Big Fun - A M&M Quilt

Been busy working on a new quilt for a special boy. He's autistic and absolutely fell in love with this M&M quilt top I had. I told him that it would be his as soon as I finished it.

So it's taken a while; I promised him this quilt at the end of February and just finished it up today.

The backing fabric has all the M&M characters and the words Big Fun - hence the name of the new quilt "Big Fun".  And it was a lot of fun making it.

Falling Triangles

Rainbow Afghan Finished

The whole thing is together. Now all I have to do is finish weaving the ends in. I can't believe that I forgot to post a picture. 
In total there are 16 blocks. They're each bordered with white, then stitched together in white.  Then there is one row of a white border done in double crochet and the last bit is dark blue for a border wave design.

Its been so cold we've slept under this for a few nights even without having the ends woven in.

Convergence

I found a fat quarter pack while I was cleaning out one of my bins.  Put it on the table for a few days and waited for inspiration to hit.

It took a few days but I settled on a  technique and style of quilting used by Ricky Timms,  called Convergence. 

As a top before any quilting it measures approximately 26.5x26.5 inches.

Since I literally just finished the top I'm going to take a day or two to think on how I want to quilt it.  Currently I'm thinking just a stitch in the ditch because the center is busy as well as the fabrics. 

Any thoughts?

Something For Me?

I finally had some inspiration to work on a little something for me - a new wall hanging for my sewing area.

I found an awesome fat quarter of a blue sky and cloud print and a little bit of a red and cream print sewing themed fabric   I paired the red and cream fabric with one of the fabrics I purchased my last trip to JoAnn before it went out of business in my area. The fabric I picked is a cream music print.  Its very subtle.

Then I used my favorite Dresden Plate ruler to cut the blades. When the whole plate was made I discovered that the fat quarter was slightly too small to applique the plate. 

So I added strips of Kona white to each side of the fat quarter.  This gave me enough space to applique the Plate.

Currently I'm in the process of hand appliqueing the plate to the background.  I have four of the 20 blades done.

After its all appliqued down I still need to figure out how to quilt it.

When everything is done my final touch will be to add my fathers buttons to the points of the blade. Daddy passed in 2007 and I've been holding onto buttons I pulled off his favorite clothes.  They've been living in a baggie in my desk drawer.  But I think this will be the perfect use for them. 

So... any suggestions on how to quilt this one up?

Coast Guard Lone Star

My mom has a big birthday coming up this year, but she's sworn me to secrecy about her age.

So, I won't say her age, but I will say that she's getting a quilt for her birthday - and it features the super hard to find Coast Guard fabric!!

I've been looking for Coast Guard fabric forever, and finally got my grubby hands on some.

Now, all I'm waiting for is the stencil of the Coast Guard emblem so I can quilt that in the large squares and anchors in the triangles.  This still has to be trimmed up, but I'm waiting for daylight to do that so I don't screw it up.

And I'm still trying to decide on the thread color to quilt it in, I'm looking for a varigated thread, perhaps in red, white and blue.  Still undecided on that.

This is a close up of one of the points in the lone star.

 

And here is the whole star.  It really is flat, I'm just lazy and didn't want to lay everything out perfectly, when I'll just have to press it again before I trim. :)

Hello Kitty LoneStar

One of my friends has an adorable little girl named Juliet. Juliet loves Hello Kitty.

This one will be for Juliet.  I'm waiting on a fabric order for a border for this one.  The first border is going to be a thin red border and then Hello Kitty for a wider border.

It's up on the design "wall" and I'm just not tall enough to get it wide enough or high enough on the wall for it to lay smooth.  But, rest assured that it is smooth.

Shades of Blue

Ok.. y'all know it. Blue is my favorite color.  I love it, there's just something about the color blue, it's so calming to me, like a nice summer sky.

These are going to be going into a "Shades of Blue" Carpenters Star quilt.  The bottom row is going to be the front of the quilt, and the back one is a blue-grey that will be the backing and the binding. Oh is this one going to be so much fun.

