quilt camp

On Saturday, I taught a beginning quilting class to some ladies at my church. I'm hoping to get several of them hooked on quilting so I have yet another sewing circle of ladies in my life. (So far I have two circles that I'm a part of. One more wouldn't hurt!) Actually, I did the "one day quilt camp", as we called it, to teach the basics of quilting, but also to work on a few community quilts to donate to Margaret's Hope Chest. It was such a fun day!

Here's a shot of the set up. My husband had a grueling week at work, but despite that, he went along with me on Friday night to help me hang the quilts and set up the room. He's such a great guy!

I had no shortage of samples to pull from around my house to use for my class. :)

I made a pin cushion as a thank you for each person who attended the class. (They loved them. Yay!)

I squealed a bunch while I was making these...each pincushion finishes at only 3.5" square!

I taught how to make a 4 patch, pinwheel, log cabin block and string block. The ladies did fabulous at all of them!

Here's a group shot with the string blocks we made. I thoroughly enjoyed watching them play with colors/fabric selection. Everyone did so great, and they all had their own personality reflected in their block. It was so much fun to see that process taking place.

I decided all over again that I love teaching classes. It's so tiring, but as exhausting as it is, it is equally-if not more-rewarding! I also decided that the term "teaching" is a little intimidating. I'd rather think of it as "sharing my love of quilting" with others. Now THAT doesn't sound intimidating. At. All.

Happy Monday to you!

fraternal twins

These two lovelies are made from the brand spankin' new Cabbages and Roses fabric from Moda. I believe that the fabric was officially released today. This fabric could. not. be. prettier! I started by cutting 9" squares (from a fat quarter, so there was virtually no waste) and then I made half square triangles. I didn't want to chop up the fabric any more, because I wanted to show off the lovely large prints. I debated long and hard on the layout, because with HST's there are so many possibilities! Too many, really. I was going to make one twin sized quilt, but in the end, I just couldn't shake the idea of separating the colors and making two quilts. So, two quilts it is!

For the back of the blue and green quilt I found this vintage fabric in my stash that had belonged to my Grandmother. I couldn't believe how well it coordinated with the front and I had just the right amount for the back. Serendipitous! I was giddy at this discovery. Ok, maybe was isn't the right word. Maybe I still am.

For the binding, I used a navy dot from the Children at Play line by Sarah Jane. (Yes, I am completely obsessed with these dots!) I love how the navy frames the quilt and pulls out the dark blues in the quilt top. You can't go wrong with dots on the binding! The navy is just so crisp and classic.

To quilt this one I made large loops following the diagonal lines in the quilt top. It went smoothly and quickly. The not-so-dense quilting coupled with the weight of the backing makes it a soft, smooshy and cozy quilt that will only get better with use.

For the back of the pink quilt I was going to use a cream sheet, but at the last minute I changed my mind and pieced the back. I used fabric that Cindy had so generously sent me this summer (thank you, Cindy!) and I worked the pieces like a puzzle until I came up with this layout. I love how it makes this an over the top girly girl quilt. The addition of the yellow is especially sweet, I thought.

For the binding, I chose this Denyse Schmidt dot. It's not a predictable choice for this style of quilt, but I like that unexpected twist. The red dots pull out the red accents in some of the florals, and the pinks don't match perfectly, but close enough, which I actually kind of like. The binding is a little bit sassy and it makes me smile.

To quilt it, I did an all over stipple. I thought about doing loops again, but I wanted to change the quilting and see what it did to the look of the quilt. I like the results of both quilting styles, really.

When I was debating layouts, as mentioned earlier, I really wanted to make one twin quilt, because it could be used either on a bed or as a lap quilt. But now that they are both finished, I'm so glad that I made two smaller quilts. There is something so special about a pair of quilts, you know?

Both quilts were finished in a jiffy thanks to my new found love of machine binding. Hurray for that!

Each quilt measures 48" x 64". 

I'd like to say a big thank you to my friend, April, for letting me use her clothesline for the photo shoot today.

cartwheels quilt

I've had several emails asking me for a good pattern for a jelly roll quilt. Well, today I have your answer. :)

I finished this quilt up back in April, but I drug my feet writing the tutorial for a few months. All that to say, I'm so excited to finally be posting this quilt! It's made with Strawberry Fields fabric, designed by Joanna of Fig Tree Quilts. I LOVE THIS FABRIC! In fact, I think this quilt may be one of my top 5 favorite quilts I've ever made! (Even though it is strip pieced, which is NOT my favorite technique.) But, sometimes you gotta do what you gotta do! :) Actually, strip piecing made quick work of the top.

