Work in Progress Wednesday

Progress?  Well maybe a little.  My husband came home last week after being gone for work for the last couple of months.  After being gone for so long there are so many things that need his attention and so many things that I need to catch him up on.  Then, if you have been following the news at all you might have heard about this little storm named Debby that is taking her sweet time moving across the state of Florida.  We have been under her control since Sunday only going out when absolutely necessary.  The flooding has been our main problem and since the main intersection in my neighborhood is still under water we aren’t getting to far.  

Before all this awful weather hit I was able to get out to the first meeting of the Tampa Modern Quilt Guild.  I know, very exciting.  Finally some quilters with common interests.  There were not a whole lot of people in attendance but I think that had a lot to do with the weather, (Debby had already started to dump a little rain on us), but I did get to meet Katie from Katie’s Quilting Corner and reconnect with Elizabeth from Don’t Call Me Betsy.  We had a great time sharing our projects and talking about the direction of the chapter. 

At least Debby is giving me a little time to sew.  I finished my Pillow for the Bee a {modern} Swapper pillow swap. I was very happy to be able to try something new and meet the likes and dislikes of my partner.  I hope she is as happy with this pillow as I am.  You can read more about this pillow here.

I am also happy to report that I finally finished the quilt top for my Apple Core Quilt.  For those of you who have been following my blog for a while you know that I have been working on this quilt FOREVER.  Little by little and completely by hand.  Now I have to iron this bad boy which I think will be a project within itself.  Then I can sandwich it and start quilting it by hand.  I know, to some, it may seem a bit foolish to make a entire quilt by hand, but it is one of those thing on my quilty bucket list that I wish to accomplish or learn.  Do you have a quilty bucket list?  If so, what are some of the things you wish to check off your list?

I will be linking this up to Freshly Pieced and her weekly Work in Progress Wednesday link-up. There you will find other talented quilters and hear all about what they have going on.

Thanks for stopping by, and have a great week!

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Building Blocks with Friends–Star Crossed Lovers Block

Last year I was asked to make some Lemoyne Star blocks for the quilt bee that I was a part of and I was fascinated at the fact that this block was pieced using HST.  I had made this block for a quilt years ago using diamond shaped templates and set in seams, which is not hard to do, but it definitely takes more time. 

Anyways, fast forward some time and waiting for just the right project… I had this idea of deconstructing the HST’s Lemoyne Star a bit and rearranging it.  You know shaking the quilt tree a little and seeing what falls out.  Then I saw that June was a pillow swap in my Bee a {modern} Swapper Flickr group.  I was very excited, but when I received the info on my partners likes and dislikes, I just knew this was a perfect opportunity to put my plan into action. 

Before we get started I wanted to let you know that this tutorial is for a miniature block and it is about 6 1/2” unfinished.  I made 9 of these blocks to make this pillow.  If you want you can enlarge your HST’s to make this a larger block.  If you are not good at the quilt math for this just let me know I can help you with that.

Also, when picking out your fabrics keep in mind that is you want this block to really pop consider using fabrics that are shades of light and dark or prints and solids.

Let’s get started.

Cut:

4 – 2 1/2” lt. grey squares

4 – 2 1/2” dark grey squares

4 – 2 1/2” aqua squares

4 – 2” white squares

Pair:

2 - lt. grey squares and 2 - dark grey squares

2 – lt. grey squares and 2 - aqua squares

2 - dark grey squares and 2 - aqua squares

Sew your pairs into HST’s. 

You should end up with:

4 – lt grey and dark grey HST’s

4 – lt grey and aqua HST’s

4 – dark grey and aqua HST’s

Then press open and trim to a 2” square.

For those of you who have never made HST’s before here are some quick instructions.

Step 1 – Pair 2 squares right side together.

Step 2 – With a light pencil or marking pen draw a line diagonally down the center on one of the squares.  Then sew a 1/4” seam on each side of that diagonal line.

Step 3 – Cut in half along the center diagonal line

Step 4 – Press open and trim.

Constructing this block is done in segments.  You need to make 4 of the above segments for each block.  I like to sew the top 2 squares together, then the bottom 2 squares together.  Next, I go the the ironing board and press those seams open.  Then matching my center seam I sew the top 2 squares to the bottom 2 squares.  As pictured above.

