Wednesday 31 October 2012

It's my day to be WICKED!!!!!!!

Whoo hoo - have been so excited about this hop:


you might want to grab a cup of tea (I'm English don't you know!) as this is going to be a long post!

Remember for the Leafs Me Happy hop I said I was limiting myself to only one block as I am amassing a huge pile of these mini quilts (the scarecrow was my 19th!) well that all went completely out of the window for this hop.  Probably because I love Halloween stuff or probably because I am just plain wicked - you decide!

Anyway my head was spinning with two ideas - I wanted a haunted house block and skeleton block - I started with the house:


I got a cut out of a sizzix haunted house and drew it larger by hand onto some freezer paper then drew a circle around it with a side plate.  I then ironed on the freezer paper and cut out the moon, windows and house outline from the black material and added some yellow fabric behind.  I then just straight stitch appliqued around the edges - this seems to be my go to favourite method of applique at the moment - I didn't have time to hand applique all my blocks and I am not keen on the blanket stitch my Bernina has, didn't fancy a zig zag either so straight was the way to go!  I then decided the block needed a bit more (I was still trying hard to keep my blocks minimalistic as I do have a tendency to go overboard with embellishments and little extras but with what I had planned there was just too much so simplicity was key!).  However there was far too much yellow space for me so a T!m Holtz witch was the solution - this is actually from his mask and not his die - I placed it on freezer paper, drew the outline and then ironed and cut it out of black fabric - then attached it the same way as the house.

One block down onto the next...


How cute is he!  Found the picture on the internet - cobbled it together onto freezer paper and cut it out all in one piece of white fabric.  I then stitched around all his bones and ribs etc to give him features.  Eyes and nose are appliequed on the top and the mouth is stitched on.

By now I am on a roll and there is no stopping me:

Next came a cat who flies amongst the graves
Along with a ghost who has arms like sea waves



Then a pumpkin with a liking for hats
Followed closely by lots of flying bats



Then a witch flying high through the air
Followed by Frank - don't they make a nice pair!



And finally last, but certainly not least
A web that is home to a big scary beast:


Told you I went a bit overboard didn't I!  The reason I did nine was because I decided that we all needed a nice quilt to cuddle under on All Hallows Eve:


Here it is bound with some left over halloween fabric I had from a kit I bought in the States in June.  Also you will spot I added stitches to Frank's face - much better now!

I was going to leave you all in peace now and ask you all to come back tomorrow to see the back of this wicked creation but I have decided that that would just be too ghastlie of me!

So here it is:


whoo hoo finally got to use some of the ghastlie material I have been hoarding!  I have come to realise that I have the same aversion to patterned materials as I have to patterned paper and that is I find them so hard to use!  Give me a blank canvas and plain material/cardstock and the world is my oyster and my imagination is unstoppable but patterns - gosh where to start? As soon as you cut them you lose half of the pattern - so they take me way out of my comfort zone!  As you can see from this I didn't change anything much but just cut out the pictures I liked and framed them with grey - but can you see that I have had a go at free motion quilting?? can you ?? so exciting!

Here is a close up:


sorry it's a rubbish picture - but I have quilted it with frankenstein stitches! Very pleased with myself although doesn't it take an age! I had no idea.  Anyway I quilted this side only to the wadding - not sure if that's right or not but I didn't want the stitches coming through on the wicked side and as it's just me bumbling along teaching myself quilting in the comfort of my dining room I just decided to go for it.  I then bound the wicked side to the ghastlie side with a black edging.

This was finished last Thursday and me and my two boys have been cuddling up underneath it in front of the tv since then so much so I had to iron it take the final photos!

Thank you for keeping up with me this far - sorry it's such a long post, also a big thank  you to Wicked Wendy and Head Witch Madame Samm for putting together and organising all of this hop.

My fellow halloween hoppies today are:

Please go check them all out and show them some spooky love.

Thanks for looking - All spooked out from Solihull

71 comments:

sew.darn.quilt said...

