Hyacinth Quilt Designs

Lots of quilting happening here!

2012-02-16T19:29:00.002-06:00

I swore I'd never do this. But I have to explain my limited number of blog posts recently - because honestly - they'll be few and far between for a short while. Yes, I'm working on a big project. I'm excited, challenged and enjoying every minute of it. Unfortunately, I can't share it with you just yet. So hang in there with me; don't delete me from your reader - I love sharing my passion for quilting with each one of you!

In the meantime - I've got some small projects here and there. This week I made Toni's blocks for the Redbird Bee. She chose a Spool block designed by Krista Fleckenstein from the book Modern Blocks. Toni changed it up a bit and had us use 1 1/2" strips for the "thread" portion. I love how they came out!
I did 2 blocks - a yellow and an orange. It was my first time using linen in a block, but it won't be my last. I love the texture and it was as easy as could be to work with.

Piiiink...

2012-02-13T18:19:00.006-06:00

I've developed a new appreciation for pink. Elyse, like many girls her age, loves pink. In fact when you ask her what her favorite color is - the answer is a long and drawn out "piiiink..."!So with Valentine's day on the wings, I thought it might be fun to think about a few pink projects. Pink pairs really nicely with gray~
Or the more traditional black and white~
Of course pink and green are perfect together~
Lately I've been seeing and liking pink and orange~
Pink looks great with one of my favorites, aqua~
Hope your Valentine's Day is filled with flowers, chocolate, lots of love and maybe a little piiink...

LOVE mini quilt

2012-02-07T18:57:00.004-06:00

I have to admit my sewing got a little side-tracked this past weekend. For some reason I had to try the "LOVE" mini posted at Sew, Mama, Sew. I made a few changes - each letter is made form the same fabric. I also added a 1/2" strip between the letters and a 1" strip as a border.And I really wanted to experiment with the quilting. I did tons of straight{ish} lines, echoing the letters and I think it turned out pretty cute.
Now I'm ready for Valentine's Day!

Weekend Sewing

2012-02-04T09:16:00.002-06:00

It's going to be a quiet weekend around here - some laundry, some baking and maybe some knitting while watching the Superbowl commercials.

So last night I played with fabric looking for some weekend sewing projects. I quickly made this block - it's the Honey Bee blocks from my book Flowers All Around. I love this block and have been wanting to redo it in modern fabrics.
I'm making 4 blocks and it will be a nice little mini quilt.
I also pulled this group for a new Starburst quilt - AKA "Welcome". I have to whittle the stack down to seven - mmm...
I'm also getting ready to start my Pyramid quilt. I found a nice gradation of grays in my stash.
And some of these will go in there too!
Sounds like enough to keep a girl busy for a weekend. I'd even like to add in a fun little Valentine project!

The Colorist final reveal

2012-02-02T07:51:00.003-06:00

Colorist ~ an artist or designer who uses color in a special or skillful way. I like that definition! Are you a "colorist" too?My color wheel quilt is quilted and bound. It really was fun to piece - much easier than I thought it would be. So glad I tackled it!
I decided to quilt it with 6 lines radiating from the center. Then I did a few quilted circles in the center section and lots of echoed circles around the perimeter. I repeated the radiating lines at each wedge stopping at the small inner quilted circle. I thought 30 lines going through the center would be too heavy.
Here's how it looks hanging in the sewing room!
And there's a quilt-along starting for this pattern. Find out more here: A little announcement

Broken Dishes Pattern

2012-02-01T18:53:00.002-06:00

As promised, I've uploaded the pattern for the Broken Dishes block. It really is a cute little block. I wish you could see it in person :)Click on the link below for a pattern that you can print out. It's my first time uploading to Google Docs, so please let me know if it doesn't work for you! Enjoy!!

Broken Dishes Pattern

A mini Broken Dishes quilt

2012-01-29T18:16:00.003-06:00

So, here's the finished quilt, using my little Broken Dishes blocks. I'm doing a few mini quilts to create somewhat of a gallery wall of quilts and other fun things. The wall is aqua, which I think will set this off nicely!

There are 4 big blocks, each consisting of 5 Broken Dishes blocks and 4 plain squares.

They're each turned a different way and create a nice design where they meet in the middle.

It's a pattern I did years ago in delft blue and white to match my kitchen. I thought it would be a fun one to resurrect in modern colors and fabrics.It's an easy block and I'll share the cutting and piecing directions with you in the next post!

Broken Dishes...

2012-01-26T19:13:00.002-06:00

I'm being drawn to this color combination recently... coral, aqua blue, yellow and gray. So I pulled this pretty stack today, started cutting it up...

and piecing some little half-square triangles. These are 2" {finishing at 1 1/2'}.

The half-square triangles were sewn into these cute blocks ~ Broken Dishes.

They went pretty quick and now I've got 20 blocks, that will be made into 4 bigger blocks. If it turns out as cute as I think it will, I'll be sure to share the measurements with you!

ROYGBIV

2012-01-23T18:08:00.003-06:00

I was a little apprehensive about trying this pattern. I don't love curves; I don't love templates. But I've really wanted to make a color wheel using both prints and solids to hang in my sewing studio for quite a while. And I just loved this pattern, The Colorist by Lizzy House.

So I dove in, thinking I'll just take it slow, do a bit at a time and before I know it, it'll be done. And guess what - the top is done! I cut it out on Saturday afternoon and sewed it together Sunday afternoon. It went together so quickly and easily. The curves are very gentle and the pattern pieces fit together perfectly.

I had so much fun choosing prints from my stash. The colors are not perfect. I was working with what I had and found myself pretty deficient in true blues. Aqua blues were plentiful, so you'll notice my color wheel leans a little that way.

Red...

Orange...

Yellow...

Green...

Blue...

Indigo...

Violet...

I hope to get it quilted next weekend!

Stuck in the Sewing Room!

2012-01-21T13:17:00.002-06:00

We woke up to a temperature of 57 degrees in the house this morning. Not a good sign when the thermostat is set at 68. Several hours wait for an emergency technician and a few more hours for everything to warm up forced me into my sewing room. With it's own heating unit - it was toasty warm!

Our STL Modern Quilt Guild has joined the One Million Pillowcase Challenge, so I made 5 pillowcases this morning.
So much fun finding fabrics that might play nice together in a pillowcase.
Then I raided my Kona fat quarters to build a 30 fabric rainbow of solids.
I'm starting this project by Lizzy House. My inside ring will be solids. Next I hope to find a print that matches each solid to use for the outside ring.
I'm up for the challenge!

I've joined a Bee!

2012-01-19T11:49:00.002-06:00

It's my first Bee! I've joined the Redbirds, a group formed within the STL Modern Quilt Guild. This our first block and it was fun, fun, fun!I love the little critter Gina provided, being shaded by the tree!

A Clean Slate...

2012-01-17T13:06:00.002-06:00

I know I'm a nerd, but I love setting goals for the new year. I don't always reach them - but I do love to set them. Here it is the 17th of January and I'm finding my slate clean. We had a prolonged visit with the girls. They delighted in our 1" of snow. And now I'm finding the quietness both lonely and contemplative. This is more for my benefit than yours ~ but here goes:#1 - Spend less time drinking coffee and surfing on the internet. I am and always have been the worst person for getting going in the morning. I've had days when I've sat in my chair for hours, exercised, showered and found it's lunch time already. This has to stop - most days anyway :)
#2 - Improve my photography skills. I love the creative aspect of photography and have certainly learned a lot in the last year. There's so much more. I highly suggest this new book if it's one of your goals too!

#3 - Improve my writing skills. Yes, I can write a pattern, but I've never considered myself adept at creative writing. I think it's going to mean practice - but maybe you'll see an improvement here?
#4 - Sew for charity. Last year I gave several quilts to charity and you know what? I don't miss them! I'd like to make a quilt this year for my "adopted" child in Guatemala.
#5 - Make some quilts that can be used in my home. I've got lots of quilts folded up in closets because, although they were fun to make, I just have no use for them. I'm dying to try this pattern and make a color wheel to hang in my sewing studio. And close in line is this quilt. I think I've got the perfect spot to hang it!
#6 - Try some new things! Fabrics I've never used and projects other than quilts. Yesterday I made this pillow from AMH's Loulouthi velveteen line. The fabric is gorgeous!!
#7 - Update the blog. Things are already underway behind the scenes, and I hope you'll find this blog looking a bit fresher. The new design will include links to any of my free tutorials. Speaking of tutorials hope to have some new ones here this year too!

And of course all this will happen effortlessly... right?

felt flower crafting...

2012-01-10T08:23:00.005-06:00

With the Christmas decorations put away, we needed some new decor to brighten our winter days. The girls are still hanging out here - so with a bit of help we made these felt flowers yesterday.They multiplied quickly...
since they were fast, fun and easy...
We have enough to decorate a yarn wrapped wreath to hang on the door.
The directions came from this magazine ~ Stitch Craft Create
As usual, I'm ready for Spring in January!

Hand quilting

2012-01-05T11:19:00.004-06:00

I used to hand quilt everything. Back in the days when machine quilting had the look of a mattress pad. It's been years and I've kind of missed it. Of course I haven't missed the length of time it takes to hand quilt a quilt.

So I've decided to combine a bit of machine quilting with some big-stitch hand quilting.
It's really the perfect winter evening, relaxing activity.
I'm using size 8 pearl cotton and size 5 embroidery needle. I like the slowness!
To answer a few questions:

My collages were done on a free photo editing site ~ picnik

My bowls came from anthropologie (one of my favorite places :)

word for 2012

2012-01-02T10:55:00.002-06:00

The past 2 years, like many others, I've chosen a word for the year. One little word to focus on. This year my word may surprise you. "effortless"

I like the definition: achieved with admirable ease

Does it mean I'm not going to try anything difficult or new? On the contrary. I have some challenging new and exciting plans for 2012!
It's more about an attitude. A knowing that whatever comes my way can be handled with ease.
And allowing the creativity to flow instead of forcing it.
And letting go of perfectionism, knowing the best of what we are is more than enough.
And appreciating what is right in front of me
And slowing down to... well, you know...
Here's to a fabulous 2012! Thank you for going along for this ride with me. I truly appreciate you coming to my corner of the internet.

