Patchwork City Month 6

Just where has the month of September gone??? A fun family vacation in Germany, and moving my younger son into college 800 miles away, that's where. I have some great memories, but feel completely exhausted! Tired out by five pm, I make myself wait till eight to go to bed. If that sounds really early to you, keep in mind I'm up by five am to work out. What matters is eight hours of blessed sleep!

So, with that in mind, there has been little in the way of quilting in my house. But I still have Patchwork City blocks to show, and a few projects to start and, of course, finish. Without further ado, I present Patchwork City (affiliate link) month 6!

Called Donut Hole and Mixed Use, these two were really fun and easy to assemble. I could see these used in multiples in a larger quilt, can't you?

And tomorrow is October 1st, which means another Book of the Month, and all things Halloween! I'm slowly transforming the house over to oranges and reds--the Pumpkat Patch table runner is in place

and pumpkins decorate the front of the house. Still need to put out the pumpkin placemats, and a few wall hangings, then we'll be in the spirit! Later in the week, I'll show what I made for a Halloween mini swap, and the sweet wall hanging I received in exchange. Until then, 
Happy Quilting!

Patchwork City Month 5

And another installment of Patchwork City (affiliate link) blocks. Month 5 features Duplex and Intercom.

Rooftops on Duplex were paper pieced, then add to the other parts. Intercom was strip pieced, but tricky getting all the seams to match. They're a bit wobbly upon close inspection, but will do.

These two are okay, nothing super special for me. What do you think?

Hope your having a great time following along!

Patchwork City Month 4

Well, this was supposed to have posted in mid-September. Guess I didn't hit the publish button! So, have you tired of the Patchwork City (affiliate link) blocks yet? Hope not - there's still more to come!

The fourth month featured these two,

Roadblock and Drawbridge. 

So far, these two have been the most difficult to make. Roadblock was paper pieced for those nice, sharp points. Drawbridge was partially strip pieced, and guessed at to get it put together. Not my favorites. What more can I say?

Happy Quilting!

Patchwork City Month 3

Ready for another Patchwork City (affiliate link) set of blocks?

For the third month, it's Streetlight and Apartment. 

Both normally pieced, no paper, no strips. Of these two, I absolutely love Apartment! I don't know whether it's the block design or my color choices, but I really like that block! Would love to see it bigger, used as either the only block or combined with something else in a quilt. Very cool!

Has this inspired you yet?

Happy Quilting!

Patchwork City Month 2

Here's another set of blocks from Patchwork City, (affiliate link) my book of the month choice.

Called Favorite Sweater and Intercom, these where both strip pieced, then carefully sewn to match the points.

Favorite Sweater is one of the blocks that breaks the chartreuse theme. But like I said, that's okay! Of these two, I like them both, no favorites here!

Are you inspired to try some blocks yet?

Happy Quilting!

Patchwork City Month 1

Today I show the first two blocks that I did back in January from the book Patchwork City. (affiliate link)

This is how they will look on the chosen background, 

and this it what they look like in general.

Called Forest Park and Elevator, you can see by the ruler how tiny they are. Back then, I was thinking, 'What did I get myself into?' Of the two, I like Elevator, both for it's design and color placement. We'll see what fabric combo I come up with next!

Happy Quilting!

September 2015 Book of the Month

Though a couple days late, I haven't forgotten about the September Book of the Month. This month, I'm featuring Patchwork City (affiliate link) by Elizabeth Hartman.

I've actually been working on the blocks since January, quilting along with two friends who are participating in the Block of the Month project sponsored by Intrepid Thread. And of course, with my propensity to be different, I didn't sign up to receive a monthly 'chosen for me' pack of fabric, nor am I making the blocks with modern prints, nor am I making them to size. Oh, no, not me!

I have to be different. As a fellow quilter says, there always has to be one that does it their way! That's me, in case you haven't noticed how I've altered some existing patterns.

So, I decided to use a print for the background, specifically this one I've had in my stash.

Plenty of color to work with there! 

Ah, but notice the scale. Rather tiny. Well, I guess that would call for smaller blocks. It just so happens that the patterns for the square blocks in the book have small diagrams, which are perfect to use as patterns for little blocks. We're talking under 4 inches square to be exact. Think Dear Jane!

To top it off, I decided to use solids with one print in all blocks, plus a small bit of chartreuse in each block. As I've gone along, I've broken these two themes a couple times, but overall, I don't think it will matter. 

Is that different enough??? Over the next couple weeks, I'll post the blocks in pairs for each month they were made. At this point, I've only got eight more to make, so this 'little' project is well on it's way. It's my 'Patchwork Suburb'!

Happy Quilting!

Pumpkat Patch Table Runner

So excited to show the project I've secretly worked on over the last few weeks. And it turned out beautifully, if I do say so myself! 

Introducing my Pumpkat Patch table runner, complete with a pattern to make your own.

Finishing at 20" x 59", and bursting with fall colors, this runner brightens any room in the house! And who could resist the kitty hiding in this pumpkin patch? 

Made with 2" squares, half square triangles, and a couple trapezoids, this runner sews together easily. Stitch in the ditch and simple quilting adds the final touch.

The kitty face is quilted, though buttons for eyes could easily be used.

The background is a triple crosshatch, adding texture without detracting from the pumpkins.

Now that the fall season is upon us, I'm thrilled to have this decorate my home. To make your own Pumpkat Patch runner, a downloadable pdf file is available at Etsy. Just click on the pink text to take you there.

Happy Quilting!