Design Wall Monday!!!

Here's what's on the Design Wall and my UFO goal for April...

These are old cross-stitched rose blocks done about 10 years ago.  I just got these out over the weekend and began playing around with a setting for them.  I found a photo on the internet for a quilt called "Serendipity" and started playing with the math to get the frames and sashings together.  Next it will get a set of borders that will include the dark green QSTs that will finish out the on-point edge squares.

And, that's the next mathematical equation to tackle.  Not too hard...I'll just begin with the QSTs and figure the HSTs that need to flank them flying goose style! These are BIG blocks!  The cross-stitched blocks,  themselves, are 15" unfinished!  It will finish around a twin size...as is, pre-borders, when pieced together it'll be at about a 54x78" top.

I may also enter this in as my guild challenge quilt.  The theme is "A Few of My Favorite Things" and we are to chose one line from the song and create a project based on it.  If I can figure out how to create "Raindrops on Roses," this may just work!  Any ideas?

Linking up to Design Wall Monday and A Lovely Year of Finishes.

HUGE Pillows for the Triplets

I know I haven't been posting a whole lot lately, but in my defense....I've been busy, busy, busy!  Ya know, the usual...shop hops (yes, more than one...and there's another one coming up next month!), planning projects, reading, traveling (we just got back from Memphis - more on that later this week), and trying to figure out how to make these HUGE pillows for my triplet nephews!

I've never made a pillow before, but after seeing so many cute tutorials online, I finally decided to jump in...BIG time!  Basically, they are baby-sized quilts with flaps attached for slipping in a pillow!  First I had to figure out what size to make the quilty top for a 26" pillow.  What did I decide?  Around 31-32" gave me enough border to stitch to make a bit of a flange all the way around.

Pittsburgh Steelers Football

The first one I tackled (hehe) was the Steelers pillow.  I decided to just strip piece this one (reminiscent of the diamonds in the logo shape).  DH said it looked to bright as the Steelers colors are more of the black and gold, so I added the black border and quilted it up with a spiral in heavy black cotton thread.  After all of the pillows were done, I added the appliqued football - boy, was that fun!

Minecraft Characters

Next, I made the Minecraft top, constantly texting back and forth with my nephew and sister-in-law to check color placement, etc. (I know nothing about Minecraft)!  This was a fun scrappy top to piece together taking inspiration (and making changes that my nephew suggested) from a quilt being sold by "alicecordell" on ebay (giving credit where credit is due).  This top was so graphic that I just decided to quilt it up with a close meander in a neutral Glide thread.

Miami Heat Basketball

Last up was the Heat Pillow.  This one I thought about for a long time.  I really wanted to try making these stack and slash blocks set back together with the thin strips between.  I thought it was a bit reminiscent of the basketball basket.  I am happy with that experiment!  I quilted this with the same thick black cotton thread as the football quilt, but this time with a flame pantograph...ya know, for Heat!  Then, I went back and created the basketball applique using a zigzag stitch for the lines (same for the football). 

These were such fun projects to work on that I really hope the boys love them!  I'm hoping they'll feel free to throw them around on the floor, lay on them to play video/board games, pillow fight and just really USE them!  I knew I wouldn't get them done in time for Christmas, but promised them early this year.  Yikes!  A little late, but the love is there!!!

Linking up to Sew Darn Crafty, BOMs Away, Scrap Basket Sunday, Let's Make Baby Quilts, and Can I Get a Whoop Whoop? 

RSC14 - Water Colors!

RSC14 for me is just trudging through setting the 4-patches from 4-Patch revisited on point.

Adventures with Leaders & Enders by Bonnie K. Hunter

This month...

RSC14 - Water Colors (March)

The last couple of months...

RSC14 - January (blue 4-patches on-point)

RSC14 - February (pink 4-patches on-point)

After having three projects going at once for RSC13, I feel like I'm really not doing enough for this year's challenge.  So, since I'll be working on Lozenges as leaders and enders this year as well, I think I'm going to concentrate on the color of the month for each of those.  That should ensure that I get those blocks constructed by the year's end (but...I've gotta back up and start from January's color...)

Linking up to RSC14.

March's UFO is Done!

This month's UFO project began with these signature blocks gifted to me when I left my guild in Missouri (I tell you all about them in this post at the beginning of the month):

I took those blocks with me to Missouri when I went for our annual Ozark Hills Shop Hop.  While staying with my friend, Debbie, we pondered how to piece a quilt top.  The problem was that there was no true seam allowance allowed in the original block design.

What we decided to do was to trim each block to 6" and then frame then with a 1" strip in keeping with the scrappy feel of the blocks.  Debbie suggested we try a few to see how it would look.  Before long, she had framed every block and assembled the whole top right before my very eyes!

