Welcome to the New Year!
I am on a two day roll now with doing at least something quilty every day. Last night I finished the binding on my GGS quilt:
And today, I created the label and stitched it down. This quilt is FINISHED (my word for 2015)!
I have one more quilt to bind and then I’m switching back to some piecework as a reward.
I hope you have had a great start to the year as well. See you again soon!
Jennifer
I want to officially take credit for any future trend that starts in the near future where the designers go BIG instead of mini. At least, in my mind, I’ll take the credit.
I have finished the main block for the back of my Great Granny squared quilt. This measures roughly 68 1/2″ square. I LOVE IT! I think that truly this will now be a reversible quilt. I will love the back as much as the front…
Those are 25 layer cake squares (10″) and 3 yards of backing. I found a perfect compliment fabric for this backing. It is by Dear Stella and is from the Paloma collection. I got these three yards on a chance, and on a 50% off sale, from FQS. They are now since sold out, which is sad – because I definitely want more of it. My lighting wasn’t so great. All of those orange squares are prints except one. A lot of them look like solids, but they aren’t. Also, this backing is a true light gray and clean white. Not off-white like it looks. Here is a closeup of the backing:
I am asking Linh to mimic the paisely motif designs in the quilting when I send it to her. It feels so great to already know how I want it quilted too.
Now, my decision is to order more of this same fabric to complete the entire backing (I need a few inches on either side and about 12″ on top and bottom), or use a similar print, but in High Street HOT PINK to finish it up (which I already have in my stash). I think I know what I want, but I’ll do my final reveal when it is quilted.
Also, I had some good luck with eBay auctions in the past week as well. Lots of ‘vintage’ bundles from one seller, who apparently is a Fat Quarter Shop fan as well. I am gathering different collections from American Jane fabrics. I was able to get a charm pack of Cherries Jubilee and a fat quarter pack of Building Blocks (from 2007).
I also bid on this adorable sewing tin and won it for only $15! I don’t think the other bidders read closely in the description or looked at all the pictures, because it was full of so many goodies!
Love the decorative pins – can add those to my collection as well. Another ‘vintage’ charm pack of Notting Hill , labels, buttons, needles, scissors, magnets, thread, ribbons, and some hexagon paper piecing templates. I was thrilled to win it.
And, today wouldn’t be complete without sharing some kitten pictures with you. I hope you have a great week ahead!
Jennifer
I am a huge collector and wearer of T Shirts. It is my go-to clothing of choice for anytime I’m not at work. My mother hates it, but she can’t complain too much because she bought most of them for me. I have a lot of vacation t-shirts.
It only seemed natural that when I found these two items, I had to buy them! Have you seen them? Do you own them yet yourself?
I got this one in a extra large size for sleeping… Love it!
I got home really, really late last night. Everyone was asleep already, piled in my bed. So I headed to the guest bedroom and found my squishy package from Fat Quarter Shop. I opened it up and had my night shirt ready to go!
Very soft and my XL size fit me well (I’m a size 16). I’m a huge fan of FQS, as you can see by this small sampling of my overflow stash boxes under the design wall:
Speaking of which – I decided on a little change up in the backing squares for the GGS quilt. I got my Bella solid light gray fabric last night also (along with the shirt), but I also found on sale a light gray/white paisley fabric which I think will work better. I took advantage of FQS shipping sale this week and I should have that delivered tomorrow or Thurdsay. Then I’ll make my final selections and get this back pieced and off to Linh!
Here’s the BEFORE picture:
Finally – I completed Block 1 of the FQS Designer Mystery BOM featuring the Snowbird collection. This is a great star! I might just make an entire quilt out of it…
I was a little nervous to cut the hour glass units to piece in the sides and top, but it went together just perfectly!
I am wrapping up a very busy week(s) today and hope to jump back on my sewing machine by tomorrow night. I’m anxious to get another block or two or three done on the Reach for the Stars quilt.
Have a great week!
Jennifer
I know it. But, you do the same thing! Don’t deny!
I got my box from Fat Quarter Shop yesterday and it had the first block of the 2014 Designer Mystery BOM program. This year it is featuring the collection Snowbird by Edyta Star of Laundry Basket Quilts and I think it will be all star blocks.
But yes … I know … I have three blocks left to do on 2013 DM BOM … but they got pushed to the side last night so I could prep.
I started by ironing and lightly starching all the fabric pieces. Don’t you love those blues with the gray and beige colors?
It took no time to cut out the pieces for the block. In the the past two DM BOM years, I have tried to cut out two blocks from the same pack of fabric. Unfortunatley, at least on Block 1 this time, the cuts called for some large squares and I just couldn’t fit a second set out of the swatches. I might try again since all but one of the large squares got subcut diagonally twice, so I could possibly work it out as smaller squares for the extra block set. I’ll wait and see how Block 2 goes and I might invest in a layer cake to supplement. I wanted to make another quilt at the same time – I think my mom would like this one.
Here are the cuts and in the top right corner, you can see the abundant left over ‘scraps’:
As of this morning, FQS still had this program available along with the backing and finishing kits. It is going to be beautiful!
