Elsa block # 2

I made quick work of Elsa block #2.  Two days and just a couple hours total sew time and it was completed.  I only bought a half yard of the background and as it is for an 18 inch pillow form I probably cut it a little too close.  Number three block will have me biting my fingers hoping I bought enough background fabric also.  At least the next background is not such a directional fabric.  I finally just had to not worry about the background direction on this one but I like how it finished out...like it when that happens.

 

I bought the Rustique by Emily Herrick for Michael Miller fabric from Hawthorne Threads recently because I needed a darker background and those deer were irresistible.  I knew my grand-daughter would be reminded of Sven when she saw them so I had to have them.  Just never gave much thought to how they would end up so jumbled from paper piecing them in a gazillion directions but I like the scattering of them around Elsa anyhow.

 

Then another quick two mornings and I pieced together the 'Sophia'  I needed for baby quilt #2 I am currently working on.  Sophia's due date is today so it is time to get a move on this project.  I used the font in Sam Hunter's 'Quilt Talk' but just made the slants on the roundness of the letters a little steeper than the pattern to just give it a little more definition between each letter.  I was absolutely amazed at how quickly these letters go together and am thrilled with Sam's pattern!!!

 

I added background fabric to match this strip and this block completes at 12 inches square.  Which leaves me a little mathematical quandary.  My surrounding blocks are 10 1/2 inches square.  I think I will need to cut them down to 10 inches but even then it is a puzzle to put them all together in an aesthetically pleasing manner.  I've drawn out a couple different options and am hoping to be able to play with one of them today...after I get my grocery shopping done and the stores are getting immensely crowded in preparation for the coming holiday.

Keep Stitchin'

Baby Blue Bowties

I've been secretly busy working the last two weeks on a quilt for a expectant co-worker.  Little fellow is due in December, so I recently asked her what her decorations plans were and she just replied all blue and white stuff.  I've been wanting to making a bowtie quilt for a while now and this seemed the perfect chance to kick it off the bucket list.  I don't do traditional piecing often, usually preferring paper piecing, but love how quickly it came together.  The AccuQuilt die for the 2 1/2 inch blocks helped speed up all the fabric cutting some.  Believe it or not this quilt top all came out of my stash and it felt great to use up some of the fabrics that have been just collecting dust for years.

It currently measures 32 1/2" by 49".  Normally my baby quilts finish a little wider but not sure I want to add more to it. Probably an ideal crib size but usually I like to make a play on the floor size quilt.  Still needing to get those three Elsa pillow cushion covers made so this might be the finished size of this blanket plus the binding.

I bought some Michael Miller "Oh Baby" Animal Silhouettes by Cynthia Rowley for the back and may consider a border on the front with it if I have enough.  The animals are all in a dark navy blue and I think they will look great with it.

Christmas decorating the house tomorrow...what are you up to?

Keep Stitchin'

Happy Veteran's Day and Round Robin block

Happy Veteran's Day

The Round Robin Block I am working on this month is from Bea Lee.  She blogs at Beaquilter and the block she sent has been an honor and pleasure to work on this month and especially this last weekend.  It was a flag block that she machine embroidered God Bless in the star field and she is going to donate the finished quilt top to a veteran next year when it is completed.  Her starter block was a 12 1/2 inch block that I forgot to take a picture of before I added my borders and the rules of this round robin only allow me to show a teaser of what I added this month not the finished round, but you can see her block on her blog by clicking on the above link and scrolling done her October projects until you see her adorable flag block. 

My assignment was to add 20---3 1/2 inch blocks around it.  I love paper piecing but needed just the right inspiration as to what I could paper piece on a 3 1/2 inch block that would be a tribute to the veteran receiving this top at the completion of it.  I happened to go to a holiday bazaar the first weekend of the month and found the inspiration I was needing.  There were some patriotic signs there and one of them simply said, ' Liberty '.
It is a word I don't often use but it really resounded with me for this project.  I was really moved to say, "God Bless you for giving me and others around this world the liberties we hold dear."  So many things we enjoy in this great country are Liberties that others just don't have around the globe.  Liberties that we daily take for granted like freedom of speech, the right to bear arms, travel freely, heck even learn in a classroom and not hide behind a burqa when you are a woman are just a few of the social and political freedoms we enjoy in this land of the free.  So I choose to express my gratitude for the Liberty we all have thanks in large part for the sacrifices made by the men and women who for generations have served this country in the Armed Forces.  Thank you!!!

So for that teaser, I am showing these sneak peaks of a couple of the blocks I added to Bea's block.

I had this fabric in my stash with the Star Spangled Banner, America and America the Beautiful on it, that was perfect for piecing the needed letters.  Then I needed to add some stars and love how they turned out.

