Sapphire Stars by Kevin the Quilter

Have you heard that Kevin the Quilter is hosting a new scrappy mystery quilt over on his blog?  Well, he is!  Check out his blog here:  Kevin the Quilter

Sapphire Stars (photo courtesy of Kevin the Quilter)

And here are all the clues you'll need to make his wonderful quilt:
Sapphire Stars - Intro
Sapphire Stars - Clue 1
Sapphire Stars - Clue 2
Sapphire Stars - Clue 3
Sapphire Stars - Clue 4 Surprise!
Sapphire Stars - Clue 5
Sapphire Stars - Clue 6 The Big Reveal!

For fun stuff happening today in the blog-o-sphere, check out the link-ups on my sidebar!

~ Heather ~

July & Q3 Goals

Q3 (July-September 2017) Finish Along Goals: 

1.  Crumb Along (Jo's Country Junction)
2.  That 70s Quilt Re-Do
3.  Spoolin' Around (Bonnie Hunter)
4.  Split 9-Patch (Bonnie Hunter)
5.  Holiday Blossoms (Doug Leko) 
6.  Reflections (Suzn Quilts) 
7.  Log Cabin Variation (charity)
8.  Christmas Stockings x5 (Kim Diehl) 
9.  T-Shirt Quilt 
10.  Crazy Quilt Pillow 
11.  Patriotic Stars (charity)

Crumb Along
carried over from 2016 - still needs more blocks

That 70s Quilt!
carried over from 2016 - needs to be disassembled and blocks repaired

Spoolin' Around
blocks finished - ready to be assembled

Split 9-Patch
blocks finished - ready to be assembled

Holiday Blossoms
top finished - ready to be quilted

Reflections
top finished - ready to be quilted

Log Cabin Variation
quilted - ready for binding

Christmas Stockings x5
partially cut out - needs a lot of work

T-Shirt Quilt
t-shirts prepped - blocks ready to be made

Crazy Quilt Pillow
2 blocks made - 4 more blocks needed

Patriotic Stars
top made - ready to be quilted

For fun stuff happening today in the blog-o-sphere, check out the link-ups on my sidebar!

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Fat Man Squeeze

Fat Man Squeeze was a quick, easy and fun jellyroll quilt.  The focus fabric is Bees'n'Blooms, but because jellyrolls don't always have enough light fabric included in the line for variation, I added a few extra strips of other Kansas Troubles and repro collections in similar tones.                   

 I love working with Kansas Troubles fabrics.  Most all of their collections include interchangeable colors that work together year after year, line after scrumptious line!

Have you ever noticed backing fabrics are so thin?  They even have a sheen sometimes.  The weave is really different from that quilting cottons we find on the 44/45" bolts for piecing.  Why is that?

i really enjoy picking out panto designs to quilt on each quilt. My machine is not computerized, so I tend to choose designs that do not overlap with relatively easy to follow lines.  I'm getting to the point where I only have 2 or 3 pantos that I haven't tried yet, so I guess it's time to order a few more.  Any favorites?

Once again, another finish from last year...this one was quilted and taken to Jackman's for display in April 2016 (and yes, I have it back now).  

Fat Man Squeeze

Designer:  Kathy Brown (Strip Smart Quilts)

Size: 44.25 x 55.5"

Featured Fabric Line: Bees'n'Blooms (Kansas Troubles for Moda)
Quilting:  Ambrosia (Hermione Agee)
Quilting Thread:  Fil-Tec Glide (Wheat)
Batting:  Legacy Wool

Disclosure: I received supplies to make this project from Jackman's Fabrics in Fairview Heights, IL.  The quilt will be hung as a shop sample in their store to promote sale of both the pattern and fabric lines.  In exchange, the quilt will be returned to me and becomes my property at the end of the promotion.  They did not require me to write a positive review of any of the products.  The opinions I have expressed are my own.  I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255 <http://www.access.gpo.gov/nara/cfr/waisidx_03/16cfr255_03.html> : “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”

For fun stuff happening today in the blog-o-sphere, check out the link-ups on my sidebar! <\br>

Variegated Spools

Based on the Spools quilt pattern by Missouri Star Quilt Company, I created this Variegated "strippy" Spools quilt.  The only significant change I made was to use scrappy strings where the pattern called for 2.5" strips to make the thread!

