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Splendid colour tips for quilters: Solid-coloured fabrics in quilts

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Oh my, writing today’s splendid tips felt like a real challenge because I use solid-coloured fabrics the least in the world. However, after some deep research into my quilting history, I uncovered quite a few examples, which I hope will be helpful for you! Read on and you will learn what to watch out for when using solid-coloured fabrics in quilts, and get tips for using solids with success. I will also share my thoughts on fabrics whose colour is “nearly solid”! Why I don’t often use solids I never get an urge to buy solid fabrics because colourful, patterned fabrics attract me so much more. When I look at my stash, at least 90% of it are patterned fabrics. The only (nearly) solids I consciously buy are whites, blacks and greys. Ever since I was a child, I’ve liked patterns. For example, when I was around seven years old, I had a snake-skin patterned coat, plaid pants, striped socks and a differently striped shirt – and I would wear all of them together. And I loved flower patt...
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How to name your quilted items – and why you should do so

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To date, I have made more than 650 quilted items, and nearly every one of my them has a unique name. Surprisingly often, I get asked how I can have come up with all of those names. How do I do it? In this post, I’ll discuss the naming in general – for example, why it may be difficult mentally, and why it is so important to name one’s creations. I’ll also share 7 tips for generating names without resorting to an automatic name generator or to an AI assistant. Meaning, how you can come up with names using your own creativity. Why it may be difficult to name one’s quilted items If you think like I thought when I was just starting this hobby, you may want to be modest, not call attention to yourself, and feel that your quilty items are not such works of art that would deserve to be named. Back in my early days, I did not consider myself an artist, not really, and giving a name to a practical item felt like too much. I still don’t quite understand myself – I’m far from a modest, re...
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Finished: Zebra Crossing quilted zipper bag

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Today, I present to you the fourth zipper bag finish since I decided to reach my average number of zipper pouches made per year. This one is called Zebra Crossing / Suojatie, and if you read on, you will learn why. This is the main side of the Zebra Crossing pouch: See how light-hearted it looks somehow! At the time of the photo shoot, this path was the only spot in our garden that caught any sun. Happily, the autumn leaves on the path matched the colour of the zipper bag. Going back in time a bit. These are my mindlessly sewn, scrappy blocks that I sewed as an interim project – and you can probably spot a few that eventually became part of the Zebra Crossing pouch: Somehow, I’m not completely satisfied with this set because so many of them look a little glum. I suspect that several of these – since they do not really meet my visual requirements – will be end up as a bottom part of a future zipper pouch. And that is the silver lining in my slightly disappointing results. T...
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Finished: Lofty John zipper bag

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Today, I have the pleasure of introducing the 14th zipper bag finish of the year. There is a good reason why I named it Lofty John / Korkea John (continue reading and you will learn exactly why): In the picture, the Lofty John quilted zipper bag is posing in the nearby woods where I took a short walk last week, in the middle of a working day! The sun was shining and it felt almost unlawful to sit inside. This time of the year one doesn’t even have to think about getting burnt at midday. In October, you don’t need sunscreen in Finland (and you are lucky to see the sun at all). When I was making this zipper pouch, I managed to leave my comfort zone – I used free-motion machine quilting and ran a stipple quilting pattern on parts of the surface. This was because I was bothered by not having dared to test my stippling skills to complete the quilting on one of the Early Days zipper bag panels. Somehow, straight stitching seemed a better idea for the focus squarish parts and the wi...
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Next finish out of 11: the Mrs Jumbo quilted zipper bag

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The weather was finally sunny here, after many overcast days, and I was able to have a photoshoot of my latest make, the Mrs Jumbo quilted zipper bag: From time to time, I sew scraps together with no ambition to finish a zipper bag but knowing that I’ll eventually pick the piece up and use it. The elephant panel was one of such creations: I could see that the panel would need a scrap on the left hand side, to allow the face of the elephant to have a bit of breathing room, so I added it. And then I needed the panel for the other side. Luckily, I have a lot of resources to draw from! This is how the workspace next to my sewing machine often looks: These were the scrappy pieces that seemed most suited to become the other side of the elephant-paneled zipper bag: I took the picture so I’d remember how to organise the blocks. Did I organise them like this? No I didn’t, as you can see: The two sides of the Mrs Jumbo zipper bag do not resemble each other, though they share a simi...
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