Riley Blake Challenge

I have to admit that I had a hard time deciding what to do with this year's Riley Blake challenge  using The Cottage Garden by The Quilted Fish.  I wasn't able to get in on the fabric giveaway (it was GONE by the time I got home from work) and my LQS only had the green/pink colorway, which just didn't inspire me very much.  To top it off, I had forgotten when I bought the fabric that I had split the half  yards with a friend and ended up with fat quarters - which is fine, except that with so little fabric (and the requirement being for all Riley Blake fabrics) - I had trouble deciding what to do.  I've seen some really cute things made from this fabric, but honestly, I was stumped.

In the end, I fell back on this tote I designed at Sewing Summit in 2011 - the One Hour Fat Quarter Tote.  I used headliner foam instead of fleece to line the bag, and made it just a bit larger than the original design.  I used a tab of color at the top of the pocket that wasn't in the original design, and I used a Riley Blake gingham from another line for the lining.

Overall, it turned out pretty well.

One of the requirements was that you do something you've never done before.  I had some quilted pieces left over from the tote, so since I've done so much traveling this summer, I decided to make luggage tags.  Having just returned from the last trip of the summer, I can testify that they worked pretty well.

A Little Progress Report (and some Confessions)

Thanks to Cindy Marvel for snapping these photos for me!

I've been working away in my little sewing room, despite the fact that there hasn't been much activity on the blog.  First is the finished Riley Blake Challenge quilt.  I presented it at the ECMQG meeting a couple of Saturdays ago and everyone wanted to know if it was a Drunkard's Path or a Dresden.  The general consensus was that it was a Drunk Dresden, so even though I don't drink anything much stronger than the occasional Diet Coke - ok, I admit that I have a slight Diet Coke addiction - the name seems fitting, so Drunk Dresden it is.

Here's a close up of the quilting.  I outlined the Dresdens in 7 rows of echo quilting, then used a double clamshell as the filler.  It gave it a lovely texture.

I used every little bit of the six Fat Eighth challenge fabrics.  I don't think I have so much as a scrap left.  In fact, I had to piece some of the blades to get the design to go the direction I wanted it to.  It was a fun little project, and I'm especially excited that I didn't buy anything to create this quilt.  I have a bolt of the yellow since it's the background/fence fabric for my Grandmother's Flower Garden WIP that I've been working on for - oh - a couple of years now....  The backing was a white sheet I bought on sale at Target for $4.00 way back in 2010 I think for just such a purpose....  I had the black Kona left over from something - I don't remember what, just now....  And of course, the MQG sent the Riley Blake Fabrics to the guild for distribution.

I managed to get the bookshelf quilt quilted last week, but sadly the backing shifted during the quilting (maybe I didn't use enough basting spray?  Or maybe it wasn't straight to begin with ?)  In any case, I had to make some strange adjustments to the back to make it work.  Oh well, maybe I'll just count this as a humility quilt.  It will still keep someone warm, right?

I'm now in the process of binding.  (BTW, I chose the green - thanks Krista!)

After 4 years (yes, 4!) I'm finally making progress on the Avignon quilt.  These were the very first charm packs I ever bought!  They are from the Moda line Breath of Avignon by American Jane.  I decided on a pattern from Moda Bake Shop called Avignon Picnic, and got all the blocks made...  And then it sat...  And sat...  And I moved it around some...  And it sat some more...  So I'm pretty excited to have a bona fide quilt top now.  Finally!  This baby has some quirks.  Not many of the seams match, probably due to the fact that it was constructed on at least 4 sewing machines - one of which was the serger.  The seam allowance is all over the place.  Nevertheless, it is going to be a quilt.  Soon.

Ironically, I ended up one block short.  Whether it got lost, or I was short of fabric and just never made it, or  I miscounted, I have no idea.  I knew I had some yardage set aside for the back...  somewhere.  Naturally, I had to dig through the stash.  And I never really finished the stash organizing project last summer, so I am proud to report that it is now done.  What you see is what I have, with the exception of bundles, which are in boxes, like the one on the top shelf.  Naturally, now that I've worked in my room awhile, I'm thinking it's time to reorganize because I need more {accessible} storage.  (I'm sure the hubs will be glad to hear that!)

