Finished: Circle of Geese Pezzy Print Mini Quilt

Circle of Geese Pezzy Print Mini Quilt

Taadaa! Turned out pretty cute, right? Pezzy Prints are so cheerful. They just can't help it. I did a little stitching in the ditch to quilt it as well as some straight line echoing with my walking foot. I cut some Pezzy Print charm squares in half and sewed them end to end to make 2.5" binding. I sewed it onto the front with a 1/4" seam. I would have preferred to sew it on with a wider seam, but I would have squashed points. All in all, it's a really cute 12.5" block turned mini quilt.

I drew the lucky number and won two free yards of fabric from Remnants here in Austin thanks to this little paper piecing adventure. You can take a go at it yourself by using the free template.

My other finish for today is another Summer Sampler Series block. This is the Six Pointed Star block. I decided not to make the string quilt version. 

This block is going towards a charity quilt from the Austin Modern Quilt Guild. I wasn't really happy with the first block I made to donate. I liked the fabric that I used, but I wished that I had put more effort into the design of the block. I had a bit of an epiphany at that point. Just because it's for charity doesn't mean that it shouldn't be your very best work. You should love what you make even if it's being donated to someone you don't know. 

Since then, my donation blocks take just as high a priority as the things I make for myself or loved ones. I pulled yellow charm squares from my piles of color wheel charm square swap fabric to make this yellow block, and I'm very pleased with the way it turned out. I starched everything as I went, and this block could stand up straight and walk away on its own if it wanted. 

I hope you have a weekend of starching and sewing ahead of you! I'm linking up with Quilt Matters, Under the Table and Dreaming, Canoe Ridge Creations, and Sew Happy Geek.

WIP Wednesday: Geese and Blocks

At our April Austin Modern Quilt Guild meeting, Heather with Fiberosity gave a little paper piecing workshop, and it was lots of fun. I'd done a little paper piecing while making the Arkansas Traveler block in the Summer Sampler Series, but it was definitely hard for me to get my mind back into it at the meeting. I kept sewing the wrong parts together. Back at home, I used some Pezzy Print charm squares to make this Flying Geese circle: 

I found myself wishing that all the colors of the color wheel were represented in the Pezzy Print line. There were twelve colors in the charm pack, but two of them were black and brown. They just didn't set my soul on fire in this layout, and we're only supposed to sew stuff that we love, right? I'm happy with the six colors I ended up choosing. I decided repeating was fine. I think I'm going to make this into a mini, since it's so cheerful.

Rose Star Blocks

1. Block 1, 2. Block 2, 3. Block 3, 4. Block 4, 5. Block 5, 6. Block 6

This is my little English paper piecing adventure. I picked up this skill thanks to Clare's tutorial at selfsewn. Doing design work is still the hardest part for me. I'm hoping to cut another one tonight so that I can have some hand sewing tomorrow during a little adventure in town. These will also come in handy when I'm waiting around during jury selection next week ;-)

Summer Sampler Series Blocks

I originally saw these blocks on Fresh Lemons this summer, but I probably wouldn't have made them if it wasn't for the Austin Modern Quilt Guild's block swap. I've definitely learned some things making these blocks, so I've been making some to keep for myself as well. Hopefully I'll have some more done before our meeting tomorrow evening!

Storm at Sea Queen-Sized Quilt

My Storm at Sea quilt does have some problems related to sewing machine user error. That's why I haven't touched it since the fall. There's going to have to be some tough decisions or major hands-on work (probably both) to resolve those issues and make these blocks into a quilt. Finishing at least the top is one of my goals for 2012, so stay tuned. I want to bust this baby out again next week.

I can't wait to see everyone's WIP updates! I'm linking up with Freshly Pieced, Sew Much Ado, and Rae Gun Ramblings.

   

Geese Peek

Mr. Pins and I celebrated our one year anniversary yesterday. It was a great day full of things we enjoyed and some (surprisingly) tasty old cake.

I was back at the sewing machine today crafting up some fun! Here's a little sneak peek:

I found myself longing for a purple Pezzy Print. Clearly a missed opportunity there, even though the aqua color will always have a special place in my heart. 

I had a great time at Talkin' Tuesdays tonight. If you've never participated, mark your calendar for Tuesdays at 8pm Central time. You're guaranteed some thought provoking questions about the present day quilting experience as well as some highly entertaining answers. Plus, there's a chance to win some goodies like I did tonight! I'll keep you posted on that. 

I know tomorrow is WIP Wednesday and all, but don't stay up too late at the sewing machine. 

Happy Crafting!

