Project Quilting off season challenge 1 & ALYOF April

Pheeeeewey!  Nothing like realizing - while still out of town visiting family - "the Project Quilting challenge ends in 15 hours"..... when for whatever reason I had it in my mind we had until the end of the month.  Whoopsie!

Based on my birthday, June 8th (6/8), I was to use a deep purple and gray for this challenge.  So..... we got home, got laundry started - and I quickly pulled out my purple and gray scraps to get to work!

See more about the challenge by clicking HERE.

April has been a super busy month - my blog has been quieter for sure - and I really have no idea where the month went???

I knew when I originally saw the challenge I wanted to make something for me - because it was based on MY birth date.

So.... today I decided I'd whip up a coffee sleeve!

I get up at 4:30am with my hubby most weekdays to get some work in before my kiddos wake up - so coffee is a MUST around here.  I have a few reusable cups that don't have built in insulation - so they definitely need a sleeve!

Purple + gray + coffee sleeve + ONLY using scraps = this!

I did a little bit of straight line quilting through all three layers (cotton / fusible fleece / cotton) along the seams.  

Decaf?!  Yah, right!

Perfect - ready to protect my hand from that delicious, hot, oh-so-necessary java tomorrow morning! 

I love making coffee sleeves - and sell them in my Etsy shop - I'm always willing to cut into any in-stock fabric to make one!

In true Project Quilting fashion here are the details:

This coffee sleeve was (quickly) created in my home sewing studio in Montesano, WA.  It measures approximately 9.5" x 2.5" and is three layers - cotton / fusible fleece / cotton with bits of straight line quilting in a light gray.  Oh... and I'll call it "quick and scrappy"! :)

Linking up with Persimon Dreams - Project Quilting Off-Season Challenge 1

&

A Lovely Year of Finishes - April

ALYOF April Goal

Phew - I've been in a funk for nearly a week - but it's time to get to work... and April is going to be a VERY busy month (we have plans all but one weekend in April..... and that weekend will probably involved the hubby working Saturday... so it will be a one-day weekend!)

Time to make my April goal for A Lovely Year of Finishes!

I'm sad that the official Season 5 of Project Quilting is over - but Kim from Persimon Dreams was quick to get the first off-season challenge posted - yippee!

This month's challenge involves this "calendar of colors"

We are to find the numbers that represent our birthday - and make something that features those two colors (we can add in other colors.... but it must be obvious the two colors our original inspiration came from)

It must be completed by April 27th and linked up over at Persimon Dreams - perfect!

My birthday is June 8th - 6/8 - so my colors are:

A medium / dark purple and gray!

I can definitely work with these :)

As I said.... April is going to be crazy busy - with custom orders, travel to visit family, events with people from Hubby's work, a blog hop, pattern testers and reviews..... phew!

Guess I'd better get sewing!

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Linking up with ALYOF at SewBittersweet Designs - can't wait to see what everyone else is working on this month!

WWIT {a triangle quilt}

I am excited to share my quilt for the final Project Quilting Season 5 Challenge - inspired by triangles.

The challenge posted on Sunday..... but I didn't get to start working on this until Wednesday (briefly) - and most work was done Thursday evening and Saturday.  Well, and Sunday seeing as I finished this quilt at 2:15am this morning!

The name I'm giving this quilt is very appropriate - as it is something I kept saying all week / weekend - WWIT - what was I thinking?!

This quilt is 44" x 48".  It is comprised of 132 half-square triangles that finish at 4".  I combined two Moda charm packs (Urban Chik and Juggling Summer) that I thought worked well together (after removing a few colorways of one of the packs) - along with a sampling of white-on-white fabrics for the negative space.

I free motion quilted the white spaces using a variety of patterns - really just whatever came to mind.  I love how it helps make the colors POP even more.

The backing is a Blank Fabrics dusty aqua (is that a color?  I'm going with it!  It's a bit more green than the photos are showing) floral picked up at a local fabric shop.  It is bound in a rusty orange print from Jo-Ann fabrics.

