Now it's your turn! Please link up your finishes for the week. Thank you, as always, for joining me for finish it up Friday!
finish it up Friday, 12/30/16
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Friday, December 30, 2016
rainbow quilt complete
Welcome to finish it up Friday!
I was able to finish the rainbow scrap quilt this week! It is a simple quilt, through and through, but I love it all the same! If it were any larger, I'd be seriously tempted to keep it for myself.
For the backing, I did some color-blocking with a few solid fabrics from the stash. Solids are nice to use for a pieced backing because it doesn't matter were the seam falls, there is no pattern repeat to match!
I kept the quilting super simple....just an X through each block. I used my hera marker to mark the lines before I quilted, because I'm horrible at just eye-balling it. It's an extra step, but to me, it's totally worth it.
There is such a fun variety of fabrics in this quilt! I had to dig deep for enough low volume prints to fill in. Some were repeated several times, but I think it worked well anyway.
I love this gray stripe for binding! (It's from my good neighbors collection.) This is probably the 4th or 5th quilt that I've bound with this fabric. I don't think it will be the last, either. :)
The patchwork squares were cut at 5". The quilt measures 45" x 63" and it's scrap project # 190!
Now it's your turn! Please link up your finishes for the week. Thank you, as always, for joining me for finish it up Friday!
Now it's your turn! Please link up your finishes for the week. Thank you, as always, for joining me for finish it up Friday!
Thursday, December 29, 2016
crazy rails quilt top
Tuesday, December 27, 2016
rainbow quilt top
Friday, December 23, 2016
straightforward quilt complete
Welcome to finish it up Friday!
Despite all the craziness of the week before Christmas, I managed to finish a quilt! I'm pretty excited about that!
I'm calling this the straightforward quilt. It is just a simple stash quilt, but I so enjoyed making it. I love the larger pieces and the mix of pinks, corals and grays.
I free-motion quilted each row of patchwork with two lines of loops in peach thread.
I love coming up with a backing from the stash because it's one big puzzle with many possible solutions. It took a bit of auditioning before I settled on this layout, but I'm quite pleased with the results! I love the simplicity and the fact that it is asymmetrical.
Despite all the craziness of the week before Christmas, I managed to finish a quilt! I'm pretty excited about that!
The finished quilt measures 45" x 60". (The blocks are cut 3 1/2" x 9 1/2", so they finish at 3" x 9". )
The best part of this finish was probably the fact that I took a walk through a nearby park for a photo shoot of the quilt. It was an absolutely beautiful winter day....
....and the scenery was just gorgeous!
Now, it's your turn! If you have any finishes that you can share, please link up! Thank you, as always, for joining me for finish it up Friday! I hope you all have a very Merry Christmas! :)
finish it up Friday, 12/23/16
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Monday, December 19, 2016
sweater progress and a few small projects
I've been knitting away on my sweater! Late last week, I realized I had knit a row incorrectly, so I had to knit back about 10 rows! That was super frustrating. I also learned (thanks to my friend Suzanne) why it is important to alternate skeins of yarn when working with hand dyed yarn. I will admit that I got kind of freaked out and I was frustrated that there is so much to knitting that I have absolutely no clue about. However, I am enjoying learning new things...even if it is a little painful. :) I'm knitting forward again, and I am pleased with my progress! I very carefully tried on the sweater this morning and the size is spot on. What a relief! I really love the color and how the yarn is knitting up.
I'm so thankful for quick projects that I can sew from the stash. Perfect for the week before Christmas!
Happy Monday to you!
Friday, December 16, 2016
sew it goes tote
Welcome to finish it up Friday!
I've been working on this project for the past few weeks, but due to the need for a finish today, I worked extra hard to get it done. I'm so glad that I did! This is called the Sew It Goes Tote, and it's a pattern designed by my very talented friend Kristin. Isn't it sooo cute???
The tote was designed for traveling with a hand work project. I love that it has a ton of compartments for all the little things that you need when you are hand stitching. I was a little intimidated by this project (4 zipper compartments alone...plus vinyl), but I took it step by step and worked slowly. It came together very well! It really wasn't that hard...just a little time consuming. :) My friend Mary also made the project and she recommended cutting out all the pieces first. That goes against all my inclinations (what if I change my mind on a fabric?) but that was great advice.
When I wasn't sure what fabric to use, I chose Essex Linen in Flax. I love linen paired with all of the printed fabrics.
I chose the aqua accents, because those were the zippers I had on hand. Plus, aqua and red is a combination that is hard to beat!
One of my favorite parts is a mini design board (definitely squeal-worthy!)....
...that fits in the back pocket. So fun!
How about you? Do you have a finish to share? If so, please link up. Thank you, as always, for joining me for finish it up Friday!
I've been working on this project for the past few weeks, but due to the need for a finish today, I worked extra hard to get it done. I'm so glad that I did! This is called the Sew It Goes Tote, and it's a pattern designed by my very talented friend Kristin. Isn't it sooo cute???
Turns out I'm very happy with my fabric choices! There are great diagrams in the pattern that show where each piece belongs, so that made selecting the fabrics much easier.