As you can imagine, it was a really fun quilt to make...and better yet, it helped to clean a ton of those thin little strips out of my scrappy color bins (and, yes, they're already overflowing again - aren't yours?)!

I quilted this cute quilt with an all-over free motioned double loop to kinda feel like the thread was unraveling off of the spools all over the quilt.  In retrospect, I wish I had used several different thread colors to do this, but you know how it is...when you get it to that point, all you want is to have it done!  And speaking of done, I'm really late blogging about this one, it was done in March of 2016 - LAST YEAR!  Yes, I'm still catching up on blogging my finishes...wonder when you'll get to see what I'm currently working on, hehe!

Variegated Spools

Designer:  adapted from Spools by Missouri Star Quilt Company

Size: 82x82"

Featured Fabric Line: scrappy, scrappy
Quilting:  allover freehand double loop
Quilting Thread:  Fil-Tec Glide (Willow)
Awarded:  2nd Place Bed Quilt, 2015-16 President's "Bee Creative" Greeting Card Challenge 
Ties, Needles & Threads Crafter's Guild, Glen Carbon, IL

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Quilting with Laura

Last Spring, Dennis, the Andover national sales representative visited Jackman's Fabrics and gave a presentation regarding their Little House on the Prairie fabric line.  The Andover presentation are so fun and informative - if you ever have a chance to sit in on one, do it!  Over the last few years, we were lucky enough to have 2 Downton Abbey presentations, as well as the Little House on the Prairie show.

I staked my claim on the fabrics early on, as soon as I knew they were being ordered for the shop, and I was asked to provide a few quilts for the presentation and display.  Along with Country Haven, Lunch Box Social, and the Carpenter's Star, I made this quilt, Quilting with Laura from all of the tiny leftover scraps.

I've had this book for many years (it was first published in 1999) and after seeing my friend Vicki's beautiful purple bed-sized version of the quilt, I had a renewed interest in making it.  I love scrappy quilts and I also love sampler quilts; this little doll quilt is the perfect combination of both!  It wasn't until I learned about Andover's licensing of the Little House on the Prairie images that I decided that, of course, now was the time!

The pattern book is a bit tough to follow.  There are pretty good directions for most of the blocks included in the quilt.  I did have to do quite a bit of math, though.  There was some simple counting to figure out how many of each block I would have to make, but again, that was the easy part.  When it came to piecing the whole top together, the author gives a primitive diagram that includes finished border sizes.  I spent many hours with blocks on the design wall figuring measurements for filler strips and block frames to make everything fit together nicely.  It was worth it - I finished the little quilt up with a little meander and I am so pleased with the outcome!

Quilting with Laura

Designer:  Linda Halpin (Simple Appeal)

Size: approx. 37x46

Featured Fabric Line: Little House on the Prairie (Andover)
Panto:  allover small meander
Quilting Thread:  Madeira AeroQuilt (8010 - White)

Disclosure: I received supplies to make this project from Jackman's Fabrics in Fairview Heights, IL.  The quilt will be hung as a shop sample in their store to promote sale of both the pattern and fabric lines.  In exchange, the quilt will be returned to me and becomes my property at the end of the promotion.  They did not require me to write a positive review of any of the products.  The opinions I have expressed are my own.  I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255 <http://www.access.gpo.gov/nara/cfr/waisidx_03/16cfr255_03.html> : “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”

For fun stuff happening today in the blog-o-sphere, check out the link-ups on my sidebar!

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Bohemian Rhapsody

I LOVE this quilt!  It just made me smile when I finally put those last stitches into the binding back in March 2016.  I know it's not to everyone's taste - and to be honest, I have gotten a lot of wishy-washy feedback, but BasicGrey (the creator's of this fabric line) has been a favorite design company of mine since I discovered them in scrapbooking!

This is Bohemian Rhapsody made with the Mon Ami fabric line.  The pattern comes from the Book Country Girl Modern by Jo & Kelli of Jo's Country Junction, a really fun farmy-quilty-family blog to read!

A really simple  construction technique made this quilt really fun to make!  It's a great design for medium to larger scale prints - they really pop!  For the label, I showcased a few of the BasicGrey fabrics and finished it up by quilting a big daisy pattern all over. 

