May guild block

This month our block was a simple quilt square (from Sew Big Quilts) done in Christmas fabrics.  I'm not 100% sure that I'm going to leave it "as is".  I'm just not sure how I feel about the bottom corner fabric.  To some degree, I feel like it doesn't really fit with the other fabrics, in terms of style - the colors are fine.  But I feel like, based on the fabrics I have, that my only other option would be to use a smaller piece of the focus fabric, and I'm afraid that might make it look too busy.  I'm just not sure.  But it is made for now, I can always change it later if I want.

Hearts on a Chain

This year I decided that I wanted to finish at least three of my old UFOs.  This is my first, and it is probably over 10 years old, but I can't be sure.  Several years ago, I saw a picture of a quilt that looked very similar to this one in either a magazine or catalog.  I didn't order a pattern or anything, I just looked at the picture and figured it out.  Today I spent a good part of the day trying to find that old picture, so that I could get a better ballpark date on when I started this quilt.  I looked through years and years of Quiltmakers (2000-2007) but couldn't find it.  I also looked through some Quilter's World and Quick and Easy Quilting issues that I had from that time period, but still no luck.  I finally just gave up finding the original inspiration. 

Once I gave up on finding the print picture, I decided to try doing a Google image search.  I have no idea what the original pattern name was, but I searched for "heart Irish chain quilt" and "heart quilt" with no real luck.  I found one quilt that had the same pieced heart, but not the Irish chain setting.  So if anyone knows the name of the original pattern, or where it might have come from, let me know.

So anyway, years ago I saw the pattern and thought it would make a nice seasonal sofa throw for Valentine's Day.  It was super easy to make with nice, big pieces.  I made the top, but never quilted it.  I know that at the time that I made it I didn't have a dedicated sewing room and had difficulty finding the space to set up the quilting frame for larger projects.  Even once we moved to the new house, and I had a sewing room, I never got around to quilting it.  I didn't know how I wanted to quilt it either, so it just sat. 

Finally, this year, I decided that I would have it machine quilted.  I thought that a pantograph of hearts would look nice, so that is what I went with.  The backing fabric that I had bought all those years ago was not big enough to accommodate long-arm quilting, so I purchased some new fabric for it, too.

When I got it back from the quilter, it was past February, so I figured there was no hurry in getting it bound.  I've been working on it at the library, during our sewing time, for several weeks.  I've also worked on it some on car trips, because I like to work on hand sewing in the car.  I finally finished it last Friday on the way home from the Radney Foster concert in Atlanta (well actually Duluth, GA).  So after many years, and many miles, this UFO is finally finished.

Jelly roll race

Today's effort was a variation on the jelly roll race (jelly roll 1600) quilt.  Instead of sewing the strip together with a diagonal seam, I cut two of the strips into 2-1/2 inch squares and cut four 2-1/2 inch squares from a third strip.  I used the 2-1/2 inch squares between each of the strips.  It probably would have been a bit more striking if the squares had all been the same fabric, but this jelly roll didn't have triples of any of the fabric.  The fabric is "First Ladies" from Windham fabrics.

April Guild Block - Appliqued Ornaments

The guild block for April was appliqued ornaments.  It has taken me quite a while to finish it.  First of all, I had trouble deciding what fabric to use as a background.  The directions called for a light colored background, but I wanted to use something darker - something that would read more like a Christmas tree.  Then I couldn't decide what fabric to use for the ornaments.  I wanted to fussy-cut motifs for the ornaments, but the non-round ornaments looked odd to me cut that way.  So I finally decided to put fussy-cut circles (and one oval) inside all the ornaments, and I liked the look of that a lot better.  Unfortunately that meant I had to applique 12 shapes instead of just 6 shapes.  Plus, I hand appliqued it, so it took me quite a while.  But now it is finally done, and I think it looks nice.

SOQS block contest entry

Again this year I decided to order a kit from the Sisters' Outdoor Quilt Show for their block contest.  You send them $10 and they send you 6 small pieces of fabric (one 10 inch square of read as solid, and five 6 inch squares of patterned fabric) that you then have to make a 9-1/2 inch (raw edge to raw edge) square block out of.  All the blocks that are entered are displayed at the quilt show in July.

