quilt improv blog tour

I'm happy to be participating in the Quilt Improv book tour today.


(photo from Quilt Improv, used with permission)

This book, by Lucie Summers, grabbed me from the first page. I read it in one sitting, almost every word on every page. The photography alone is inspiring! The quilts are gorgeous. I love that they were inspired by everyday life. It's a really beautiful book.


(photo from Quilt Improv, used with permission)

I've done a fair amount of improv piecing, so I wanted to try my hand at something new-to-me. I chose the quarter circles block, which Lucie describes as a freehand version of the drunkard's path block. I was a little nervous to jump in, but I had a blast!

My quilted storage boxes provided the color inspiration for my project. I saw them stacked precariously upon one another and the color combo caught my eye from across the room. (That was probably over a year ago.) I knew that I would use this color scheme for something, someday.

This is what I came up with when I combined the two. I'm very happy with it! Notice that there are LOTS of polka dots. Always. I thought that the mis-matched curves would make me a little crazy, but I was able to embrace the improv. Yay! (You never know until you try it!)

 I quilted the patchwork with some honeycomb quilting, then turned it into a pillow cover.

 The backing is a fun and bright print by dear stella. (I'm dreaming of spring, apparently.)

The pillow cover is about 20" square. This was such a fun project to make! I'm glad that I branched out and I'm looking forward to revisiting the technique again, on a larger scale. So many possibilities!

(By the way, this is scrap project #46/101!)

F & W Media is kindly offering a giveaway of this fantastic book. If you would like to win a copy of your very own, please leave a comment in this post. In your comment, I'd love to hear what inspires YOU. Please, only one comment per person. Be sure I have a way of contacting you, should your name be drawn. Good luck!

edited to add: the giveaway is now closed.

Be sure to check out the other stops on the blog tour and the stitch, craft, create blog, too.

December:

Mon 16^th – Summersville
Wed 18^th – The Long Thread
Thur 19^th – A Stitch In Dye
Fri 20^th – Fresh Modern Quilts
Sun 29^th – Quiltville’s Quips & Snips
 

January:

Mon 6^th – Diary of a Quilter
Wed 8^th – Blueberry Park
Thur 9^th –  Sew Take a Hike
Fri 10^th – Very Kerry Berry
Mon 13^th – Sew Justine Sew
Wed 15^th – Lily’s Quilts
Thur 16th – Cut To Pieces 
Fri 17^th – Happy Zombie
Mon 20^th – Freshly Pieced
Tue 21^st – Fresh Lemons Quilts
Wed 22^nd – Crazy Mom Quilts
Thur 23^rd – Gen X Quilters
Fri 24^th – Handmade by Alissa
Mon 27^th – Don’t Call Me Betsy
Tue 28^th – I’m a Ginger Monkey
Wed 29^th – Sew Mama Sew

the lipstick quilt

Welcome to finish it up Friday!

This is probably the funkiest quilt I've ever made. I'm very happy with the results! It was challenging at some points, as all quilts are. It started with some mustard colored blocks from Dan's curves class last summer at Camp Stitch-a-lot. A few weeks later I came up with the setting. I love the non-traditional layout and the fact that there are 9 blocks, but it's still a rectangular quilt. (Square quilts are not my favorite.)

It's made up of mostly kona cottons and then just a few prints. I like how the two play together. I also like that one odd triangle.

To continue with the funky theme, I quilted it in one concentric oval. It took awhile and a lot of thread. One of the reasons that I chose that quilting design was because I didn't want the back to be all thread-y. (Pebbling was the runner up idea, but the back would have looked like a hot mess, probably. I didn't want that.)

The backing was a perfect match...an unbelievable match...found at SR Harris. I love how the quilting shows up on the print.

For binding I squeaked by with what I had in my stash. I didn't have enough fabric of either color, so I did a little of each. I would have matched the main color to the binding, if I had had enough, but this is a fun design element, too. I machine bound it. It's been awhile and I need more practice! (I need to let go of just a few imperfections. Sheesh!) But I love the quick finish that it produces. It's durable, too.

It's washed and dried already, so it's all crinkly. It measures 61" x 84".

Now it's your turn! Please link up your finishes (and your finishes ONLY, please). Thanks for joining me for finish it up Friday!

economy block quilt top

I finished my economy block quilt top this morning!
This will be for my oldest brother.
He's my only sibling that hasn't gotten a quilt from me yet.
(The other 5 have.)
I love the moody color scheme.
It's so appropriate for this time of year.
I made 88 blocks for an 8 x 11 layout.
It measures 66" x 91".

You can find the measurements for the blocks here, if you'd like.

