Phew!

Phew! Finished at last. The final block left to make for my quilting Bee was Nikhat's fiery sun! Not an easy block to make as I was using paper, and the wretched thing kept slipping! Finally I tacked the bits together by hand, and then machine stitched them! Anyway, its done and will make a dramatic quilt I'm sure!

Elvira's block

Have scheduled to finish all my BEE assignments this weekend. Hate not getting commitments done on time. I set targets for myself...maybe its just me, but I begin to have sleepless nights, if I don't get my work finished!
I was fortunate to meet Elvira in Guwahati, so it was fun making a block for someone who you have met and whose home you have visited. She likes pinks and blues....so I chose these!

Catching up on my BEE assignments!

Sunita wanted a log cabin block in 'sunny' colours....so I used oranges and reds! I put in a completely different square for the 'hearth' as it added a nice dimension!

Sufi's jumper

Every so often the urge to do some crochet hits me...and when Nitasha says, Ma, Sufi needs a sleeveless jumper, then its easy to give into the urge!!! I found this lovely little pattern on line ad got it done in a couple of days. The wool is from my stash....so it was easy peasy! I love the shaded effect and ofcourse Sufi looks a doll in it.

A joint effort!

The girls heave been home for Christmas! What joy in all the noise and chaos, the fun and laughter, the masses of cooking and eating, but most if all the sharing of so much love!
Nafisa wanted to make a Kindle cover for Nishka's Kindle. She wanted to quilt it and had a very clear idea as to what she wanted to make! However she is very good with her crochet, but has not used a sewing machine, so I agreed to be her 'karigar'!!!We worked out the size together, and the fabric was then cut. She appliqued the owl on the front and once done, I quilted the case for her, and she finally finished it with fairly neat hand stitching of the binding!
No surprise that Nishka is delighted!
                                                                           The front

                                                                        The back

                                                                 The inside with a pocket

A Special Christmas Gift!

The amazing thing about being part of the Desi Quilters is how friendships have developed...such a feeling of closeness and warmth, possibly because it all stems from the the single fact...we all love to quilt and create, share our knowledge and learn from each other!
I have never met Madhu as she lives in Jaipur and I am in Kolkata ...but we have become friends. So with my Desi Bee block this is what she sent me....a quilted wall hanging for Christmas! Beautifully crafted and so special! I put it outside the front door as a welcome decoration!

Nafisa's cat quilt

This is the quilt I have made for Nafisa. She is a cat person and is totally delighted with it!

It has been a huge learning time for me. I realized that I will have to be very careful with the fabric I use. They all have to be as similar as possible. I bought the 2 printed pieces abroad, from a quilting store, and so they were of a similar kind. However the plains were poplins I bought here. With the many qualities of poplin available locally, there is a variation in the thickness. So this meant that some of it stretched....extremely irritating. The next big challenge was in the actual quilting! I have used a cotton batting which is of really great quality and easy to work with. But putting the sandwich together and then basting it (I used pins, which was a mistake....next time I will baste it with thread) turned out to be far more difficult than usual. Especially keeping wrinkles out was a marathon feat!!!! I love a bit of the hand stitching and that seemed to increase the wrinkles! The backing was a great fabric I found in Bangalore, but had to have a join down one side to make up the breadth.
Nafisa, my designer daughter, says she loves that its not totally smooth....so then I guess its ok!