My Quilty Bucket List–Part One

Posted on September 7, 2015 by Quilting is in my Blood

My blogging friend, Ali Wilkinson, of Needle Down posted a great blog entry a few days ago called Quilty Bucket Lists which got me thinking about what is on my own quilty bucket list. I’m going to start with a current project because this blog needs a photo. We quilters (and other readers) like pics! For Christmas this year for my sister I am making the Twist & Turn Four-Patch Quilt featured on Annie’s Craft Store. The reason this quilt is on my quilty bucket list is that I want to have a successful experience with sashing unlike my dreadful experience with sashing that I shared about in My First Quilting Meltdown blog. I have also wanted to try flanged binding that is so beautifully explained by Lorna of sewfreshquilts in this tutorial.

My sister bought the kit for me awhile back. This kit has six half-yard cuts of Benartex Burlap and Lace fabrics along with a quarter-yard of black fabric for a flanged binding. I particularly like the tile panel fabric that I subcut into 5 1/2″ squares for this project. I sewed up one block the other day just to see what it would look in person, and I’m so pleased with it. Here is a pic of the block (only 19 more to go!):

Block for Twist & Turn Four-Patch Quilt

Block for Twist & Turn Four-Patch Quilt

Other Quilts I Plan to Make

  • I recently saw this Moroccan Lanterns Quilt pattern designed by Lee Heinrich on her Freshly Pieced blog and fell in love with it.
  • I think this Storm at Sea Quilt that uses recycled jeans is awesome. It is made by Deonn of Quiltscapes, and the pattern is available on Craftsy.
  • This Modern Half-Square Triangle Quilt made by Playcrafts totally speaks to me.
  • When I am ready to try curves, I will make the Beach Ball Quilt which is blogged about here.
  • Alison Glass’ Feathers Quilt is a paper-pieced quilt I will make someday.
  • I’m very drawn to so many of the orange peel quilts I see online, and when I saw the Solids Orange Peel Quilt featured in the Fall Market 2012 Trend Report, making an orange peel quilt has jumped up on my list.
  • Next June I will be going to Glamp Stitchalot 2016 hosted by Pink Castle Fabrics, and one of the “counselors” will be Elizabeth Hartman (along with Penny Layman, Monica Solorio-Snow, Carolyn Friedlander, Rashida Coleman-Hale, and Ayumi Takahashi). I am so excited about this opportunity, and before I go, I hope to make Elizabeth’s Downtown Sampler Quilt which is made up of 48 blocks–16 each of 5″ x 8″, 8″ x 8″, and 5″ x 14″. The video below says the quilt is the Uptown layout, but changes must’ve been made before the book went to press. Page 169 of Patchwork City identifies this quilt as Downtown.

  • I want to make a mini-quilt using the Builder’s Star Tutorial by Amy Garro of 13 Spools as the central focus of the quilt.

Machine/Free Motion Quilting

  • I am CRAZY about this Machine Quilting Sampler by Amanda Jean Nyberg of Crazy Mom Quilts. She now has a Craftsy class, Colorful Scrap Quilting. I’m hoping she’ll do another Craftsy class that teaches students how to make this quilt. Sign me up!!!
  • Square Stippling–I tried my hand at square stippling a couple weeks ago at a beginning free motion quilting class. I hope to get a lot better at it and would like to do my own square stippling on small quilts. Check out some of examples of square stippling on my Pinterest Free Motion Quilting Square Stippling board.

Binding/Basting

  • Glue binding seems very popular right now, and I’m going to give it shot sometime soon.
  • Speaking of glue, I will probably also try glue basting to help me with more precision piecing.
  • The other binding technique I really want to try is this No Tails Binding Technique.

I will finish the Twist & Turn Four-Patch quilt for my sister this year, but I can’t promise I will get any of the other quilts listed above done in 2015. In addition to quilts, I also have some pillows, tablerunners, placemats, and embroidery projects that I would like to make in the near future, and at least a couple of the pillows and some placemats should be done this year for Christmas gifts. Look for My Quilty Bucket List-Part Two soon.

What projects/techniques to master are on your quilty bucket list? If you are not a quilter, is there a quilt on my bucket list that particularly appeals to you?