Finished: Black Sheep Don't Sleep Baby Quilt

Taadaa! This is my big finish for the week. I ended up having to travel for the past couple of days, so I'm glad I got it in under the wire. This quilt was pretty easy to put together since the big squares were cut to 8" and and all of the colorful strips were cut to 2.5" wide. I was inspired by this pattern, but I needed larger pieces to really show off the prints and allow me to piece the top faster.

I took photos before and after washing. There was great sunshine on the evening before I washed it, but of course it was overcast the next morning.

The prints are Organic Monaluna fabrics from the Taali collection by Jennifer Moore with a little Kona White for contrast. The Monaluna fabric seemed to have a very fine weave. It had a great feel, and I will definitely buy more of their prints to work with. The little sheep are too sweet!

I stitched in the ditch for the most part, but I quilted (mostly) straight lines though the middle of the squares just to stabilize the batting between the two layers. I didn't know what the recommended quilting distance was for this batting. The largest unquilted areas ended up being 3.75" squares, so that seemed pretty safe to me.

For the back, I pieced several sections of yardage. The middle print with all of the cars and bikes and little houses would be a great for a game of "I Spy."

For the binding, I used the extra 2.5" wide strips and pieced them together. I sewed it to the front with a 1/4" seam, wrapped it around to the back and then stitched in the ditch on the front to secure the binding to the back. It picked up all of the binding on the back without me having to go back and handstitch any skipped spots ;-)

I love the way the binding contrasts with the large fields of print on the back of the quilt, and it just makes the front of the quilt all the more lively.

Quilty Stats:
Pre-wash dimensions: 41.25" x 61"
Post-wash dimensions: 39.75" x 58.5"
Batting: Very soft 1/4 batting that I no longer had the package for. It might have been an 80/20.

I hope this quilt brings lots of smiles in its new home for a long time to come. Happy Friday, everyone!

I'm linking up with Sew Happy Geek and Canoe Ridge Creations!

  

Another Rose Star Block

I had plenty of time in the car today to do a little hand sewing. I kept at it, and finished a sixth Rose Star block. 

Taadaa! The center hexagons in my Rose Star blocks measure 2 5/8" (6cm) on one side, so a finished star measures 14 1/4" (36.2cm). It's a good size. I'd love to end up with at least enough for a throw. I'm just going to keep turning them out in the meantime, though.

You can totally do this English paper piecing project. Check out Clare's tutorial at selfsewn!

Use the blog labels to see my other Rose Star blocks or check out Sewing Over Pins on flickr. I'm linking up with Somewhat Simple.

WIP Wednesday: Blocks and More Quilt Sneak Peeks

By now, you should be familiar with the usual WIP list: 

Rose Star Blocks

This is my little English paper piecing adventure. I picked up this skill thanks to Clare's tutorial at selfsewn. The trick to flying through these is to do your design work and cutting ahead of time. Then you just keep a block with you in your purse to work on in found time. I'm hoping to work on these during another road trip to Louisiana tomorrow.

Summer Sampler Series Blocks

I originally saw these blocks on Fresh Lemons this summer, but I probably wouldn't have made them if it wasn't for the Austin Modern Quilt Guild's block swap. I've definitely learned some things making these blocks, so I've been making some to keep for myself as well.

Storm at Sea Queen-Sized Quilt

My Storm at Sea quilt does have some problems related to sewing machine user error. That's why I haven't touched it since the fall. There's going to have to be some tough decisions or major hands-on work (probably both) to resolve those issues and make these blocks into a quilt. Finishing at least the top is one of my goals for 2012, so stay tuned. I want to take a crack at this later this month.


My final WIP for today is a surprise for the end of the week, but you can see a sneak peek today!

Black Sheep Don't Sleep Baby Quilt

These are Organic Monaluna fabrics from the Taali collection by Jennifer Moore. It's been really fun to work with them, and I can't wait to share the finished quilt with you on Friday. Yay!

I can't wait to see everyone's WIP updates! I'm linking up with Freshly Pieced, Sew Much Ado, Someday Crafts, and Rae Gun Ramblings.

   

Sneak Peak & Happy May Day

Yay! A new baby quilt in the works to share at the end of the week.

Will you look at these fabrics?! I love them! These are Organic Monaluna fabrics from the Taali collection by Jennifer Moore. My friend snagged the fabrics. I'm making the quilt happen ;-)

Hello! So much fun. Enjoy the pieced strips hanging off the ironing board. This is all I've got to hold you until the end of the week. Hang in there. It'll be here before you know it!

Happy May Day Crafting!