Saturday, February 27, 2016

Oh Scrap! : Quilty Orphan Adoption



I cannot believe it is almost March!

With the smell of spring in the air, I find myself doing a bit of organizing in my sewing room.  Project boxes are stacked, fabric is refolded and stashed, and all my orphan blocks are collected up and put in my little suitcase....



My little suitcase seems to be over flowing!

If you are doing a bit of spring cleaning yourself and find you come across a project you just don't want to finish, a pile of orphan blocks that need to go to a new home, or some supplies you are tired of looking at, consider putting it up for adoption!

Quilting is more fun than Housework


I am pleased to announce that I will be holding the Quilty Orphan Adoption event again in March.

I would love any and all help getting the word out.  Feel free to grab the button off the right blog margin if you like. 





 Quilty Orphan Adoption Event
Starts March 18, 2016


I will be hosting a linky party starting Friday March 18th (and closing on Sunday March 20th) where you are welcome to link up your own blog post sharing a project you wish to abandon or orphan blocks you wish to pass on.  You can offer as little or as much as you want.  It can be blocks, patterns, kits, fabric, quilt top - anything that you hope someone else will use and you wish to alleviate the burden.



Here are some 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.


Last Fall, there were over a dozen WIPs that found new homes.  Many were adopted by quilters who were finsihing them for various charities.  If you are curious what was linked up last time, here is a link even though all the adoptions are closed. 

Thanks again to all the quilters that participated in the past.  If you adopted a project, I would love it if you shared a photo!

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Now it is time to link up and share what scrappy projects you have worked on this week.  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!


Friday, February 26, 2016

Ta Da! Park Bench Quilt Finish

I am letting you know right now that this is a picture laden post!  

But having spent a year piecing the blocks, MANY back-breaking long days standing at my longarm and a few late nights hand sewing the binding so I could write about the finish today, you can bet I am going to share every square inch of this quilt with you!

As soon as I saw Julie's (Jaybird Quilts) Park Bench quilt, it went right onto my Bucket List of quilts.   I love big bold blocks and this is one showy pattern!



By chance, I spied the kit on Craftsy for a really ridiculous price and instantly purchased it.  I think Julie did such a perfect job putting together this quilt, I just couldn't see how I could make it any better so I made it just like hers.

(Unfortunately, the kit is no longer available but Craftsy does have Julie's Gravity quilt kit and the rulers - which are brilliant by the way!)



I spent almost all of 2015 sewing up the hexagon blocks.  My goal was to sew up about two blocks a month.  That would leave me plenty of time tin the year to finish up the pieced background for the quilt top.


I finished up the flimsy around the end of January - right on schedule!





I had been reserving a large chunk of time in my February schedule to squeeze in this quilt between my client quilts.  I wanted to give it the custom quilt job it deserved.

Prior to quilting, I did re-watch Angela Walters Craftsy class Dot to Dot Quilting.  If you want to try some of the quilting seen on my quilt, she does a great job walking you through the process. 
This border was totally inspired by the class.



My goal on the quilting was to quilt each element differently.  I may have repeated designs but made slight changes so I could create a different look.  I also didn't want the quilting to be too dense.  While it is dense in a few areas, overall I wanted a cuddly quilt.


I loaded the quilt sideways on my frame and quilted an entire column of hexagons before moving the quilt.  I did use 5 different colors of thread on this quilt so there were a fair number of thread changes.



This first block in the middle column is one of my favorites.




This orange and blue one makes me smile too.  I started quilting the orange diamonds and decided I didn't like how I quilted the first one so I made a slight change on the rest.  Unlike a client quilt, I don't have to pick out that first diamond.  :)




And here are the last two blocks on the middle column.



If you were ever wondering what the view is like from underneath a longarm here you go.  After a long day of quilting, I wasn't sure I was going to be able to get back up off the floor.  
It was a good thing I had my phone!


Starting on the third and final column of blocks.  




I am still meeting my goal of coming up with unique designs.



I like this block too.  Simple designs are sometimes the best!



 Just the final border to go!



And here it is - Fresh off the Frame!




Here is a picture of the back.  I have to admit it looks pretty cool.  Sometimes, I do piece my backing to use up fabrics but for custom quilting, I suggest just a single fabric so you can see the detail.  I used an orange crosshatch fabric for mine.  Enough pattern to hide the areas I back stitched but simple enough to let the quilting shine. 