I love the pieced back! The strip of coins breaks up the repeat of the fabric. Plus, it made the backing just long enough AND it used extra pieces from the top. There is very little waste and just a few extras. I love maximizing my fabric! But you already know that, right? ;)

One of my favorite parts of the quilt is the little 2" blocks at the top and the bottom of the quilt. Aren't they so sweet? I like having borders on only 2 sides.

For quilting, I stippled it in cream thread. The red binding fabric is the cherry on top...the icing on the cake...my favorite binding ever!

The tutorial is posted over here on the Moda Bake shop! If you make a quilt using this tutorial, I'd love to see it.

Happy Friday to you!

i cleaned my house so i could mess it up again

 I have a friend visiting for the weekend. Boy, oh, boy, are we having FUN!

We have fabric messes that would make Victoria proud.

Fabric is flying.

Backs are being pieced.

We are inspiring the next generation of quilters. (YAY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!)

There's still lots to do. Namely, basting 5 quilts. (For crying out loud!)

Super cute pincushions in use. (LOVE!)

Including this awesome one from Cindy. (LOVE!!!)

And I can't tell you how fun it is to see projects in real life rather than on screen.

Hope you are having a happy weekend, too!

binging on fabric

First off, thanks for all your comments on the pre-wash post. There are more of us in the pre-wash camp than I realized....I had no idea! It was so interesting to read all the comments, so thanks for weighing in.

My husband noticed (and commented) that I have been on a fabric buying binge lately. Oops! To his credit, he also noticed (and commented) that I had been doing very well. Yay, hubby! He's a good, good man.

I had to buy some bliss, and I wasn't going to hesitate. (I missed out on the Authentic craze, and I kind of regret it.) I have the PERFECT quilt idea for this charm pack. The design idea has been in my head for over 3 years. I'm soooooooo excited for it! But now I'm wondering why on earth I didn't buy the aqua dots as well? That should have been a no-brainer. These were purchased from Fresh Squeezed fabrics. I'd highly recommend ordering from Randi.

This bolt of aqua is going with the bliss. I'm trying out a new solid fabric (from Hancock Fabrics) by trying out an entire bolt. Sounds reasonable, doesn't it? Ha!

More solids...because Hancock's had a screaming deal on them. 53% off! Thanks to Doris for on the heads up on that one. Hancock is such a nice diversion from JoAnn's. I could write an entire blog post about this, but I'll spare you. :)

After Cheryl posted about her grey fabrics, I knew I had to be intentional about collecting some, too. This is all that my LQS had in stock. 3 different greys on bolts and 2 fat quarters. That's it. I just love grey!

These remaining fabrics were bought at Quilt Home. It was my first time ordering with them, and I couldn't have been more impressed! They were on sale (most were), they have free shipping on orders over $50 (very important to me) and they even included a hand-written thank you note on my slip. I'm very, very impressed! Oh, they were quick, too. I had these lovelies in a few days.

I was thrilled to find some of this gorgeous fabric. It's from 2 fabric lines ago, and I thought it was LONG gone. When I found it-and on sale, no less-I snatched it up. It's going to make a lovely, lovely quilt back.

 I naturally gravitate to green and pink. Always.

And some lovely henna garden. (more grey, yay!)

Here's to pretty, pretty fabric! And lots of it!



Please don't leave your favorite fabric shopping spots in the comments.

I don't need any more help in that area.

At all.

friday favorites

Roxanne started Favorites Friday a few months ago. Isn't that a great idea? Here are a few of my favorites today.

Mountain Dew to go with my breakfast....(although this isn't specific to Fridays.)

After the amount of sleep I got last night, it looks more like this to me....

I was up from about 1am-4am...not with the kids or anything...I just had too much running through my little brain. Inspiration overload is fun, just not in the middle of the night, you know?

And I am in LOVE with this quilt top! I made this yesterday. I started it in the afternoon and I finished it up before bed.

I didn't even need to use the flash for this photo despite the overcast weather this morning. :) It's pretty bright, isn't it? I haven't been this excited about a quilt top in a long time. That means that as it progresses into a finished quilt, I am sure to love it more and more. I am calling it raspberry lemonade. (I am trying to get more creative with naming my quilts. I aspire to be half as clever as Susan is at naming her jewelry + photos.) It measures 64.5" square.

What are your favorites this Friday?

