Tuesday, March 29, 2016

Something old into something new!

I have been wanting to make a scrappy medallion quilt for a number of years now.  As I was doing a bit of project organization, I got to thinking that I could probably combine a few WIPs and start putting one together.

With just one quilt, I can cross another bucket list quilt off the lineup and finish two WIPs!




 Remember these pretty  Basket Weave Star blocks I was paper piecing?




I thought they paired nicely with some needle turned applique blocks I made about a decade ago.  
(I think it is time to admit I will not be turning them into the queen size quilt I had originally planned.)

Maybe use the applique as the center medallion?



 Or I can use the Basket Weave Stars in the center and use the floral blocks as one of the outside borders.  Hmm....

I think I will leave them up on my design wall for a bit and see what happens.
But a medallion quilt will be the next project off my quilty bucket list.  Once I decide where I am starting, I will start sharing my progress!


Linking Up:





***This post contains affiliate links. If you click through and make a purchase, at no additional cost to you, I may make a small commission, which I appreciate so much!***

Sunday, March 27, 2016

Oh Scrap! : Quilty 365

Here we are on Easter Sunday and the end of March is coming fast!  I am finding myself not getting into my sewing room for large chunks of time lately but I have been stitching a few minutes every day and keeping up with a few projects.



Here are my Quilty 365 blocks for the four full weeks in March.  I chose some fabrics to document Leap Day, maintenance to my longarm, taxes, a nighttime visit outside my bedroom window by an owl, homemade chili and teaching EPP.  Many of the other fabrics are scraps from projects I worked on during the month.

This last week has been really uneventful and just about work.
Funny, even my block looks a bit boring!



 Here are the first three months or one quarter of my quilt up on the design wall.  It should be a generous queen size when it is finished.

How about you, hope you share what you are working on!



Here are the details for linking up:
  • This linky party is for any scrappy project - It can be in-process or a finished piece.
  • You can link up your blog post (not your homepage please) or Instagram photo from the past week that features your use of scraps.
  • If you are linking to a blog post, I ask that you link back to my blog somewhere in your post. So if you are writing about scraps, just get into the habit of including a link as there will be a linky party available every week!
  • If you are using Instagram, please use the hashtag #ohscrap.
  • This is a party so remember to socialize and comment on the posts of others.
  • Following my blog is not necessary but it sure would be great if you do! 
Quilting is more fun than Housework

So if you love scrappy projects, feel free to grab my button for your sidebar or posts and get ready to share all your wonderful projects from scraps.  And if you have a great idea for using scraps and would like to be featured, feel free to contact me!









Linking Up:

Love Laugh Quilt (Monday Making)
Patchwork Times (Design Wall Monday)
Cooking Up Quilts (Main Crush Mondays)
Em's ScrapBag (Moving it Forward)
Quilty Folk (Quilty 365)





Friday, March 25, 2016

A Round Finish

When you quilt for others for a living, you never know what quilt jobs you are going to be challenged with.  It has been a while since I shared one of my customer's quilts and I thought this one you would like to see!





Not too long ago, one of my clients brought to me a gorgeous round paper pieced quilt.  It was about 72" wide and she planned on displaying it on a big wall..  When you load this up on a longarm frame, the backing is a large square and you "float" the top (which means it is not pinned to the frame).  The challenging part can be keeping it round!



The colors in this one are beautiful.  But that also meant a lot of thread color changes for me.




It is always fun to work on something different - especially when it is a lovely as this quilt!

Have a great weekend!


JPEG Image

If you want to learn something new and take your quilting up a notch, Craftsy has all of their classes right now through 3/28 on sale for $19.99.

I am an affiliate of Craftsy so I may make a commission if you make a purchase.  But I do love their classes and have purchased many of them myself so I like to pass on a great deal when I see one!


Linking Up:

Crazy Mom Quilts (Finish it up Friday)
A Quilted Passion 



Tuesday, March 22, 2016

Splendid Sampler Blocks

One of the projects that I have been steadily working on is the Splendid Sampler.  I don't normally like small blocks but I am really enjoying this quilt along.  Instructions come out on Sundays and Thursdays, which makes it fairly easy to keep up.

I have made five more blocks since I last shared my progress with you.



Block 8/100 - Friends around the Square.  I thought this block could make a great future RSC project.




 Block 9/100 - The Local Quilt Shop.  My quilt store appears to be open late and is a little ramshackle.  I am not sure what happened to it.




Block 10/100 - Iowa.  I really like this block for its simplicity.



 Block 11/100 - Crocheted Thoughts.  This was another design that I chose to make my own.  Rather than crochet a doily in the center, I chose to fussy cut a Kaffe flower.




...and here is how they look all together .  The bottom two blocks are alternate blocks.  The one on the left is one designed as part of the Splendid Sampler.  The one on the right was a block designed for Baby Lock's National Quilting Month celebration.  I really liked the block and thought it would work great if I needed a substitute.

I am already looking forward to Thursday when the next block is released!


Linking Up:

Splendid Sampler



Sunday, March 20, 2016

Oh Scrap! : Hands2Help Challenge 2016



Have you heard about the Hands2Help Challenge hosted by Sarah over at Confessions of a Fabric Addict?  It is going on right now and already over 95 quilters have signed up to make quilts for three great charity organizations - two in the US and one in Canada.

Are you on the list?





I am all signed up to participate this year and hope to make some quilts for both Covered in Love and for Happy Chemo.  I certainly have scraps...I have lots of inspiration from every Sunday post...now all I need is to get sewing!



Remember this basket of scraps destined to become quilts?




I grabbed the biggest bag first and discovered it was filled with all of my flannel and brushed cotton scraps.  Not exactly how I wanted to start out but I know there is a quilt in there someplace.



