On a recent trip to Pittsburgh for Quilt Market, Amber and I each came home with a 1/2 meter bundle of the newest Nani Iro double gauze collection. We had been coveting these types of bundles for years and finally took the plunge to owning them ourselves. There was only one thing to do with this: a Nani Iro double gauze quilt.
Jaime's Nani Iro Quilt
Pattern: Self-designed Half Square Triangles Fabric: one 1/2 meter bundle of Nani Iro double gauze, 1 each of 20 prints Size Made: queen - 90" x 96"
OMG these prints! Super subtle creams and whites, pops of neon and then saturated blues and teals! All with hints of metallic ink on yummy double gauze base fabric. Swoon! You really can't go wrong with this collection. Any way you dice it, a double gauze Nani Iro quilt is going to look stunning. I didn't want to break up the beautiful prints too much so I cut 10 1/2" squares as the base of my half-square triangles. Once I pieced these together, I laid them out in a random pattern - working to break up the saturated colors with the delicate creams. I think the result is amazing, I love this quilt.
I made up this pattern, which is really just a random assortment of half square triangles (HST). I used the easy HST method of layering fabric squares, stitching them on the diagonal and then cutting them in half, creating two blocks each time I did this. This brilliant method means you don't have to stitch cut bias edges which could stretch.
For the back I simply pieced together my leftover strips from cutting my squares and combined these strips with a chambray voile. I used our thinnest weight cotton batting so this is the lightest, airiest, summery quilt of all time. Like all my queen-sized quilts, I had this one quilted professionally by Jason of Secret Stash Quilting. We just did a basic panto-gram design in a geometric triangles grid. The quilting echos the front of the quilt, but the light thread makes it disappear on most of the quilt top. I finished it with a bright teal shot cotton binding to frame the quilt and bring out the teals and bright blues of the Nani Iro.
Looper-approved!
We still have a few half-meter bundles left if you're dreaming of a Nani Iro quilt of your own. Trust me, you won't be disappointed!
There is a new quilt pattern in town! The Four Winds quilt by Amber Corcoran is Fancy Tiger's newest pattern and our very first quilt pattern.
The construction of this quilt is quick, due to large scale patchwork and an efficient method of making its flying geese blocks. It is simple enough for new quilters and is a great introduction to matching your points, as the large blocks are pretty forgiving.
queen/king size quilt
We love this modern take on the classic flying geese quilt. The sample quilt uses 12 fat quarters from the Liberty Lifestyle Bloomsbury Gardens quilting cotton that pop off a background of Kona cotton Snow.
The pattern would look fantastic in the new Lotta Jansdotter collection (that we just got in!), or Carolyn Friedlander's Botanics fabrics.
twin size
Three quilt sizes--throw, twin and queen/king--are included in the pattern. The instructions thoroughly detail the construction of the quilt top, the quilt back and how to make a "front-to-back" binding, a method of binding popular in the 1930's
Both Jaime and I have friends and family welcoming new babies into their lives. What can a Fancy Tiger do but craft up something by hand to celebrate these precious little folks coming into the world?
I've made my share of pieced quilts, but after visiting Folk Fibers' studio and seeing her amazing handstiched quilts I was inspired to try my hand at making whole-cloth baby quilts quilted by hand. Even with the hand stitching, these two simple, turned quilts were quick to make--faster, I found, than a baby quilt that is pieced and bound.
The first I made for a friend's first baby, with a Nani Iro soft cotton double-gauze on one side and backed with a bright, sunny brushed cotton plaid. I quilted it by stitching circles in bright pink perle cotton around random colorful polka dots à la Purl Bee's quilted play mat.
The second quilt was made for my newest niece, and, Eddie and I together, stitched away on it to finish it. It was made with the fantastic crane print from Rashida Colman-Hale's Tsuru collection for Cloud 9 Organics. I love the pop of the vermillion suns against the turquoise background, and we chose a hot red-orange brushed cotton plaid to back the quilt with. The hand quilting was done in turquoise floss, in straight lines echoing the lines in the plaid.
I love that with these quilts most of the time is spent--not at your
sewing machine--but sitting and meditatively hand quilting. Even better, it can be done together with a friend. Each quilt was personalized by embroidering the year onto the corner.
