The “Take a Break from the Quilt” Quilt

So, this is what happens when you need to find room for some newly purchased thread and you come across the forgotten and untested Bernina walking foot.

As soon as I saw it, I went straight to my box of quilting fabrics. Minutes later, I had a bunch of 5 1/2" squares that I stitched into nine-patch blocks.

Each nine-patch block was cut in half both vertically and horizontally. After rotating the upper left and lower right squares 180 degrees, the blocks were sewn back together. Yes, you are correct. This is the called the disappearing nine-patch block.

It didn’t take long to get to the quilting part and that walking foot really did keep the layers together. Granted, some of the stitching lines are wobbly but I can’t fault the walking foot. I marked a few of them with chalk, but due to impatience, I mostly eyeballed it. Just so you know, chalk works…guessing? Hmm, not so much.

Once the binding was on and all loose threads clipped, I tossed it into the washer and dryer. I love the wrinkly transformation!

The crib-sized quilt is 45” x 60” and will become a gift.

It makes me smile.

Burda Plus 01-2013-433

I’m still working on the third panel of the quilt. I chuckle and chortle every time I unfold the panels to inspect my silliness! Nothing planned – just whatever I feel like stitching at the moment. Anyway, that last panel will be finished soon enough and then the next challenge will be uniting them. For some reason I worry that they won’t match up. I know it is illogical as each and every block was squared up.

Burda Plus 01-2013-433

So, taking a break from the quilt, I stitched up a woven t-shirt/tunic. This one is 433 from the Burda Plus Spring/Summer 2013 magazine. I used a silk/cotton blend that I’ve had for a few years. I want to say that it came from Fabric Mart, but I'm not really sure...

After pinning the pattern pieces together to check the fit on the dress form, I modified the too-wide-for-me neckline. Brought it in about an inch at the shoulders. And, to compensate for the smaller opening, dropped the center front about an inch or so. Don't know that it was really necessary, but that is what I did.

The length of the t-shirt/tunic was shortened as my intent was to sew a top and not a dress. The only other change was to the binding. The coverstitch machine did not want to bind over seams. The outside of the stitched binding looked fine, but flip it over and you can see that it produced loops, not completed stitches over the seamed areas. After a few tries, I surrendered and instead folded the bias strips in half and sewed them onto the neckline and the bottom of the sleeves using a ¼” seam allowance. Then, to finish, I serged and edge-stitched. If I hadn’t been in a hurry, I probably could have sorted it out. Maybe it was the needle. Maybe it was the tension or perhaps the fabric itself. Who knows?  Who cares? It worked.

Neckline Finish

Sleeve Finish

You can bet this pattern will be used again. Perfect for anything light and drapey in the stash. Oh, wait. That is what Burda recommends…