2011 Quilts

2011-12-28T11:33:00.003-06:00

30 quilt projects in 2011! Some are small and I really had a goal of finishing up all my unquilted tops.

That didn't happen, but there's always next year! Have a Happy New Year!!!

Merry Christmas

2011-12-22T03:00:00.000-06:00

Merry Christmas

from my house

to yours!

Metro Link

2011-12-18T18:42:00.003-06:00

My Metro Link quilt is done! {except for a little more binding stitching tonight} In plenty of time for Christmas. I wasn't worried, were you? The pattern is from i like orange too and available on etsy.The background is Free Spirit's Nugray - my new favorite gray. The fabric is soft and smooth and the color is perfect!
I paired it with lots of scraps - many snagged from a door prize and scrap swap at our STL Modern Quilt Guild - in aqua blue, lime green, yellow, orange and gray.
I tried to stay away from anything floral and stuck with geometric patterns and some fun fabrics - like these toasters and measuring cups...
Some cool ducks...
The back is a wonderfully soft flannel of gray with white dots and the binding is a Joel Dewberry herringbone blue.
I've been trying to find the perfect quilt for my city-boy son for a while and when my friend Mary Claire showed hers at our guild - I knew that's what I would do. I hope he loves it!!

How I make Chevrons

2011-12-15T11:38:00.005-06:00

Thought I would share today how I make chevrons. I'm sure there are other methods, but this is working for me and pretty quick and easy!

First the difference between a chevron and a zig zag (in my humble opinion). This is a chevron ~ the angled stripes are long and skinny, or longer than they are wider.
This is a zig zag ~ the stripes are not as long between the angles and can be made with triangles.
I've been strip piecing my chevrons. Start with a strips that are all the same width or vary in width - doesn't matter. Sew the strips together, off-setting each strip based on the finished size of the strip you're sewing it to. These strips are cut 1" and finish at 1/2". Each strip is off-set 1/2" as they're sewn together. If your strips vary in size the off-set will change based on the size of the top strip.
For each chevron you'll need to make a second set the same way, except that it will "step" in the opposite direction creating a mirror image set.
Find the 45 degree line on you ruler and place it along one of the seam lines of your strip set as close to the off-set edge as possible.
Trim the end - creating a 45 degree angle.
Your chevrons can be any width. In this example they are 1 1/2". Cut your chevron units parallel to the 45 degree edge whatever width you chose. Do the same with the mirror image set.
Sew your sets together alternating the two directions. then trim the top and bottom evenly.
This set was used for the eyeglass case I made.
Here are a few tips:

Press the seams in one direction on the first set and the opposite direction on the mirror image set. This way the seams will nestle when you sew the units together.
After you cut your first 45 degree angle, try not to move the strip set if possible. The edge is bias and loses it's shape easily. Think about this as you lay your strip set on your board to make the first cut.
If you make your first and last strips extra wide, you'll have room to square it up without cutting off any of the chevrons.

Here's how that might look...

And here's the result. You can see too that I alternated the background color in this example. It required 4 strip sets - 2 with color and white and 2 with color and gray.
Remember the pillow I made? The strips were varied in width on this one...
Here's my chevron quilt also. The colored strips were cut 2 1/2" and the white strips 1". Since this was a long quilt, I made the chevrons in sections, by doing about 6 colored strips and 6 white strips at a time. That way the section wasn't any longer than my ruler. Then I sewed the sections together to make long rows.
And this was my first attempt ~ Stella's quilt.
Hope that makes sense! Please feel free to email me or comment if you have any questions!!

My Swoon

2011-12-13T07:16:00.003-06:00

Chances are if you're a quilter, you've made a Swoon quilt or at least have it on your to-do list.I used this Alexander Henry floral as my color inspiration. (Just love that piece!)

Pulled more from the stash...
And decided to throw in one piece with some aqua in it.

The binding is a MM crosshatch and the back DS's polka-dot from Joann's with a strip of that glorious Alexander Henry floral.

It's a fun quilt to make and a beautiful one to own!

Gifting...

2011-12-09T20:32:00.002-06:00

So I did a bit of Christmas gift sewing this week! I love giving these gift bags filled with something special.Pencil cases for a couple of school age girls that belong to my hairdresser. I'm thinking glitter pens may be the perfect filler!
Sweet Zip for my sister. I'll fill it with some nice toiletries ~ all natural, of course.
The Dumpling Zip pouch will contain a Target gift certificate for my hairdresser.
And while I was at it I stitched up some new oven mitts for myself!
Follow the links for tutorials. What did we do before all these wonderful free instructions??

Obsessed with {by?} Chevrons...

2011-12-07T18:20:00.002-06:00

I'm continuing my play with chevrons. Our quilt guild had a gift exchange today and we were to make a hand-made eyeglass case. Here's my version...And I added little chevrons to it.
Then this pillow had me working into the night! More chevrons, but you'll notice the sizes vary.
There's been lots of interest in my chevron quilt top. I plan to share a bit more info on how I'm making chevrons and some tricks I've learned through trial and error. Stay tuned! I have another idea to try first!
Oh... there's a little interview with me here :)

Christmas in July??

2011-12-05T08:36:00.002-06:00

You really should start your Christmas sewing in July. What's wrong with me?? I don't even start it in November. I'm notorious for getting my ideas for Christmas giving right about now. Maybe it has to do with having a birthday in December. I never really want to get into the spirit until after the 14th!

So this week I'm starting some gifts. I worked on the Metro Link quilt this weekend. Do you think I can get it done by Christmas?
I also have some little projects to do ~ for some little girls...
And for some big girls...
Yes, it's December, I've got the holiday spirit!

You can make one too!!

2011-11-30T18:28:00.002-06:00

First of all, thank you for all your wonderful comments and emails about my little pillow project. I guess I'm not the only one that fell in love with this colorful design! Many of you asked for more direction on how to make your own. Here's the scoop on how I made mine. It's very easy and some of you may find a better/easier way.First, you need to draw a pattern. This part may scare you a bit, but I assure you that anyone can do it! The best part of the drawing is that it's imperfectly perfect. You can't make a mistake!

Here's my drawing. I made a 20" pillow and wanted an 18" flower. I drew an 18" circle to give me my outer boundaries. Start in the center with a 1" circle. Echo the circle and draw 4 petals around it. Continue drawing petals around and around simply echoing the previous row and getting a bit larger as you go out from the center. When you reach the boundary, you'll need to make some smaller petals to fill in the gaps.
Here's a better picture of how to start. Just draw quickly and without too much fussing about how each petal looks as long as they're kind of echoing the previous one. You can see in the picture above that I then numbered each one, starting in the center and working out concentrically. I had 72.
Then grab a pile of scraps, big prints, small prints - anything goes - and some fusible web. Flip the pattern over to get the reverse and draw each petal onto the paper side (a light box helps). Fuse to a scrap of fabric, cut out. Place the background over the right side of the pattern and put your petals in place (a light box helps here too). I started in the center and worked around drawing and fusing about 12 at a time.
For the stitching, I layered my top with batting and a piece of backing. You can do any type of stitching around each petal - blanket stitch, straight stitch, zig zag. I wanted a kind of funky look - so I went with a small zig zag and very fine 50 wt. Aurifil thread in light yellow. The width was 1 and the length was 1.5 for the zig zag on my Bernina. The stitching tacked down the pieces and quilted it at the same time.
I added some cording in the seam for the pillow. It's the gray and white scallop stripe from Ruby.
The back is a 15" square with some 1 1/2" strips added log cabin style.
There you have it! Feel free to comment or email me if you have any questions.

Oh, and someone asked if it was a gift or for me. It's all mine! But my daughter loved it too, so I have a feeling we may be making another one over the Christmas visit!

pillow progress...

2011-11-29T07:48:00.001-06:00

Three blissful hours yesterday afternoon + a bit of coffeehouse radio + some fusible web + a pile of scraps =pillow progress...
now some stitching.

Back to quilting...

2011-11-28T09:05:00.002-06:00

Did you miss me? I missed you! The past 2 weeks have been a whirlwind of babysitting, shopping, cooking and eating. All fun!!

Before I left, I finished quilting and binding my "XO" quilt. I was a bit obsessed by it and quilted this large quilt (74" x 86") in 6 days. I was so afraid to cut into my Pop Garden, wondering if I would be happy with the finished product. And I couldn't be happier!
The quilting is an overall design ~ teardrop shapes echoed and repeated.
My backing ended up being a strip of leftover pieces, yellow
and my favorite floral in the line.
The binding is a perfect red and white polka-dot ~ Bliss.
I've got a few new projects to work on this week. My daughter and I found this beautiful pillow in Anthropologie and I'm going to give it a try to replicate it.
And I started cutting this quilt last night. I'm doing Metro Link. It'll be a gift for my son ~ I've been trying to find the perfect quilt for him for years and I'm hoping this is it!
I'm also playing with some more chevron designs and I'll have a little tutorial coming up soon! Have a great week!!

Color, Color, Color...

2011-11-15T12:48:00.002-06:00

Issue 7 of the e-magazine, Fat Quarterly hit the web today! It's all about color ~ my favorite topic when it comes to quilting. I worked in a quilt shop for 8 years just to play with color and fabric!

