quilt along #5

Here is my initial plan for the quilt along.

(why is it that posting quilt sketches feels so revealing!?!) This sketch has a few errors, but you get the idea, at least.

Ok, let's take a closer look at the pretty fabric.

It's Anna Griffin's new line The Lizzie Collection (comes out in July, I believe). This was my one market purchase. Too pretty to pass up!

Now, on to a few estimations.....

I'll start sometime after May 31, so you can finish up Jacquie's spring to finish challenge.

Quilt size: 64" x 88" (twin size)

Approximate yardage required:

Background fabric: 4 1/2 yards. I might buy 5 just in case. Having an extra bit of white hanging around wouldn't be the worst thing.

Main fabrics: I'm going to use my stack of 20 fat quarters, which will be more than plenty. IF I calculated correctly, I will only need 20 fat eighths. Or 10 fat quarters. Or 2 1/2 yards. But again, how could it hurt to buy a little too much?

Backing fabric: about 5 3/4 yards.

Binding fabric: I usually just buy a yard or whatever I choose for binding. 3/4 of a yard should be plenty.

Any questions? Anyone want to join me?

And one more question...for those of you who write patterns (even if it's "just" on your blog), when you calculate yardage, do you round up say, a quarter yard, or do you list the exact fabric requirement? For those of you who use patterns, do you buy the exact amount of fabric or do you buy a little bit extra, just in case? I guess that's two questions. ;) Any feedback would be much appreciated.

quilt market

When Diane asked me to tag along with her to quilt market, I jumped at the chance to go. It was so fun to hang out with her and talk quilts all day long. (oh, her poor ears!) My husband took time off of work on Friday to make it happen. Sweet, huh? It was my Mother's Day gift from him. (Ironic that my mother's day gift would take me away from my family for the entire day, isn't it?) Anyway, quilt market was overwhelming and great and tiring, OH, MY!

Meeting so many other bloggers was certainly a highlight. I got to meet Anna, Kellie, Bonnie and Camille, Anita, Lissa, Vanessa and Heather. I can't say just how neat that was. (And plenty intimidating, too!)

I got to see quilts made by:

Monica,

Cherri,

Alissa

and Ashley.

3 of my favorite quilts there were old (or antique) quilts...made with teeny tiny pieces.

Each piece in this quilt was only the size of a quarter. Stunning.

Same size squares on this one, but pieced with triangles. It's quilts like this that make me wonder why I call myself a quilter.

This one was from the 70's. It was done by a woman who made it while her dad battled some sort of illness. It was beautifully made and intricate. All hand pieced. Amazing.

I was good and only bought one FQ bundle the entire day. Over the weekend I came up with a quilt along idea to use it for. More on that next post!

my challenge quilt

There are a few great posts that I have been mulling over the past week and a half. I think they really struck a cord with me because I've been feeling the urge to try new (to me) things. I'm bored churning out the same type of quilts over and over. So...I thought I would give applique a shot.

I really wanted a project that would be portable, too. Perfect for summertime, or orthodontist appointments, or for movie watching...you get the idea.

I'm challenging myself even further in that I'm not using plain white fabric for the background...which is a huge step out of my comfort zone. (yay me!) I've never really worked on a quilt based on values, so I'm giving that a shot at the same time. It's been so fun to rummage through my stash and play with color combinations.

I have NO idea how long this will take. Or how big it will end up being. But I know I'm stitching a lot of tiny stitches by hand while hanging out with my kids enjoying the nice weather. It's been a lovely start to this quilt.

snips

I feel kind of "meh" about this quilt. I don't know what it is about it, but I'm going to put it in my quilt cupboard and pull it back out in 6 months and see if I like it more then. Sometimes the 6 month waiting period helps.

It was a WIP that was sitting around for way too long. A few weeks ago I pulled it out and worked out some of my stress and frustrations while finishing it up. Quilting is GREAT therapy.

It's a lap size that measures 50" x 60". The background is bleached muslin. It was inspired by this earlier quilt of mine, but I stuck to all solids this time around. I did a smaller stipple than usual, which I like quite a bit.

Binding and backing came from the stash.

Speaking of stash...I've been trying to make a dent in mine, so I've been keeping track (loosely at least) of my fabric usage this year. I've only busted about 46 yards so far. My goal is 100 yards. I still can't believe that I have THAT MUCH FABRIC! I guess I've been living in denial. ;)

three of a kind

This little quilt is all about using hoarded fabric and celebrating my little girl at the same time.

She certainly doesn't need another "baby" quilt, but I figured why not? I have one girl and I might as well get all the enjoyment of sewing for her while she is still little. I had this lovely Heather Ross fabric in my stash that NEEDED to see the light of day.

I didn't want to chop it up into bits, so I simply sewed 3 1/2 yard pieces together for the top and stippled it. She's already using it and dragging it around the house.

Hurray for well loved quilts!

I had to!

I saw this on flickr the other day. Oh, mylanta, how I love it! When I woke up early this morning, I busted out the scraps and I did a little sewing. What a great way to start off the day! I also got the sweetest card from my oldest boy. A happy mother's day, indeed!

I have no idea where I'm going with this quilt, so right now it's all about enjoying the process. I love it!!!!!!!!! Each square is 1.5" cut and finishes at 1".

Happy Mother's Day to all you other mamas out there!