Treasure Map

I had every intention of blogging a bit after the ECMQG meeting on Saturday.  In my last post I mentioned how I hoped to get a whole bunch of quilts sandwiched.  I spent Friday making backs for 5 quilts, and managed to get four of them sandwiched.  But then on Sunday afternoon, my daughter sent me a pattern to test, and it was so gorgeous, I just couldn't wait! 

I made the first block right away.  Since this was a Treasure Map, and since when you look for treasure you look for gems and jewels, and since Anna Maria Horner's fabrics are all in such luscious jewel tones, I decided to dig into my jealously guarded stash of AMH loveliness to create these blocks.  I really think the blocks are stunning.  In fact, we had just finished our AMH fat eighth swap at the ECMQG meeting on Saturday, so it was just serendipity that this pattern uses entirely fat eighths, except for the background. 

I really only intended to make one block, but once I got started, I couldn't stop. 

The next thing I knew, I had four blocks finished.

And I have to say, the trimmings were sure pretty.

And the more blocks I made the more excited I got.

And I just kept making blocks.  And pretty soon, I was turning them out pretty fast...

And by yesterday afternoon, I had a finished quilt top.

I am really jazzed by this quilt.  The only problem is, it adds another unfinished quilt top to the growing stack of unfinished quilt tops!  Ahhh, well...

Oh, by the way, you can purchase the pattern here.

Lazy Sunday Quilt - On Friday {is that a problem?}

A little over a year ago, my friend Leona and I came up with a bargain - she would "sell" me her Accu-Quilt Go! cutter and I would make her four quilts.  What a deal, huh?

First I made this scrappy Flea Market Fancy Hugs and Kisses quilt.

Then I made this Neptune Snow Globes quilt.

Then I made this dotty Scrappy Trip Along quilt.

And the whole time I was kind of plodding along with this Fat Quarter Shop Vintage Modern Block of the Month Mystery quilt.  About the time I was finishing up the blocks and starting on the finishing kit, she decided that this quilt had some difficult memories for her and she really didn't want the quilt after all.  And this after I had made doubles of all the blocks!  Note that FQS BOM kits are so generous, I got two blocks out of almost all of them - I was thinking "a quilt for Leona, and a quilt for me."  But since she decided she didn't want this quilt, I've been feeling a little guilty....  I didn't feel like I had lived up to my part of the deal we made.

So when Leona decided she wanted this Lazy Sunday quilt (pattern by Lee of May Chappel Designs) made from Anna Maria Horner's Dowry and True Colors lines, I agreed to make it immediately.  Even though there were 112 blocks required to make the double size quilt, they were fast and easy and fun.  In a day I had the blocks made and I put the quilt together over the next couple of days.  Then it took me another two days to get around to taking the pictures.  Less than a week from start to finish, and on top of a bunch of other stuff I was doing.

Since I was trying to take photos between rain squalls, I asked my friends Bob and Billie to hold the quilt up off the ground for me, rather than my usual pin-it-to-the-fence method.  And it's sideways for the same reason.

Here's the quilt right side up, but everything else is kind of topsy-turvy.  Anyway, I love how these fabrics in this pattern make just a riot of color!  I think it will be truly spectacular when it is quilted.  I just can't wait.

Meanwhile, I finished up another baby quilt, this one for Billie's new grandchild, Locke.  Mom and Dad decided not to find out the baby's gender beforehand, so neutral colors were the thing.  Their nursery is green with a monkey theme, so I used a really cute monkey fabric for the backing.  I really had fun making these two hexie flower baby quilts (click here to see the pink one).  They're super fast and a blast to make.  I think there will be more of these in my future.

I'm linking up with crazymomquilts for Finish-it Friday.

So what have you been up to this week?

A Little Light Reading - May Edition (and some quilting)

I knew it couldn't last...  After actually posting a whole week of consistent blog posts, I took yesterday off.  I was in the middle of a book (or rather book series), and just couldn't tear myself away long enough to blog.  I actually read the whole series of 3 books in less than 24 hours.  So, given that I spent most of yesterday reading, I thought I'd share my  reading finishes since my last light reading post. 

I actually did do a little sewing.  I started putting together this AMH Lazy Sunday quilt...

I made a baby quilt for a baby shower I attended on Saturday.  Baby Ciana's mommy and daddy have been waiting a long time for her, and we are all excited to meet her.  What better way to celebrate the pending birth of a sweet baby girl than a luscious pink flower quilt?  The fabric was part of a Daydream layer cake by Kate Spain.