 I will definitely be snuggling with this one tonight!



 Thanks for reading through to the end!


2016 FAL



This finish was one of my first quarter goals for the 2016 Finish A Long.  I still have two more to get through!





 



Linking Up:

Crazy Mom Quilts (Finish it up Friday)
A Quilted Passion 
Sew can she
 A Quilter's Table (2016 FAL)








***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!***

Wednesday, February 24, 2016

Splendid Sampler Blocks

When I first saw the Hearts Aflutter block design by Pat Sloan for the Splendid Sampler, my first instinct was to hop on board.  Then I quickly reminded myself that I agreed at the beginning of the year that I was going to limit the number of projects I had going this year. 
 
Since when do I follow the rules!




So here is Block #1 - Hearts Aflutter

I decided to choose some fabrics I already have in my stash.  And since the project goes on for a year, I needed something I have lots of - and that is fabrics from the Kaffe Fassett Collective.




I modified Block #2 slightly.   It is called Wings.

All of the Splendid Sampler blocks are 6" finished.




 And here is Block #3 - Lots of Love.

I had the bright idea of starching my blocks after I finished them which distorted this one slightly.  
But I am not going back and redoing it!





Only three blocks have been released so far so there is still time to join me in this insanity without being too far behind.  The block patterns are released every Sunday and Thursday.  You can find them all on The Splendid Sampler blog.


I just hope I can keep up with everything I have heaped on my plate!

Linking Up:






Sunday, February 21, 2016

Oh Scrap! : Scrap-A-Palooza News

If you are concerned Scrap-A-Palooza is going away, let me squash those fears right away!  Even though I just finished the 19th quilt, there are still lots of ideas swirling around in my brain.  But for a short while, I am going to mix it up just a tiny bit.

I have a giant basket under my cutting table overflowing with bags of scraps.   Each bag contains scraps I have collected of various designers, fabric collections or color themes.  I really need to clean these up a bit so I thought it would be fun to revisit some of the previous Scrap-A-Palooza quilts and remake new variations using these scraps.



I started by grabbing a big bag of some scraps and leftover fabrics a friend gave me.  Inside are lots of strips and chunks of purples, grays, greens and pinks.  I have decided to remake my 10th quilt (which is the vertical strip quilt) so I got out my AccuQuilt cutter to cut them up quickly into 4.5" widths.  In the photo, I am just using my 4.5" multiple square die but I am laying the pieces across the blades where I want the fabric cut.  In no time at all, the fabric was cut and I can now get to the sewing!

When I share my finish, I will also be sharing similar finishes of quilt #10 made by others.  So if you have made one of the Scrap-A-Palooza quilts and it has not been featured yet, send me a photo or a link either through email or in the comments.  I might already have it bookmarked but I don't want to miss any as I go along!

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Now it is time to link up and share what scrappy projects you have worked on this week.  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)
Em's ScrapBag (Moving it Forward)





***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!***

Friday, February 19, 2016

Sewing my Stash Finish

I have decided to try and sew a quilt a month using fabrics entirely from my older stash.  In January I sewed up some older Jane Sassaman fabrics and made a fun improv quilt



For February, I thought I would take a stab at turning this pile of fabrics into a quilt.  Both the red fabric and the multi colored dots were big enough cuts for a backing so I had options depending on the pattern I picked.


I decided to use the red for the focus print on the front.



I started the quilt with the smallest stash piece I had - and that was the black and white dot.  I made as many little 4 patches as I could.  To extend the size of the quilt (and to use up more fabric), I used  rectangles as my alternate block rather than squares.  I love how it looks!


And look...there are the dots on the back.  To further use up that old turquoise fabric, I cut it up for the binding.  It would not have been my first choice but it looks nice with both the front and the back.



 I tried really hard to capture the quilting on this one.  I used the placement of the blocks as guides and quilted in some gentle curves that shift across the quilt.  This was the best photo and it is still really hard to see.

This quilt measures about 42 x 46".  It used up almost all of the fabric and will make a great little quilt for someone.  

grab button for RedLetterQuilts 

Every month I will be linking both my goal and my finish for these stash quilt with Heidi over at Red Letter Quilts.  February's quilt is finished with over a week to spare!








Linking Up:

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






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