Teaginny Designs

Brrr! Baby Quilt and Giveaway

2012-02-01T12:01:00.000-08:00

I feel really lucky that Laurie Wisbrun gave me the opportunity to work with her new fabrics, and I had tons of fun making the quilt and pillow I shared yesterday. I knew I wanted to make something to giveaway with the rest of the fabric, so I made this strip quilt for Project Linus. It is 41 x 52 inches.

Strip quilts are easy to make and sew up so quickly. They are great for featuring fun prints, like these polar bears. Add some straight line quilting, and you're good to go. Easy and cute, they are a great option for making quilts for little ones.

I hope this is just the first of several quilts I can donate this year!
And that's not all I get to giveaway today! The folks at Robert Kaufman gave me a fat quarter set of the full fabric line to give to one of you. Just leave a comment, and I'll select a winner, randomly, Monday morning. If I can't contact you via a valid email address, I'll choose another winner. Good luck!

Brrr! Quilt and Pillow

2012-01-31T13:20:00.000-08:00

I knew I wanted to pair the Brrr! Laurie Wisbrun and Robert Kaufman sent me, with some Kona solids. I pulled Kona red, jade green, aqua, medium grey, and white, as well as some prints from my stash. I edited this stack as I started piecing. I found that the darker gray and blacks were overpowering the others, so out they went. Prints with a lot of white were great coordinates, and I love a good stripe and dot.

I wanted to keep the quilt really simple to feature the large polar bear dots fabric. You can cut one bear dot from a 3 1/2 inch square or four dots from a 6 1/2 inch square. I made a classic patchwork throw with 6 inch squares (finished). I think fabric choice is what makes or breaks this style of quilt, and I mostly happy with my choices.

The quilt is 54 x 66 which is a great size for a couch quilt. I backed it with Ruby gray scallop in flannel. This is super snugly!

And this pillow is actually the first idea that came to my mind when I saw the fabrics.

I don't know why, but I just thought the bears wanted to take a rocket ship to the moon. Hopefully Laurie will appreciate the whimsy of this piece as much as my boys do. I added some hand stitched details to the ship with pieces of selvage for fun. The moon rocks are machine quilted with a pebble design and I added some stars in the sky.

I used the freezer paper applique method and stitched it down with my machine. The little portals/windows were done the same way but reverse applique.

The back of the pillow is just as cute with larger pieces of my two favorite prints.

Come back tomorrow for one last little Brrr! project and a giveaway!

Feathered Nests

2012-01-28T15:03:00.000-08:00

I finally got my quilt back from Stitch, and I'm excited to show you a few more shots of it. Thanks to my husband for holding up the quilt on a very chilly, windy day.

My quilt was in the Feather Your Nest section of the magazine. I chose Valorie Wells' Nest fabrics, along with some coordinates. See Aunt June's feather fabric there on the right in lime? Perfect! I used a big panel of the feature fabric on the back of the quilt.

Angela Walters brought out the theme brilliantly in the quilting. Can you see she quilted a few of the shoo fly blocks as nests, complete with eggs in the center? The other blocks are done with beautiful feathered shapes and pebble quilting.

You can see it more clearly on the back. Angela's quilting took this quilt to a completely different level. Thank you, Angela!

You can read more about this quilt and the block I designed for it here, here, and here.

Scrappy Bibs

2012-01-24T12:49:00.000-08:00

I've been pondering how to use the lovely stacks of squares I created from my scraps. A pillow? A granny square quilt (just posted today and now on my must make list!)? Then I remembered a pattern I bought a bit ago that I've been wanting to try. The Best Bib by JCasa handmade is perfect for these squares because it calls for a 10 x 10 piece of fabric. Twenty-five squares later you are ready to cut out your bib, or bibs in my case. I couldn't stop with one!

This is the perfect scrap project. I used the squares for the top, scrap batting in the middle, larger scraps for the backs and scraps of bindings for the tie. Such a good feeling.

This is also the perfect project to practice your free motion quilting. It's small and you're done in no time. Go ahead and try out some new designs. I quilted each bib differently. I love the leaves and vines. My hearts need more work.

These make me pretty happy, and they need to be together, don't you think? The set is now in my shop.

A First

2012-01-20T11:44:00.000-08:00

Today I get to share a big first for me - my first quilt pattern published in a print magazine. My quilt appears in Stitch, Spring 2012. It is very cool to see it in print, as I haven't seen it since I mailed it away in August. When I get the quilt back, I'll take lots of photos to show you the incredible quilting Angela did on it. I'm sorry to see that the magazine seems to have overlooked giving her credit as the quilter, but anyone who sees this quilt will know someone amazing worked on it. More pics to illustrate that soon.

You may remember this shoo fly quilt design from my shoo fly blocks using Good Folks fabric. This one is in my WIP pile awaiting my attention.

Now that you've seen it in two different color ways, I hope you're thinking of how it might look in your own fabrics. This modified shoo fly block uses stitch and flip corners to reduce the number of pieces and seams in each block. If you choose, you can create HSTs from the trimmed corners and make a baby quilt with them, like I did. This block is oversize, so it's great for fat quarters and larger scale prints. The quilt finishes at 60 x 90. I'd love to see what you make from the pattern.

Focus on Free Motion Quilting

2012-01-19T07:01:00.000-08:00

My friend, Vicki, from Sew Inspired is doing a month long Focus on Free Motion Quilting. She was kind enough to ask me to do a guest post on the topic. Head over to see my two cents, and check out the posts by other quilty bloggers.

Birdie Sling

2012-01-14T17:57:00.000-08:00

I know I'm a little late to the Birdie Sling party; just about all my crafty friends have made one or two. Here is my version. I made it at 75% size, since I like a smaller bag, and I used a Good Folks print and shot cotton. I wish I could find more of that fabric.

I used two layers of fusible fleece as interfacing, which turned out to be overkill (unless you want your bag to stand on its own). Next time I'll use just one layer and include a magnetic closure. I've already picked my fabrics for Birdie number two.

Herringbone Baby Quilt

2012-01-09T12:23:00.000-08:00

My gray and teal scraps turned into a herringbone quilt, made minimalist. I generally followed these instructions by Rachel, although my strips were 2 1/2 inches wide, and I made my half block 6 1/2 x 24. If you'd like to try a herringbone block, I suggest marking the angle of the strips in your first block with masking tape on your ruler. Then flip the ruler to be sure the angles match on the other strips before your trim them.

I did some straight line quilting to echo the herringbone shape of the piecing. I paired the prints in Kona Coal, and I got to use two Shades of Gray prints on the back that I've been saving for just the right project (notice, one of them is a herringbone print!).

I love the contrast of the icy aqua binding, set off by one little strip of teal.

I think this quilt would look amazing photographed against a snowy backdrop, but I'm not complaining about the unseasonably warm January we've had so far!

This is a good sized baby quilt at 42 x 49, and it is listed in my shop.
With the trimmings from the herringbone blocks, I made another mug rug for my Dad. I love this color palette for guys!

Scrapping the New Year

2012-01-05T16:43:00.000-08:00

While I'm waiting for solids to arrive for my Brrr! project, I started sorting through my scraps. There's a lot of scrap talk going around these days in the blog world. There's the Scrap Attack and the Sew Scraps Along. I wonder if this is the fabric version of the new year's resolutions. We want to be disciplined and good and frugal. :) Whatever the reason, I'm all for sewing with scraps. I love it, big time. But my bins were getting a little unwieldy. Some advice from Carla came to mind. She cuts her scraps into strips and squares of certain sizes, so they are readily usable at any time.

So I've been working on cutting my scraps into 2.5 inch squares and strips. I also stowed a ton of random width strips for some wonky log cabins and whatnot. I've left the larger scraps intact, since they are useful for small projects, like dumplings, but cutting the rest down really got my bins under control.

And it seems Carla is right. I saw those neatly cut strips waiting there for me, and they needed to be made into something. And it was so easy to do, because they were already cut!