I know I won't win, because the winning block is basically always appliqued and embellished.  But there needs to be losing blocks too.  The winner gets a monetary prize and some of the losing blocks to make a quilt.  The runners-up also get some of the other losing blocks.  So I think it will make a nice addition to one of the quilts made by the winner or runner up, if they chose to actually make one.  It is just fun to enter and be part of the show.  Even though I won't get to be at the show, at least my block will.

Squares for Cyndi, with a border

I've been playing around some more with my pattern, and I came up with a few ideas for borders.  This top has a 3 inch (finished size) border around the outside of the last round.  That makes it finish at about 40 inches square.

It is made with My Sunshine fabric from Riley Blake.  Much of it was left over from the jelly roll strips from the coin baby quilts and jelly roll race baby quilt that I made earlier this year.  It took about 21 charm squares along with the left over pieces of strips.  Some of the leftover pieces are smaller than 5 inches long, but that's no big deal, really.

I also have a plan, and the fabric, to make one with a border that will set the original design on point. It will be made from Happy Tones fabric by Michael Miller.  I'm really looking forward to seeing how that works out.  It should finish at about 48 inches square.

April Moda Blocks

Here are the blocks that I made from the patterns we got on Wednesday at the Moda Friendship meeting.  Two are 6-inch blocks and one is a 12-inch block.  They were super easy to make, and it's a good thing.  After the day I had today, I'm glad I was able to get something accomplished. 

I had planned to work on my guild block today, but it just wasn't working for me.  I just couldn't decide on fabrics and nothing that I tried seemed to be quite right.  Maybe I'll have better luck with it tomorrow.

Cyndi mini all finished

Here is a picture of the miniature version of the Squares for Cyndi quilt all quilted and bound.  I think Melanie did a great job with it.  The quilted circles are such a good contrast to the squares in the pattern, and the red binding really pops.  The little mini quilt is photographed resting on the basket that the patterns are displayed in.

From the Candy left overs

This is the little project that I made from the left over fabric after I finished the March Candy Project.  The main part of the mini quilt is made mostly from the cut-aways from the flippy corners.   Four of the squares were made from the two left over candies that weren't called for in the original project.  The border, binding, and backing are all left over from their matching component in the original mini quilt.

The finished product measures about 12-1/2 inches x 14 inches.  I think it would work well as a burp cloth or lap pad for a baby.  Like the original project, it is machine pieced, machine quilted, and machine bound, with a straight stitch.  I figured anything that was designed to have a baby throw up on it didn't need any fine hand work.

A Bag for Spring

Remember that spring bag that I mentioned yesterday?  The one that I was going to make from the "Chance of Flowers" fabric I bought yesterday.  Well, here it is.  That must be some sort of land speed record for me.  I don't think I've ever picked out fabric in less than 5 minutes and then used that fabric the very next day.  Wow, that was fast.

It really is a good feeling, though.  So often I have an idea of something that I want to make, and I buy the fabric for it, but the fabric just ends up lying around in my sewing room.  It feels good to have an idea and be able to act on it almost immediately.  And finishing a project on the day that I start it is always nice, too.

March Candy Project - Finished!

Every month at our Moda Friendship meeting, we are given a pattern for a small project made with a Moda candy.  If we finish the project by the next meeting, and bring it in and show it, we get a free fat quarter.  I didn't do the ones from January or February, because I didn't really know what I would do with them if I made them.  But this past month I decided to go for it anyway.  I've been wanting to do something with the Giggles fabric line ever since I saw it, and this seemed like a good project for it (The sample was done it "Hubba Hubba" fabric, from the same designer).

The little quilt finished at 19 x 22 inches.  It is machine pieced, machine quilted, and machine bound.  I quilted in the ditch between the rows and between the piecing and the border.  I outline quilted inside the white hexagons and on both sides of the border.  The binding is sewn down with a straight stitch, nothing decorative this time. 

I thought it would make a nice little changing pad for a baby.  I don't have anyone to give it to at the moment, but baby showers will probably be in my future at some point.  I may make a little burp cloth out of the left over fabric to go with it.

A new bag - from a Moda candy!

I finished this one today.  I've been wanting to make myself a new bag that could be used on an everyday basis, not just season specific.  This one was made from a Sweet Pea candy.  It uses a half a yard of fabric in addition to the candy for the exterior of the bag, and another half yard of fabric for the lining.

When I went to the quilt shop today, I bought another candy and more yardage so that I can make another bag, this one spring themed.  It is from the "Chance of Flowers" fabric line.  I think it will be really cute.

