My Happy Wall Hanging

These nearly tossed scraps have made me very happy!  I finished this quilt this afternoon and I am very pleased with it.  

So now I am waiting until allowance day to go grab the backing for my Herringbone quilt.  I'm pretty excited, and I did end up keeping myself occupied...... lots of deep cleaning around my house, so maybe this slow down was beneficial. 

Also, something pretty amazing happened and I have some exciting quilt prospects on the horizon!  

P.S. if you were counting this would be my 18th finished quilt this year.  That is pretty insane, but I did so much of the work last year and came into 2014 with lots of wips.  I'm happy to have two wips though, that's for darn sure!

A Secret Baby Quilt - 5th Edition

I can FINALLY share our fifth secret baby quilt.  This quilt was a group effort from my sewing friends, for a sewing friend.  This project took on a new challenge.... gender neutral.  This had me baffled.  I thought if we used one print in each of our blocks that it would help tie them together, and boy(or girl) was I right!

This green garden stake print was inspired by the rumor that the expecting mama was going with a veggie theme.  I bought a hunk and sent smaller bits out into the world to the block assemblers.

The hope was that everyone would use greens, yellows, oranges and reds and the blocks would have a hope of being bright and fun, and coordinates but without leaning towards 'boyish' or 'girly'.  It worked!  Here are the blocks.

This Log Cabin was assembled by Eva

This Dresden was made by Rebecca

This Star was made by Erica

I put a twist on the postage stamp center by using Lori Holt's postage stamp barn pattern.  I dig it.

Briana made this zig-zag 

Miranda made this zig-zag 

Kristen made this Dresden

Jamie made this Log Cabin block.

Erin made this Star block.

I ended up giving each block a little colorful border to build them up to match the size of the barn block.  I think it really makes the blocks more colorful.  Deciding on a border was a lengthy process.  I think I love the orange bandana print though.  

I was dreading looking for a backing, but I ended up finding an awesome zig-zag that I loved. Easy peasy!

The finished quilt is definitely colorful and bright, and yet is neutral.  I love that it worked out!

I tried a different type of label on this one.  I'm wondering how this type will wash up repeatedly and how it will wear.... time will tell.  

After making five group quilts in the last 7 months or so I was so pleased that this was the last!  We will see how long that lasts though, it seems to me a significant baby boom has hit our group... and it isn't done yet!

Scraps

I was pleasantly surprised with the quick quilt I finished yesterday, but that still left me without anything to work on for a long nine days until my allowance happens.  So I was looking though my fabric cabinet of 'someday' projects, when I found these scraps.  

Leftovers from my Happy Go Lucky quilt! I had thought these would never really amount to anything, but throwing them out would feel like a crime because they are Bonnie and Camille fabrics after all.  I spent a looooooong time playing with a layout before I came to this.  

The monster has been at the end of a cold and super snotty cough, and this morning right before we left for church he had a huge coughing fit that lead to some serious unpleasantness and staying home to live stream church instead.  I love technology.  And it was a great sermon I'm really glad I didn't miss.  

While I was watching church I started piecing on this top.  I love this table and being able to lay everything out.  In quilts like this I like to sew quilt top quarters.  It helps me keep seam pressing organized and makes for easy stopping and starting points.  By the end of the Benediction I had half of my quilt top assembled.

I finished the top early this afternoon and went on to basting.

And quilting, which I did in the ditch.  Super simple, sometimes that's best.  No loops today.

 I did get the binding attached, but I'm going to save this for sewing night.  I kinda thought this project would last a little longer.  Oh well.  It feels great to have such a productive weekend at the sewing machine.  And I saved these beautiful scraps from the trash.

Until my allowance I have one other thing I could work on.  Maybe.

After such a great weekend of sewing table use it was a little bittersweet while I got things ready for home school tomorrow.   Sharing is caring right.....

I'll be stalking usps.com tomorrow waiting for the quilt on it's journey home to arrive at it's destination.  Hopefully I'll be sharing soon!

April Showers

The charm pack quilt I started is finished!  And it's gorgeous! I have ten thousand photos to show you....

Yesterday afternoon I had a heap of chain pieced hsts.

I caught up on Revolution while I pressed and clipped.  

I only got a little bit sewn before dinner, but I love weekend sewing because I can leave everything laid out on the table.  It made it so easy to start up again this morning.  

After lunch I found a backing fabric in my stash ( hellllllloooooo awesome fabric stash organized by size for easy pulling!)

Basting on the table means no mopping, no sore abs, no procrastination.  I decided on loops because I'm addicted to loops lately.  

The loops when quick!  In the colorful rings I straight lined 1/4 inch from both seams.  That went crazy fast too!  

I love loops....have you noticed?

I found a navy and white polka-dot in my stash for the binding.  Perfect!

I tossed this finished quilt in the wash before dinner.  We were just finishing dessert when the dryer stopped. 

I tried to get the Hubs to hold the finished beaut.....

But then he started making funny faces....

