Patchwork City Month 7

The month is almost over, which means an update on the Westside Patchwork City (affiliate link) blocks. I'm all caught up for this month, so picking up where I left off, with Month 7.

These two are, respectively, Crosswalk and Porch. Of the two, Crosswalk is my favorite. Not so sure about Porch. Don't know whether it's the block, or the fabrics I used, but it's just there. 

Do I plan to remake it? Heck no! It is what it is. Not all blocks, or quilts for that matter, can be fantastic. But I'm sure when this project is done, it will look pretty darn good!

Since I have all the fabric and blocks littering my cutting table, it's a good time to get Month 10 done. The two look fairly easy, and then it's just 5 more blocks to go! Getting so close, I might just go ahead and get 'er done!   

How about you? Have you worked on a year long project, and just gone ahead and finished it? Or have you procrastinated each month, and now have to play catch-up? Well, don't feel bad--everything has a time and a place. And with that,

Have a great day quilting!

I Spy Jars

The I Spy Jars quilt is done!

Here's a picture of some of the jars from the quilt club swap of 60 5" squares.

From those 60, I pulled out all the fabrics with animals or bugs, plus a couple that went with anything, which amounted to 20. Once those jars were made, I figured I had just enough background fabric for another row and column. But I needed 10 more animal squares. Quite a bit of digging through the stash finally yielded the squares, without having to cut into any yardage. Phew! 

With a 1" sashing in between everything, I had just enough background. As in, I have one 1 1/2" strip left. Talk about using up fabric!

Another hunt through the stash yielded a great fabric with colored dots for the borders. It's at the bottom of the picture.

Quilting was a pantograph called Dandy, which suits the jars just fine!

Lucky child that gets this one!

If you have novelty fabrics or squares to create your own I Spy Jars quilt, as they're easy snowball blocks with lids. 

Have a great day quilting!

Scrappy Japanese Jigsaw

Yeah! And another finish to report! My Scrappy Japanese Jigsaw quilt,

created in a class with Tracey Brookshier back in August. Quilted before I left on vacation, I've now had the chance to apply the binding, and finish it up.

This measures in at approximately 36" x 36". 

Though, I like the pattern, I don't like the scrappiness of this particular top. Originally, I started out using four 5" squares of the same fabric, intending to have one area of dark all the same fabric. But Tracey suggested that because I was using 5" squares, to just randomly sew lights and darks together. Sounded great--less planning, less thinking, considering all of the pressures I was under at that time. 

But once I got it all together, looking at it made my eyes bounce all over, looking for continuity. From a distance (and in the dark, ha ha!) it looks much better, as a lot of scrappy quilts do.

Once I got it quilted, with the panto Easy Peasy and silver Glide thread,

I like it better. It always amazes me how quilting changes a top, making it shine. Will I make it again? Someday, and with a better color layout plan. Do I view this one as a waste of time? No. Every quilt I make, I learn something. And with this one, four pieces of the same fabric makes a difference.

And for fun, my son's cat, Winston, supervised the photo shoot. He misses his buddy!

Happy Quilting!

Chicklettes

After having a great time making the Playtime and Naptime quilts last week, hubby once again informed me he needed another boy quilt. While looking through my stash, a little piece of fabric inspired me to make a new quilt!

Isn't this absolutely adorable? Made with Kona solids, it's bright and cheery colors remind me of that fun gum from when I was a kid. And I'm sure this quilt would make any baby smile!

Quick and easy to put together, it took me less than a day to cut and piece, and is a perfect pattern for those needing a fast and delightful quilt. 

Measuring 34.5" x 34.5".

Chicklettes has a modern quilting design of offset rectangles,

but an all-over pantograph, or designs within each block would work equally as well. So many possibilities! And too much fun!

Happy Quilting!

Naptime Quilt

Hooray! My second baby quilt, Naptime, another pattern from my October Book of the Month selection, Sew a Modern Home, (affiliate link) is finished! 

I love this quilt just as much as Playtime, the other quilt I just finished from the same book. And I'm sure any child would love sleeping under it!

Both have made me very happy, and helped jump start my quilting again since being on vacation.

