Polka Dot Magic!

The end is near!  My Polka Dot Wonky phase is over for the time being.  With a renewed urgency of using my stash, I was able to whittle down one area of excess.  Polka Dots.  I love polka dots and these fabrics are right up my alley with the bright saturated colors, but it was time.  I said previously (Wonky Baby), that I had wanted to make this quilt for quite some time.  My wish was granted!

WONKY  LAP QUILT
46" X 60"

From orange, tangerine, yellow, magenta - to green, peach, coral and purple!  The combination of those colors are balanced with a scrappy background using neutrals.  



There were a couple things that were planned out while I was making this quilt.  After I pieced the blocks, but before I gave them the 'wonk' treatment, I took advantage of my empty design wall.  By laying out the blocks before hand I could make sure the colors were evenly scattered from top to bottom.  



From there I pulled out my rotating cutting mat, placed a template of painters tape for trimming and went about wonky it up!  My tutorial for making Wonky Blocks shows my process for piecing, cutting and the painters tape template.  I like my blocks to alternate leaning left and right, but not have each one exactly like the other.  Some variations are slight, while others are as wonky as I could go.

    
As you can imagine assembling the rows goes quite fast.  While I had this quilt finished before the Wonky Baby quilt, I set it aside until the quilting mood hit me.



Because I'm using my stash, I thought a pieced backing would be in order.  What better way to quickly consume a stash or scrap pile?!  Pieced backing to the rescue.  

It seems more often than not that my backing selection is always 'this much' too small.  By piecing a vertical or horizontal strip using scraps or orphan blocks is a very good way to expand a back, don't you think?



In the spirit of the wonky block, I quilted wonky lines.  It feels like it's been a long time since I didn't quilt the living daylights out of a quilt, but this one I controlled myself.  It's perfectly perfect or perfectly imperfect...however you want to look at it!  



The final step was the binding of course.  Scrappy all the way!  My itch again has been scratched!



Washed and piled up.  Just the way I like to end when I make a quilt!

When you make a scrappy binding and the colors are clearly different from each other, what color of thread do you use?  One color?  Multiple colors?  I'm a multiple kinda girl, but I'm curious what other people do. 

Back to quilting with dense straight lines on another quilt...

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  

Graphically Modern

I've been thinking that I needed to design something new.  I've been revisiting old patterns and giving them a makeover, but I was ready for a new adventure.  

The design is something that I've been working on for months and months.  I would work on it, tweak it, change colors, add more, delete some...you get the idea.  It wasn't until recently where I finally felt like I arrived at the right mix and I was itching to put the design to the test!

52" x 66"

It's bold, graphic, bright and I might just love it!  The picture almost looks like a computer generated design, but I assure you it is not!  That's fabric!  At 52" x 66" I think it's a good size lap quilt.

This is the actual computer generated design.  The design is the same in my quilt, but I switched a couple colors from the computer photo.  

 

Picking the fabric was pretty easy.  Even though this photo doesn't convey it, I went with bright colors.

If you have ever sewn together long strips (like jelly roll strips), you might have the same problem I usually have which is: inevitably they end up with a curve or the strips are not straight on the top and bottom.  I didn't want that.  I needed everything to line up and be as perfect as I could be.  My solution was to divide the quilt into sections.  That would give me a better chance at accuracy.

      

After countless hours of planning, I finally settled on the best way to section the design.  Six panels.  The left and right side panels are the same width, but the lengths are all over the place. 

      

The panel idea worked great, but I then had to match the vertical stripes.  

      

I thought I'd glue baste the seams, but that did not work at all!  So I settled for good old fashioned pins!  I lined up the seams and stuck the pin in the seam.  

As you can see pins win!  Every seam lined up and with that...I poured myself a big glass of wine to celebrate!

The most time consuming part of this quilt besides designing it, was the math.  Oy Vey!  My head was spinning!  Usually I think I got all the piece measurements right, only to find I made a mistake.  Not this time!  I managed to get each and every piece figured out.  

Breaking down the quilt into panels was the key to getting the math right for me.  Cutting was the other time consuming part.  With so many pieces I used painters tape to label sizes and sections.  I knew I wanted it to be fool proof and almost a grab and go project.  

The strips are 3" wide and you might be wondering why I just didn't use a Jelly Roll?!  First, I don't have any Jelly Rolls!  Second, I'm sure I wouldn't have had the right colors or enough.  And third, I would have had to redesign the quilt and have even more strips to piece!

When I finished piecing, I almost felt let down!  It went together so fast and was so easy that in a way I felt like I cheated!  It's hard for me to stay objective, but it looks like a simple, yet complicated design to me!  Or maybe not!  

