Blogger's Quilt Festival: Fall 2012

I always enjoy seeing all the quilts pop up for the Blogger's Quilt Festival, and was excited as I worked on Coop's quilt to be able to share my own!  Unfortunately, I didn't quite get it finished up in time for it this past spring, but I'm happy to share it now!  Head over to Amy's Creative Side to check out the rest of the quilts.

Those of you who have been around for a while already know this quilt's story.  I started it in January 2011, shortly after finding out I was pregnant, but before officially finding out that we were having a boy (I knew it all along).  I stumbled upon the Postage Stamp QAL at PS I Quilt & decided it would be fun to make for our baby, originally planning to make it gender neutral.  But then I found this Boys Will Be Boys fabric & couldn't pass it up since I knew deep down that I was having a boy.  Unfortunately, I fell behind in the quilt along, but hoped to be able to finish it up by the time our "Goose" (his name before he was born) was born in August.  I got the top & back finished, then basted it only 10 days before he was born.  Crawling around on the floor basting with that big ol' belly in the way was not an easy task!  Coop was born in mid-August, and since I had decided to hand-quilt it, and couldn't decide how to quilt it, I told myself I had to have it finished by his first birthday.  This past winter I played around with some different ideas, and finally decided on quilting lines through all the solid squares, and managed to finish it up in June.  We absolutely love this quilt & use it all the time.  Coop's not old enough to care much about actually using it as a blanket yet, but he loves crawling around & playing on it, and it lives in the living room for hubby or I to cuddle under as the evenings are getting cooler.  It makes me so happy & proud every time we use it, knowing how much work I put in to it.

Blogger’s Quilt Festival Stats
Fabric:  Boys Will Be Boys by David Walker & Kona Brown
Finished quilt measures:  65″x 77″
Quilted by:  me
Best Category:  Hand-quilted Quilt, Throw Quilt

Cathedral Window QAL: Block 8

I can hardly believe we only have one block left!  October has absolutely flown by!

Today, Block 8 is brought to you by Kim at My Go-Go Life.  Kim used the traditional cathedral window folding & took it in a whole new direction!

Make sure you're adding photos of your blocks to the Flickr group!

Until next time...

Cathedral Window QAL: Block 7

Sorry guys, I'm slacking today!  Hopefully you've already found the Block 7 tutorial over at Don't Call Me Betsy today.  Elizabeth has come up with an absolutely gorgeous block!  I think it looks like a flower in each corner.

Make sure you are sharing your completed blocks in the Flickr group!  Remember, you have until November 15 to complete your blocks & mini quilt, so even if you haven't started yet, you've still got plenty of time to catch up!

Until next time...

Cathedral Window sampler blocks

I'll keep this updated with each block as we go through the month so you'll have one place to look for all nine tutorials.  I'll be sharing photos of my blocks as I make them.

Block 1 from Sew Sweetness

Block 2 from My Crafty Crap

Block 3 from Made with Moxie

Block 4 from Mommy's Nap Time


Block 5 from Imagine Gnats


Block 6 from Sew Crafted


Block 7 from Don't Call Me Betsy


Block 8 from My Go-Go Life

Block 9 from Olive & Ollie

Cathedral Window QAL: Block 6

We're getting down towards the end of our blocks, which means October is almost over.  Can you believe it?!  I keep seeing countdowns to Christmas, and I don't even want to think about it, let's get through fall first. :)

Block 6 is from Jessica at Sew Crafted.  Jessica's take on the cathedral window is such a fun one!  So gorgeous!

So how are your blocks coming along?  I know I've kind of stalled out recently, but hopefully you're still working on the blocks & sharing them in the Flickr group for your chance to win!

Hopefully I can play catch up this weekend & be ready for Block 7 next week.  I can hardly believe we only have three left!

Until next time...

The infamous Weekender

We've all heard of Amy Butler's Weekender, right?  It almost seems like some sort of rite-of-passage to make this bag, one that I have wanted to tackle for a while now.  Seeing everybody head to Sewing Summit with their Weekenders made me think even more about starting it soon.  I even have an entire Pinterest board devoted to all sorts of tips & tricks.  Let me know if you have more to add!