Happy Wednesday!
xo

vintage quilt revival blog tour

Today I'm happy to be part of the blog hop for a lovely book called Vintage Quilt Revival. It's written by 3 talented ladies: Katie of Swim, Bike, Quilt, Lee of Freshly Pieced and Faith at Fresh Lemons Quilts. The book features 20 traditional blocks and shows multiple ways in which you can use them, including 3 different sampler quilts. It's fun to see each sampler quilt and how it reflects the style of it's maker. Most of the projects are paper pieced, but not all of them are. (If you are like me, you might breathe a little sigh of relief!) I've found that the instructions are spot on and easy to follow.

Each participant on the blog hop was asked to choose a block to sew up. Katie, Lee and Faith collected the blocks and will be sewing them together to make 3 charity quilts. I love that idea!

I made the classic dove in the window block, but I put a little scrappy twist on my block, of course! It was very fun to sew up. I could see doing an entire quilt of these.

I also decided that I wanted to sew up a project from the book. I took a stab at the rainbow mosaic pillow. I don't paper piece often, but it's nice to revisit the technique from time to time. (It seems that I need to 're-learn' it each time.) This was challenging for me! I got a little frustrated (precision is NOT my middle name!) but it was a good lesson in perseverance. I'm glad I tackled the project and in a few days I'll probably like it a lot. :) A little bonus, I worked from the scrap baskets, so this is scrap project #46/101.

Be sure to check out all the other stops on the blog hop:

January 13th (Monday):
Crazy Mom Quilts – Amanda Jean
Don’t Call Me Betsy – Elizabeth
Film in the Fridge – Ashley
Happy Quilting – Melissa
Noodlehead – Anna
January 14th (Tuesday):
I’m A Ginger Monkey – Katy
Quilting Is My Therapy – Angela
A Quilting Life – Sherri
Sew Mama Sew – Kristin
Tall Grass Prairie Studio – Jacquie
January 15th (Wednesday):
Christa Quilts – Christa
Diary of a Quilter – Amy
Quilting Gallery – Michele
Sew Take a Hike – Penny
V and Co. – Vanessa
West Coast Crafty – Susan
January 16th (Thursday):
Bijou Lovely – Holly
Don’t You Know Who I Am – Sukie
Lily’s Quilts – Lynne
One Shabby Chick – Amber
January 17th (Friday):
Swim, Bike, Quilt – Katie
Freshly Pieced – Lee
Fresh Lemons Quilts – Faith

Happy Monday to you!

3 is a magic number-finished!

Welcome to finish it up Friday!

Thanks to a deadline (in the form of a quilt guild meeting last night), I pushed to get my "3 is a magic number" quilt finished. It simple patchwork made from scraps. My favorite!

Each square was individually cut at 3". (I talked a little about how I randomize patchwork in this post.) All the squares were joined into rows (not blocks) and those rows were sewn together. The main reason I do this is so that the pressing is uncomplicated. Rows 1, 3, 5, etc. get pressed to the right. Rows 2, 4, 6, etc. get pressed to the left. Then, I pin at each intersection.

Many thanks to my friends who continually contribute to my scrap baskets. My patchwork is all the better (and more interesting) because of it!

Originally I was going to stipple this one because it's been awhile! However, due to the limited amount of thread I had on hand, (and the fact that the thread has discontinued all together) I went with simple loop-d-loops. One line of loops through each strip of squares. No marking required! I was able to quilt it in just a few hours.

Oh, how I love this backing! I scored the Anna Maria Horner fabric at Mill End for less than $4/yard! (I may have bought 9 yards of this color way....and several of another color way.) I added the strip of patchwork squares to break up the repeat. They were already cut and set aside for 'someday'.  I couldn't believe how well they matched!

It measures 60" x 75". This is scrap project #45/101.

One little side note: After a lot of bumbling around and many failed attempts over several weeks, I  finally figured out how to add a translucent layer so one can actually read my watermark on busy photos like this. I'm so excited! Perhaps by the time I turn 75 I'll be a Photoshop expert. Ha!

Ok, now it's YOUR turn! Do you have a finish to share today? Please link up! And......as always.....thank you for joining me for finish it up Friday! xo

scrap project round up

I'm steadily working on my goal of making 101 scrap projects. I finished some of these today, some have been done for months and some were done in between. It's high time I catch up documenting them!

#29
This was supposed to be a pillow form, but I decided that the fabric is cuter than any cover that I could sew up! I bet you are thinking that it's an awfully big scrap. It is! (Thanks, Anna!) It's a light weight canvas, so I didn't want to mix it with my quilting cottons. It makes a dandy little throw pillow.

#30

I was playing with some scraps the other day (yay!) and this ended up being a stand alone block. I practiced hand quilting it (as a warm up piece) and turned it into a little coaster. It measures about 4 1/2" square. I'm so happy to have a usable piece rather than another orphan block hanging around. (They accumulate before you know it!)