I started sorting them a bit and found a few orphan blocks and some similar cut sizes.  As I was sorting, I also identified I really had two colorways going on.  I pulled out lots of plaids in warm medium shades...


 ...which I soon realized would leave me with a lot of buttery brushed cottons.  

I will be using all of these fabrics to remake one of my Scrap-A-Palooza designs for Hands2Help.  I just haven't decided if it will be one large or two small quilts.  You will just have to wait until I share the finish photos to see which direction I went!

If you haven't signed up for H2H yet, you can still participate in the event.  If you need some ideas for a quick quilt, check out my Scrap-A-Palooza gallery.  Almost all of the designs are quick to sew and all can be done with scraps or stash fabric. You can also try and adopt a project to finish and donate from the Quilty Orphan Adoption event.  There are some great things up for adoption this year and all would make some great donation quilts.

Time to see what scrap projects you are working on!


Here are the details for linking up:
  • This linky party is for any scrappy project - It can be in-process or a finished piece.
  • You can link up your blog post (not your homepage please) or Instagram photo from the past week that features your use of scraps.
  • If you are linking to a blog post, I ask that you link back to my blog somewhere in your post. So if you are writing about scraps, just get into the habit of including a link as there will be a linky party available every week!
  • If you are using Instagram, please use the hashtag #ohscrap.
  • This is a party so remember to socialize and comment on the posts of others.
  • Following my blog is not necessary but it sure would be great if you do! 
Quilting is more fun than Housework

So if you love scrappy projects, feel free to grab my button for your sidebar or posts and get ready to share all your wonderful projects from scraps.  And if you have a great idea for using scraps and would like to be featured, feel free to contact me!








Linking Up:

Love Laugh Quilt (Monday Making)
Patchwork Times (Design Wall Monday)
Cooking Up Quilts (Main Crush Mondays)
Em's ScrapBag (Moving it Forward)




Friday, March 18, 2016

Free to a Good Home

How do you get that old, unloved half-finished project off the shelf?  You send it off to a good home!

I started the Quilty Orphan Adoption Event because I myself had a number of projects that I just could not toss in the trash but I knew in my head, I probably would never finish.  There are just too many new fabrics and projects to play with.  Who wants to work on things they just don't enjoy!




This time around, I am putting up for adoption these fourteen 10.75" blocks leftover from the Bollywood Bliss quilt I made.  I will also throw in some leftover fabrics and some partial panels that could be used to make more blocks.  I am sure there might be a few other coordinating fabrics tossed in just to fill the package!

I will ship this anywhere in the US for free!
***Note:   I would really like this to be made into a quilt for a charity.***

If you would like to adopt this project, please let me know in the comments that you are interested and for what cause you will be making it.  You can also email me the information at cynthiabdesigns at gmail dot com if you prefer.

I will be selecting someone from those that are interested on Tuesday March 22nd so make sure you notify me before that.  If there is more than one good fit, I will draw names from a hat.  Please make sure I can get a hold of you!  If you are not positive if your email is available, please leave it in the comment.

 Thanks so much!

*****These blocks have been adopted. Thanks to all who offered to turn them into a donation quilt. The next event will be in September!*****


Quilting is more fun than Housework




I am linking up with others ready to alleviate themselves from older projects.  Maybe you have something to share too!


Spring 2016 Quilty Orphan Adoption Event Link Up

Quilting is more fun than Housework
 
Can you imagine how many projects are tucked away in cupboards just waiting to be finished?!  I know there are quite a few in just my sewing room alone.  Many of these projects are no longer loved and the initial enthusiasm to finish them is gone.  The intent is there to complete it someday but in all likelihood, they may never get finished.

It is time to be honest with ourselves and get those projects out of our drawers and into the hands of someone that will finish them! 

This Quilty Orphan Adoption event helps in getting those projects to quilters that will finish them and give them some much deserved attention.
.
...And I can say from experience, it feels great to release the burden and move onto something you really want to work on!


Orphan Adoption Event
March 18th, 2016 through March 20th, 2016


Here are some more details:

1.  I am going to ask that any "orphan" linked up must be given away for free.  (If you are wanting to destash for money, there are other venues to do that on.)  I think it is fair that if you need to, you can ask that shipping costs be paid.  Just be sure and put that information clearly in your post.  And know that both parties enter into the deal at their own risk.  I hold no responsibility.

2. Have clear pictures and descriptions on what you are putting up for adoption.

3. Define the criteria for how you will decide who will adopt the item.  Is it a random number giveaway, do you only want it to go to charity, or is there some other criteria that needs to be met?

4.  Be sure and identify where you are located and where you are willing to ship to.

5. Define how long you are keeping the adoption open and when you expect to award the adoption.

6. Remember to link back to my blog so your readers can see what else is being offered.  And feel free to grab a button!


The ability to link up your blog, Instagram, Flickr, or Facebook post will be open through Sunday March 20th.  You can award your adoption on any date you choose after the 20th.  Feel free to offer as little or as much as you want.  It can be blocks, books/patterns, kits, printed panels, fabric, anything that you hope someone else will use and you wish to get rid of the burden.


As a thank you for participating and linking up a project, I will put your name in a hat for this colorful fat quarter bundle of AMB solids  To those linking up from outside the US, due to shipping costs, I may not be able to send the fabric but I would be happy to send you any of my digital patterns.

****Congrats to Val for winning the fabric bundle****

So go look on those shelves and those deep dark corners in your sewing room and see what you have to clean out and move on.  I am sure there will be someone who is more than willing to adopt what you have to offer and get it finished!

********************

And if you are looking to adopt a project, please read each blog and be sure you only offer to adopt those orphans you know you can finish.  The object of this event is to get these things finished, not just stored on another shelf.  Thanks! 



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