Today Jessica shared that she's working on another Weekender, a gorgeous blue, green, grey, & yellow scrappy quilt-as-you-go version, and I found out about a Weekender Blog Hop hosted by Fabric Mutt.  Pink Castle Fabrics is even offering a discount on the pattern (head to Fabric Mutt for the code), add in the possibility of winning prizes, and I'm jumping on board!

I'll be sure to share my progress here; first things first, I've got to pick my fabrics!  I'm going to do my best to  stick with what I've already got in my stash, and I do have a couple ideas.

Until next time...

Cathedral Window QAL: Block 5

Block 5 from Rachael at Imagine Gnats is a simple, yet beautiful block.  This is such a fun combination of  cathedral window & orange peel blocks.

I can't wait to make this block (and I still need to catch up on Block 4!).

Until next time...

Cathedral Window QAL: Block 4

Another day, another block!  Can you believe we're already half done with the sampler?  I hope yours is coming along!

Today, head over to Mommy's Nap Time to check out Emily's block.  If you're still holding out, thinking the cathedral window blocks are too difficult, this is a perfect block for a first timer.  Simple, yet still stunning, it's a perfect introduction to the curves of a cathedral window block.

I'm definitely excited to make this block & add it to my first three blocks.  Don't forget to add your blocks to the Flickr group!

If you'd like a little extra cathedral window inspiration, make sure you check out Emily's cathedral window mini quilt.  It's absolutely amazing!

Until next time...

Blocks 1-3

I decided to go ahead & make Block 3 today, and I love it!  Jill's method makes so much more sense once you actually do it, and I can't wait to play around with this method some more.

I've decided to make all my blocks from a charm pack of Cotton Couture from Michael Miller (thank you Kim!) and a few other random solids I happen to have, so I'm adjusting the size of the block based on what I have.  Block 1 ended up about 9" square, so not too much smaller than the 12.5" as it's written.  Block 3, on the other hand, ended up only 5.5" square.  So tiny & cute!  And such a pain too!  The smallest window is about an inch from point to point across the middle.

The extra piecing around the little window & at the top of the left side are because of my screwy math, not because of any problems with Jill's tutorial.  I do kind of like how it ended up with the red around the little window.  Technically, the red, yellow, & minty green are all supposed to be the same color, but remember, I'm working with a limited number of charm squares here, most of which I only have one 5" square to work with.  

Here are all three blocks so far so you can see the size comparison.  Block 2 is the official 12.5".  

I'm not going to worry about trying to scale all the blocks the same at this point, I'll just make them the best I can with what I have, then add any extra windows to fill out around blocks if I need.  I'll probably remake my block as well, so it matches the rest of them, but I'll probably wait until the end to make sure I've got enough to make the rest of the blocks.  

I'm pretty proud of myself for keeping up so far, I wasn't sure if I'd be able to.  How are you doing?  I'm loving all the blocks in the Flickr group, so don't forget to keep adding them to the group for your chance to win some of the amazing prizes, and check back tomorrow for Block 4 from Emily!

Until next time...

WIP Wednesday #36

The other day I realized it's been quite a while since I worked on my wonky 9-patch quilt, so I dug it out this week to get to work on the quilting.  I had one line half-done, finished it up, then realized I forgot to grab my scissors & was too comfy to get up & grab them.  So instead I snuggled under the quilt (it's nice & warm!) & caught up on some blog reading (Hi Tiff!).  I wouldn't call it a wasted evening. :)

I need to make Jill's block, hopefully this week so I don't fall behind.  I'm thinking about making all the blocks in solids so I can submit the mini in the Fall for Solids contest over at Pink Castle Fabrics.  I know I need to keep up with the blocks as we go or I'll start putting them off.

I have plans for another Airport Clutch, but haven't actually started cutting anything yet.  I've also decided to jump on the band wagon & make the Amy Butler Weekender.  Right now I'm finding as much inspiration & tips as I can, and have an entire Pinterest board dedicated to it.  Check it out & let me know what I'm missing!

