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Monday, January 10, 2011

quilting pictures in my head

for a number of weeks now, i've had a recurring picture in my head of a patchwork tea cosy.  it was, in my mind, a project that would use up all those little scraps that you end up with after larger quilt projects. but i hadn't really had any other quilt projects going on until recently. it was getting more urgent and the past few days, i actually woke up thinking about this tea cosy design, so on sunday, i sat down with the scrap basket and started to sew.

scraps of anna maria horner's innocent crush line
and it began to come together, remarkably like the picture i had in my head. even down to the colors.


after a week of building quilts following directions from the marvelous fresh quilting book, it was quite liberating to take the experience i'd gained and forge off on my own. to do a bit more experimenting and to feel a bit more playful. i used malka's advice in the actual free-form quilting i did with my machine, so i didn't abandon her lovely book altogether. a project this size was perfect to experiment and get comfortable with the free-form quilting, as it's quite manageable to maneuver under the quilting foot. i had intended to back this with an old felted sweater, but the size was a bit wrong for the felted sweaters i had on hand, so i've used a thick cotton batting and a simple purple cotton on the back, more like a normal quilt.

side 1
i'm quite surprised how this project went from a pile of scraps and an (albeit rather clear) picture in my head to a beautiful handmade tea cosy that i'm now using with a smile as i make my morning tea. and i'm even more surprised how much it did end up looking like i had pictured it. it was one of those moments of inspiration that kept coming back to me - a picture, fully formed in my mind, flashing into my head unbidden at odd moments. i will definitely be working on those more often.

side 2

the shape ended up a little wonky on the top, but i'm ok with that - it just lends to the handmade charm. even husband really likes it - and it brightens up the kitchen significantly.

what are you going to create today?
at

18 comments:

  1. ElizabethJanuary 10, 2011 at 12:22 PM

    WOW!!!!

    That is a very beautiful teacozy. Keep playing around.

    Any plans for Manilla or just reminiscing?

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  2. Tracy Golightly-GarciaJanuary 10, 2011 at 12:45 PM

    Hello Julie

    You know I love it!!!!!! I don't have a teacozy--:)

    Have a great week

    Best
    Tracy :)

    ReplyDelete
  3. inna kareninaJanuary 10, 2011 at 2:03 PM

    wow, it's so beautiful!

    ReplyDelete
  4. MissBuckleJanuary 10, 2011 at 2:27 PM

    I love it!

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  5. julochkaJanuary 10, 2011 at 2:51 PM

    just happened to be using the manila cup today. :-)

    ReplyDelete
  6. SammiJanuary 10, 2011 at 3:24 PM

    I SAW ROBOT SALT AND PEPPER POTS! I can't remember where, but that robot reminded me of them, and I think you should have them.

    I love your tea cosy it looks awesome :D

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  7. NuminosityJanuary 10, 2011 at 3:35 PM

    Lovely tea cozy indeed. Glorious color!

    xoxo Kim

    ReplyDelete
  8. Karen thisoldhouse2.comJanuary 10, 2011 at 4:25 PM

    Life is alittle wonky, but as long as there is charm and bold color and function, it's awesome. This describes your tea cozy, too :-)

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  9. Kathryn DycheJanuary 10, 2011 at 4:52 PM

    It's beautiful, I love it.

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  10. CharJanuary 10, 2011 at 5:24 PM

    totally rad! i could see coffee pot cozies, blender cozies, and so forth. all bright and colorful - great pops of color in a kitchen.

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  11. Life As I Know ItJanuary 10, 2011 at 10:19 PM

    oh, I love it!

    Unfortunately, all I'm creating today is 23 spring hats for 23 kindergartners ;)

    ReplyDelete
  12. mrs mediocrityJanuary 11, 2011 at 4:09 AM

    i love when the final product looks like the picture in my head, in whatever medium i am using.
    and, um...i want one of those!

    ReplyDelete
  13. Lisa at lil fish studiosJanuary 11, 2011 at 4:13 AM

    I love those colors together. It turned out beautifully.

    I made mittens today, out of neccessity, Coasters, out of obligation. And wool pieces for a rug for me, out of a desire to do it. Wanna guess which one was my favorite? I suspect you'll know.

    ReplyDelete
  14. The Queens TableJanuary 11, 2011 at 5:10 AM

    Love the fun colors! Always great when the image in your head turns out so wonderful and sometimes even better than your imagination! You are in the flow now!

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  15. AnonymousJanuary 11, 2011 at 3:42 PM

    these vivid colors caught my eye while i was reading your other post. your scraps blended beautifully for this cozy...great job! and, yes, it would put a smile on my face in the morning as well!

    ReplyDelete
  16. celkaleeJanuary 11, 2011 at 8:32 PM

    Adorable, great color. I had the great fortune to meet and learn from Kaffe Fassett recently. Wow, color explosion! Your artistic sense of color reminds me of him......

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  17. HelenJanuary 20, 2011 at 8:18 PM

    I love your teacosy.....so colourful and funky!

    ReplyDelete
  18. LilyMay 10, 2012 at 4:04 AM

    This tea cozy is a beautiful! love it!

    ♥ tea cozy

    ReplyDelete

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