Wednesday, April 30, 2014

350 Blocks Project - April Update

Last month I started participating in the 350 Blocks Project at Prairie Moon Quilts.  In March I completed a total of 60 blocks.  I started April off with a bang.  During the first week, I sewed 21 blocks for Goldie's Fading Charms Memory Quilt.


The rest of the month I sewed 16 blocks for my Hubba Hubba 16-Patch baby quilt.  However, I only used 12 in the quilt.


For my Giraffe Crossing Tumbler quilt I am counting each row as a block, so that gives me 8 more.


I completed 4 blocks for Pat Sloan's Globetrotting BOM.


Two blocks were made for the Spring Sampler Quilt Along at Cora's Quilts.

For the Pack Patch Mini quilt along, I completed a total of 24 blocks.

Finally, I made 1 block for the Great Granny Sew Along.


That gives me a grand total of 76 blocks for April, bringing my total for the year to 136!  Not bad, if I do say so myself.

Lorna from Sew Fresh Quilts
Kelly at My Quilt Infatuation



Tuesday, April 22, 2014

Quilt Along Mania

I really, really, really, really LOVE quilt alongs!  I am currently participating in four.  I think I love them so much for two reasons: first, everything is scheduled step-by-step and second, you get to quilt with other people.  I could spend hours on flickr looking at the pictures of what others participating in the quilt along have accomplished.

The first quilt along I am participating in is really a BOM.  It is Pat Sloan's Globetrotting BOM.  It started in January, but I didn't join in until April.  I have caught up though.  All four blocks are done.  One fun part about this is that it's a mystery.  We don't know what the finished quilt will look like.



The second quilt along is Spring Sampler with Cora's Quilts.  It just started.  This week is the first block.  I made two.


The third quilt along is called the Pack Patch Mini Quilt Along from Chase at 1/4" Mark.  We are supposed to be making a mini quilt.  However, I want my quilt to be bigger so I am making four blocks for every one that we are supposed to make.  This is a fun and easy one.  Each Friday, Chase gives you a theme for two blocks.  For example, this week is April Showers and May Flowers.  Below is a picture of my April Showers blocks.



The fourth one is the Great Granny Sew Along at the Fat Quarter Shop.  It is based off of Lori Holt's new book Great Granny Squared (which is awesome). Here's my Filled Basket block.



How about you?  Have you joined or are you hosting a quilt along?  If so, let me know, I could always join one more....

I will be linking up with:
Lee from Freshly Pieced
Esther from Esther's Blog
Lorna from Sew Fresh Quilts
Gemma from Pretty Bobbins
Kelly at My Quilt Infatuation


Friday, April 18, 2014

Hubba Hubba 16-Patch

I have officially finished my "girl" baby quilt.  I am hoping to have the "boy" quilt done by the end of next week.


I am naming it "Hubba Hubba 16-Patch."  It's a pretty obvious name since the fabric line used is Hubba Hubba and it's a 16-patch.  I am horrible at naming quilts.  I am curious how other people go about choosing quilt names.

Anyway, I free-motioned the entire quilt.  I am getting better at this, but have a long way to go.  I quilted a simple flower in each square, some people might think they are butterflies.  For the sashing and borders, I quilted wavy lines.






Spring Sampler Quilt Along from Cora's Quilts

I am apparently a sucker for a quilt along.  I love joining them.  Usually, I am too late!  That's the thing about me, I want to do it along with everyone else.  If I'm late I won't join.  So I was super excited when I found the Spring Sampler Quilt Along over at Cora's Quilts.  Even better, I wasn't too late to join!

So I immediately started shopping for fabric to use.  I don't have a large stash of fabric.  I know it's shocking, but I am working on it.  It takes time to build a stash.  Anyway, I started shopping for fabric.   While shopping I discovered the Essentials line by Pat Bravo from Art Gallery Fabrics.  I received my fabric yesterday. Isn't it beautiful?  I can't wait to get started.






Wednesday, April 16, 2014

WIP Wednesday - One, No Two Baby Quilts

Last week I posted about the new baby quilt I was starting to work on.  The gender of the baby is unknown. It's the parents fourth and they wanted a surprise.  When I planned the quilt I thought I was planning a gender-free quilt.  However, after laying it out, I felt it was too "boy."




Luckily, I had ordered a Hubba Hubba jelly roll from Moda fabrics.  If you know this line, you know it is definitely "girl."  I used this tutorial from Konstant Kaos and started sewing.  It went together very quickly.