Back with more on that later. I'm sure there are lots of fantastic scrappy projects on the horizon. What about you? Are you joining in?

Brrr!

2012-01-03T12:35:00.000-08:00

Have you seen the sneak peek of Laurie Wisbrun's newest line, Brrr! coming out this summer? Polar bears, wintery colors, dotty stripe? Laurie, and the folks at Robert Kaufman, were kind enough to send me some to play with. I've been a fan of Laurie's work for some time. I really like the whimsical, quirky quality of her prints. Remember the donkey is wellies? This line adds the graphic element of oversized dots to the mix, which makes it even more fun.

Well, as you can see, there are more than a few fans of the fabric at my house already. I'm excited to get started on a project with it this week. I've got some to share with one of you too, so check back.

Stay warm!

A Look Back

2011-12-30T19:52:00.000-08:00

Would you believe I had to google how to make these mosaics again, after I had it all figured out last year? Luckily, it is super easy. Here is a look back at some of my quilts from 2011.

1. Deep Blue Sea, Baby Quilt, 2. paper boat mini, 3. Good Folks Baby Quilt, 4. Baby Makes Three Quilt, 5. doll towerall, 6. Roe Baby Quilt, 7. wonky kites, 8. Four Square, 9. sea glass wall hanging, 10. ticker tape rainbow, 11. scrap rainbow, 12. Lemon Sorbet Baby Quilt, 13. Summer Citrus Baby Quilt, 14. kaleidoscope quilt, 15. midwest metro link, 16. Plus Baby Girl Quilt

I has a lot of fun with other sewing projects too, and here are some of them.

1. drawstring bag for my WIPs, 2. New Ruffled Wristlet, 3. E-reader Cover, 4. jane market bag and perfect zipper bags, 5. Voile Infinity Scarf, 6. cell phone case, 7. log cabin potholder , 8. stegosaurus tee, 9. kidlet, 10. Doggy's new bed, 11. Falling Leaves Runner and Placemats, 12. wonky zigzag pillow, 13. pojagi panel 1, 14. Lemon Sorbet doll quilt with piggy, 15. apron in an hour, 16. Solid Hexagon Pillow

I have some exciting things to share in the coming weeks. Hope to see you then! Happy New Year!

One for the Road

2011-12-23T09:05:00.000-08:00

We're just about to head out for our holiday travels, and I want to take some hand work along. Jeni's drawstring bag is perfect to hold my WIPs.

The body of the bag is a special Koseki print, paired with Circa 1934 dots and numbers inside, with Heath strings.

I'm filling the bag with my English paper piecing project. Maybe I'll make some progress over the break.

Have a safe holiday season, and merry Christmas!

Dumplings

2011-12-20T19:58:00.000-08:00

Just a few last minute gifts.

These little zipper pouches, called dumplings, are made from a free tutorial from Keyka Lou, and as always, her instructions are easy to follow with great step by step photos. I love how they are finished inside - no exposed seams or raw edges. I've made several more since, and they have already been gifted to friends.

Good luck with your last minute sewing!

New and Improved Ruffled Wristlets

2011-12-17T11:30:00.000-08:00

I made my first ruffled wristlets and tutorial over a year ago, and they have been handy gifts for family, teachers, etc. I made several more this Christmas, and I came up with some improvements to the pattern. For starters, I'm hosting the new tutorial on google documents, which may be easier for some to access than scribd. It's certainly easier for me to upload that way. You can find it here:
New Ruffled Wristlets Tutorial

The new construction technique is what I'm most excited to share with you. I've finished the circle of the wristlet completely, so there are no raw edges. I've also created the ruffle from a single strip of fabric, rather than two as in the old tute. Finally, I made the loop larger. It is easy to slide on and off, even for those with larger hands. You can even adjust the size of the loop slightly in one of the final steps.

I hope you like it and find it improved and easy to download. I'd love to see any wristlets you make!

Deep Blue Sea, Baby Quilt

2011-12-11T13:08:00.000-08:00

Well, as I promised, here is the baby quilt version of Sailing Weather, my paper boat mini, in a much more saturated color palette. It has a different feel right? I had tons of fun making this.

For the paper boat, I used the newsprint from Annie's Farmstand. I enlarged the paper template I created to fit the scale of the quilt.

For the sun, I used the six minute circle technique, which is a way to do reverse applique by machine. I pieced the sun with little 1 inch squares.

The binding is Kona Grass, and the backing is a dot from DS Quilts. I free motion quilted the top with curly waves in the sea and puffy clouds and swirly winds in the sky.

The quilt is approximately 36 x 42, and ~~it is listed in my shop.~~ sold

E-reader Cover Made Masculine

2011-12-06T07:53:00.000-08:00

I love the cover I made yesterday for my e- reader, but I wanted to make another version for my dad. I knew it needed to be very masculine if I want him to actually use it. I think I accomplished that goal.

I used suiting material and essex linen. I like the simple strap across the top, and I used french seams to keep everything tidy inside and out. Two layers of fusible fleece provide the padding. Now he'll be all set to read on the go.

Christmas Came Early

2011-12-05T13:38:00.000-08:00

A certain online seller sent my gift with the name of the e-reader on the box, and since the surprise was gone, I got my Christmas gift early. Yeah! I whipped up this super simple cover.

Isn't the book fabric perfect? It is from the Victoria and Albert Museum collection, along with Essex linen and a print from Mini Mike.

I need to make another cover for my Dad, since he got the same gift. I think I'll try a strap closure on his.

Bag Sewing

2011-12-02T07:37:00.000-08:00

My paper boat baby quilt is ready for quilting, but I've got some Christmas gifts to get in the mail first. A family member asked for a few totes, and I decided to buy the Jane Market Bag pattern, after seeing so many great ones on flickr. I used Outside Oslo home dec weight fabric for the body, and I paired it with Joel Dewberry's Aviary 2. They go together perfectly.

The tote is a great size for groceries, books, anything you need to tote really. I like that it stands on it's own too (if you use some fusible fleece as the interfacing).

With the scraps from my market bag, literally, I made these two zipper bags, from Elizabeth's pattern. She uses a unique process to insert the zipper, and it worked beautifully. This is the best my zippers have ever looked.

More Christmas gifts to make. Does anyone else want to keep one of each item they are making? That's really slowing me down. :)

Paper Boat Mini Quilt

2011-11-26T08:26:00.000-08:00

Did you ever make paper boats as a child? I drafted my own paper pieced pattern for this tiny boat and used a print from Hometown that reminded me of newsprint.

The water is a scallop from Spa, and I quilted it to resemble ocean swells. It's a windy day, and this whimsical boat is sailing away.

I had a lot of fun with this mini (14 x 17). Next up, a baby quilt version in more saturated colors.

Thanksgiving

2011-11-24T07:40:00.000-08:00

I hope you all have a wonderful Thanksgiving Day (or weekend, if you're not in the US).

I finished this fall tree pillow just in time for the end of autumn. I added my leaves after I sandwiched the top with batting, so I was able to quilt it as I went. I think it adds some nice texture.

Voile Infinity Scarves

2011-11-21T08:01:00.000-08:00

I've started some Christmas sewing, and scarves are a great, one-size-fits-all gift. These infinity scarves are made from super soft voile and shot cotton.

I used Little Folks voile by Anna Maria Horner. I just love these prints

The fun thing about infinity scarves is you can wear them so many ways. I like mine looped three times. They look elegant and dramatic draped twice around the neck. I used Lauren's tutorial to make these; the only change I made was to shorten the length a few inches.

The lipstick shot cotton on this one is so pretty!
I made a few as gifts, and I put these three in my shop, just in time for Christmas shopping.

Cell Phone Case

2011-11-15T14:52:00.000-08:00

My tiny, out of date cell phone finally has a case (just in time to be replaced? maybe? for Christmas?). I made this using a great pattern by Keyka Lou. Really, all her patterns are easy to follow with lots of pictures for each step.

