Blogger’s Quilt Festival

Amy over at Amy’s Creative Side is hosting the third Blogger’s Quilt Festival.   Over 650 people have entered their quilts this week.  There are so many amazing and talented people in blogland.

Here is my very last minute entry:

This was a quilt for a coworker expecting her first baby, a son, in March.  It was made during round 5 of the Old Red Barn Co quilt along on flickr led by Dana.  It was my first experience with pinwheels and I loved it.  The quilt was made with an animal alphabet charm pack and white solid.    The backing was my favorite part of the quilt! 

All quilted, bound and washed just prior to running out the door to the shower!

Thanks for visiting!

Wonderland

Check out these double hour glass blocks! 

This quilt is going to be my favorite ever…I just know it.  My original intentions were to make another hexagon quilt by sewing a white strip to each jelly roll strip.  Instead, I cut my strips using a half square triangle ruler and came up with this - each strip set yielded 2 blocks.  Fun!

So why did I finally use my coveted wonderland jelly roll!?  Because I found something even better, a wonderland layer cake online, which btw they have plenty of jelly rolls and honey buns of wonderland in stock!  So excited to add this to my stash, but what’s a stash if you aren’t going to use it?

I’m in love…

with free motion quilting…stippling…whatever it’s called.

I had two quilts basted & ready for quilting, one I had no clue how I was going to quilt and another I was planning on doing straight line quilting.  Normally I’d start the one in my comfort zone and knock the straight line quilting out, but one day last week I was feeling gutsy and just took the leap.  I haven’t looked back since…except maybe when it was 11 o’clock at night and my eyes could no longer focus.  It’s coming along nicely…so nice (in my humble opinion) that I’m thinking my hexagon quilt (slated for straight line quilting) is going to be stippled.  The only thing I didn’t count on was the time commitment and massive amount of thread I’ve gone through!

Things I could make in my sleep....

Another Amy Butler frenchy bag complete....this one is for my MIL.  

Made from Sweetwater Make Life (Moda).

I think this is my fourth frenchy bag!  Time to move on to the Amy Butler birdie bag....I received my Poppy fabric in the mail today too....sounds like I have a weekend project already lined up. 

Stash Building...for others

Saturday was the second meeting of the Philly Modern Quilt Guild.  The theme for this month was Pillow Talk!  Lots of awesome pillows including Julie's disappearing nine patch and Amanda's crazy nine patch.  I unfortunately haven't made a pillow since eighth grade so I brought my charisma quilt (still not basted!).  It was the first thing that I actually ever sewed in Home Ec.  It started this craziness!  I would have loved to bring it for show and tell in its purple floral and gold glory but I'm pretty sure its since been thrown out by mom.  I do need some new throw pillows for our porch furniture...so who knows...there may be some pillows in my future!

After the meeting, I happened to mention to Julie that The Little Shop, my local go-to quilt shop, was only 5 minutes away.  Julie was more than eager to add to her stash and accompanied me on an excursion.  If Tula Pink is in a quilt shop, Julie is sure to find out!  Candi was there shopping too picking out fabric for a birdie sling.  I (for once) did not come home with ANY fabric.  I know, right?!?  I really, really wanted fabric for a birdie sling too after seeing 2 at the guild meeting but I was set on using Laura Gunn's Poppy...requiring a (very recent) online purchase.

I've made some progress with the hexagons.  All my strips are paired up and I've figured out my pattern (classic hexes) and more than likely I'll be making a second hex quilt.

The more I make...the more I love!

This is by no means a layout I anticipate using...but I am realizing the importance of a design wall!

What's your....

1. Favorite hobby?

2. Favorite tv show?

3. Favorite restaurant food?
 

4. Favorite thing to shop for?

5. Favorite animal?

6. Favorite song?



7. Favorite word?



8. Recent favorite youtube video?




9. Favorite movie?

10. Favorite childhood memory?

One of my favorite bloggers Ashley at Hot Butter was playing so I jumped in on the fun.  You can play along too...check out everyone else doing it! 

Surprising Stash Finds

About a year ago I discovered designer fabrics and all things Moda.  I haven't looked back since.  For awhile I was an inexperienced shopper...not immediately recognizing fabric lines while in the Little Shop.  It took time to memorize recognize the different designers and collections.  During my transition period, as I like to call it, the Little Shop had a fat quarter and fat eighth sale.  I had no clue what I was looking at or shoving into my shopping basket...I just knew it was a good deal by the crowds of women around me fighting their way through the store.  Imagine my surprise when I found a fat eighth of Flea Market Fancy in my stash.  Who knows what else I have hiding in there?!  An amazing find...in my own house!  Maybe it's time to dig into my stash and start using it!

Hexagons

Friday April 9th was the second sewing night for the Philly Modern Quilt Guild.  Since I had yet to finish piecing my Charisma top together, I figured that was the perfect project to take.  By the time Friday night was over, I finally started sewing the rows together to complete the top.  I am sooo in love with this quilt probably because it’s something for me! 

Since I don’t have backing yet for the Charisma quilt, I moved right on to my next project, Julie’s Hexagon Quilt A Long, which I got a sneak peek at during the guild sewing night.  I’m using Hunky Dory by Moda.  The colors are very cheerful and springy but slightly muted so I’m worried about having good contrast in my blocks.  For Christmas Hubby bought me an equilateral triangle template which I thought I would never have a use for until now!  He was pretty excited (as excited as a husband can be about quilting)  last night when he saw it on the floor and asked me if was actually going to use it.  Of course, why else would it be on the floor?  I cut the majority of my fabric on the floor.  Is that terrible?  I don’t have a cutting table and sometimes transporting the cutting mat, fabric, and rotary cutter to the dining room table (which I then have to clear off) just doesn’t seem worth it. 

This is only half of the triangles I have cut so far.  Can’t wait to sew together my hexagon blocks!  After seeing a few different layouts, I think I’m going to go with just one block type (above).   Hope you join in on the fun!