I was very excited to participate in their color challenge. We were given a fabric to work with and asked to design a block, adding fabrics from various lines to compliment it. You know I love mixing different lines so this was right up my alley!

We started with the center print below ~ it's from the line "Too Muchery". I created the block based on a tile design I'd seen. It uses a partial seam technique which is super easy once you know how to do it. There are full instructions in the magazine for the block.
Also included is a table topper using 9 blocks and sashing.
Issue 7 is full of info about using color, mixing color and more. There are lots of great patterns and ideas. Also included are coupons from some of your favorite online fabric stores. So if you're buying fabric, the issue almost pays for itself!

You can't go wrong with those quilting basics when buying. I was quickly able to pull this color combo from my stash. Can't wait to show you the modern, masculine quilt I'm making with these and a dark gray background.
Color, color, color...

Sewing for others...

2011-11-10T08:22:00.003-06:00

My string quilt blocks for Val at Pink Please! She's collecting blocks to be made into a quilt for Heroes Helping Heroes, which serves the cancer community in her home town.
I couldn't help but join in as I've lost both my parents and 2 sisters to cancer. These blocks were fun to make and going to a great cause!
Practicing for the cover of Vogue, is Elyse modeling the jumper I made using Amy Butler's corduroy and oliver + s pattern Music Box jumper. The fabric is yummy soft! And o + s patterns are awesome!
And I just had to show the final pic of Maddy's quilt in it's home. I'm hoping the stitching is tough because there seems to be a lot of monkeys jumping on this bed!
This skirt is super easy using the tutorial from Make It and Love It. I used knit yardage, but the tut shows how to make this cute skirt using a store-bought T shirt.
So easy, I made 2!
Also made a little something for myself this week. Easy robe using Simplicity pattern 9330 and Loulouthi flannel.
I wish you could feel how soft this flannel is! In the Winter, I've been known to stay in my robe much of the day, sewing. This will get some use!

x.o.

2011-11-07T09:14:00.004-06:00

This quilt has a story. The short version is that when my granddaughter was visiting last month she climbed out of the portable crib in a few seconds flat. This required us to move everything out of her room, put the mattress on the floor and a gate on the door. With the room emptied, I decided last week to paint it and of course it required a quilt!

I decided to use my Pop Garden ~ love, love, love this line ~ and I've been saving it for something special. Inspired by the Farmer's Wife quilt along, I thought I'd make some sampler blocks and include some plain blocks of the glorious prints. After making the "x" block, I was reminded of Elizabeth's X and O quilt. Loving my "x" block, I thought why not make an "o"? And a new quilt was born.
I added some stash basics to the line including a bit of gray.
"x"
"o"
Oh and one big "X"
The paint color "Robin's Nest" by Benjamin Moore matched perfectly. BTW ~ I found the color on this fabulous blog: Favorite Paint Colors.
I couldn't be happier with my x and o :)

Bloggers' Quilt Festival

2011-11-02T18:14:00.002-05:00

It's my first time linking up to the Bloggers' Quilt Festival. If you haven't visited ~ head on over for a fabulous virtual quilt show!

I didn't have anything new to share, but I thought I'd post again about my favorite quilt this year. It's my Dresden Plate made with primarily Soul Blossoms. Several readers have asked for the setting dimensions and I thought it might be a good time to look those up! You can find the block construction here.

I trimmed my blocks down to 13", so they finish at 12 1/2".
For Cornerstones, you need 20 Nine-Patches, each made from 5 squares of print fabric cut 2" and 4 squares of white cut 2".

You need 31 sashing units, made from 1 print strip and 2 white strips cut 2" x 13".

I also added a white border cut from 2" strips.
I love how this setting really frames the Dresdens nicely. You can see why it's my favorite!

Building a Fabric Stash

2011-10-31T09:45:00.004-05:00

Just as a painter needs a palette of paint colors, every quilter needs a palette of fabric to work with. I have a pretty large stash, but just like most everyone I can't buy every piece of fabric I'd like. So I thought I'd share how I keep my stash supplied.

It's very rare that I buy a complete line. When a see a multi-colored focus print that may be the basis for a quilt - yes, I buy it. But most of the time I pick and choose from the lines I like and buy "the basics".
The basics are fabrics that have one or two colors in them plus a neutral (white, black, cream, etc.). Here are some green and blue basics along with a green/blue print. I have that in my stash because I use green and blue together a lot.
The question always comes up ~ how much to buy? I usually but 1/2 yards, but you have to consider your individual needs. In addition to budget and storage inquiries, do you make large or small quilts? Do you like to make quilts with lots and lots of fabric? Or just a few different fabrics?

My stash has a really good supply of blues, simply because I use blue a lot!
In addition to color, consider the scale and type of print you're buying, so that you have a nice variety. Here are three blue prints in a small, medium and large scale.
Your stash should consist of florals, geometrics. dots. stripes, leaves, solids, etc.
Then when you go to pull a quilt, you can use pieces from a collection and add your own individual touch with the gems from your stash!
How about you? Any tips on building a stash??

"Is this why we sew?"

2011-10-27T16:41:00.005-05:00

If you have a moment, read this post written by a friend of my daughter.

Wish Upon A Star

it's why I sew...

Sliced Coin Quilt

2011-10-26T08:37:00.002-05:00

Madelyn's big girl bed quilt is done! The pressure was on because this girl loves her blankies! In addition to a quilt for herself, we have to cover every stuffed animal with a quilt. She may not be a quilt maker in the future, but I'm sure she'll be a quilt user!The pattern is Sliced Coins from Don't Call Me Betsy. The fabric Kumari Garden.
I had it long-arm quilted ~ I love this spirally flower design.
The back is a strip of leftover "coins", more Kumari Garden and a white print I had in my stash.
The binding is a stripe from the line. I have a feeling this quilt will get lots of use whether it's covering a little 2-year-old or a stuffed bear!

Chevrons

2011-10-24T18:32:00.003-05:00

I've been seeing chevrons everywhere lately! Is it because I love the design and I'm noticing them all of a sudden? Or are they the latest fad? No matter what I can think of umpteen ideas for them.

I started with some purple, gray and light orange strips and sewed them into strip sets with a 1/2" strip of white between each one.
Cut them on a 45 degree angle and cut rows 4 1/2" wide.
Two rows made a chevron and I added 1/2" strips between each chevron.
I think it was a successful experiment! I couldn't resist taking a photo in the beautiful Fall sun!

Little Uptown Girl

2011-10-22T07:36:00.002-05:00

I've been having some fun sewing for the girls. I was asking my self why I didn't sew this much for my own kids? Duh! Who has time with little kids running around?? So I'm enjoying this opportunity with the grand kids!

This is Maddy sporting the "Little Uptown Girl" jacket from Make It Perfect.
I love the little gathers in the front and back.
And it's totally reversible when a bit of dirt gets on one side!

I'm busy this week...

2011-10-20T07:00:00.002-05:00

Passing on the tradition...
Pattern ~ Indygo Junction Zipper Critters

(we still need to glue the nose!)

Suburban Lattice Secret Garden quilt

2011-10-14T19:11:00.004-05:00

My "Suburban Lattice" quilt, inspired by Cara's "Urban Lattice" is done!The fabric is Sandi Henderson's Secret Garden in hyacinth blue :), soft green and bright pink.
I changed up the pattern a bit by adding that thin strip of pink and making the center a square instead of 4 triangles.
The fabric is so gorgeous and I like how the pattern shows it off so well!
The print with the keys is one of my favs.
I chose a single print for the back and quilted it pretty simply with straight lines around the center squares and curly q's in the sashing.
Does it look like I'm ready for Spring?

Almost wordless Wednesday...

2011-10-12T08:14:00.002-05:00

"coming home" ~ Simplfy

"Terrain" ~ Kate Spain

Mmmm...

What I've been up to...

2011-10-10T12:39:00.003-05:00

Almost a week for me since my last post (why did I almost type confession?) And I've got a few things to show since the sewing room was busy!

This is Amy Butler's pattern, Honey Bun Pouf. I've been wanting to make one just because they're so cute. And when I found the perfect fabric at our NEW modern fabric store, I couldn't wait to start. If you've been hanging around here the past few weeks, you know where this is going :)

And speaking of our new fabric store, if you're local or visiting Saint Louis - it's definitely a must-see! Fabric Nosherie is not only filled with wonderful modern fabric, but has an atmosphere that is beautiful, relaxing and so inspiring. I'm sure they'll be seeing a lot of me!

I've also been wanting a little bag to use for my sewing supplies when I go on retreat or to a sew-in. This is from Terry Atkinson's pattern, Zippy Strippy.
I used a piece of Anna maria Horner's needlework line...
And a scrap of Loulouthi Totem inside.
I pieced together the blocks that I had made at our last sew-in and finally have a new Zig Zag top. More on this one to come...
And I've quilted my Secret Garden Suburban Lattice quilt. Just have to sew on the binding and it will be ready for it's full reveal.
And that's what I've been up to!

Gift Book Winner!

2011-10-05T07:14:00.003-05:00

We have a winner! Randomly chosen: #7 SewLindaAnn. Congratulations!

Before I reveal this year's pillow, I thought I'd share last year's. Done in Pop Garden (one of my favorite lines)...

To match the baby quilt...
This year's in Kumari Garden to match the big girl quilt...
And if you didn't win and still want the book, Amazon always has a good price!

A Quilt for Stella

2011-10-02T14:14:00.001-05:00

Meet Stella...

She's on her way to live with her new Mom this week ~ soon to be 2, Madelyn.
Stella really wanted a quilt to take. So I made her this little quilt. (I've been wanting to try a Chevron design - perfect opportunity).
And of course, Stella's Mom needs a bag to carry all the necessary baby equipment.
A bib and a few feeding supplies... she's ready for her trip to California!
On Wednesday I'll show you Maddy's "two" pillow and draw the winner for the Sew the Perfect Gift book. Don't forget to leave a comment on this post to enter!

