Secret Santa :: Pillow Reveal

It took a while for me to figure out what design I would choose for my Secret Santa Swap pillows, but once I did there was no holding me back!  I was excited when my partner requested pillow covers, and that one of their fabric loves was saturated solids.  That I knew I could work with!

'GEESE CROSSING' PILLOW COVERS
18" x 18"

I searched for the right design, that perfect 18" block that would make a big impression and wow the recipient.  When I came across this paper pieced pattern:  'Geese Crossing' designed by Three Owls Handmade on Craftsy, I knew it was the one!  



That was the easy part!  We all know that choosing the right fabric can sometimes be the real challenge!  

When I saw my stack of peppered cottons...I knew they would be perfect for the design.  If you aren't familiar with shot cottons, the big draw is the depth of the colors.  They are woven with two thread colors:  the warp & weft.  

Debating on background choices proved to be difficult.  In the end I went with a warm gray of Kona Haze.  I had plenty yardage on hand for the front and back panels.  I wasn't going to take a chance on being short of fabric!



After deciding color placement, I started with the arguably easiest pieces, flying geese and a square-in-a-square.  At this point I was reminded why I love paper piecing!  I'm not sure I would have been able to get those points so perfect any other way!  



Next up were the corner blocks.  I began by making one square, measuring and writing down the width and length of each piece needed for the sections.  Then when it's time to sew, I can grab the piece I need for the sections and not have to worry each time if I cut the right size.  It makes the process much more pleasant, easier and faster!



Once the front panels were pieced, I contemplated how I should quilt them.  It didn't take long before I came to the conclusion that simple was better in this case.  So I grabbed some coordinating thread and mapped out my moves!

Delightful big blocks!

I'm shocked that I was able to stick to my guns and keep it simple!  After I finished quilting to this point, I wanted to do more!  



I thought about quilting something in the Haze background fabric, but restrained myself!  It was just as it should be and anymore would be too much. 



The back of the panels show the design much better than the front can.  



And this close up shows the thread colors.  I'm very pleased and happy with how they turned out. 

I made hidden zipper backs for each pillow, gave a good pressing and wrapped them up with a couple days to spare before our guild's holiday party!  I knew I'd get my secret gift finished in time, it just took longer to come up with a plan than I would have liked.  



The party was yesterday and was a fun and rousing event!  Plenty of food, chit chatting, and as always fun!  My partner loved her pillows and 'oh what a relief it was'!  Stress melts away afterwards and you realize it was all worth it!  

Now to focus on the next part of the holiday season...shopping!  ARGH!  Who else doesn't like to shop?!  

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Modern With A Twist :: Flying Geese

I was asked if I'd like to participate in the Benartex online magazine "Modern By The Yard' in a feature called 'Modern With A Twist'.  What does that mean?!  

Three designers are asked to put a modern take on a traditional block and feature it using one of their current fabric lines.  I was up for the challenge and knew it would be a lot of fun!

MODERN BY THE YARD

Our mission:  Modernize Flying Geese.    

My all time favorite block has to be Flying Geese!  Besides being a good all around perfect block, it has unlimited possibilities!  From size, shape, traditional or improv, there’s always something new to explore and design!

I decided to keep my block simple, yet impactful!  There is plenty of negative space, open space with the background, and depending on how you place your blocks the design changes giving you many different options.

KEEPING PACE

I choose Gloaming by Shelley Cavanna mostly because of the colors.  The turquoise, lime and mulberry are a beautiful combination!  The geometric, tone on tone and floral prints seemed like the perfect choice for a perfect block…Flying Geese! 

  

I played with this block for hours!  Layouts, fabrics, more layouts!  It certainly has potential to make a few pretty cool quilts!

I don't know about you, but this layout has a 'wave illusion' to it!  I guess it could be just me, but I think not!  I'm so glad I went with these colors!  I love the combination and feel they were perfect for this block!

Of course, what would a block with potential be without sharing some variations?!  EQ8 makes it so easy to switch fabrics!

 

This is the same layout, but I used 'Cherry Twist' from Benartex.  I was feeling the red, black, grey and white!

These two are symmetrical, but both look so different.  

What would an idea of mine be without testing it using solids?  The blocks are randomly placed with some flipped.  A variation of the block.

This is a more scrappy version using Denyse Schmidt 'Washington Depot'.  It could be a lot of fabrics from one collection or better yet, a lot of different scraps from your very own stash!

I will be making this block into a quilt...it will happen...after I get some other projects off my plate!  

You may be wondering how this block is a 'modern' version of Flying Geese.  What I will say is this...because the Flying Geese block is typically a rectangle and one actual 'goose', I opted to add many geese to create one square block.  Hopefully the layout of the block is a modern interpretation!

Click here to check out Issue #8 Free E-Zine:  Modern by the Yard

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Geesed and Goosed

Last Saturday at our Guild meeting we had a paper piecing class.  Half the class did what we referred to as 'traditional' paper piecing and the other half did freezer paper paper piecing.  Some people had a lot of experience and some not so much.  We thought it might be a fun way to introduce and expand some techniques that we all gained collectively.  

