Friday, March 31, 2017

Scrap-A-Palooza! Another Layout Option

Whenever I am making a Scrap-A-Palooza quilt, it seems that somewhere in the process, I come up with a similar design idea and end up making another quilt.




Such was the case with this Blue Stix quilt.  As I was sewing up this quilt top, I realized that three "sticks" sewn together made a square block.  My mind instantly started planning a new quilt.




I used this quilt as an opportunity to use up a bunch of solid scraps I had along with some low volume fabrics.  I decided to go with colors in the blue, green and purple colorways.




The blocks are 9.5" unfinished.  The strips are cut at 1.5" and 2.5".





I had a Jen Kingwell Gardenvale fabric in my stash that was almost large enough for the backing.  I used a solid purple strip to make it wide enough.  Some simple swirls in a white thread and it was finished!



 I really like how simple these blocks are.  I am sure I will be revisiting this Scrap-A-Palooza design in the future.  I already want to make a third quilt - weaving the colors vertically and horizontally.  Wouldn't that be pretty?

I have decided to donate this quilt to Happy Chemo as part of the Hands2Help challenge happening over at Confessions of a Fabric Addict.  I love this generous event and am happy to support it.
Thanks Sarah for organizing it!




If you are looking for ideas to use your scraps, you will find lots of inspiration on my Scrap-A-Palooza page.  There are some fast and easy designs for just about every size scraps.






Linking Up:


 Confessions of a Fabric Addict (I May Have A Scrap Problem)

Wednesday, March 29, 2017

Mid Week Progress

I knew that once I started playing with fabric, my sewing mojo would return!


Yesterday afternoon, I spent quite a few hours in my sewing room with the music loud and all other thoughts shut down.  Before I knew it, it was time to start heading to bed.  It was wonderful!




I finished cutting out the navy squares I needed for my springtime quilt.  Can you guess what it is?  My inner little girl is totally in charge with this one!








I also did quite a bit of work on this colorwash crumb quilt.  The blue sections are just about finished.  Right now, it will end up only being about 45" wide.  I would like it to be a few inches wider so I think I will add a bit more to the right side before I start working down into the purple sections.





















As I was sewing little chunks of fabric together, I leisurely cut and sewed three more blocks to go in my Splendid Sampler quilt.  Only seven more blocks to go and I can start laying them out.









In between these projects, I also spent some time tidying up my sewing room.  I can finally find my ironing board, my cutting table and the wood surface on most of the tables in there.  All in all, it was a productive afternoon!

Hope your week has been a good one so far too!



Sunday, March 26, 2017

Oh Scrap! : A New Project

Sewing-wise, I have been in a bit of a funk lately.  I don't want to work on ANY of the many projects that litter my sewing room.  I have been fighting the impulse to start something new but this weekend I decided to just allow myself some fun.




I have had an idea in my head for a scrappy quilt for spring so I decided to get out my Accu-Quilt Studio and get to cutting.  I first started cutting up some soft pinks.  My design required some 4.5" 3.5" and almost 300 2.5" squares.  My original plan for the background was to use some low volume scraps but I am not sure I will get the contrast I want.




I am now considering some navy prints.  I think I will go out and dig in the dirt a bit while I let the idea percolate.  I do know that I am NOT buying any fabric.  It is a super silly design idea and may not work so I want to keep the invest to a minimum. 

But if it works, it will be so darn cute!

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It is now your turn to share what you are making with scraps.  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, March 24, 2017

An Assembly Line Finish

With the sun coming out, I thought it was a great time to make some zippered eyeglass cases.  I love to pull fabrics and zippers to make a number of these pouches at once.  They go so much faster when you do them assembly line style!




I used my go to pattern 'Cash and Carry' by Atkinson Designs.  I love how simple all of the different configurations in the pattern are!




I quickly had 5 pouches completed.  I didn't have quite enough fabric so I made one a bit smaller.  I love how this pattern can even use up some fabric scraps.



Guess I should have made more.  My sister took three and I am using one so that just leaves the smaller one.  Which I will probably send off with a gift card tucked inside for an upcoming birthday.