This quilt was inspired by a quilt I saw at The Scarlet Thread in McDonough, Georgia while I was at Stash Bash.  Yup, even the fabric was the same.  I used my Hex-n-More ruler, and it was perfect for said layer cake.   The quilt went together super fast and I really enjoyed making it.  In fact, I had so much fun with it I made another one in green that just needs to be quilted.  Hopefully I'll get to that this week. 

Swappy Stuff - Pouches and Baskets and Blocks, Oh My!

After my swapping hiatus earlier in the  year, I have finally decided that a bit of judicious swapping would be fun. One of the first swaps I signed up for this year was the 4S Swap.  Originally titled the Sweet and Simple Scrappy Swap, 4S just seems easier, you know?  This round was baskets following the Birch Fabrics tutorial.  Anyway, I was gifted with this lovely package from Amber_Crawley.  So, so fun!  The paper pieced balloon is just awesome.  And being that I have just reorganized my sewing space, fabric baskets are especially welcome.

And while the front of the basket is just spectacular, the back is just as cute.  Love that eyeglasses fabric.  And all the dots.  I'm always in love with dots.

My little basket turned out well, I think.  While cleaning my room, I found a half yard of Hello Petal Jump Rope that I had no idea I had.  It made a great focal square in the middle of my QAYG panel, and a fun lining too.  The rest of the QAYG is just out of the scrap bin.  I love creating projects from scraps - it makes me feel so thrifty.

I used a different fussy cut square on the back.  

Last month, our ECMQG swap was Friendship Baskets using the psiquilt tutorial.  I received this fun little bag from Elaine.

Apparently I neglected to take a picture of the one I made, but it was similar to this one I made last summer from some AMH Loulouthi selvages my daughter sent me.  I love using selvages - especially pretty ones.

I've been playing along in the Sewing With Friends swap for a couple of years now, and this time I am swapping with my good friend Leona.  We met for dinner the other night, so I had a chance to take her her pouch for this round.  I used a fussy cut from the Heather Ross Crafty Chloe line she did for Hancock Fabrics a couple of years ago, and quilted it with the Bernina zigzag stitch #4.

On the back, I just used a scrap of Denyse Schmidt fabric from JoAnn's.  In fact, this whole project - with the exception of the fussy cut square on the front, was directly out of the scrap bin.

I used a piece of pink I found in my recent housecleaning for the lining.

One of the fun swaps I'm in this year is the Handmade Birthday Swap.  I've been making these little pouches for the birthday girls, filling them with a few fun sewing goodies.  This is my latest one, made from Hothouse Flowers, by Mo Bedell.  I just love these colors.  They make my heart sing!  This is from a FQ bundle I bought from Westwood Acres when I visited a couple of months ago.

The ECMQG does a block lottery each month.  Everyone who contributes a block also contributes a dollar, and one (or sometimes two or three) lucky winners take home enough blocks to make a quilt.  This month we are doing a 12-1/2 inch carpenters square (swoon) block.  These blocks are 1/4 the size of Camille Roskelly's Swoon pattern, but they still have a big impact.

We're also doing a wonky star charity quilt made from Moda's Sphere fabric by Zen Chic.  This is the block I made. Can't wait to see the quilt when it's finished.

Last of all, I'm working on a quilt for my friend Leona.  Once I got the blocks for the Block of the Month nearly done, she decided she really didn't want the quilt after all, as it held difficult memories for her.  I've been feeling guilty for almost a year, so when she said she wanted this Lazy Sunday (pattern by Lee Chappel) quilt out of AMH fabric (Dowry and True Colors), I jumped at the chance to make it for her.  I've got the blocks done (all 112 of them!), and now just have to put the top together.  I think this quilt is going to be fabulous - all those rich colors will just take your breath away, I think.

So, that's what's been going on in the sewing room this week.  What fun things have you been working on?

Swappy Stuff

If you're looking for the Sew Mama Sew Giveaway, enter on this post.

Despite my best intentions, I participated in  a lot of too many swaps this fall.  I just don't seem to be able to resist.  And this time of year?  What was I thinking???  I've been so busy meeting deadlines, I wasn't very good about showing the things I've created, so I'm going to try to fix that, and be better about keeping up my poor blog, all at the same time. I honestly can't remember what order they were in, but...  does it really matter?

I've been wanting to make the Noodlehead divided basket for awhile now, and the Fabric Basket Swap gave me the perfect opportunity.  I dug into my scrap bin and cut 2-1/2 inch squares to make an aqua patchwork body, and lined and trimmed it in my favorite red dot from Robert Kaufman.  My partner was Whitney, who I had earlier in the year for a tote bag swap.

 I played along in the Schnitzel and Boo mini quilt swap on Instagram, and my partner said her favorite time of year was fall, so I decided to create a mini using a reverse Modern Maples block in fall colors.  I really love oranges and browns in the fall, so those were the colors I chose for the mini.  Best of all?  It was made entirely of scraps!