I used scraps of County Fair home decor fabric leftover from this purse and a vintage button. The only change I made to the pattern was to use fusible fleece rather than interfacing. It gives it a nice weight and padding for the next time my poor phone gets dropped.

The pattern comes in two sizes; this is the small version. And since the patten is a pdf, I can easily print out the larger size, should I need it. Soon?

Fun with Jersey Knit

2011-11-13T13:08:00.000-08:00

There are so many tutorials online for fun projects with jersey knit, so when I found a pretty teal knit on sale, I decided to try out a couple. The first is a scarf I bookmarked ages ago by Make It and Love It. It is super simple and quick to make. This scarf is so soft and comfortable, let me tell you!

And check out this no-sew bracelet. Cute, right? The video tutorial by Vanessa is good for visual learners.

I bought 2 1/2 yards of knit fabric, which is enough to make 3 scarfs and several bracelets, making them very economical gifts. Of course, I'll need to get more jersey knit now, since I want to keep these two for myself. And I want to make more in some other pretty colors too.

Good Folks Baby Quilt

2011-11-09T19:33:00.000-08:00

I finished up the baby quilt made from the trimmed HST from this quilt. With the quilting, I emphasized the zigzag shape in the solid, and I tried a free motion design within the diamonds.

I love the colors against the gray and that I get to showcase every fabric from my treasured Good Folks collection in one place.

This was my first time binding a quilt with shot cotton, and it is perfect for binding - so lightweight and soft. The color is Lipstick.

Another first for me with this quilt was a flannel backing. For some reason I thought flannel would be hard to quilt, but it was no different than quilting cotton. And it feels so great! Very cuddly for this baby quilt. It is another Anna Maria Horner fabric, from her Folksy Flannel line. I really like how many of her fabrics, from various lines, coordinate well.

This baby quilt finished at 39 x 39.

One More

2011-11-04T12:30:00.000-07:00

It seems I spoke too soon about being done with log cabins for a while. I had forgotten about my guild's log cabin potholder swap with the PMQG. I made a modern, random log cabin for my partner. She didn't list color preferences, so I made it with some of my favorites.

This Amy Butler print was perfect for the back.

I'm looking forward to seeing all the other potholders made for the swap at our meeting next week.

Baby Makes Three Quilt

2011-11-01T19:08:00.000-07:00

This is the final installment of my log cabin obsession, for now. It has been fun to play with different numbers of blocks and various amounts of negative space in this quilt, as well as this one and this one. I like the minimalist feeling of the quilts. Using only a few blocks, set off by a wide solid space, focuses the eye on the fabrics and shapes in those few blocks.

It has also allowed me to feature some squared off free motion quilting and a scrappy binding. I used binding strips left over from three other projects. There is the Hope Valley stripe, Kona berry, and Kona coal. The solid in the quilt itself is Kona ash.

The backing is a great Erin McMorris print with happy pinks and purples. I think it adds a a whimsical, feminine touch to the quilt.

This baby quilt finished at 37 x 45 and is available in my shop.

In Progress

2011-10-29T11:55:00.000-07:00

I finally finished trimming up the HSTs leftover from this quilt top.

I arranged them simply into a baby quilt. I'm planning to quilt it to accentuate the zigzag that is formed in the negative space.

This is now the fifth quilt top I have awaiting quilting. Better move these WIPs along.

Fabric Dyeing Workshop

2011-10-23T12:42:00.000-07:00

There are so many talented ladies in my quilt guild, and this weekend I was privileged to learn from yet another one. Kim Eichler-Messmer is a professor at the Kansas City Art Institute. She makes wonderful quilts, many inspired by the midwest landscape, and she uses all her own hand-dyed fabrics. She generously offered to do a workshop on fabric dyeing for a lucky few guild members (okay, I'll admit, I was sitting next to her at the guild meeting when she had the signup sheet, and I may have taken advantage of that).

We met in her studio space and dove right in. Kim taught us how to do three different dyeing techniques. Here are my low water immersion and solid shade dyed fabrics.

Next, Kim showed us how to do a gradation dye. She uses this technique a lot in her work, and I can see why! I did a two color gradation from yellow to turquoise.

Dreamy!

The whole day was such a treat. Many thanks to Kim for sharing her space and her expertise with us!

An Homage

2011-10-19T12:19:00.000-07:00

This doll quilt is an homage to Lauren of Aunt June fame. Or rather, to my favorite quilt of hers.

My towerall is much smaller, but otherwise a shameless copy of the original. I had permission though. Lauren was kind enough to show me how to create the towerall from strips in one of her Improv Studio classes at Harper's (if you're local to KC, you should try to catch one of these - a new improv technique each month).

I did some heavy quilting on this, and boy did it distort the top. It seems spray baste is no match for this kind of texture. I had to trim it a ton to square it up in the end. Maybe I should have pinned it a bunch too.

I backed it with a vintage sheet, 'cause that's how Aunt June rolls. This one is staying with me!

Personalized Shirts - Two Ways

2011-10-18T13:37:00.000-07:00

I discovered, when my son turned three, that kids love shirts with their age on them. It's a way to tell everyone how old they are now. I think it's only cool with the 10 and under set, but with them - great birthday gift. I've made them each year for my own boys, their friends and family. Here is one I made today for a little cousin who has his first birthday coming up on Halloween. I used the traditional fusible web, machine applique method.

I've been wanting to give reverse applique with knits a go, so I tried it out on a stegosaurus shirt for my five year old. And I've found my new favorite way to personalize tees. It's so easy, since raw edges are no problem with knit fabrics.

There are a lot of tutorials on the web describing this method, but here's a brief run down of what I think it the quickest way to go. Trace your image onto freezer paper. Iron the paper to the front of the shirt. Use spray baste to temporarily adhere a contrasting knit fabric to the inside of the shirt (the wrong side). Stitch around the image outline on the freezer paper. Tear away the freezer paper, and trim 1/8 inch from the stitching to reveal the contrasting knit fabric. You can also trim away the excess contrasting knit on the inside of the shirt. So easy! I will definitely be doing this again.

Roe Baby Quilt

2011-10-15T14:50:00.000-07:00

I was commissioned to make a baby quilt for a new family. The customer was kind enough to tell me specific things she liked about other quilts I have made, so what we came up with is mash up of some of my favorites, which is fun.

I used the color progression of this quilt, with the circular quilting of this quilt (which is actually the same type of quilting that Jolene used in the original quilt which inspired me).

Finally, I included a personalized version of the pieced back in this quilt.

And I got use my new tags by Gutentags!

It finished at a large crib quilt of 48 x 60, so it'll serve this baby for a long time. I hope it's just what she wanted!

Slow Growth

2011-10-09T13:36:00.000-07:00

My latest paper pieced project is growing - very slowly. I'm trying to decide how much bigger it should be. It may be a pillow, or perhaps a wall hanging. Not sure yet.

I can report that the papers are fairly easy to remove, using the Sewline pen, if you are gentle. I eased the fabric away from the papers before pulling the papers out. So far, so good!

Quilts on the Quad

2011-10-01T18:49:00.000-07:00

We had a gorgeous day for the Kansas City Modern Quilt Guild's first quilt show. The organizers did a fantastic job, and the show was full of stunning quilts. Here are just a few.

I have to show some closeups so you can appreciate the quilting, in particular. This is a quilt by Carla of Lolly Quiltz, quilted by Angela Walters. Amazing!

Mary Anne's quilting on her Kona challenge quilt adds so much.

And wait until Shea does a full reveal on this one on her blog soon. I adore the quilting!

Sheryl's quilting is always staggering. This quilt was draped over a water feature.

I've said it before - best guild ever.

Wonky Kites Quilt

2011-09-27T08:00:00.000-07:00

I had a lot of fun making this wonky kites quilt. It's an easy improvised block to make, and the way the kites come together is a surprise each time.