Loulouthi Love...

2011-09-29T07:15:00.001-05:00

I finally cut into my favorite print in Anna Maria Horner's Loulouthi line ~ Summer Totem.The pattern is "Strawberry Fields" from the first Material Obsession book. The pattern uses a wide border on the top and bottom of the quilt only. It's interesting and makes good use of that glorious print.
I did change the pattern up a bit and brought the frame strips out to the right and left sides.
The points are brown and
a variety of reds.
Yes, Loulouthi, you make me happy!

Sew the Perfect Gift ~ A Giveaway

2011-09-27T18:37:00.000-05:00

Martingale released a great new book last week just in time for the gift giving season!

Both my granddaughters have birthdays in October and I love how excited little children are about their ages. Unlike adults they eagerly anticipate their birthdays and proudly display with cute little fingers just how old they are. So I thought the girls might like pillows with their ages on them for their bedrooms and it was the perfect idea for the "Perfect Gift" book.

Here are my projects in the book!
And since the big girl is turning 4 next week, I had to make a new one. You may remember that she asked me to use cuter fabric this time. Do you think she'll like it?
The book has 25 quick, easy gift projects by various designers ranging from pillows to bags to table runners. I love them all and here are a couple of my favorites both designed by Cassie Barden.

City Roses Purse

Gardener's Apron

I need this myself! (Did you notice it's made with laminate?)

So guess what! I have an extra copy thanks to the nice people at Martingale! Leave any comment if you'd like to be entered in the give away. If you can't think of anything to say maybe you can tell me your favorite hand-made gift. I'll randomly draw a winner next Wednesday morning. You really want this book! Good luck!

Fearless Free Motion Quilting

2011-09-26T19:28:00.001-05:00

I could give you all kinds of tips and directions for free motion quilting. But I'm guessing you probably know them all or could easily find tutorials (such as this one) and Youtube videos using a simple search. So I'd just like to take a bit of the fear out of it today!

First I'd like to share this wonderful picture that my almost 4 year-old granddaughter recently created for me. Can you read the name? Six months ago her Es had way more than 3 horizontal lines and you really couldn't even recognize the Y. I'll admit the S needs a bit of work, but do you know how well she's going to do in another 6 months?
Do you think we would ever tell this sweet child that she's a failure and will never be able to write her name?
Why do we feel like failures when we first try something new like free motion quilting? The number one thing to remember is that it is going to take some practice! No one is very good when they first start! So be patient with yourself and practice!

Now that I've talked you into practicing, you're probably wondering when you'll find the time. When we have a little sewing time, would we rather cut into that brand new gorgeous fabric or practice free motion quilting? I know the answer!

Here's how I've done it. First grab some fat quarters and scraps of batting. Take 20 minutes one day to pin baste 6 or 7 little quilt sandwiches. Now you're ready. If you practice for about 20 minutes every time you sit down to sew, you'll be amazed at how quickly you improve. In fact, practicing frequently in shorter spurts is more effective than hours and hours of practice. Once your 20 minutes is up, you can move on to whatever you planned on sewing that day.
My suggestion is to work on a simple design over and over until you're really good at it (and sick of it!). Simple loops are very effective.
Once you have one design down pat, choose another and become very proficient at it.
Keep adding to your repertoire and soon you'll have lots of designs that you're good at.
It gets easier and easier!!
Hope you've enjoyed my month of Quilt School. Let me know if there are any other topics you'd like me to cover in the future.

And be sure to come back this week. I have a super give away coming up next!!

This one's for the girls...

2011-09-25T10:09:00.001-05:00

You may remember when I redecorated my guest room for the girls, it was missing an important element ~ a quilt. Well, the quilt is done. The block is #3160 "Flying Goose" according to Barbara Brackman's Encyclopedia. It's very similar to "Birds in the Air".On the back I almost created a second quilt.
"Sherbert Pips" layer cake pieced together.
It makes a nice addition to the room.
And for those cold nights, I found a few coordinating little quilts in the closet.

It's been a productive morning...

2011-09-22T13:06:00.000-05:00

The perfect quarter inch

2011-09-19T19:19:00.000-05:00

Today I've got a tip on how to perfect your quarter inch seam allowance.

I'm sure you know most piecing uses a quarter inch seam allowance. And you may have even heard that, well, it's supposed to be a scant quarter of an inch. You may have purchased a Quarter Inch foot for your machine to find that perfect quarter inch. And you may have measured your seam allowance like this and found that, yes, it is a quarter inch.
So why isn't your piecing turning out as perfect as you'd like? There are many factors that determine the results of your quarter inch sewing. For example how close to the edge of the foot you line your fabric, the thickness of the thread you're using, how you press your seams and more.

Here's the test. We're going to measure the results.

Take 3 strips of fabric, each cut 1 and 1/2" wide. Sew them together side by side using what you think is your quarter inch. Press. Then measure the width of the strip set. It should measure exactly 3 and 1/2".

If it's too big, you're taking too small a seam allowance and if it's too small, the seam allowance is too big. Make some adjustments and try again and again until it's right. Then do it one more time so you know you've got it!

Be consistent when you're piecing - use the same kind of thread, the same pressing technique, etc.
With a bit of practice and if you stay consistent, you'll get better and better. And your piecing will be almost perfect - because really no one's perfect all the time!

The result of a rainy weekend...

2011-09-18T15:17:00.000-05:00

Some play with Loulouthi (in addition to a nap or 2).Strawberry Fields from Material Obsession.
Nine of twenty blocks {p.s. - the triangles aren't matching perfectly because the block components aren't sewn together yet}

How things work...

2011-09-17T11:13:00.000-05:00

Today was supposed to be a day in the garden, dividing some overcrowded perennials. But the rain came and I'm stuck in the sewing room with a cup of coffee, playing with fabric! The Secret Garden quilt is looking good, but I'm at a standstill waiting for more fabric. I have 2 additional gorgeous lines staring at me that I've been afraid to cut. So here's how my mind is working this morning...

I love my Zig Zags! You may remember my Zig Zag quilt, but you may not know it was inspired by a Massoni pillow. So when Target came out with it's Massoni line this week I was able to snag a storage box to match my quilt. I feel pretty lucky after hearing that the Massoni line flew out the doors!
I've been itching to do another Zig Zag that flows diagonally on the quilt. It's a super easy design made entirely of rectangles. Seeing the Massoni ads made me think of my Heirloom stash ~ maybe it might make a nice diagonal Zig Zag? I need a project for next week's STLMQG Sew-In. This might be it!
I also got out my favorite piece in the Loulouthi line. After browsing through some quilt books, I pulled some coordinates...
I think it's looking pretty good...
And I found a great pattern in this book that will really show off that gorgeous print.
Things are working pretty well today...

Secret Garden Sewing...

2011-09-15T19:06:00.000-05:00

I bravely cut into my Sandi Henderson fabric. The feel of this fabric is amazing. It's soft and silky. I may have to even splurge on a silk or bamboo batting for this one!

My original plan was to use 4 quarter-square triangles in the center, but I tried that and it looked like a jumbled mess. So I ended up cutting it as one square and, wow, it looks much better (Nicky, I think you suggested that!). The block is simple, but will truly show off the beautiful, big prints.
Four done...

Here they are on the design wall (with a little sneak peek at my circling geese). Now I'm ready to order the hyacinth blue for the sashing. To be continued...

Rotary Rules

2011-09-13T05:00:00.000-05:00

I guess I should call them "Rotary Things You Might Want to Try" because the great thing about quilting is there are no rules!

1 - When you're cutting strips, the first thing you have to do is straighten the edge of your fabric. This evens up the edges and gives you a cut perpendicular to the fold - and you'll never have a "V" in your strip.

Here's how I do it - Fold your fabric as it comes off the bolt. You can only have one fold - if you fold it again you're actually dealing with 3 folds and trying to cut perpendicularly to all - impossible!

Place a small ruler on the right, lining up one of the horizontal lines with the fold. Butt your long ruler up to it on the left.
Remove the small ruler and you're ready to cut! (Reverse everything if you're a lefty)
2 - When I'm cutting long strips parallel to the selvedge, I trim about 1/2" from the selvedge and cut as many strips as I need the length of the ruler. Then I scoot the fabric towards me and continue to cut the length of all the strips. I've cut strips across the whole width of the fabric this way!
3 - Do you need to cut a strip wider than your ruler? Just butt up two rulers next to each other to get the width you need. Add carefully!
4 - How about some "Power Cutting". If you need to cut lots of strips one size, instead of picking up the ruler after each cut, just keep adding your strips together. For example - if I'm cutting 2" strips, I can cut at 2", 4" and 6" before removing the ruler and strips. Quick!

5 - You can do the same thing when you're subcutting your strips. Even more powerful is lining up 2 or 3 strips together and cutting them all at once.
Voila! 12 squares in no time!
Thanks for coming to school today!

Secret Garden...

2011-09-12T13:35:00.001-05:00

I've been waiting and waiting ~ finally Secret Garden by Sandi Henderson is out. Isn't it gorgeous? I chose the navy and berry color way ~ a bit different than anything I've done lately.So as I've been drooling over the fabric ~ I'm wondering what quilt pattern to make with it. Do you ever worry you'll choose the wrong pattern and cut up fabric you absolutely love and then end up not liking what you did with it?? I do it all the time!

And I'm especially unsure about this one!
So last night I worked on a design inspired by Cara's (Me? A Mom?) Urban Lattice Quilt. I thought I'd use the prints that are primarily blue in the centers and the green around the center separated by a 1/2" berry strip.
Then I'd use a solid periwinkle blue for the sashing. When I checked my Kona Color Card, the closest match was Hyacinth Blue. Is that a sign?
I know it will look a lot different than the original Urban Lattice ~ maybe a Suburban Lattice. Help! I'd love to know what you think ~ positive or negative!

