Blogger's Quilt Festival!

Hi everyone!  Reviving this little blog to enter the Blogger's Quilt Festival Fall 2014 Edition.  I'm mostly on Instagram these days (IG for those in the know) as Craftyprocrastinator.  But, I really REALLY wanted to show you all a quilt that I love!  I loved making it and even more I love snuggling under it in the winter.

I started this quilt three years ago when I was on maternity leave with my newborn.  I should have been sleeping, cleaning, or even eating during naps, but for my sanity, I quilted.

I fell in love with City Quilts after Cherri House's lecture at the Philly Modern Quilt Guild in spring 2011. A number of the quilts in City Quilts are on my Quilty Bucket List like City Green....{LOVE!}, but this quilt wasn't about me.  I handed City Quilts to my husband and said pick a quilt that you would like me to make for you.  We'd been together for six years and everyone had a quilt except for him.  He picked a few and I narrowed it down to City Lot.  It took awhile to finish, but wow, was it worth it!

 

It was quilted with straight lines and is probably the largest quilt I've ever quilted on my home machine.  The finished size is approximately 75 inches by 80 inches.

I backed it with a cheater print that I think worked well.

Made with a variety of Kona cotton solid prints.  Although the City Quilts book provided the pattern which included the cutting details, the colors were left to the individual quilter to select.  Cherri recommended bright colors which I think worked well with the chocolate brown background.

Thanks for visiting!  I'm entering this quilt into the Large quilt category in the Blogger's Quilt Festival.  I hope you enjoyed seeing my City Lot quilt.

City Sampler Blocks 7-9

Next set of City Sampler blocks --- check!

Block #7

Block #8

Block #9

Blocks 1 - 9

And just off camera, Emma waiting patiently to play with my blocks.

Currently on the needles....

I've been bit by the knitting bug!

I just cast on a new project and I'm addicted.  During the past winter, I took a knitting class. I didn't learn very much (or knit very much) but I finished my project.  During the class, I went to my local yarn shop Hooked (formerly Woolplay) and saw sample blocks from Michelle Hunter's book Building Blocks.  I never thought I'd knit an afghan (blanket?) but the blocks were so soft. 

First block - barely in progress

First block - 1/2 done

The yarn is Simpliworsted and is a superwash wool, acrylic, and nylon blend.  It's is so soft and buttery.  It's a little bit splitty but the colors are amazing.  So far I've only picked up bubblebum, but I plan on adding gray and framboise too.

City Sampler Sew Along - Blocks #1 - 6

Have you joined in the City Sampler sew along yet?? 

It's a quilt along using Tula Pink's new book, City Sampler: 100 Modern Quilt Blocks.

It's a lot of fun & all the cool kids are doing it :)

I missed out on the Farmer's Wife QAL so I knew I had to get my act together to not miss this one.

I'm using Vintage Modern by Bonnie and Camille for my blocks.  The blocks finish at 6" so a lot of the pieces are super small.

Block 1

Block 2

Block 3

Block 4

Block 5 - not as wonky as it appears in photo

Block 6

Fabric for blocks 7, 8, 9 is already cut and ready to be sewn.  If you haven't joined in, there is still plenty of time.  Don't forget & join the flickr group too!

Blogger's Quilt Festival - {truly} smitten

Well hello there!  If you are visiting from the Blogger's Quilt Festival hosted by Amy, Welcome to my little space!

My entry into the spring quilt festival, is my {truly} smitten quilt.

I started this one awhile back...sometime last year.  I wanted to make a lap/toddler bed sized quilt for Emma.  The Hunky Dory line (Chez Moi for Moda) was perfect for her quilt.  The pastel pinks, blues, and greens --- so sweet!

After seeing Anna's Smitten quilt during a PMQG event, I fell in love with the pattern (by Rachel Griffith).  The quilt came together so quickly and then I got stuck.  I really wanted to try something different with this quilt --- a different style of free motion quilting.  At the PMQG retreat in November, a few guild members offered some suggestions for quilting and an idea was born.

I stippled in the white space, out-lined the prints with straight line quilting, and added a flower in each square.    I can see the progression of the free motion flowers from ehhhhh to ok, good enough.  What I was going for and what I ended up with were 2 different things but I love the result.

This is one of the "better" flowers!

I backed the quilt with a pink Kona solid and used the same for the binding.

Emma's still in a crib (YAAAY!) so for now we use this quilt to cuddle with on the couch.

Hi Paigey-dog!

Thanks for visiting!

More about Potholders - Potholder Pass 13

I participated in the spring round of Potholder Pass (Round 13) which doesn't seem to be my lucky round.  I over committed myself this spring and sent my potholders a week way late.  I was little overwhelmed by my partner's request and mosaic but in the end I like what I came up with.

This one is my favorite of the two.  I love this bird fabric (Oh, Deer by Momo for Moda).  My partner, Sabie sews, requested woodland crittery, modern, and bright!  I did random straight line quilting on this one.

For the second one, I fussy cut a deer from one of the fabric panels and framed it with a few narrow strips.  The quilting on this one was primarily stitch in the ditch with a little free motion outlining some of the details of the grass and tree.

I included a few extras: some of the Oh, Deer fat eighths and a quilt pattern.

Sabie sews received this last week & I think she liked them but, the package from my swap partner appears to be lost :-(.  I'll be waiting patiently.

Mother's Day, Potholders, & Dishtowels, Oh My!

Happy Belated Mother's Day to all the moms out there :)  I had a relatively low key day myself which was perfect.  We spent the day gardening and Hubby made us a really lovely dinner.

For Mother's Day this year I was inspired by Rita @ Red Pepper Quilts to make my mom new potholders.  Knowing that my mom's potholders were in rough shape, they seemed like the perfect gift.  I used one of those mini charm packs which was enough for 2 potholders with a few squares left over. 

I layered the potholder top with a layer of Warm & Natural Batting and a layer of the Insul-Bright and did a little straight line quilting.  

Just finishing the binding.

 

 To add a little something to the potholders, I "made" mom a dishtowel.  I followed this wonderful tutorial by Kleio's Belly.  My pleat came out slightly off center {totally my fault} but, oh well, it's functional!  You can get two of these hanging dishtowels out of one full sized (15x24") kitchen towel.

Mom's second towel is still in progress but these literally take only a few minutes to make.  The most time consuming part for me was the button hole.  Well really procrastinating doing it.  I've done them in the past ----you know, on the old machine.  I was so intimidated by the new machine, with it's special button hole foot.  It was soooo darn easy.  You just pick the stitch number (#49 on my Babylock), attach the foot, line up the starting point, and press go.  Sew easy! (HA!)

Woodland Sampler - April & May

I had (what seemed like) a million things to get done in April, so the Woodland sampler was put on the back burner.  Now that I'm all caught up on various other deadlines, bee blocks, swaps, & pattern testing, I had a chance to work on my April and May Woodland sampler blocks.

April brought the jack-a-lope and April showers.  I added little dandelions which I love seeing this time of year.

For May, I stitched up this little gnome guy.  I think he's rather cute hiding in those sprouts.

I can't wait for the release of June's pattern, but until then I have plenty of work to do on the Springtime sampler. I'm over halfway done stitching up the frames and finally picked up the embroidery floss for the pattern.