I made this baby quilt to go with my wonky zigzag pillow. They coordinate without exactly matching.

I'm trying a new free motion design with each quilt lately, and making these swirls felt really natural to me.

The striped binding is a Hope Valley print, and it inspired my combination of orange and purple. I added pink and gray to the mix, and as you know, the colors have been on my mind ever since. This quilt finished at 36 x 42. You can read more about the process of making it here.

Winner and a Show

2011-09-26T07:11:00.000-07:00

The winner of the Paper Pieces templates is #15, Hannah! I'll send you an email. Thanks to everyone for their comments. I will say, as someone who has printed and cut out paper templates before, the ones you can buy are obviously easier (no cutting out) and made from thicker paper. You can use them several times. Totally worth it for me.

The show is the first quilt show by the Kansas City Modern Quilt Guild. If you are in the area, we hope you'll stop by UMKC's quad this coming Saturday, October 1st. There are going to be tons of great quilts to see, and we're hoping our lovely fall weather continues. Hope to see you there!

A Return to Paper Piecing

2011-09-23T08:21:00.000-07:00

I thought I was done with English paper piecing for a long while after my hexagon pillow, but then I saw this gorgeous project by Marg. I hadn't seen the jewel shapes before. Aren't they great with the hexies and diamonds?

I've had a lot of fun digging through my scraps and fussing cutting each shape. And did you notice there are no basting stitches? Marg also shared this magical fabric glue pen. No basting! I love this notion. You can find it online, but if you're local to KC, Bernina on Metcalf has it. Best. tool. ever.

I found the templates I needed at paperpieces. Through a mailing mishap, they were kind enough to give me some extras, which I am going to give away. Want to start a paper piecing project of you own? Let me know in the comments, and I'll pick a winner Monday morning. Giveaway now closed.

Four Square Quilt

2011-09-19T11:44:00.000-07:00

My obsession with log cabins continues. It was only fueled by the fantastic talk Susan Beal did on the subject at our last guild meeting. I really had fun with negative space in this one, filling it up with a squared off free motion design.

The colors seem autumnal paired with the neutral grays, making me think of foggy mornings and changing leaves, so I'm linking up to Celebrate Color which is all about the colors of fall.

I love the backing fabric. It is Juicy Blossom, Spots on Pewter, and it is so soft - just right for a solid back.

This quilt finished at 48 x 53.

Up Next

2011-09-15T13:35:00.000-07:00

Basting and quilting my two baby log cabins and the wonky kites quilt.

Wonky Kites

2011-09-10T13:28:00.000-07:00

Did you ever make a quilt to go with a pillow?

I saw this little quilt by Alexis, and thought it would be the perfect quilt to go with my wonky zigzag pillow. I think they'll be a great pair - coordinating but not matching exactly. I used the same fabrics, and the block is a similar type of block. You just cover the corner though, with one strip, and you add another strip to the opposite corner. Otherwise, the construction is the same. Then you orient the blocks to create the wonky kite.

I'm waiting on backing materials for my log cabin quilts (yes, two of them), and now some for this one too. Then I think I'll be done with this color combination, at least for a while.

More Log Cabins

2011-09-06T13:04:00.000-07:00

I'm thinking of another minimalist log cabin quilt - lots of purple, orange, pink and gray. Looking at these photos makes me see I need more orange.

Valuable Lesson

2011-09-01T12:12:00.000-07:00

So I've heard about value and it's importance in quilt design, and I've seen the cool HST quilts that play with value. Katie even has a tutorial on it. I've never really thought about it much though - until now.

I was happily making oversized pinwheels in a favorite new color combo. Isolated, they read very clearly, but something happened when I put the quilt together. The pinwheels kind of got lost.

It's interesting to find that, even though the colors are very distinct, the yellow and gray pinwheels blend right together where their values are too similar, particularly the lighter fabrics.

I can't decide if I want to rip it apart to weed out the offenders, or try to save the design with some emphatic quilting. It may get shelved for a while. Anyway, lesson learned!

Winner!

2011-08-27T20:36:00.000-07:00

The randomly selected winner of the sea glass bundle from Marmalade Fabrics is 2hippos. Congrats! I'm sending you an email, so check your inbox.

The tutorial for this wall hanging is free to everyone, and Tammy has bundles for sale, if you're interested.
Thanks for all the kind comments.

Sea Glass Wall Hanging

2011-08-25T15:04:00.000-07:00

This wall hanging design has been on my mind for a few months, and earlier this week I finally dug around in my solids to find the right colors. They remind me of the green and blue pieces of smooth sea glass I collected on the beach as a kid.

I'm excited to be pairing up with Tammy of Marmalade Fabrics to offer you a free tutorial as well as a custom fabric bundle for this wall hanging (21" x 31"). She's selling all the fabrics you need to make this, including backing and binding, and she is generously offering a free bundle to one of you! Just leave a comment, and I'll choose a winner at random this Saturday evening at 9pm central time. If you leave me no way to contact you, I'll have to pick another winner (so check your blogger settings!). ***Giveaway now closed, but the bundle is available for sale.

Tammy is a friend from the KCMQG, and my favorite thing about her store, besides the fact I get my fabric next day since she's in town, is that she has 140 different Kona solids! 140! I hope you'll check out her store and some of the cool bundles she has to offer.

As always, I'd love to see your work if you end up giving the tutorial a whirl!

New Fabrics

2011-08-18T12:06:00.000-07:00

A few new fabrics have found their way into my stash. The new DS Quilts line at Joann's, Sugar Creek, coordinates perfectly with the previous line Fairgrounds. I couldn't pass up these small scale prints in my favorite color combination.

Children at Play has been on my wishlist ever since I saw the paper hat print. How cute is it? I also think the hopscotch one is sweet. There are so many cute prints in this line that I did not buy (ahem, in case my husband is reading).

And I've had my eye on these Tip Top Elephants from Diawabo for a long time too. Fabricworm now sells them as a fat quarter set which is hard to resist! So much great fabric out now!

Ticker Tape Rainbow

2011-08-16T12:34:00.000-07:00

I think this is ticker tape doll quilt #5 for me. Each time, I use a different color scheme, and this time I chose a rainbow in an effort to revisit the joy of this quilt. I also tried two new techniques, which I will definitely use on #6 and following, if I feel the urge to ticker tape again.

First up, spray basting. It just makes sense, and it's so easy to do on small quilts. No pins means easy placement of all those little scraps. Why didn't I try this sooner?

And speaking of those little scraps, my second tip is to use a glue stick to place them where you want them temporarily. It washes right out, and again, no pins!

The back is Kona grass, and the binding is Kona lagoon. It finishes at 18 x 23.

Kidlet

2011-08-06T11:59:00.000-07:00

The kidlet by Jennifer Casa has been on my to do list for a while now, and I had a few days between larger projects to fit in some sewing time. Besides being quick to make, these are perfect for storing all the little toys and treasures that seem to collect in my boys' rooms. The handle and small size make it easy for kids to carry themselves. It's just right for toting all those little toys around the house.

I'm thinking these will be another go to gift idea for kids.

Sewing for Stuffed Animals

2011-08-02T13:37:00.000-07:00

The tiny patchwork I made last week has found its home in this little sleeping bag for my son's stuffed animal. The pattern,written by flossie teacakes, is excellent. It comes in three sizes. I made the largest size. The only change I made was to quilt the mattress, as well as the cover. I love how it has a little, built-in pillow too.

And of course, I made two, one for each son. My older child requested no patchwork, so his was a bit quicker to make. How fun would these be to make as birthday or holiday gifts for the kids on your list?

I learned a new trick from this pattern too: single fold bias binding. It is perfect for small projects like this with curved edges, and it looks so slick. I was even able to do it entirely by machine. I'll definitely use this technique again.