Also, a quick look at my design wall where I’m laying out the pieced backing for my GGS quilt. I have some light gray solid on order to help finish it out.
This one Great Granny Square will be about 60″ square when it is done. Can’t wait to see how it ends up!
I wish you all a wonderful weekend and to those celebrating – a Happy Father’s Day!
All the best,
Jennifer
I stayed up until 3 am on Friday night (Sat morning) to complete this top.
There is a point where you get near the finish line and you tell yourself – just keep going. You are too close not to just finish these borders and have it DONE. I was at that point Friday night. My son tried his best to keep up with me, but he fell asleep about 30 minutes from the finish line. We were both pretty tired on Saturday.
What about you – how close do you get to a quilt finish where you will just grind it out? 10 min? 1 hour? 3 hours?
I’m happy to show off the finish… Great Granny Squared pattern by Lori Holt from her recent book by the same name.
Fabric is from collections including Birds & Berries, High Street and Bluebird Park.
Background is a light gray polka dot on white from Vintage Modern.
A charm pack of Grunge basics (variety of colors) was used in the border to mix with the prints.
A little close up of the corner.
I do have a problem however. I don’t have much of my background left and I would have liked to used it for the backing. I can’t seem to find it on eBay, Etsy or my favorite online shops either. My grand plan is to use another layer cake from High Street, the leftover layer cake squares from Birds & Berries and piece a big GGS block on the back. I just need to decide on a complimentary fabric to make up the difference. Any suggestions? Pull out the yellow or green and find yardage of that perhaps? Or the light teal blue? So, I’m really not ready to send this off, but so close!
Thanks for stopping by today! I’m looking forward to switching gears a bit and working on my languishing BOM projects for awhile.
All the best for a great week!
Jennifer
I have the center done for my GGS (Great Granny Squared) quilt. Pattern by Lori Holt.
What do you think? All that is left is 66 square-in-a-square blocks to make a pieced border. I have 2 done right now. 64 to go! I’m in the homestretch of this finish!
I’m determined to make a pieced backing for this quilt also. I have many leftover strips, blocks, layer cake squares, etc… from my sampling of the three collections I used in the quilt top. Now to also decide on the quilt pattern…
Happy humpday!
Jennifer
It’s 5:30 am, and this is apparently the perfect time to update a new post. There is always a chance that one of my offspring will sense that I am not asleep, then wake up themselves and seek me out – but if I type fast enough….
You think I’m kidding, but I’m not.
First – I’ll share some gratuitous kitten pictures because that is really what the internet was invented for after all.
All five kittens were named for characters from the Disney Frozen movie, by the way.
1) Anna (black and white)
2) Elsa (tabby)
3) Olaf and either Sven or Kristoff (we have two solid black kittens)
Olaf is by far the most outgoing. I think he was the first born as well. We are working on socializing them and litter box training. Next week, mommy goes in for her snip-snip surgery. There are just too many dead-beat dad tom cats out there! And she likes to escape and run off with the first one (or several given the out come of this litter) that she finds. Tsk tsk… 🙂
Now, for my latest project. I’m completing the main quilt pattern in Lori Holt’s book “Great Granny Squared”. It calls for twenty of her GGS blocks and then it will have a pieced border of 5″ squares set on point around it. These fabrics have been so fun to work with. I ended up using three main collections: Bluebird Park, Birds & Berries and High Street. There is one fabric round in the blocks from Mirabelle – but it truly doesn’t fit in (see bottom row, second from left, outer pale yellow fabric round). There are also perhaps 4-8 squares in the mix from Wishes by Sweetwater – but I found that the colors were also too muted for what I evolved into using.
I ran out of room on the design wall, so I had to tape up the other 5 blocks on the bathroom door. That is what the blue dots are holding up the squares.
My photography skills at night in a spare bedroom are lacking. The colors are really so vibrant and cheerful.
My daughter’s favorite block:
One of my favorites. Once I added in some of the High Street collection, I wish I had more blocks to make!
I have the sashing strips cut, so that will be my next step. This is going to be a housewarming gift for one of my coworkers. I have plans to make another of these for myself, in Vintage Happy fabric and other Lori Holt collections.
Have a great Friday and thanks so much for visiting my blog today!
Jennifer
I can’t think of a witty title for today. It is now Sunday evening, and I’m about to prepare dinner. I have done a little sewing, specifically on my Great Granny Squared quilt. The friend whom I intend to be the recipient of this house warming quilt just closed on her home a couple of days ago. I hope to get this one done in the next month to be timely in the delivery to her.
9 Blocks done! Laid out on the driveway. You can see Nora’s little foot in the picture – she was helping when the wind started to blow:
I never did find my Birds & Berries fabric – but I KNOW I have it. I couldn’t wait though and found a layer cake on Etsy and got it Saturday in the mail. Here’s a close-up of the first block using some of those vibrant colors (especially love the purple!):
I have 11 blocks left to make. And even though I didn’t find my Birds & Berries fabric, I did come back across a box that had 4 charm packs of Wee Play by Sandy Klop (American Jane). I really, really want to make something with her collections. I also have some precuts of Potluck that is more recent. I had purchased 4 yards of the Moda Weave Black to possibly go along with it (inspired by a quilt done by Ms Cupcakes ‘n Daisies. She named it “I’ll Take Mine Black“).