 

 And this one is another Shade of Blue top.  I've got to think about the border on it, and then how to quilt it.  I'm thinking that I'll be quilting loops in each diamond, and then maybe some curved cross hatching in the triangles.. not sure on the squares yet.  And I'm not sure on what border or borders I'm going to do just yet.

Show Quilt - Top done

My quilt Pieces of Me is going to be shown with Stretching Art and Tradition exhibit at the Philadelphia National Quilt Extravaganza XX held September 19-22, 2013.  I'm so excited to be participating in it.  My quilt won't be judged, just exhibited.

The theme is Hi, it's Me!  so I've been working on Dresden Plates because of the circular nature of life.   I wanted to start out with larger ones and work towards smaller ones, all with things that represent who I am.

My husband helped me come up with the center idea of putting my silhouette in the center and as the Dresdens go from larger to smaller have a piece of the silhouette covered up.

So, let me share a bit of what each Dresden represents.

Pink and Purple - my DD's favorite colors and represents me as a woman.
Blue and Anchors - my Dad used to be a commercial fisherman, I grew up at the NJ shore and had a boat before I had a car.
England and Red Paisley - my love of travel, DH is from England originally and I was in Puerto Rico studying Spanish.
Coffee Beans and Blues and Browns - One of the things I love, coffee.  The blues and browns represent my love of Mother Earth and Nature.
Pencils and Cream Crosses - My profession as a teacher and my faith.
American Patriotic - I'm American, part Native American, and where a lot of my roots are.

I'm not showing off the final outcome with the quilting.. but I will share that it's bound in dark green. :)

Coffee Swap Blocks - Started

Oh dear.  I participated in 2 different swaps in 2007 and 2010? maybe 2011..  I sent out the same fabric in both swaps and never did anything with the blocks I received back.  They spent the last few years in a block case.

Here are the blocks from 2010/2011 that are up on the design wall.  I think this is going to be my final layout of these blocks. 

They are each 12.5 unfinished, so it's a good size already.

I'm planning on adding a thinner border around these, then adding the other blocks, which are a square in a square.

 

Retirement Quilt DONE

The Retirement Quilt is DONE.  And it's been delivered. And he likes it. 

See, and a lot of you were thinking that I wouldn't actually finish something.  Hahaha.  I got it done. (Before Friday too I might add!!)

Sorry about the horrible picture - it was taken without binding on it, but it has been bound in the dark blue which I think frames it nicely. 

For the backing I used grey flannel and Legacy 100% cotton batting.  It's so soft and cuddly.  It'll be amazing to cuddle up with and I hope that the recipient enjoys it as much as I enjoyed making it for him.

Added 2 More UFOs.. whoops

Well, at least they won't be UFOs for long.

Seriously - don't laugh.  I have DEADLINES for these!!

This one is going to a friend who is retiring on Friday the 21st.  Yes, you read that right.  This coming Friday.  I've made 4 of these blocks - thank you to Missouri Star Quilt Co for the amazing and easy tutorial.  When it's done (no later than Friday!!)  It'll be 52x52.  This picture was taken before I added sashing - so it's bigger now.

And this one is for a good friend of mine who just had a little girl.  Since I took the picture, I've evened up each side and added a 3 inch light green border.  Now all I need to do is quilt it.  It's all sandwiched.  My idea is to quilt the babys name in the purple tumblers and loose stipple in the bunny.  Once it's done the quilt is getting shipped off to the adorable girl in Ireland.

The Big Reveal: Rainbow Carpenters Star

Here's the finished Carpenters Star.

Add borders if you want, then quilt and bind.

There you go - a Carpenters Star quilt without any Y seams. :-)

All previous parts to the tutorial/sew along:

Stitching The Rows Together 

Row Stitching Instructions 

Cutting Instructions 

The Beginning: Picking Fabrics 

All that's left is for me to decide if I'm adding borders, or not and the quilting.  I've got a few ideas on how to quilt it, just need some time.

