Thursday, December 15, 2011

Mahalo!

Think this is bright enough?  I'm happy to report two finishes this week and both are out of the house and delivered or in transit!

 This is the Mahalo quilt listed in my 2011 "to do" list and was made for friends that offered us their condo while we were in Hawaii for our niece's wedding in September.  Obviously this saved us a boatload of money and was very convenient as we were right in the heart of Waikiki Beach.  Since this was my first time to visit Hawaii (but I hope not my last), I have to say that Waikiki is sort of like Michigan Avenue in Chicago, the strip in Las Vegas, and sand -- all rolled up into one!  A quieter locale next time will be great but I am so grateful for the opportunity to have seen Oahu (literally -- we spent a lot of time circling the island) and to have done it with family.
During our sea kayaking adventure we happened upon a quilt shop that had all kinds of great Kona Bay and Hawaiian prints as well as any other fabrics you might need.  They were not on bolts but rather still on the cores that I presume come from the mills.  AND THEY WERE CHEAP.  Most were $4.99 a yard.  How can you pass up fabric at that rate (did I mention the weight of the fabric put our checked bag over the  limit and to avoid an extra fee, we had to distribute it among remaining family members?).

Anyway, we also found some precuts and those were used to make this quilt.  I had trouble getting the color right in the picture -- there were two shades of dark blue, black, purple, and obviously orange.  This is far from the most beautiful quilt I've ever made but I believe it was appreciated.  Each of us took time to sign the back and write about what we loved while we were there and our appreciation for their generosity.  So, there are permanent "thank you notes" on the back.

 The pattern is from Kim Schaeffer's Cozy Modern Quilts which is a lovely book.  My caution to anyone who is considering this book is that she seems to want to boil every quilt down to 3 steps and the cutting instructions are incomplete.  You have to take a few minutes to study the pattern and look at the fabric placement and then make your own notes.  I know a few people who didn't -- and they mis-cut by following the directions.  This is not a good book for a new quilter but it is a great book if you're looking for simple pattern that are striking.

I also finished a small "mug rug" for a friend.  I'm still practicing letting go and doing more free form piecing and this was done "quilt as you go" so as I sewed a strip, I quilted through the batting and backing. These little scraps were 1" x 2" Cherrywoods that she was using while here for our quilting weekend in early November. I could not let them go to waste -- they were too cute so I just randomly pieced them and then started cutting.  It finishes about 4" x 6" which may be a bit small (at least when trying to miter the ends of the binding).  I think there has to be an easier way -- and I'll definitely investigate before I do another one.

5 comments:

Lucy | Charm About You said...

What a fantastic idea to write thank you on the back and full of lovely memories :) I love the piecing on the mug rug!

Kleep said...

That's beautiful! Great work.

Amanda Jean said...

i'm smitten with your mug rug. great piecing!!! love the gray binding fabric, too.

Heather said...

I'm sure that quilt will be treasured by your friend. What a great way to see Hawaii!

Love your little mug rug, too! I'm making gobs of them for Christmas gifts, and it can be hard to just go with the flow sometimes. lol

GranthamLynn said...

I especially love the quilt
I have been wantin to nake one. Love the story.
Thanks for sharing it.