Once your segments are put together we can now make our block.  Using the layout above I sewed together my 4 segments together similarly.  First sewing the top 2 and bottom 2 together, pressing, then sewing the top to the bottom.  All the while being mindful to match all my seams as I go along. 

Now you have yourself a completes block.  You can use this block for many of your smaller projects including pillows, miniature quilts, and table runners.  Remember you can rearrange your segments, as I have done below, and you can create a Lemoyne Star or something completely new.  Enjoy!

I will be linking this block up to Sew Modern Monday, Fabric Tuesday, and some of these other great linky parties.

Thanks for stopping by, and remember if you have a block you want to share, let me know.  I am always taking submissions for Building Blocks with Friends.  There is more info here as well as some other great block tutorials.

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Blog Award

 

Marjorie from Marjorie’s Busy Corner sent me a Sunshine Award the other day and I was really touch that Marjorie thought of me.  I must confess I am horrible at passing these awards along, my secret shame really… along with responding to emails and commenting on blog posts.  Sometimes I can be a really bad blogger.  I really wish I could just click a “like” button at the end of a blog post and be done with it.  I know that sounds really bad but sometimes I just want the person to know that I read your blog post and it made me smile.  Isn’t that what we all want?  To know that someone out there is listening and liked what we had to say?  So, even though at times I can be a really bad blogger, I am a faithful follower.  I really do enjoy what you have to say, the pictures that you share, and I really appreciate all the time and effort it takes to be a craft or quilt blogger. 

For this Sunshine Award, I am suppose to answer a few questions and pass this award along to some of my favorite blogs.  So here we go…

Favorite Color – Red

Favorite Animal – Dogs

Favorite Number – 3 for 2 reasons, 1. I have 3 kids and 2. I am a triplet.  So, 3 is a pretty important number in my life.

Favorite Drink – Sparkling water

Giving or Receiving - Giving

Favorite Passion – Quilting

Favorite Day – Everyday

Favorite Flower – A Rose, because for the first year that I dated my husband he would get me a rose on our month anniversary.  I know, kind of corny, but I loved getting them. 

Now to pass this award on to a few of my favorite blogs.  It would be great if you could take a moment and visit these blogs, if you don’t already.  I hope you find them as inspiring as I do.

Happy Hour Projects

Make It & Love It

Crazy Mom Quilts

Bee in my Bonnet

Just to name a few.  There are so many…

 

Thanks for stopping by, and have a great week!

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Sunday Stash–ColorWorks by Northcott

I have a thing for solid color fabrics.  I love the way they can be paired with other fabrics or how they can be used all on their own to give a quilt definition and style.  Unfortunately, I don’t have a huge selection of solids in my stash.  I tend to buy them as needed and use up the scraps rather quickly on other projects.  So when Northcott sent me a couple of bundles of their ColorWorks fat quarter rolls to try, I was very excited.  

And, I was definitely not disappointed.  These fabrics are of good quality and had a great range of colors in each roll.  Then I found out that each Northcott’s Premium 9000 ColorWorks collection is officially certified free of harmful substances according to Oeko-Tex® Standard 100.  I love knowing that these fabrics are made to be soft, durable and free of any harmful substances.

I received the Modern Basics and Sea and Sky collections, but they come in other colorways as well, including browns, reds, greens and pinks.  For more info on the different collections and where they are available for purchase you can check them out here.  Something I just had to do because that roll of reds is definitely on my short list of fabrics I must have.

I am very appreciative for the opportunity to work with Northcott and have pulled a few fabrics for my first project.  So don’t forget to check back tomorrow and I will share a new quilt block tutorial and the project I have made using the some of these great fabrics. 

Don’t forget as I mentioned in a previous post Northcott has also started a great online community for crafters and quilters called Northcott Fabric Circle, and if you register as a quilter, crafter or pattern maker you will be entered to win an amazing sewing and quilting machine from Brother.

Thanks for stopping by, and have a great week!

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Work in Progress Wednesday

So, the kids are home from school for the summer and it is amazing that I am getting anything done.  I did manage to get my Pineapple Blossom quilt done and hoping that is a good omen for how the summer is going to play out.  You can read more about this quilt here.