Falling Leaves Runner and Placemats

2011-07-30T12:00:00.000-07:00

I'm so excited to finally be able to share this project with you. It seems like a long time ago that I started these blocks for the solids challenge. You never saw the results because I decided to submit the pattern to Fat Quarterly (a modern quilting ezine published quarterly). The pattern for this runner and matching placemats is in Issue 6, available for purchase now. I got an advance copy, and there are some great projects in this one. The issue is all about different substrates, so if you're interested in using voile, felt, linen or other fabrics, check it out!

I paired kona solids, from a charm pack, with Essex linen cotton blend. It has all the texture and appeal of linen, but it's a bit easier to use.

The leaf blocks are made with a combination of improv piecing and a template (that my tech savvy friend Lauren digitized for me - thank you!). I show you how to piece the curves and trim down the blocks for perfect squares.

The gorgeous quilting on the runner was done by the fabulously talented Angela Walters. Doesn't it looks like the wind swirling around the leaves? I had a lot of fun creating the pattern. Please, let me know if you read it or try it out!

Tiny Patchwork

2011-07-27T11:38:00.000-07:00

I'm working on some teeny, tiny patchwork that will be part of a project I've promised to make for my boys. The squares finish at an inch. I'm getting a lot of "are they done yet?" So, back to work.

Wonky Zigzag Pillow Tutorial

2011-07-20T11:42:00.000-07:00

I used my happy stack to make this wonky zigzag pillow.It is made from a simple, improvisational block, arranged together to create a wonky zigzag shape. I’ve combined purple, pink, and orange fabrics with Kona medium gray for a fresh, modern feel. It is backed and bound with fabrics from Denyse Schmidt's Hope Valley line. The striped binding fabric actually inspired the whole color combo.You can find other wonky zigzag quilts on flickr. Tong created a lovely one using solids for the Robert Kaufman challenge, and Emily designed a gray and green pillow that inspired mine. You can easily use charm packs and/or jelly roll strips to make these blocks. They are also a great way to feature your favorite scraps!

Want to make your own wonky zigzag? I created a tutorial for this pillow, which you can find here:
Wonky Zigzag Pillow Tutorial

But if you just love this one, it is listed in my shop!

Pojagi Revisited

2011-07-16T12:28:00.000-07:00

I first discovered pojagi, a traditional Korean style of patchwork, when my first child was an infant. At the time, I couldn't find any explanations of the technique in English, so I made an American hybrid for his baby quilt. I spotted some lovely examples of pojagi on a trip to Korea, but was still mystified as to how the seams were finished.

Fast forward five years and there is lots of stuff available online, so I checked out SillyBooDilly's tutorial for creating pojagi on the machine. My friend Lauren and I used the second method (look for an amazing window panel from her soon), and it's pretty simple folks.I used a moda solid and a cross weave. The cross weave is perfect for this. You want to use some type of solid, because pojagi is reversible. All the raw edges are enclosed, and it is not layered with batting or quilted. So, it's perfect for window panels, table runners, light scarves, you name it. Here you can see the front and the back.
There will definitely be more pojagi in my future. If you'd like to see some authentic Korean pojagi, search for the work of Chunghie Lee.

Happy Stack

2011-07-11T10:53:00.000-07:00

Orange, pink, purple - this color combo has been on my mind for a while now. Time to make something with it!

Good Folks Shoo Fly

2011-07-08T06:58:00.000-07:00

I finished piecing the top. This is a big, twin sized top (60 x 90), so I'm pondering how to quilt it.

Finished Rainbow Quilt

2011-07-03T20:30:00.000-07:00

This quilt was completely inspired by Jolene's quilt, down to the striped binding. She is one of my favorite modern quilters. You should check out her work on her blog Blue Elephant Stitches. I oriented my stripes of color vertically, instead of horizontally though, and of course, every improvisational quilt is unique. I only used scraps for the top. Think of the quilts that could be in your scrap bins!The back of the quilt features the modern log cabin block I made at Improv Studio which began my whole current compulsive log cabin making. I surrounded the block with Kona grass. I have noticed that very few of my recent quilts make use of a white solid. It's fun to use other colors as neutrals. I quilted it with a decorative stitch which I changed slightly by widening it and increasing the stitch length, as I've done before. It's quick and easy, and I like how it sort of disappears while still adding texture. I used a green thread in the bobbin to match the back and a tan thread on top to blend with all the prints.This quilt is 40 x 48, and I hope it comforts some little person a lot. It's going to Project Linus.

Summer Cabins

2011-07-01T12:44:00.000-07:00

It all started with Lauren's Improv Studio at Harper's. Checkout the great gallery of modern log cabins she showed us at the start of class for inspiration (warning, you may become obsessed with making log cabin blocks after viewing these). I spent the rest of the night making a log cabin block for the back of my rainbow quilt. When I made the back, I thought, "this design needs to be a quilt front." So, using summery fabrics, I made this baby quilt and matching doll quilt (because something this cute needs to have a tiny version too).Isn't the duck print fun? It's from Red Letter Day by Lizzy House. The yellow solid is Kona Maize, and the binding is the, sadly, out of print, Meadowsweet stripe by Sandi Henderson.The baby quilt is in my shop. I may or may not have plans for a boy log cabin quilt. They are really fun to make.

Compulsion Quilting

2011-06-30T11:39:00.001-07:00

I've mentioned before that I keep a craft "to do" list. It helps me keep track of the quilts and projects I hope to make. I find there are many times, however, when I have a sudden desire to make something specific (that isn't on the list) which has popped into my head. I feel a compulsion to make whatever it is right now. Is that weird?
I'm finishing up the binding on the latest such project. Then I can get back on track with my Good Folks quilt. Oh, and I need to bind my scrap rainbow too, unless, of course, I need to make a few variations of this latest obsession to get it out of my system. That may be the case - it's really fun. More tomorrow.

A Whole Handful

2011-06-22T11:30:00.000-07:00

96 bonus HST blocks and all 24 modified shoo fly blocks done!

I guess it's time to start piecing a couple of quilt tops.

Father's Day Sewing

2011-06-19T11:34:00.000-07:00

This Father's Day, I asked my husband what he would like, and so he actually got something he really wanted. I made sure to get a little handmade goodness in there too though with this kindle cover. The inspiration, and awesome suiting material and badge, came from Lauren of Aunt June fame. Thanks friend - you are the best (did you know if she really likes you, she will even help you strip wallpaper?).

Halfway

2011-06-17T12:09:00.000-07:00

I have made twelve modified shoo fly blocks from my prized Good Folks collection. I'm halfway through my fat quarter set, and I've paired them with Kona medium gray. I'm making four blocks at a time, which works well for me.
And this is my pretty stack of bonus HST blocks!

Reduce, Reuse

2011-06-15T11:27:00.000-07:00

Contrary to what my most recent posts would suggest, I'm not much of one to go in for crafty swaps. But when it's my guild or a fantastic gal like Amy, who can say no? Amy has hosted a number of swaps called Potholder Pass on flickr, and when she invited me to join, I saw there was an option to make reusable grocery sacks.
This is so much cuter than the store bought ones, right? The pattern is by Keyka Lou, and it makes a great size. It is also reversible. I found all three fabrics at Joann's, believe it or not. Next time I try it, I'll use home dec weight fabric and interface the handles. Now I just need to stuff this bag with some extras and send it off to my secret swap partner.

Chef Swap

2011-06-10T07:36:00.000-07:00

Last night, the KCMQG had a chef swap. We each drew a bag of scraps from another member a while ago, and the challenge was to make something for that person's kitchen. I made these items for Dawn.
The trivet and potholder are made from Essex cotton/linen, Dawn's fabric and selvages. You can find Jacquie's spool block tutorial here. She also has a tute on putting in grommets. Thanks Jacquie!
I made another reversible apron out of some Nicey Jane to round out my swap items.
I hope they'll get lots of use!