Picking the thread to quilt it.  A friend taught me to NOT lay the spools of thread on the quilt top like this:

And why not you ask?  Good question.  Thank you Jess for helping me out. :)  If the thread is all coiled up on the spool you won't get a good idea of how it would look laid out over the different colors of the quilt.  What should be done is to pull some of the thread off the spool and lay it over the quilt top more or less what it would look like if it was quilted.   Try it on the different colors and see what works for your particular quilt top.  It also depends on if you want the thread to blend in or stand out highlighting the quilting.

For me, I picked the rainbow thread.  See how pretty it looks?  Now all I have to do is decide on the quilting motifs.  If you've got any suggestions - I'm open to them! :)

Sew Along - Stitching the Rows Together

A more detailed explanation of how to sew each row together is coming along shortly. I need to get my husband to help with the computer aspect of labeling things. 

Two rows together:

Halfway point:

Using 8.5" *unfinished) squares, it currently is 32.5"x64.5" (unfinished)

 

Ok.. I really need to get a design wall. The floor thing isn't working out to well. LOL.

Previous Parts to this Sew Along:

Sewing Instructions

Cutting Instructions

Choosing Fabrics

Sew Along - Rainbow Carpenters Star - Stitching Instructions

Let's get stitching!

For this, it's a bit fiddly at first to get the pieces sewn together. My advice is to take this quilt one row at a time.  There are 8 rows.

Because of the Half Square Triangles (HSTs), I press my seams open to reduce bulk, but you can certainly press to the dark side.

Example:

Front:

 

 Back:

 

Row 1:
Step 1 - Sew:
Blue HST to Background HST
Dark Purple HST to Background HST
Light Purple HST to Background HST
Pink/Rose HST to Background HST
Background Square to Background Square
Background Square to Background Square

Once all the HSTs are sewn together and the background squares are sewn to each other, press the seams open (or to the dark side - it's your preference).  Pin together and set aside.  Label this section Row 1.

Row 2:
Step 1 - Sew:
Background Square (don't stitch to anything)
Light Green HST to Dark Green HST
Dark Green HST to Blue HST
Dark Purple HST to Background HST
Pink/Rose HST to Dark Red HST
Dark Red HST to Red HST
Background Square (don't stitch to anything)

Once all the HSTs are sewn together and the background squares are sewn to each other, press the seams open (or to the dark side - it's your preference).  Pin together and set aside. Label this section Row 2.

Row 3:
Step 1 - Sew:
Background HST  to Teal HST
Teal HST to Dark Green HST
Background Square (don't stitch to anything)
Blue HST to Background HST
Pink/Rose HST to Background HST
Black Square (don't stitch to anything)
Red HST to Orange HST
Orange HST to Background HST

Once all the HSTs are sewn together and the background squares are sewn to each other, press the seams open (or to the dark side - it's your preference).  Pin together and set aside. Label this section Row 3.

Row 4:
Step 1 - Sew:
Background HST to Yellow HST
Yellow HST to Background HST
Background HST to Dark Green HST
Dark Green HST to Blue HST
Pink/Rose HST to Orange HST
Orange HST to Background HST
Background HST to Tan HST
Tan HST to Background HST

Once all the HSTs are sewn together and the background squares are sewn to each other, press the seams open (or to the dark side - it's your preference).  Pin together and set aside.  Label this section Row 4.

Row 5:
Step 1 - Sew:
Background HST to Tan HST
Tan HST to Background HST
Background HST to Orange HST
Orange HST to Pink/Rose HST
Blue HST to Dark Green HST
Dark Green to Background HST
Background HST to Yellow HST
Yellow HST to Background HST

Once all the HSTs are sewn together and the background squares are sewn to each other, press the seams open (or to the dark side - it's your preference).  Pin together and set aside.  Label this section Row 5.

Row 6:
Step 1 - Sew:
Background HST to Orange HST
Orange HST to Red HST
Background Square (don't stitch to anything)
Pink/Rose HST to Background HST
Background HST to Blue HST
Background Square (don't stitch to anything)
Dark Green HST to Light Green HST
Light Green HST to Background HST

Once all the HSTs are sewn together and the background squares are sewn to each other, press the seams open (or to the dark side - it's your preference).  Pin together and set aside.  Label this section Row 6. 