I call it a coaster, but in all reality it will probably end up as a mini dolly blanket. Isn't that the CUTEST? My daughter will do all kinds of happy squealing when she sees this. (Full disclosure: That is my stuffed toy. Not hers. I may have done all kinds of squealing, too!)

One little side note:

Binding a coaster feels so ridiculous-but I love it all the same! Joining that last seam is a bugger on something this small, so I tried something different. I laid out the binding first-sort of a dry run, if you will. Next, I cut it to length, sewed up the seam and THEN attached it to the coaster. It worked!!! How cool is that? (I used single fold binding, which is perfect for small projects.)

#31
This is an orphan block-turned quilting test block-turned coaster. The front isn't my favorite....

...but I love the back. It's about 6.5" finished. I used more scraps to bind it!

 #32
Retreat name tags from last November. I'm going to count these as one single project, not 16 separate ones. I'm excited that I get to use my name tag on a regular basis at guild meetings. (It's the little things...I tell ya.)

#33
I'm not sure where this scrap came from, but I LOVE it! I have a running joke with my friend Brianne that anytime before noon is coffee o'clock, so this was a gift for her. This is the front...

...and this is the back. I LOVE THIS! (And she did, too. Yay!)

#34

I made one for me, too! I machine quilted these while my BIL watched and he was QUITE impressed. That was fun! (I used mine for the first time today and I spilled tea on it already. I'm so bummed! I guess the entire thing will get a tea bath...)

#35, #36, #37

Two mini thread catchers and one normal sized thread catcher. The largest one holds my low volume tiny ticker tape pieces.

The two minis were requested by my husband to hold sweetener. (We've become serious tea drinkers in this house. What else are you going to do when it's -20 degrees?)

 #38
Another ticker tape on canvas. Another gift for a friend.

#39
Tiny ticker tape on canvas. (3D, even!)

 #40 and #41
Two quilted rice bags. One for me, one for a friend. These are the fronts....

...and the backs.

 I LOVED this detail. Wish I had a whole quilt like this. Can you imagine?

#42 and #43
Two more rice bags. I made these for family during their holiday visit. I sewed them up hours before they headed home. I skipped the quilting (to save time) and used decorator weight fabric instead. Those are the hardest scraps for me to use, so that's a bonus! Also, the size of the scraps dictated the finished sizes. Use. it. ALL! :)

#44
A quilt as you go pot holder. (Instructions from my friend Tara's awesome craftsy class.) Must. make. more.

There! Now I should be all caught up. I hope this inspires you to use your scraps! It's great fun.

The custom quilt has been delivered. It was MUCH appreciated and they love it. YAHOO!!! (I'm so relieved!) My original time calculations were wrong. Apparently the power quilting I did on the quilt fried my brain. :) The totals have been updated in the original post, if you want to check it out. Thanks for all your positive comments on the post, too. You guys are the best cheerleaders. Ever.

economy blocks

Everyone is home today because it's too cold to go to school. No school tomorrow, either. I had big plans for quilting and writing tutorials, but apparently that is going to have to wait a few more days. In the meantime, I'm sewing as many blocks as I can between playing games, cooking, cleaning and laundry. Inspired by the economy block along on Instagram and fueled by my need for a new project in the new year....here's my latest WIP.

This is a very muted color scheme, but I'm seriously crushing on it! I've already decided that this quilt will be for my brother....so, two birds, one stone. YES! I'm also stash busting, which feels great!

Rita has a great economy block tutorial here that measures 5" finished. (That was a little too small for my liking.) I also found some measurements for 12" blocks (too large) and I tried measurements for 8" blocks, but 3 out of 4 of my points got chopped off. (I was starting to feel a little like Goldilocks. Ha!) I made 3 test blocks of my own before I came up with these measurements. I am using a scant 1/4" seam allowance throughout and the only trimming is chopping off the points. I thought I'd share the measurements if you want to try one or 20. (They are FUN!!!)

All measurements are CUT measurements.
Centers: One 4.5" square
Middle: Two 3.75" squares cut into half square triangles
Outer: Two 5" squares, cut into half square triangles

The block is 8.625" unfinished, which is sort of a funky size, but I figured it's the best option. Easy cutting, minimal trimming and no chopped off points. Good enough for me!

Happy Monday to you!

plain spoken redux

Welcome to the first finish it up Friday of the year!

I'm happy to report that I finished the custom (king size!) quilt last Saturday-a full 3 days ahead of schedule! You can read more about the project here, if you'd like. I think it turned out pretty well!