Then the monster thought he would be funny..... They obviously don't understand how seriously pretty this quilt is.

And it seriously is.

The only thing I love more than a pretty quilt, is a fast pretty quilt.

And LOOPS!  I love loops....have I mentioned that?

Done Done Done Dresden

 About a week ago, feeling the urge to purge again, the Hubs and I went through my stash.  I pitched some, but mostly we measured hunks of fabric and sorted them, so now I conveniently know if I have enough fabric if I'm pulling from my stash for a project.  

During the sort I jokingly declared that the fabric scraps had been multiplying in their bins.  Then, I went though one bin and found a whole dang top.  A pretty quilt, but one I seriously thought I had finished! It was very late at night so my irrational thoughts of cloning, and haunting had my pulse elevated.   I had to consult my blog to check and be sure I wasn't loosing my mind. In fact I did finish this dresden wall hanging last fall, but apparently I had made two!

So now I can say the wall hanging twins are both finished.  I used some fabric from my stash for the backing and binding and quilted it at sewing night this week.  Then banged out the binding while the Monster had his teeth cleaned yesterday.(No cavities! YAY!!) 

I think this quilt is even lovelier than the wall hanging I made for myself, which is good because I am going to be gifting this one. 

Speaking of the quilting, I did a loopy design on the dresden plate, and I love how it turned out.  I think I may be hooked on these loops.  

Now that the quilt that cloned itself and surprised me is done I only have one project left.  However, my herringbone top is going to have to wait until payday for it's backing...... So I came to a point when I had to do nothing for ten days, or start something new.  

 So I'm cautiously starting a small project.  And it's super pretty! And it's NEW!

Check back again soon!  I'm mailing out a quilt today so I'll have another finish to show you hopefully on Monday!

Dresden Hauntings

A little bit ago I finished this cheerful dresden wall hanging.  I've had to keep it secret until my sister's birthday, but now that it's been gifted I can share.  It is such a pretty quilt.  I should have hoarded it, but I already made a springy dresden quilt for myself so at least this one will get use somewhere.  

Speaking of hoarding, I used a Verna print I've been hoarding for the backing..... I still have a decent sized hunk I'll continue to hoard, gosh I just love everything Kate Spain.  I think it looks great with this quilt though.

And speaking of my finished spring dresden...... I found an identical dresden wall hanging top stuffed in my sewing area.... So the old wips struggle continues.  

A Quick Finish

I finished up this quick quilt a couple nights ago.  I made the top using the Fatquartershop.com's free pattern.   Total it took me about an hour and a half to assemble, and I took a couple breaks in there to attend to life. 

I don't know if I love it, but I don't hate it so it's all good.  I think this pattern looks great with nearly any layer cake, but maybe mine was a little more challenging(ONE PINK?).  However, my friend made the same pattern with the same layer cake and I think hers looks wonderful, so maybe it's just a strange self criticism thing.  

I used a green backing because the recipient likes green.

The quilting went fast too.  I did a meandering loop in the large squares, and swooping loop across the quilt in the thin rows.  I really like the way these look.  I think I'll be doing them more in the future.

I currently have 2 wips going on. 

 One secret, which will probably be finished this weekend. (The McMath men are sneezing, sniffling babies so we will probably be home all weekend... men are so terrible with colds, the 6 year old is handing it much better than his father is.)  

The top of my herringbone is finished.  Scoring the backing could happen next week. *fingers crossed*

My tenth mystery BOM arrived  in the mail yesterday.  I just love finding them in my mailbox, and I'm going to be really sad when the 12th block arrives.  I cut the block out last night, then sewed it up this morning after school. 

Feeling like I could possibly make it to a single project status sometime soon!  I'd really like to get back to making quilts one at a time.  

Postage Stamp

I am so dang happy that this quilt is finished!  Especially since I nearly threw this project away. Literally.

I picked out a backing from Hancock that goes well with the top and its suitable for the young recipient.  

Speaking of recipients I currently have four finished quilts waiting for birthdays to come around.  It feels great to have all of these quilts done, but I'm ready for these things to head to their homes!  

Baby O Secret Baby Quilt

APO packages are so tough because you cannot track them once the military part takes them, so waiting for word that the package to my friend Bri arrived was torture. But she has received her secret baby quilt now so I can show you!

We've had a pretty significant baby boom in our online sewing group.....39% of the members were pregnant at the same time.  Briana was the fourth.  With her secret baby quilt we decided to do a blue/green theme.  Other colors were allowed but the block needed to 'read' blue and or green..... everyone did a great job and the blocks came together so well!   

Here are the individual blocks....

made by Kristen

made by me!

made by Erica

made by Rebecca

made by Miranda (recipient of secret baby quilt #1)

made by Eva

made by Erin (recipient of  secret baby quilt #2)

made by Lisa

made by Julie

I used a tan sashing, and the quilt was really green, so I added a blue border to balance it out.  The bright green border suits the quilt so well!  

I love that this group of ladies are so fun and talented!