For a dear friend's new baby, Jaime knit Sophie the bunny, a pattern by Ysolda. She used Spud & Chloe's Sweater, a perfect yarn for baby things, made with easy-to-care-for washable wool and organic cotton. A handknit toy is perfect for a summertime Texas baby when garments and blankets can be too heavy. This foot tall bunny will be a constant friend for the new baby and for years to come.
My other little niece just turned two, can you believe it? I know she loves animals so I made her a sweet grey kitten with our Minikitti knitting pattern. When I gave it to her she hugged it and said "I love you!" to her new minikitti. Talk about adorable!
So many cute babies and so many cute things to make for them!
Living in Colorado, it's hard not to be influenced by the prairies and fields surrounding us. Farmlands and country life are all inspirations to us.
Home on the range...
Small calico floral prints and ticking fabrics are perfect to achieve a prairie style. Lace-up oxfords can help you complete your look. Prairie fashion has been seen on the runway and in the streets and is easy to incorporate into your wardrobe. We have tons of patterns and supplies to achieve a country-prairie look. Here are some of our favorite fabrics, yarns and patterns.
Prairie style is big in fashion now - here are some styles we collected on Polyvore
Nothing beats ticking as a reference of prairie style. This sturdy, tightly woven fabric kept the feathers from escaping homesteaders' feather stuffed pillows and beds. We have a lightweight ticking cloth available in 6 colors that make for modestly classic bags, aprons and even dresses.
Speaking of ticking, thanks to this great pattern from Cirilia Rose for Loft you can knit your own Ticking Cowl inspired by this workaday fabric.
Small floral prints will help you achieve a prairie look. We'd love to see the Ceylon by Colette in one of these sweet little calicos.
A bandanda shawl would be great to accessorize your new wardrobe - perhaps this pattern from Hill Country Weavers in the rustically wonderful Acadia from Fibre Co?
Be sure to finish your garments and accessories with a natural cotton lace trim.
We have no shortage of pioneer inspired patterns, from quilts to cute dresses, your style can be handcrafted-down-home-prairie perfection.
“You should never be ashamed of work you have done only work that you haven't.”
―
Little House on the Prairie
Hi! I'm Erikia and I'm the manager here at Fancy Tiger. When I first got into sewing years ago, quilting was one of my loves. I'm a make-it-up as I go kinda crafter and don't like following patterns, so quilting came easy to me. That's not to say all of my quilts have been perfect. I've learned a lot over the years and even learned a new technique with this quilt, but more on that later.
I made this quilt for my boyfriend because he needed a better blanket for his sofa. I wanted it to be uber cool, so I went on a search for edgy, modern quilts a la Boo Davis. When I came across some Space Invader designs, I knew I found the perfect pattern.
I started the quilt with a sketch based on some pixelated graphics of the aliens and went from there. I used a combination of 2x2 squares and strips with 1/4" seam allowance for the construction. Because the pattern is so graphic and the pieces were small, I wanted all my corners to lineup perfectly. I used a technique that I learned about in Tula Pink's book Quilts From The House of Tula Pink, where you nest your seams together. It worked like magic to keep the corners neat!
Once the quilt was done, I sent it off to Jason Spicknall of Secret Stash Quilting to do the quilting and it turned out amazing! Since finishing my quilt, I've decided that I need to make one for myself based on the Ms. Pac-Man game. Think how cute that'll be with colorful ghosts, fruits and of course Ms. Pac-Man with her adorable bow and girly red lips...
A trifecta of triangle quilts + tutorial! (Tutorial at the end of this post.)
Jaime, Emily and I adore Denyse Schmidt's fabrics-- and when we saw this Pyramid quilt made from her Chicopee line, we were all three smitten. We had to make it for ourselves!
We each cut 3/8 yard of all 26 prints, giving us 5 triangles from each print--enough to make a queen sized quilt top!
Jaime's Quilt
Jaime made a queen sized quilt, and tried her darnedest to be random with the patchwork. It turned out perfectly random and is beautiful!