For all the letters I ended up giving in and buying Sam Hunter's newest book 'Quilt Talk'.  I loved seeing all her scrap totes in her recent blog hop and well just fell in love with her fat bottomed text font.  I feel that I will be getting chatty in at least one major quilt project next year and so it will definitely be put to major use in the year ahead.  I tweaked a few letters to make them more to my liking and am ready to send it on it's way.  I think I'll just enjoy looking at it for a while before sending it out but it's ready.

Keep Stitchin'

Sew Sweet BOM

Once again I am finding myself at the crossroads of too much stuff to get down ---where do I start---and hey let's start a new project!!!    I wish there was help for whatever quilting bug is under my skin---I have turned into a stark raving lunatic.  I love starting new projects.  I AM going to finish some of what I have going on right now...just not right at this point in time.  Yikes...but when Jacquelynne Steves sent out an email inviting me to take part in her new BOM I couldn't resist.  Like I said I have some sort of affliction for BOM's.  I am hoping to be cured by the new year so I can resist all the grand ones I am sure will be tempting me again... sooner than I dare to think about... but the timing on this one seemed ideal.  If you can look past all the projects that I need to actually finish---I seem to have no problem forgetting how the list of to do's gets longer everyday.   I mean all the BOM's of 2014 had come to an end and November was wide open.  I have the new Round Robin commitment but other than that I just need to complete my current tops from this years BOM's and a new BOM was just too enticing to pass up.

 

You can see why it was too hard to resist.  I even convinced my daughter to buy me 10 new fat quarters for my birthday---this is my birthday month---and I like to enjoy it all month long.  She's the best to quickly agree and enable my addiction so freely.

You can find more about this BOM series...did I mention it's another free one and all you need to do to participate is sign up thru Jacquelynne's website here.  Just fill in your email address in her upper right hand corner request box and she will email you the free instructions each month.  Her BOM runs 5 months and will be your choice of a 4 or 6 block version.  I love her social media use of Facebook and Instagram to share our progress rather than Flickr as I always love seeing others work and take on the same block and Flickr is not the first choice on people's list nowadays.   She is encouraging us to either applique or embroider her center section---she provides patterns for both options--- or simply piece it if that is your preference! I just started using Instagram under qreativequilts and it was neat seeing all the fabulous pictures from Quilt Market on it.

It will be exciting to see what everyone is doing with this one and I will get back to my regular scheduled quilting activities soon.  It is a sunny weekend here so I did get that picture of my progress on the Quilt Doodle Design BOM top with the addition of the last row.  I just have to figure out if I am adding a border around it.  I am leaning towards no as it will be quicker to finish if it doesn't have to wait for additional borders and I like it's current size anywhoo.

I love all the fall color on the ground but it is much easier to view the top when my DH holds it up for me.  He isn't feeling well this weekend but played along nicely in the next photo.

I still need to embroider the string to connect the Christmas lights at the top but that is a great evening project.  I hate to admit it but I also started a new blue and white baby quilt and should have that top done soon but time to work on the round robin block before I get back to that.  Trying to do it all is crazy exhausting. 

Keep Stitchin'

More Happily Ever After blocks

I have been putting off completing these last two blocks in the series by Quiet Play's Kristy in her Happily Ever After Pattern Bundle.  I don't know why I put them off so long, they are so simple to put together and I very much enjoyed all the straight lined sections, making it so nice to assemble each block once the sections were completed.  This is a quilt top I am putting together for a baby due November 22nd, so it was time to take it off the back burner and spend some time on it.  I say the baby is due November 22nd but if I get the quilt completed by the time mom completes her 3 month maternity leave from work I will feel like I got it done in time.

The Rapunzel block was first up and I love her long golden locks flowing down the tower wall

The second one, I just completed today was the Sleeping Beauty block.

There are only 8 blocks in this bundle so I have to figure out a layout.  I think I am going to lay them out like the picture below and add the baby's name in the center.  Of course, the baby's name may be too long and then I will have to rethink the center of the quilt, too.  I think I may sash in a white and add a row of bright paper pieced hearts at the top and bottom to add length to the top and make it a rectangle.  I just might just make all the hearts pink to girl it up a touch, not that I would ever think of these blocks as being a quilt for a boy but I know baby's mom is doing her room in all pink so I know she is loving the idea of having her own little princess bundled in lots of pink.

I've put my Quilt Doodle Doodle 2014 BOM blocks and rows together but the weather has not cooperated in getting an outdoor picture of it yet. I'll give it another week or so and then may have to settle for rain and gray skies as here in the Pacific Northwest we just may be in for 7 more months of liquid sunshine.

Keep Stitchin'