Friday, January 31, 2020

First Covered in Love Quilt Finish

I was able to sneak the first of seven Covered in Love quilts onto my longarm last week.
So I have the first finish to share today!


As I was sorting through the blocks I received, I realized there were quite a few that were predominately green or purple.  So I decided to use that as a design feature and just put them all together in one quilt. I also thought I would lay this one out so the light/dark plus design occurred.



These quilts are all going to measure about 60 x 72".  Kat had sent me the red print for a backing and it wasn't quite big enough so I found a purple in my stash to add to one side.  I also had a bunch of teal/green leftover bindings in my stash so I sewed them all together.  
They really framed up this scrappy beauty nicely.



It is always so fun to sew up scrappy blocks made by others.  
There are just so many fun fabrics out there!



I did giggle when I saw this - This quilt is signed by Elvis Presley!

My plan is to finish all of these quilts by the end of February.
I already have quilt number two pieced - the trick is going to be the quilting!

If you are interested in learning more about Covered in Love, you can find information here.  
There is always a block drive going on you can participate in!




Linking Up:


Tuesday, January 28, 2020

Willamette Valley Quilt Festival

I thought I would pop in and remind those in the PNW that this coming weekend is the Willamette Valley Quilt Festival in Albany Or.  I will be there on Friday the 31st.  My friend Sheila Sinclair Snyder is the featured quilter so I will be probably hanging around her booth all day if you want to stop by and say hello.



And what is a quilt show without some pretty quilts.  I thought I would share a few photos others have shared with me of quilts made using my patterns.  This photo is an in-process one of her Spin! quilt.  She used some beautiful shibori fabrics - I knew it was going to be beautiful!




Here is a "Moonlight Blossom" made using my Summertime Blossoms pattern.  I was very jealous of the beautiful soft gray fabrics in this one.



One clever quilter used my Summertime pattern to create this lovely quilt.  She modified the pattern slightly and used her design wall to help her place colors so she has more colored blossoms.  It is so charming in these solids and 30s prints.


So I hope to see a few of you on Friday at the quilt show!
I would love to meet you in person.


Sunday, January 26, 2020

Oh Scrap! : January's Scrappy Goodness

It is hard to believe it is the last week of January already!



I was able to squeeze in a sew day with a good friend.  She sent me hone with some bags of her scraps.  I immediately sorted them into colors as soon as I got home.  
Only scrap quilters understand how exciting this can be - I petted each little bit! 😀


 Among all those scraps, there were a number of these triangles.  They are actually quite large - probably cut from a 4.5" square.  I sorted them into three piles.  I am not sure what to do with them.  There are 66 of the colored ones and less of the light ones.  I might just pull a solid from my stash and turn them all into a HST.  Maybe a Shadow gray solid?  
Anyone have any creative ideas?



 I did finish my last RSC block for the month.  This one finishes at 20" square.



This project is carrying over from last year.  I think I will make 4 more blocks - probably orange, yellow, turquoise and gray.  Not my favorite quilt but it is using up a lot of tired old scraps.



I keep all of my RSC projects on the design walls in my quilting studio.  Right now this is what I look at as I work at my longarm.

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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



You are invited to the Inlinkz link party!
Click here to enter





Linking Up:






For those of you with finished quilt tops, Connecting Threads has added some new 108" wide backing prints.  They also have all of their red and pink fabric on sale just in time for Valentine's Day!



***This post contains affiliate links.  I appreciate the support!


Friday, January 24, 2020

Nighttime Sky



I have finished my Nighttime Sky improv wall hanging.  

I used the same technique I used on my Improv Garden and pillow.  I really like how it turned out!



The size of this piece is just 36" square and is made from navy and yellow scraps.



I changed up the lighting here so you can see the dark fabrics in the background really have a lot going on in them.  There is a lot of purples, turquoise and gray that add a lot of interest.



On the back, I used a New York City piece I have been hoarding for years.  It was released before 9/11 so the twin towers are on it (look upper left right next to the quilted circle).  The colors really do seem to glow on it.



This one will be another sample for my Improv class.  
I look forward to seeing what my students create!




Linking Up:


Tuesday, January 21, 2020

Finally Replacing some Tools

Many, many moons ago, I bought my first rotary cutter.  I don't think I bought any rulers at the time and I have no doubt I was not using it as it was intended.  In fact, I am pretty sure my accuracy was very diminished at first.  

Nowadays, a rotary cutter is an extension of my hand (in fact, both hands equally) because I use it so often.



I recently shared a photo on my Instagram account of my first rotary cutter and (I think) my second one that I was having to retire.  They have been glued, shimmed and taped so many times, they have become pretty unsafe.


Olfa saw my post and let me know they would happily replace them. What?!  I know the new ones have a lifetime warranty but I was astonished that they would honor it for these old friends too.  I had stated that I was having emotional issues just tossing these, they asked if I would send them off to them for their archives.  When I told them I still had the original mat that came as a set, they immediately needed a photo.  It was the very first mat they sold!  It is like 11 x 22 - crazy size huh?!  And it has no markings on it at all.

Now that these tools will be kept as examples of the history of quilting tools, I was happy to send them off.  They have definitely earned that honor!



And in return, Olfa let me choose some new tools.  I really wanted one of the Ruby cutters.  Because of its red color and limited addition, I won't get them mixed up with other people's tools quite as easily.  And because it is not an ergonomic style, I can still cut easily with both hands.  

I also asked for a set of their small scissors.  I have to say, I am in love!  They are small and sharp and now reside at my sewing machine machine to cut threads.

The company also included one of their endurance blades for me.  Just as a gift!

I have always been a fan of Olfa tools and mats but after witnessing this great customer service, I will be a dedicated fan for life!




***This post contains affiliate links.  I appreciate the support!

Sunday, January 19, 2020

Oh Scrap! : My New RSC Block

For some reason, I had a really hard time selecting my third Rainbow Scrap Challenge block for 2020.  I had a number of ideas but as I made test blocks, they just didn't seem like a block I wanted to do over 10 months.


But then I made this block and it ticked all the boxes for me.
It is a 12" block so 30 blocks will make a nice size donation quilt.


 

I quickly finished up the three green blocks I need for January.
I think these are going to make a great rainbow quilt - I can't wait to see them in more colors!



Another scrappy project that arrived on my doorstep yesterday was over 200 Covered In Love blocks.  I wish I would have taken a photo of the giant stack but I was too inspired to get them sorted into seven quilt tops so I could sew them up quickly.  I already have one top finished and ready for quilting!  I will share the quilts as they are completed.


And finally, a note for Judy Sturm - I would love to answer your questions in your wonderful comments, but I have no way to contact you.  You have your profile set up as a no-reply.

In fact, any of you who do not receive replies from the comments you leave on blogs might want to check out how to change your profile.  You can google how to check but I think you can just go to "edit User Profile" and make sure you check the box to show your email address.  


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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.
Quilting is more fun than Housework



You are invited to the Inlinkz link party!
Click here to enter






Linking Up:


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