Two quilts that both have a flying theme today! One literally has wings and the other is a map of the world. To add detail I used decorative stitches on my machine, something I am exploring more and more and have a lot of fun with. Both projects were demonstrated on Sewing Quarter.


I created a butterfly mini quilt, a smaller version of a pattern from the book 'Log Cabin Variations' by Annies. The butterfly shapes were easy to appliqué with bondaweb and then stitched by machine with a blanket stitch and a satin stitch.


The whole pattern is made up of Log Cabin blocks and I used the Creative Grids Log Cabin Trim Tool, which allows you to trim and straighten pieces as you go, super easy and accurate! 


The Amy Butler Soulmate print looks lovely on the wings and frames the quilt beautifully, I used it for the outer section of the blocks and for the binding. I used another decorative stitch for the quilting, it works well with the print designs and adds a little more texture.



The map quilt proved extremely popular with viewers, the panel sold out really quickly! It's the main panel from Meridian by Whistler Studios, Windham Fabrics.


I added card trick blocks to the borders, using coordinating prints from the collection. It tied in nicely!



And it's very tricky to see but I used the alphabet stitches on my Elna 680 to write names of cities in the borders. Places I love (Toronto, Florence, Manchester and more) and places I want to visit. 


I backed that section of the border with fusible interfacing to help give the fabric support, and once they were pressed it looked good. I should have been braver and used a contrasting thread! This was sewn with polyester, which I think pulled slightly, I would definitely stick to cotton next time.

There are a couple of different alphabets and sizes of letters, I want to try and use them more. If you are used to stitching letters like this I would love to hear any tips you have for getting neat results. Do you program one word at a time or many?

I've had a really relaxing weekend, with some much needed time off. Now I am trying to get a couple of patterns written up which I hope to release in my shop soon! And of course I am still sewing, working on an EPP project and doing quite a lot of glue basting. My new glue pen is on the left and the older one on the right (if you couldn't tell!). I am trying to be really good and look after this one, wiping it down after use and twisting the tip back into the pen - I have to avoid getting it so manky!


Back to work... I hope you all have a productive and happy week!