Last Project of 2023

 

 

Like every quilter I have many plans, unfortunately, not all of them fit into the time I can spend sewing. At a certain moment, I have to decide what I can possibly manage in the old year and what the first project of the following year becomes. The last (finished) project of the year 2023 became a Christmas gift for my brother´s family.

Terry Runyan is one of my favourite authors and her book “Painting Happiness” belongs to jewels on my bookshelf. This autumn I was able to buy even three panels with animal motifs by her: cats, dogs, and also elephants.  The most of them I used to make New Year’s cards, but some cats of the Cosmo Cats panel I saved for placemats I wanted to sew for my brother. As they are cat lovers, the cat motifs were a clear decision.  

 

Only a short time ago I ordered a stockpile of Grunge by Moda Fabrics (a huge thank to patchworkcz.cz)  and some shades of yellow, blue, and grey went very well with the cat motifs.

I wanted to use the cats as center of uneven stars I have never sewn before… My experience with improve quilting is actually zero, but I decided, it was time to find out. I must admit, it was a fight. The first two pieces I saw in a very clumsy manner, there were many pieces of the precious Moda Fabrics left. 

Then finally I started to think. There must be another cleverer way to do it and finally, I found out! The outcome was perfect, there were two stars sewn in one go in inverse colours, which was even more interesting than my original plan. 

On the other hand, I found out that I ran out of fabric. In the very end, I had to patch even very small pieces together to finish the last mat. As I said before, it was a fight:)  

 

I quilted on my Japanese mate Baby Lock Sashiko in a classical way and made a contrasting black and white binding.

 

Happy sewing in 2024  to all of you!

Michaela