Firefly Finish

I bought the pattern for the firefly quilt this summer. Only the second ever solids quilt I've made, but oh so striking. I just couldn't resist. You know, we don't have fireflies here in California like we did in the midwest and back east. I never knew that before I moved here.

 Last weekend was all pin basting. I wanted to get that part done because crawling around on the floor is the toughest part for me anymore.

I figured once that was done I could take my time with the quilting. But seriously, this went so quickly. I began on Saturday and I think it was done on Tuesday.

Here is the finished quilt. All crinkly from the dryer, this will be going to my oldest grandson, V. At age 12 I am thrilled he still wants a new quilt for his bed. I know enough about pre-teens to know that may not always be the case.

 I quilted with a large stipple and a few loops here and there. I also added random asterix here and there to simulate the blinking of the fireflies. I used a bright lime green Isacord thread for the quilting.

The backing is a blue cross weave I got from Pineapple Fabrics. It was a three yard cut of 108 inch backing that I used on another quilt, and had just enough to piece together the backing for this one.

And of course, one of my new labels from Dutch Label Shop to finish it off. It is now winging it's way across the US to V. I can't wait until he gets it.

One of my many "next" projects is another 36 patch quilt. I made one about 7-8 years ago with Amanda Jean at Crazy Mom Quilts and I still love it so much. I have always wanted to make another one, so I started, with no deadline in mind. I am going to use all my most favorite fabrics for this one, instead of scraps. I have already chosen some Heather Ross and some Sweetwater to begin. Because one cannot have enough in progress projects, right?
Happy weekend friends.

Last Week of August

So here it is, the last week of August. Summer sure flew by. I have gotten more sewing time than I thought I would, but haven't documented so much of it here. I participated in two SALs this summer, the Kingfisher Quilt SAL and the 100 Blocks 100 Days 2018 on instagram. That one is still going on as a matter of fact.

                    My Kingfisher went from this...

To this...

            And yesterday finally, to this...and I am so happy to be finally quilting it. I cannot wait until it is done and ready to use. I figured out a straight line quilting arrangement that I think will work nicely.

And I now have seven of the Firefly blocks done for this quilt. The deep colors of the fabrics are so different for me to work with. I am amazed every time I look at it.

 And finally there are these little bits of color. I had several mini charm packs lying about with nowhere to go. I didn't want to just toss them into the bin with my 2.5 inch scraps, so I finally came up with an arrangement for them.

 I hand quilted each of them. They were not all made at the same time, in fact, this one was the first one and done a couple of years ago. I embroidered a tiny heart in the one block. Then, when I found the other charm packs, I decided to make more of these.

I hang them, in turns, on my bedroom door for a little pop of color. I have one more charm pack left and it is a Christmas line by Kate Spain, I think. That one is up soon, to be ready to hang up after Thanksgiving. What do you do with your mini charm packs?

Happy Tuesday. Talk to you soon.

Have You Missed Me?

I have had so many guests here and there was only a little sewing going on. I have been thinking of what to post about for almost a week now. I couldn't quite make myself sit down and do it. I think what makes it hard for me is I need pictures downloaded and edited and then sometimes my computer doesn't cooperate. Anyway, here I am.

So here is the first block of my Firefly quilt. It's the first quilt I have ever made with only solids. I am using Kona cotton for the top. I pulled my color card out and tried to pick colors that were similar to the ones used for the original pattern. I am pretty happy with my choices. Just 15 more blocks to finish. Each block is finished at 17 1/2 inches.

These are some more of my 100 Blocks 100 Days doing the Tula Pink City Sampler on Instagram.

These two are a couple of my most favorite blocks. I am learning how to successfully fussy cut.

And these are the first 3 out of 9 blocks I am making for a special wall hanging quilt. The pattern is from Rachel at Stitched In Color and her Penny Sampler Quilt class that I took last year. I still am not a big fan of paper piecing, but at least I know how to do it and it does come in handy.

So, that's what's been happening around here. I also started another new crochet project, which I will show you next time. Have a great week, and I will talk to you soon.

Busy As A Bee

It's hot. And no A/C, just fans. But most days I still feel compelled to sew for at least some of the day. I have many projects in the works.

 First up is the #100days100blocks2018 challenge on Instagram. I bought the book the year it came out but I never could make myself dive into it. This challenge, and several successful sew alongs behind me, spurred me on. I find that I am enjoying it and to make it doable for myself, each group of 10 blocks has a specific color theme. This makes choosing fabrics less overwhelming.

This is one of the block diagrams to show how to assemble. None of the blocks are difficult, but at least one has 30 pieces and these blocks finish at 6 1/2 inches, so, small pieces.

And an upside is that I am using some of my stash for this. Look at the year on this piece. I have used some in various projects over the years. Man...and I don't think it is the oldest piece I have either.

At a request from my oldest, the children need an overnight bag. So I found this free pattern and I have to say I do like it. The comments on the site are not very kind for the most part. It is not the best written pattern I have ever used, but it is 5 years old and I like to think the designer has improved her skills. If you are an accomplished sewist, you can do this. It requires a bit more thought than just following the directions.

This one was the first I made, for my daughter to test the bag out. I have made a few adjustments to the sewing of the pattern that I will use for the others. Bottom line, it is a nice duffel bag. I chose to add batting to the sides and bottom instead of just an iron on interfacing. The interior of the bag is the fabric with the months on it, so I chose to put the month of her birthday on the outside as well.

These are the end pieces for the bags for the three children. Instead of doing the cording along the top of the pockets, I chose to fold a bit down and stitch it into place. I did the cording on my daughter's and while it is a nice touch, I think it's not necessary here.

 The next project I have, waiting in the wings (ha!) is this Firefly quilt. I don't usually fall for these, but for some reason this one really spoke to me. I didn't want to join the sew along, but they offered just the pattern, so I bought that. I have never made a totally solids quilt, so another first for me.

And here is the fabric, just waiting patiently to be pressed and cut for this little lovely. It's been nice to have a bunch of different things to work on this summer.

I still have 3 triangles to applique on my Kingfisher quilt and then it is done and ready for quilting. And I am still sewing hexies for a future project that I haven't fully thought out yet. I just enjoy having hand work to do,
I hope you are staying cool. Talk to you soon.