OMGosh!!! Very scary blocks!! Thank you for sharing!!

Fishcake_random said...

I love the idea of the backing. you could turn it over every so often when you got bored!!
x x x

Terry@ a quilting blog said...

What a cute quilt...love that it is two-sided!! TFS

Jackie xxx said...

WOW Nicky - this is great.

Theresa said...

Wow you certainly had a lot of wicked fun. Love all of your blocks and both quilts turned out wonderfully.

charlotte said...

Love all of your blocks. Each one better than the last. It made a great quilt!

Gill said...

Great blocks! I especially like the witch! I love the back too!
Thank you for sharing!

Betsy said...

your projects are wickedly wonderful. Thank you for sharing with us today.

Sheila said...

So many wicked blocks , they are all great , thanks for sharing !!

Jenny Marples said...

That is magnificent hun!!! LOVE that free motion stitching (no wonder it took an age!) and what a different feel to each side! Thanks for showing every part of it. Hugs, Buttons x

Carin said...

Your quilts are amazing !

Calicojoan said...

A gould-isly delightedful reversable quilt!!! Eureka, you've hit gold!! :-)

Britt-Inger said...

Your quilt is sew aewsome Halloweenish. I love it and it is double sided too.
Thanks for sharing
Britt-Inger in Sweden

Nati said...

That quilt looks like so much fun! Thanks for soharing

Thearica said...

WOW! You were wicked busy!!

Love that witch block.. she is my favorite but your quilt is fantastic!

Rosa said...

Your quilt is fantastic and love your idea of the backing,so great!

Rosa said...

Your quilt is fantastic and love your idea of the backing,so great!

SueB said...

Love your quilt. It is fantastic.

Marjorie's Busy Corner said...

Wow!!!! you made some fantastic blocks there ..just wonderful

Sparky said...

ahhhh spooked here in Wine Country Nicola...I think I may have to lock my doors for your creepies too may follow my birds...what an outstanding collection...bravo for you and the boys.... x

Charlene S said...

Wicked!

krislovesfabric said...

Love your Frankenstein quilting, just wonderful!

Barb Neiwert said...

What fun! Happy Halloween to you!

Brenda said...

What wonderful blocks! I really like the one with all the bats! Great quilt and I like the stitches you used for the quilting!
hulseybg@gmail.com

Leah said...

Great quilt! And very clever of it to be be double sided. Thanks for sharing.

gpc said...

What a great quilt, and those frankenstitches are brilliant!

Linda said...

You've been busy! Your blocks are all just wonderful! I love the Ghastlie quilt too!

Anonymous said...

Just GHASTLIE. Love the quilting! Happy Halloween from Kathy @ Kwilty Pleasures blog!

E Porcello said...

Love this quilt, especially the backing. Great idea!

pinsandneedles said...

Love your wicked blocks! My favorite are the bats and Frankie! Thanks for sahring!

Kathy H said...

I enjoyed your story and those blocks. Made a perfect quilt to snuggle up with. ANd that frankenstein quilting was such a great idea.

thepiececorps said...

Wicked blox! Love love love! B-)

StitchinByTheLake said...

So many cute blocks but your haunted house is over the top wonderful! blessings, marlene

Heidi Grohs said...

Beautiful Halloween Quilts!!!!!

Katherine McNeese said...

Too wickedly funny!

Jane's Quilting said...

They are Great...I love the ideas that you had. Happy Halloween

Vivian said...

That haunted house is great. I will have to find one like that. I love the colors of your Ghastley quilt, and the stitching.Thanks for sharing. Vivian

sandra said...

Wonderful quilt and it looks like you had lots of fun making a Halloween Quilt.

Daryl @ Patchouli Moon Studio said...

Great blocks and quilt.

Heleen Groot said...