March Moda Blocks

In March we got three blocks at our Moda Friendship meeting.  I've been busy with other projects, so just finished them a couple of days ago.  I really like the Greek Cross block.  I've made it before and it is simple but still interesting visually.

This month I didn't even try to figure out a combination for the blocks.  It might could have been done, but I was just so busy working on the shop samples that I didn't even try.

March Guild Block - Poinsettia

This is our guild block from March.  It is a pieced poinsettia block with appliqued stems and leaves.  I finished it today.  I did the piecing a couple weeks ago, but I just couldn't make myself do the applique.  I don't enjoy doing applique and I had several other projects that I wanted get finished first, as well. 

I did the applique with a machine blanket stitch.  As far as I can remember, I've never machine appliqued before.  I might have done some in high school for home ec. class, but I don't really remember doing any.  I think it turned out pretty good for a first effort.  There are a few stray stitches on the first leaf that I appliqued, because I was just getting accustomed to how the stitch worked, but all in all I think it looks nice.  But I'm also very glad that it is all finished.  However, I've already been told that this month's block will be applique as well. . .

Squares for Cyndi, sofa sized

At the request of Melanie, the shop owner at Front Porch Quilt Shoppe, I made a larger version of the Squares for Cyndi quilt.  This top measures 74 inches square. 

I've also figured the measurements for a really jumbo sized one - 100 inches square.  That should fit a king sized bed.  I've already written up the directions for the two larger sizes together in one pattern.  Once this one is quilted and photographed, I can print up the patterns for sale.

Cyndi Mini

This is another shop sample that I'm piecing for Melanie at the Front Porch Quilt Shoppe.  It's hard to tell from the picture, because there is nothing to show scale, but this is a miniature version of the Squares for Cyndi quilt.  It is made with Moda candies (pre-cut 2 1/2 inch squares) and about 1/8 yard of solid color fabric.  This sample is made with an April Showers (by bonnie and camille for moda) candy and Snow Bella Solids by moda fabric.  It finished at just over 13 inches square. 

More Squares for Cyndi

This is another shop sample of the Squares for Cyndi pattern.  This time we used a colored background fabric.  The charm pack is Mixed Bag by Studio M for Moda.  The background fabric is Simply Color by Vanessa Christenson of V and Co. for Moda.  I think it would make a darling little quilt for a baby boy.

Squares for Cyndi

Back during the Iron Quilter challenge, I made a quilt. Some of the ladies at my local quilt shop said that I should write up a pattern for the design. So recently I wrote up the directions and got them printed.  The pattern is named "Squares for Cyndi" because Cyndi, at the quilt shop, really encouraged me to write the pattern and would ask about it most times that she saw me in the shop.  The pattern is now for sale at The Front Porch Quilt Shoppe, as a printed pattern, and at Etsy as a PDF download.

This is a shop sample for the pattern.  It is made with daydream fabric by Kate Spain for Moda.

Butterfly Trails

I finished the baby quilt made from the February Moda blocks (featured here) today.  It finished 38 inches square.  I machine quilted in the ditch between the blocks and through the center of each block in both directions.  I also quilted in the ditch on either side of the white border.  The binding is also done by machine.  It is top-stitched down with a star decorative stitch.  I named it "butterfly trails" because the fabric is butterfly fabric (including the backing fabric) and I thought the pink and blue patches sort of made trails across the quilt.

Pixie Stix

 I finished sewing the binding on this one on Tuesday.  The quilt top is originally featured in this post.  It is the third top that I made from the jelly roll, but I finished it second.  Mostly because the uninterrupted straight-line quilting meant fewer threads to bury than in the second top I finished. 

I decided to name it Pixie Stix after the candy in the paper straws.  One of my sons said that the fabric made him think of candy.  Once I was thinking about candy, the long strips in the pastel colors made me think of Pixie Stix.

I sewed the label on yesterday. For some reason, the date that I put on a quilt is always the date that I finished binding it, even if I don't sew the label on until the next day.  I guess it is because the quilt is finished and usable at that point.  In fact, my grandmother and father don't even put labels on their quilts.  I've told my dad that he should, but he still doesn't.  He has started quilting his initials (and I think maybe the year) into the quilt, so that is something.  My grandmother doesn't quilt anymore (she's 97 years old), so the best I could do is label the quilts of hers that I have.  I may do that, at least with her name.