How Fast Was That!

Started Sunday, 6/19/2011.  Top Finished Monday, 6/20/2011.

Seriously, I started this last Sunday evening and finished up Monday night after work.  I'm keeping this pattern in mind when I need something super quick!

I got the heads' up that a new little one is expected in our extended family so I thought I'd get a jump and start on a baby quilt.  I pulled out this fabric that I bought about six months ago and thought it would be perfect for this pattern and it came out really cute.

I love the "alphabet" fabric...

I don't yet know if my cousin is expecting a boy or a girl.  I know this would be fine for a girl, not sure about a boy with that floral center.  What do you think????

A Graduation Gift

We are invited to a friend's daughter's high school graduation party today.  It's our only one this year and, of course, I'm giving her a quilt.  This young lady chose to make a quilt for her senior project and I was so proud of her!  I think she got bitten by the bug a bit after making  that first one, because I hear she wants to make quilts for some of her neices and nephews!

As soon as we got the invitation to the party, I knew I had the perfect quilt for her.  I had the fabric for this one laying around for about a year (so that makes it a free gift, right????).  I used Heather Mulder Peterson's pattern from her Livin' Large book called "From the Heart".

I used Heather's Cottage Charm line for the front and a print from her Rebel Roses line for the back (I love that fabric!)

[oops, don't mind my foot - at least I'm manicured!]

I just did some quick freehand quilting - a large meander on most of the quilt, some loops in a flower motif in the quarter-square triangles and swirly loops in the applique portion.  Lazy way out I know, but I was in a hurry - LOL!  Besides, it looks pretty good.

I hope she likes it!!

Jay McCarroll speaking at PMQG!

If you're in the Philadelphia area on Tuesday evening, 6/21, and you'd like to come see Project Runway winner Jay McCarroll, he's presenting at our Philly Modern Quilt Guild meeting that night! 

Jay has a new fabric line with FreeSpirit called Habitat, which he'll be showing and will talk about his design process.  Also at our meeting, he's launching a nationwide Modern Quilt Guild Challenge sponsored by FreeSpirit focused on his new fabric.  How exciting for PMQG!!

You can see the gallery of each fabric here.


Details:
Date: Tuesday, 6/21/2011
Time: 7:00pm - prompt!
Location: Huntingdon Valley, PA
Cost: Free for paid members; $5.00 for non-members
For exact location and to sign up email phillymodernquiltguild@gmail.com.

Catching Up...

I wanted to catch up on posting about some recent finishes and some more winnings!

Here is my finished, quilted and bound Brocante Schibbles.  Pom Pom de Paris for the top...

Quilted with the Not Quite Paisley pantograph from Willow Leaf Studio.  This was a great panto for this quilt, but boy is it dense!  I was really glad I chose to use it on something small - LOL!

And, not only do I get this cute little quilt out of the deal, but I won this for entering it in Sinta and Sherri's April Le Petite!

I also won a Lapel Stick from Jo from Jo's Country Junction!  I've been wanting to try the Lapel Stick for a while now.  I heard about it a year or so ago on someone's blog and was all ready to order.  But at the time the only place you could get it was Canada.  Shipping was like $15.00 - waaaaaay more than the 3 sticks I was ordering.  I was bummed.  So I was thrilled when I won this (thanks Jo!).  Lapel Stick is labeled as a temporary non-staining adhesive - you can use it for collars or lapels (duh!) that stick up, temporary hems, etc.  And, of course, applique!!  So I tried it out on the table runner I just made (last post).  I used it to temporarily secure the bias strips so I could sew them down.  Worked great and didn't gum up the needle at all!  I'll be using this to prep my clamshells too (that is if I ever make anymore when I get back to that project) . 



This totally floored me when I got this envelope in the mail.  The return address said "Moda" and it was squishy.  Moda - sending something to me????  Whatever could it be?  I was giddy with excitement.  They sent me this cute little 2.5" charm pack of Lilac Hill as a thank you for the Just One Star blocks I had sent.  I had completely forgotten about those and certainly wasn't expecting anything in return.   Wow!  Thanks Moda!  I put the thank you note on my sewing room bulletin board and the little charm pack with it's bigger twin on my shelf.   

Last month at our Philly Modern Quilt Guild meeting, we revealed our Kona Solids Charm Challenges.  I used the Lil Twister ruler for the first time.  Our challenge was that we couldn't use any additional solids, just prints.  I promise that white is NOT a solid, but a tone-on-tone dot (it still felt like cheating though - LOL!).  Once I finished cutting out the Lil Twister blocks, I was left with what resembled swiss cheese.  After some careful trimming, I was able to use the leftovers on the border.  I really liked using the ruler and the blocks went together easily.  I'd like to try the larger one next.  What would that be, the "Big Twister"????  I was really intrigued to see what my fellow guild members would do with this challenge and I was not disappointed!  The creativity in this group astounds me.  You can go here to see the rest of the Challenge quilts.

