Version 2 :: Positively Spring

Now it's time for version two of my Positively Spring Table Runner!  The only thing is I don't think the name fits this version at all.  

This time I used my medium of choice...solids.  Peppered Cottons to be precise.  I wish I could tell you the exact colors I used in this runner, but my documentation skills are sorely lacking.    



The table runner I designed for Modern By The Yard Issue #13 e-zine is available here:  Positively Spring, and it's free!! 

 

Both runners are the same design and pattern, but what a difference fabric choices make!  If you are willing to experiment with color/fabric placement you can easily change up the entire vibe of a quilt.  

Most of my Peppered Cottons were purchased at QuiltCon Nashville.  Which means they had plenty of time to sit on the shelf for me to admire.  Sometimes it's hard to actually make that first cut in a stack as pretty as this.  It's was time.  Of course I have plenty left over, so I'm sure more projects will happen one day. 

The quilting is a mixture of geometric lines and 1/2" lines using 50wt Aurifil thread in Light Fern (2882), Bright Turquoise (5005) and Grey (2605).  I love that Aurifil has every color you could ever want and I wish I had one of every color available!  A girl can dream!

When I do geometric quilting, I try to plan out my moves (or lines) so that I can work the entire section without having to stop and tie off the thread creating threads to bury.  It's like solving a puzzle and I might be slightly obsessed!  

There is always plenty of marking when doing this kind of quilting for me.  I almost always use my Hera marker to make the lines, that often depends on what color the fabric is.  Or if I totally flubbed up marking with the Hera marker and need clarity from the chaos I created I'll used a washable fabric marker.  

I nearly had enough of the minty green backing!  So, so close!  I was determined to use it regardless and added a strip of a slightly darker shade to extend the backing to be large enough for the front.  You gotta do what you gotta do, right?!

Half the fun of designing is trying different combinations of fabrics.  Solids or prints, a couple small piece placement changes and it can feel like you used two completely different patterns!

LINKING:

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

PEACOCK PARTY  ● TGIFF ● WHOOP WHOOP FRIDAY

BRAG ABOUT YOUR BEAUTIES ● FINISHED OR NOT FRIDAY  

Peppered Cotton :: Especia Tile

It's funny (not funny) how fast a year goes by the older you get.  It seems like with the blink of an eye months and months have flown by.  In the case of this quilt, it has been a month shy of one year.  One year! 

ESPECIA TILE
49 1/2" x 49 1/2" 

There are many reasons why it took so long, but the good news is its finally finished.  And I have to say I'm kicking myself for not having it done a long time ago!

I took a design I made last year (Connections) and revamped it using bright jewel tone Peppered Cottons.  Reworking old designs to make them new again is something I'm obsessed with these days.  

 

All of the blocks are paper pieced and finish at 2 3/4" square.  It's a very simple block to piece, the hard part is making sure all of the seams match up.  I was very aware with every single block and took an enormous amount of care to make sure I managed near perfection.



The fabric I used is Studio E Peppered Cotton.  With the exception of the lightest yellow which is a Kaffe Fassett Shot Cotton.  If you aren't familiar with either of these fabrics, what makes them unique and different is the warp and weft of the weave.  There are two colors woven together to make the fabric almost appear iridescent and gives a depth that you don't get with regular solids.

ROUND 1

When I started I first designed the center using EQ8.  Once I was satisfied I printed my templates and the design on paper.  The paper design was extremely helpful as a reference to the correct block placement round by round.

ROUND 2

With the center finished I moved on to round 2.  I guess you could think of this as a Medallion Quilt.  Medallion quilts start with a central focal point.  From there rows or rounds are added on all sides around the center which increases the size of the quilt.

Once a round was finished I would run to my laptop and add another round in EQ8.  I would experiment with the colors until it was right.  There was a balancing act with the colors because some of the fabric I had very little to work with.

ROUND 3

I honestly had no idea how big this quilt was going to end up!  I just kept working until it was acceptable.  Or maybe until I got sick and tired of it!  Nonetheless, it was pretty fun!

ROUND 4

With the forth and final round complete I was ready for a break and promptly set the quilt aside for a couple months.  

