Feathers Quilt

I've been working on this paper pieced quilt off and on this year.  There was a Feathers QAL that started in December 2013, I think I did start mine in January 2014.  I have learned that I am rarely able to keep up with QALs.  Other things come up, the QAL is not the only thing I'm working on, so I end up just coming back to it later.  

It's later now.  

Some of my blocks completed in March 2014

Here is a link to more photos when I worked on this in March and April Feathers blogpost

In June I gave a little lecture to my Modern Quilt Guild on paper piecing, and I wanted to have this top done to show.  It was not to be, I lacked 4 of the blocks before the lecture started, and I just didn't have it in me to finish the night before.  

The last J Block

Last week I was completing a paper pieced bee block, and I always change my needle after paper piecing, piercing all that paper must make it dull.  It seemed a waste to use that needle on just one paper pieced block, taking the plunge at 10 pm,  I cranked out the last few Feathers blocks.

A 3 a.m. finish, but all the blocks were competed.

Next was deciding layout, I wanted to veer off the path of the pattern because I had a focal fabric I wanted to use somewhere in the quilt.

Erin Michael Lush Uptown Paint by Number - sky

Trying different layouts

I sewed some of my feather rows together, eliminating some of the sashing.

Stopping here to decide on border placement

I knew I wanted to add a border, but I didn't want to frame the quilt top.  Making the quilt larger, without taking away from the pattern and also drawing attention to the focal fabric.  I had limited amount of the print, and of course not to be found anywhere, so I had to be careful what I cut up and where I placed the print.  

I added a small feather along the bottom border

Framing the print with a solid helped separate it from the print

Now to quilt

Here is what it looked like when I took off all the paper

This pattern is by Alison Glass, Feathers 

This is a well written pattern with cutting measurements for each piece, tips included in her pattern, a good start for a beginner.  

I have added a Facebook page, you can like my page and I am posting photos of what I'm working on more often than I am blogging.  Hope to see you there!  

Keep Calm, and Quilt On!

Mary

Feathers Quilt

It's WIP (Work in Progress) Wednesday!  I could basically show you my entire sewing studio here, because I have so many WIPs going right now.  Bee blocks, divided baskets, quilts, binding, pouches, you name it, it's happening.  

Still working on some 'me' things, I hope to finish more of the 'me' pile and not just get these started.

I went in on the Feathers Quilt along, pattern by Alison Glass.  Alison has written fantastic instructions with this pattern, telling you how many pieces to cut and what size for each block.  This is a paper pieced pattern.  

I started with these fabrics, based on a Design Seeds palette.  I love Design Seeds for color inspiration!

I needed a large print for the background, and I decided on this, which went perfectly with my original colors.  I added a few more solids based on the print.  

I am so excited to use this fabric!  It is Lush Uptown by Erin Michael for Moda, and also solids, mostly Kona but some others in there too.  

Making Feathers:

 I and J were pretty tricky

My blocks so far, not in particular order.  

Of course, I didn't actually 'go along' on the 'quilt along', the schedule was not right for me at the time.  I'm happy to do these at my pace, and I still have blocks to make, but not as many as I have done already.  

I'm loving the colors and can't wait for this to be on my sofa.  Hoping for more time to work on this soon.  

Linking up with Freshly Pieced for WIP Wednesday.

Keep Calm and Quilt On!

Mary

Economy Blocking

Just to be able to sew for fun I joined in with all the quilters and instagrammers who are making Economy Blocks - something I have always know as Square-In-A-Square.  I'm not sure how the name was changed, but it was and no one calls it Square any longer.  

I used Tula Pink fabric for my centers, as I had a stack of charm squares from a swap.

The first round I chose all black and white fabrics, some with text.

The outer section of each block are mostly Tula Pink fabrics, I have thrown in a few others for the colors.  This one is my favorite so far.

I have 23 blocks finished, I am making the 8" blocks 

4 1/2" center

5 1/4" for the first round, cut on the diagonal twice for 4 triangles

4 7/8" x 2 for the outer section, cut on the diagonal for 4 triangles

Not sure how many more I will make, I'll just go until it feels like the right size.

Keep Calm, and Quilt On!

Mary

Sunflower Garden for Hannah

Months and months ago I was asked to make a quilt that highlighted sunflower fabrics.

Just all different sunflowers, and also maybe something in a traditional layout.

The traditional part threw me.

So I started out with this.  Trying to follow directions.

Four patches and squares.  While this isn't the most hideous thing, I was truly not feeling it.  So it stayed up on the board for awhile and then was put away.  This layout was going nowhere.  

My guilt was eating at me, and still trying to go a traditional route, I made a second attempt and was leaning toward this. Sometimes I hate directions.

Also, not hideous, but also not feeling it.  

So now I have tons of fabric cut and pieced, and no idea where I am going to go with this quilt.  So everything is put away and while in the back of my mind for months, I felt nothing happening.  

And of course, when I have no time, inspiration knocks me flat.  

Two weeks before Christmas in the midst of all the holiday happenings, I have to make this quilt.  Because, you know, I had absolutely nothing going on.  I chose to veer away from actual sunflower prints and went with the colors that would remind you of sunflowers - or at least they remind me.  

With darker bolder prints for the contrast, with some sunflower prints in there.  Although, I have to feel right making this I tried to remember that it would belong to someone else and she adored sunflowers.

