Neapolitan Windows Quilt

Looking through my quilts I noticed that I haven't made that many small throw quilts. And the few that I've made get lots of use. I find them super handy to carry in the car or just throw on the couch for my puppies for when I let them come up and sit next to me. So I decided to solve that "problem" and make a few more. As you might remember, last week I finished a whole cloth quilt made out of a yard of fabric for the front. This one required a bit more piecing but still it came together super fast. The colors remind me of neapolitan ice cream... perfect for a summer quilt I think. I quilted with straight lines about 1 1/2 inches apart and I think it complements the quilt perfectly. For the binding I used the same color of the background except for a little piece of brown that I added for a pop of color and a little whimsy. 

Wishing you a lovely week!

XO 

Martha

Watercolor Quilt

For the longest time I wanted to make a whole cloth quilt, but for some reason I never got around to do it. Well, until now... a few weeks ago I stumbled upon this lovely fabric at my local fabric store and I just couldn't leave without it. From across the store I spotted the beautiful watercolor roses and the only thing I could think about was making a whole cloth quilt. I kept the quilting simple with straight lines radiating from the corners to form a star in the center. This is a lovely addition to my quilt collection and I think I'll be making a few more of this quilts. They are perfect to showcase a beautiful pice of fabric that it is simply too precious to cut it.

I hope you have a lovely week!

XO

Martha.

Improv Mini Quilt

For a while I've been wanting to learn more about hand quilting. So I decided to do a little research on the different techniques and/or styles and try to quilt a small project. For me it is better when learning a new technique to start small; otherwise it is too overwhelming. After my research I found myself drawn to the sashiko style or big stitch quilting. For this little quilt I used pearl cotton thread size 8. It is the perfect size as the stitches are visible but still look quite delicate. It is said that practice makes perfect and I agree; by the end  I noticed that my stitches were looking more even and it was easier to run the needle through the fabric. I love how this little quilt turned out, specially the learning experience. I can't wait to tackle a larger project and improve my hand quilting skills. It is such a beautiful form of art I think. 

I wish you have a beautiful week.

XO 

Martha

Granny Square Quilt

Happy Sunday! I hope you had a lovely weekend. I finally got to photograph my finished Granny Square Quilt and I'm so happy to share it with you.This was a very slow project, but I really enjoyed every step of the process. The blocks are lovely and a pure joy to make. I used the tutorial from Blue Elephant Stitches to create the blocks ; however instead of using 2.5 inches squares I used 2 inch squares. Thus creating a slightly smaller block. For the quilting I wanted something simple so I opted for a spiral square pattern. I think it gives it a modern feel to a traditional quilt. 

This quilt has quickly became a favorite. I love the soft colors and the scrappiness. I totally see myself making another quilt like this.

I wish you a very happy week!

XO

Martha 

Organizer

Staying organized is always a challenge. I'm constantly looking for my pens and my postage stamps always end up at the bottom of my purse. So I decided to make this little organizer with different size pockets to keep everything in place and neatly organized inside my purse. Now every piece of stationary has a place and I can easily find everything specially when on the go. I love the closure; it was really  easy to install and it is very handy when opening and closing my little organizer. Now I'm super excited to start the week being more organized.

Have a wonderful week!

XO 

Martha.

Weekend Goals

Some of my weekend goals are to practice my hand-quilting. I made a small block from leftover pieces from my Plus Quilt to practice my hand quilting sashiko style. I haven't done much hand quilting  so I wanted to start small. How about you, do you have crafting plans for the weekend?

XO

Martha

WIP: Granny Square Quilt

I don't even remember when I started my Granny Square quilt. Maybe last year or even longer. The few blocks that I completed  and the fabric that I had selected for it have been sitting in their box for such a long time. Maybe longer than any other project. So last week I decided that my Granny Square quilt should be my next "forgotten" project to tackle. Today I finished sewing all the blocks... just a few left to trim and very soon there will be a quilt top. Yay! 

I've been thinking about ways to quilt this little project and I just can't decide. What do you think? I'd love to hear your suggestions. 

I hope you have a happy week!

XO

Martha 

Peasant Blouse

Happy 4th of July! (for those of you in the US) We have been enjoying of a long weekend due to the Independence Day Holiday and that meant extra crafting time for me. I love when I get to spend more time playing in the sewing room. I got to finish this peasant blouse that I started last week. The fabric for this blouse is basically recycled fabric; it came from a dress that I bought years ago and never wore because as much as I loved the print I never liked the way it fitted me. So a few weeks ago I took it out and decided to turn it into something that I would actually wear. The dress was empire waist with very thing straps and a very full skirt. Thus, the top didn't give me much useable fabric but the skirt was made of two beautiful panels of fabric. I chose a peasant blouse because the pattern is easy and very forgiving (in case of mistakes). I drew the pattern using a blouse I already had as a guide. I centered the the body of the blouse in the middle of each panel and used the sides with the seams for the sleeves. For the cuffs and the neck I made a bias tape with the lining of the dress. I had to be inventive as there was not much fabric to spare. I'm absolutely happy with the way it turned out and I think I'm going to be wearing it a lot this summer. 

I hope you have a lovely week!

XO 

Martha.