On a Roll Here!

Last weekend I wrapped up my second project this year.
I started Piece of Cake 3 (Designed by Camille Roskelley for Thimble blossoms) last November during my Modern Quilt Guild retreat.

I struggled at first with the fabric (Salt Air by Cosmo Cricket for Moda) because, although I loved most of the prints, it had some bubble prints that just threw me off. On top of that, it felt like the layercake had SOOOOO many of those bubble prints.. It was driving me batty and was a joke at the retreat. Me and my bubbles.

With a pattern like this, where it's made exclusively with a layer cake and some background, you have little choice but use the full layer cake and cross your fingers hoping that in the grand scheme of things you won't focus on the gazillion bubbles.

I must say, I no longer see the bubbles. LOL!

I debated at first with the large border print since I found it very busy. So, I decided to give the eye a place to rest, and added the inner border (which is the same as the background print)  around the whole quilt instead of just the top and bottom as the pattern dictated. This gives the illusion of the blocks floating (which is why it's called floating the blocks) and now the border is not so heavy on the quilt.

It ended up a little bigger than the pattern at 66.5 X 78.5.

I picked up a nice flannel back and a solid red for the binding. Looking forward to getting this one quilted so I can swap out my Piece of Cake 2 that has a permanent residency on my sofa.

Enjoy your weekend!!!

First Finish of 2014

I'm so excited to have completed my first quilt this year. It has been over 6 months since I finished a large quilt so I was a bit edgy and needed a finish.

I fell in love with this quilt as soon as I saw it on the cover of the October 2011 issue of American Patchwork and Quilting (the quilt was called Star Formation in the magazine). I knew I wanted to make it immediately but it wasn't until I signed up for a class with Paula Barnes that I got the push to actually make it.

It is a very easy pattern but sometimes you need that push, that sew a long feeling, to get you moving on a project.
I started my blocks in class, but didn't get moving on it until I went to the Modern Quilt Guild retreat last November where I completed 25 of the 50 blocks in the quilt

Then it went back in the bin until my January retreat where I completed the other 25 blocks. I would have finished the quilt there but I realized that I had not prewashed my background and sashing fabric. I do tend to prewash most of my prints and with all the other fabrics prewashed I chose to wait.

As soon as that fabric came out of the laundry I started putting it all together.

It was so large that I had to piece one half first.... 

and then the other... 

After both halves were done I just put it all together. 

I am loving the piece. 

Now I'm on the lookout of some coordinating fabric for the backing. I am looking forward to getting this one quilted.

I have a couple of other projects that are mid way through that I want to wrap up before I start another project from scratch but wtith the Dallas Quilt show just a week away... I think I might need to buy another Red Crinoline quilt Kit to work on.

This pattern was first published through American Patchwork and Quilting but Red Crinoline has since published it as a stand alone pattern. You can find it here: Regimental Stars

BTW: So sorry for the quality of the pictures on this post. I took all of them with my phone.

Leap Year

At this rate I will post the least amount of times this year than any year I have had my blog.
I have been a bit uninspired lately and even after returning from Quilt Market last month, I still have not felt very inclined to get going on a project or finishing anything.

I did get SOMETHING finished in May. It was a Schnibble my sister from the Pumpkin Patch asked me to make for her as a sample for a few kits she was cutting.

After a few false starts and re-evaluating the sashing print, I finally got the project off the ground. Schnibbles (designs by Miss Rosie's Quilt Co) are patterns that lead to some nice immediate gratification.

I had the blocks done in no time at all.

A bit of sashing...

And a thin border, you can call this complete.

I pulled out a stencil I ordered last year from Urban Elementz (LOVE their quilting stencils/pantos), and started marking the top for quilting.

These stencils are so nice, and easy to follow.

I was done in no time and ready to attach the binding.

I love how it turned out but after the finish, I was still feeling a bit uninspired. I think I need to finish something more substantial and the last few things I have done have all been small wallhangings or table toppers. I have sooo many projects to chose from but can't decide what to bite into. Maybe next weekend will be better.

I'll post this week about my trip to Market. Talk about inspiration!

Lil' Baskets

At the Dallas quilt show, earlier this month I picked up a couple of kits. One of them was a small quilt designed by Lori Smith. The quilt is called Grandmother's Baskets and it's about 16" x 20".

I thought it was the cutest thing and had to give it a go.

I made the 12 mini baskets from fabric to finish in about 4 hours.

This past weekend I decided to finish it. 

I wasn't crazy about the tan that came in the kit but decided to go with it and not lose sleep over it.

