Modern Stash for May

It's my month! This is a block that has caught my attention a number of times and is perfect to use up scraps. The ladies that I swap with in my Modern Stash group all have lovely fabrics in their stash so I know these are going to turn out really nice!  I have requested pink outer, gray middle and aqua inner octagons. As these finish over 17" x 17" - the quilt top will go together fast so stay tuned for this finish in the future!

Edited to add the pattern: Link here.  Pattern Author: Elizabeth Hartman

Colors

Another finish on two fronts! One, this is on my Q2 Finish-A-Long list and it has also been a WIP for way to long!

When I first started quilting, I joined lots of bees and NuBees was one of the original ones.  You would request a particular color scheme and then each bee member would make 6 blocks (of their choosing) but in your color scheme.  I always chose rainbow and I did the bee for 4 or 5 months so I received a good number of blocks.

What do you do with blocks? Put them together in a quilt of course, so...this is my quilt, unoriginally called "Colors".

Some thoughts about this one:

• Although I specified white, not all white is the same.  When you see the quilt in person the variation of shades of white are not as obvious as in the photo.
• A couple of the blocks were too small but my quilter quilted them anyway.  This was a good lesson to me of what happens when you don't square them up and how that throws the whole thing off.  It was ugly but I'll never do it again. I even stitched the binding on thinking it wouldn't matter. It did, I took it off and added a strip before replacing.  It looks ten times better now.

• I still don't care for sampler quilts, they look too thrown together for my liking.
• The feeling of finishing a quilt is still good for the soul!

Lucky Stars - April

It's ok - you can make fun of it. I even thought about making this like those challenges in the newspaper where you have to figure out all the little changes, only amend it to, can you figure out all the mistakes? I just wasn't on my game when I made this.  The pink sections were actually two different sections in the pattern, but I changed it to one because there were just so many areas.  Perhaps that is  why the pink goes too far into the gray. Sigh.  And I undercut the blue, so I just added a little piece and thought "awh, that will just get absorbed into a seam allowance somewhere". Nope, it's right in the center.  

You just gotta laugh.  In real life, I am organized, perfectionistic and won't accept anything less.  I absolutely must be accurate.  In quilting life, it's good enough.  My friend January and I are exactly the opposite. She is easy going, calm, doesn't get worked up, but if a seam is 1/8" off, out comes the seam ripper....every....single....time!  We laugh about how opposite we are but we are great friends and I knew she would get a kick of this...um.... situation.

It's not going to get redone because once it gets quilted, who's gonna be able to tell? And if you can, so what!

With that, I'm moving on to other April tasks :)  

Can you guess

what I had in mind when shopping for this bundle? I took advantage of a discount code from a swap, plus free shipping to add to my stash just a little bit more.  I know that bottom one may throw you, but if you can figure it out, you are definitely "in the know" when it comes to what is hot in the modern quilting world lately :)

Boy Charity Quilt - Check!

I have a goal in mind for charity quilts this year, and this is one completed. Our guild is doing a challenge for a local organization and this is, what I hope to be, just one of the donations towards the greater goal.  More details to follow but I wanted to share it as it enables me to check something off of my Q2 Finish-A-Long list too - Yippee!!

I picked this pattern because it was fast and easy.  It will be used as a nap quilt in a youth department, which is why it comes in at only 24" x 36".

It's the Weekend!

  Enjoy it!

We hope to take the dogs to the lake.

The Third Pair - in progress

Happy Day to you!

These are not quite finished up, as I still need to add the borders and quilt them, but I have 2 days until the next one comes out.  

The first one is ok and although I prefer it over the second one, it seems boring to me.  Perhaps the red borders will add some pop? Maybe?

And the second one - ick! I really feel that this block design was made for solids and since I am not doing solids it is just too visually stimulating and the eye can't rest, except on the red diamonds.  That is all I see when I look at this block.  More importantly on this one, I think the red borders will tone it down.  It is disappointing to not see the actual block design.  Lesson learned - don't use such loud fabric. After all, this is to build my skills and I am learning, just suffering through some ick to get there.  I was really trying to think this through though. I used white with black and black with white (for contrast).  Sigh...

Modern Stash for April

Well folks, here are my blocks for Karen.  These X and Plus blocks have always bewildered me.  It is hard for me to understand why they are such the rage these days.  Perhaps it is because they seem so random but so many of my good friends LOVE them and can't get enough.  The beauty of quilting, we all have our own style.

I was shocked at how obvious the background fabric was when the blocks all were finished, but that's ok - now I know!

