I love having some sort of hand work to do in the evenings, whether it's hand sewing bindings, English Paper Piecing or really anything to fill the time. When one of those kinds of projects ends I feel almost sad! Weird, right?! It's probably because I have to figure out the next one to keep me busy and it can be difficult to pick one.
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| VIOLET CRAFT PATTERNS |
Luckily this pretty Peacock landed in my lap at just the right time. A friend from our Guild graciously gave me this Violet Craft Peacock EPP kit! I was beyond happy and still cannot believe it happened. I've wanted to try a Violet Craft EPP project for quite sometime! Peacock, Giraffe, Wolf, Elephant or a Chicken, she has something for everyone! Click on the link under the photo to check out her shop.
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| 19" x 19" |
I had the top finished for a few weeks before I decided what to do with it. A couple of days ago I decided I wanted a new pillow cover for my couch.
As you can see from the pattern cover I didn't change a thing! I used almost the exact colors as the original which made it to much easier! The kit comes with reusable templates that are marked with numbers and symbols making it easy to know what fabric to use and where it goes. I found that part very helpful and easy.
The hardest part for me was figuring out the best way to stitch the pieces together. I powered through, but you can see my finished top is slightly wonky!
I rarely use anything other than Warm and Natural batting for all my quilts, but this time I grabbed a scrap of fluffy wool batting for this one. I don't think I would ever quilt an entire quilt with lofty batting, but for something this small it was worth a try.
I quilted 1" diagonal lines in two directions ending up with diamonds. Simple and fast was my goal!
The feathers on the Peacocks head was the hardest section to stitch! Those black strips are skinny!
The back is a chaotic mess...luckily we don't have to look at that side!
My very favorite method of finishing pillow backs is with a hidden zipper. I used this tutorial: Hidden Zipper tutorial from Svetlana at SOTAK Handmade. If you haven't tried putting in a hidden zipper, I highly recommend this tutorial! You'll be surprised at just how easy it is and it looks great too!
I enjoyed this pattern and one day I wouldn't mind getting another Violet Craft pattern to fill my evenings! Which one would you make?
LINKING:
OH SCRAP! ● MAIN CRUSH MONDAY ● MONDAY MAKING ● LINKY TUESDAY
LETS BEE SOCIAL ● MIDWEEK MAKERS ● NEEDLE & THREAD ● TGIFF
LETS BEE SOCIAL ● MIDWEEK MAKERS ● NEEDLE & THREAD ● TGIFF
such an awesome finish! The lion was fun to make, I made him into a pillow too. I'd love to do another of her patterns one day
ReplyDeleteI enjoyed making the peacock and wouldn’t mind making another one. Maybe the elephant?!
DeleteWhat fun! Your peacock is beautiful! When I saw your Instagram post about it, I never expected it was done with EPP. Congratulations on a great finish!
ReplyDeleteYa did it again Jayne-another fun finish;) Happy New Year.
ReplyDeletethe intricacy in this quilt is amazing. Well done once again Jayne
ReplyDeleteWhat a perfect gift for you!! It turned out fantastic! So are you going to do another Violet Craft pattern now or did that satisfy your curiosity?
ReplyDeleteI love having a nighttime project to work on and this one was pretty perfect and fit the bill! I wouldn’t mind making another Violet Craft project in the future. I really did enjoy it!
DeleteWhat a beautiful pillow; the colors are perfect and I'd be hard pressed to change them from the original, too. So, do you have a plan for your next hand project then?
ReplyDeleteIt's awesome. The colours are so vibrant. I have the Lion to make. I should dig it out and pull some fabric.
ReplyDeleteThis is beautiful. I may be needing a portable project so I really appreciate seeing this wonderful example.
ReplyDeleteThis is awesome. I didn't realize these kits are English Paper Piecing. I just may get me one. I think Mad About Patchwork has them.
ReplyDeleteHow fun it must be to walk into the room and see that bright happy pillow! I think the back looks pretty darn good, if you ask me! Mine are way messier. I still haven't tried the hidden zipper, but it's on my list! Happy New Year, Jayne!
ReplyDeleteI did the peacock as well! I pieced it with silk thread and feel it is a little too fragile for a pillow top, but my stitches don’t show. Silk thread is great for applique, but I don’t think I will ever use it for EPP again. I found a Kaffe Fassett large floral that perfectly complements the peacock and will put a 4” border on it to frame it before quilting for a wall hanging.
ReplyDeleteIt’s good to know about the silk thread. I tried but some of my stitches do show! I haven’t found the perfect thread for EPP stitching yet! The peacock is gorgeous even with the flaws! I like your idea of using a large floral border. I’ll have to keep that in mind if I ever make another one!
DeleteGorgeous! Happy New Year Jayne!
ReplyDeleteOh that is just beautiful!! What a great finish!!
ReplyDeleteGorgeous. I never work with solids and more and more I am tempted to do so. I will check out the pattern link. Thank you.
ReplyDeleteThat peacock is sooo adorable! Great finish.
ReplyDeleteThis is gorgeous, and I love it on your couch. I'm glad you made it in the recommended fabric style/colors because I can't imagine it any other way. Well, I can, but you know what I mean. What a delightful way to start the new year! I didn't think of this as EPP when I first glanced at it. I like the modern take on an old technique. I don't do EPP, but I bet I'd enjoy doing it in hand piecing.
ReplyDeleteWell this turned out beautifully!
ReplyDeleteThis thumbnail (on Kelly's Needle and Thread Thursday) really caught my eye because of the bright colours - what a lovely job you have made of it!
ReplyDeleteThis pillow just glows! Beautiful!!
ReplyDeleteI’m a beginner. Can I try this with some measure of success? Is there a video showing someone making this step by step? A you tube video?
ReplyDelete