In no time at all, the top was finished! 

Since I had some "extra" time, I thought I'd just quilt it too. 

I'm not brave enough to do it on my own,
so I marked it with that FriXion pen everyone raves about. 

Sooo easy! 

After the main quilting was done, I thought I'd add a few "big stitches" to this small quilt.
 I loved the whole big stitch process, I just struggled with the hoop... it was definitely the right size, but for some reason I struggled with getting the stitches on the needle. I guess I need to practice more.

After all my experimenting, I finally attached the binding. It's only waiting for me to stitch the binding down but I thought I'd leave that for when I traveled in a few weeks. Gives me something to do on the plane.
BTW: The fabric in the kit is from Minick and Simpson's new line for Moda - Indigo Crossing

Fly Away Home update.

Do you remember that movie with a young Anna Paquin called Fly Away home? I always think of it when I make a truckload of flying geese. Thought I'd mention it in case there are other people like me out there... sort of freaky people... like me.
No?
Okay.
Onto your regularly scheduled blog entry for today...

This weekend I worked on my traditionally modern quilt. 

Lots of flying geese.

Lot's of Gray...

I played around with my sewing machine's stitches to see if I could find one I saw over at Camille Roskelley's blog. 

Found one that is comparable. I planned on using this one to quilt the piece until my machine died on me over the weekend. That's right, it died. Just stopped chugging along, made a little sad face but refused to acknowledge my attempts of revival... I had to pull my spare... that doesn't have a straight forward stitch to match.  I need to test a few stitches on this 'new' machine and hopefully I can find something I can work with. 

I'm in need of some serious pep talks, so feel free to let me know how you get excited over the quilting process. Tips are welcomed. Going to use my walking foot and plan on doing some squiggly lines on it. I am debating on doing a design on the geese units. Throw out your ideas. 

Anyway. I need to work on the backing. I hate backing. Who decided that you had to make the back of a quilt as interesting as the front? I'm so creatively exhausted with the front I just want to slap on whatever for the back and move on. Then afterwards I look at the fun stuff out there and say, I could have done that... NOT. 

What is the worse part of the process for you? My daughter HATES borders. I don't mind them, but I go brain dead thinking on the backing.

Border, Borders and More Borders.

My two finishes in January were WIPs from 2012.

I had been dragging along my petite four for about 6 months...

It was missing a border. Two borders actually.
It traveled to New England in August with the potential borders.. one got put on at that point.
Then it went to retreat in November, where the next border was auditioned and failed. Finally, after a few more tries, it went to the January retreat where it was finished! This quilt started a few years ago when I decided I needed a traveling project.. lots of baskets with handles to practice my hand applique stitching. It definitely traveled quite a bit.

My second finish this year did not linger as much as Petit Four but had just as many border auditions, if not more...

I had put on the first border during retreat in November, but I had to wait for some more fabric to continue the trial and error process.

I must say the last inside border was the most difficult since I had used most of the fabrics I had brought to the retreat but I refused to leave with it unfinished!

I'm so happy I worked through that last inner border and was able to finish it.

This is my first FINISHED machine applique project. It really worked wonders on my confidence to tackle more like this. Which means I just might get some use out of the truckloads of Blackbird design and Kim Diehl books I have in the closet!!!

Quilty Friends on Retreat

It was that time of year! January arrived and my much anticipated quilt guild retreat arrived with it. I say it every year, but it deserves a resell, this retreat is my favorite.

This year was more special than most because my daughter flew in to join me. It was a long weekend (Thursday - Sunday) of quilty friends and inspiration.

Here are a few things I saw...

Can you beleive the above quilt is the result of a round robin? I told the owner that I needed to be part of her round robin group. It is just breathtaking.

This quilt was started last year and it was completed during this retreat. 

Rachel came to retreat for one day but was able to finish her Swoon quilt.

Although Xmas was over, we had a few getting a jump start for this year's quilts.

This quilt was a mound of fabric when it arrived on Thursday. 

She finished the whole quilt during the retreat. I was super impressed.

This is in my life bucket. It the center of the quilt called Phebe by Di Ford. 

I bought the pattern as soon as I saw it because it was a dream quilt.

Seeing someone actually working on it really inspired me to dust mine off.

Then there were our projects...

Nyshma was inspired to finish a quilt that had been banging around in her head for a while. 

The above was what it looked like.

The final quilt. 

She has sent it off to be quilted so it can be put in the special exhibit on Modern Quilting at the Dallas Quilt Show in March.

I actually finished two quilts while at retreat. But I'll leave that for my next post.
:)