Habitat Challenge

2011-09-09T08:25:00.001-05:00

When our St Louis MQG announced a challenge using Jay McCarroll's fabric line "Habitat" from Free Spirit, I knew I had to participate. You see Jay and I are close, BFF's. Okay, this is him posing with me at Quilt Market in 2008. I'm just one of the multitudes he posed with that day.

But that trip to Quilt Market really got me interested in working with modern designer fabrics. I came home enamored with Jay, Amy Butler, Anna Maria Horner, Patty Young and more. And as a big fan of Project Runway - I took this challenge.
We were only allowed to use "Habitat" fabric and solids. I was inspired by this quilt on Flickr and used Elizabeth Hartman's pattern Rain or Shine.
I did tons of quilting like the inspiration quilt and that took a bit of time!
I'm pretty pleased and I think Jay would be proud!

No-Wave Borders

2011-09-06T05:00:00.000-05:00

It's the first day of school here! Today's topic - How to add borders without any waves.

Have you ever made a quilt that wouldn't lie flat? Or maybe the borders were a little wavy? In order for your quilt to be perfectly square (or perfectly rectangular), the opposite sides of the quilt must be exactly the same size. Chances are when you finished the pieced center, the edges may be off by 1/4 - 1/2". If you just sew your borders on and trim - they will also be off by 1/4 - 1/2". You end up with a quilt that's not square (or rectangular).

Many books and patterns will tell you to measure your quilt with a tape measure and cut your borders to that size. Man, I must be a bad measurer because I tried that for a while and made tons of mistakes!

Here's what I do now - no measuring!

Cut 2 borders a few inches longer than the side of your quilt. Press them wrong sides together.
Lets pretend this block is my quilt. Lay both borders along one edge of the quilt. If your quilt is longer than the table, just put a few pins in and slide it across the table.
Use a ruler and rotary cutter to trim both borders the same size as your quilt. Use the lines on your ruler to make sure you're trimming the corner absolutely square.The bottom strip fits perfectly and is ready to be pinned. Flip the border strip from the top and pin it to the opposite side. It may not fit exactly! Pin all along the edge, easing in either the quilt or the border. It's really easy to ease in a bit along a long border.
Sew; press and repeat the same process on the opposite 2 sides.
Ta da! A perfect square!
I like to use the same technique to cut long horizontal sashing strips to length. I pile up all the sashing strips, lay them along one row of blocks and trim them all at once. Then each row may need to be eased to fit the sashing strip - but in the end I have a nice square quilt!

Summer's End...

2011-09-02T18:58:00.000-05:00

With Labor Day weekend here, I think it's officially the end of Summer. I may get started on the machine quilting of this, then again I may kick back and relax for the last few days of Summer.I've been teaching basic quilting for years and since September means back to school, I'll be sharing some of the techniques that I use this month. Every Tuesday in September will be Quilting School here:

September 6 - Borders That Don't Wave

September 13 - Rotary Rules

September 20 - The Perfect Quarter Inch

September 27 - Fearless Free Motion Quilting

Hope you'll join me!

I mentioned these Pilot Frixion pens a month or so ago. Since then I've learned a bit more about them. You'll find a discussion board here. Seems the markings come back when frozen. So I decided to do a little experiment.
Here are 2 pieces of white cotton marked with every color in the set.
One piece was ironed and the markings disappeared immediately. The second piece was hand washed. The markings faded but are still lightly visible.
Then I put both pieces in the freezer. The markings on the ironed piece returned clearly. The washed piece was fainter, but the markings were visible.
My conclusion - use these cautiously! Most people don't freeze their quilts, but obviously the chemical from the ink is still in the fabric.

If only I could invent the perfect marking pen. I'd be set for life!!!

Have a great weekend!

Saltwater Taffy

2011-08-30T11:39:00.000-05:00

The finish update on my Saltwater Taffy quilt using the pattern from Fig Tree and some leftover fabrics.This quilt was a total stash project. I used some of the last bits of many of my favorite designer fabrics. Do you recognize any of them?
The quilting on the center block area is an allover swirly pattern, repeated in the outer border. For the white inner border I used one of my favorites ~ it looks like ric-rac to me.
I was determined to find a backing in the stash and had enough of this blue fabric for the width and decided to repeat the white from the front.
To make it a little more interesting I added this strip of elephant fabric I had left over from making the elephant Christmas ornament.
The binding is a leftover from "Flutterby" by Tula Pink.
Yup! Leftovers sometimes work really well together!

On a side note one of my favorite plants in the garden this time of year is my Beautyberry or Callicarpa. I love the color of the berries and the fact that they almost look fake. It is a real beauty!

A Room for the Girls...

2011-08-28T11:25:00.000-05:00

Much of last week was spent finishing up this little redecorating project I started several months ago. HGTV always makes redecorating look soooo easy... but I guess they have a bigger crew than one!

Anyway I was determined to finish - so with a lot of running up and down stairs - it's just about done. I had several projects so I thought you might like to see the results.

Here's the room from the doorway. The walls are light gray and the curtains are sheers with a geometric pattern from Target. The bedskirt is a dark gray fabric from Ikea and made using this tutorial.
The pillows... I just love that Sprocket pillow from Cluck Cluck Sew. It's a free tutorial and really easy!
I decided to use stick on wall art, so there's no chance of pictures falling off the wall or being knocked down by little hands. They're cheap too! A pink square painted on the wall with vinyl decals from Etsy here and here. "M" and "E" are the girls' initials, but if you're staying in the room you can say it's for "ME".
This cute side table was from Home Goods. It was one of those things I looked at several times and in a panicked moment ran over to get it just in case!
We had this rocking chair that almost everyone has and found this tutorial and spruced it up (sorry I can't say pimped about this cute room!)
My husband and I have dabbled in wood working and built an easy book rack using this tutorial. I love how it shows off the books.
And on the opposite side of the room is an old dresser that I convinced my husband to let me paint white. You see he had painted it blue for his Mom at one point and then stripped it for me when we had our first baby. Now it's white and sporting pink glass knobs from Anthropologie.
Oh and you may have noticed the lack of a quilt in the room. I'm working on that!

Maddy's Big Girl Quilt

2011-08-25T15:27:00.000-05:00

It's hard to believe, but my grand-daughter will be 2 in October. Almost time for a big bed!The top is done using the Sliced Coin QAL from Elizabeth at Don't Call Me Betsy.
My daughter picked out this beautiful and colorful line from Dena Designs called Kumari Garden.
The quilt was quick and easy and I loved making it ~ But all the time wondering ~ why do they grow up so fast???

The one seam pillow

2011-08-23T07:12:00.001-05:00

I've been making pillows and pillow cases. Thought I'd share my quickest pillow ever!

Here's what you need:

One square of fabric and one square of batting the same size as your pillow form. Mine are 16" x 16".
Two pieces of fabric for the back, each the size of your pillow form x the size of your form plus 4". Mine are 16" x 20". Fold them in half wrong sides together matching the short edges.

Layer your batting square, the pillow front right side up, and the two backing pieces matching the raw edges. The folds will overlap in the middle. Pin all the way around.
Sew all the way around the pillow using a 1/2" seam allowance. Trim the corners and turn right side out.
Slip in your pillow form! Voila!
Making the pillow smaller than your form is a great tip for getting a nice plump pillow. The batting for the front and the double layers on the back, both provide for a nice stable pillow.

Here they are in place!
My Sprocket pillow needs some stuffing ~ hope to get that today. Then I'll be adding some cute buttons in the middle.

I found these at Michael's for $2.99. The buttons on each card stack - pretty darn cute!

Chintz

2011-08-19T18:41:00.001-05:00

Another of the projects I worked on at retreat was this quilt. The pattern is "Chintz" by Fig Tree. I had the blocks made and pieced together but needed something for an inner border.Thanks to a Kona Cotton color card, I found the perfect pink ~ Carnation and waited patiently for my lovely mail lady to deliver it. Now the borders are on and I couldn't be happier with the results!
Most of the fabric is "Free to Grow" that I found at Quilter's Compass on my Summer trip to Wisconsin.
I changed out the heart included in the pattern for a daisy which is more my style and mimics the daisies in the border fabric.
And as long as I was ordering, my nice mail lady included this beautiful FQP ~ Ruby by Bonnie and Camille. She really is a sweet lady!!

Spaghetti Junction

2011-08-18T07:32:00.001-05:00

This Rene with her quilt from retreat last week. She looked pretty cute last night in her shirt that matched the quilt and I couldn't crop her out :)

The quilt is from Living Large 2 by Heather Peterson of Anka's Treasures. The fabric is Prince Charming by Tula Pink. Rene added an inner border not included in the pattern.

Great pattern and great quilt! Don't you think?

Some finishes...

2011-08-17T08:50:00.000-05:00

I've got lots of new fabrics calling my name and several ideas I'm itching to try. But I thought I ought to finish up a few things before the sewing room gets overwhelming!

Last night I set together my "Swoon" blocks. Everyone seems to be making this ~ it's fun, easy and each block is like a mini quilt. This one is big (80 x 80), so it's finished for me ~ going off to the longarm quilter.

I did most of the quilting on this quilt last week on retreat and got the binding on. A little TV time and the hand stitching is done.
I'm happy with the quilting. I did straight lines between the blocks, then stitched vertically down the rows with a squiggle in the skinny strips and figure eights in the larger pieces. It was super easy!
The design is Urban Life from Crazy Old ladies Patterns.
I've said it before ~ always nice to finish!