 I haven't had much time to sew lately so having these quick little finishes makes me feel productive.  And they are so useful too!


I hope the sun is starting to shine more where you are.  It is certainly spring here!



Craftsy






Tuesday, March 21, 2017

Needle & Foot Blog Hop Celebration

Happy Spring!   And....

Welcome to my stop on the Needle & Foot Blog Hop Celebration!




I have known Bernie through her blog Needle and Foot for more than a year now. 
So when she asked if I would help to announce her exciting new venture into selling fabrics on Etsy -
Oh course I was on board!




She generously let me choose some gorgeous Maureen Cracknell Garden Dreamer fat quarters from her shop to play with.  I am such a huge fan!



I decided to use these beauties to quilt along with Maureen and Sharon in the Sewcial Bee Sampler Sew Along.  We are already up to block 7.  Aren't they pretty all together?




Here is one of my favorite blocks.  The bee fabric is such a great one to fussy cut.




This is the last block design to get released.  I love this block too.  It really displays these beautiful fabrics so much.



Color Weave Textured Solids, Fat Quarter Bundle by P & B Textiles



Bernie has done a great job putting together fabric choices that will appeal to a lot of quilters.  I have to admit I love these soft color weave bundles she has listed.  So very perfect for Easter.


I hope you go take a look at her shop.  If you see something there you like, here is a discount code to use through Sunday 3/26.  It will give you 15% off any order of $5.00 or more.


Just use: 

NANDFREADERS15






And what is a blog hop celebration without a fun giveaway.  Bernie is graciously offering one of my readers a choice of either 6 fat quarters or 3 half-yard cuts. Woo Hoo!

And just how do you enter? 

Entry #1 - Head to Bernie's etsy site and come back and tell me something you liked.  There is a whole lot to choose from!

Entry #2 - Follow Needle and Foot either through her Blog, Etsy or Instagram.  Just leave a comment letting me know how you follow along.

I will choose a winner using a random number generator.  The giveaway will be closed at Midnight on Sunday March 26th.  If you live outside the US, you can still win but you need to be willing to pay half of the shipping costs.  And please be sure I can contact you - if you are not sure if you are a no-reply, be sure and leave your email in at least one of your comments.  Good luck Everyone!

Sorry - This giveaway is closed!


Psst....The blog hop is going on all week.  So feel free to visit other bloggers to see what they made and maybe enter their giveaways.  Here is the list.

Monday March 20th         Cheryl at Meadow Mist Designs

Tuesday March 21st         The party is here!

Wednesday March 22nd   Jayne at Twiggy and Opal and Kitty at Night Quilter

Thursday March 23rd       Mari at The Academic Quilter

Friday March 24th            Yvonne at Quilting Jetgirl


Sunday, March 19, 2017

Oh Scrap! : Scrap Play

With some time this weekend to play, I thought I would get out an older UFO that I had tucked away.









I had sewn up all these slabs about 6 months ago as a leader/ender project.  I decided to throw them up onto one of my design walls so I can see what I have.


It looks like I can get a quilt out of these pretty darn quickly.  Now I just to puzzle out putting them all together!




 So much scrappiness in this one.  I am in heaven!



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It is now your turn to share what you are making with scraps.  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, March 17, 2017

Scrap-A-Palooza - A finish





I love it when a scrap quilt goes together fast and easy!
That is what Scrap-A-Palooza quilts are all about.




This quilt started with some incorrectly cut strips of blue solid.  They were sitting on the corner of my cutting mat and I thought they could be used to make a fun scrap quilt.  In no time at all I was strip sewing some fabrics together.




Once I had all the pieces sewn, it was time to pick a layout. 



And here is my finished quilt!
I decided to alternate the color fade and really like how it turned out.



It was a wonderful scrap burner.  A little bit of everything went into the mix.  As you can see, some of the blue solids are not the same color either.  I used my miscuts and added in some other blues from my scrap bin.



I found a blue print for the backing in my stash and quilted it with some simple irregularly spaced horizontal lines.