I want to applique a few giraffes on the "boy" quilt before sandwiching and quilting.  The "girl" quilt has come quite a way since I took this picture last night.  It is in my machine with one block left to be quilted before binding it.  

However, I don't know if I will get to it today.  I have to do a practicum in a second grade classroom, take my girls shopping for summer clothes (we are going to Disney World at the end of April) and do the lesson plans for my preschool class for the rest of April and the beginning of May.  I am hoping to find enough time to finish the quilting and maybe sew the binding on. Then with any luck I can find some time to do the hand-sewing portion over the weekend.  Of course, I also need to clean my house for Easter dinner .....

I will be linking up with:
Lee from Freshly Pieced
Esther from Esther's Blog
Lorna from Sew Fresh Quilts
Gemma from Pretty Bobbins



  


Friday, April 11, 2014

First April Goal Complete - Leo's Baby Quilt

Well, I have completed the first of my April Goals, which happens to be the first of my 2014 Finish Along Quarter Two goals.  The baby quilt I have been working on for the past three weeks is complete.  Just in time too, Leo was born this past Sunday.

I used the pattern Cowboy Baby from the book Material Obsession.  I used fabric from Riley Blake's Boy Crazy line.  I was a little worried at first about how my color and pattern choices would look, but I really like it.  I love the pinwheels.  I will definitely be making more pinwheels in the future.


 When I first started quilting it, I didn't like it, so I stopped and spent a few hours ripping the stitches out.  The second time around I drew lines with a ruler and quilted diagonally through the blocks.  I decided to go one direction on the red pinwheel blocks and the opposite direction on the orange pinwheels.  This ended up in a diamond pattern all over the quilt which I like a lot.


The backing was supposed be the large print in the border; however, there wasn't enough of it left over.  At first I was going to buy more of the fabric, but then I realized I had enough material left over that I could piece the back.  It ended up turning out better than I imagined.


Anyway, I'm excited to have it finished and can't wait to give it to Leo.  Thanks for letting me share it with you!

Linking up with:
Confessions of a Fabric Addict
Thank Goodness It's Finished Friday
Richard and Tanya Quilts
Fort Worth Fabric Studio
Crazy Mom Quilts
SewCanShe
Stitch by Stitch
Free Motion by the River

Wednesday, April 9, 2014

WIP - Almost Done!

I have almost finished the quilting for the April baby quilt.  It's a good thing too, since the baby I'm quilting for arrived early Sunday morning.  His name is Leo and both he and his mom are doing great.





I am hoping to finish the quilting tonight and spend tomorrow sewing the binding on.  I love hand sewing the binding!  It's one of my favorite parts of the quilting process.  I don't know if that's because it is almost done or because it's hard to mess it up.  I've never had to use my seam ripper on a binding.

I took a break from quilting this afternoon to do a little work on my May baby quilt.  I am trying to make a unisex quilt (they didn't want to find out the baby's gender).  However, I am pretty sure this is a boy's quilt.  I might have to make a girl's quilt just in case.


Anyway, I spent some time laying out the quilt to see how I wanted to sew the blocks together.  I finally found an arrangement I was pleased with. 



Do you like my design wall?  We also use it as our kitchen table.  Someday, I will have my own sewing space and it will be wonderful!

I will be linking up with:

Lee from Freshly Pieced
Esther from Esther's Blog
Gemma from Pretty Bobbins
Kelly at My Quilt Infatuation

Monday, April 7, 2014

2014 Finish Along Quarter 2 Goals

In an effort to motivate myself to sew more (because it makes me so happy), I have decided to post some Quarter 2 goals for the 2014 Finish Along at The Littlest Thistle.  

Here goes!

1. April Baby Boy Quilt - it needs to be quilted and bound.



2. May Baby Quilt - I have cut it out and started piecing it.  It won't take that long to put together, I just have to do it!

3.  Goldie's Fading Charms Memory Quilt - it is for my daughter's high school graduation.  I am making it from the fabric of all the clothes I sewed for her over the years.  It is currently in the piecing stage.

4.  June Baby Boy quilt - I have chosen the fabric and the pattern.

5.  Quilty Fun Sew Along sampler - the blocks for the top need sewn together.  The label block for the back needs to be made and it needs to be quilted and bound.



6.  Star Surround quilt - it is for my bedroom. It needs the bottom row sewn to the top and to be quilted and bound.




7. Bedroom valances - I have the pattern and the fabric and would really like to get these done.

8.  Snug as a Bug Super-sized Nine Patch #3 - it needs to be quilted and bound.
Snug as a Bug Super-sized Nine Patch Quilts #1 and #2


That should do it. It seems like a lot, but I am done teaching on May 23.  That leaves the entire month of June free.  If I finish all of these I will only have two UFOs left.  I guess I'll just have to start some more. 

