you through the process.  I intend to hang my smaller, 31″ x 31″ ‘mini quilt’ in the attic, but I can imagine a larger version of this would look stunning on a bed.

I’m so happy with the fabric choices.  The Tula Pink Acacia that I brought back from London with me didn’t last two minutes in the stash.  This was the perfect project for it.  Coupled with some Essex linen, the colours really pop.  I chose an all over quilting design, something with curves to contrast with the straight lines of the piecing, in a simple white thread and finished the quilt off with one of the simpler designs from the collection for the binding.  In fact, I think my favourite part of the whole quilt might be the small, contrasting piece in the binding.

Also, there were no close calls with the thread this time, a la the Dinosaur Quilt, so I think I’ve learnt my lesson!

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LIGHTHOUSE QUILT ALONG III

The Lighthouse Quilt Along is in full swing as we reach the third week.  By now everyone should have made a test block from their chosen fabrics.  As I knew I had so many other projects to work on, I’ve managed to get ahead this past week and have already completed my quilt top.  My original plan of a 5 blocks by 5 blocks quilt, which would have finished at 40″ x 40″, has now become a mini quilt, finishing at 32″ x 32″.  The reason?   I had some Essex linen in my stash that I wanted to use for the blocks and the backing.  There wasn’t quite enough so I decided to scale down.  I could have ordered more but I really wanted to get it finished and was too impatient to wait!  The top went together really quickly as, like Faith suggests in today’s post, I made the blocks assembly line style; all the cutting, then all the sewing etc.  The whole process was simple and stress-free.

If you’d like to quilt along, visit Fresh Lemons for the template and piecing instructions and make some blocks.

LIGHTHOUSE QUILT ALONG II

The second part of the Lighthouse Quilt Along was posted by Faith from Fresh Lemon Quilts today.  This week is dedicated to making a test block and calculating the amount of fabric you’ll need.  For those of you who are new to paper piecing, Faith has written some extremely thorough instructions, providing photographs of each steps as well as  instructional text.  There is also an extremely helpful amount of maths already worked out for anybody whose brain doesn’t work that way!  When I paper piece I tend to be as skimpy as I dare with my fabric, but for those new to this the amounts suggested will help you avoid any problems.

When the quilt along kicked off last week I decided to stray from the rainbow idea and instead use my quilt to showcase a fabric range.  I’ve chosen to use my recently acquired ‘Acacia‘ collection by Tula Pink.  I’m pairing this up with coordinating solids and a Robert Kaufman Essex linen/cotton blend for the background.  I haven’t made a paper pieced quilt block for a while so it was great fun to make my test block.  Only 24 more to go…

Do you fancy quilting along too?  It’s not to late to start.  Visit Fresh Lemon Quilts for all the details.

LIGHTHOUSE QUILT ALONG

When I saw that Faith from Fresh Lemon Quilts was having another quit along I knew I wanted to join in.  I’d admired her previous efforts, Solstice Stars, from afar and the upcoming lighthouse quilt looked just as appealing.  I’ve always been a fan of paper piecing, as well as bright, bold colours choices, and this quilt ticked both boxes.

The quilt along kicked off yesterday, with the first week being devoted to the design of the top; choosing your size and colours.  With so much on my quilting plate I’ve chosen the modest baby size, finishing at 40″ square.  I’m not sure if I’ll be able to keep to the schedule but I’ll be posting updates whenever I can.

If you want to quilt along too, head over to Fresh Lemons now where there are printable colouring pages to help you decide on your top layout before making a test block next week.