I needed a baby quilt for a baby shower I was supposed to attend on Saturday, so while I was digging through the stash I came upon some leftover Honey Honey charm squares from the Charm Madness Blog Hop last year and decided they would be perfect.  Looks sweet and girly and fresh, doesn't it?  I started without much of an idea in mind, but I'm pleased with the way it turned out.  The center is just a 9-patch with a hot pink border, and then a gray (yes, gray!) border.  then I used some coral Kona, and then another strip of pink to bring it to the size it needed to be to do the charm border all the way around.  A fun, quick little project.  Best of all, everything was in my stash, so no shopping.  The backing was a sweet little heart print someone donated to me awhile back.  Although I finished it in time (which was in itself amazing) I ended up not attending the shower because of a head cold, since the baby was going to be there.  Maybe I'll actually get out and take real photos before I gift it.

And since I still had a few leftover charms, I decided to use them to make the siggy blocks I almost forgot to make.  I made siggy blocks for a swap last fall, but they disappeared into thin air (what would someone do with more than 1000 signed blocks, anyway?) so my friend Mary organized a new swap promising we would actually get our blocks this time.

Naturally, I had to mess up one...

In any event, that's what's been going on around here.

Thanks for dropping by.

January - It's a Wrap! (a 14 in 2014 update)

This strange month that was January, 2014 is finally over, and I can't say I'm sorry to see it go.  Looking back, my overall impression of the month is C-O-L-D.  I know I'm being a whiny baby, but we just don't get cold like that here in Northwest Florida very often, and I'm just not prepared for it any more - emotionally or otherwise.

But it hasn't been without its upside, and after spending the first half of the month with my head stuck in my Kindle, I finally got some motivation to get back in the sewing room and finished two quilts for my 14 in 2014 goal. 

The first was the Starflower quilt that I started last August.  The fabric is Beechwood Park by Janene Morrison, and the pattern is by my very own Amanda, whom you may know as A Crafty Fox or the owner of Westwood Acres Fabrics.  Having some tutoring in spray basting at the quilt guild meeting last month really helped push this one along.  My friend Marcy, who is an amazing long-arm quilter, was kind enough to suggest some quilting designs, and so I was really inspired to get quilting when I got home from the meeting.

I'm hoping it will be warm and dry today so I can head out to the park and get some "after" photos today.  If so, I will share them soon.

Here's a "before" picture of the other January 14 in 2014 finish.  This one I affectionately call the "Circles" quilt, although it's official name is "Spot On".  The fabric is Juggling Summer by Zen Chic, but I always think of it as more of an autumn color mix. 

And here's the "before" back.  (Yup, I've cut off all the little dangling pieces now!)

And this one is now quilted and bound and folded, and looking pretty on the shelf.

Come on, February, warm up!  I just haven't wanted to be outside at all.  Brrrr!  I need to get out and take pictures!

So, that's two of 14 finished in January.  Not a bad start, really.


Here is the list for 2014:

1.  Breath of Avignon  - no progress
2.  Basket Blocks  - no progress

3.  Citrus Quilt - no progress
4.  Single Girl - no progress

5.  Starflower - finished! January, 2014

6.  Modern Maples - no progress

7. Spot On - finished!  January, 2014

8.  Bookshelf Quilt - no progress

9.  Faux String Quilt - no progress
10.  Fat Quarter Shop Block of the Month Club quilt - no progress

11.  Grandmother's Flower Garden - no progress

12.  Shiny Brite - no progress

13.  Christmas Quilt - no progress

14.  2011 Craftsy BOM - no progress

Well, it was kind of discouraging writing "no progress" after all of those, but I'm trying to tell myself that finishing two quilts in January wasn't a bad start.

In addition to the 14 in 2014 quilts, I made:

 Two pillows to go with the Wallflowers quilt...

A quilt for the Riley Blake MQG Basics Challenge...

And two adorable little pin cushions.

Not a bad start to the year, I think.

How was your January? 

Snow Days (Yes! in Florida!)

We've had some weird weather here in Northwest Florida the past few days...  the kind that drives you into the house and you don't leave.  Living in this house for almost 25 years, I can't remember ever seeing icicles on the roof before.

Or seeing a forecast like this very often.  (Notice how it will be back to normal by the weekend!  Sheesh, if we don't all have pneumonia, it will be a miracle!)

And while we've had snow before, I don't recall ever seeing snow on top of a layer of ice like this.  Or having it stick around for more than a few hours.