Also, if you're looking for the FD Pouch Instructions, I've added a link to my sidebar. So far the guild has made over 70! You can find out more information on the guild blog, as well.

Rainbow. Bright.

2011-06-08T13:01:00.000-07:00

My scrap rainbow is all together. I find this type of improv piecing so relaxing. Choose. Sew. Press. Trim. Repeat. Now to find the right backing.

Modified Shoo Fly Block

2011-06-06T13:08:00.001-07:00

I've made this block 15 inches, finished size, to show off larger scale prints. Each enlarged block makes a bold, modern statement. The idea of a large shoo fly as a modern spin on tradition is not mine though - Malka Dubrawsky created a 35 inch block! The tutorial for that giant is here. It requires a whole yard of fabric!

I designed my block to use fat quarters. I think it will be the perfect way to use my Good Folks fat quarter bundle, allowing each print to shine on its own, while still showcasing the whole collection. And my twist - I modified the traditional pattern to use four fewer pieces and save myself four seams on each block! Instead of using squares and half square triangles (HST), my version uses two large rectangles along with squares. I make the triangles with the stitch and flip method. And there's a bonus of four HST at the end!

Shoo Fly Test Block

2011-06-06T07:07:00.001-07:00

I've found just the right use for my Good Folks collection. I wanted something that would feature the large scale florals and let each individual print sing. This is a variation on the shoo fly block. I've put my own little spin on this traditional block. Back soon with a mini tutorial!

Scrap Rainbow - part 2

2011-06-05T13:19:00.000-07:00

My solids for a couple of upcoming projects have arrived, but now I'm interested to see how my scrap rainbow will turn out. Here are the yellow/orange and purple. Just red/pink to go. And maybe black/grey.I'm trying to decide if I'll leave them as long strips, as Jolene did, or make them into smaller units with some type of sashing.

Scrap Rainbow

2011-06-03T12:22:00.000-07:00

I'm waiting for some solids to arrive so I can start a couple of new quilts. While I wait, I'm trying to tame my scrap bins with an improv project inspired by Blue Elephant Stitches. I've got blue and green so far.

Chalk It Up

2011-05-30T12:55:00.000-07:00

I'm chalking this scrappy pillow up to experience. Next time I make 60 degree string triangles, I'll use them for a project that won't require me to cut so many off to make it a specific size. I'll probably use fabrics and colors more strategically, too. A little more contrast between blocks would help.I decided to use the blocks to practice something on my to do list - an invisible zipper in a quilted pillow. Katie has a wonderful tutorial. I need to try this a few more times. My zipper tape shows a little. I also want to do her tip of using muslin to create a lining for your pillow. Lots of lessons learned on this, but it's kind of crazy and fun on this cloudy day.

Experiment

2011-05-24T07:43:00.000-07:00

After I saw these blocks on Crazy Mom's blog, I wanted to try out something similar. I started with diamonds, then cut them in half, which allows you to piece two triangles at once. There is something so satisfying about paper piecing string blocks. When you trim them down, they transform from kind of a mess to being so exact.

Not sure where this scrappy experiment is going, but it's been fun so far.

Teacher Gifts

2011-05-21T20:07:00.001-07:00

I turned to Pink Penguin's great tutorial again to make these fabric baskets as end of the year teacher gifts. I used all the "teacherly" scraps I could find. It was fun to use my writing paper and graph paper and ruler prints, as well as some wonderful math fabric generously given to me by Tia (with a bunch of fabulous scraps! Thanks!). I had to find more of the math fabric - so fun. I put some extra in my etsy shop. I'll fill these with chocolates and handmade thank you notes. My son has had the sweetest preschool teachers ever.

Apron in an Hour Remix

2011-05-12T11:15:00.000-07:00

Jona's Apron in an Hour tutorial has been on my to do list for ages, and I finally had the opportunity to move it to the top of the list this week. I needed a hostess gift, and this is perfect! The pattern is great because it just uses a fat quarter and a half yard of fabric. I did make a simple change though. I added another fat quarter and made it reversible!

Here's a quick how to:
Square up your fat quarters to the same size (18 x 21). Sew the fat quarters along their 21" side to either side of the bottom trim fabric which is 6 x 21.Press the seams towards the fat quarters and top stitch.

Fold the rectangle in half, right sides together, so the fat quarters meet at the top, and stitch along the two sides, leaving the top open for turning.

Turn right side out and press. Now you're ready to add the apron tie, and you can follow Jona's instructions.

You get a simple, quick project that is two aprons in one!

I used a print from Amy Butler's Love, the new DS Quilts dot, and a pink crossweave.

My blog is featured on Become.co.uk editor's picks for May. Click over to see a little interview with me and several other featured bloggers.

Summer Citrus Baby Quilt

2011-05-09T10:40:00.000-07:00

This quilt top has been a WIP in my closet for a while now. I made it as a prototype for the Pure Baby Boy quilt I designed for Moda Bakeshop last summer. It was made with scraps and varies slightly from the design I eventually settled on.
I had plans at the time to hand quilt this, but obviously that didn't happen. :) Like many of you, I have so many quilts I would love to make and not a lot of time. Hand quilting just wasn't practical for this one, so luckily I came across a design I thought would add some interest to the negative space. I first got the idea from a quilt Alissa showed at a guild meeting. I was reminded of it by the circular quilting on Malka's quilt on Sew Mama Sew.
Alissa generously explained her quilting method for this type of spiral/circular quilting. I followed it, as well as I could recall. First, I traced a small circle on the quilt top. I used my walking foot to quilt this line, and then used the edge of the foot as a guide to continue spiraling outward. I finished the inside of the circle, with all those tight curves, with a darning foot.
It is backed with my favorite Meadowsweet print, by Sandi Henderson. This baby quilt finished at 34 x 38 after washing and drying.

Round and Round

2011-05-06T12:29:00.001-07:00

I'm trying out some concentric circular quilting on an old WIP. It's intense. I hope it'll pay off.

Taste of Spring

2011-05-03T11:26:00.000-07:00

I'm busy working away on something I'll be able to show you in July. Can't wait! Also, stripping wallpaper in my bathroom. Can't wait to be done! You don't want to see that.
Something I can show you: this strawberry rhubarb tart. You can find the recipe here. Make it now! It is insanely good.

Kaleidoscope Quilt

2011-04-29T10:13:00.000-07:00

My kaleidoscope quilt, made with blocks from my online quilting bee, is finished! I chose a few borders in Kona Ash as well as a narrow strip of a large scale print from Leanika. This was a bit of an experiment, but I like the movement this creates. The narrow piece only shows small parts of the large pattern at a time which creates an interesting effect, I think.
I used the same print for part of the backing, along with the herringbone from Modern Meadow. The binding is Kona Coal.

What I'm most excited about is the free motion quilting. I did that! No marking. It's far from perfect, but it is something I couldn't have done even six months ago. It's a great feeling to think I can envision a FM design and then make it happen myself.

You can read more about the process of making this quilt here and here.

Midwest Metro Link

2011-04-20T11:21:00.000-07:00

I love this quilt and am so glad it is staying at our house.Thank you to Carla for suggesting purple for the binding. I knew that was the only option as soon as I read her comment. I found Kona Berry, and it is my new favorite color!I especially love how it looks with the Word Play fabric I chose for the back of the quilt.I stuck to straight line quilting, and it reminds me of fold lines on a paper map as well as city intersections. The metro link pattern is by Paisley Pear Quilts, and I wrote about the process of making this quilt here, here, and here.

