Saturday, February 27, 2010

Rachel's blocks

Yet again, a block I've always wanted to try and now I am totally hooked.
Thanks, Rachel! It was very fun to play with your fabric.
I also love seeing how different all the blocks look while using a lot of the same fabric.
This is another quilt I can't wait to see all done.
Angela, I was so excited to get your pile in the mail today.
SOOooo pretty!

thanks rachel.

It's always fun to try new piecing techniques and this block was no exception. Some of you ladies have mentioned how fun it is to play with other people's fabric and I agree. I have found a couple of new favorites that I am going to have to source really soon because now I am thinking about them. Ahem.Thanks for that Rachel!

This was my first time paper piecing, as well as using starch. I may just be a convert, the starch is an amazing addition to the sewing process. I purchased the Niagara brand starch from the supermarket and when I first smelled the starch fumes boiling away under the heat of the iron, I became overwhelmed with tears. (Yes, I am really emotional once a month :0) Kidding aside, that scent was so familiar in a warm and nostalgic way. It didn't take me long to realize that I was in fact, remembering the smell of my grandfather who passed away when I was 8. The senses work in mysteriously awesome ways, triggering memories otherwise forgotten. It has been over twenty years since I last smelled my grandfather, and some of the memories have already faded. I couldn't be happier knowing that smelling this starch whenever I want will take me right back to my grandpa's lap. Needless to say, I enjoyed this block.

Monday, February 22, 2010

90 degree March

edit to add: I forgot to mention that it would be fine if you added something from your stash if it went with the green/blue/gray thing. Also, my layout has 16 blocks, so I won't be sad if you make me two but it isn't expected. Thanks!

I wish that was the weather forecast! I couldn't pass up the pun for my quilt. I'm up for March and all my fabric is ready to head out.


I decided the easiest way to describe what I want is '90 degrees' - no triangles or curves please. My fabrics are all greens, blues, and gray. Some of the packets tend more toward green, others blue. I calculated (for my stash report you know!) that I cut more more than 9 yards of fabric once done, so everybody should have a good selection.


I like funky, modern stuff - so that's the general feel I'm going for. I'm going to sash all the blocks up to 17" square, probably with the Kona snow. So Please:

make a block 12.5" min to 15.5" max - but it doesn't have to be a square
make all your pieces right angles
use at least one of the colored solids
make a signature block in any style you choose
return large scraps - I'll piece my block from them and piece the back, too

Thank you so much! I can't wait to see what everyone comes up with!


Sunday, February 21, 2010

do you think rachel will mind?

if i send her back her blocks like this?


just kidding!!
but seriously... this is what my sewing table looks like at the moment.
what have you done to me??

so far this is my favorite one.


i'll finish them soon rach.
along with the 100 sig blocks.... ;-)

Saturday, February 20, 2010

Just Stringing Along

Do you ever find yourself lying in bed at night sewing in your mind. I seem to do that a lot when I'm really into a project or had been quilting for a few hours that day. Well last night was no different, I was sewing strings in my mind! So I got right to my other block today...
I also made my siggy block. Do you want your scraps back Rachel?
I used only Rachel's scraps for both blocks and added 3 scraps of my own for the sig block.

Friday, February 19, 2010

Sunny Strings


Lots of pretty strings for Rachel!

Rachel's Blocks... And a Decision for April!

I finished Rachel's blocks yesterday and they were such fun to make! I did paper piecing for the first time last month so I'm thrilled to get to do more :)

Block one...

Block two.

Rachel had so many wonderful fabrics to play with, so it made this really fun and easy.

Hope you like them Rachel! :) [Oh and please do let us know about signature blocks and whether you want your scraps returned, thanks!]


And I've finally decided what I'd like to do for my blocks! Told you I'd change my mind. Jacquie from Tallgrass Prairie Studio really inspired me with her selvage spiderweb quilt, and while I'm not about to start collecting enough selvages to manage this for April, I think it'd be a perfect way to use scraps!

I started collecting scraps yesterday and figuring out what fabric to have as the centre bit. Solid? Dots? Hmm...

To be continued.

-- Audrie

String block for Rachel :)

This is my first string block ever, thanks for the great tutorial Rachel! It was so fun to make, I think I have enough strips left to make a second block. I was also wondering if you'd want us to make an additional 6 1/2 inch square with a white strip in the center for our signatures, that way including one with your signature, you'd end up with enough squares to make three blocks for the back. Just a thought :)
~ Steph

Wednesday, February 17, 2010

Once you start....

...you won't be able to stop!!


have fun.
natalie.

ps - nine blocks later.....um, er...

Monday, February 15, 2010

A New To-Do List, thank you...


I received an incredible rainbow collection of strips
to make this great strip block
made from four strip blocks
(yea, yea, I know...)
so
I figured I should practice
...now I want a string quilt.....
...and a scrappy log cabin...
...and a Liberated Quiltmaking star quilt....

thank you.
natalie.

(and yes, now that I have practiced, I can get started on rachel's blocks)

Friday, February 12, 2010

my first rainbow-y block for Rachel

 
My top left quadrant is the most rainbow-y of all.
I am probably going to make another one for you, if that's ok.
I loved working with all these fabrics! (I had to add my own yellow strip... and you can probably see where I pieced one of the other yellow strips.)