Bricks Quilt

2011-08-15T19:00:00.001-05:00

Also known as the "when are we moving to Florida?" quilt. I just love the colors though ~ so Summery. I used the idea from the Strawberry Fields Bricks Quilt on Moda Bake Shop, but changed up the sizes a little. The white squares are 3" finished and the rectangles are 3" x 6" finished.The backing looks like it was meant to be for this quilt. Actually I bought it on sale a couple of years ago for $5 a yard. I had 6 yards knowing it would make a perfect backing some day.
I quilted it in wavy lines and swirls...
kind of giving the impression of sand and waves.
Dreaming of my home near the beach :)

Catch up time...

2011-08-14T19:20:00.000-05:00

After several weeks of traveling, I'm home again and catching up on things. Thought I'd share a little of what I've been up to.

The girls' dresses turned out really cute. When I made the sash on "Mary's Fancy Sash" dress from Girl's World, I thought it looked kind of big for a little girl. Turned out it was, so we just left it off.
It's really difficult to keep these two still!
While in California, I also attended the Long Beach Quilts International show. It was interesting because I was disappointed in how few modern fabrics I found in the vendor booths. On the way home I listened to an interview with Alissa, one of the founders of the Modern Quilt Guild. She said that she got the idea for the guild after attending the Long Beach show and seeing modern quilting poorly represented. Hopefully in time we'll see more and more.

I decided not to break any copyright laws and post the show quilt pictures (yes, I have a lawyer in the family, but he's way to busy to defend his Mom). I did get permission from Becky Goldsmith of Piece O' Cake designs to show this one. It was one of my favorite quilts in the show and it's published in their book Quilt A New Christmas. I'm so tempted to make this quilt - but it sure does have a lot of circles!
I brought my daughter a bag of fabric scraps when I visited and she came up with this awesome project. You can read all about how she did it on her blog.
Last week I was on a quilt retreat. We had a beautiful and productive week. Unfortunately my pictures did not come out well - too much wonderful sunshine. I'm going to try and round some up and try again - so hopefully I'll have some better pictures soon. For now here's a pretty set of blocks using "12 Days of Christmas".
I did a bit of sewing this weekend and made my daughter a new thread catcher. Her old one was dated - so 1990's! The fabric is Hullabaloo and I found a quick and easy tutorial here.
So now that I'm home for a bit, I've got a few projects planned including redecorating the guest room. The painting's done and I'm on to the sewing part. Yeah!

And I'm starting a new quilt for Maddy's big girl bed. The fabric is Dena Designs and I'm doing a "Sliced Coin" quilt designed by Elizabeth at Don't Call me Betsy.
So now we're caught up!

Quilting this and that...

2011-08-07T18:35:00.000-05:00

Not too much sewing to report on. I just got home from a 10 day trip to California. Lots of playing and giggling and a bit of fabric buying. We made 2 trips to Maisonette and I added to my Loulouthi collection and my Joel Dewberry Heirloom collection.

This cute cupcake fabric will be a new pillow for the soon-to-be four year old. I made a "three" pillow last year and I was asked to use prettier fabric for this years addition. I hope these cupcakes (with some glitter that doesn't show in the picture) will suffice!
We also took a trip to the Long Beach Quilts International show. I'll have some quilt pictures next week. I did pick up this layer cake of Treasures and Tidbits by Piece O'Cake. I'm hoping it may work for this American Jane pattern I've been wanting to do.
I also bought an Oliver + S pattern for an adorable dress. I've heard their patterns are extremely well written - I'm going to give it a try - fingers crossed - it has buttons up the back!
So tomorrow I'm headed off on another quilt retreat. I'm feeling a bit unorganized, but I have fabric and a sewing machine - so I think I'm good to go.
Triangles will keep me busy!
And I squeezed in an hour today to start my STL Modern Quilt Guild challenge using Jay McCarroll's Habitat collection. We're allowed to add solids only. I'm cut out with 2 blocks made and I think I'm on a roll.

All Wrapped Up...

2011-08-04T07:03:00.000-05:00

All Wrapped Up - pattern by Heather Mulder Peterson in Stop, Drop and Roll. Made about a year ago...
And just back from the quilter...
Bound and ready to snuggle!

Churn Dash Block!

2011-07-31T16:25:00.000-05:00

I was invited to participate in the Designer's challenge for Issue 6 of Fat Quarterly magazine. The theme was Churn Dash and here's my block. I think it deserves to be part of a quilt, so I'm playing with that idea. I'm in love with the orange, teal and gray color combo!Be sure to check out Issue 6 for lots of wonderful ideas!!!

Swoon 7, 8, and 9

2011-07-31T07:48:00.000-05:00

And three more makes nine! Block 7...And 8...
And 9... {It's not quite as pale as it looks in the bright sunlight}
I'm excited to put these together!

And to keep up my paper piecing skills, I made this paper pieced block - part of the Summer Sampler series. Just love the block ~ there will probably be more...

The perfect travel bag...

2011-07-28T19:34:00.000-05:00

At least I hope so! In anticipation of an upcoming trip, I customized one of my favorite bag patterns - The Six pack Tote - and sized it to carry all my travel needs. The fabric is Outside Oslo by Jessica Jones in decorator weight.I think it's a good little travel companion!
A couple of new dresses are going with me. This one from Girl's World by Jennifer Paganelli, recommended by Mary Claire. It's a great book filled with tons of girly projects.
And this one Simplicity pattern 5695. Also a recommendation from Mary Claire.
And a cute pillow case. Could't resist this fabric.

New fabric in the house!

2011-07-26T19:18:00.000-05:00

I've been eagerly anticipating the release of Heirloom by Joel Dewberry. His designs seem so classic and modern at the same time to me. I chose the Ruby color way and was not disappointed. Just gorgeous!I had fun pulling some Kona solids to coordinate. Beautiful colors!
As I was playing, I had a thought that maybe some Loulouthi would also go nicely. Spot on with these pieces. Don't know what I'll make, but for now I'm just staring at these beauties!
I also wanted to share a new find with you. A student in my Machine Quilting class pointed them out to me. Called a Pilot ball Frixion pen - it makes a clean black line on fabric, then rubs off or is removed completely with an iron. We tried it on several fabrics and it worked great for marking. I bought a pack of different colors at amazon.com. It may be a marking miracle we've been looking for!

Dresden Plate quilt finished!

2011-07-21T18:40:00.001-05:00

When it's hot outside, what else can you do but keep sewing? I've managed to get another project to completion. I think I said it before - well, I know I have - love this quilt. It's my current favorite; if you're allowed to have favorite quilts.In case you missed it - I showed how to make the blocks here. There were a few changes from the original plan. I switched to solid centers and decided to use all white for the backgrounds. I had planned on using a variety of pastels for the background, but intuition told me after a few blocks that it just wasn't going to be right. Intuition is never wrong!
I'm pretty pleased with the quilting. You may remember I decided to hand quilt the centers with perle cotton. It took a couple of attempts and some unstitching before I found the perfect design to use there. I love how it mimics the Dresden block itself.
I stippled the background after some straight line quilting in the sashing. I was stumped as to how to quilt the plates and started searching on flickr for ideas. I found this and this and it was super easy.
The backing is Soul Blossoms with a strip of the solids to make the length.
I also struggled with the binding. I spent at least an hour auditioning different fabrics, including solids and stripes. I flipped the backing over the edge and found it was perfect. And luckily I was able to use the excess backing for the binding.
I feel like this quilt and I have been on a long road together! But i've enjoyed every minute of it! I discovered this last night. You may think it's a polka dot at first glance, but I'm guessing it's a drop of red wine. (Caution - don't drink and quilt!). Not sure how to get that out. Hmm... maybe I'll just leave it there to remember the good times we've had together.

Sewing for the Home...

2011-07-20T08:25:00.000-05:00

I just got a new kitchen table. Yeah! A new table needs a new runner. Right? I kept it very simple using some DS fabric from Joann's and some white linen. Then I added my favorite zig zag fabric for the binding.Quilted using 1/2" spaced straight lines that I've been admiring on lots of modern quilts, but have been too lazy to try. It went much faster than I thought! And I love the look!
I also spruced up the family room with some new pillows. It's it great having a stash - when you get the redecorating bug, you just find something on your shelf?
Both pillows are made from Valori Wells' line "Nest". With more of that 1/2" straight line quilting.
I also put an invisible zipper in both pillows following this tutorial. So easy - I did the second one without reading the directions.
Yesterday this is what I bought at the grocery store. I think the check out clerk thought ~ this must be one depressed woman! Actually I'm having the quilting girls over tonight and it's the perfect treat for this hot weather!

Swoon 4, 5 and 6

2011-07-17T19:22:00.001-05:00

Three more Swoon blocks down and three more to go!

Block #4...
Block #5 is the rebel block. Got a little shot of aqua!
Block #6 is a little subdued...
And this was a little practice block for another project. Yes, I have something up my sleeve!

I can Paper Piece!

2011-07-15T06:48:00.001-05:00

I can Paper Piece! With no crying or swearing! On Wednesday I took a paper Piecing class from Marsha Bray. I've tried Paper Piecing in the past and was frustrated with the process. Marsha's method (that she learned from Judy Mathieson) requires no tearing out of paper and perfect coverage of your pieces every time.

We made 2 of these flower blocks in class and were instructed to make 2 more for homework to reinforce the technique. My 4 blocks completed...

Then I decided to try this block that I've had bookmarked for a while. You can find the free pattern here.
If you're in the St. Louis area and want to Paper Piece - take this class. Marsha teaches it at the Quilted Fox. I promise no crying or swearing! You'll thank me!

The joy of hand quilting...

2011-07-14T09:48:00.000-05:00

It's been a really long time since I hand quilted and I'm enjoying the peaceful, relaxing process of hand stitching.Old fashioned simple tools...
New fashioned thread and colors. Beautiful Finca Perle Cotton from Joggles.com.