Linking up to Freshly Pieced: WIP Wednesday

Posted in Quilting | 5 Comments

Fabri-Quilt New Block Blog Hop–Taffy Pull

Posted on September 2, 2015 by Quilting is in my Blood

The four-day Fabri-Quilt New Block Blog Hop sponsored by Fabri-Quilt and Inspired by Fabric kicked off on August 31st and was hosted by Yvonne@Quilting Jetgirl. Cheryl@Meadow Mists Designs hosted the group of bloggers who posted tutorials on September 1st. The bloggers who posted tutorials on September 2nd were hosted by Stephanie@Late Night Quilter. And the final group which I am a part of is hosted by Terri Ann@Childlike Fascination on September 3rd. The tutorials already posted are absolutely awesome. I can’t wait to make a sampler quilt using these tutorials. There are also giveaways on each of the hosts’ blogs and on the Inspired by Fabric blog, so please check them out. Fabric-Quilt provided each participant free of charge a fat eighth bundle of Prairie Cloth Solids in the Watermelon Summer Palette that includes the following colors: chartreuse, coral, lapis blue, turquoise, aqua, and white. At least three of these vibrant colors are used by each blogger participant.

The hosts are going to finish three quilts from the over 60 completed blocks to donate to charity. The three organizations that will receive quilts are Meyers Center, a non-profit organization that helps kids that are physically and/or mentally disabled prepare for school, Teen Impact, an organization that helps kids with cancer, and Project Linus, an organization that gives handmade blankets to critically ill children. It is such an honor to be involved in this project and with so many talented quilters.

The block that I have designed is named Taffy Pull. The white-coral-white stripe combinations remind me of the taffy candy that can be found at beach boardwalks everywhere in the summer (represented by the blues and greens), and I could see it being used in a decorator pillow or in a quilt with sashing to separate the blocks that could be oriented either vertically or horizontally. Maybe a gorgeous Alison Glass fabric sashing to mix things up a little. Or perhaps one of the many cool text fabrics that are so prevalent online and in fabric stores these days. If you follow my blog, you have a pretty good idea that I really like text fabric. I now have a bin dedicated to text fabric!

Taffy Pull block

Taffy Pull block

Taffy Pull is made up of 13 different strips of varying colors and widths that are cut a little longer and wider than necessary so that the block can be trimmed at the end to be a uniform 12 1/2″ block (unfinished). I recommend that you prewash your Fabri-Quilt Prairie Cloth Solid fabrics with like colors. Then press your fabrics before cutting being careful not to distort the fabric. Starting with the chartreuse fabric, fold it in half so it measures 9″ by 10″ with the fold toward the bottom of your cutting mat. Square off the right side of the fabric, and then cut one 3″ strip. Set the strip aside for now. After the required number of strips are cut for each fabric, the remaining fabric can be used in another project.

Cut six 1.25″ strips of white fabric and set aside with the chartreuse strip.

Cut three 1″ strips of coral fabric and set aside with other strips.

Cut one 3″ strip of aqua fabric and add to the pile of cut strips.

Cut one 1.5″ strip of lapis blue fabric, and you know what to do 🙂

The last strip to cut is one 1.5″ strip of turquoise fabric.

You should have 13 strips that are about 20″ in length. Cut each of these strips down to 13 1/2 inches. Lay them out in the following color order (chartreuse, white, coral, white, lapis blue, white, coral, white, turquoise, white, coral, white, aqua).

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Begin sewing the strips together. Start by pinning one of the white strips to the chartreuse strip, and sew a 1/4″ seam (some people don’t need to pin much when they sew, but I’m much more accurate sewing strips together when I pin every few inches). Press to the darker fabric (chartreuse). Next you will sew a coral strip to a white strip, and press to the darker fabric (coral). Sew another white strip again pressing toward the coral fabric. Each white-coral-white combination in Taffy Pull should measure two inches. The lapis blue strip is the next strip to be added.

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I first press the right side of my fabric but then turn it over and give it a quick press on the reverse side as well. When the white seams are pressed toward the coral fabric, you can barely see the coral fabric on the reverse side.

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Sew the next eight strips in the order listed (and pictured) above. When all 13 strips are sewn together, use a quilting ruler to trim the block down to a 12.5″ square. I chose to use a 12.5″ ruler and aligned the center of the ruler with the middle of the second coral strip (marked by the head of a flat yellow pin), so I would know how much to trim off each side.