Q2 Finish-A-Long List

I have seen a lot of folks linking up and as much as I have resisted, publishing a list is a great motivator for completion, so.....without further delay:

Complete Binding on Male Charity Quilt

Make Female Charity Quilt

Fix NuBees "Color" Quilt

• Finish Mondarin Quilt
• Fabric Basket Swap
• Finish up Modern She Made 

I attest to try my hardest to get all of these items completed by June 20, 2013!

Spring 2013 Modernista

This is a swap I always look forward to participating in when it comes up.  The spring round focused on the Living Room.  My partner had requested either a pillow or fabric basket, so she got both.

The fabric basket was my first one ever (and I had really wanted to make one for myself) so this was a fantastic opportunity to learn it! Part of my success is because the tutorial I used was so well written by the talented Aymui Takahashi.

This pillow was made using a block tutorial from Don't Call me Betsy and a great piping tutorial from Merrick and presto!

It was really hard for me to mail this off as it turned out great. If you are over on Flickr though, there is an option to comment on photos and my partner (it's a secret, she doesn't know she is my partner) commented that she loved it so it makes me feel good to know that she will be excited to get her project! I hope she can find big pillow forms though, as it finished out at 24 x 24.

And here is what I received in this swap, a pillow and a fabric basket - isn't that awesome!

My partner was Leila of needleanddime.  Many thanks for a perfect fit!

April Showers Mug Rug Hop

You are in for a real treat as Erin and Madame Samm have set up this hop for us - Thank you both so much for the time and energy you put into making this great!

Although the theme of this hop is April Showers, I extended it out to brings May flowers! One other change, this is a mug rug blog hop, but I feel like mine should be a plate hop, as it turned out much larger than I was anticipating, which means this project can be utilized for many different purposes. I can surely use it for a cookie and a cup of tea, a placemat, and under the centerpiece of tulips! This project was inspired by a block that Christine requested in one of my bees.  She wasn't even in my hive but I loved it so much that I made her one just because it was so fresh and fun!

Supplies needed:
Assorted scraps in the color scheme of your choice (20)  (I used green, yellow and orange)
Assorted scraps in the background of your choice ( I used Kona white)
1 package of bias tape - double fold (purchased from JoAnn's)
Dresden Ruler or a template (you can make this from a cereal box or plastic)
Standard sewing supplies (rotary mat and ruler, pins, sewing machine, scissors, iron)

First of all, cut your colored scraps at least 3 inches wide.  Cut out your background strips as you need them. Next sew your background to both sides of your colored fabrics, making sure to create a strip tall enough to cut one dresden blade from.  Press all seams open.  After this step they should look like this:

Line up the top edge to whatever mark you think is best, and trim.  I used 6" for this project. Cut out 20 blades.

Once your blades are cut arrange them to your liking and then snap a quick photo with your phone (that way no matter what order you sew or press them in, you can put them back in the arrangement you like best).

Sew all blades together and press well.

For the center, match a fabric in one of your blades and cut a circle big enough to cover the hole.  My circle is the largest size on the Accu-quilt cutter, which measures 5" in diameter.  Attach to your outer circle in any manner you prefer.  I used a few small drops of Elmer's washable glue. (This is the first time I have tried this method, the iron set it well and I would try it again on future projects .

Attach this to batting and backing and quilt as desired.

I chose to quilt 1/4" on the inside of each blade and did not quilt the middle (as my original intent is to use this underneath my spring flower vases). Once I was done quilting, I did go around the outside with a scissors and trim away some of the outside edge.

Next up is to attach the bias binding.  Never have I attached/sewed or even cut bias binding, but I know bias is better when you have a circular shaped project and the $2 or so it cost to buy it already cut was well worth it to me.  Pin the binding, sew 1/4" in with matching thread and you're done!

This was a picture heavy post so thanks for sticking with me and if you have any questions or suggestions  please comment below.  

Also, please show your support for so many of the other fabulous bloggers who have more projects for you to look at today too!

Erin @ Sew at Home Mummy

Patty @ A Stitch in Time

Jenny @ Squawk That

Stacey @ The Tilted Quilt

Daryl @ Patchouli Moon Studio

Lisa @ The Boon Docks

Beluah @ Sowing Stitches

Karen @ Bungalow Bay Quilts

DeAnna @ Georgia Girl Quilter

The Quilt for Maddie - It's a Hit!

The idea for this quilt started a long long time ago (read the details here).

One of my goals for 2013 was to giveaway a lot of what I make so it was quite rewarding to give this to my niece over Easter weekend. You can gauge her reaction by the pictures as it was a total surprise.