A Little Bit of Everything!

I recently got back from a five day trip to visit family.  It was quick, but we had a nice visit right up until our return trip flight was cancelled!  Turns out Denver was in for a snow event!  We had to rush to the hotel, pack and drive to the airport in order to catch a red-eye flight back home.  Not exactly the leisurely pace we wanted, but we made it home bleary eyed and safe!

All that being said, the few days before we left I was in a sort of limbo with what to do with myself.  I really couldn't start an actual quilt, so the next best thing was to focus on a few mini mini quilts.  That way my itch was scratched.  I could surely finish one or two and be happy!

DOUBLE GOOSED
6" X 6"

I love the intricate process of paper piecing!  Thankfully there are creative people out there that know how to draft patterns that we can make.  This little beauty is called 'Double Goosed' and is the creation of Jeliquilts.  You can find all of Kelly's patterns in her Payhip shop here:  Jeliquilts.



These tiny geese were a challenge to be sure, but oh what fun!  I was determined to finish it before we left on our trip, and I did.  It finished at 6" x 6", and as you can see those center geese are teeny tiny!



Once I got home I quilted it up and put on the skinny binding.  Here is a tutorial for the binding method I use just in case you'd like to try it out:  Mini Mini Binding



The Rubber Ducky and Fishy Bones was pieced before I left as well.  These two patterns I always reduce the size when I'm printing because...I like to go small!

Fishy Bones is a Unicornharts pattern, and Rubber Ducky is a Zephyr Skies pattern.  Click on the links and it'll take you to their Payhip shops!

The log cabin blocks were a last minute after I got home project.  Something fun, easy and I could use scraps.  

I'm still trying to focus on quilting some quilts and writing a pattern, but between a trip, day light savings and fall weather I haven't made much progress!  Yesterday was a beautiful day which meant it was time to deal with falling leaves!  There are still plenty more that have yet to fall and I'll be back out there before long doing a repeat of yesterday.  It's always a feeling of accomplishment when the yard is neat and tidy this time of the year...at least for a couple hours!

LINKING:

OH SCRAP! ● MAIN CRUSH MONDAY ●  MONDAY MAKING 
LETS BEE SOCIAL ● MIDWEEK MAKERS ● NEEDLE & THREAD 

PEACOCK PARTY  ● TGIFF ● WHOOP WHOOP FRIDAY

BRAG ABOUT YOUR BEAUTIES ● FINISHED OR NOT FRIDAY

HST's to the Rescue!

There is no denying HST's (half square triangles) make amazing quilt designs.  With so many possibilities for layouts it can be hard to settle on one...but we manage I think!

I've been revisiting several of my designs lately trying to revamp and remake them because sometimes it's just worth it.  It also lets me see if they are worth further exploration or let it go and move on. 

HST BABY QUILT
36" x 48" 

There are several reasons I love HST's.  Possibilities, color options, design, and for me it makes choosing a quilting design is so much easier to come by.  How to quilt something has always been a struggle for me.  With the geometric design I feel comfortable and often eager to get down to business right away!



It's no secret that my favorite color the past couple years has been pink.  So it was an easy choice to try out this baby quilt design using loads of pink and a splash of coral/peach.  

I used two shades of pink for the square and rectangle shapes.  They add interest visually and give this quilt that geometric design that I love.

I think I used 8 -10 other pink/coral colors for the background.  I like to have a variety of shades...the more the better in my book!



The square and rectangle has concentric 1/2" to 3/4" lines quilted using pink thread.  I think there are numerous possibilities for how those could be quilted.  I just haven't gone there yet!

The centers have a 1" grid, but the fun didn't stop there!  I have a bit of everything thrown in.  Diamonds, rectangle/square grids, 1/2" lines, e/4" lines!



I may go a bit overboard when it comes to quilting geometric!  I love the texture and interest it creates.  Also, there's no denying it looks pretty fabulous after it's washed!

It isn't easy to see the quilting on the back of the Kona Bright Pink, but I think you can see just enough.  You can see the madness and then some!

Here is a close up of the back for a bit more clarity.

This isn't the best picture, but this is a lap size of the same design.  For the lap size I added one more square and rectangle to fill the space.  The background HST's are a combination of teal, aqua, green and lavender.  I love that combination!

As of today I still have to quilt the lap quilt, quilt my Shoo-Fly quilt, quilt my Half Circle quilt, write a pattern or two and fill my Etsy shop with holiday favorites!  It didn't help that I had to leave town for a week to visit relatives...but I'm doing my best at this point to keep my head above water!