Emily took a different approach for her queen sized pyramid quilt, and planned out a repeating pattern which created a soft rainbow effect in her patchwork. In order have the right number of certain colors she had to make some triangle trades with Jaime and I. I love the effect of the organized groups of colors!
I went a little smaller with my quilt, wanting a cozy couch quilt. It's 60" x 90", long enough to stretch out under for naps, or wide enough for a two person lap quilt.
Jaime's Rainbow Patchwork Back | Amber's Bright Floral Back | Emily's Patchworky Stripe Back
We each chose our own adventure for our quilt backs!
Jaime used her Chicopee scraps to make a stripey rainbow, which she then patchworked with some of her favorite tiny gothic Japanese florals.
I was inspired by antique crazy quilts I've seen from the early 1900s, many of which have big, wild florals backing them. I chose an acid yellow rose print from Bari J. and I love it!
Emily chose a yarn-dyed Essex linen cotton for most of her quilt back, but inserted a colorful strip of patchwork down the center.
Basic Pyramid Patchwork Tutorial
To make a queen sized quilt top you will need:
3/8 yd each of 26 prints
Cutting mat
Rotary cutter
clear ruler with 60o marking
sewing machine and thread
With a rotary cutter and ruler, cut all your fabric pieces to 12" strips, selvedge to selvedge.
Take one strip and, using your ruler, cut the end of the strip off at 60o.
Rotate your ruler to the other side and finish cutting one triangle by cutting again at 60o. Save your half triangles from the ends. Repeat cutting for remaining triangles and remaining strips.
Place 2 triangles right sides together and seam along one edge at with 1/4" seam allowance.
Press open.
Place next triangle right sides together with last triangle, letting the point extend past the edge of the triangle below as much as the previous triangle point's seam allowance. Seam and press. Continue until you have 13 triangles sewn together. Seam one half-triangle to each end of your strip.
Repeat until you have 9 strips of triangles.
Lay your strips out to decide what order to piece them together in. Seam strips together.
Sometimes a fabric collection comes to the shop that is so hot, we have to drop everything and start sewing. That's what happened on Friday when Denyse Schmidt's newest collection for Free Spirit arrived, Chicopee. Here is the queen sized quilt top I made this weekend:
As soon as the boxes were unpacked we googled possible quilt options and found this quilt - Emily and Amber and I fell instantly in love. My queen version took 1/3 yd of each of the 26 prints that make up the Chicopee line (all of which are available here at Fancy Tiger). Stay tuned to see how I finish this and how Emily and Amber's quilts turn out.
Denyse Schmidt is a modern quilting genius and her prints are perfectly suited for amazing quilts - good balance of lights and darks, large and small scale, and a lovely spectrum of both bright and muted colors. Beautiful. We also have in stock pre-cuts which will make quilting with these prints that much easier.
This May Amber and I took a trip back to Kunming, the capital of the Yunnan Province in China. I say "back", because we both lived there for a time in 2004-2005.
Jeff and Georgia with their new Double Happiness Quilt
Our return to Kunming was to visit our cousin, Jeff, and to celebrate his marriage to his love, Georgia. We were so excited to finally meet her, and attend their wedding! Amber and I decided to make them a quilt, complete with a special double happiness block. Double happiness, or shuāngxǐ, is a traditional motif used in weddings. You can see this special block in the lower right corner of the quilt. (There is a tutorial at the end of this post if you'd like to make your own!)
Kunming has a special place in my heart. Amber and I lived there for a year and a half, and really fell in love with the city. It is always a pleasure to wander the markets in Kunming. There is a major farmers market within a short walking distance of almost anywhere in the city, and the variety of foods available is astonishing. Even at restaurants, there is a beautiful display of fresh produce and meats to choose from. Often non-chinese speakers in our group (hi, mom!) could pick out a few dishes just by gazing in wonder at all the beautiful fresh produce. Yunnan is also a special place for tea, especially puer tea. You can see above the bricks and cakes of puer tea. Puer tea is aged, sometimes for decades like a fine wine, and I have heard there is some still aging from the Qing Dynasty.
Yunnan is an amazingly diverse place. It is one of the most biologically and culturally diverse areas in China. There are over 25 distinct ethnic minorities in Yunnan which often have unique language, crafts, and traditions.
