Friday 8 April 2011

Disappearing Nine Patch

I bought a cheap sewing machine in August because I wanted new curtains for the bedroom.  Everything I had found in the shops that I even vaguely liked was prohibitively expensive, so I decided that I could sew exactly what I wanted for much less than retail prices.  I had never sewn before, but my mom is very experienced and was able to help guide me over the phone.  The curtains turned out just as I had hoped, then I made more for the kitchen and a tablecloth too.  Although delighted with my new decor, I wanted to sew something more creative.  I tried a few skirts - cute but I still haven't brought myself to hem them...  I have always loved quilts, so I thought why not give that a try?  Anyway, all this to say I found something I really enjoy.

In October I bought a fat quarter bundle of Tanya Whelan's Darla in pinks and blues, and inspired by the disappearing nine patch tutorial over at Cluck. Cluck. Sew, I started cutting up squares for my first quilt.  I pieced the top as best I could without a 1/4 inch foot and squared up all the blocks with just a yardstick and cutting mat.  Thankfully, a collective Christmas present from my family arrived early in November, so I didn't have to tackle the quilting on my $70 Brother!  I abandoned the quilting mid-way through in order to finish a different quilt for my sister before Christmas and only finished this one up in February when I returned from a month-long holiday in the States. 

Ok, enough rambling on...here are the photos my husband kindly took for me last weekend at le Jardin des Serres d'Auteuil















  

  






4 comments:

  1. Your D9P is stunning! Great photos, too! How do you like your Elna?? It's so funny - I got a sewing machine on a whim last August too! Hadn't sewn a single stitch before that and now I, too, am on the hunt for a new machine since I fell in love with quilting :)

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  2. Thanks! and i'll pass along the compliment for the photos to my husband - he loves getting credit for his pictures! It's funny how fast you can get hooked on quilting isn't it? I LOVE my Elna! I looked at other brands, (Brother, Pfaff, Janome...) and my mom tested most of them out for me. I am so, so happy with my choice - it is just a totally different sewing experience from my first machine. You won't look back!

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  3. What a sweet little DNP, love that pattern. It is my go to pattern when I need something fast. I just signed in as a Follower of yours, hope you will take a look at my blog http://sugarlandquilts.com. May 1st I will be posting one of my quilts each day. Come join in it is called ABC's in May. Look forward to reading your post.

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