 LINKING:

OH SCRAP! ● MAIN CRUSH MONDAY ●  MONDAY MAKING 
LETS BEE SOCIAL ● MIDWEEK MAKERS ● NEEDLE & THREAD 

PEACOCK PARTY  ● TGIFF ● WHOOP WHOOP FRIDAY

BRAG ABOUT YOUR BEAUTIES ● FINISHED OR NOT FRIDAY

Blue Wave :: Textured Twist Finish

I can finally cross this quilt off my list!  There is always a big sigh of relief and satisfaction when a quilt is completely finished.  Especially one that you have put a ton of time and work into.  

BLUE WAVE
36" X 50"

Once I was sure the concept would work, I could barely contain myself!  Having that spark of confidence propelled me forward and finishing the piecing was pure pleasure. 

With the top finished my usual reaction to quilting is 'now I have to quilt it, but how'!  There really wasn't I could do with this quilt because of the 'Textured Twists'.  You can't quilt over the twists or it would ruin the texture and the illusion.

  

Seriously, I struggle with quilting ideas!  So when a quilt presents itself with the obvious and only solution I jump on it.



In this case dense curves were quilted between the waves.  While not a remarkable design, it suits the quilt and works for me.  



The next phase was what to do between the twists, or should I do nothing at all?!  Because some of the curve panels are quite wide, I choose to free motion quilt between every...single...twist!  I swallowed my fear of FMQ mostly because I knew it would be much quicker and easier than using a walking foot.  And, I'm happy to say it isn't too bad!



All of the quilting fits with the vibe of the quilt, and in my humble opinion it doesn't detract from the design.



The very final step was binding of course!  Again, I feel like it was predetermined just like the quilting phase.  A faced binding was added that lets the waves flow freely from edge to edge.



Honestly, I'm pretty proud of how this quilt turned out!    

I've tried to keep the 'Textured Twist' technique alive and well by bringing new ideas/designs to the table.  What will be next?!  I haven't a clue, but I'm pretty sure I'll come up with something!

 

I picked the most obvious name for this quilt...Blue Wave!  Too obvious?  I was also thinking about 'Solitude', or 'Reflections'.  What do you think?  

LINKING:

OH SCRAP! ● MAIN CRUSH MONDAY ●  MONDAY MAKING 
LETS BEE SOCIAL ● MIDWEEK MAKERS ● NEEDLE & THREAD 

PEACOCK PARTY  ● TGIFF ● WHOOP WHOOP FRIDAY

BRAG ABOUT YOUR BEAUTIES ● FINISHED OR NOT FRIDAY

Re-D0, Re-Work, Re-Think

Every once in a while I like to revisit one of my designs and see if I can make it better.  I'd like to think that once a pattern is written, it's set in stone.  It's so good and perfect that there isn't anything I could do to make it better!  That's what I get for thinking!

The first rendition of this quilt was six years ago.  It was one of the first patterns I wanted to put to paper, but it didn't quite get there.  I had rough measurements and block placement, but it always fell short of the 'worthy' category.

Here are a few posts featuring my brilliant idea:
Feverishly Finished, Finished and Loved, Pattern Revisited

I guess the reason I keep going back to this one is because it's unfinished business to me.  I know I can make it better, do better.  And so I did...again!

 

One thing I added were sashing pieces.  They not only made the quilt 6" wider, but they staggered the main blocks.



The idea for the new version is not to have any of the Shoo-Fly blocks touching.  Which ended up being a bit more difficult that I thought it would be!  There are five (5) different Shoo-Fly block sizes that combine together to make one large block.  Two sashing strips are added per row for the off set factor.  

12"

I decided it was time to bust out the Alison Glass fabric for this version.  I have it, why not use it?!  

10"

7.5"

3" & 6"

I'm using Kona Silver for the background fabric.  It's a very light gray and frankly...I had a ton on hand!

I did get the top pieced together, but I need to tweak a few things before I can write/design/make the pattern.  

One thing I LOVE about this pattern, besides the blocks, fabric, design...Is how forgiving it is.  Quarter inch seams?  Scant 1/4" seams?  It doesn't matter how careful I am, which 1/4" seam I use or how careful and precise I try to be, my blocks are never perfectly square or the size they are suppose to be.  This pattern isn't going show the so called 'fatal flaw'.  Make your blocks, piece them into the large block and if you have to trim here and there...do it!  I love that...did I say I love that yet?!  

The Shoo-fly block doesn't have points or precision piecing to worry about.  It's still going to look like a Shoo-Fly in the end whether you have to trip 1/8" or 1/4" off!

So, that being said...I'm working on it!

LINKING:

OH SCRAP! ● MAIN CRUSH MONDAY ●  MONDAY MAKING 
LETS BEE SOCIAL ● MIDWEEK MAKERS ● NEEDLE & THREAD 

PEACOCK PARTY  ● TGIFF ● WHOOP WHOOP FRIDAY

BRAG ABOUT YOUR BEAUTIES ● FINISHED OR NOT FRIDAY