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Wednesday, May 31, 2017

Sun, Sand, and Sea - Block #5

Today the fifth block of the 
Sun, Sand, and Sea Block of the Month is revealed
and
Carol over at Just Let Me Quilt
has the link to her pattern to share.


This is the big 18" finished block for the center of the quilt.
Carol is so talented and made such a sweet beach scene for the center feature.
Carol has the link for the pattern HERE.

Thanks to Clothworks, I'm stitching my blocks with for this quilt with
American Made Brand solid fabrics.
The colors are so vibrant and nice to stitch with!


To applique,
 I ONLY use my favorite fabric iron on adhesive by Therm O Web,

To stitch around all those little pieces
 I used my "go to" color of Aurifil 50 wt.  (#2600).


The Sun, Sand, and Sea Block of the Month is
Hosted by Amy over at 
Amy designed the first block, "Hello Sunshine"
Block #1 - February
You can find Amy's blog post HERE and the pattern HERE.


Carol over at Just Let Me Quilt designed the second block, "Sun, Surf, and Sea."
Block #2 - March
You can find Carol's blog post HERE and the pattern HERE.


My design for the third block is called "Sun Birds."
Block #3 - April
You can find my blog post here and the pattern here


Joan over at MooseStash Quilting designed the forth block, "Grab Your Shovel"
Block #4 - May
You can find Joan's blog post HERE for the link to the pattern.



This is going to be my favorite quilt. 
 I'm all about sunshine and these blocks keep getting cuter and cuter.


It's not too late to join us.


We gather on Facebook to share
our blocks and visit with other
participants about this quilt
and there is a link up every month with prizes!



Next month we see the border for the middle block.  
Maybe you can try a new skill!!
The designed border was designed by me and you'll find it here in July.

Happy sunshine!!!

Saturday, May 20, 2017

Improv in Blue - H2H Charity Quilt Challenge

is hosting
the
Hands2Help Charity Quilt Challenge.

I call this quilt
 Improv in Blue
 and it will be a hug for someone in need.



Confessions Of A Fabric Addict

This is my 5th year to participate and I am just under the deadline.
  Although I really wanted to make 2 quilts this year, I'm feeling great about finishing one.

I have accumulated a lot of scraps over the last year and decided to use up as much as I could for this quilt.



I have had more blue scraps of every size and shape than any other colors so this was the obvious choice to start with.  Truth is, I have enough for 5 quilts just like this.  lol
I may have a scrap problem.
I keep all shapes and sizes. 
 But then again, is it a problem when you can use improvisational piecing to make a beauty of a quilt out of scraps that may have been tossed?



Improvisational piecing (making your own fabric) is so relaxing. 
 All you do is sew pieces together, cut them into straight lines, sew more pieces together, sew more pieces together, cut them into some size of square and make a quilt.
It's so fun!



Some may argue that there are biased edges (oh my).  
Fix that by framing the blocks with scrap strips and that bias worry is gone.  
(Starch that fabric and a lot of those worries are gone anyway...)

I added an appliqued bird or four on the quilt for that little something special.
To applique,
 I ONLY use my favorite fabric iron on adhesive by Therm O Web,
 HeatnBond® Lite. 

I quilted a stipple stitch and added a pieced binding (more of that scrap box fabric). 
I like to add my label to the backing fabric before it's quilted.





 Improv in Blue will be donated to 

an organization that provides quilts and comfort for chemo patients.
The quilt is 56" x 63" in size, a little random but a great hugging size.


A random hug sounds nice...

Thursday, May 4, 2017

Little Zipper Round Box - Tutorial

Here is a quick and beautiful gift idea for Mother's Day.

 A sweet little fabric box for her to take overnight for jewelry or it's the perfect size for needles and thread for the sewer on the go.


  It keeps its shape with HeatnBond® Craft Extra Firm Non-Woven Interfacing



Sewing in the round can be intimidating, but in the tutorial over on the Thermoweb blog today, I will show the steps of preparing each piece beforehand, to make this little round box a fun and quick project.

Look at all the little spools of Aurifil thread it will hold...



These little boxes are off to quilt market for the Anna Griffin booth for Blend Fabrics
 But you can make your own for yourself or your mom.
Please visit the Thermoweb blog to check out my newest tutorial.



I've had a pretty crazy month of pattern making and tutorial writing, but this one is the last for spring quilt market 2017.  These boxes and the Romantic Ruffle Pillow Covers were two of my favorite patterns to write so far. 


You can download the PDF pattern from my Craftsy pattern store HERE.
or
click on this button.




 Thank you for all the love I've received with your comments, shares, and pins.
It's been a great spring!!!