Incredibly wicked! You made nine blocks....and you promised.... It's a good thing the blocks are stunning, otherwise you would be in trouble! I know a solution for those mini-quilts. I read it somewhere, just can't remember where. Anyway, you can make them into a wall-organizer. The little quilts become the pockets. Simply sew them on to a background and you'll have a wonderful and practical organizer for all your sewing notions!

Unknown said...

Your blocks made a wicked awesome quilt and i am a huge Ghastlies fan.

Maria Kievit said...

Love the blocks and the quilt. Thanks for sharing.

Judy B said...

All your blocks made a wonderful spooky quilt! Love the Ghastlies fabric on the back. Thank you for sharing.

mary mahoo said...

Wow! You've been busy! Love your blocks. That Ghastlies quilt is awesome..love the Frankenstein quilting. Thanks for sharing.

Corrie said...

I love the quilting you did - clever. Your Halloween one is darling, and who doesn't adore the Ghastlies?

Laura said...

Precious quilt! I love the stitches for the quilting.

Patty said...

Wonderful Job!

BizyStitches said...

Loved your wickedly fun parade of pictures. Thanks for sharing and for being in the hop

Carol Swift said...

Oooo, very wicked quilt--love both sides of it!

Mrs.Pickles said...

Wicked work thanks for sharing!!

LJ said...

Looks to me like you're really getting the hang of quilting. Very nicely done. I love Ghastlies and so anything with them is wonderful. Your creativity with the other blocks was amazing. My favorite was the haunted mansion. Great colors.

Valspierssews said...

You sure we're on a roll. I love all your wicked blocks. A quilt big enough to snuggle under is very sensible. Great work with the backing too.

Silvia(Barnie) said...

Wow, I'm missing words. Thes quilts are breathtaking. Really love them.

MoeWest said...

I love your wicked blocks. The quilt is great on both sides!

Lesley said...

Wonderfully wicked blocks! Good for you for making a full quilt, and doing that creative stitching! Well done!

lefuntz said...

You didn't go overboard this time. You made a complete quilt! Well done! All of your creations play together nicely. The black cat on the broom is my favorite!

Rosemary B❤️ said...

Rosemary B here:
Adorab-- wicked lovely blocks lol
these are marrrrvelous!

Just Quilt It said...

Love your quilt! Great blocks!

Needled Mom said...

Great blocks and I love the completed project.

In stitches and seams said...

great blocks and a wickedly wonderful quilts
Happy Halloween
in stitches

Denise :) said...

Well you certainly were *wicked*! Wickedly creative, that is!! Very fun stuff -- you did a great job of putting it together -- and I love the fabric you used in the sashing, too!!! :)

carla said...

Wow!! Wow!!! Amazing!!! Awesome!!! Wicked wonderful!!! I love everything everything about your quilt!!! Also love that you and your boys have already enjoyed it!!! Thank You so much!!!

♥Duff said...

I think you had more fun making this block than I had reading about it--that's a lot!!

Scrapbook-ChickADoodle said...

Wow! I love the 1 st block you showed, then I saw the 2nd and was wow again. Then there was the 3rd and 4th, and 5th and 6th, and 7th and 8th and 9th, wow,wow,wow! Love the all the blocks and the quilt is wickedly wonderful. Of course you've got to love the Ghastlies. You did a great job with the FMQ of Frankie's stitches! Thanks for sharing.

Sallie said...

Great job! Love that it's reversible!

Missus Wookie said...

Fun to see both sides.

I thought when you said you'd done lots of blocks you were going to end up with matching cushions :)

Hettie said...

Lovely quilt there Nicola. Great blocks and double bubble as it is double sided!
x

Amy said...

Lovely Wicked finish! Thanks for sharing with us!

Nini said...

Great Quilt! I love both sides!
Greetings from Germany
Nicole

Michele said...

Wow! Just wow! All your blocks and your finished quilt are just wonderful. And I love the Ghastlies too so I love seeing anything made with it.

Carrie said...

Just catching up with this blog hop! Love the halloween blocks, but I am a huge Ghastlie fan and love your quilt. Thanks for sharing.