I remember when I first started paper piecing how intimidating it seemed.  Since then I have learned a lot, and it doesn't scare me as it once did.  We picked a couple basic patterns to work with, and began the fun!

16 1/2" x 16 1/2"

'Circle of Geese' is a free pattern available on Craftsy from Piece By Number.  This was one of my first projects and where I got my 'feet wet' with paper piecing.  I've only made it once before, but I was so excited and happy with my first endeavor...it pretty much got me hooked on this wacky paper piece craze!  So, I was pretty excited to give it another try.  



I made a test piece to share at the meeting because I was one of the co-teachers.  I was surprised at how quickly it came together this time around.  Chalk that up to a couple years of paper piecing under my belt.



I should note that the pattern is just the center circle of geese.  When I got home, I decided to add a border.  

I've been a little obsessed with geese lately, geese and this color scheme!  I'm happy to say that every piece is from my scrap heap.  I was looking for a way to use the scraps and consciously veered away from the rainbow.



The little geese are 1" x 2" and paper pieced.  The corner geese I had tried to get the same size as the center and it just about worked!  Looking at the back of a paper piece project (or EPP or quilt) is always interesting!  It's always worth a look and nine times out of ten...worth a picture!



After letting the top stew for a few days, an idea for quilting finally came to me.  Concentric circles in the center and phantom geese along the border.  This would have been a great project to share as a concentric circle tutorial!  By the time I realized that I was nearly finished with the center.  There will be a next time!



I liked this photo because it doesn't look at all like flying geese!  More like a circular saw blade!

The circles are spaced 1/2" apart and again, I used the side of my walking foot.  After the first round using dark blue thread, I decided to add more circles using different thread colors.  Five different colors to be exact!



You can see the quilting better on the back as well as the thread colors.  And because I thought it would be fun, I added two different corner colors!  Frivolous fun is always fun!

Who here has a favorite paper piecing pattern?  I know paper piecing isn't for everyone.  If you have never tried it, you should.  It can be so much fun and it's another skill to add to your arsenal!

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Round Robin :: My First

You would think after all this time I would have a Round Robin under my belt by now!  I've seen and admired many quilts that have made the rounds, and secretly hoped that one day I would be able to participate in one.  Luckily our Guild decided to try it out this year and signing up was voluntary.  So, of course I signed up!

Groups of participants are formed, usually 4-6 people.  Each person makes a center block and passes it to the next person in the group.  That person then adds to the center block. It could be borders or blocks, maybe on one side, perhaps all sides.  After that round is finished, it moves to the next person and so forth until it has made it around to every one in the group.

We can specify colors or size, provide fabric, suggest a theme.  Or like me...let them 'have at it'!  Just have fun!  

That being said, here's my center block for the Round Robin.  You may recognize those blocks from my Orange and Black paper pieced quilt.  I was testing block sizes for the pattern I'm attempting to write.

Since the test blocks were ...test blocks... the background was different on each one!  I'm cool with that and it seems to me, it will play well with each round.  No one will have to worry about variations of whites, or creams or snow.  It won't matter.  Neutrals + Scrappy = perfect!



My center block is a  rectangle measuring 12 3/4" x 15 1/4".  It'll be interesting to see if it stays that way!   I used pinks, corals and oranges to kick off the festivities, but left the color choice to the next in line.  I hope I don't stress them out with my lack of guidelines!



Look at me!  I used prints!  I needed a little extra width for my block and a row of geese came to mind.  A row of very tiny geese!  These actually should be called 'Flying Goslings', they are just little babies!  Super cute measuring in at a whopping 2" x 1".



Tomorrow we will pass our blocks to the next in line and I have to say, I'm excited to see what I get to work on!!  Suspense!

I'll keep you posted on how this all plays out!  Have you done a Round Robin before?  Did you recommend colors, themes or fabrics?  

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Super Mini Skinny Minny Geese

If you love paper piecing, love a good challenge and are a tad bit crazy...this may be the project for you!

I found myself with a little spare time on my hands yesterday and couldn't resist the urge to try Jeli Quilts Skinny Minny Geese once again.  Except this time I wanted to make the 4" blocks.

Skinny Minny Geese
3 1/2" x 3 1/2
Pin Cushion

What does a 4" block mean?  This pattern consists of 4 sections.  Each section is 2".  Yep! Tiny! It seemed like the right thing to do, it seemed doable.  And frankly, once I started I knew I could not give up.  Which at times was exactly what I wanted to do.



But I didn't.  Dinner could wait!  This was more important and I kind of felt if I stopped in the middle, I may never finish it.  I powered through each section, each ridiculously small piece and got it done.

If I could pull it off, I can do anything!  Maybe not anything, just more than I thought I could. How wild are all those threads?   



I'm going to be so bold and say 'I pulled it off'!!  Yikes!  Perfect?  Certainly not!  Adorable? Yes indeed!  

This was most definitely the hardest and most challenging paper pieced project I have ever done. The pieces were so small!  

 

The question at the end was what to do with it?!  As you can see I went with a pin cushion. A logical choice.



