Coming Home

This is a small table topper from the Simplify book called Coming Home.  I used a charm pack called Freebird for the blocks and a Kona solid for the blocks and border. This is another one where I had everything in my stash.

I stippled the middle and did some loops on the borders. This one is a super fast project. It can be put together in just a few hours. The final size is 36 inches square. 

Hip to Be Square

I have been using up stash fabric all year long. There seems to be no end, which is great! But also a little embarrassing.  I had a bunch of this fabric set aside to make a quilt, just waiting for the right pattern.  The quilt is pretty big! It is a good sized throw! The fabric is Simple Abundance by Bonnie and Camille.  I also added a few other fabrics that coordinate. I love the way this turned out!  I decided to do some cross hatch quilting, which took quite a while. The quilting lines are about an inch and a half apart. The quilting took much longer than the cutting, piecing, and sewing. But it suits the fabric and the pattern, so all the time was worth it. 

Sweet Pea Christmas

 I am still sewing through Simplify by Camille Roskelly pretty regularly, just haven't been blogging about it all lately. Hopefully I can get all caught up with the blogging though!

I used some Holly Jolly that I have had in my stash for quite some time.  I love how all the squares look like Christmas packages.  I added a narrow pieced border around the outside. When I to the outside border, I decided not to scallop it. I went back and forth, but knew some other scallops were coming up in the book.  

I quilted loopy stars in the middle and stippled around the outer border. I bound with scrappy binding in the spirit of using up my scraps and leftovers.  The back is a cream flannel.

Modern Medallion Border 5

I added the final border on my modern medallion quilt. I decided to come back to the medallion center with a yellow and white half square triangle border. The final quilt is just under 70 inches square. It has been an interesting journey with this quilt. I didn't have an overall plan from the beginning, so it's been a bit organic in its development. I am pleased with the results so far. I have the backing and some binding ready, so onto quilting this one!

Modern Medallion Border 4

I added some bold orange and blue on this border. I decided to change it up and not to the same thing all the way around. I love this house print by Dear Stella and added it on the top and bottom.

The size at this point is about 60 inches square. I didn't really follow the widths the group did entirely. I have one more border to go at this point and then I will be ready to sandwich and quilt this!

Modern Medallion Borders 2 and 3

I struggled quite a lot with the next border. I initially was just going to do some four patches, but after putting them together and putting them next to the quilt, I didn't like it at all. So I used some shot cotton and made a frame around the first border to break things up. Then I added the four patches with some white. The next border is piano keys. 

I am not beyond this point yet, but I have a plan :).

Little Man Quilt from Simplify

I pulled four fat quarters from my stash to make this quilt. It is the second in the Simplify book by Camille Roskelly. I had the gray fabric and the border fabrics on hand. 

 The blocks went together really quickly and it would be easy to make a much bigger version. 

I didn't have any of the right pink on hand for the binding, so I ended up buying some Kona solid in Camilla. I used a Sandi Henderson Henna Garden print on the back in yellow.

Modern Medallion Border 1

I have been very slowly working on my medallion for Broadbents Modern Quilt Group. I had a hard time deciding what I was envisioning and where to go next. This is the first border. It is 6.5 inches wide.

My favorite part about the medallion challenge, is everyone's are so different. A lot of creativity and thought goes into everyone's projects.

Square One

This quilt is out of Camille Roskelly's Simplify Book. I have so many precuts that I haven't cut into, so one day I decided to just start making things from my stash. And that morphed into deciding to sew through Simplify. I am currently three projects into the book.

One thing I have learned about older precuts is they are not the uniform size they are now. This is the Arcadia line and it only had 36 squares in it's charm pack. Therefore, this quilt doesn't look like the one in the book because that project would require 42 squares. I didn't even notice this until I started putting the rows together, and by then I decided 36 square would be just fine.

The pattern called for a raw edge binding and I love the way it turned out. You just use leftover honey bun strips folded in half. The first time I washed the quilt it was a linty mess, but it stopped shedding pretty quickly.

I stitched two rows over the binding for extra strength. I love this line of fabric and I love the way this quilt turned out. It was a great first project from the book with easy to follow instructions. 

Houndstooth Baby

I made this quilt for friend and her new baby girl back in April.

 I have been slow to blog lately but I have been sewing a bit more. Between baseball, end of school, vacation, and summer, blogging has taken a bit of a backseat. 

I used a dark purple Kona Cotton and a white on the front. I used an Anna Maria Horner print on the back. I love the simplicity of the patter and the contrast.  I must say though, there is a lot of trimming. But the quilt comes together pretty fast.

I  quilted around each houndstooth. The over all size is 42 X 42.

Modern Medallion Month 1

The Modern Quilt Group I attend at Broadbent's here in Lehi is doing a Modern Medallion quilt for this six month session. Each month we add another border after getting ideas and tips from Kristin, JoyLyn, and Anna. I decided I was going to make something low volume and I am hankering for some sunshine, so that is the center of my quilt.  Also in the spirit of using up stash fabrics and fabrics I love, I cut into some of my Heather Ross goldfish. I already know what I want to do for my first border and hope to get it added this week.

I loved seeing everyone's medallions and how different they were. We have flickr group featuring all the medallions in addition to our regular flickr group-go take a look!

Baby in the Hood

I have had Anna Maria Horner's Handmade Beginnings book for months. My baby is starting to get too big to fit in some of the clothes, but there is always a baby around to sew for.  I did make two of these little Baby in the Hood jackets.  One in the 3-6 month size and one in the 18-24 month size. I made them out of the same fabric and with the same notions. Tessa loves coats and jackets and promptly put hers on. The other was a gift for a sweet baby girl from my old neighbor hood.