  

Another month later I pieced the backing and pinned all the parts and pieces together.  It was finally ready to quilt!!  But you know what came next, right?!  It was tossed aside (carefully of course!) because I didn't want to quilt it.  

First of all, I didn't have a plan.  Secondly, I was not looking forward to quilting it.  The thing about Peppered or Shot cottons is the weave of the fabric is looser than regular fabric.  If you don't pin or spray baste the heck out of it...it can become frustrating to quilt.  It might stretch, pucker or move.  And I didn't want to deal with it...at all...never if I had a choice!



So, imagine my surprise when I finally did quilt it and I didn't have one single issue, problem, frustration or aggravated moment!  Naturally that made me happy, but also slightly mad that I hadn't finished it sooner!



There was that part about not having a quilting plan though!  It just got to the point that I was going to go for it.  With my big girl panties on, I went for it.  The usual straight lines here and there, and a bit of FMQ for the texture effect.  



The back shows some of the design elements in the quilting.  A few different thread colors were used throughout, but I tried to limit the thread changes to some degree.



With the purple binding added I could finally relish in a finish that was in the making for far too long.  Now that it's finished I wonder what all the fuss was about!  I can't say that it won't happen again though!

Are there certain fabrics you dread using or quilting?  As long as it's quilting cotton I'll give it a try!

LINKING:

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

PEACOCK PARTY  ● TGIFF ● WHOOP WHOOP FRIDAY

BRAG ABOUT YOUR BEAUTIES ● FINISHED OR NOT FRIDAY

Pick Up Game :: Revisited

This past Saturday we had our monthly Guild meeting, which happened to be an open sew meeting.  I needed something to sew that day...I had nothing in the works...so I invented a new project!  I know, it seems ridiculous even to me!

24" x 24"

But what's a girl to do?!  I took a design I made last year (Connections) for a Curated Quilt Challenge, and revamped it using bright jewel tone Peppered Cottons.

I fully intended to stop right where it was, but something got to me and I felt the need to keep going.  Story of our quilt life, right?!




I've had this Studio E Peppered Cotton fabric for quite a while, and I figured it was about time I use them.  Plus, I wanted to make something with bold colors ever since I finished my pastel Pink Haze quilt.



The blocks are a very simple paper pieced design.  Three sections are all you need!  However, when four blocks are sewn together that's where the magic starts.  You can take it in many different directions depending on your color placement.  

Since this was suppose to be a simple small 'pick up' project, I played with the design and colors in EQ8 until I found one I liked.  Even then, I had to change a color I choose in the original design. 



I was bound and determined to get every seam to line up, which was easier said than done!  Using a large basting stitch (3.0) before sewing a 1/4" seam was used to ensure this would happen.  It helped, but I still had to get the seam ripper out and try a couple times on some of the blocks.  

6.5" UNFINISHED

Even though this was a project to fill time, I learned from previous projects that I would be very sad and dissatisfied if I didn't try for perfection!  So I did my very best!

Dare I say I had so much fun that I felt the urge to go one more round?!  I wouldn't say fun had much to do with it.  But I loved how it turned out and was curious what I could do if I were to add more...



And so I did.  As I was cutting out the fabric for the new round, I had to change up some of the fabric selections.  I pretty much used every stitch of my peppered cottons, which is a good thing.  There is no way this quilt will get any larger, unless I add a border.  After the final round it will be 36" x 36".



If I hadn't precut the pieces of fabric before making the blocks it could have been a disaster!  Midway through brought some color changes and that led to having to
s-t-r-e-t-c-h some of the fabric to make it work.  Otherwise I would seriously been short by 'just that much' and the quilt would have stalled!  As it was I made it work and time will tell if it'll come together as planned!

Today is QuiltCon!!  My first time attending and I can't tell you how excited I am about that!  I've only watched from afar, and now I get a front row seat to the festivities and hoopla!  Plus, the real bonus is meeting many of the people I know only through Social Media.  It's gonna be amazing!  Of course, seeing all the beautiful quilts promises to be the cherry on top of the entire experience!  

LINKING:

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

PEACOCK PARTY  ● TGIFF 

BRAG ABOUT YOUR BEAUTIES ● FINISHED OR NOT FRIDAY

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?!  

