Life is a Highway - Blogger's Quilt Festival

I have had a road 15 jellyroll sitting on my shelf for a couple of years now.  Over that time, I would occasionally look for inspiration on how to put it to good use.  I saw many great patterns but my choices were to either make a really big bed quilt or have a bunch of leftover scraps from the jellyroll.  Now I do love scraps but if you are going to put out the money for a jellyroll, I really wanted to use every last bit!

Finally, I just sketched up my own pattern and made a quilt.  I designed the pattern to use as much as a jellyroll as possible - pretty much all that is left are the selvages.  The unfinished quilt was sitting out awaiting binding when many of my longarm quilting clients would stop in and almost all asked me where they could get the pattern.  And a few of them wanted to know if the pattern had a border option.  When I told them it was an original design, they asked that I make a pattern available.

So I ordered up a second jellyroll (Feed Company by Sweetwater) and some yardage and made a second quilt - this time with a border.
 

And I wrote up the pattern along the way.  I decided to call this pattern Life is a Highway. The contrasting dots remind me of the lines on a highway.








I decided at the last minute to enter this in the Original Design category of the Spring Blogger's Quilt Festival hosted by Amy's Creative Side. Just in case there are some of you with a jellyroll sitting on the shelf needing a good home!

Thanks to Amy for hosting such a wonderful event.  I am looking forward to finding some new blogs to follow and getting inspired by all the stunning eye candy!



Here are my other entries over the years:

Fall 2013: Orange and Gray Woven Quilt

Fall 2013: Star Surround

Spring 2014: Appliqued Flowers

Spring 2014: Geese Migration

Fall 2014: Wiggle Time

Fall 2014: Vertical Scraps

Spring 2015: Scrappy 9 Patch

If this is your first visit to my blog - thanks!  In addition to the Scrap-A-Palooza series, I host a link party every Sunday called Oh Scrap! Besides scrap quilting, I am always sharing lots of other projects in all different techniques.  I love to paper piece, EPP, and hand applique.  I hope you choose to follow along to see what I am up to next!

 

And for those of you wondering how the quilt from the road 15 jellyroll turned out, I will be sharing that soon.  I am also making a small quilt version made from some scrappy strips.

Linking Up:

Sew Fresh Quilts

My Quilt Infatuation

Confessions of a Fabric Addict

TGIFF

Fabric Frenzy Friday

Richard and Tanya Quilts

Crazy Mom Quilts
Amy's Creative Side

Burlap Brights Block Hop and Giveaway

  Hello and welcome to 9th day of the Benartex Burlap Brights Block Hop!

 

If you are visiting for the first time, I hope you can spend a bit of time looking at some of the things I have been up to.  I design patterns, love to work in all different quilting techniques like EPP, paper piecing and hand applique and take the time to share it all here on my blog.

 

Because all quilters seem to end up with scraps, I host a fun linky party here every Sunday called Oh Scrap!  There you can always find inspiration for sewing up those bits of fabric that take up space in your sewing room.

I also have a series of quilts I call Scrap-A-Palooza.  You can see how I have been using up my scraps and turning them into beautiful quilts.  And I share the process so you can easily make your own!

But enough about me, I know many of you are here for the Block Hop.

For my regular readers who might not have heard about this event, I was asked by Benartex to design a block for their Burlap Brights fabric.

I received this cute little bundle of fat quarters in the mail.  I loved their intense colors and knew instantly I wanted to make a block that was all about the hot and cold colors.

 Here is the block I came up with.  If you are interested in seeing how it is made, the tutorial is being shared over on the Sew in Love (with Fabric) blog.  

It might look a little boring all by itself....

 ...but when you start playing with the blocks, you can create all sorts of fun patterns.

Of course I had to sew them up in the purple and the green!  Pretty huh!?

Now for a giveaway!  

If you would like a chance at one of these cute little bundles packed with color, you have two chances.

1.  First, head over to Sew in Love (with Fabric) and sign up to follow their blog by email or blog reader. Then leave me a comment letting me know that you did so. 

2.  A second chance is given to my readers (I appreciate the support!) so leave me a comment letting me know how you follow along.


***Sorry - this giveaway is closed.***
The winner is number 177 Vicki!
An email has been sent.

Please, Please, Please!  make sure you are not a no-reply commenter (or leave an email address in your comment if you’re not sure).  I cannot let you know you have won if I cannot contact you.

The giveaway is open until May 24th, 5pm PST.  Good Luck!

To see all the other great blocks made from these fabrics (and to enter more giveaways), here's the Burlap Brights Block Hop schedule:

May 11: made by ChrissieD
May 12: Mary on Lake Pulaski
May 13: Little Bunny Quilts
May 14: Debby Kratovil Quilts
May 15: KD Quilts
May 16: Benartex Design Team
May 17: Stitched Together Studios
May 18: The Crafty Quilter
May 19: Quilting is more fun than Housework
May 20: Quilty Habit
May 21: Ivory Spring

Linking Up:

Blossom Heart Quilts

QuiltStory

Sew Fresh Quilts

Oh Scrap! : RSC15 Green

I have heard it is not easy being green but I had no problems sewing up this month's blocks for the Rainbow Scrap Challenge with So Scrappy.   In fact, I think these are my favorite blocks so far.

