Quilting fun!

By Fathima Riznaz Hafi

There seems to be a subtle emergence of ‘modern quilters’ lately, who have taken up what is generally looked at as a somewhat old-fashioned form of needle-work normally associated with one’s grandmother and transformed this into vibrant modern-day creations. 

An interesting shift from the dull look that patchwork creations used to present, our modern quilters have broken away from the basic rules of patchwork they were bound by back in the days and come up with bold, bright and artistic presentations, ardently exploring various areas that they can work their magic on. 

Nazra Nazimudeen attended a few classes when she first started out her journey in patchwork but dissatisfied with the rigid rules and boring designs, turned to the internet and discovered a whole new world of patchwork and this is when her passion really flared. She was inspired by numerous designs, especially those from Europe and USA and soon started creating her own ones and quilting became a hobby. 

After the birth of her little boy, she started making baby clothes and quilts for him and when she found herself utterly enjoying this and being able to balance this hobby and raise the child, surviving sleepless nights, she identified a strength within herself and this sparked up an idea to turn her much loved hobby into a home business.

Owing hugely to the encouragement of her husband and baby-sitting by family and in-laws while she worked, ‘Connecting Yards’ was thus born, offering modern handmade baby clothes, tiny shoes for newborns, quilts, soft toys and other baby accessories. 

Baby wardrobe

Ironically, she only takes orders for baby girls though her child is a baby boy! When asked why, Nazra laughed saying that everyone asks her the same question. “I’m fascinated with making girls’ clothes because they’re very decorative – I get to play around with colours, buttons and ribbons. With boys’ clothes it’s a bit limited,” she explained. “I make quilts for both boys and girls though,” she added.

Going through the painstaking search for baby shoes for her little one, always ending up with only socks propelled her to start on her own tiny baby shoes for new-borns. These are absolutely adorable and felt comfy too as I stroked the carefully chosen fabric. 

She later started making soft toys out of fabric when she noticed her son putting toys in his mouth; the thought of dust and fur entering his lungs made her nervous. Other mothers loved the idea as they had the same fear. “I make them very attractive with lovely prints and colours and don’t use beads for eyes because they are choking hazards; instead it’s all embroidered so they won’t chew on it and swallow. 

“I take great care with the fabrics too – when I buy fabrics the first thing I do is wash them all because we don’t know what amount of dust lays on them. I then sun-dry them, iron and store. I learnt this online. I’ve been to shops and seen how much dust collects on these toys. We don’t want our children exposed to so much dust and allergens. I also do tests on the fabrics for colour bleeding. If there is a colour bleed I don’t use that fabric,” she said. 

The personal touch she adds to her work especially in terms of hygiene and safety should be appreciated here – a nervous mother could rest assured that the toys pose no hazards to her child. They are soft, clean and inviting and I couldn’t resist holding one or two myself. 

Christmas 

home decor  

Having started off with her main theme which is baby items, she is now exploring her potential further and makes couch throws, place mats, and soon to come are art quilts to hang on the wall. 

With Christmas around the corner, Nazra has begun a lovely Christmas range too and is very excited about it. She has come up with some vibrant creations consisting of table runners, tray toppers, place mats, cushion covers and huge joy string bags to hold gifts in. Christmas stockings are also custom-made with names of family members embroidered on each.

The red and green colours of Christmas along with tiny prints of mistletoes and also the incorporation of quilted Christmas trees on these items were happy little reminders to me that Christmas is coming, as she displayed them around her dining and living room for us to see. 

If you want to try out Nazra’s Christmas decor do give her a call soon. You can decide on the design and she would be happy to oblige. Delivery is free for customers within close range while the products are mailed to those who live further. Alternately you could collect them from her house in Mount Lavinia.

 - Pix by Upul Abayasekera