Playing at the sewing machine

Sometimes when I sew, I really feel like a kid. But instead of a colourful array of crayons, I've got fabric. Back when I did the modern fabric postcard swap, I got my first taste of quilt-as-you-go. I made a mental note that I needed to try that on a much bigger scale than a teeny 4" x 6" canvas.

While scrolling through Instagram recently or maybe it was a blog post (so many sources of quilty inspiration!) I was reminded of it again. Good timing because I was also trying to come up with an idea for something to make for a fundraiser hosted by an IG friend to help out a woman going through a rough patch. I made a Hazel pouch for the last round and it was a popular auction item (the top bid was $70!!!), but wanted to do something different.

I grabbed my bin of Alison Glass fabric and got started. I had seen some examples of quilt-as-you-go and found this tutorial to give me a few tips. But, as usual, I mostly just dove in and figured it out as I went. Unlike my usual M.O., I didn't really have a plan for the fabrics or colours. I just started with the orange and went from there, cutting about 2" strips as I went of fabrics I thought would look good next.

I soon realized this would be far from a quick project. Suddenly the 16.5" batting I cut out seemed enormous! But I just kept plugging away, adding layer after layer. I used a soft blue Aurifil thread for all the quilting. Oddly it's a colour I probably would never pick myself, but it was a generous extra in a swap package and I find myself often reaching for it. It's almost a neutral that seems to go with everything.

All told, it was at least four hours of quilting to cover the batting. Also I should have cut the batting bigger because it shrank a good 1/2". But I was being lazy and just wanted to use my 16.5" square ruler. I still trimmed it to 16.5" because I figured the edges without batting would be hidden in the seam anyway.

How awesome is this?! Such saturated colours and great movement and texture.

Then I made it into a pillow. I am over the moon happy with how this turned out. It's always so fun to try something new, even if it is a bit nerve-racking not being sure how it's going to come out in the end. And now I definitely have to do this again.