Here it is - a baby quilt I made for a little girl. It took me so long to make it, she was able to grow and is not exactly a newborn now. Hopefully it will be liked a lot just as I loved making it. This is the quilt I mentioned sometime ago - inspired by a favorite on Flickr /one of the greatest simple quilts there in my opinion/ So here is the process story. When I saw the quilt I was sure I will make one like it. Not the exact plan, not even similar prints, but something with similar impression. As I saw a chance to make it for a baby, I wanted all edges finished and none of the frayed. I also wanted the flowers more baby-like - no vague ideas, but accurate flowers. I wanted it tactile - little ones love touching and exploring everything they touch. Thus the 3-D element was added. The palette was another challenge - wanted it fresh, crisp, flowery, pastel, not too curly, not too flowers-intensive, not too modern... I had some pre-cut squares in pastels, decided I want an old-fashioned roses print in the quilt and this was the quilt recipe. Then just mixed and matched other ideas around the squares and the print. I rarely choose white for background as I do find off-whites and ecrus more natural, relaxing and usually more stylish. It this case however, I white was a must to bring more air, so the white joined the fabrics. The original plan was to make a quilt and a bed sheet. I tend to use the back of quilt for a kid print and decided to use two coordinating ones for the back and the bedding. Finally a little hand quilting detail, added a princess silhouette to one corner of the quilt. It is the first time I do it. I think it will be one of many times - turned delicate and interesting.

A post to make up for the things I have posted in Bulgarian only in the last couple of weeks. And mainly explanation of the pictures posted along with Bulgarian text previously. As weather got cooler, I started baking again. I missed this during the hot, hot summer weeks... Making bread is a colder part of the year ritual here. It feels the air with the most comforting domesticity spirit you can get. Especially for some flour and baking... I usually rotate 3 main recipes but the cold weather made me stick to the cheese and oil one mostly. Delicious! I also played with binding - lovely experience and great time spent among the colourful scraps and FQ piles... Sewing for Christmas - potholders, bread baskets and such... I made some other little projects in the meantime. December was a really busy month and I had some things to deal with, so making a full-size quilt did not happen this month. I took part in a charity event - making a quilt to be sold at a market. And was left with a test star in a difficult, old-fashioned style. It became a little table topper. Waiting for binding now. And it was planned to be a pillow... Well, as usually patches and tops have a live of their own and opinion what to be made out of them too. LOL Regarding the process, one had an opinion of its own on quilting too. It did insist to be quilted in the cabbage style. I know it is called feathers, but believe me it feels like cabbage. And I know its due to my lack of serious feathers experience lately... I was about to choose a modern style quilting, but feathers happened... Happy I did not allow it to become an UFO. Found a couple of UFOs this week and decided to make them quilts in January. First New Year resolutions this December!

Another Monday, another lovely summer day in mid-November... I am working on a few projects now but going to show you the weekly favorite - a quilt in progress. It is inspired by a summer Flickr quilt love and a little lady. I am not telling the favorite yet - it is one of the most lovely simple quilts there... I will show it with my version when it is ready. The colour choices were not obvious or dreamed. It was squares box utilization and a special style idea mix. Not quite sure it will be a good marriage of a box and a style. LOL This is just the top. I am still looking for the right back and lots of added extras. The magic "in progress" decisions and choices... Have a lovely week!

I was intrigued by this event - Blogger’s Quilt Festival - the very first time I read about it. I happened to be too busy around all its edition so far. I had no time, no mojo, no quilt to show, or just missed the dates... I saw the current one today and since tomorrow is important day for me and the final day of this issue, here is my entry to celebrate the date and the chance I saw the gorgeous quilts around the web just in time! The web of colours is one of my latest quilts. It is part of one of the most lovely quilty things I can think of - Doll Quilt Swap. this very fact makes it even more special to me as I found this swap by chance. It happened to have all the most beautiful, most creative quilts on the web. Well this was before the festival! And the swap is still one of the most amazing places to be and things to feel about quilting and modern quilts! You see I am getting so excited, I get too chatty LOL This quilt was an experiment from start to end - first attempt at spider web pattern, started with a modification plan - I wanted one web and some background segments. This meant different crop and colour choices.. The colour explosions is something I truly love. The energy, the good vibes and the controlled brightness that makes your mouth and eyes smile... lovely! Still I am not always comfortable using bold colours for something else. But this quilt, though being technically made for a stranger, was for someone with almost mine quilt taste. So I felt comfortable and made is if it was for me myself. I generally love fresh modern and crisp designs, including working with only solids. However adding  just a bit of prints, spiced this quilt and I am happy, I used some prinsts here. I experiment for a while trying to make quilts with almost the same fabrics but in different recipes - different ratios and combinations. I found this quilt a good looking try. The quilting was even more special as I had a fancy - almost old-dated, cabbage style flowery, feathery idea... it was in interesting contrast with the clean patches pattern style. However it looked too curly and well, I already admitted this - like a cabbage... I was about to reconsider the quilting plan when my husband suggested a web. Simple and elegant! So i had no chance, but follow his advice. This makes the quilt special in another personal way. It is probably the only really stilish thing about this quilt too. Then came the back stage - the back. I really love the cheerfulness in it. It is simple again, but impressive with a small mother of pearl spider on it. This part was my kid's favorite. And an idea on the go, while attaching the binding. Aqua and bold of course. Well, I do have to make a quilt, or at least a pillow this for us. Usually I have two favorite quilts of mine at a time - the one I am working on and the one I dream to start with right after completing the current one. The Colours Web is the quilt I am dreaming to make despite the current and next project. It is my current star. Well, I think this makes it special in another way and it well deserves a quilt bloggers festival submission - I enjoyed making it, made it for a lovely stranger, as part of a favorite amazing event, with great deal of experiment and adventures, my husband's help and my child's approval. Thank you for stopping by! Do make sure you have a look the gorgous quilts in the Festival I will spend at least one day admiring them this weekend!