Make sure you head over to Freshly Pieced to see what everybody else has been up to this week.

Until next time...

Cathedral Windows QAL: Block 3

Time for Block 3!  Head on over to Made With Moxie today for Jill's block.  Isn't it fantastic?

Jill has a very different method for creating her cathedral windows that results in a lot less layered (and therefore wasted) fabric.  One thing I have always disliked about cathedral window blocks is the many, many layers of fabric (and basically wasted fabric), but Jill has a great method that eliminates all the extra layers.  Seriously, this has totally blown my mind!

If you're having troubles wrapping your mind around Jill's method (it took me a bit, even with her great pictures & instructions), check out this video that should clear everything up.  It's so funny, I was just telling Jill that I had never seen this method for making Cathedral Windows before, then this video popped up on Pinterest this morning.  Talk about great timing!

Make sure you head on over to Made with Moxie for Jill's block & come back later this week for Block 4!

Until next time...

Happy, happy birthday...

...to me! :)

I would have gotten the cupcake out to take a new picture this morning, but it's chilly & cloudy.  Boo.  The weather is always hit or miss on my birthday.  Some years it's sunny & warm, others it's cold & rainy.  I even remember one year when we had the first snow on my birthday - not a good gift!

It's a big birthday this year too - 30! - and I haven't decided yet how I feel about it.  I've been joking around the past couple months about the end of my twenties, and hubby says I'm struggling with turning 30, but honestly it's really not a big deal.  I think I had a bigger issue when I turned 23 (yeah, I'm not sure why either)! 

No big plans for the day, but hopefully Coop will let me get some fun sewing done.  I'm already making plans for my next Airport Clutch, and hopefully it'll turn out!

Until next time...

Cathedral Windows QAL: Block 2

I'm so excited to be sharing my Cathedral Window block with you today!

Head over to the Pellon Projects site for a .pdf download of the instructions.

Woven Cathedral Window block

Fabrics needed
3 Fat quarters – 1 for the background background (brown)  and 2 for the strips (red & orange)

Materials needed
10” Pellon 805 Wonder-Under

Tools needed
Sewing machine & related supplies
Rotary cutting tools & supplies

Cutting instructions
From background fabric, cut one block 12.5”x12.5”.  From each of two remaining fat quarters, cut five 4”x12.5” strips (10 strips total, 5 each of two fabrics).

From Pellon 805 Wonder-Under, cut ten 1”x12.5” strips.

Assembly instructions
With wrong side up, finger press or use an air/water soluble marker to mark the center lengthwise on each 4”x12.5” strip.

Fold & press one edge to the center mark.

Fold & press second edge to center mark.

Repeat for each strip, resulting in ten 2” strips.

Following instructions on Pellon 805 Wonder-Under, press Wonder-Under to back side of each 2” strip centered over the seam.

Once fused, remove paper backing from Pellon 805 Wonder-Under.

Place 5 matching strips vertically on 12.5” block, centered & with equal spacing between strips.

Pin each strip at one edge.

Fold up vertical strips 2 and 4, then lay down horizontal strip 1.

Fold down vertical strips 2 and 4, fold up vertical strips 1, 3, and 5, then lay down horizontal strip 2.

Repeat until all 5 horizontal strips are added.  All strips should be woven together.  Adjust strips so all spacing is even.

Carefully transfer to ironing board, and following instructions on Pellon 805 Wonder-Under, press (may be necessary to flip block & press from back as well) to adhere strips.

Baste ¼” around block to hold down edges of strips.

Fold back center of each section, and pin curve in place.  Don’t worry about making perfect curves, they will ease into place as they are sewn down.

Shorten stitch length, then begin sewing curves.  Back-stitch 1 or 2 stitches at the beginning and end of each curve.  Ease curve into place as you sew.

Make sure to pay close attention when sewing overlapping curves.  The bottom curve should be folded up instead of flat.

Incorrect

Correct

Sew each curve on both sides of each strip.  Once all curves are sewn, remove basting stitches if desired.

All done!  Don't forget to share photos of your blocks in the Flickr group for your chance to enter the giveaways!

Until next time...