I love, love, LOVE how it turned out! I also don't mind one bit that my version looks like a present! The tote measures about 10" x 10". The pattern is available for purchase here.
I think I need to start a new hand work project....soon!
How about you? Do you have a finish to share? If so, please link up. Thank you, as always, for joining me for finish it up Friday!
finish it up Friday, 12/16/16
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Wednesday, December 14, 2016
building a log cabin quilt
Each block is 9 1/2" unfinished. The complete measurements for the blocks can be found here.
Tuesday, December 13, 2016
a simple hot pad tutorial
I've had a few requests for a hot pad tutorial...AND it's been on my mental list of things to do, so here we go! This is an easy afternoon sewing project...in theory, anyway. :) It's a great way to use up some scraps or mini charm packs.
These were gifts for a friend that I made last year. The patchwork dishtowel tutorial can be found here. The recipes for the sauces can be found in this post.
Supplies needed for one hot pad:
16 2 1/2" squares of quilting cotton
9" square of cotton batting
9" square of Insul-Brite
9 1/2" square of quilting cotton for the back of the hot pad
2 1/2" strip of bias binding, about 36" long
Step 1: Select 16 2 1/2" squares and arrange in a 4 by 4 array.
Step 2: Sew the squares into rows. Sew the rows together and press well. The block should measure 8 1/2" square.
Step 3: Make a quilt sandwich. Layer the backing (face down), Insul-Brite, cotton batting, then the patchwork (right side up).
Align the layers. Pin baste if desired.
Step 4: Attach a walking foot to your sewing machine. Quilt the piece with straight lines, echoing the seam lines on both sides. There will be shifting! There are a lot of bulky layers, so take it slow and try to let the walking foot do the work. It will probably get a little bit wonky.
Step 5: Use the base of a mug, a cup or a circular object of some sort. Use a marker or marking pen to trace the arc in all 4 corners.
Step 6: Trim off the excess batting, backing, etc. Trim around the marked corners as well.
Step 7: Sew a line of stitching around the perimeter of the piece to hold all the layers together. This makes it so much easier to apply the binding.
Step 8: Make a strip of bias binding 2 1/2" wide by about 36" long. Fold in half, lengthwise and press. (Bias binding is important since the corners are curved.)
Step 9: Attach the binding to the hot pad. If you use a short stitch length (I used a 2 on my sewing machine), the curves are easier to sew. (Check out my bias binding tutorial if you are unsure of how to make it or how to join the last seam. It's the same method as attaching bias binding to a quilt, just on a smaller scale.)
Step 10: Use an iron to press the binding away from the hot pad. (The binding will stand straight up. :))
Step 11: Flip the hot pad over and wrap the binding around to the back to cover the line of stitching. Use wonder clips to hold it in place. Stitch the binding down by hand or machine, whichever you prefer. (I like hand binding, because it usually turns out neater.)
Step 12: Use your new hot pad or give it to a friend! Repeat as needed!
(These also make great indoor Frisbees....but don't tell your kids or grandkids that! Hahaha!)
If you make any hot pads using this tutorial, I'd love to see them!
Supplies needed for one hot pad:
16 2 1/2" squares of quilting cotton
9" square of cotton batting
9" square of Insul-Brite
9 1/2" square of quilting cotton for the back of the hot pad
2 1/2" strip of bias binding, about 36" long
(These also make great indoor Frisbees....but don't tell your kids or grandkids that! Hahaha!)
If you make any hot pads using this tutorial, I'd love to see them!
Monday, December 12, 2016
a sweater to be
I will be attempting a beginner pattern called Harvest, by Tin Can Knits. (At least the pattern is free!)
If all else fails, my entire family can have matching hats and hand warmers. Everyone, especially my teenage boys, are hopeful the sweater is successful. Ha!
Friday, December 09, 2016
high rise quilt complete
Welcome to finish it up Friday!
My high rise quilt is complete! It feels good to have this quilt finished, since it was a WIP for over 3 years. And, it feels especially good to get something this large finished in December! I've got a lot of photos to share, and then I'll give details about the quilt at the end of the post.
My high rise quilt is complete! It feels good to have this quilt finished, since it was a WIP for over 3 years. And, it feels especially good to get something this large finished in December! I've got a lot of photos to share, and then I'll give details about the quilt at the end of the post.
Finished size: 62" x 87" (it hasn't been washed yet)
Background fabric: Essex Linen in the color Flax by Robert Kaufman
Block background fabrics: Oakshott Shot Cottons (Similar to this Lakes bundle)
Mini charm squares: The Birds and the Bees by Tula Pink
Backing: Free Fall in Orchid by Tula Pink (108" wide, sateen fabric....it's luscious!)
Thread: Auriful color 2615
Quilting: squared off stippling (quilted by me) on my Juki. :)
Pattern: Original design, hopefully to be a pattern someday!
I really like how this one turned out! Purple, orchid and all! Ha!
Now, it's your turn! Please link up your finishes for the week. Thank you, as always, for joining me for finish it up Friday!
finish it up Friday, 12/9/16
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