I stitched a label in the back with the size tag on it. Maybe one of these days I will get around to buying some premade ones, but I do like the look of the little fabric labels.

 

The instructions and pattern were really clear and easy to follow, but there were a lot of steps. It felt like even more making the jacket two times.  I used Riley Blake Sugar and Spice by the Quilted Fish for the jackets. It's been around for about two years and it's about time that I destashed it!

Baby Jane A-1 and A-2

I am finally posting these, we have had a few playoff games this week that have limited my computer time. Jessica and I are making Baby Jane quilts this year ahead. We are aiming to finish two blocks a week. It doesn't feel like too much, but these blocks do require attention to detail. 

Crochet Fish

About a year ago I finally learned how to crochet. My friend Eve, had a pattern for a fish washcloth and she taught me how to make it. It involves increasing and decreasing and is good practice for some basic skills. At the time we were living in a condo, waiting for our home to be built and I was driving the kids to school and picking them up and waiting in the car a lot. So I would bring the fish pattern and ball of sugar and cream yarn with me and make fish while I waited. Now I have more fish wash clothes than a person could use.

These aren't even all of them, some have disappeared around the house.  By then end I was making small fish with the leftover yarn. The fish vary in size depending on how tight I held things, I got better with gauge as time went on. It kept my hands busy and was a lifesaver during those waits, I also read a few books while waiting as well. One ball of the sugar and cream yarn made two fish. I like the orange the best.

Valentine Hearts

I made this heart wristlets for the girls for Valentine's Day. They came from a tutorial on Sew Mam Sew that has disappeared-or I would link to it. I used scraps (yay!) for the whole project. They are pretty small, the zippers are just four inches across, so just coins or small treasures fit inside them. The girls loved them though and Tessa totes her 'purse' around regularly.

Salt Air Quilt

This quilt is made from a layer cake of Salt Air by Cosmo Cricket. I bought it last year the Home Machine Quilting Show and am so glad I made something out of it before the show rolls around again. The pattern is a Moda Bake Shop Pattern called You Zig I'll Zag.  It went together really quickly and the instructions were clear.  I used the blue splash print for the setting triangles and the outer border.  In each setting triangle I quilted a sea creature or scene.

 

It was fun coming up with sea creatures to fill each square.  I haven't done any free hand quilting like this in a while. 

I decided to find something different to back the quilt with and used a print from the Indie Chic line. 

I bound the quilt with a solid blue. I finished this quilt almost two weeks ago, I just hadn't had a moment to sit down and blog it. It reminds me of the beach and summer and warm weather-which we are more than ready for. It had been more wintry this year than in years past. I like the snow-except for driving, just ready for some sunshine. If the sun isn't in the sky, put it in a quilt.

Scrappy Monogram

At the December Modern Quilt Group meeting I got a big pile of grey scraps. Kristin had used then in a Polaroid quilt so there were a lot of triangle shapes. I am a really really slow decorator, we have been here for seven months and I have put nothing on the walls. I decided I wanted something with a monogram that would look framed and hang on the wall at the top of the stairs.  I looked for fonts that I liked and decided to use the 'M' from my signature in the end, just so it would be more personalized.

Then I just put the quilt together using the basic triangle shapes of the scraps.  The project went together really fast and I am pleased with the final result.

I used a Kaffe Fasset print that I have had forever on the back, I still have quite a bit left, it's been in my stash so long I don't remember where I even bought it. Yay for using stuff I have on hand and using scraps. I still need to put a sleeve on the back and decide what I am going to hang it with (any suggestion welcome!) I think when I put up one thing I will want to start on others, the first is always the most difficult.  

Purple polka dot love

This quilt is for my nine year old daughter.  She requested a room filled with purple and we are almost ready to put it all together.  We have paint for the walls and a few decorations.  I knew I wanted to make her a new quilt, something a little more grown up.  I found the backing first and went from there.  It's a Ty Pennington print.  If you look closely you can tell where it is pieced.

 Let me tell you up front, this looks way different in person, the dots and flowers and such just aren't photographing well.

 I got this pattern from a Quilt's N' More magazine published in the fall.

 I did swirls on the polka dots and daisies on the flowers for quilting.  And a straight line across the squares.  I didn't want the quilting to really overwhelm the business that is already inherent in the fabric.  On the green I did some horizontal lines. 

 It fulfilled my need to put something together quickly and have something that will look good on her bed.  I have a plan to make some pillows or shams to go with the quilt.  I just haven't done it yet ;). 

HST quilt

I go each month to a Modern Quilt Group Meeting at Broadbents.  Each six months we have a main challenge.  So far we've done bricks, strips, and now half-square triangles.  Everyone comes up with such amazing things, I love show and tell!  This time we got a packet of 75 six inch squares of fabric.  I added another 55 to the mix to get a quilt that is just under twin sized.

  I used a very light grey for my solid, I know it looks white in photos, it's not.  I backed this quilt with a Amy Butler print that I have had for quite some time.  It was just the right size, I love using stuff I already have.  I bound it with a navy blue print by Alexander Henry, I used it in these dresses a few years ago.

  I love how it turned out.  I like to call it the maze quilt.

This has been quite a year with lots of change and movement of our family.  I was surprised to see I have only managed to blog 8 times!  I feel like I have sewn, so I must have let blogging be the thing to slip.  We have moved twice and are now settled in our home.  That alone should improve my blogging.  I have been reflecting on my sewing goals for 2013 and am excited for the year ahead!