Book Cover Front

The challenge in the Modern Scrappy Bits swap was to make a QAYG (quilt as you go) item for your partner.  I've been doing a lot of QAYG projects this year, and even taught a couple of classes, so I decided to give the Newtown Auction Pillow technique another try, this time as a book cover.  I still haven't mastered it, and I'm amazed at how much fabric it seems to waste, but I was fairly pleased with the results.

Book Cover Back

Best of all was the note I received from my partner when she received it, which really touched my heart...

Oh Wendi-your package is so beautiful-thank you so very much!! I had a terrible day at work 2 days ago and coming home to your package was definitely" brightening"! Everything is perfect- the colors , fabrics, and design. That tutorial has special meaning for me as Newtown is 30 minutes away from my home. I'm a vintage Pyrex collector and have been wanting to catalog my collection-this will be the perfect notebook for it! Thank you, thank you, thank you-you are so talented and thoughtful.....

Of course, I didn't know any of that when I made the book cover, but - well, sometimes you get it right.

And I made some bee blocks...  These were for the 3x6 bee, where you make the same block in 6 different color schemes, selected by each person in the bee.  It's fun to see how color changes can make the same block seem so different.  Notice that the block in the upper left and the lower right are the exact same block, except that in the upper left the background is gray and in the lower right the background is white?  Such a different feel to them, don't you think?  Which one is your favorite?  Today, I'm really liking the aqua solids block in the lower left, but don't hold me to it.  That may change...

And then I'm a member of the Bees Helping Bees group, which helps bee members fill in either with blocks they didn't receive or where they need extras.  This one was a woven ribbons block.

And this floating hearts block was really fun, even if it was mostly gray.  I may have to make a quilt like this soon.

And I've created several of these little Quilted Tool Caddies, and used a couple of them for swaps.

The Flower Sugar one was one of my favorites...

I added a little patchwork pinnie to this one for a pin cushion swap.

And made another from Happy Go Lucky, a lovely aqua Mama Said Sew texty print, and a Denyse Schmidt leaf print.

I didn't get the fabric flower on this one before I took the photo - Duh!  Anyway, you'll just have to imagine it....

And then there was Christmas...

Ornaments... 

(Is it weird to take photos of Christmas ornaments outside in October?)

And this one was really fun!  I think I need to make a few more of these.  On the upside, it was pretty easy...  On the other hand, finding {wool} felt these days is not easy.  I ordered this from an Etsy shop.  No spontaneous crafting here.

And this pillow cover was for my partner in the ECMQG Christmas swap.  I used up some more of my Ruby FE bundle.  I'm amazed at how far a FE bundle can go!

And a little table runner/mini quilt for my partner in the Modernista swap.  Again, the recipient's note brought tears to my eyes

We were in Calcutta, India 28 years ago escorting babies to adoptive families. We attended a church that had a Christmas program and one of the women that sang the song People Need the Lord was named Priya. When we came home we decided to adopt a special needs infant from India and we named her Priya Noel. We were open to any special need and we were assigned a baby girl that is deaf. We didn't know that she was in the orphanage when we were in Calcutta. She just turned 28 years old yesterday. It was a great day to receive your table runner!

This one was possibly the most challenging of all.  This pillow cover was for my partner in the Pillow Talk Holiday Edition Swap.  But my partner doesn't celebrate Christmas, and didn't want traditional Christmas colors.  In fact, her mosaic was exactly opposite of the things I normally make and enjoy.  It took me forever to decide what to do, and in fact, I dropped this baby at the Post Office on my way to the airport for the Thanksgiving holiday.  Whew!  I modified the Triangle Toss design from the pillows I made for the Modernista Swap last summer, added some tree "trunks" to the bottom, and used AMH's Field Study for the triangles, fussy cut to look like decorated trees.  At least I hope so.  I used Kona bone for the background, and Kona coal for the sashing.  Overall, I think it turned out OK, although totally out of my color comfort zone.  Here's what my partner said,

I received my pillow this morning.....I don't know how I missed it in the photostream......it must have just passed me by. It's totally my colour scheme, and completely my style! Thank you very very much. I realise that purple and grey isn't everyone's favourite palette, but it is mine, and I really appreciate that you put the effort into making this something that you were happy with, and that I would love...  Sorry about the challenging colour scheme, but you totally nailed it!!

I guess that's really why I do these swaps....  When I get it right, it's like Christmas morning.

And with that in mind, I wish you

this Christmas season, as we get ready to prepare for to celebrate our Savior's birth.

When they saw the star, they rejoiced with exceeding great joy.

Matthew 2:10