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!

crazy rails quilt top

My crazy rails quilt top is complete! Each of those little logs (all 960 of them!) finish at 1" x 3". I love how it turned out and definitely plan to revisit this pattern again....either in a twin or king size next time. This quilt top measures 48" x 60". This is a great scrap buster, because almost anything goes! Gotta love that!

rainbow quilt top

There are a few more days left this year, so naturally I'm doing a final push to see how many quilts I can finish before the calendar changes to 2017! This is a simple scrap quilt made of 5" squares. I loved playing with the layout of this one. The mix of brights and low volume fabrics makes it a very cheerful quilt! It probably comes as no surprise that the aqua almost took over. (hahaha!) I'm hoping to finish this one (and maybe one or two more quilts) before Sunday. We'll see! There will be plenty of quilting breaks to play board games with my family. I kind of love this week between Christmas and the New Year. I hope you are having a warm, cozy and restful week, too!

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.

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! :)

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.

To counter balance the huge knitting project, I am also working on quick finishes. This little cross pincushion was inspired by this pillow that Anna made awhile back. I loved it so. In fact, this fabric scrap came from Anna and I believe that it was actually leftover from her pillow. I absolutely love it in pincushion form! It measures 3 1/2" x 2 1/2". It is scrap project #189!

I also whipped up a few pillow cases. I love making these because they are good stash busters AND a great way to use cute novelty prints. This festive fox one is for me! I found the fabric at SR Harris about a week an a half ago and it was too cute to pass up. The main fabric is festive forest by TamaraKate for Michael Miller Fabrics. The cuff fabric is Picnic Pals by Alyssa Thomas of Penguin & Fish for Clothworks.

Since I won't want to share my new pillow case (how terrible is that?) I made this one for my cartwheel-loving daughter. The main fabric is Hello Petal by Aneela Hoey for Moda. The cuff fabric is Kiss Dot by Michael Miller. I have a feeling that she is going to love it!

I'm so thankful for quick projects that I can sew from the stash. Perfect for the week before Christmas!

Happy Monday to you!

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.

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.

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!

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!

building a log cabin quilt

Last Saturday I decided to pull out my log cabin blocks. I thought it would be fun to try to double the amount that I had made...so my goal was to make 18. In one day. (Yes, I was delusional!)

It's a  s  l  o  w   process. Making 14 blocks at a time takes awhile....

...AND it's messy!!! (This is just the tip of the iceberg. ha!)

A few days and hundreds of seams later, I have a total of 34 blocks complete. I only need 132 blocks for a king size quilt, so I'm about 25% done. That's encouraging, at least! This quilt is definitely a labor of love, but it's going to look so good on my bed.

Each block is 9 1/2" unfinished. The complete measurements for the blocks can be found here.

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!

a sweater to be

My one crafty goal this year was to knit a sweater. I've been dragging my feet on this project, probably due to fear of failure. Also, the expense of a hand knit sweater was a tough pill to swallow. On December 2nd, I ordered the yarn. Nothing like last minute! Fear of failure (and expense) aside, I'm jumping in with both feet. I didn't chicken out and go cheap on the yarn, although I was very close to doing so! (Yarn is Madelintosh Vintage in the color Fog.)

I will be attempting a beginner pattern called Harvest, by Tin Can Knits. (At least the pattern is free!)

This is what I've got so far! I'll be sure to let you know how the rest of it goes. Here's to learning something new!

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!

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.

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!