Tuesday, February 9, 2010

rachel.

strings.

better late than never...
compliments of my dear friend morning sickness.

i sent out colorful little baggies of strings.
:)

i'm asking that yall follow my block o' strings tutorial.
*choose whatever color string you want for your starting string, instead of the white pictured in my tutorial*
{width is also up to yall.}

i'm ubber excited to have a complete scrap quilt.
some of these scraps are my absolute favs of all time.

i hope that yall enjoy making my block{s}.

and rebekah...
i have constructed your block a million times in my head.
i promise to get it done soon.

p.s. as far as siggy blocks...
since i sent out strings, yall can do log cabin{ish} siggys.
unless someone figures out a mini string siggy block.
that would rock my socks off.


Sunday, February 7, 2010

Maverick Star Blocks


just replace the size of 4.5" with 5.25"

this is what the block will look like....

it'll make a 14.25" finished block
14.75" with seam allowances


and so on..

if you have questions on the tutorial just ask..
i'm sure one of us can answer them!

Thursday, February 4, 2010

Maverick Start Charity Quilt

Okay, so it seems that all of you are on board for this charity quilt project.

Here's my initial idea for the quilt (feel free to jump in or revise as needed).

The quilt has to be twin sized (approx 68x86), so we will need 30 - 14.5" Maverick star blocks (pieced block size 14"), for a quilt that is 5 blocks wide and six blocks long. There are twelve of us, so if each of us makes 2 blocks, we'll have 24 blocks. If 6 of you want to volunteer to make 3 blocks each, then we'll have 30 total.

I came up with a general color scheme for the quilt:



The backgrounds of the blocks should be white and you can use any or all of the colors in the scheme for the star points and centers (all pink stars, teal and orange, all green, etc.). I was channeling the Flea Market Fancy line when I came up with that scheme (here's a picture of what I was going for), so any bright, fun, cheery fabrics would be great. Other colors are fine in the blocks, as long as at least one of the five colors above is dominant.

The quilts are due on April 30, so if you could get the blocks in the mail by April 1, I should have enough time to put everything together.

As always, if you have any other ideas or suggestions for this, please chime in in the comments. Also, let us know how many blocks you can make in the comments too (2 or 3).

Wednesday, February 3, 2010

your blocks for me so far

Here's a shot of the blocks that I've received in the mail so far (taken last week). This is the closest they're going to be to looking like a quilt for a while, so I wanted to get a shot of them all together.

bee beautiful blocks so far

I love seeing them all together like this and am glad that I stuck with one color for the center to tie everything together. It's so much fun to see how you all combined my fabrics together to get such cool looking patchwork blocks.

I think I'm going to quilt these as separate blocks (with a muslin backing) and then sew the quilted squares together, add a backing fabric and then tie the quilt on top (that's the best I could decipher the japanese instructions in my inspiration book). Does that sound like a recipe for failure, or do you think it will work out okay (quilting, then joining, then tying)?

• • •

And, on another note. I'm not sure if we're still doing the charity quilt together, but I do have an option for all of us.

A lady that my dad works with is getting together 20 or so twin sized bed quilts for teen girls at Children's Village in Detroit, MI (by April 30). I was thinking if you were up for it, we could all donate a block to the quilt and I could combine them and create a quilt.



If you have other ideas for a charity option, we definitely don't have to go this route. I just purchased this bundle of this Joel Dewberry Chestnut Hill fabric to make a zig zag quilt of my own to donate to the group, so I'll be making a quilt to donate either way.

If you want to go this route with the charity quilt, we can discuss color options or block ideas in the comments (or via email).

Monday, February 1, 2010

blocks for rebekah.

Hi everyone! I am finally getting around to finishing up these blocks and posting them. I was so inspired by all of your blocks, I kept teetering on how to approach these (That and January being the craziest month I can remember). This is such a great block for a bee, thanks for the challenge Rebekah! My mind is whirling with possibilities for my own scrappy quilt.



I really enjoyed making these blocks, so much that I almost went to the store to match that hot pink center to make more, almost! :) Sorry Rebekah. I like my first block, but the second is so bright and cheerful, I can't help but love it a little bit more! I look forward to this year of sewing with you crafty ladies, thanks for letting me play along!
~hope you like your blocks Rebekah.....

hi my name is julie

this is me.
my first blog post has the story of how i got into quilting.

i've been doing this for over 7 years now...
but it took me a while to start up my blog
{i'm not much of a writer}
so for a few years i read other people's blogs.
then i took the jump.
& it's been a blast ever since!!

my style is all over the map.

here are a few of my more recent quilts...

braid quilt w/ nest by tula pink.

concrete garden & square city - both with hunky dory by chez moi

play school quilt w/ make life by sweetwater

the candy box w/ hushabye by tula pink


hexagons w/ neptune by tula pink

those who know me
know i'm in love with pretty much anything tula pink makes.
so it should come as no surprise...
that this is the fabric i picked for my month.

i'm not sure what blocks i want yet
so i bought lots.
9 pc of neptune
dark navy linen.
white kona cotton.
lt. blue kona crush.
& white kona crush.

i'm sure whatever blocks i pick...
that you guys are gonna help me make a beautiful quilt!