Joseph's Coat ~ the final chapter...

2011-07-12T20:16:00.001-05:00

This is it! If you've been hanging around here for a while you've seen the progress on this quilt many times.

My plan was to do a big quilt even if it took me forever. In the end I decided that big would never get done; not even in forever. It's small, but I love it.
The quilt is from a tutorial by Don't Look Now. The whole method of putting this together as blocks and ending up without seam lines between the blocks is brilliant. How she came up with that I'll never know! It is tricky and unwieldy, but goes together perfectly. In the end, because of the size of mine, I could have done it on one piece of background fabric. My quilt is only 36" wide.

The directions called for a Floriani product called "Stitch and Wash Fusible". I'm not sure I had the correct product. I thought it was supposed to wash out, but mine did not. I washed the top and it softened, but did not dissolve.

Of course, then it needed a curved binding. I went to my old faithful book Happy Endings for directions on how to bind the curves. Worked perfectly!
For more Joseph's Coat inspiration and to see lots of quilters that have more stamina than me visit the Joseph's Coat flickr group!

Everyday Sacred...

2011-07-08T18:24:00.000-05:00

I thought about writing a blog post this morning. Although it seemed like a busy week, I couldn't think of any thing to blog about. As I went about my busy day, I thought about something I had learned from one of my favorite books, Everyday Sacred by Sue Bender. She said that in our busyness of getting things done, we often miss our accomplishments. Instead of finishing one project and moving on to the next, we need to stop and appreciate the completed project. Really take in what we've done.

It probably resonated with me because I am a project person. I'm like my Dad who we laughed about because he would get up from Thanksgiving dinner and go build something in the basement. I'm not quite that busy, but I don't sit still for too long (unless I have some sewing in my hands) and my family does tease me that I always have a project in the works.

So tonight I'm sharing and appreciating what I did do this week.

On Monday, I cut up a bunch of scraps of black and white fabrics and some colored scraps and made a pile of half-square triangles. There are lots of cool designs you can make with them - so I'll get more done and play.
Tuesday I pin basted and quilted my Joseph's Coat quilt. Simple quilting around each petal. It's trimmed and ready to be bound. I'm going to use Kona Snow for the binding which is the background fabric and hope to pick some up tomorrow.
On Thursday some fabric came in the mail as the result of some holiday online shopping. I love this "Long Live Vintage" from Fabric Worm.
In addition to some "Just Dandy" and "Alphabet Soup".
The fabric wasn't in the house more than 30 minutes and I was cutting it up. I played with the cover pattern from Living Large 2.
Today I made some wonky cross blocks to go in our charity quilts for STLMQG.

On to non-sewing activities - in addition to the normal cooking, laundry and cleaning, I painted our guest room, did a talk on quilt photography for my guild, got an eye exam and new glasses, cleaned out 4 kitchen cabinets (I'm getting rid of stuff and organizing what's left), and trimmed 2 big trees in the front yard (at the request of our mail lady).

I'm going to try to live up to the proverbial line "Stop and smell the roses". At least I hope to stop and appreciate the projects!

A Neutral Quilt

2011-07-05T19:55:00.001-05:00

It's rare (like never) for me to make a neutral colored quilt. But I did want to try one and made this the end of last Summer. I just got it back from the quilter, got the binding on and done!The fabrics are mostly neutrals from several Anna Griffin lines with a taupey gray Moda Bella solid for the star points.
Now back to some color! I finished the machine quilting on my Dresden Plate quilt. Next I'm going to try some hand quilting with Perle Cotton in the center circles. I'm hoping that's the perfect final touch!

Winner!

2011-07-01T18:38:00.001-05:00

Random Number generator chose #3 and so the magazine goes to Megan! Thanks for all your great comments. A few commented on how difficult the pattern looked. While it's certainly not a candidate for a first quilt - it's really quite simple. The diamonds are cut from strip sets that are sewn back together to create the large star. I do recommend doing some pinning at each of the intersections when sewing the diamond rows together. They are bias edges and this keeps them in line. I go an email from ibemomof2 because she was having trouble with just that. When I suggested she pin each intersection just as you would in making a Lone Star quilt, she wrote back saying that helped tremendously. So give it a try!

And because a blog post from me wouldn't be complete without pictures, I thought I'd share a couple of red, white and blue quilts. I don't have many - need to remedy that.

To all of you in the US - enjoy your 4th of July holiday and your freedom!!

Swoon 2 and 3

2011-06-30T18:47:00.001-05:00

Swoon Block 2...Swoon block 3...
Boy, these are fun to make!
Stay tuned for the sequels ~ Swoon 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, and 9.

Welcome, A Give-away and keeping it real...

2011-06-28T19:06:00.001-05:00

My "Welcome" quilt came home from McCall's today. And those nice people at McCall's sent me two issues of America Quilts for the Home where the pattern is published. It's a great issue and since I can't use 2, I'm giving one away. Just leave a comment here and I'll pick a name on Friday. (US only - it'll cost more than the price of the magazine to send out it of the country).I was pretty happy with this new-to-me quilting design that I used for the background. And it was easy! Love that!
I've found two wonderful versions of the quilt on flickr. I wanted to post them here (with owners permission), but can't figure out how to post pictures from flickr. If anyone can tell me - please! fill me in!

The first using the gorgeous Loulouthi by AMH was made by ibmomof2. Click here

The second by modernsewl uses the new DS line at Joann's. Find it here

If you've made one let me know. It's one of my favorite quilts now and I love seeing it made up in different fabrics.

So yesterday I was "Swooning". This large Alexander Henry print is my focus fabric. I've been saving it for something special. All was going well until I completed the block and realized that the black is too overpowering for my lovely fabric. This block is going into the scrap pile!
I redid it today and I'm so much happier. Each block uses 2 fabrics and I've learned that although there should be contrast, not to let one fabric scream over the other. Lesson learned. Hope the remaining 8 go better!
Don't forget - leave a comment for a chance at the magazine!

The quilt list

2011-06-27T19:50:00.000-05:00

Remember my Summer Sewing list? Cross number one off the list! This weekend I pieced this super easy Easy Bricks Quilt from Moda Bake Shop. I used "My Happy Garden" fabric and added lots of additional aqua blues and citron green fabrics.I also changed up the size of the bricks a little. Mine finish at 3" x 6". Since I wasn't using the layer cakes called for in the pattern I was able to cut 6 1/2" strips of my prints and 3 1/2" strips of the white solid. I sewed the strips together and subcut 3 1/2" segments to make the blocks.
It really has a fresh Summery look to it!
Today I started pulling fabrics for the "Swoon" pattern by Thimbleblossoms. It seems lately everything I make has aqua in it, so I was determined to do something different. I pulled pieces in reds, pinks, grays and blacks. It was looking pretty good, but then I decided it might be kinda cool to have one turquoise block. I tried :)

I love Summer...

2011-06-23T07:22:00.000-05:00

There are so many things I love about Summer. For one you can get a nice photo shoot of your quilt outdoors most any day. My Kaleidoscope quilt is done and bound and goes nicely with my Sweet Potato vine. You can find out how I made the block here.The quilting is simple - straight lines diagonally and 1/4" from the seam lines.
More lime green in the garden!
I have a bit of Summer reading thanks to a couple of give-aways I recently won. Thanks to Sinta from Pink Pincushion and Kathy from Pink Chalk Fabrics.
I've also made my Summer sewing list. Looks pretty long! We'll have to see how much gets done in these lazy days of Summer. (Love those lazy days too!)

The Shopping Part...

2011-06-20T18:28:00.000-05:00

In 5 days we hit 7 quilt shops. Two of my favorites were new to all of us.

Quilter's Compass in Monticello, Wisconsin was an adorable shop that has been open only 10 months. Filled with the latest modern and traditional fabrics, we had a ball trying to decide what to go home with. Unfortunately I didn't have my camera to show you pictures of the shop, but it was darling. The owner and her daughter were as nice as can be and they do mail order fabric if you find something in their on-line shop!

Here are my goodies: Cloud 9 Organic cotton "Happy Garden".
And I was so thrilled to find this. "Free to Grow" is another organic cotton line that I didn't buy when it came out last Fall and I kind of regretted that!
The second shop that we all just loved was Tammy Tadd in Sycamore, Illinois. The shop has beautiful fabric, but the displays were pure eye candy. Pink was the theme and if you look close you can see a pink Weber grill on the right side of this display.
A wonderful selection of 30's reproductions.
This had to be my favorite - the pink bike!
Just an adorable shop!!!

More Accomplishments...

2011-06-19T08:11:00.000-05:00

I wasn't the only one who accomplished something on retreat.

Jean's "Short Story" quilt from Schnibbles Times Two in Fandango.
Cindy's quilt using Hope Valley.
Rene's "Gypsy Girl" quilt using Soul Blossoms.
Bonnie spent a bit of time appliquéing this one!
Wynema's quick table runners using novelty striped fabric.
Gayle's "Root Beer Float" table runner.
Wynema's Churn Dash in batiks.
Next up - our shopping excursions!

Accomplished...

2011-06-17T19:10:00.000-05:00

This was the scene out the back window of my home for the past week. Fern Hill Retreat, literally nestled in the rolling hills of Wisconsin. Sewing, laughing and eating cheese (OMG - the cheese - it's unbelievable!). We even improved our vocabulary.I accomplished 2 of the 3 projects that I brought with me.

All the blocks are completed and sewn together using Prince Charming by Tula Pink and the pattern "Birdbath" from The Practical Guide to Patchwork. I'm planning on adding a small border to frame things up.
I also finished the blocks and assembly of Urban Life by Crazy Old Ladies pattern company. The fabric is a Just Wing It layer cake.
I had a little time this afternoon to add a border. Loving this one!
Several others accomplished finished tops also. Pictures coming! We also accomplished a little shopping - no actually that was a big accomplishment. A report on that coming too!!