 

 

I was diligent in tracking my hours for this project and it was quite interesting to see how long each stage took. (It also occurred to me that I saved gobs of time by tracking my hours because I stayed off my phone, Instagram and email while I was working. Hmmmm.)

Doing the math, piecing and cutting: 14 hours 45 minutes
Piecing the back: 1 hour

(It would have been much less if I didn't have to carefully line up the repeat in the print. Do you know how hard it is to find 9 yards of fabric on one bolt in a fabric store? Surprisingly, not very easy!)

Basting: 2 hours
Quilting: 8 hours 20 minutes
Making binding and attaching it by machine: 1 hour 35 minutes
Hand stitching the binding to the back: 6 hours
Labeling: 20 minutes

For a total of 34 hours!!!

edited to add: It has been brought to my attention that my math was wrong...and I originally forgot to list the two hours for basting.  The correct totals are shown above. It adds up to only 34 hours! Not 42 hours. (good grief! apparently all that power quilting has fried my brain!)

The biggest surprise to me was the quilting time. I never-in my wildest dreams- thought I would quilt a king size quilt on my home sewing machine IN ONE DAY! I paid for it physically, though. I was hurting for the next few days. I'm sure you can imagine! (Because I know someone will ask....I quilted it on my JUKI, and no, I don't use a frame.) After a few bobbins-when I was quite comfortable with the quilting pattern-I was able to quilt quite FAST. This pattern seems to turn out better at a faster speed than at a slower speed anyway. Bonus! Also, I may have been a LITTLE determined to get it done. :) Another thing I did to save time was to keep an eye on my bobbin. I switched them out at the ends of the rows before they ran out completely. I didn't have as many knots to bury and that all helps in the end.

This is my largest quilt finish to date. It measures a whopping 100" x 110". I'm so, so happy it's done! It will be a fun one to deliver!

Now it's your turn! Please link up your finishes for the week. Thanks for joining me for finish it up Friday!

hello 2014

Happy New Year to you and yours! I hope you had a wonderful holiday. My kids are in school today and I'm ready to get back to sewing 9 hours a day. (Ha!) Last evening was probably my favorite part of our entire Christmas break. It was a chilly -2 degrees, but my family and I went out for a walk on the lake anyway. We had a nice time winding down, just being together. I sure love them!

A bonus from the walk was this snapshot that my son took of me and my husband. (We have very few photos of us together.) He's a good man and I love him so much!

 

Looking back at 2013....

My goals were:

-I would like to get better at giving my quilts away.
                I didn't keep track, but I can recall giving away at least 7 quilts. Not bad, but I'd like to continue to work on this.


-I would like to keep writing patterns and work up the nerve to sell them wholesale.
                 I released 5 new patterns last year and filled a few wholesale orders. (To be honest, I really didn't think the wholesale one would happen, so that's a nice surprise!) I also hired a designer to revamp my pattern design, which was a great decision.


-I plan to host a quilt along (or two). It's been too long and I miss it!
                I did not do this. Although I kind of tried with my mini nines?


-I have a fun idea for a blog series I'd like to start.
                I don't recall what this was going to be, but I started my 101 scrap project series, so we will call it done!


 -I hope to get my act together and teach an online quilting class.
              No, this did not happen. I totally forgot about it. doh!


 And, not so much a goal...but I really, really hope we sell our house. Soon.
              We sold our home in May and moved back to Minnesota. So thankful that the move is behind us! It only took 7 months after the move for me to feel normal again. :)




So, we moved, I finished a total of 25 quilts (including my scrap vortex!!!) and I ended the year with less than 10 WIPs. (The WIP part-that's fairly amazing!) I even worked up the nerve to list a few quilts for sale. I had the opportunity to teach in Pennsylvania, Michigan, Iowa and Colorado. (I love that I get to do that!) Oh, and I joined the Minneapolis Modern Quilt Guild, too. (Pretty excited about that!) All in all, a good year.

Looking ahead to 2014.....

I've recently heard that the more specific the goals, the better. I guess that makes sense, so I'm trying that this year.

-I would like to make some quilts for family. I have 4 in mind for my in-laws and a quilt for my older brother. One for my dad, too! (That's 6!)

-I'd like to make/give more charity quilts. (I'm thinking at least 6.)

-I need to do some serious stash busting (always!). To be specific, it would be great if ALL my quilting fabric could be contained in my cutting table.  (That's a lofty one!) I'll need to do some fast sewing and not much buying!

-I'd like to keep working on patterns. Print and PDF. Wholesale. Maybe even distributors this year!

-And, I'd like to continue to try to work on the family life vs. work life balance. It's always a struggle to balance the two, but it's definitely worth working on!

Here's to a wonderful New Year!
See you tomorrow for finish it up Friday!