Wednesday, August 27, 2014

Flowering Snowball

I didn't actually snowball-along with Mary this summer, but I do have a flowering snowball quilt top.

When I made it several summers ago, I used a jelly roll of Sherbet Pips. 



Now that I have seen Mary's beautifully hand quilted version, I'd like to hand quilt this one. The back is already made, and now I'm at the point where my quilt-making usually comes to a dead halt--the basting step. I really need to work on that.

Tuesday, August 26, 2014

Fat Quarter Shop: Coffee Koozie


Fat Quarter Shop has a free pattern for a really cute coffee koozie.

I've made several of these before, but I particularly like the way this one is sewn together. It is geared for the cute little 2 1/2" squares from mini charm packs.  I had some leftover end pieces from another strip-pieced project that were perfect for this.  You make two-patch units, then lay the first unit on the left end of a piece of batting, layer another one on top, right sides together, sew along the right side and press open. Continue with the rest of the two-patch units.

You end up with this, all sewn to the batting.

Lay the pattern on top and cut.
Lay this piece right sides together with your backing, along with an elastic hair band on one end, stitch around the edges, leaving a space so you can turn it right sides out, stitch closed, add button and voila.

You can find the free pattern here and a video with step-by-step instructions here.

I'd love to show you this cute little koozie around my favorite coffee mug. I was sure I had taken a picture of it. Before I gifted it to a friend. Oops. (It makes a great gift!)

Thursday, August 21, 2014

Sew Kind of Wonderful Blog Hop: Under the Big Top (and a giveaway!)

QCRbloghopbutton
Welcome to today's stop on the Sew Kind of Wonderful Blog Hop.

I'm so happy to be a part of sharing my experience with the great items available from the fabulous ladies from Sew Kind of Wonderful.

In case you are not familiar with the Quick Curve Ruler (QCR), and have been wondering if you too could conquer curved piecing, I can wholeheartedly say a definite yes!

Jenny was generous enough to send me the QCR and a copy of their sampler quilt pattern, Curve It Up.

I had a fat quarter stack of Kona Dimensions (you can find them here), a version of my favorite Kona solids with a wonderful honeycomb/hexie texture. The texture is especially beautiful on the lighter colors.
And I knew the colors would just pop against black.

I worked my way through the whole pattern, block by block. By the end, I had cut and successfully sewn many different curves, from very gentle ones to a few that were a little less gentle. The ruler makes everything easy to cut. And each part of the block construction gives you plenty of wiggle room, so you can easily trim and match all the components. There are plenty of illustrations to guide you through each block, step by step.

I also love that there is very little fabric waste. Cutting the curved pieces for my grandson's animal quilt with this ruler would have saved a LOT of fabric.
This was the first block I made. I thought it would be my favorite.
And then I made this one. I would love a whole quilt made with this block.
The pattern calls for 15 fat quarters, but I only had 14 to work with, so I had to make some creative "design decisions" along the way in order to have enough fabric. This accounts for several blocks with a lot more colors than I had planned. When I made the "dresden" and "fan" blocks, the name for the quilt popped into my mind: "Under the Big Top." 


Although there are some really great curved border options in the pattern, there was  LOT going on with all the strong colors and graphic design. So I opted for simple 2" sashing between each block to give the eye a place to rest and let each block shine on its own.
 
 
 
 Please go and check out Jenny’s blog and shop. You can also join the Sew Kind of Wonderful mailing list to get news of any new patterns or promotions. There is going to be a linky party on the Sew Kind of Wonderful blog on Friday 29 through 31 August – you can link up any quilt or block made using the Quick Curve Ruler. If you haven’t tried a QCR project yet, never fear, there’s a chance to win a ruler during the bloghop and have a go. You can find plenty of inspiration on the bloghop so please go and check out the other participants!

Monday 18 August http://quokkaquilts.com
Tuesday 19 August www.cluckclucksew.com
Wednesday 20 August www.fromthebluechair.com
Thursday 21 August liveacolorfullife.net
Friday 22 August www.happyquiltingmelissa.com
Monday 25 August www.greenfairyquiltsblog.com
Tuesday 26 August http://blog.sewbittersweetdesigns.com
Wednesday 27 August www.pleasant-home.com
Thursday 28 August http://www.lucymade.wordpress.com AND http://msmidge.blogspot.com.au
Friday 29 August www.dontcallmebetsy.com
The bloghop is going to be followed by a 'Curve it up' Challenge Quilt-a-long on the Sew Kind of Wonderful blog starting in September, so join in the bloghop, get inspired and get ready to Curve Up!

CurveItUpQALbutton

 GIVEAWAY!
The wonderful ladies are generously giving away a copy of one of their patterns. Just go to their website and check out all the patterns they have to offer, then come back and comment on your favorite. Since I seem to be in a "solids" phase right now, I would also love to know if you enjoy sewing with solids. A winner will be randomly chosen on Tuesday, August 26th.

The giveaway is over and the winner is #6, Janet, who said,
My favorite pattern from Sew Kind of Wonderful (at the moment) is Metro Lattice. I don't know if this is doable for a first curved piecing project but I'd like to give it a try!

Disclosure: This post is sponsored by Sew Kind of Wonderful. I received a free ruler and a copy of the Curve It Sampler pattern in exchange for my participation in this blog hop. My opinions are based on my hands-on experience with the products. 

I'm linking up here today too! 

Wednesday, August 20, 2014

Basic Black

I'm sensing a theme.

