Off Kilter Scrap Pillow

This week I added the sashing strips to my Off Kilter quilt top.

I made this quilt using a pattern from one of my library book loans Jump Start Your Quilting. The pattern – “Off Kilter” is by Konda Lockau of Moose on the Porch Designs.

For this quilt, I used a Tula Pink Elizabeth Layer Cake.

This beautiful fabric and the Bella Solids grey background fabric were a pleasure to work with and I didn’t want to waste a precious inch!

While making my large blocks for this quilt, I made HST’s with the offcuts,

and played around with a few ideas for a pillow top.

The first option is (on a smaller scale) from the pattern Dizzying Diamonds by Melissa @ Sew BitterSweet Designs. I won this great pattern in A Lovely Year of Finishes 2015. I really like this Layer Cake-friendly pattern and plan to make an entire quilt using it one day.

However, for this particular pillow project, I decided to go with Option 3.

For the back of the pillow, I chose some gorgeous Tsuru “Old Lace” fabric in cerulean by Rashida Coleman-Hale for Cloud 9 Fabrics.

I followed a Zipper Pillow tutorial that I have used once before but I had to modify it slightly so that I didn’t lose the points on my triangles. Attaching a zipper with a quarter inch seam resulted in some very wobbly stitching! I ended up unpicking these stitches and re-sewing it with the pillow front and back flat and the zipper open. The result was much better although if I make a pillow like this again, I’ll probably make an envelope enclosure for the back instead.

The pillow top finished at 15½ inches square and I used a size 16 cushion insert to fill it, resulting in a nice plump pillow!

We are enjoying our Easter long weekend at home this year. The kids are overdosing on chocolate while my husband and I are knocking down some internal walls ready for a future kitchen renovation.

I really hope you and your family are enjoying a relaxing long weekend.

Let’s hope no one ends up in a chocolate coma like our kids have 🙂

Linking up to MCM @ Cooking Up Quilts and Let’s Bee Social @ Sew Fresh Quilts

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Off Kilter

I recently received a catalogue in the mail from my local Spotlight store – and in it was a paragraph about how “Sewing is the new Yoga”.

I’ve always found it difficult to explain in words why I like to “cut up perfectly good fabric and sew it back together again”. This is a relatively new hobby (obsession?) of mine and most of the time I don’t even understand it. My non sewing friends – and my husband for that matter – definitely don’t understand this strong inner urge and almost desperate need I have to regularly create things via cloth and thread. If I’m feeling anxious or overwhelmed, a few hours at my sewing machine can bring me serenity and calm.

Well, this article in the Spotlight catalogue really struck a chord with me and I’d like to share an excerpt with you:

“Sewing is a great way to relax the mind, body and soul…it provides an opportunity to create art along with having the opportunity to relax and enjoy your surroundings…listening to that soothing sound of needle going through the cloth is the most amazing sound in the world. The contentment and peace that it provides is difficult to explain in words…”

I was chatting to a lovely sewing buddy of mine at our last Tasmanian Modern Quilt Guild meeting and she made comment on my then apparent lack of sewing enthusiasm this year. I’ve thought a lot about her comment and realised that a few things that happened towards the end of last year started eroding away my love of sewing/quilting. I’ve done some soul searching and have come to the conclusion that I love to sew AND I need to sew…

Anyway, I think it’s safe to say that my sewing mojo is back with a vengeance!

Life is hectic this year. I’m now working part time and our three children, aged 10, 8 and 7 have a crazy after school schedule that includes Scouts, swimming, basketball, gymnastics and an upcoming soccer season! My husband works long hours, we have no family living close by and free time, as most busy mums’ know, is at a premium…

But I have been working extra hard to find time to sew and have a few new projects in the works…

Last year, Tula Pink’s “Elizabeth” finally made an appearance in our Tasmanian stores. I spent my birthday money on a Layer Cake  (feeling a little excited about precuts atm 😉 )

I scratched my head about what to do with this lovely bundle,

I knew that I didn’t want to cut into this loveliness anymore than necessary.

So I settled on a nice and simple pattern “Off Kilter” by Konda Luckau @ Moose on the Porch Designs. I found this pattern in another of my library book loans “Jump-Start Your Quilting“.

This week, I managed to make my 42 blocks – 24 x A1 blocks and 18 x A2 blocks,

and sew them in columns:

 

I am seriously crushing on this beautiful fabric and hope that this week I’ll get a chance to add the sashing strips.

As an exciting end note, I just received an email from Cheryl @ Meadow Mist Designs to say that I had been chosen as a winner for the Midnight Mystery Quilt Along. You can read about my quilt here. I was lucky enough to win two free digital patterns from Cheryl’s etsy shop. Cheryl is a quilter and blogger who I very much admire and I feel very privileged and fortunate to win this wonderful prize.

You can view all of the incredible finished quilts from this Quilt Along here.

Thanks so much for stopping by,

Deb 🙂

Linking up to Main Crush Monday @ Cooking Up Quilts and Let’s Bee Social @ Sew Fresh Quilts.