Opportunity Knocks

2011-04-17T08:00:00.000-07:00

It's sort of a weird feeling to find quilt store, designer fabrics at Joann's but it is happening to me more and more (some of Alexander Henry's Farmdale is there now, and on sale too). And now Denyse Schmidt has designed her own line specifically for the craft superstore. It includes a great mix of Flea Market Fancy-esque tiles and Katie Jump Rope-like dots. And they look like they were made to go with these two Farmdale prints! Chances are your stash includes a lot of prints like these that you love but don't have definite plans for yet, and here is a wonderful opportunity to use them. Crafters making dresses for Dress a Girl Around the World have posted several free, simple pillowcase dress patterns. They are so easy and quick to make. I literally used a pillowcase for my first attempt, but I have my eye on a few prints in my fabric bins that would be perfect. I also think this would be a great project to use to teach girls to sew! You can embellish a solid dress with a band of print, like I did, or get creative with freezer paper stencils like Amy!

Decisions

2011-04-16T16:13:00.000-07:00

I finished quilting my Metro Link, and now I'm trying to find the right fabric for binding. I don't usually have trouble picking a binding fabric, but with the scrappiness of this quilt, the best choice has been less than obvious. Hmm. I auditioned prints, but I think a solid is a better way to go on this one. Coal? Or azure?

Maybe brown, but it doesn't look as good with the back. The backing is the black and white print.

A Winner and a Tutorial

2011-04-11T10:42:00.000-07:00

The randomly selected winner of the camera strap cover is Bailey. I'll send you an email to get your info. Thanks to everyone who entered!

Here is a simple tutorial so you can create one of your own. They really are quick to make!

Quilted Camera Strap Tutorial

Quilted Camera Strap Cover

2011-04-09T12:47:00.000-07:00

My camera strap has needed some sprucing up for a while now. There are dozens of tutorials online for making a strap or strap cover, but none were exactly what I was looking for. My strap seems to be narrower than many, so I made up my own design. It's really very simple and a great use for scraps. Let me know if you'd like a simple tute, and I can write one up for next week. I'm not sure which one I like better! So, I'm going to give one away. You pick which you'd prefer, and I'll keep the other. Just be sure it'll fit your strap (1" wide by 23" long) before you say you'd like to enter the giveaway. I'll pick a random winner tomorrow night. Feel free to comment, even if you don't want to enter!

A Beautiful Sight

2011-04-08T12:59:00.000-07:00

My completed Good Folks collection:

As usual, I didn't really discover with this fabric until after it was out of print and hard to find. See fantastic quilts made with the fabric here, here, and here.I scoured the internet for all 24 of these prints designed by Anna Maria Horner. Several ladies have helped me on my way with swaps - thank you! I was still able to buy a few prints at some online shops, but the smallest increment I could purchase was 1/2 yard. I only aspired to a fat quarter set, so I have some extras listed in my shop. I have 14 FQs of the 24 prints, if you now want to start your own collection. :) Update: these have been sold.

Bee Top In Progess

2011-04-06T11:42:00.001-07:00

I've finally pieced together the blocks from my Bee Lovely flickr group. I wrote more about the block here.

Piecing the top has been quite a challenge, which is mostly my fault for choosing this particular block. It requires a lot of precision; even slight variations in seam allowance and pressing habits make blocks from different sewers tricky to join satisfactorily.I'm thinking of adding a border to make the stars seem to float on a sea of gray.I think hand quilting will be the most forgiving way to go on this top. I think it will also help define the shapes too, since my fabrics are fairly low contrast.

Thanks to the ladies who contributed to this project!

Spring At Last!

2011-04-02T11:27:00.000-07:00

I finished up my last winter therapy quilt just in time for spring to finally arrive.

This quilt is from Rachel Griffith's Scruffily Quilt pattern. I added another row to make it 57 x 66 which should be perfect for snuggling on the couch. I saw this pattern last year and immediately bought fabrics with a specific friend in mind. It is almost too sweet for my taste, but it'll be perfect for her. I'm glad I finished this quilt, even thought my interests have moved on since I originally put it on my to do list.

I definitely had fun picking all the fabrics from my stash to coordinate with the Hunky Dory ones you see here. I used sun spots from Amy Butler's Love and full moon dots from Lotus, some Spa, a Leanika print, Sandi Henderson's Farmer's Market, a Cosmo Cricket print, and Heather Bailey's Freshcut and another print (Bijoux?) I now must find again to stash. So glad spring is finally here.

The Color Purple

2011-03-28T10:49:00.000-07:00

I spotted something familiar over on the Fat Quarterly blog today- make that two somethings. Two of my quilts are featured in their Vibrant Violet post . Mine are #6 and #9. There are so many lovely purple fabrics out right now. L to R: Walls Violet from Haven's Edge, Cobblestone from Central Park, Orbs from High Society, Birdies and Chairs in Orchid from Tufted Tweets

Take Backs

2011-03-27T12:14:00.000-07:00

I take it all back. I love the scrappy look of my Metro Link! Getting it all pieced together made a a huge difference.My husband even said he liked it so much he wouldn't mind having it hung on the wall. It's a bit big for that, but that was quite a compliment from my non-quilty guy. It's a keeper. I wish I could quilt it right away, but another quilt is using all my basting pins at the moment, so I'd better get to it first.

Linking Scraps

2011-03-24T11:28:00.000-07:00

I'm making some progress on my Metro Link quilt top. I didn't realize when I bought the pattern that many of the pieces finish to just 1" x 2"! Eep.
The scrappiness of this quilt is one of the main things that drew me to the pattern. I've been piecing it randomly, just pulling the next piece from the pile only vetoing if the same fabric is already in the block. I'll admit that at this point I'm not loving the individual blocks and kind of wishing I'd limited my color palette instead going completely scrappy. I'm hoping that will change when I see it all together.

Tooth Fairy Pillow

2011-03-20T11:57:00.000-07:00

The tooth fairy is scheduled to make her first ever visit to my house this week, so some preparations have been made. I worried about the precious tooth getting lost amidst stuffed animals and pillows and blankets, so I asked the internet for help. I found this cute idea of a tooth fairy pillow over at Sew Mama Sew. Just tuck the tooth inside and hang from a bedpost or door knob. The fairy can then easily and quietly switch it out during the night for a dollar or two (how much does she leave for a tooth these days?).

A Solid Finish

2011-03-17T11:27:00.000-07:00

I finally finished my solid hexagon project. Yes, it is just pillow sized (20" square), and it still seemed to take quite a while. Hats off to those of you who are persevering through much larger hexie projects.I'm glad I decided to hand quilt it. I love how the embroidery floss highlights each hexagon. I finished the pillow with a quilt style binding in Kona coal.

The inspiration for this pillow was a lovely letter press card I saw on etsy by krankpress. It's funny how a quilt inspired card can become a card inspired quilt.

Quite a Stack

2011-03-12T11:59:00.000-08:00

I feel like I have been cutting the fabrics for my Metro Link quilt for weeks now. Oh, right, I have been. It's cutting all those individual pieces of scraps that takes so long. Once you get to the background fabric you can zip along as usual. I'm trying a new fabric for the solid. It is Quilter's Linen by Robert Kaufman. It is regular quilting fabric, printed with a subtle grain to resemble linen. I'll let you know what I think of it as I progress, but so far the Straw color I chose is a good look alike.What you see here are the 617 individual pieces required for the quilt. Just think of the scraps I'm using up! I even used some leftover strips to make more pieced note cards which are now in my shop. Phew. So why are my scrap bins still so full?

All by Hand

2011-03-10T12:07:00.000-08:00

After making the hexagons by hand and hand sewing them together, I decided to finish my project with hand quilting. Why not. Up until a year or two ago, I quilted all my quilts by hand. As I was drawn more and more to modern quilting, I was attracted to the options created quilting by machine. And all this made me wonder, is machine quilting more modern than hand quilting?Certainly machine quilting can be used to complete traditional quilts and to make very traditional motifs (think old fashioned feathers, etc.), but it is also used in fun, innovative ways in many modern quilts. I've even seen some really cool combinations in modern quilts of machine and hand quilting used together.So, can a completely hand quilted quilt be modern? Is it the shapes used, rather than the method of stitching that makes quilting old fashioned vs modern, or something else? I've tried to make my hand quilting more modern by using embroidery floss and larger stitches to emphasize the quilting. Hey, I took time to hand quilt this, so I want you to notice. Other modern quilters use a variety of colors of floss or outlining to do the same thing.