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And just a bit of blog business....I will be answering questions in the comments section, so if you ask a question, please check back for a response. We'll give that a shot and see how it goes.

8 random things

I was tagged by Libby to do the 8 random things meme. I love reading memes, so I am happy to play along. I get a lot of questions about quilting, fabric, etc. so I thought I would combine the two.

1. Where do you buy your fabric?

I buy about a quarter of it on-line. Otherwise, I buy some from JoAnn's, Hobby Lobby, Mill End Textiles (love!), and various quilt shops. I have done some fabric scrap swapping, which I love, because it rounds out my stash nicely. I used to be of the mindset that quilt shop/designer fabric was way too expensive, but now I am seeing how much better it is in quality and design. A little designer fabric goes a long way, especially when you combine it with a lot of solids, which I like to do.

2. I want to start quilting....where do I start?

I learned from a friend of mine (thank you, Nancy) and that is the best way to go, especially if you are pattern challenged like me. Having someone show me in person was the best route. If you don't know anyone personally who quilts, take a class. The teachers are usually passionate about quilting and will be happy to share their enthusiasm and knowledge. Then, after you have a good foundation, read, read, read. I love to READ quilt books. It makes me feel like such a nerd, but it is fun to learn tips, tricks and insight from other quilters. I gleaned a lot from this book, especially when it comes to design and color choices.

3. What type of batting do you use?

Warm and Natural. I buy it at JoAnn's and either use a coupon or wait until it goes on sale, otherwise it gets quite spendy. Once in a while I will use a higher loft polyester batting when I want a slightly thicker and bulkier quilt. Sometimes I use the needlepunch cotton batting from Wal-Mart. It comes in king size, so it works for large quilts.

4. Do you have any machine quilting tips?

Practice, practice, practice.
Then practice some more.

Don't expect perfection the first (or second or third or forth) time.

5. How do you baste your quilts?

I did a tutorial here.
Good basting is a large factor in quilting success, as well.

6. How do you get so much accomplished?

I am a work-aholic.

I stay home a lot.

I can't sit still.

I am always working on something.

I am a firm believer that you will find time to do what you want to do.

And also, I feel like I am pretty good at time management.

7. I am just starting to build a stash, how much yardage of each fabric should I buy?

This is purely personal preference. I like to buy a quarter yard cut of a large variety of fabrics rather than buying more yardage of fewer fabrics. Of course there are exceptions to this. I will buy more if I know that I really love it, that it is very versitile and that it will be unavaliable to me very soon. But you also have to consider that I love scrappy quilts-the more fabrics in a single quilt, the better. Usually. If I find a great deal on fabric that will work great as a backing fabric, I have been known to buy the end of the bolt. I think the largest chunk of fabric that I have bought is 7 yards and 11". Oh, that was a good day. :)

8. One quirky thing about me and fabric...when I buy new fabric, I have a hard time adding it in to my stash right away. I leave it in the pile that I bought it, separate from the stash for some time, thus preserving it's newish-ness. I guess once it is blended into the stash, I feel like it isn't quite so special anymore. Strange, eh? The fabrics in the photos are from various shopping trips in the last few months. One of my local quilt shops in Michigan still had lots of Denyse Schmidt Flea Market Fancy fabric left, so I had to stock up before it was gone forever. (so sad.) I *heart* fabric.

I am not going to tag anyone, but please join in on the 8 random things meme if you would like-I would love to read your list.

V is for...

vinyl. I can't get enough of the stuff.
I used some of the flowers from this card for the front.



The handles on this purse are also vinyl. What an exciting day that was when I discovered I could make my own handles! I have a lot of the vinyl and I dislike using interfacing.


More vinyl here and here.


W is for walking. If I had an exercise of choice it would be walking. I said IF.
W is also for water. I drink mainly water, save my one mountain dew in the morning.
(As you all know from yesterday's post, I prefer NOT to mix the two w's.)


X is for xhilaration-who happened to make my favorite flip flops. I wear them all. the. time. In fact, I just replaced them. I had the same exact pair that I wore for 2 years and they finally got so grungy I had to pitch them and start over.
And yes, I am feeling very clever for my x entry. :)

Y is for yarn. I have a lot of it. But mostly the crappy acrylic stuff. I can't afford to buy nice craft supplies all around, so the yarn stash has to suffer. One day I would like to learn to knit socks.


Z is for Zach. My almost 7 year old sweet, sweet boy.
Oh, I love him.

Z is also for zippers and zip pouches. But you already knew that.


And for those of you that asked about the shoes....they came from JC Penney.