It was kind of pretty, though.

And since my husband was stuck in all the madness that was snow in Atlanta over the last several days, I had the house all to myself.  (Thankfully, he was warm and dry and out of this mess!  But certainly not trying to head home - especially with both airports closed.)

It was the perfect opportunity to stay indoors and sew, and I'm happy to say that I've made some progress.

Hoping for two 14 in 2014 finishes in January, I worked on the circles quilt.  Officially called Spot On, the pattern is from Camille Roskelly's Simplify book, and is part of my goal to make every quilt in the book.  I think I only have a couple more to go.

As you can see, I quilted a large spiral in the center to outline the circle, then swirls in the borders.  I used the Bernina 4 stitch for the sashing.

I wanted something with rounded edges in the borders, and I thought I would try something new, so I quilted hearts in the inner border.  Or at least an approximation of hearts.  I never did get them down perfectly, but I am satisfied with them as a first try.

I decided I wanted to try feathers in the outer border, but I didn't want to just go for it.  I had this quilt (which was one of the first ones I made when I got back into quilting after my long working-mommy-hiatus) which had no quilting in the borders, and was just screaming for something - anything.  So I practiced my feathering skills around the borders of this disappearing 9-patch quilt.

After some helpful critiquing via text message from my friend Krista, I revised my technique a bit, and while not perfect, they are much better.  I'm not displeased with them for a first try.  (It seems like every quilt I make is a practice quilt.)

And so this one is finished and bound, thanks to mother nature, and since the sun is {finally} out today, maybe I'll get a chance to take some real pictures.

Photo courtesy of Riley Blake

Because I was stuck indoors, I finally started work on my project for the Riley Blake MQG challenge. I've been staring at these 6 fabrics on my design wall for months (literally!) without a clue what I was going to do.  But the deadline for our guild is a week from Saturday, so it was time to dive in.  I honestly had no idea what I was going to do until I did it.  This is certainly a great example of being led along, one step at a time.  Or as my mother would have said, I work better out of desperation than inspiration.

I decided I wanted to do something Dresden-style, so I started with that.  I cut the wedges (some of which I had to piece because of the way I wanted the design to go).  Then I decided that narrow black strips between would unify these disparate pieces.  The rules said you could use any solids with these Riley Blake prints, and since I was stuck inside, what I had on hand was Kona black.  I used the gray/brown (I never could decide which it was, but the gray thread looked best) as the quarter circles in the corners.

I had only two bolts of fabric on hand for the background - yellow and white.  I decided I liked these wedges better on the yellow.

I appliqued the circles into blocks, then spent about an hour on Pinterest searching Dresden blocks.  Finally, I decided on this block arrangement.  (I apologize for the clutter in the photo, but my sewing room is small, but it was the warmest room in the house during this crazy weather.)

I found a white sheet in the stash that I bought on sale at Target several (maybe 4) years ago to use as the backing, and I just bought a 25-yard bolt of batting on sale at Joann's which was delivered last week, so I had batting on hand also, which was a good thing, because all the stores were closed for two days.  I might have made a trek to the fabric store to find backing if I hadn't been trapped in the house, so this is a case where having things in your stash was a big plus!

I tried my new spray basting skills, and had a bit of a disaster.   Notice how alike these two cans are?  Yup, yours truly picked up a can without looking and sprayed blue stencil marking spray all over her quilt batting.  Omgh!  But, I figured that since it was meant to wash out, maybe it would wash out of the batting, so before I sandwiched the quilt, I took my batting-and-backing sandwich, which had already been bonded with adhesive, to the kitchen sink and scrubbed.  I'm glad to say the stencil marking spray washed right out.  (Yup, the painters tape on the bottom of the stencil spray is so I don't make that mistake again!)

Note to self:  put on your glasses and pay attention.

I sewed, and I quilted and just had a great time in my nice warm room...

And I ended up with this.  I'm in the process of binding, and it should be finished in time.  Whew!

And while I was in my toasty sewing room, I decided to finish the pillows that I started months ago and never finished for my daughter to go with her Wallflowers quilt.  I made the blocks a long time ago, and they have just been sitting there neglected on my design wall.

So I bordered and quilted and zippered and backed and am now in the binding phase with these too.  

All in all, it was a pretty productive couple of days.  And today the sun is out and the ice is melting and the husband is coming home, so it will be back to normal very soon.