Solids Challenge

2011-06-11T19:21:00.001-05:00

Our St Louis Modern Quilt Guild members revealed their Kona Solids Challenge quilts today. They were all amazing, gorgeous, creative and more. I took pictures and here are a few. You can find more on the MQG Robert Kaufman flickr group.This is mine:

One of my favorites, probably because I'm such a Wizard of Oz fanatic and it's one of my favorite songs.

I made this cute top yesterday. It's made from AMH Loulouthi voile and a free pattern from Colette Patterns. I do love my Loulouthi; maybe because I love flowers, and vibrant colors and beautiful artwork. It has it all!
See you next week - I hope to bring you some pictures of our retreat projects!

Hexagon Hexagon

2011-06-09T18:57:00.000-05:00

I had trouble titling this post because I've written about my Hexagon quilt several times. I promise this is the last! It's done, quilted and bound!I took the easy way on this one and just made half hexagons so it would be super easy to sew together.
I followed the quilting suggestion in the book and simply did parallel zig zag lines.
Nothing like a striped binding to finish it off!
And in case you're tired of seeing hexagons ~ a few other beauties in the garden...

Montenegro Lily

And this cutie patootie just popped up!

Cutting Boredom

2011-06-08T09:15:00.001-05:00

We took a quick trip to the east coast to spend some time with family last weekend, so I'm down to the wire to do my cutting for retreat on Sunday. There's not much to blog about when you're cutting, cutting, cutting. In case you were wondering this is what 1000 triangles looks like.So to relieve the boredom this is what I'm thinking about...

I added a few borders to my Kaleidoscope quilt and now I have to figure out how to quilt it. Maybe straight diagonal lines emerging from the center???
I'm setting aside scraps to finish off my Josephs's Coat quilt. I have 3 half blocks to applique and add. Almost there.
Do you have favorite fabrics that you just don't want to use up? As I cut into these 3, I prayed there'd be a little left. Too bad loaves and fishes didn't work on fabric.
Thank goodness there's always something new and beautiful. Took a little cutting break to play with LouLouthi.
I adore bicycles and I'm eyeing my new stash...
that's been added to my old stash...
It makes me want to break the boredom and go for a ride!

Panic...

2011-06-02T15:30:00.000-05:00

It hit me this week that next weekend I leave on a week long quilting retreat. Oh no! I've been focusing on getting UFOs completed that I have nothing ready to bring. It's certainly not due to lack of fabric or ideas. It's a matter of merging the two!

I pulled out some newly acquired "Prince Charming" fat quarters and added some quieter basics from the stash. This line is so gorgeous and reminds me of Tula Pink's earlier line "Neptune". In fact my friend Rene has some "Neptune" left and told me the lines work really well together. Some smarties know when to save old fabric!
I thought I'd try "Birdbath" from The Practical Guide to Patchwork after my failed previous attempt at this pattern. I decided to use the print in the center to showcase some of the lovely prints in the line. One block...
Became two...
I also looked at my stack of grays, pinks and aquas and decided to make something other than the Asterisk blocks. A little tip here: You'll notice that my stacks are uneven. I'll be using less gray than pink or aqua. I think keeping the proportion of colors uneven makes a quilt a little more interesting.
We had a speaker at our guild meeting yesterday who showed a quilt using these blocks.I knew immediately that was what I wanted for my new project. I'm hoping it will give me look I'm going for.
Just thought I'd share with you my little garbage bowl. If you watch Rachael Ray at all, you know that she always keeps a food garbage bowl on her counter when prepping. I do the same at my sewing machine for snipping "dog ears" and trimming triangles. Makes it easier than bending over a trash can.
I'm feeling better about being ready for next week and enjoying the view...

Thinking about what's next...

2011-05-30T19:33:00.000-05:00

I'm finishing up some ongoing projects. So in between a few excursions on this Holiday weekend (including shopping for a new dishwasher) I pin basted my Hexagon quilt. You'll notice I pin baste on a table. No crawling around on the floor for me! I start in one corner and baste what's on the table, then move the quilt to do the remaining sections.I did get the quilting done. On tap a movie and binding tonight.
These blocks are finally coming together. It's working so far; I'll keep you posted!
And while I was quilting, I was thinking about what to start on next. I'm going to redo my guest bedroom this Summer. The walls will be silvery grey and I bought a really cute aqua night stand at Home Goods last week. I'm thinking of doing grey, aqua and pink.
I want a simple quilt with lots of white. Something a little whimsical and fun. I made these Asterisk blocks, increasing the size to 8" finished - it might be cute. Any other ideas?

My Summer Blankie

2011-05-28T09:18:00.001-05:00

I'm not sure I can call this a quilt since it has no batting. I hope in this picture you can see how soft and cuddly it is... and why I'm calling it my "Blankie".I started with 3 yards of flannel, cut in half lengthwise, selvages trimmed and sewed together along the long edge. I ended up with a backing 54" x 80".
I cut strips of 54" wide voile in widths varying from 2" to 6".
I placed one strip along the 54" edge and added a second strip, right sides together, pinned then sewed.
I continued adding strips by pinning the loose edge of the strip and adding another.
When the entire flannel backing was covered, I trimmed the sides even.
Voila! A light, Summery blanket/quilt/blankie.
With a wonderful stripe for the binding (Innocent Crush). I'm ready for my Summer naps!

Quilt Love...

2011-05-24T22:12:00.000-05:00

I took 22 pictures of this quilt. I'm in love!
New-fashioned Dresdens.
Soul Blossoms plus some stash prints.
The blocks were trimmed to 13 1/2" The sashing strips were cut at 2" x 13 1/2". The Nine-Patches were made from squares cut 2".
Yes, I'm in love with this quilt.

As pretty as a quilt...

2011-05-23T19:47:00.001-05:00

I finished sewing my Dresden blocks together today, but I'm adding a small white border. Once that's done I'll have some pictures.

In the mean time I thought I'd share some photos from the Flower Fields in San Diego. Not a large garden, compared to our Missouri Botanical Garden, but certainly breathtaking!

That's the ocean in the background!
The kids even had a great time. They were given a "map" and told to find the stamping stations to mark their maps. Along with a maze and a playground - there was fun for everyone!
It made me want to put my Mother's Day gift to use when I got home!
We also made a trip to Maisonette and found not only some new fabric, but some new friends and bloggers. As we were shopping I overheard a customer talking about a great modern quilt shop in Kansas City. My ears perked up and when I asked her about it, I learned that the 2 ladies in the shop were modern quilters from Kansas City. Yes, it's a small world and you can read about it here. There are also some great pictures of the shop here.

You really need to drop in on my new Kansas City friends ~ Shea from The Empty Bobbin and Mary Anne from Quilt Logic: It's a Process.

Speaking of new blogs, Shannon is blogging at Fabric Nosherie as she plans on opening a modern quilt store in Webster Groves, a suburb of St. Louis. I'm so excited and plan on keeping her in business!!

Focus...

2011-05-19T08:15:00.001-05:00

I've got several projects in the works and this week I decided none will get done unless I focus on something. So I chose my Dresden quilt and worked on coming up with a setting.

After rejecting a few ideas, I settled on this - scrappy Nine-Patch cornerstones and simple sashing.
I'm doing 12 Dresden blocks and I've only got 1 1/2 left to applique.
It's amazing how things move along when you focus!

If you're local - don't forget the quilter's garage sale at Bindings, Borders and Squares this Saturday. I've got some fabric bundles, quilt tops and finished quilts to sell. Hope to see you there!

Welcome

2011-05-16T18:30:00.000-05:00

If you've been hanging around here for a while, you may remember my determination to make a Starburst quilt here and here. And you may have thought it didn't work because I never spoke of it again. Until now. That's because it's now hiding in the lower left corner of the cover of a special issue of McCall's Quilting called America Quilts for the Home.If you look close, you'll see it on the editor's page.
But on page 12, you can find out how to make your own! It's really a striking quilt and the magazine is filled with many more!
Here's my shot of it, dutifully held up by the hubby. The center 2 rows of diamonds are from Amy Butler's "Love" line and the remainder of the prints are from Anna Marie Horner's "Innocent Crush" line. The background is Kona Coal.
And a little close up of the quilting.
The issue is at news stands now!

A finished quilt and more...

2011-05-05T08:59:00.000-05:00

This week was spent finishing up the quilting on my Marmalade quilt.

I won a layer cake of "Bliss" and decided to use the pattern exactly as pictured (a rarity for me).
The quilting took a while - lots of custom feathered wreaths and leaves.
And I'm happy with how it turned out!
I'm headed to CA tomorrow, so the blog will be silent for a bit. I put some UFO's up on my design wall. I'm going to make some progress on these when I get back.

"City Lights" from City Quilts. I'm making this for my urban son who'll be moving to a new apartment this Summer.
I've got 8 or 9 Joseph's Coat blocks done and I've decided to put them together into a small wall quilt. Just need to read the directions carefully and figure out how to put these together.
My Soul Blossoms Dresdens are multiplying. These go pretty quick and I'll be putting them together soon!
I pieced some of my leftover triangles into Zig Zag rows. I'm not sure I'm really loving this. I did it because I had triangles I wanted to use up, but I'm not sure it's worth my time if I don't love the result. Mmm, waste time or waste fabric? What do you do?
I got a Stylish Blogger Award this week from Natalie at Threaded Mess. When I get back I'll be sharing 6 of my favorite new blogs to pass on the award. Thanks Natalie!

Of course I'll be watching the reports from Spring Quilt Market. Always an exciting time. You can find who'll be blogging from Market with all the scoops here.