I kept thinking "I should scale back.... I can finish this sometime soon, but can I really get it done by Sunday?!"  I thought about straight line quilting it to save time.... but I just kept thinking "I have put all this work in already, and I KNOW I want to do something softer and rounder to contrast with all the sharp angles."  Turns out.... with some LATE night (or early morning?!) sewing - it can get done!

I create in my home studio in Montesano, WA during nap time, after kiddos go to bed, or with two adorable boys "helping" me.

Make sure you head over and vote for your top four favorite projects from this week (hoping this is one of them.... but there are MANY amazing finishes - I know I had a hard time deciding on JUST four!) - Vote here

To vote, just click on the heart in the corner of the picture.  Clicking on the pictures will take you to the blog or flickr post to read more about the project!

half square TRIANGLES

For this final week / challenge of Project Quilting we are to be inspired by triangles.

Pretty quickly I decided to use a few charm packs I have had sitting on a shelf for nearly a year, mixed with a bunch of white-on-white fabrics.  Then I browsed Pinterest, blogs I follow, and a few books I have on hand for some half square triangle inspiration.

The way I'm going about this challenge / quilt is a bit different than my usual.  Most of the time, I go in with a plan.  A solid plan.  One drawn out in colored pencils on graph paper.

This quilt.... the plans were:
a) use half-square triangles
b) use the selected fabrics
c) have a scrappy feel (don't necessarily sort by color family, etc.)
d) make a "throw-sized" quilt

I had no set design in mind.  Not much of a plan (relative to usual).  It made me a little uncomfortable!

So last night I sewed up 130 HSTs - pairing one printed charm square with a white-on-white.  There was no rhyme or reason to how I was sewing them (I have 5 or 6 different white-on-whites that I'm using).

I cut them apart.  I ironed them.  And then I went to bed {it was nearly 11pm at this point and I knew if I didn't go to bed, I would end up staying up WAY too late!}

This morning, I started playing with the HSTs.  Using a few of the photos I had for inspiration, I re-created quilts / designs I loved.  And I flipped a few squares and watched as the design changed.  Over and over.

These photos are from my phone - just snapped quickly so I could get a feel for what the various designs looked like.

I have to say - taking the photos made a HUGE difference.  I'm still deciding what design to go with (one of these..... or maybe something else?) - but this has been such a fun process - SO cool how many different things can be done with these blocks - and this is a VERY small sampling / example!

I'm not sure if I'll get a big ol' throw quilt done.... or if I'll need to scale down and complete a quilted throw pillow cover for the challenge and then get the quilt done very soon.... we'll see what kind of sewing time I can "steal" between now and Sunday morning!

....THIS is just one of the many reasons I LOVE Project Quilting!

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Which is YOUR favorite?!

Confessions of a fabricaholic.....

On January 2nd I accidentally joined a crafter challenge.  I say accidentally because a friend of mine, Alyssa (of Keep Calm and Carrion), knows how much I love fabric and commented that she had added me to "a really awesome group!" in an online thread about fabric / sewing / etc.  I was excited!

I clicked over.... and saw the group was called "Creating 100 items or more" - - - cool!  I'd love to see how long it took me to make 100 items!  I even commented in the group to that effect.  And then I read the "fine print" {it was NOT hidden..... I just hadn't gotten that far yet....}

This was a CHALLENGE.  To NOT buy fabric until I made 100 items from supplies I had on hand.

Wait.... what?!

No buying fabric?

Help!  Get me outta here!  No way!  Shoot - can I delete that post about being "so excited about this group!" quickly before anyone saw it?!  Were all things that rapidly ran through my mind.

But no way.  I had committed {even if I didn't realize it} - - - and I was determined to see this challenge through!

100 items - that's no big deal, right?!  Ha.

There were a few caveats - for those of us who sew & sell, we COULD order / purchase fabric if it was ABSOLUTELY necessary for a paid custom order (but no adding to the order just "because" or to hit free shipping minimums, etc.).  We could also buy batting, etc. if there was a project it was needed for - things that would finish a project created from supplies on hand.

I joined the challenge January 2nd.  I completed my 100th items EARLY in the morning on March 10th (before the kiddos were awake).  67 days.  Though 9 of those days were were on a vacation out of state / away from my usual sewing environment {but I DID end up completing my Project Quilting Challenge 4 quilt there!}.  So 58 days for 100 items?!  Not too shabby!

