Brocade braid across the table

I seem to be falling in love with the stunning effect of brocade. Although a not so easy fabric to work with, fraying ends, pulling weaves, the end result more than makes up for the arduous journey of piecing it all together!

Post my work with the churn dash cushion covers, i decided to make a table runner with brocade. The pattern i chose was the braided herringbone. A lovely pattern indeed. I first saw this pattern first hand on a quilt when Manju a fellow DQ had come to Bombay. She used this pattern as a border for her Bargello quilt. Thank you Manju! You in a way introduced me to the braided herringbone :) 

So the journey began with a whole lot of excitement! I first gathered all the brocade fabrics i had, cut them into 3.5 inches strips and went sew, sew sew!! You know, unlike the other patters i've done so far, i realized that with this i could actually 'feel' that i was progressing!! Then came the ironing the top part. Was very scared if i'd burn it. Played safe, really safe. Low temperature, lot's of water in the iron, and gradually increased the temperature.............just why was i so nervous!!!

I also ironed on press canvas to the backing fabric which is plain 'kora' cloth. This has given the table runner a little stiffness. Used my regular batting.

This is  a closer view

Didn't know how to quilt it without spoiling the look of the strips - you know the quilting turning out to be like a sore to the eye!! Decided to go with the safest option - along the seams! 

Blue and golden churn dashes

While surfing and learning about quilting (which is an everyday affair !), i decided to learn about the different blocks. That's when i first saw the churn dash block and read about its history. Do read it in the link. It's fascinating! 

I like the simple design. There's something about it which i find very appealing. So i just had to try it out. I first made a table runner a few months back (will post pictures soon). Recently i decided to use the block for cushion covers. The fabric i used was brocade. Had this blue and gold brocade and when i decided to combine it with a golden fabric, it looked so royal!!! 

I just had to quilt them. Something seemed amiss without the quilting. The back is an overlap of the same fabrics, with a velcro strip for fastening. 

Was pretty pleased with the end products............

I made two cushion covers, both complementing each other. That way they are similar yet not identical.

This is how the back looks

This is a picture of the two cushion covers together - don't they complement each other just right? 

A fabric medley...........

It's been so very long since i last posted. In fact, over a year!!!

Lot's has happened in the meantime. My family and i have moved cities and most important of all, i've gotten hooked onto quilting!!!

My inspiration is the quilting group i'm part of. It's called desiquilters. You can see more of this group on their blog. This is an absolutely phenomenal group comprising of even more phenomenal people! I've learnt so so much from this group and continue to do so. Every day, and i truly mean every day, brings a plethora of learnings, insights and inspirations. We are a wonderful quilting community and we believe in sharing and learning and growing as quilters. While you might be thinking that we are a small group - hold your breath - we are now 700 member strong and growing by the day!!!

My days are filled with thoughts of fabrics. My shopping is with a single thing in mind - fabrics and more fabrics, my net surfing is with a single focus - quilts, tutorials. I even dream of fabrics and projects! Guess i can now call myself to be addicted to the art form of quilting. I have always enjoyed creating with my hands, but this seems to be different. The possibilities are endless, the canvas without boundaries, the learning curve never reaching it's peak. This is what has had me so hooked on to it.

Recently, while playing with all the fabrics, while arranging and rearranging them is when i had this 'light bulb' moment and decided to rename my blog 'a fabric medley' and also call my creations that. I also hope to be more regular with my blog. Have finished quite a few projects over the last year. My first aim is to put up details and pictures of all those. Between sewing and computer time, i prefer the former!! Hope i can overcome that temptation when it comes to blogging.