After a lot of auditioning, we finally settled on this adorable brown print with multi colored dots for the border.  We went with a small border in hopes that we could keep the backing to a single 44" panel of fabric and we did!  Sneaky Debbie even tucked the remainder of the binding fabric into my bags when I packed to come home...I was pleasantly surprised when I unpacked everything and got ready to prep this top for quilting!

After quilting it up with a simple freehand meander, I attached a label using one of  the leftover unsigned blocks.  I also added a hanging sleeve and binding in this crazy bright yellow-green stripe.  If you look closely, you can see I added a this strip of it to the top of my backing fabric as well (I was about 6" shy of the needed backing fabric to get the quilt on the longarm...grrr...hate when that happens!)!

Finally, I took the quilt outside for a couple of quick pictures in the beautiful sunshine!  See that wagon wheel?  Debbie was so sweet to send it home with me, too!  I had to promise to plant a pink clematis with it when it finds its permanent home in the garden!  THANKS DEB!!!

Friendship Quilt  

42x42"

Pattern Designer:  Debbie Wilson & myself

Quilting Design:  Freehand Meander

Okay, so that's my March UFO...check!  My "Friendship Quilt" has now found a home hanging on he wall in my quilt studio!  Linking up to A Lovely Year of Finishes, Scrap Basket Sunday, 12 Finishes in 2014, and Can I Get a Whoop Whoop?  Wheeeew...FUN!!!!

Cutting, cutting, cutting....

Anyone recognize what these units might become?

If you were thinking the "Lozenges" (Quiltville 2014 leader/ender project), you are correct!

Over the last few days, I have been cutting 345 bricks in all sorts of colors, 688 black squares and 692 white squares.  This will make the perfect size twin size quilt!  The info on this size is below, just in case you would like to play along!

Twin Quilt Plan

69x90" Finished Quilt (without borders)

23 x15 (horiz x vert) block design

345 bricks (3.5x6.5")

688 black squares (2")

692 white square (2")

Ozark Hills Shop Hop

Last week was the annual Ozark Hills Shop Hop through Rolla, Salem, Waynesville & Lebanon, Missouri.  This used to be my hometown store, The Thread Peddler, and was the starting place for our shopping spree...

Debbie, Vicki, Lisa and I packed into the Jeep and took off to complete the Shop Hop all in one day (wasn't planned that day...we just got overzealous like that).  We even hit 2 shops along the way that weren't even part of the event (but, alas, one was closed).

Here's the beginning of my weekend haul.  I purchased a bunch of stuff...that's what happens when I make a list.  My wallet is much better off without one!  I'm collecting lots of tone-on-tones always, but the greys, aquas and one red is for my 4-patch Revisited project.  The double pinks I have been collecting forever and will eventually be for Double Delight.  The purples are for a wedding quilt for DH and I (one of these days, but I'll keep collecting...it's only been almost 21 years since our wedding day...maybe for our 25th???).  The Miami Heat fabric will go into a huge pillow for one of my triplet nephews.  The top green patterned fabric also has a plan!

These scrap bags were only $1(homespun), $2 (Christmas), & $3 (Civil War)...and they contained a nice amount of fabric...a great deal!  That scrap pile was all gifted to me on my trip...some I got from one of the shops, but most of it came from my good friend, Vicki (along with a couple of jars of her delicious hot pepper relish---yum!).  I picked up a few other necessities?!?!  And on Saturday, we went up to Barnett to visit the Mennonite shops where I bought a bunch of fabric and the poly batting I use for many of my charity quilts.  The rulers and calculator were freebies from my Bernina shop (where I took my machine in for a tune-up while I was up there)!  Wheew.....all-in-all it was a really fun weekend!

Bowdacious!

 Bowdacious! is finally finished!

If you've been following my blog for any amount of time, you already know that I've been working on Bowdacious! since January of last year.  I started it as one of three projects for RSC13.  This is the second one that is complete.  The other I am still working on this year as my only RSC14 project.

Bow-Dacious! is a pattern by Bonnie Hunter published in her book Adventures with Leaders & Enders.  I quilted my version with an edge-to-edge Twirly Feathers pantograph by Hermione Agee.

Linking up to Sew Darn Crafty, BOMs Away, Scrap Basket Sunday, and Can I Get a Whoop Whoop? 

March UFO Goal

This month I am going to attempt to tackle this quilt project:

These signature blocks were gifted to me by the ladies of the Gone To Pieces quilt guild in St. Robert, MO when I left to move to Illinois.  Each guild member signed a block and many wrote heartfelt things about our friendships, thanks for this or that, and well wishes for my new home.

I totally love these blocks and that they are each made from different fabrics!  The dilemma...how should these be set?  There are no "seam allowances" on the neutral corners, so once sewn in, they will have a sort of snowball shape.  Should the have another round of corners?  sashings? Any and all ideas are welcome on this one!  

 Hmmm, well, whatever I choose to do with them, these will be something by the end of the month!

Linking up with A Lovely Year of Finishes for this UFO goal setting day.