During that time I only placed 3 small fabric orders - for custom orders - and purchased fabric to sew my PQ challenge 4 piece (as we were on vacation, away from all my fabric).  Woohoo!

It was a definite challenge.... but it definitely taught me a bunch.  I was more focused (I wasn't doing as much online shopping / browsing in my "down" time), I looked at my stash through a different lens (and have some de-stashing to do soon - - - - if I didn't even consider sewing with a fabric during that time, when I couldn't buy anything else, I probably don't NEED the fabric.... right?!), and I was much more profitable!  (money coming in, but not going out in the form of purchasing fabric!)

So.... what does a gal who is a self-professed fabricaholic do when she completes a challenge like this?!

She goes shopping..... of COURSE!!! :)

I did some online shopping - and spent an hour or so at Jo-Ann Fabrics by myself - coming home with a nice stack of fabric.

Here's some of what I picked up (though it isn't all here yet.... some is still in the mail!) :)

Bluebird Park Bicycle (in "Tangerine" and "Lamp Post") and Magnolia (in "Grass") - from Southern Fabric

A fat quarter bundle of Art Gallery Fabric's "Chromatics" - from Stash Fabrics 

A couple yards of this adorably retro scooter fabric {I got a small piece of the pink one for free with an order a while back.... and loved it.  I made a few bibs and wished I had more!} - from a member of Fabric Crafters U Bid It Destash (a group on Facebook - feel free to request to join - I'm one of the admins and will help get you added quickly!)

Some yardage of this beautiful print from the Ashbury Heights line by Doohikey Designs for Riley Blake (again, from a Fabric Crafters U Bid It Destash member)

I also have a Rolie Polie of this line on its way to me from Fabric Fly Shop!

And I couldn't resist these cute lil' trees and woodland creatures - from Aneela Hooey's Little Apples line - found on clearance for a STEAL at Southern Fabric

We also stopped by a little local shop we had NO idea existed until just a week or two ago - they sell little bits of crafts, knickknacks, and some fabric!  I snagged these because I thought they were really pretty together - during their 2 year anniversary sale (yay for discounted fabric!)

Like I said.... I have a bit more on its way to me (yes, I went *just a little bit* overboard!) - and bought some pretty fabric at Jo-Ann Fabrics, too.  

But..... now I'm done buying (yah, right you say!).  How do I know this?!  Alyssa and I have committed to another challenge (just between us).  We won't be buying more until we make another 50 items - and we plan on continuing the "50 item then small splurge" challenge the rest of the YEAR.  Yep, all of 2014!

So..... you'd better hold us to that, right?!

:)

Guess we'd better get sewing!  I'm 3 items into the new challenge - 105 items total (which started on March 14th - yes, I did all this damage shopping in 3.5 days!)

Triangles!

I am so sad that this week marks the last regular season Project Quilting challenge for Season 5 - - - I have had SO much fun creating, learning, and being inspired by the challenges, the quilters participating, the Facebook group, and personal challenges I have made for myself.

BUT....

I'm loving the last challenge / inspiration!  Triangles!  Read more about the challenge HERE - over at Persimon Dreams.

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Since I had a few charm packs sitting on my shelf (for over a year?!) - one of which I won during last season of Project Quilting - and more pre-cuts on their way to me {thanks to reaching my 100 item goal and getting to do a "little bit" of fabric shopping!} - I thought this would be the perfect opportunity to sew with them!  I'll combine them with some white-on-whites, and add in fabric from my stash if need be!

Boho by Urban Chiks for Moda // Juggling Summer by Zen Chic for Moda

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Of course, as soon as the challenge posted, I ran over to Pinterest and started looking for inspiration, designs, color schemes, etc.

Here are a few faves I found:



"Lava Meets Sea" - using HSTs - by Coopcrafts



Bliss Quilt - Michelle @ I Like Orange - more HST's with strings
(I have seen this design, or similar, done with LOTS of variations - and with the design offset on all the sides, or centered, etc. - love it each and every time I see it..... so even if I don't do this one this week, it WILL be sewn at some point!)