I have also decided on a quilt to make for my upcoming grand-daughter. Well, step grand-daughter. I really struggle to think of myself as a grandmother yet since I have a 5 and 7 year old at home. Denial, denial, denial. I’m in my early 40s, so it isn’t impossible .. but… denial, denial, denial.
Sunbeams Quilt Kit offered by Fat Quarter Shop… fabrics in Mirabelle collection by Fig Tree Quilts.
The backing fabric is shown closer up here:
The mommy-to-be said she was doing her room in yellow, so this felt really perfect. I hope it goes together fast though – she’s due in June!
I hope you had a great weekend and was able to enjoy some sunshine today. We are feeling the spring weather finally coming around.
Next time – the next block in Reach for the Stars!!
All my best,
Jennifer
Hello! I’m not sure why things are so hectic lately, but I can’t seem to get any quantity of time at the sewing machine lately the past month. I have been working on some projects, which I will share one today and another tomorrow.
For now, I’m trying to get ready to go to a 4 year old’s birthday party – then move on to a birthday party for two 40+ year olds. My brother and I share a celebration each year at my parents house – usually on the Saturday that falls closest to his (since he is after me).
But for my progress work … I have added three more Great Granny Squared blocks from the pattern book by Lori Holt of the same name.
I have started with a fat quarter bundle of Bluebird Park by Kate & Birdie Paper Company. As I work more with the blocks, I feel like I want some more punch of color – more blocks that have saturation included. I remember that somewhere … SOMEWHERE … I have either a small bundle or a layer cake of Birds & Berries by Lauri and Jesse Jung. Very similar colors and I think it would be the perfect match for what I want:
Now, I just have to find the time to go through all my boxes and closets to find this fabric … 🙂
Another progress report is from Jennifer Thacker who is sewing along with a small group of us doing the Reach for the Stars quilt, as featured in a 7 part series in Quilters Newsletter.
Jennifer has completed Block 3 and it is just beautiful! I love her fabric selections in the block. Jennifer doesn’t have a blog of her own, and I am so glad she is letting me share her progress with you on mine!
Have a wonderful Saturday and first weekend of Spring! I woke up sneezing about 10 times in a row, so that’s how mine is going.
See you tomorrow with my next update!
Jennifer
I use to have midnight callers, believe it or not. Hard to remember now – it’s been so long… My midnight callers now usually entails either cats or my kids. Notice I didn’t mention husband. We’re too tired. lol
However, one night earlier in the week I got up around midnight and my fabric was calling out. I have several projects laid out on the cutting table and I can’t wait to have time to work on them. I decided to respond to the call!
I have my next Great Granny Squared block laid out, ready for stitching:
I worked this morning a bit as well, connecting the pieces to form my strips. I’ll have this block done before dinner tonight!
It is also no secret that I love Fig Tree stuff. I tend to hoard and not actually use my precuts for some reason. Stupid really, since I love it so much – why not make it into something I can enjoy every day -right? I was inspired by a post from Sherri McConnell of A Quilting Life blog who also does a lot of stitching for Joanna Figueroa and she had made a wall hanging from her Canned Pears pattern. You can (click here) to visit that blog post.
I really loved seeing it done that way, and I decided that I could adapt it to be a nice window valance hanging for my kitchen window, perhaps with a roman shade layered behind it.
Anyway … I wanted 5 pears to go across the valance, in a staggered fashion like the quilt pattern. But the pears are too big, so I had to draw out my own dimensions for the pieces to make it fit.
My challenge was to make my initial pear block out of charm squares from the new Mirabelle fabric collection from Fig Tree. Therefore, I have two different fabrics for the pear body, but I think I will like it when it is all done. Right now, it might may it look a little more like a vase or jar, instead of a pear, but I have high hopes! I reduced the size down by about a third.
In closing, here are a few midnight callers of my own. Aurora staring out of two different windows, within about a minute of each other…
She’s my Christmas Eve rescue baby. She looks very healthy and all adapted to her purrever home now though!
And two more of my rescue babies, … Sparkle and Jewelry (taking a bath, so she’s a bit blurry). Having their morning naps. Always close by.
See that quilt they are on? It is the backside of a 2011 FQS Designer Mystery quilt. Quilt police confession – I start using my quilts even before I have the binding on. I just make sure there is a stay stitch around the edge. I procrastinate really bad on bindings!
Have a great day!
Jennifer
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Quilting and Family - both crazy!
Quilting and Family - both crazy!
Life, friends and quilting
Quilting and Family - both crazy!
Quilting and Family - both crazy!
Quilting and Family - both crazy!
Quilting and Family - both crazy!
Quilting and Family - both crazy!
Quilting and Family - both crazy!
Quilting and Family - both crazy!
Quilting and Family - both crazy!
Quilting and Family - both crazy!
Quilting and Family - both crazy!
Quilting and Family - both crazy!
Quilting and Family - both crazy!
Quilting and Family - both crazy!
Quilting and Family - both crazy!
Quilting and Family - both crazy!
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