I had bought this large panel (two actually, which was good because I needed the second to make the layout work) to use in some form in this quilt - so I sliced it up.

That was not an easy decision, once sliced there is no going back.

And once more while in the middle of all this - inspiration has to knock me flat, and I spend all of a Saturday night holed up with a bottle of wine and my sewing machine, iron and design wall.  Sometimes all of those are my best friends.  

Finito.  This is quilted now and in its new home.  I love the modern feel of this quilt, and while her husband had asked for traditional, he is a traditional guy, she is not and I believe this suited her much more than what I started out with.  She is going to let me have it back next week to get photos of the quilting.  She was surprised and happy - and I was so happy to have this done and off my guilt list, as opposed to my regular list.

And because I am following along with the Value Added group on Flickr - I changed one of the photos to black and white to get a good look at the color values.    The main sunflower really stands out, which I wanted, some of the other pieces, that I considered darker in the quilt seem to be more medium, but in the whole scheme I think they work.

I hope everyone is having a wonderful holiday week -  I know I am, getting to know and cuddle with a bright new shiny baby boy.  But since he lives with his mamma and papa I can still take time to quilt! 

There is still time to join in the Postage Stamp Block Swap , USA shipping isn't until Jan 10, and these blocks are quick and easy.  I love them for sewing when you need to wind down from a technical project or just want to sew but don't want to get involved in anything big.

FAL - Third Quarter 2012

First of all, can I just hyperventilate for a moment - We are in the the third quarter of 2012!!!!!  Where has the year gone?  I have to get motivated to finish a few projects, and here is my motivation, I'm linking up with Rhonda's Finish Along 2012 for the third quarter, because there are prizes!  

My List of UFO's that I want off my shelf in the next three months:

1.  Tokyo Subway Map:  This top I finally completed here, in March.  I have pieces for the back cut, but not together yet.

This one is just for fun, I have no one in mind to give this too, I just love the colors and the patterns.  

2.  Sunflowers:  This one has been up on my wall for way too long - I would like this top together and quilted.  Really, someone paid me for this one and it has been months.  Luckily, they are patient or afraid me - one or the other.

3.  Wedding Quilt:  For my son and his bride who were married in May - a signature quilt, everyone at the reception signed one of these squares.  

4.  Aqua and Orange Bee Blocks:  I want to get this one finished mostly because I have fabrics set aside for the blocks that I would like to drop back into my fabric pool.  I'm still playing with the configuration of the blocks, this is a photo of one way the blocks could go.  This Bee has been over for a few months now, and I think I have had my blocks for not quite a year, I think I should get them together before I hit that year mark.

5.  Aqua and Red from NuBees:  Now this one, I am getting this together!!!  I came across this photo looking up UFO's and I have totally altogether forgotten these blocks existed.  I got them all after several months in NuBees Flickr Group last year.  I love this monthly group, because you can hop in and out as your schedule requires.  Honestly, I don't even know where these blocks are, and it looks from the photo as if they are ready to go, I can sew a few seams, and done.  I'm hunting these up today!

That's five, which is slightly ambitious on top of other things for the quarter.  I need to get sewing.  Like, right now.  It's 110 degrees here today anyway, and I'm planning on not setting foot outside.  

Keep Calm and Sew On!

A surprise and Dead Simple

I received a little present from Erin over at Bittle Bear during her give away.  Whoo hoo, Love this fabric, and Thank you, Erin.  These are so pretty in person.  

Presents from Erin at Bittle Bear

I'm playing in this QAL , I have a palette, which I posted HERE, I moved photos around on my computer, now I can't find the picture of my palette, wherever I moved it, so just go look at the older post.  Or the solids are below.

Solids for Dead Simple QAL

I pulled some fabrics, I feel I have too many mediums.  Not so amazingly, my pulls are full of Kaffe Fassett and a little Joel Dewberry.  

The Medium Grey, Ash and Espresso.  

Curry, Amber, and another yellow that I wanted to use.  This end of the color palette is so ME!  I didn't have much of the lightest yellow, but the orange and amber color, covered, which is why I feel there are too many mediums.

I put together some of the Bow Tie blocks for the Bow Tie Swap.  Luckily, I checked the directions after only making one, they all would have been wrong!  I cut the small pieces 2.5" instead of 2", I was mixing sizes for the postage stamp swap.  Making them all wrong would not have surprised me in the least, because I was working on these  AHEAD of time, so it would just be karma to have them all be wrong since I'm working ahead of schedule.  

Bow Tie Swap

I'm starting a quilt using a young man's shirts.  This has part of a flannel.  Never an easy task to use clothing in a quilt, pulling everything together.  I'll have more in the days to come, and a story to go along.  

Block 1 Jesse

Ok, FINE, I'll do it, but I did resist

I tried.  I tried to resist.  And then today on Lily's Quilts for her Dead Simple QAL, she had a post titled Resistance is Futile.  Really?  A Star Trek NG reference?  I could no longer resist.  It was futile.  Here is my color palette from Design Seeds.  I think over there someone is secretly an evil borg, trying to make us all do this QAL, and I mean that in the nicest possible way.  Because I secretly did want to participate, just needed that one extra push, or mind meld, whatever.