As I was sewing up this quilt, I thought of some other layouts for these same pieces.  So of course I had to start another quilt.  I hope to share that finish hopefully next week!


Happy St Patrick's Day and have a wonderful weekend!



Thursday, March 16, 2017

Free to a Good Home

Yes, even after participating in the orphan adoption event for a couple years now, I STILL have items that need to find another home!




This time I am putting this cute printed panel and a coordinating yard of a peach solid woven to use as you wish.  The panel measures about 30" square.



I will ship this anywhere in the US for free!
While I usually ask that my orphans get made into a charity quilt, I would just like this little guy to get finished up so it can be loved.  So if you have a need (and not just for your stash please), toss your name in the hat.

If you would like to adopt, please let me know in the comments that you are interested.  (Note, your comment should be made directly on my blog and not through Bloglovin' - it does not allow me your contact information so I have no way of getting ahold of you if you win.)

This giveaway is closed!

I will be selecting someone from those that are interested on Tuesday March 21st  so make sure you notify me before that.  I will just be using the random number generator.  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!



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 2017 Quilty Orphan Adoption Event

Quilting is more fun than Housework

 
It is time once again to dig through those cupboards and pass on those UFOs or piles of orphan blocks to someone who will finish them up!

Can you imagine how many projects are tucked away in tote 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 long gone.  We all tell ourselves we will get to it "Someday", but if we are honest with ourselves, we know there are just too many other projects we want to work on.


This Quilty Orphan Adoption event was created to get those projects into the hands of  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!




Isn't this quilt lovely?  Diann over at Little Penguin Quilts shared a great story about a project she adopted last fall.  It will be going to a silent auction soon and I have no doubt it will do well!

If you want to see a couple more quilts that were finished using adopted blocks, you can check out my event announcement post.  It is amazing what can be made from discarded projects!




Orphan Adoption Event
March 16th, 2017 through March 18th, 2017


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 Saturday March 18th.  You can award your adoption on any date you choose after the 18th.  Feel free to offer as little or as much as you want.  It can be blocks, books/patterns, kits, printed panels, fabric, quilt tops...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 quilty prize.  A couple of magazines and some mini charms.  To those linking up from outside the US, due to shipping costs, I may not be able to send the prize but I would be happy to send you any of my digital patterns.

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!

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And if you are looking to adopt a project, please read each blog post 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!












Tuesday, March 14, 2017

An Afternoon Spent Cutting

I don't often make 3D items but this afternoon, I spent a couple hours cutting out just these types of items.




First up, I cut up some knit fabric for another Linden Sweatshirt (Pattern by Grainline).  I did not make the best fabric choices for my first attempt.  And while the shirt is wearable, there are a few adjustments I want to make.  This new fabric is not quite as stretchy and I made some adjustments to the length of the sleeves.  I can highly recommend the pattern.  It is super quick and easy!





Next, I pulled some fabrics and coordinating zippers to make some eye glass pouches.  My baby sister just turned 50 and now needs readers.  (Hee Hee!)  She asked me if I would make a few for her.




I already finished two of them.  I needed a chocolate brown thread for this print so I could just sew these two assembly style.  The last four, I can sew with a medium gray thread so I can work on them all at once.  I will let her choose which ones she wants. 

But I will definitely be putting silly little notes in them!
(Because that is what big sisters do!)


Hope your week is going well!





Linking Up:

Freemotion by the River (Linky Tuesday)

Sunday, March 12, 2017

Oh Scrap! : More Red String Blocks

Over the weekend, I haven't had too much time to sit and sew.  The weather was so warm and beautiful Friday afternoon, I decided to head outside and dig in the dirt a bit.  It was wonderful!




I did get the rest of my red scrappy strings sewn up into 6" string blocks.  I ended up with a total of 28 blocks - which is not enough to really do anything with so I will just store them for later. 

I still have quite a few red scraps but they are nice big chunks and I just don't want to cut them up into smaller pieces.  They all fit nicely in my color bin without being squished so I think I will say I am finished sewing with red for the month of March.

Time to move on to something new!



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


It is now your turn to share what you are making with scraps.  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!





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