Linking up with:




Friday, April 4, 2014

FINISHED!! The Princess's Neon Jelly Roll Jam

Way before Christmas I started working on a quilt for my twelve-year-old (aka The Princess).  She saw the Neon fabric line from Riley Blake Designs and fell in love.  She begged me to make her a quilt with it.

This was the same time that The Fat Quarter Shop released their free Jelly Roll Jam pattern and video. I wanted to make one so it seemed like the perfect fit.  I tweaked the size of the quilt so it would be the right size for a twelve-year-old and started sewing.

Piecing it was a snap.  The blocks went together very quickly.



I finished piecing the top and then it sat until mid March.  I became motivated to get it quilted last week because my husband and I were attending a wedding in Minnesota which is a five hour drive.  If I finished the quilting, I could hand sew the binding in the car.

I pieced the back from the solid colors in the Neon line and quilted it with simple meandering lines running diagonally through each block.  My daughter really liked the diamond effect it made on the back of the quilt.




I made the binding with left over jelly roll pieces.  I am really into scrappy bindings.  I was able to finish it during the drive to and from Minnesota and my daughter was very happy to sleep with her quilt on Sunday.





Fort Worth Fabric Studio Blog

Thursday, April 3, 2014

April Goals

My goals for April include:

1.  Finish the April baby boy quilt

2. Piece and sandwich the May baby quilt

3. Finish piecing Goldie's Fading Charms Memory quilt

The April baby boy quilt still needs quilting and binding.




The May baby quilt needs to be completed from start to finish.

Goldie's Fading Charms Memory quilt will require a lot of sewing, but it can be done.





These seem like lofty goals for a 30-day period, but I do have a week off of work.  But then again, I'm leaving for Florida on April 27th.  I better get started!




I Quilt @ Pretty Bobbins
A Lovely Year of Finishes

Wednesday, April 2, 2014

WIP Wednesday - April Baby Quilt

My WIP Wednesday is a baby quilt for a little boy that is due to arrive any day now.  It is all pieced and basted.  I even started quilting it; however, I didn't like it and now I am in the process of ripping it out.  Luckily, I hadn't gotten too far on the quilting.  I just can't decide how I should quilt it.  I wanted to do something more than meandering lines.  




I am hoping to get all of the stitches removed tonight and start quilting it tomorrow. I have already started.  My oldest daughter had to have a procedure done yesterday, so I took it with me.  It was a very quick procedure though and I didn't get it done.  I wonder if they've added any good movies to Netflix lately to watch while I work the seam ripper.  Any suggestions?


WIP Wednesday at Freshly Pieced


Tuesday, April 1, 2014

Finally Back to Sewing/ 350 Blocks Project Update

I love to sew!!!  The beginning of this year has been so busy I hand not sewn one single stitch since before Christmas.  My classes and work kept me busy during the week and the weekends were filled with basketball tournaments, volleyball tournaments, and show choir.  All of these tend to be day long events and when you live in rural Iowa, they are hardly ever held close to home.

I was very excited to get back into sewing and quilting during March.  My current classes were finished in mid March and amazingly so was basketball, volleyball, and show choir.  I feel free!  It will not be long lived however, a new quarter starts Monday and soccer practice has officially started.  I've got to take advantage of the time while I have it.

I spent the past few weeks working on a baby quilt for a little boy that's due to arrive any day now.  I used the pattern Cowboy Baby from the book Material Obsession.  I love the colors and I think pinwheels are my new favorite block. I have it all pieced and ready to be quilted.

Pinwheel block

I have also been busy catching up on the Quilty Fun Sew Along that started last fall.  I was way behind, but am now caught up to where I should be.  This is the last week and I am excited that I have caught up with everyone else.


A few of the Quilty Fun blocks I have sewn this month.


In order to motivate myself, I joined the 2014 350 Blocks Project.  The idea is to try and piece 350 blocks this year.  Considering I didn't join until the middle of March, I feel I am off to a good start.  The baby quilt had 20 blocks.  I am counting 20 blocks for the Quilty Fun Sew Along.  I am also in the midst of piecing a quilt for my daughter that is graduating from high school at the end of May.  I can add 20 blocks to my total for that quilt as well.


Partially pieced top from Goldie's memory quilt.

That brings my grand total to 60 blocks.  WOW!  I didn't realize I had done that much sewing lately.  It feels good.

Linking up to:


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