Row 7:
Step 1 - Sew:
Background Square (don't stitch to anything)
Red HST to Dark Red HST
Dark Red HST to Pink/Rose HST
Light Purple HST to Background HST
Background HST to Dark Purple HST
Blue HST to Teal HST
Teal HST to Dark Green HST
Background Square (don't stitch to anything)

Once all the HSTs are sewn together and the background squares are sewn to each other, press the seams open (or to the dark side - it's your preference).  Pin together and set aside.  Label this section Row 7. 

Row 8:
Step 1 - Sew:
Background Square to Background Square
Pink/Rose HST to Background HST
Background HST to Light Purple HST
Dark Purple HST to Background HST
Background HST to Blue HST
Background Square to Background Square

Once all the HSTs are sewn together and the background squares are sewn to each other, press the seams open (or to the dark side - it's your preference).  Pin together and set aside.  Label this section Row 8.

Coming up next - how to sew each row together.

Previous - Cutting Instructions 

Beginning of the Sew Along - Fabrics Needed

Sew Along - Rainbow Carpenter Star - Cutting Instructions

All righty!! Ready to do some cutting?

 

From your BACKGROUND - 16 SQUARES, 32 TRIANGLES

Dark Red - 4 Triangles

Red - 4 Triangles

Pink/Rose - 8 Triangles

Light Purple - 4 Triangles

Dark Purple - 4 Triangles

Blue - 8 Triangles

Teal - 4 Triangles

Dark Green - 8 Triangles

Light Green - 4 Triangles

Yellow - 4 Triangles

Tan - 4 Triangles

Orange - 8 Triangles

When you do the cutting and trimming, make sure that you're consistent with the rulers that you use. Whatever ruler you use to cut your squares - use that one to square up your Half Square triangle blocks. Consistency is important.  Over the years I've found that each ruler is slightly different - so whichever ruler you start cutting with, keep using that ruler. It'll save you a ton of heartache.

Roberts Quilt - Another UFO done!

Another UFO bites the dust. It's *done.*  Happy dance time.

Look out Robert - it's all yours. a great couch quilt.

Quilting Practice - Reversible Candle Mat

Practicing my quilting.  The quilting pattern is a free one from Forest Quilting. Doesn't it quilt up beautifully?

It measures about 14"x14"

Currently in use as a candle mat.

Basketball & Football = a quilt?

My daughter and I share the same Godmother.  When we decided to baptize our daughter, we wanted to pick someone who meant a whole lot to the both of us. The only person that we could decide on was my Godmother. We asked, and she said yes!

As I was thinking about it, my daughter and I can now do joint gifts for our Godmothers birthday and mothers day.  Since Godmother is a *huge* fan of Duke and the Patriots, off I went shopping for some new fabrics. The goal is to get the whole quilt done by Mothers Day in May.

I got some Duke fabric, and Patriots.  The Patriots has a pinch of red in it, so I'll do a skinny border in red, and then more blue and white.

I'm making WhirlyGig blocks! :) So much fun. Here's a close up of the blocks before I trimmed them to size.

 

And after playing with how to lay the blocks out, this is the layout I decided on, with a ton of help from my husband. Please excuse my toes.

And this is what I've gotten accomplished so far. All the blocks but 3 are sewn (those will be going on the backing which will be pieced just because a pieced backing is so much more awesome in my opinion).  I still need to add a larger blue and white border, then sandwich, quilt and bind.  I'm still debating on colors to bind, red or blue. Any suggestions, feel free to leave a comment!

Until later my friends!

Whoo Whoo's cute?

Joann Fabrics had this adorable owl fabric. Of course a yard and a half popped into my basket. I fussy cut the owls out and cut up my scraps to make wonky log cabin blocks.  I'm going to make each one measure about 14.5" unfinished so it'll be a really nice size quilt. 

And I'm using up my scraps which will be the best part ever. I have so many scraps I just need to tame them. This should help.

Look - wonky log cabins with the owls as the center:

 

Needing to be trimmed:

 

One complete block done and in the tub:

 

Aww, what a cutie patootie:

Whoo couldn't love those eyes?  Since there's so many colors in the owls anything goes - the best part ever for using my scraps!!