Penny Sampler is Finished!

I finished my Penny Sampler quilt last week. I finished the binding on Wednesday and washed it and photographed it on Thursday, hoping to post it on Friday to link up with Amanda Jean, but instead, I went to Torrey Pines to watch the golf tournament with my husband, so today will have to do. I can link up later in the week to get it more "out there".

First, a full front picture. This is the whole thing. I love the way it turned out, very bright, which is totally my style. I loved this whole project. It was the first of its kind that I had taken on. The size is a twin bed size, but I don't have one to put it on, so I will just find other ways to stare at it and enjoy it. Now for some close ups of some of the components.

 I quilted most of it with Pearl cotton number 12. I used a lot of different colors and tried to let each block lead me in how to quilt it.

 But I also stitched in the ditch on my machine in between some of the large sections to help anchor it before I began the hand quilting. This was a great idea and it made for a very stable quilt top for hand quilting.

 The hand quilting added such great texture and interest to the piece. I don't know how I would have quilted it on a machine. There were just so many components to this quilt.

 This is one of my favorite sections. It is all paper pieced, which is a technique I took the class to learn. I am so happy that I did. Not that I am now a big fan of paper piecing, but I can do it!

 Here it is stretched out on my queen size bed so you can see how big it truly is. So much loveliness.

 These loops down this one piece are the only other machine quilting on here. I felt that this was the best solution for this section since it is one whole piece of fabric, even though it mimics a pieced section.

 I had picked out all the fabrics in the beginning and kept them in a box, as recommended. The one thing I knew I wanted to do for sure since the very beginning was this bright green section with the blue and white fabric diamonds. I am sooooo happy with it. It worked out just as I imagined.

The quilting of diamonds to mimic the hanging diamonds is another favorite element for me. I tried to balance the needs of the sections with enough quilting to keep everything stabilized.

 This little area is another that just spoke to me about the way it needed quilting. I love the texture here since it has been washed and dried.

                   Here is the entire front once again.

And the back. I have been trying to find a way to use these fabrics up since I bought them. The Jeni Baker Nordika is one I love, and I had originally thought to make curtains of it, but that never worked out. So happy it found a home at last. Have a great week and I will talk to you soon.

My Penny Sampler is Done!!

I have finished the 12 month long version of the Penny Sample Quilt Class with Rachel of Stitched in Color. This was the best class ever! The 12 month pace was the perfect pace for me, even with a move in the first quarter of the year. I was able to stay caught up and I learned so much from this class, which was my hope and goal for taking it. Lots of pictures now.

 This is the whole quilt top. As you can see, many different components make up the top. Along with that, lots of techniques. There is applique, piecing and machine paper piecing.

 The color pallet I chose was not as subdued as some I have seen on line, but this is more to my style. I am extremely happy with the way it turned out.

 I have some favorite components, but I love them all. The vase of flowers in the gold background above is one of my favorites. Also, the diamonds on the bottom. Both were machine paper pieced. A technique I have been wanting to learn. Not my cup of tea, but at least now I can do it and I might again some time.

 The paper piecing does give such crisp edges and points that meet where they are supposed to meet.

 I still need to do the eyes on the Dala horses. I decided I would do those by hand instead of machine. They are way too small and fiddly for me.

 The hanging diamonds are another fave as is the red ribbon block above. This quilt has so much to look at, doesn't it?

 The strip of fabric down the right side here is from one of Jeni Baker's collections. It is all one piece and I am so happy with how it works in this spot. The colors work and the stripes look like they were made for this quilt.

So next up, is the quilting of this big thing. I am planning to hand quilt it with Pearl cotton. I have decided that there are just too many different things going on here to do it any other way.

 Each section will lead me as to what it needs. I do not intend to over do it, but enough quilting to accentuate certain elements and stabilize the quilt. I put too much into it not to do it right.

So, a year in the making and now, on to quilting. Will it take another year? I don't know. I have the fabrics for the backing and I hope to have it pin basted and started before the end of the year. I will keep you up to date. I plan to link this up on Friday with Crazy Mom Quilts.

A Friday Finish: A Flea on a Hot Brick

So, I do have what I think is a very cute Friday finish for you today, But first, I want to explain about the flea on a hot brick in the title. If you are familiar with the expression, it goes something like this: she was jumping around like a flea on a hot brick. That is how I feel about my sewing and crafting right now. I am jumping from project to project with not too much forward motion. Not trying to lament that fact. I was just thinking about it yesterday and these are my thoughts. If something won't hold my attention, or excite me into working on it, I jump to something else, even start something new. It will all get done eventually and I'm not punching any time clock here. So here is my finish:

 Meet Spring Maggie Rabbit. This sweet bunny is a pattern by Alicia Paulson of Posie Gets Cozy. I have made about 5 of these now and each is different and fun. The other day I needed something that was really spring-like...desperately.

