Sunday, February 28, 2021

Australia Aboriginal designs: Let the fabric do the talking!

A multi-color package of M&S Textiles Australia charm squares, a background fabric, and an uneven wide stripe for the border... that's all it takes. This is the Dominique quilt, a pattern from Villa Rosa Designs.

Dominique. 44" x 57.5"
pattern from Villa Rosa Designs, fabric from M&S Textiles Australia.

With these energizing, brightly colored Australian aboriginal fabric prints, a simple quilt pattern is all that is needed for this quilt. The fabric does all the talking. 

An easy charm square quilt on a rocking arm chair.

Be mindful of fabric value—light, medium and dark—to provide contrast between the charm squares and the background fabric so you can see the block outlines. 

The charm square's pinked edge allows for trimming
Note that the M&S Textiles charm squares are pinked (zigzag cut on the edges) to minimize fraying. Some quilters find a pinked edge more challenging when piecing—not knowing where to line up the presser foot with the pinked fabric edge. 

The charm squares from M&S Textiles have a pinked edge that extends beyond the 5" measurement so it can be trimmed off before piecing. Therefore, if you prefer to run a straight cut edge under your presser foot (I did), just trim off the pinked edge before beginning your patchwork.

Dominique, a charm square quilt. 
Finished size: 44' x 57.5"

My friend, Cheryl, from 3 Hens and a Chick Quilt Shop, did the machine quilting on this quilt for me. She chose a medium scale, swirly, all-over quilting design that complements these fun fabric prints. I opted for a contrasting binding, that was hand stitched—by me. 

The Villa Rosa Dominique pattern is designed for charm squares.

This was a fun and fast make! 

Contact your local quilt shop for M&S Textiles Australia fabrics and precuts, and Villa Rosa patterns.


Sunday, February 7, 2021

Week 1 of the 100 Day Hexie Project: it's about the tools

Progress: the first 7 days of my 100 Day Project, #100daysofepphexies. 

January 31 through February 6 of The 100 Day Project.

I'm using 3/4" hexagon papers for English paper piecing [EPP] and selective cutting (fussy cutting) motifs from the fabrics. 

3/4" hexagons with fussy cut images.

Initially, I thought I would do a single hexie a day. However... there are often multiple images on a piece of fabric—the same image or different, but related—that shout out to be included. As long as I'm tracing and cutting, I might as well take advantage of what that fabric offers.

There were multiple kitties on this Small Things Pets fabric by Lewis and Irene.

Tools
Daily posts of The 100 Day Project are on my Instagram [veronica.fiberantics] and Facebook feeds. One of my friends commented that she was impressed that I liked all the handwork. 

Confession: I'm using a fabric glue pen to glue-baste these hexies. I haven't been thread basting any of these hexies.

Back side of the hexie EPP pieces. Fabric is glue-basted with the glue pen.

It's all about the right tools to: 
  • make the process more efficient, 
  • make it more accurate, 
  • make the assembly easier or quicker, 
  • ______ (fill in the blank).
  • and, in the end, to enjoy the process more! 
That's what it's all about—enjoying the process. Don't you think?

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