I decided to go with medium greens.  I am not sure how big I am going to make this quilt and I thought this shade of green worked well with all of the other blocks I have finished so far.

The quilt continues to grow on my design wall.  These happy little blocks are on the wall behind my longarm so I get to look at them as I quilt.


The blocks right now would make a baby quilt.  It will still be a few more months until it is to a good size.

I shared previously that I store my 2 1/5" pre-cut squares in a drawer organizer.  This is an older picture - I now have about three of them filled.  Having these squares at the ready have made this project so simple! 

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!

<a href="http://quiltingismorefunthanhousework.blogspot.com/" target="_blank"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg54Z8EyMCoCg0j1sBoz_APBotiRQveh32vQoL2dCSO4nQFAi8du60IuUCQp3Hb18vGD8IrM0W6_vmuufImGcr4Pf2Ve2dNIWd5LbQJfyDTRjtcekT6coT7c2nSCOG_9dvjiKGVAnuTN70/s1600/Oh+Scrap+Button.jpg" alt="Quilting is more fun than Housework" width="125" height="125" /></a>

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!

An InLinkz Link-up

 

Linking Up:

Love Laugh Quilt

Patchwork Times

Cooking Up Quilts

Freemotion by the River

So Scrappy for RSC 15 

BOMs Away 

Scrap-A-Palooza! Quilt #15 Finish - Blogger's Quilt Festival

Sorry to not share this finish sooner but rather than write about this quilt twice in a short period of time, I thought I would kill two birds with one stone as they say.  The 15th Scrap-A-Palooza quilt is also going to be one of my entries into the Spring Blogger's Quilt Festival hosted by

 Amy's Creative Side.

For those new to my blog, I host a series called Scrap-A-Palooza.  About once a month, I make a new scrap quilt and share my process as I put the quilt together.  It is usually shared in four parts.  And when I finish a quilt like I am sharing today, I link up all of the past posts so you can recreate a similar quilt if you are inspired to do a little scrap busting.

This quilt started with a need to empty a few of my color bins.  They were getting a little difficult to close.

In the second post, I shared my cut sizes and block construction.  I decided to go with a simple nine patch this time around.













Then it was time to get the blocks up on the design wall and decide on a final layout.  Lots of options were provided and the finished quilt top was shared.

And now here in the finale, there are pictures of the finished quilt!  I am quite happy with it - not only did it provide a home for a number of scraps but this quilt was fast and easy to put together..

It looks so wonderful there next to my little succulent garden.

My rainbow was missing purple so I decided to add it to the back.  This older Tina Givens print that was hiding in my stash was perfect!  I didn't have quite enough so I added a strip of an orange woven which shows off the simple swirl quilting nicely.

I will be entering this quilt in the ROYGBIV category.  I cannot wait to see all of the other eye candy that will be linked up this time around.  I always discover so many great new blogs to follow.

Here are mey other entries over the years:

Fall 2013: Orange and Gray Woven Quilt

Fall 2013: Star Surround

Spring 2014: Appliqued Flowers

Spring 2014: Geese Migration

Fall 2014: Wiggle Time

Fall 2014: Vertical Scraps

If this is your first visit to my blog - thanks!  In addition to the Scrap-A-Palooza series, I host a link party every Sunday called Oh Scrap! Besides scrap quilting, I am always sharing lots of other projects in all different techniques.  I love to paper piece, EPP, and hand applique.  I hope you choose to follow along to see what I am up to next!

 

Linking Up:

Confessions of a Fabric Addict

TGIFF

Fabric Frenzy Friday

Richard and Tanya Quilts

Crazy Mom Quilts
Sew can she
Amy's Creative Side 
She Can Quilt (Scraptastic Tuesday)

Park Bench Quilt - Picnic Blocks

Last month, I decided to start working on my Park Bench Quilt (Jaybird Quilts).  I had purchased the kit from Craftsy and I made the goal to sew one or two blocks a month.  I thought I would share my progress.

The pattern contains the templates to make the quilt but cutting is so much easier if you use Jaybird Quilts' Sidekick and Hex and More rulers.  I was lucky that a good friend had both and loaned them to me to make this quilt.

I started by cutting up the fabrics for the first block.  It is the Picnic block and you end up making two.

 A very pretty green one. (Sorry, this lavender wall is not the best background.)

 And a happy one all framed in yellow.

I love these blocks so much, I wanted to display them someplace so I could enjoy them.  I decided to make some garland with them and hang them around my sewing room.

So tonight I pulled the fabric from my kit to get started on the next block. More greens and grays to be made into two Ball Game blocks.  Not sure when I will get to them but you can bet I will be showing them off once I get them finished!

Linking Up:

Sew Fresh Quilts
Freshly Pieced  

My Quilt Infatuation

BOMs Away 

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