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Be sure to check out the other Fabri-Quilt New Block Blog Hop tutorials posted by the bloggers  in my group:

Continue reading →

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Fashion and Food Quilt Mystery Back Revealed

Posted on August 27, 2015 by Quilting is in my Blood

I had so much fun making my Fashion and Food Quilt for my niece, Mary Frances. I was in regular contact with my sister, Jackie, during the entire process of making the quilt top, but I decided that I wanted the back to be a surprise to my sister. I had the dachshund face fabric printed up through Spoonflower in honor of Mary Frances’ puppy, Slinky.

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I sent the quilt off on Monday, and it arrived two days later. I was able to watch Mary Frances open her belated birthday gift on Wednesday evening through FaceTime and see the reactions of both my niece and my sister. I’ll never forget seeing and hearing Mary Frances exclaim over each fabric I chose for the quilt.

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Here’s a pic of Mary Frances snuggling up with her quilt:

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Linking up to My Quilt Infatuation: Needle and Thread Thursday,  Confessions of a Fabric Addict: Can I Get a Whoop Whoop? and Crazy Mom Quilts: Finish it up Friday.

Posted in 2015 Finishes | Tagged | 7 Comments

Modern Baby Quilt Top Finished

Posted on August 23, 2015 by Quilting is in my Blood

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I finished my modern baby quilt top this weekend. Earlier this week in class, I worked on cutting and sewing the inner border. It was somewhat challenging learning to take three measurements down the length and across the width of my WIP quilt, then cutting the average measurements, and sewing on the strips. It seemed like there were a hundred seam allowances to be aware of (perhaps I exaggerate a little!) and then I had to learn how to ease the different lengths of fabric together. But all in all it went fairly smoothly.

So this weekend my homework for class on Monday was to sew on the outer border, and that seemed like a doable task. Four seams–right? The fabric for the outer border is a Kaffe Fassett fabric, Antwerp Flowers. So far my experience with his fabrics is that they are thinner than most quilting fabric, kind of like batik fabric. Sewing the thinner fabric to my inner border along with having to ease the different lengths of fabric together (and removing a boatload of pins!) made for super SLOOOOOOOOW sewing. And when I was done, I felt like I should book a massage ASAP!

Tomorrow at class we will make the quilt sandwich, basting the quilt top to the batting and quilt back. I’m using another Kaffe Fassett fabric for the back. It is called Plink Red, and I really like it. I sure hope it doesn’t give me too much grief!

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I plan to reprise the Kona Oasis (blue) fabric that is prominent on the quilt top for the binding in order to pull the front and back of the quilt together. This has been a fun project to do. I love how the same pattern can look so different depending on the fabrics used. The friend I am taking the baby quilt class with gave me permission to include a photo of her quilt top (see below). I think it is so pretty.

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It looks promising for my modern baby quilt to be one of my finishes for the Qtr 3 of the 2015 Finish-Along (blogged about here). It will need to be done by early October. Stay tuned!

Linking up to Freshly Pieced: WIP Wednesday.

Posted in WIP | Tagged | 2 Comments

Fashion and Food WIP back from the Longarm Quilter

Posted on August 19, 2015 by Quilting is in my Blood

Today is an exciting day. I got my Fashion and Food quilt back from my longarm quilter friend, Peggy Lopez O’Neil. I asked her to do a squared-off stipple similar to the quilting done in Elizabeth Hartman’s Patchwork City book. I think Peggy did a great job. See the close-up of the glasses block below.

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I’m going to use the orange fabric I have pinned next to the quilt for my binding. I’m thinking of trying Sunday Morning Quilts’ Binding Method 2 by authors, Amanda Jean Nyberg of Crazy Mom Quilts and Cheryl Arkison of Naptime Quilters where binding strips are cut to the appropriate length for each side plus two inches of overhang at each corner. I’m wondering who has tried this method of binding, and how did it work for you?

Linking up to Freshly Pieced: WIP Wednesday.

Posted in WIP | Tagged | 4 Comments

Sunday Stash #4–Etsy Shoppin’

Posted on August 16, 2015 by Quilting is in my Blood
Recent Purchase from ModernLoveFabrics on Etsy

Recent Purchase from ModernLoveFabrics on Etsy

I have found Etsy to be a valuable resource when I want small quantities of fabric, especially for fabrics that are no longer in stock in the online quilt shops that I frequently purchase from such as Hawthorne Threads, Pink Castle Fabrics, Fat Quarter Shop, and Sew Modern.