 So I dug around and found my Maggie Rabbit supplies. I keep the pattern and felt all together in one place for this purpose. One of my few organizational things that works.

 I auditioned so many pretty flowery fabrics for the dress. It was hard to choose. This is a Jeni Baker print from her Dreamin' Vintage line. I can't tell you how much I love the pretty flowers on this.

 I was unsure about making the boots that are a part of her outfit, then my husband said "How about making her some colorful Wellies for spring?" Genius! So out came the brightest pink felt in my stash. I got it at Purl Soho.

 Look at this pretty. So springy and fresh, yet feminine and oh, I can't think of enough adjectives.

 Here is Maggie with her sister, Summer Maggie. She is the very first one I made several years ago when the pattern first came out.

 Her boots are exactly like the pattern is written, to lace up and tie at the top.

Summer Maggie has a hat that I designed for her to wear while gardening.

 Here is a detail shot of Spring Maggie's apron. I used a decorative stitch that my machine makes.

I even took her out in 25 degree weather this morning to try and capture how pink these Wellies are. Hard to do. It rained buckets all day yesterday while I sewed these Wellies. Very appropriate, I think. Now, the question is, what will the flea jump into today? Have a great weekend friends.

Sunday Stash #29

I just had to look and see what number this post would be. I haven't posted a stash post in all of October. Not because there was nothing to post, but because I was feeling lazy. I even had pictures on the computer of some things I bought. So I am back now. First of all, I bought a whole bolt of Kona white. No picture of that, but great thanks to Julie at Intrepid Thread. She got it to me so quickly. This is the first time I have bought a whole bolt of anything and I am loving it!
Next, these:

 Trying to control my spending, so I bought just one yard of my favorite in each collection. This is Anna Maria Horner's Pretty Potent.

 I love these bees in this colorway from Tula Pink's new line. I have already started fussy cutting some for a project.

And this is my favorite from Jeni Baker's new line, Geometric Bliss. I just love the uneven stripes and the colors. Linking up with Molli Sparkles for Sunday Stash.

Sunday Stash # 17

Sew, here we are. Sunday again. I have been seeing and drooling over Jeni Baker's new line, Dreamin' Vintage. The colors so soft and the patterns truly remind me of vintage sheets from the 60's or there about.

 I bought half yard cuts from one of my favorite shops, Hawthorne Threads. I wanted to choose only the prints I really loved and thought I would use. These first three are from the cool colorway. It was hard to narrow it down to these, but I am trying not to go fabric crazy again.

 These are the three I chose from the warm colorway. They are even better in person. Now that I see them on the computer, I am noticing a bit of shadowing. I am not the best photographer. The softness of Art Gallery Fabrics is unbelievable. I think I know exactly what I want to make with these.

 This is a half yard of Crosshatch Sketch in coral, by Timeless Treasures. I love the Sketch fabrics. They are the perfect addition to a stash, no matter the color you choose. This coral is so very pretty.

 And look, a happy coincidence, it goes very nicely with the Dreamin' Vintage fabrics too.

Se there you have it. Talk to you soon. Linking up with Molli Sparkles for Sunday Stash.

Studio Spotlight-Linking Up with Ellison Lane

Jennifer at Ellison Lane has been having a Studio Spotlight party this week. We have seen some amazing spaces and some great uses of small and shared spaces. Now, I am linking up my studio space here today.  If you have not visited any of the spaces, go look, and be inspired. In full disclosure I did not tidy up a thing for these pictures. This is the real deal.

 This is where my scraps and older fabrics live. Scraps above and larger pieces of mostly older fabrics below, somewhat sorted into color groups.

                      Books on the bottom. The other two shelves need some organization.

A bit dark, but this is my main machine. I also have a Singer featherweight that was my grandmother's. It needs a tune up to be usable.

                              My sewing table is a trestle style desk from Target.

 Books on the bottom and newer fabrics all folded neatly. I used Jeni Baker's fabric folding method for this. I try to fold all new acquisitions now and put them here. I love the method for any cut up to a yard. She has a video if you want to see. Search her blog, In Color Order.

 A very busy wall and my fold down cutting table from IKEA. Underneath it is an old coffee table full of magazines and fabric and stuff.

                               My design wall is an old flannel sheet hung up with tacks.

 This piece in the corner is newly relocated to hold sewing patterns and other notions in the drawers. The wardrobe side has quilt tops on hangers that are waiting to be quilted and my table cloths as well. This piece I refinished a couple of years ago. It was a baby wardrobe that was my husband's as a baby.

One of the most special things in my sewing room is the photos of my Granny and her sisters. I sometimes talk to her when I am sewing. I like to think she is always with me.

If you want to see what my sewing room looked like two years ago when I first moved everything in there, I blogged about it here.

Thanks again to Jennifer at Ellison Lane for this fabulous series.