LINKING:

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

BRAG ABOUT YOUR BEAUTIES ● FINISHED OR NOT FRIDAY

'So That's Where You've Been'::Hidden WIP

Even though I wasn't able to get much done in the way of quilting after Christmas, I was able to poke through a closet, a drawer or two and touch my fabric.  During the mindless distractions I came across a project I started way back in October 2015!  For me that is unheard of.  

WIP's are more often ones that my daughter started, not mine!  I'm usually a one quilt woman! Finding this 'ancient' EPP Star sparked my desire to get to work, finish this beauty and get my first finish of the year under my belt!

20" x 19"

I had recently found that English Paper Piecing was a new love, a new obsession.  I remember searching google for a project and as soon as I came across this star, I knew then and there it was the one!

I printed the templates, picked the fabric and started my new evening entertainment. I hadn't a clue what I was going to make with the stars, but did it really matter?  Not then it didn't!



I began with one, two, three and it quickly morphed in to seven.  Seven I could work with. Seven makes a circle.  A circle for what never entered my mind. 

Each star went together easily enough, each hexagon fit like a puzzle...perfect!  This is the point where I hit a wall!  What does one do now?  Shoot!  



With little in the way of options and a determination to make it work, what else could I do but draft my own template?  What's the worst thing that could happen...it wouldn't work!  

After a few tests I came up with a template that I was happy with.  I was pretty sure it would fit and not look too hateful.



I got this far before it was pushed to the side like a piece of broccoli on a dinner plate.
Hidden away, forgotten and neglected.  If it wasn't for my need to organize and poke around it might have spent another year in limbo.



Picking up where I left off presented one potential problem.  Do I have any more of the background fabric?  Thankfully I did.  

With one more pillow needing a new cover for my couch, I knew this would make the perfect ending to that awful nightmare!

I had to draft pieces to make the round...square.  This was the 'not fun' part.  It proved very difficult with my limited experience.  What's the saying?  'Close enough is good enough'?!  In this case, yes it was!



Geometric dot-to-dot quilting was calling my name!  I kept it simple and clean.  Just enough to give some visual interest.





I'm a big fan of hidden zippers and use this tutorial all the time: S.O.T.A.K. Hidden Zipper. The last pillows I made with hidden zippers, I decided to try glue basting the zippers before stitching the fabric to the zipper.  No matter how careful or how many pins I used, my back panels never seemed to line up.  Glue basting worked amazingly well for me and seemed to solve my problem.    



The star points are Studio E - Peppered Cottons.  Heavyweight shot cottons that have a beautiful and unique look.  I do love a good weft & warp!  The background fabric is a linen or linen blend in oatmeal.  



It's always fun to have a first finish of the New Year!  It's like breaking the ice...once that happens feels like things can finally get started!

Have you had your first 2017 finish?  I like the idea of starting off with something small and manageable!


UPDATE:: The source for the Star Templates has been located!!  You can find the templates here:  Nellie's Niceties Hexiestars!! 

LINKING:

Fabric Tuesday

Let's Bee Social

Needle & Thread

Second Try, Nearly Perfect

Determination.  I knew I would have to give this design at least one more try.  This was my first try:  Playing With Highlights.  The second time was nearly perfect, but there is room for improvement.

With the last stack of Peppered Cottons, fresh templates, hot iron and my glue bottle, it was time to give it another go.

28" x 37"

I may have run out of the main colors, or was it planned that the side pieces are a different color?  Okay, I didn't have enough so I had to improvise!  It's a test, right?

The quilting is very similar to the first piece, except I didn't go quite as dense with this one.  I used Pink, Purple and Grey thread and as always, it makes for some 'pretty' on the back!

The back is Moda Black Cross Weave.  It was the perfect size.  I'm surprised at how slippery this fabric is.  I ended up spray basting (and I never, ever do that) because I thought it would stay in place better.  It did and it didn't.  I think I should have used more spray!

With every design, there is a learning curve.  A slight change here, a little adjustment there. It may work, it may not.  I'll keep trying, plugging away.  You never know, I may get lucky or it might even turn into something completely different!

For now it can be put on the back burner.  I'm itching to jump into some Improv!!

Linking:

Let's Bee Social

Sew Cute Tuesday