Swooning with Oakshotts--pattern by Thimbleblossoms--completed
 
 Dotty--completed

 My Granny is Amish--completed


Waiting--pattern by Crazy Mom Quilts--WIP


 
Charm Parade--pattern by me--WIP
 
Mabel--WIP


 
 Sea Breeze--pattern by Canoe Ridge Creations--complete


 
 Quilty Stitches--pattern by Corey-LMS--WIP
 
 Curve It Up--pattern by Sew Kind of Wonderful
Please come back tomorrow for the full reveal of all 12 blocks from the Sew Kind of Wonderful Curve It Up quilt pattern. It's my turn on the blog hop. Oh, and there might just be a giveaway...


Friday, August 15, 2014

Finish It Friday: The Sew Together Bag


Last month at my quilting retreat at Gruber's, three of us made the Sew Together Bag by Sew Demented. I had not come prepared to make this, but since I knew it was kind of tricky, I thought making it together with friends would be much easier.

So I walked across the parking lot from the retreat center to the quilt store and bought a fat quarter of each colorway of my favorite Kaffe Fassett fabric, Guinea Flower, along with multiple zippers.
 

I took lots of pictures during the process because already I have fabric combinations galore floating around in my head. The extra pictures will make it easier when I'm making another one solo.
 
 
 
 
 
Here are all three bags getting acquainted. I  know they wish they lived closer together, just like the friends who made them.
Linking up with Crazy Mom Quilts and TGIFF.

Tuesday, August 12, 2014

Caution: Curves Ahead!

QCRbloghopbutton 

Have you noticed how curves seem to be everywhere? I just finished sewing the cutest quilt for my grandson, all curves. It was so much fun and I continue to be in the curvy state of mind. So I'm really excited to be part of this first-ever Sew Kind of Wonderful Blog Hop.

I have had the ruler for awhile, as well as some of the patterns and the new book. In fact, one of my good friends, Stephanie, started the Urban Nine Patch a couple of years ago at our annual Gruber's quilting retreat. It was actually one of the last quilts that Jenny custom quilted for clients. It is amazingly beautiful. This little picture does NOT do it justice. You can see close-up pictures here. Really, you should go check it out. I'll wait....
Isn't it amazing??

When I had the chance to join the blog hop, I jumped on it. I had taken my Quick Curve Ruler along to the retreat and it cracked during flight. But thanks to Jenny coming to my rescue with speedy shipping, I have a new ruler, the Sampler pattern and a PLAN! I'll give you a little hint--I'm all about brights and black right now.

Please go and check out Jenny’s blog and shop. You can also join the Sew Kind of Wonderful mailing list to get news of any new patterns or promotions. There is going to be a linky party on the Sew Kind of Wonderful blog on Friday 29 through 31 August – you can link up any quilt or block made using the Quick Curve Ruler. If you haven’t tried a QCR project yet, never fear, there’s a chance to win a ruler during the bloghop and have a go. You can find plenty of inspiration on the bloghop so please go and check out the other participants!

Monday 18 August http://quokkaquilts.com
Tuesday 19 August www.cluckclucksew.com
Wednesday 20 August www.fromthebluechair.com
Thursday 21 August liveacolorfullife.net
Friday 22 August http://www.happyquiltingmelissa.com
Monday 25 August www.greenfairyquiltsblog.com
Tuesday 26 August http://blog.sewbittersweetdesigns.com
Wednesday 27 August www.pleasant-home.com
Thursday 28 August http://www.lucymade.wordpress.com AND http://msmidge.blogspot.com.au
Friday 29 August www.dontcallmebetsy.com
The bloghop is going to be followed by a 'Curve it up' Challenge Quilt-a-long on the Sew Kind of Wonderful blog starting in September, so join in the bloghop, get inspired and get ready to Curve It Up!

CurveItUpQALbutton

Saturday, August 2, 2014

Sea Breeze Mini Quilt-Along Reveal

This is my version of the Sea Breeze Mini Quilt (pattern by Canoe Ridge Creations), with the quilt-along organized by Angie of Gnome Angel.More details here.

I started this in Minnesota and finished it at the airport in Seattle.
They have high-backed rocking chairs in their open and sunny central terminal!

And back home...

Our grandchildren love this white rocking chair. But I think it makes a great photo prop.

This was a fun project. Thanks, Angie, for organizing it! You can read a little interview she did here, with answers to some fun questions. I hope you will check out all the other versions of this sweet mini.

Friday, August 1, 2014

Finish It Friday, 8/1/14: The Zip and Go Bag

I firmly believe that if you are going on an all-day date with your daddy, you need to be prepared. After all, girls need a place for the necessities of daily life, right? Mints, lip balm and a Starbucks card...
I made Charlotte the Zip and Go Bag by Erin from Dog Under My Desk. At about 9 1/2 x 7 1/2 inches, it just the perfect size for an almost 8-year-old.
It has two separate zippered pockets. Charlotte loves purple, so rather than making an adjustable strap, I just measured the length she would need for a cross-body bag, and used purple webbing.

If you have never made one of Erin's patterns, they are full of photos and have excellent, detailed directions.

Our son, Aaron (Charlotte's daddy), is an optometrist. Could there be a cuter or more perfect fabric for the back of the bag? I think not...
Another picture. Just because.
And yes, the cute little Starbucks card pretty much says it all.

 I'm linking up with Amanda Jean and with TGIFF. Have a lovely weekend.