So what do you think. Is hand quilting more retro cool or traditional?

Curvy Improv

2011-03-05T08:05:00.000-08:00

The "no prints allowed" challenge for the KCMQG has really had me stumped. I used to advise my writing students to use free writing when they felt blocked, so I took my own advice, in quilting form: improv piecing. (And yes, the challenge is due in five days, but who's counting.)
I've seen a new improv technique popping up all over that I've been wanting to try. Jacquie's done it, and it shows up in Jean Well's and Malka Dubrawsky's new books. Using a rotary cutter with no ruler builds subtle waves into your piecing. Then the edges of the strips are joined without pinning. See a fun tutorial on this technique here. Piecing these blocks was the quilting equivalent of stream of consciousness writing. Those strips look nice together. There we go. Now let's piece a little orange bit in there. Too short; guess I'll add another strip.

Not sure where this is going, but it's been fun so far.

Slow and Steady

2011-03-02T07:47:00.000-08:00

I've begun sewing my solid hexagons together. Making the hexies is so quick, but sewing them together is more time consuming. It's slow going.

I've started my Metro Link quilt too. I scoured my scrap bins to cut narrow strips of just about every fabric to be found. Now I'm cutting the strips to the sizes in the pattern. This is also going to take a while!

Plus Baby Girl Quilt

2011-02-26T11:39:00.000-08:00

When I took photos of this quilt top a month and half ago in the snow, I was wishing for spring. We're closer to the official start date of spring, but here I am again snapping pictures in the snow!

I decided to add a couple of borders. They are certainly nothing innovative, but the solids aqua did allow me to show of a pieced border that might have been lost against the plus blocks. The borders also made my quilt closer the size I like for babies. It is 41" x 41" after being washed. Just right!

I got all cocky after free motion quilting my last quilt, so I decided to try another pattern on this one. I used the tutorial by Elizabeth Hartman to make this all over floral pattern. The flowers were really fun to do.

I used a Moda Bella solids aqua for the outer border and back. While I love my Konas, the Moda Bellas do have a lovely, soft hand that the Konas lack.

I added a single plus sign to the back for fun.

This quilt is now on its way to its new home in Australia.

Mod Hex

2011-02-20T11:57:00.000-08:00

How is it that the right mix of solids can make a traditional block look so modern? The magic of solids meets hexagons.
These are Kona solids in lagoon, cactus, ash, white, azure, and coal.

Internet Finds

2011-02-19T18:36:00.000-08:00

I love a good geometric basic, and Metro Living circles are perfect. And Heath by Alexander Henry will be really versatile.

While I was finding these great basics, I saw this pattern by Paisley Pear Quilts at Pink Chalk. Must make it immediately! Isn't it awesome?

County Fair Folklore

2011-02-18T11:29:00.000-08:00

I finally made my first handbag. This is made from Denyse Schmidt's County Fair home dec weight fabric, lined with Kona in Curry, using the Folklore pattern from One Yard Wonders. I wish I'd googled the title of the pattern before making it. The wisdom of the internet would have warned me that there are multiple errors in the patterns in this book. Oh well, I was able to fix them, but if you like the style of this bag you should know a few things.

First, the pattern piece for the lining is too small. I adjusted for this by using narrower seam allowances when making the lining. The markings for the pleats are not wide enough on the outside of the bag. That's easy to fix. Even though it doesn't tell you to, be sure to interface the straps. Fusible fleece will give the bag a better shape than interfacing. And finally, the construction of the bag is a little odd. Instead of sewing right sides together, in a few places it has you iron under the seam allowance and then top stitch it to another piece. I guess whatever works.
In the end, I'm glad to have finally tackled making a handbag (with a magnetic closure - which, by the way, is easy peasy to put in). It was kind of fun.

Modern Patchwork Note Cards

2011-02-13T13:36:00.000-08:00

I made a slew of these for gifts at Christmas, and they were really well received. In fact, someone requested I make some for my shop. So, I pulled out my scrap bins and had lots of fun playing with color and fabric combinations.

I may or may not have made a ridiculous number of these modern patchwork note cards. I've listed them by color in sets of six. Even more to finish and list soon.

I linked to a tutorial before by PioneerValleyGirl, although this time I developed my own technique for making them. Foundation piecing each rectangle on muslin allowed me the control I wanted.

Best Guild Ever

2011-02-11T07:00:00.000-08:00

Last night was another fabulous meeting of the Kansas City Modern Quilt Guild. We had a fun guest speaker, Alissa. She is one of the founders of the first Modern Quilt Guild in LA. She showed us some of her quilts and talked about the new minimal style she's pursuing. Hop on over to her blog to see some of her fabulous quilts.

We decided to start a new charity project as a guild too. Our quilts for the NICU was a huge success, and I hope this new project will be too. We're going to be making, excuse the cold clinical term, fetal demise pouches. These are for babies who don't survive and are so tiny there is nothing small enough to put them in.
Andrea, a nursing student, saw the pouches the hospital currently has and thought we could make something nicer. After all, babies are photographed, presented to their parents, and sometimes even buried in these pouches. Nothing is really special enough for that, but I tried to create what I would want to have, when I designed this pouch. I used the softest material (Anna Maria Horner voile and flannel) and a wrap style to cradle the little body.

I'm putting a link here to the tutorial pdf. If you have a desire to make these to donate to your local hospital, you are more than welcome to use this pattern. Different hospitals will have different preferences and regulations, so you'll want to get an example approved before making more. I'll warn you that making a pouch can be hard, emotionally, but imagine what it will mean to parents.

FD Wrap Pouch Tutorial

Infinity Scarf

2011-02-04T11:28:00.000-08:00

I was finally able to use some of my lovely fabric from India, which feels similar to voile, and a piece of gorgeous shot cotton to make this infinity scarf. It is one large circle, and you can wear it looped twice or in other various other configurations.

I learned the hard way why I think it is called the infinity scarf. If you are overly confident and think you can figure out the construction of such a simple shape on your own, you'll likely end up, as I did, with a long tube you try to turn right side out, only to have it turn in on itself continually. Or infinitely in fact. Just read the tutorial on Anna Maria Horner's blog first and save yourself the frustration. She calls it the figure eight scarf, and she has some kits for it using her yummy new velveteen.

Happy Day

2011-02-03T18:24:00.001-08:00

It's so nice to have a real blog banner. Thanks to the multi-talented Aunt June for the new designs! I'm going to have my very own business cards soon.

And this quilt top made me smile. It is Bellgirl's lovely (and big!) version of my Out for a Walk pattern. Isn't it lovely? I love the sashing color. You can read more about it here on her blog. Thanks for sharing Annabel!

It's the Small Things

2011-02-02T11:40:00.000-08:00

A mug rug for my dad. He'll use it everyday to set his coffee cup on, and it'll keep the granite counters from draining all the heat away. Just a small reminder of me.

I feel drawn to small projects after the completion of a long term project, for the instant gratification sure, but also for the freedom they offer. You can play with new ideas, color combos, etc without the commitment of a whole quilt.

I played around with a technique from Jacquie's amazing Broken Cogs quilt. I also got to try out my new dresden wedge ruler. This is an edgy spin on the dresden, and more masculine, I think. I also got to use orange and gray. Does any color not look fantastic with gray!? And finally I got to try some squarish meandering quilting. Phew, it's a little tricky, but fun.

I love small things when they're like this.

Another quick project (if you, unlike me, are actually a good knitter - mine took three tries and over a week) is a preemie baby hat. Save the Children is hosting a big drive for them now. Hats are due by the end of the month and go to newborn babies in developing countries. I'm hoping to have a couple more done to add to the pile being donated by a local knitting group. See this site for more info. FYI these are always appreciated by the NICU at your local hospital too.