I am back on the blog and back on the English part of it - busy with preChristmas sewing, piecing, quilting. The days get shorter, darker and chillier, and Christmas is somehow conquering the air and my studio. Sewing for custom orders and planning Christmas sewing, preparing Christmas gift lists, baking pumpkins and pumping pies... and cupcakes, making at least one good autumn soup a week, all the trees changing colours every day... autumn... Imagine the deep purple sky touched by some gold and the softest vibrant pink each evening and you will see a topical autumn day. I find this time of year magical - transformation, motion, colourful chills, special light and colour everywhere... Here is my latest project - two cushions to match a September order quilt. A lovely project to work on - great shapes, favorite colour combo, inspiring techniques and design - the perfect custom work combo - flexibility and nice colours. It all started like a pile, a test, a quilt and some designs, to become a final nice touch to the quilt.

Hello again! The 24+ hours rain is over... people say it is not for long...  but still the sunny day feels great! Green grass, golden trees, blue sky with little white clouds, breeze, soft warm light.... and warm weather... a dream! And it started as a dense fog morning... and the next rain is some 300-400km away... I am still working on Christmas preparation and custom orders and just popping here to add some pictures of a spring quilt I forgot to post this spring. It is a big, soft, cheerful one and has the energy of today's sun - bright but soft, energizing but not hot. Stumbled upon it looking for a picture today and feels just like this day. Another thing I forgot to shout here is... Ta-da! ... the studio has a new little shop, you can visit right now! I am so excited with this project and the little time I had to open on 10.10.2010 - see the auspicious aspect! It explains the mini format of the shop for now... I will blog about this later again - I think it is a big step and the excitement is constant for now LOL I am now working on adding new pictures and new items and fresh feedback on how it looks/feels is always welcome. Always looking for some critiques and side views. A few lovely friends gave me some precious feedback and ideas I am working on now. Thank you, dear!

Here is the finished product or what these blues were transformed in. It is pretty simple, nothing fancy, no special techniques or effects - just simple piecing and nice colours. I find it stylish and really appealing. Talking about the process, this project was really something interesting. Some unexpected design work added special charm - it was self painted due to a little experiment. I think this added texture. Two quilts in almost the same design - pretty in blue duet. Love the calm, relaxing blues. This project was squeezed to fit around other on going ones. It was ready just in time for delivery and the next project on my schedule. Gives some comfort in a busy period! And look at the wrinkled blues... lovely!

Here is the New Solids Quilt completed! It was received by its owner, so I can show it now here. I was willing to make a quilt like this for a few months. I love fresh colours, crisp designs and white backgrounds. To be frank, my "white" is usually off white. This quilt has a very special magic ingredient, as it was made to order. Every custom quilt has a story of its own.  Just like most of the custom quilts I have made, this one was an adventure exploring style. It seems, people who like my work have very distinct and really modern, bold style. They tend to choose crisp designs and pure colours in unexpected combinations and shapes. Or it is just my perception. I would consider this quilt more traditional with white background and rectangular shapes. And I am happy to work with and for a customer, choosing irregular shapes and cream background. So if I am to talk a little more about the process here, as per the Process Pledge, this design is mostly customer's wish. I just documented the process and made the quilt. This is something I really love in custom work. It is special cooperation, ensuring the customer will be happy with the quilt. It also feels great to know your actually making something according to someone else's idea. And making something you really like at the same time.

Here some of the pictures of a new process /now completed/ as part of the Process pledge. It is custom  solids quilt. I was to choose a design based on a style and colour preferences. So here is how it grew from the fabrics pile to the top. The main goals were crisp design, simple construction /to stress the crispness/ and vivid colours on delicate background. It is irregular in pattern and each block blends in the background, thus making process a little random, a little improvisational and very risky. I did enjoy the process and the result. If the ready quilt makes me want one like it for me... is is good enough to leave the studio. The beauty and challenge of making custom quilts... Will show you the quilt soon.

Here it is in its full glory. Yay, I love it. Have to make one for me. What I really love about this is, I made it using many first ideas and my DH quilting idea. Perfect combo. LOL It was pleasure to make it. I now do hope it will be liked when it arrives where it is expected to be in a week or so... Now something about the process as I have taken a pledge. It was supposed to be all solids quilt, but I added some prints to spice it up. It was supposed to be a modern take of a classic pattern - I think it is. I was about to add curly, feathery quilting but went for a spider web quilting /DH idea!/ and I think it made it sing. At least to me. Who supposed these things mentioned anove?... me..  at first. The pattern itself was the decision that took me most of the "making" time. Thought about a spider web, but they seemed to be so popular this round, it was kind of expected... It is funny my partner was to make a spider web for me and changed it seeing I was to make one... Some part of me regrets, I showed the plan, as I am sure the web would be lovely.. the other is sooo happy with the one I got! The label is not a label actually I just embroidered all the info in a sort of circle around the web. And added a sun/flower-like spider with mother-of-pearl button to add interest. The binding was the most obvious choice to me - the perfect turquoise to match the top and the sky, the web should be surrounded by...