But more about this quilt. I've had the sea creature fabric for a while now (did I mention I have about 4 yards?), and always wondered how to use it. Well, this pattern was perfect because it called for a large print, which is showcased well here. Cut any smaller and the creatures would be lost! 

And how about that ocean wave quilting? 

Was that ever fun! Just stitch a wavy line edge to edge, then echo back, hitting some previous dips, and echo back again. Continue that, and you've got an ocean! The back showcases it nicely.

So, would I make this again? YES! And would I make Playtime again? YES! Have to confess I almost bought some striped fabric yesterday--didn't though because I couldn't find a trim I liked with it. But when I find a great stripe or a large print, I'll be thinking of these patterns!

Have a great weekend quilting!

Playtime Quilt

Incredibly fast and incredibly cute! The Playtime quilt is done!

Using the Playtime pattern

 in the Sew a Modern Home (affiliate link) book,

a striped fabric and some ric rac, 

makes for a super easy, fun quilt! It may be cheating, but it sure is adorable, don't you think?

The wavy line quilting adds to the playfulness, which was carried into the borders.

Though the pattern does not have borders, I added the yellow 4" border to make the finished size 40" x 40", a size I prefer for baby quilts.

And on the back, a soft flannel, and the fun quilting.

Got striped fabric? Ric rac? Need a quilt in a hurry? I definitely recommend this pattern--just too cute!

Happy Quilting!

Dia de los Muertos Cat

Several months ago, I participated in my first mini swap through Instagram. Hosted by a member of my guild, the theme was Halloween. The hostess gave each one of us the name of another participant, along with their fabric and Halloween theme likes and dislikes. Then we were to make a mini, under 24", for this person, and this is what I sent.

My fellow swapper liked the same fabrics as me: orange, purple, black, green, and silver. But she also liked vintage Halloween images, and Dia de los Muertos, two styles which are totally out of my range. What to do? Well, it helped that she also liked cats and spiders.

Googling some Day of the Dead photos, I got an idea to make a cat face in that style. Finding a floral fabric which I could apply small bits of fusible to and cut out,

supplied all of the pieces for decoration.

Freehanding a cat head onto fusible, then ultimately on to a white fabric, bits and pieces of the floral fabric were placed around the face.

After carefully fusing everything down, the cat face was fused to a black piece which had a small edging and the ears. My only mistake was having so many layers of fusible--wish I had cut out the centers to leave a 1/4" edge of fusible. Live and learn!

Now the whole head is fused to an orange mottled piece, and everything gets stitched down with black thread, to add emphasis. 

A simple border of her favorite Halloween colors was added, with some skeleton fabric squares in the corners. Stitch in the ditch quilting was all that was required here.

As for the background, it got a spider web, after drawing it on Golden Threads Quilting Paper, 

so that everything would line up. I sent her some spider buttons, with her choice as to where to place a spider. Add a with a fun orange polka dot binding, some tabs for hanging, a label, and it's done! FYI, it measures around 12" square.

Now, a different person made a mini for me, using my favorite colors, and of course, cats.

Adorable! I currently have it topping one of my tables in the living room, which is now full of all things fall--lots of orange in there! Even though I don't wear orange well (pink girl--if you hadn't noticed!), I love the reds, oranges, and yellows of fall! That's my New England childhood coming through.

Have a great day quilting!

October 2015 Book of the Month

Drum roll please--the October Book of the Month honor goes to Sew a Modern Home (affiliate link) by Melissa Lunden!

A book with a wide variety of projects, it was the two baby quilt patterns that attracted me. Being that hubby told me before we left for Germany that he needs two baby boy quilts, the pressure is on. Both patterns look to be fairly quick and easy, and a hunt through my stash uncovered a print and some ricrac I've been wanting to use. The first pattern, Naptime,

uses large prints. I've chosen this cute fish print, along with blue dots, and a lively green for sashing. Fish on this print are 2-4 inches in size, so I think it should work.

The other pattern is Playtime,

which uses a stripe and some ribbon. I have a pretty blue stripe left over from a t-shirt quilt back, and bright yellow ricrac. 

This one should be fun!

Tomorrow I'll start cutting and sewing, as the day is free to spend in the studio. Can't wait!

Happy Quilting!