We're having a really exciting guest at our next meeting, so I'll be sure to report!

A Happy (?) Accident

I have a couple of beautiful tablecloths that I use on my dining room table.  One for winter, one for summer.  They are huge and I need to do careful folding to make them the right size to fit my table without the extension leaves (which is usually how we have it).  I am very careful to put another cloth over the table when we have Sunday dinner so I don't have to wash the good ones all the time.  Well, on Memorial Day I didn't.  Just left my pretty "summer cloth" on and figured since we weren't having anything too messy, it would be fine.

No sooner did we sit down and my husband promptly knocked over his full, very tall, glass of Orange smoothie.  Thanks, hon!  What a mess.

So, off came the cloth and the pads and into the laundry room it all went.  So, I was looking at the bare wood of the table and had a thought.  I've got all these Schnibbles that I've made over the past year (six at last count I think) and don't really have too many places to put them.  I pulled out my new Brocante Schnibble and decided to give it a try on the table.  Looks pretty nice!

I just may leave it there for awhile (at least until my klutzy husband sits down to eat at the table again - LOL!)

Central Park: A Love Story

I've come to the realization that I have a "thing"for Kate Spain's Central Park line.  I've got no less than 6 quilts (some larger, some smaller) already made, in progress, or in my head to make with Central Park.  Here's my stash:  Jelly roll, layer cake, 5 charm packs and yardage - oh my!



First up was Julie's Carnival pattern - made into a wall hanging for my Mom.  Of course that wasn't enough and I'm making the larger version for myself.

Then, at our PMQG sewing day, I saw Becky's Postage Stamp Quilt (from Rachel Griffith at P.S. I Quilt's quilt-a-along a while back), and I had to make one of my own.  I loved how Becky did hers in "stripes" and copied hers shamelessly did mine the same way!  However, I just couldn't quite wrap my brain around the method Rachel used in the quilt-a-long for a scrappy look, so had to figure out another way to get my striped look.  This quilt was a lot of fun and came together beautifully.  I got the top done in less than two weeks - I was a speed demon on this one!  

Today, I'm going to finish up this table runner that my Mom requested to go with her wallhanging.  Then I'll work on MY Carnival and one other full-size quilt I have in mind for Central Park. 

That will leave me with all of the "animal" and "tree" prints that I've been pulling out of the charm packs/layer cake.  I see a little boy's quilt from these leftovers!

After that I think my Central Park obsession should finally be over.  But that's okay because I think my Summer Love will be replaced by this in the Fall:

Quilt Classes!

I used to take quilt classes all the time.  Not so much any more.  Not that I know everything, but I've been at this for awhile.  But, still, it's fun to take a class now and then.  For the camaraderie if nothing else.  And, I find I always learn something. 

So, when I found out that Julie of Jaybird Quilts fame was teaching Dot Party at my new favorite shop, The Village Quilter, I signed up immediately! 


I already had the pattern and bought the fancy circle ruler and really teeny 18mm rotary cutter like the pattern suggests. I'm always looking for a better way to cut out a circle, so was intrigued by the ruler. As soon as I got it I thought I'd try it out. Didn't go so well. There's got to be a trick, and I know Julie's going to show us what it is! So, this class is not only going to a blast I'm sure, but I'll learn something too.

I decided the fabric that I won from Sarah's Swell Cloth shop, Kumari Garden, would be perfect for this quilt.  I'm pairing it with some light blue Robert Kaufman Quilter's Linen...

By the way, I've been haunting places that sell the Quilter's Linen and scooping it up.  It's not all that easy to find.  This is my stash so far:

If you click on the photo to make it larger, you can see the "linen look" - just adds a little something.

I'm signed up for one more class.  On my first trip to The Village Quilter last Fall, I heard they were having a class on hand quilting with Didi Salvatierra.  I've been wanting to take a hand quilting class for forever and just never got the chance.  I was bummed that the class was the next week (and I think it was full anyway), but owner Susan promised Didi would be back.  So, when she said Didi was coming back in the Fall, I couldn't wait to sign up (I may have been a bit of a pest about it too.  Every time I saw Susan I'd bug her about when sign ups would be open - LOL!)  I've done some hand quilting in the past, I just have never been very happy with my stitches.  And, not that I'm going to be hand quilting much by any stretch, but I'd love to have a hand quilting project to work on from time to time.  And, this is going to be it (and, yes, it may take
me the rest of my life, I realize that):

[of course, Lilly has to plunk her little self in the middle of every quilt I put on the floor - and sorry about the wrinkles]

This applique quilt was a block-of-the-month from the now defunct Country Quilt Shop, started in the late 90s.  I finished the quilt at the end of last year.  (No, I don't want to add up how many years that's been).  It's called Pennsylvania Folk Art and it is just beautiful.  I really think hand quilting would be worth it on this quilt.