Stashbee September

September is here already and I have my blocks from my bee mates.  This month Helen has asked for a fun Irish chain block in specific colors.  I chose red and purple.

Stashbee August Bee-crashing

Since it is my month I was feeling a bit lost so I jumped on board another groups hive and made a couple plus blocks for Rose in New Jersey.

Stashbee August

This month is my month for stashbee. I've designed my own quilt and I am excited to have my bee mates make me blocks for it.  Here is my tutorial for this quilt if you are interested in creating this for yourself.  I am a lover of circles, which is where this idea came from. 

We are going to low volume with colorful circles.

This is my vision for this quilt.  As you can see there are blocks with circles and some without.

For the low volume I would prefer more white based than cream.

For the circles I would like teal, aqua, light green,... colors like in this selection

To make this block you will need 

2 different - 6.5” x 12.5” low volume rectangles 

Small pieces for circles. (I’m showing reverse appliqué, but you can do your favorite method) 

Using freezer paper, cut circles in the sizes wanted.

Iron the freezer paper, shiny side down, to the back of the the low volume fabric.  (Make sure to leave enough room on the sides for seam allowance so we don't cut the circle when the blocks are sewn together.) 

Cut a hole in the middle of the freezer paper in the low volume fabric leaving a half inch border.  Snip the fabric almost to the edge of the freezer paper.

Glue back the tabs of the low volume to the freezer paper.  Then, glue the circle fabric to the tabs. 

Flip the low volume over and pull up the fabric. You will be stitching in the folded edge between the front low volume and the tabs, your presser foot will be on the freezer paper.  

Trim the circle fabric to match the half inch of the tabs and remove the freezer paper.

Give the fabric a good press and you have your circle block.  

You can do as many circles as you would like on the fabrics.  Two on one side, one on the other or one and one, or three and none.  I will leave it up to you.  

At this point you can sew the two pieces of low volume together or you can leave them separate for me to mix into the quilt.

I'm excited to see all the circle blocks you all come up with.

Interfacing method for circle applique 
Raw edge applique method

Stashbee June block

Another month and another stashbee block.  Hard to believe the year is already half over!  This month my block will be heading to Sara in California.  Sara chose a great block in pink lemonade colors. 

May Stashbee

May already and Stashbee for this month is headed to California to RobinSue.  Robin Sue has chosen scrappy string blocks which I love. 

April Stashbee

April stashbee is headed to Heather in Oregon.  Her block this month she chose a scrappy trip around the world block using mustard and blue in the center with scrappy as the rest. Looking forward to these blocks together.

March Stashbee

March stashbee is headed to Stephanie in MS.  I love the block she chose, a Christmas tree block is such a fun block and will look great once put with all the others. 

Project Quilting 10.6: Craving Chocolate

The final week of project quilting for 2019 and the challenge is Craving Chocolate.  It took a bit to figure it out and I decided on Easter candy. 

I love those malted milk eggs, the are so yummy and colorful.  And how can you go wrong with a chocolate bunny.  So my project is two new potholders for the kitchen. 

The back of the potholders have grass fabric, perfect for Easter candy.  I used batiks for both potholders ans insulbright for the center.

My Easter Candy potholders were made in Manchester, NJ

project quilting 10.5 Abecedarius Challenge

Another week of project quilting is upon us and this weeks challenge is a little challenging for me.  10.5 is Abecedarius, which is about the alphabet.  I took a bit to decide on the project, but then I saw a great pillow at a friends house and was inspired. 

Inspiration Pillow

I used her pillow as my inspiration for my B for Bunny pillow.  I cut flowers out of a charm pack and laid them on an outline of a bunny on my Heat and Bond lite.  I cut and cut and cut until I filled the bunny's body.

Then I fused the bunny to the background and echo quilted the bunny down and then the background.  I then added my B for the bunny. 

I love my little B for Bunny pillow, perfect for Easter. 
Created in Manchester, NJ

February Stashbee

Thismonth for stashbee we were asked for scrappy x plus blocks in blue and coral with gray accent.  I hope Sharon in Texas enjoys this block.

 

Every Which Way Pinwheel Tutorial

So I love playing with new blocks and seeing what I can come up with.  So for stash bee 2017 and 2018 I had my bee mates make me my Every Which Way Pinwheel block that I came up with. 

For the color pallet I am chose mustard, navy/dark blue, and dark gray. 

The background pieces are low volume. Since it is super scrappy block you can use a mixture of these.

Fabrics to be cut:
12 assorted 5.5" x 3" colors for goose body
12 matching pairs of low volume (background) 3"x 3 " for flying geese (24 blocks in total)
4 assorted low volume (background) 3" x 5.5"
4 assorted low volume (background) 3" x 3"

To make the geese we will be using the flip, flip, and finish method.  Draw diagonal lines on the back of the 3" square pairs for the geese.  With right sides together align a square with the side of the goose fabric, stitch on the drawn line.  

Cut 1/4" away from drawn line and press out.  Repeat with matching square for each goose.  

Lay out the blocks for each quarter of the block.  You can press the seams to one side as you assemble.  

Once you have all 4 quarters together, press the last, middle seam open to reduce bulk.  The block should measure 15.5" x 15.5".

And there you have my every which way pinwheel.  Thanks so much!

Hope you like the block.  

Project Quilting 10.4 Pixel Play

This weeks Project Quilting hosted by Kim at Persimon Dreams  is all about Pixel Play.  I lovepixel quilts, especially my nautical ones.  Though, because of my surgery recovery I had to keep it small this week.  I knew exactly what I wanted to do, I decided to do my anchor quilt is super mini size.

I started by pulling out scraps from cutting my 2.5" nautical squares and cut them down to 1.25".  Pulled out my pattern and started laying out my quilt. 

I used the interfacing method for this mini quilt, where I lay my squares on the interfacing and then press as I go. 

 I sewed up all my seams then added a scrappy border.  Matchstick quilting completed the mini quilt.  I bound it in a darker gray to frame my little quilt.  Those little squares are .75" each.

My mini anchor quilt finishes at 14" x 15"
Created in Manchester, NJ

Project Quilting 10.3

Another fun week of Project Quilting is happening and this week's challenge is "Bigger than a Breadbox".  The size restriction was bigger than 16" x 8".  A little thinking and talking with my mom we came up with the perfect project, a sewing machine cover for her.

I chose some low volume and pretty colors and got started with 2.5" squares.  We measured the machine, over from the back to the front, and side to side, coming up with 18" x 32 inches and adding ties around 7" up on each side.

I did some straight line quilting on either side of the seams, enhancing the squares.  

 I love how this turned out.  So simple but perfectly functional.

Sewing Machine Cover

18"x32"

Created in Manchester, NJ