Up on the design board is a scrap quilt I am working on.  I decided to make a string quilt because the bin I have to collect all those fabric ends and strips that were under 2” was overflowing.  I am not sure I will have enough to make a whole quilt, but that is OK I will use up what I have, then put it away till the bin is full again.  It will be a great no stress project when I just want to feed fabric to the machine when things are stressful and busy and I just want to relax and sew.

And of course I put together a list of projects that I hope to accomplished this summer.  Including a project using these fabrics from Northcott, a couple of craft projects, and fulfilling my swap commitments.  That should keep me busy for a while….

I still have a few things on hold. Including the Memory Quilt for my Daughter, my Apple Core Quilt, and my 2010 Scrap Quilt.  I don’t don’t what is wrong with me and why I can’t seem to finish them, but I am really going to try hard to finish them and get them off my to do list, because they are really starting to haunt me and clutter my work space.

Want to hear more of what’s going on in the quilt world? Hop on over to Freshly Pieced and check out her Work in Progress Wednesday link-up. There you will find other talented quilters and hear all about what they have going on.

Thanks for stopping by, and have a great week!

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Pineapple Blossoms Quilt

Over the weekend, I finished up my Pineapple Blossoms quilt and thankfully the sun finally came out so I could take some pictures.  I am very happy with how this quilt came out and that I have it finished in more than enough time for my trip up north this summer.   We will be traveling to Chicago to visit my brother-in-law and his wife and I thought a quilt would make a nice gift to bring with us.  I have been wanting to make them a quilt for a while now, but never found the right fabrics, till now.  I think this quilt and fabrics will suit them perfectly. 

It was really fun to take this traditional pineapple block and update it with a new look and some fabulous fabrics.  Traditionally pineapple blocks are square and accented with solid or lighter fabrics within the block, but I thought it would be fun to change things up a bit.  I redesigned it into a rectangle and pieced it with random strips to give it a scrappy look.

To make this quilt I used approximately 14 fat quarters and 1 1/2 yards of kona white for the corners, sashing, and a strip for the back.  Then an additional 2 yards for the backing and 1/2 a yard for the binding.  If you are interested in making one for yourself the tutorial for this block can be found here.

I loved working with Amy Butlers Soul Blossom collection and how when I cut the large scale prints into skinny strips it gave the fabric and blocks a whole new look.

When quilting this I just simply free motioned some wavy lines vertically throughout the quilt.  I wanted to give the quilt a softer more cozier feel since the blocks are very angular.  I was really inspired by the fabric I used for the back.  I even remembered to sign and date my quilt which is something I usually forget and have to add after the fact.

Quilt Details:

Finished Quilt Measurements: 47" x 58"

Fabrics: Amy Butler’s Soul Blossom collection

Block and Piecing: 25 paper pieced rectangle pineapple blocks, in a 5 x 5 layout

Quilting: Free motioned vertical wavy lines 

I will be linking this up to Sew Modern Monday, Fabric Tuesday, and some of these other great linky parties.

Thanks for stopping by, and have a great week!

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Northcott Fabric Circle

Have you heard?  There is a new online sewing community.  Northcott Fabric Circle is a place to discover all kinds of projects made with Northcott fabrics.  Even my tutorial for fabric flowers was featured.  They were made in the Bollywood Bliss and the new Stonehenge fabric lines.  Once you register you can find the this beginner craft under the title Fabric Flowers 2.   I am very excited to be part of this new online community and look forward to adding more projects to the Northcott Fabric Circle.

 

 

Click on the above button for more information, and if you register as a quilter, crafter or pattern maker you will be entered to win a pretty amazing sewing and quilting machine from Brother.

Thanks for stopping by, and have a great week!

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Sunday Stash–Polka Dots & Gingham

My latest obsession.  Polka dots and gingham.  A fabric stash must.  Gingham is one of my favorites and one of those prints that accent other prints with ease and versatility.

So, I just had to add more to my stash. I haven't added any in ages and I was in need of some basics.  Most of what I have left are scraps that have found there way to me from others who were kind enough to drop off their remnants.  And like most quilters I take anything, go through it, then pass on what I don’t want to others.  There is always a home for unwanted fabric.

These are 100% cotton fabrics from various designers and collections including, Basic Bright's by Windham, Gingham by Michael Miller, and Disc-o-dot by Lakehouse.

Thanks for stopping by, and have a great week!

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