On Fridays, ModernLoveFabrics often has wonderful sales. Follow them on Instagram and be sure to check on Fridays to see if they have a special deal going. Two Fridays ago, I purchased some half-yards ($4.40 ea) and fat quarters ($2.95 ea) of some fabrics I hadn’t purchased before by Art Gallery Fabrics from the Emmy Grace and Skopelos collections (see pic above), and used a coupon code to add a free fat quarter because I had purchased over $20 worth of fabric. This past Friday was the best sale ever. I bought 12 fat quarters for $20!

Recent Purchase at Sew Me a Song on Etsy

Recent Purchase at Sew Me a Song on Etsy

I discovered Sew Me a Song on Etsy on Terri Ann’s Childlike Fascination blog. I initially treated myself to their Rainbow Text bundle and have since made several purchases, and today when I checked their website “just for the link,” I couldn’t help ordering a fat 16th bundle from them entitled, Never be at a Loss for Words. I think these little 9″x 11″pieces of text fabric will be perfect for mug rug Christmas presents for my book group and a few work colleagues. So many of my non-quilter friends are most drawn to the text fabrics I’ve been using in recent projects.

Jen Kingwell's Gardenvale Black Swan fabric purchased at HipStitchAbq on Etsy

Jen Kingwell’s Gardenvale Black Swan fabric purchased at HipStitchAbq on Etsy

Last but certainly not least, I want to mention the Etsy shop, HipStitchAbq. I have shopped at their store in Albuquerque several times, but sometimes I don’t want to drive the two hours to their store, so I also shop at their Etsy shop. They are so fast. Last month I needed more of Jen Kingwell’s Gardenvale Black Swan fabric (see above). I ordered it from their Etsy shop on a Friday, and it was in my mail box the next day with just USPS shipping.

Do you have a favorite Etsy shop that has helped you in a pinch or has an awesome selection of fabric to entice quilters like me who can’t resist “just one more fat quarter?”

Linking up to Molli Sparkles Sunday Stash.

Posted in Fabric | 4 Comments

Modern Baby Quilt–Half-Square Triangle Initiation

Posted on August 12, 2015 by Quilting is in my Blood

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I have now been initiated into world of half-square triangles that I am using for the modern baby quilt class I am taking at ThreadBear. Last week Ann taught me her favorite half-square triangle technique which uses the Quilter’s Magic Wand and the Tucker Trimmer both designed by Deb Tucker. With this method, I placed the laser line of the Quilter’s Magic Wand on the diagonal of the wrong side of a square of fabric with its right side facing the right side of a same size square (since both my squares were solids, I didn’t have to be careful with right and wrong sides).

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I then drew lines that were 1/4″ from the laser line using a Frixion erasable pen. Then I stitched along both lines and cut the triangles apart at the diagonal.

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The next step was to trim my 24 HSTs using the Tucker Trimmer and also my friend’s 24 HSTs because she is such a quilt newbie that she makes me look like a seasoned pro 🙂 I remember well the feeling of being overwhelmed I had this past fall, so I was happy to give her a hand.

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If you would like to know more about the Quilter’s Magic Wand, watch this video of Deb Tucker demonstrating how she uses it with half-square triangles, hour glass units, combination units, fast-flying geese technique, little houses to create stars and borders, and snowball units. She also uses the magic wand to help her with precision-piecing which she used with a very cool migrating geese border on the quilt behind her in the video.

The next time I need some half-square triangles (maybe for the Midnight Mystery Quilt-a-long), I will probably try the more conventional half-square triangle technique of drawing the diagonal line and stitching one-quarter inch away from it on either side of the line. Do you have a favorite half-square triangle technique and/or tool for HSTs?

Linking up to Needle and Thread Thursday and Can I Get a Whoop Whoop?

Posted in WIP | Tagged | 4 Comments

Midnight Mystery Quilt-a-long Fabrics Cut

Posted on August 1, 2015 by Quilting is in my Blood

I finished cutting my fabric for the Midnight Mystery Quilt-a-long this morning. I really wanted to get it done last evening. I was working on Fabric D which was my last fabric. I got all the long strips cut, then subcut the 4″ squares, but when I went to subcut my 3 1/2″ by 19″ pieces, I could tell I was running on fumes and would probably make some mistakes. Fatigue and rotary cutters don’t really go well together! I have a thing about meeting deadlines on time, but we’re not even getting our first set of sewing instructions until August 6th. I’m glad my adult brain prevailed over my I-just-want-it-done brain!