Intricately Tie-Dyed Jacket
Handwoven fabric vests embellished with applique & cross-stitch and Jacket embellished with hand-made metal studs
A visit to the museum was a special treat, with traditional handmade garments from so many different cultures, and amazingly familiar fiber tools elegantly crafted.
Clockwise from top right, a gorgeously carved niddy noddy, a rustic yarn swift with a base made of tree roots, a simple but elegant Miao loom, and three copper drop spindles and a copper comb for separating bast fibers.
Shi Zhijie's textile art
We also visited our dear friend Liu LiFen's art gallery, 943 Studio Group. We were immediately enamored with Shi Zhijie, a local textile artist who's work is on display there. Her textile work was breathtaking, from beautifully quilted silk jackets, to a human-sized, freaky rabbit doll made with her own printed fabric.
Some of the local people at the nearby restaurant were taking a break and crafting it up too. This is a gorgeous piece of needlepoint!
We asked around for tips on knitting stores, and the craft craze hasn't hit China quite like it has here. To get our hands on some yarn we had to trek by cab out of the city to a giant wholesale market in Chengong, one of Kunming's suburbs. This place has everything for sale, and is where small shop owners go to get goods to sell to the public. The building itself extends from one freeway exit to the next--more than a mile long! We had to trek for about 30 minutes to get from the entrance to the knitters shops. We saw the piles of neon yarns and knew we had arrived!
There was a lot of polyester to be found, but we finally happened upon
some shops selling cashmere, wool and marten yarns. Apparently marten is a pretty common fiber in China! Even this "Coors Light" yarn is made with it!
This adorable shop owner was selling beautiful wool yarns and was happy to show off her project.
As we shopped several women from the nearby stores noticed us and came to chat. We showed off our projects, too, and the ladies all loved our lace shawls. They had never seen anything like the lace knitting we were working on and asked Amber for an impromptu lesson.
We had lots of fun in China and wish we could go back more often. There were too many fun places and people to meet! I may just have to make myself a double happiness quilt to remind me of our fun times, so here is Amber to share her quilt block tutorial.
Double Happiness (Shuāngxǐ) Block Tutorial
Double happiness is literally the Chinese character for joy, but doubled and smooshed together. It is symbolic of happy occasions where two people bring joy to each other, such as weddings and new babies. The double happiness character is traditionally in red, a most joyful color in China, so I chose a bright red print and a lighter neutral for the background.
You won't need much fabric for this little block. You could get several out of a quarter yard, but a few scraps would be perfect!
Cut out the pieces shown in the diagram above. A rotary cutter, clear ruler, and cutting mat are going to be necessary for this tiny piecing. You will need to cut:
Red Fabric
18 of A (7/8" x 1-1/4")
12 of B (7/8" x 2-3/4")
1 of C (7/8" x 5-3/4")
Grey Fabric
16 of D (7/8" x 1-1/4")
5 of E (7/8" x 2-3/4")
2 of F (1-5/8 x 1-1/4")
Be very careful to keep a consistent 1/4" seam allowance. A quilters 1/4" foot is helpful.
Starting at the top of the diagram above, sew each strip across as follows, right sides together and shorter raw edges together. Press your seams after making each strip:
1) 5 strips of D+A+E+A+D
2) 2 strips of B+D+B
3) 4 small strips of A+D+A (shown at the bottom of image 3 below)
4) Now make a tiny block by sewing a B piece to the top and the bottom of each of the smaller strips. Press. Repeat for a total of four little blocks.
5) Take an F piece and sew a small block from step 4 to each of the longer sides of the F. Repeat with your other F and the remaining blocks. Press.
6-11) Use the second schematic diagram above as a guide, sew all your strips together to make your double happiness.
12) To make and 8" block, I cut 1-1/2" strips from my grey fabric and framed in the double happiness symbol.
Ta-da! Now stitch this into something pretty and give it to someone you love. Here's some ideas:
With 1/4" of insul-brite and a fabric for the back, make a cute potholder for the wedding of dear friends.
Applique onto a changing mat or diaper bag to welcome a new baby.
Make a bigger border and turn it into a decorative pillow for an anniversary gift.
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