Cynthia's Creating Ark: Cynthia's Ark Vintage Sewing Machine quilt

Sunday, December 25, 2016

Best of 2016 Party

Over at Meadow Mist Design, Cheryl is hosting the Best of 2016 Linky party. So when I came across the post inviting all to join I start think what would be considered a Best of 2016 post. Would it be the most liked post over the year or my favourite post of the year or my most challenging post?

So I spend a couple weeks on thinking what would fill my top five posts for the year?

Here we go! My Top Five Post of 2016
In the end I couldn't decide on the fifth post so my top 5.

1. No 1 would have to be my stop on the The Road Home Row Along. It was my most visited post of the year. Plus working with a large group of talented people I learnt some much more about blogging and stuff I had never done before, like running a competition with my post.

2. Back in March I did a tutorial post on my Vintage Sewing Machine Quilt which was one of this year's favourite tutorial. The plan is to do more tutorials in 2017.

3. In May I participated in the Art with Fabric Blog Hop with my post on Cynthia's Garden. My interpretation on Irises by Vincent Van Gogh one of my favourite painting. This was a real challenge working in the form of applique.

4. In October I did another tutorial post on my Crazy Cat Quilt. It was about how you can cut up a panel that wider than in length. Plus there was a follow up post on what I did with the centre piece I don't use that become a matching table runner with the leftover fabric from the quilt. Why waste fabric if you can make something else?

5. Lastly this was the hardest one to pick but it is a current project I am working on. My Hourglass quilt it is one of the fun projects I have worked on. No deadlines helps I think. This is where I am up to on it. You can see the progress from the post to now.

Go and have a look at what others have achieved this year in their Best of 2016 post here.

.http://meadowmistdesigns.blogspot.com.au/2016/12/best-of-2016-linky-party.html

Thanks Cheryl for hosting the Best of 2016 Party

Until Next Time

Keep Stitching

Cynthia

Sunday, March 13, 2016

Vintage Sew Machine Quilt Tutorial

I finally got around to writing up my notes for this tutorial for my Vintage Sewing Machine Quilt for those of you that were interested in the pattern. It matches the table runner I did late last year.

Cynthia's Ark Vintage Sewing Machine Quilt

Materials 1 Thimble Pleasures Sewing Machine Panel 15 cm Tape Measure fabric 15 cm scissors fabric 65 cm Thimble fabric 80 cm black fabric 50cm cream fabric

Cutting Cut your sewing machine panel into 2 equal strips. Cut a 5 ½’ strip from each of the tape measure, scissor and thimble fabrics and cut 5 x 5 ½’ from each strip for a total of 15 squares. Cut 10 x 1 ½’ strips from the black fabric and cross cut 30 x 5 ½’ strips and 30 x 7 ½’ strips. Cut 3 x 1 ¾’ strips from the cream and cross cut 12 x 7 ½’ strips for the blocks and cut another 8 x 1 ¾’ strips for sashing strips. Cut 5 x 4’ strips from the thimble fabric. Cut 5 x 2 ½’ strips from the black fabric for your binding.

Piecing To make the blocks sew a 5 ½’ black strip to both side of your 15 x 5 ½’ squares. Press seam to the square.

Sew a 7 ½’ black strip to the top and bottom of your block. Press to the black strip this time.

Make 15 blocks.

Arrange the blocks into 3 rows of 5. Refer to quilt picture if you want to the same arrangement as I did but you can arrange them how you like them. Sew a cream 7 1/2 ‘strip in between the blocks as per picture below. Repeat with your other 2 rows.

Measure your pieced strips and cut 6 x 1 ¾’ cream strips to that measurement and sew one to the top and one to the bottom of your row of blocks. Press to the cream strip.

Trim your 2 machine panel’s strip to the same measurement of your block rows. Arrange your rows as per pictures and sew the 5 rows together. Press towards the sewing machine panel.

Sew your remaining 3 x 1 ¾’ cream strip together in to a long strip for your side borders. Press seams open. Measure your quilt through the middle top to bottom and cut 2 cream strips to that length and sew them to the sides of your quilt.

Next is the border and sew 3 x 4’ border strips together lengthwise. Press seams open. Now cut 2 strips the same length as you cut for your cream side sashing strips. Sew your border strips to the sides of your quilt. Press to the border. Sew the remaining part strip to your last 2 border strips. Press seams open. Measure your quilt through the middle sideway this time and cut 2 strips to that measurement. Sew them to the top and bottom of the quilt. Press toward the border. This completes your top.

Quilting Layer your backing fabric out (wrong side up) then the batting goes on top followed by the quilt top (right side up). Make sure you smooth out any lumps and baste with safety pins or use your preferred method. Quilt as you wish. I just stitched in the ditch for this one. There a lots of options for you.

Backing

For the backing I have used a piece of Thimble Pleasures Sewing Sayings 155cm cut it off centre so I have 2 pieces x 155 cm and cut 2 x 12’ strips of scissor fabric joined them lengthwise and sewing the 3 pieces together with the scissor material in the middle. (Not included in the materials list)

Binding To make the binding join the strips end to end with a 45 degree mitred seam, press the seams open. Press the binding strip in half lengthwise with the wrong sides facing. Stitch the binding the front of the quilt, mitring the corners as you go and mitre the binding ends together to complete and sew in place. Trim the backing and batting to ½’ from your binding stitching line. Fold the binding over the edge to the back of the quilt and slip stitch it in place with a matching coloured thread. Don’t forget to finish your quilt with a label on the back.

Finished size: 49 1/2' x 58’ (126 x 148 cm)

This quilt was designed by Cynthia Woodham for Cynthia’s Ark. This pattern is for personal use only, not to be copied in any form without the permission from the designer. Copyright © Cynthia’s Ark 2016

All the fabrics used in the pattern are available at www.cynthiasark.com.au and there is a kit available (Kit includes all the fabric for the quilt top and binding only) to purchase while stocks last. You will need to purchase backing fabrics separately.