Bohemian Rhapsody

Designer:  Jo Kramer  &Kelli Hankin (Country Girl Modern)

Size: 80x70"

Featured Fabric Line: Mon Ami by BasicGrey (Moda)
Panto:  all over daisy (panto borrowed from Debbie Wilson)
Quilting Thread:  Glide (Sea Green)

Disclosure: I received supplies to make this project from Jackman's Fabrics in Fairview Heights, IL.  The quilt will be hung as a shop sample in their store to promote sale of both the pattern and fabric lines.  In exchange, the quilt will be returned to me and becomes my property at the end of the promotion.  They did not require me to write a positive review of any of the products.  The opinions I have expressed are my own.  I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255 <http://www.access.gpo.gov/nara/cfr/waisidx_03/16cfr255_03.html> : “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”

For fun stuff happening today in the blog-o-sphere, check out the link-ups on my sidebar!

Vintage Cherries

Why is it so hard to sit down at the computer and post about all of these projects?  So, why do I blog?  I blog so that I have a record of details of my creative endeavors (quilts, scrapbooking and even some of the photography of our trips).  So why do I find it so difficult to just take an hour out of my day to commit to this?  Well, as usual, I'm going to try harder!  I guess we'll see....

Here's Vintage Cherries...a quick and simple Irish Chain made with the Marcus Brothers line of Red is the New Neutral.  I made this as a shop sample for Jackman's Fabrics last spring.

Aside from the chain, backing and binding, this quilt is made strictly from fat quarters!  All those little black chaining squares are cut to the same size, so I had to be a bit careful in lining them up to be sure seams were nice and matched where the little  squares come together to create the large squares.  Otherwise, the construction of Vintage Cherries is easy peasy!

The pattern was a fun to make.  I remember being so excited to sit down with these fun fabrics and make a traditional quilt with an updated look.  I finished it all up with a big cheerful sharp-pointed feathery pantograph in a thread matching all those reds to pull it all together.

Vintage Cherries

Designer:  Jeanne Large & Shelley Wicks (Fat Quarters)

Size: 61x73"

Featured Fabric Line: Red is the New Neutral (Marcus Brothers)
Panto:  Dusty Miller Grande (Patricia Ritter)
Quilting Thread:  Glide (Candy Apple)

Disclosure: I received supplies to make this project from Jackman's Fabrics in Fairview Heights, IL.  The quilt will be hung as a shop sample in their store to promote sale of both the pattern and fabric lines.  In exchange, the quilt will be returned to me and becomes my property at the end of the promotion.  They did not require me to write a positive review of any of the products.  The opinions I have expressed are my own.  I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255 <http://www.access.gpo.gov/nara/cfr/waisidx_03/16cfr255_03.html> : “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”For fun stuff happening today in the blog-o-sphere, check out the link-ups on my sidebar!

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Detained by Don Brown

Detained, by Don Brown, tells the story of two Lebanese nationals, Hasan Makari and his son, Najib.  Hasan has always loved everything about America, and he took Najib to see the U.S. Ambassador to Lebanon the day the U.S. Embassy was bombed.  When Najib finally makes it to the United States to visit Najib who serves in the U.S. Navy, the father and son are falsely accused of terrorism in association to the U.S. Ambassador’s death.  

Once Hasan and Najib are arrested, they are transported to Guantanamo Bay Prison Camp in Cuba where they are incarcerated with the possibility of execution.  Navy JAG Officer Matt Davis is assigned to the Makari’s case, and believes their innocence.  However, monumental opposition, political agendas, and corrupt TSA agents stand in the way of their freedom.  The Makari’s stay positive throughout their convection, and Hasan constantly reminds Najib that God has a plan for them despite the system being rigged.

While studying for the General Counsel for the Department of Homeland Security nomination, Emily Gardner, a TSA lawyer, discovers classified information that can expose the truth of the Makari’s convection in regards to a corrupt plan top power hungry officials have created in the TSA.  The question is, can she reveal the information before the Makri’s are executed while her own life is at stake?  

Once I got into the book (after the first chapter that was over 100 pages), Detained was a quick and easy read.  The author provides issues relevant to today’s discussions of military relationships, distrust in the government, and human rights (or the lack thereof) in Guantanamo Bay, and keeps up the suspense throughout the book.  Highly reminiscent of the themes from the movie A Few Good Men and the television series JAG, I consider Detained an entertaining book.

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from the publisher through the BookLook Bloggers <http://booklookbloggers.com> book review bloggers program. They did not require me to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255 <http://www.access.gpo.gov/nara/cfr/waisidx_03/16cfr255_03.html> : “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”



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