It was the best project to conquer after writing 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  

Love is in the Air :: Hearts

Don't you love 💟's?!  With Valentine's Day just around the corner, I was inspired to make a few hearts and for once be ahead of the game.  I was also looking for a little something to make to fill the gaps until I could delve into something big!

MINI HEART 6"

Using my Pattern for 'Trio of Hearts', I opted to just make the mini heart times two!  It's a fun way to use the rainbow and if there's scraps involved...I'm all in!



With each square finished at 1", it takes a little more patience to assemble.  That doesn't mean it isn't worth every second in my opinion.



The pattern requires half square triangles using the 2 in 1 method.  Which means I have enough for two hearts.  How can I not go ahead and make two then?  Resisting is futile!  



To change it up and not make identical hearts, I sometimes use different colors in the rainbow.  And of course the low volume 'filler' squares are never identical.  But to really make each it's own, I quilt them differently and give each their own binding flavor.

GEOMETRIC HEART
4 3/4" X 4 3/4"

My next heart is paper piece, again with the rainbow theme!  The pattern is by Kristy Lea of Quiet Play.   Seriously a crazy heart to make!  This little heart has 38 colors packed into that one little square!



The center fabric has metallic plus signs and I thought it would give it a bit more punch! 

SCRAPPY HEART
6 1/4" X 6 1/4"

As if those weren't enough...one more...this time it's pink...and it's prints!  Shocker!!  I had a hard time finding 21 pink (or close enough to pink) different fabrics.  I persevered and ended up with a cutie of a heart!  I love the neon pink binding!

HUMMING BIRD
6" x 6"

What's this?!  That is not a heart!  I had to include a palate cleanser after so many hearts!  I saw this hummer and knew I had to make it.  The pattern is by Center Street Quilts on Etsy.  



I enjoyed making this humming bird and quilting it to an inch of its life!  But the binding I have to say I love!  

With all my mini's I use this binding method:  Mini Mini Binding.  I doubt I'd make as many mini's as I do if I didn't have a tried and true easy method for binding!

Now that you are thoroughly 'hearted' out...I do have good news!  I finally wrote the pattern I've boasted about forever!  I'll fill in the details on another post!

 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

Wonky Baby

No disrespect to babies!  Wonky Baby is officially my first 'new' finish of the New Year.  It's a wonky block baby quilt using tons of Low Volume fabric and seven different Polka Dots fabrics.

I'm going to try very hard this year to work through my fabric stash.  I know we all say that and many of us actually do, but this year...I'm not going to hold back!  It's now or never.  Good, bad or that special magical fabric, it's all fair game!

The truth is I've been wanting to make this design and use my polka dot fabric for many, many months.  I'm sharing this quilt first because it's actually finished.  It all started with a lap size quilt, a different colorway and a determination to deplete my stash.  

WONKY BABY
34" x 47"

I used seven different polka dot prints in this quilt and a variety of low volume prints for the background.  I didn't have quite as much of a variety of polka dots as the lap quilt, but I can happily say that my dot stash has been trimmed down to 1/4 the size it was!



In case you are wondering how I get the 'wonk' in the blocks, I have a tutorial for that!  You can check it out here:  Wonky Block.  The tutorial uses 5" charm blocks and gives you specific measurements for the background strips, plus a quick tried and true way to trim each block.  If you have a pack of charm blocks and wonder what to do with them, you might consider this block.  



Scrap busting didn't end with just the front!  I was able to use the remainder of some low volume scraps and polka dots on the back.  Solids are not immune to scrap busting either!  



I decided it would be a good time and a good size quilt to play with FMQ circles.  I grabbed the 2 1/2" quilting circle ruler (Amanda Murphy) and began a semi successful try at circles.  Since the blocks are wonky I decided to continue the theme and quilt flowing circles across the rows of polka dots.  I knew full well that I would have issues when I started!  But I didn't let that stop me.  

One of the issues I encounter when trying to do ruler work is keeping my foot against the ruler!  You may see a few bobbles or overlapping circles here and there, but I didn't mind and I don't mind it at all!  I may never master the technique of ruler work, but it's nice to have an option for quilting on occasion.    



Scrap busting doesn't end with the top and back!  I took it one final step further and added a scrappy binding.  There are always plenty of strips in my stash!  I rummaged through the scraps and found enough strips that I could trim to 2 1/4" for the binding.  



As far as the low volume fabric stash?  It's not as much of a priority to reduce as some of my other fabrics!  Nothing is immune from busting any longer!!

 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