One of many HST layouts over at Making More With Less

Bev's 60 degree triangle quilt - more strings!

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So many triangles.... so many ideas!

I think I will be working with half square triangles... and the plan is just to start making some HSTs and see where the fabrics take me as far as design!

..... But I have some work sewing that must happen before I do more work on this one (though I do have the 5" white-on-white squares cut!

I'd love to get a pretty good sized throw quilt made..... but if all else fails, I'll scale things back and do a quilted pillow cover! :)

My challenge to you - PARTICIPATE in this week's Project Quilting challenge.  You don't have to be a master quilter (I am FAR from that!).  You don't even have to make a traditional quilt!  You just have to be inspired {and yes, follow the couple rules set out in the challenge post!}

A few fun & quick items you could sew up that would qualify (as long as you did a little bit of patchwork, or used 3 layers, or applique!):
- coffee sleeve
- mug rug
- trivet / hot pad
- wall hanging
- tote bag / purse
- table runner
- table topper
- doll quilt
- "security" sized blanket
- pillow / pillow cover
- headband

Happy Sewing!

Zoe's Quilt - a FINISH! {pic heavy}

Well.... it was a very productive weekend!  When I last left you, I had most of the rows of Zoe's onesie quilt sewn up.

This weekend - I FINISHED the quilt!

I sewed up the rest of the rows and the quilt top was done.  Then I pieced together the backing fabric - using an adorable mini flower fabric in greens & pinks - as well as a few "extra" squares that didn't make it into the front - and some pink & white polka dots, of course!

Then I made a "quilt sandwich" - - - backing, batting, top - - - and spray / pin basted it.

I had to move my sewing machine to the dining room table - to give me LOTS of room to work while quilting!  I used simple straight line quilting about 1/2" on either side of each horizontal seam.

When all the quilting was done, I basted around the whole quilt as close to the edge as I could - just so it didn't wiggle while I was trimming / binding.  This was my view for a few hours Saturday night after the kiddos went to bed {the hubby liked that I was busy - it meant video game time for him!}

Have I mentioned how much I LOVE the dual-feed foot on my Janome Horizon 7700???  Love it.  

Next, I trimmed it up and it was ready for binding!  Isn't the back adorable?!

{don't mind the front-loader photobomb!}

Originally I had a different fabric in mind for the binding.... but then I realized I didn't have anywhere near as much as I needed.  So I auditioned a few fabrics - and even got the hubby's input.  I think he made a good choice, don't you!?

Then I got back behind the machine and stitched the binding on.  LOVE using the foot of my table extension to hold onto that pretty roll of binding - perfect!  (I learned that trick from Maureen Cracknell Handmade - - - and honestly I geek out a little each time I do it because I am SO in awe of her work and I can't help but think "I'm quilting like Maureen!" - yep.... now you know how much of a nerd I am!)

And soon enough...... the quilt was DONE!

{It measures about 50" x 60"}

A big thank-you to the hubby who helped take pictures - even though it was POURING down rain! :)

How fun are those stripes?!  And the flowers?  Polka dots?!  So much girly fun in one quilt!

Then there are all the fun little details that I just LOVE!

Like a First Christmas onesie, little puffs of tulle on some adorable flip-flops....

Bows, ruffles, fan gear....

A special 1st birthday onesie...

Pockets!  LOVE the little pockets (there are a few on the front AND back!)

Each time they wash this, it will get softer and softer.

I hope Zoe and her family LOVE snuggling up under this blanket - and reminiscing about all the memories created wearing all these adorable clothes!

Today I boxed it up and put it on the porch - - - it will be home with their family later this week!

I am so honored to have been asked to work on such a special project - it was truly a joy to make!

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Want to read more about Zoe's quilt {this one took a while, for sure!}

Sort & Design

Cutting & Piecing

March ALYOF goal

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Linking up with A Lovely Year of Finishes - - as this was my March goal {finished well before the end of the month, SWEET!} - I'm entry #21 this month - can't wait to see what others have finished up!

Sharing on "Show Off Saturday" as well! :)