The past couple weeks I have been feverishly working Secret Santa gifts for our Guild swap. I would love to share what I have done...but it will have to wait for another couple weeks.  

In between secret sewing, I've also been making 'things' for a Holiday Giveaway I will be having in December.  This little guy will be one of them.  So, please stick with me and check back!  My small way of saying 'thank you' to all of you who have supported, encouraged and inspired me!



Completing this Skinny Minny project reminds me that we can accomplish just about anything if we set out minds to it!  It may not be easy, it may be a big pain in the butt...but it can be done with a little perseverance...and a whole lot of crazy!

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The Skinny On Skinny Minny

That's a wrap!  In part one of this adventure (Skinny Minny ~ Fun and Games), I began making my Skinny Minny (pattern by Jelli Quilts) center pieces but really had not idea where I would take it.  Not that the pattern needed anything else, it can certainly stand on its own.  Me being me...I had to take it to another level.  

23" x 23"

Once the four center squares were finished I began making additional blocks for the corners, top, bottom and sides.  I took the paper piece templates for a Skinny Minny block and extended some of the lines in order to keep the basic shape and flow of the blocks. Grabbed my scraps of whites, cream and ivory and haphazardly paper pieced six blocks. The corner blocks took a bit more thought, but they came together as I had hoped.

The curves just happened.  From out of the blue an idea hit and the next thing I knew my glue applicator was out and the corners were cut!  Maybe it didn't happen quite that fast, but I knew where I wanted to go.  The glue is for the curves.  Glue, iron and stitch! 

Glue basting works like a charm for me, especially since it isn't something I do often.  I was freaking out when I cut the corners on the center blocks!  I wasn't sure what I was doing and after all the work on the blocks...I didn't want to mess them up. 

Nothing is ever perfect!  Case in point:  the points didn't exactly match up.  And I'm fine with that.  

My biggest worry now was how should I quilt it?!  The possibilities are endless don't you think?

I let it sit for a while, staring at the task ahead of me, contemplating my next move.  I wanted to have fun with it.  I channeled my inner free motion quilting spirit and went to town!  Once I started there was no turning back.  I FMQ it into submission!

Starting in the center, following the angles was the starting point.  It didn't take long to get into a rhythm.  At that point, I couldn't stop!  

I tried to use different designs around the outside that were new to me.  The plan...texture!

The other plan...don't stop!  While I am critical of my skill in the FMQ department, I also am very aware that once it was all said and done it would turn out to be fine.  Yes, I did wash and dry it.  It's my secret weapon, my saving grace!  It hides a multitude of issues!

The texture I was after came through loud and clear!  I couldn't be happier with those results!

The backing is 'Orbit' from Andover Fabrics, a piece from my stash I bought a long time ago. I figured the metallic would be a good choice to coordinate with the Heavy Metal print on the front.  Plus, it's busy enough that the free motion quilting would blend.

I wish I had tried using an off white bobbin with the aqua thread.  Live and learn ... there is always next time!

I'm pleased as punch with the finish!  I totally love the quilting, love the shade variations of the background and the center geese?  They are still the star!

I highly recommend this and other patterns by Jeli Quilts.  If you love to paper piecing, you'll love these patterns!  

Because I'm always looking for projects, does anyone have a favorite go-to paper pieced project they love?! 

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Skinny Minny ~ Fun and Games

I needed a project!  I really did!  We were having an open sew at our Guild meeting and thought Skinny Minny would be the perfect piece to bring.  You know I love paper piecing and Jeli Quilts has some amazingly fun patterns.  If you love flying geese, you really should check out her Craftsy Pattern Shop!  From teeny tiny, circles, squares, big and small, there are geese galore.  

Skinny Minny Jeli Quilts

I picked six of the darker shades of my Heavy Metal fabric (Windham Studios) for the geese, grabbed some Kona Ivory and Bone scraps, and a fat quarter of Cotton + Steel.  Mixing it up!

The spots on the Heavy Metal are...of course metallic.  Bronze, gold and silver.  Notice I didn't go with rainbow colors?!  While they maybe the obvious choice, I knew I needed to go in a different direction.  For this time.    

There isn't much rhyme or reason with the background.  I'm trying to not over think it and just do! Sometimes it works and sometimes it doesn't.  

I've come to the conclusion that if something doesn't work, its okay.  All isn't lost, the world won't crumble, fabric is just fabric. A lesson learned from a fail or trying something new is just as valuable.

I have two 6 1/2" blocks completely finished and two partially finished.  The little skinny geese are just over 2" long and 1/2" tall.  Totally skinny!

I think I'll get the four blocks finished and decided on a layout.  It doesn't have to be a circle, but I do like that.  There have been a few ideas brewing in my head, which I keep tamping down!  Now is not the time to decide...but what if?!  You know the routine!

I've had this project on my 'to do' list for far too long! It's always a good feeling when you can cross it off and hopefully move on to yet another...or make room for one more!  The good old vicious cycle never ends!

Do you get bewildered when a project doesn't go as planned?  Or can you be a duck and let it roll of your back?  Mostly I'm a duck...quack quack!

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