Below are my squares and rectangles ready to sew. Fabric A, Petal in Charcoal, from Alison Glass’ Handcrafted line is the top left. The peach fabric (Fabric B) is top middle, and it is Laura Gunn’s Painter’s Canvas. On the right is Fabric D, Alison Glass’ Text in Ocean, and Fabric C is the bottom fabric, Penny in Peacock, also from Alison Glass’ Handcrafted collection.

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As much as I love Alison Glass’ Handcrafted fabrics, I found they required more work to cut than the heavier weight quilter’s cotton fabrics. I frequently had to square off the edge I was cutting off my ruler, and it probably took me almost twice as long to cut Fabrics A & C than it did to cut Fabrics B & D. I’m wondering if anyone else has had that experience working with batik fabrics?

I’m anxious to start the sewing part of this project, but I have plenty to do until Thursday, including getting several projects into clear scrapbook containers. I read about this organizing idea on Up.It.Is Quilts Fabri-Quilt New Block Blog Hop. Check out Kathryn’s blog if you have a moment. She does a great job of explaining a new challenge that many of us in our 2015 New Quilt Bloggers group have signed up for. Look for my Fabri-Quilt New Block Blog Hop post on 9/3/15.

Linking up to WIP Wednesday.

Posted in WIP | 2 Comments

Sunday Stash #3

Posted on July 26, 2015 by Quilting is in my Blood

I’m very excited (and a little nervous) to be participating in Meadow Mist Designs’ Midnight Mystery Quilt-a-long. There are some very accomplished quilters who are also participating. I’ve become moderately proficient with squares and rectangles, but I’ve only dabbled in triangles and have never cut/sewn any half square triangles, though they’ve been on my quilting radar for the last couple months. I’ll get a chance to try my hand at them as well as flying geese in this project. I know I will learn a lot from participating in this quilt-a-long, and it will be fun to see all the works-in-progress and finished quilts created by other quilter participants. Feel free to follow along at #MidnightMysteryQuilt on Instagram.

In early June, participants in this quilt-a-along were given yardage requirements for four different fabrics with the provision that Fabric A will be next to Fabric B; Fabric B will be next to Fabric C; and Fabric C will be next to Fabric D. There needs to be enough contrast and distinction between the fabrics that will be next to each other. Below are the fabrics I have chosen:

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The fabrics A-D are arranged top to bottom. Fabric A, Petal in Charcoal, is from Alison Glass’ Handcrafted line, and Fabric C, Penny in Peacock is also from this line. Fabric B is Laura Gunn’s Painters Canvas in Peach, and Fabric D is Alison Glass’ Text in Ocean.

Earlier this month we were given cutting instructions for all the fabrics, but I just started cutting my fabrics today. I have part of both Fabric A and Fabric B cut. I hope to have all my fabric cut by August 5th because we get our first set of sewing instructions on August 6th. I can’t wait!!!

Linking up with Molli Sparkles Sunday Stash.

Posted in WIP | 5 Comments

Fashion and Food Quilt WIP

Posted on July 21, 2015 by Quilting is in my Blood

I started working on my Fashion and Food quilt for my niece, Mary Frances, on July 17th. I was going to track the hours I spent cutting and piecing, but I just couldn’t do it. I’m a little obsessive but not that obsessive! There’s enough math in quilting without me adding up minutes/hours working on a project but then subtracting when I make a cup of tea or run an errand.

First I cut the black and white strips to make the outer squares. Then I cut the fabric for the inner rectangles. As I was cutting, I started getting excited and couldn’t wait to piece together my first square. I decided these cute dresses would be a great start.

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This quilt is a adaptation of Bella’s Bird Schooner Blue Free Downloadable Quilt Pattern. I really like how each block has one slightly wider side and how the pattern features the inner rectangles being placed in both portrait and landscape orientation.  My quilt will be comprised of 24  blocks that measure 10 1/2 inches unfinished (four columns and six rows). In 12 of the blocks (two each of six different fabrics),  the outer square is made from Cotton and Steel Squared in Black and White.

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The other 12 blocks (two each of six different fabrics) are bordered in Grunge Basics Grey.

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All the blocks are now pieced. Here’s a pic of what a black/white-bordered block looks like next to a grey grunge-bordered block:

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I plan to have the quilt top pieced by this weekend along with a simple back because I have a rendezvous scheduled with my longarm quilter on July 26th. Wish me luck!!!

Linking up with WIP Wednesday.

Posted in WIP | 4 Comments