Project Quilting Season 8 - 8 Is Great

Season 8 of Project Quilting has stated! I always love this time of year. Really gets my quilting mojo going.

This first challenge is 8 is Great. Very fitting for Season 8. I knew exactly what I was doing as soon as I saw the challenge. I've been wanting to make an octopus quilt that I've had in my head for a while and this was the perfect time.

Happy Hugger is made with 2.5" squares and half square triangles. I used a bunch of my favorite nautical fabrics in grays for the background and blues for the body and legs. The back is actually a sheet I found on clearance that works perfectly.

I stitched around him and then free motion squiggled in the background.

He just makes me smile.

Happy Hugger
50" x 52"
Made in Lanoka Harbor, NJ

Dash Around the Goose

This week's Project Quilting challenge was to include the monkey wrench block and flying geese. I had such a busy week that I want sure what I was doing until Friday. Nothing like the last minute.

I pulled out a bundle of fabrics that I picked up at a show a couple years ago and started making some blocks. I went for simplicity wIth this quilt. Two of my monkey wrench, or churn dash, blocks are the opposite of the rest. The flying geese were created with the scraps from making the half square triangles.

I free motion quilted in the blocks and then around the outside of the quilt. It is machine bound with another print from my stash.

I'm loving the simplicity of this quilt.

Dash Around the Goose
41" x 46"
Machine pieced, quilted, and bound
Created by me in my home in Lanoka Harbor, NJ

I have to see that I am sad to see this season of Project Quikting come to a close, but I look forward to more fun in the future.

Here Fishy Fishy - Project Quilting Challenge 5

This weeks Project Quilting challenge was Through the Eyes of a Child.  We were to be inspired by children's artwork.  I had a few pieces to use to be inspired from, but kept coming coming back to one I made in 3rd grade.  They are thumbprint fish.  I remember making the project and being totally obsessed with fantail fish at the time.  I had a whole tank full of them.

I designed a fun quilt block and started making fish.  I made string tails and whole piece bodies and different fins.  I started with patterns the decided to see how it would look in solids and I loved it!  The background is pieced quarter log cabin blocks and bits and pieces to fill in gaps. So I finished this weeks quilt as an entirely solid quilt!  A total change for me.

I quilted swirly bubbles around the fish then bubble quilted in the body for texture and added wavy quilting lines in the tails, just like the picture.  I matched the bobbin thread to the top thread to add a fun surprise on the back.

Here Fishy Fishy
32" x  36"
Made of assorted solids
Created in my home in Lanoka Harbor, NJ

Life is Better at the Beach

This week's Project Quilting challenge was Vacation. My first thought when seeing that was the beach. Of course it took me until Friday to get started. And I started with 4.5" squares and quickly realized I would never finish on time. I switched to 2.5" squares and came up wIth this sweet baby quilt.

I love the scrappy mixed up background and anchor. I'm looking forward to getting back to the bigger one once some other projects are done.

Life is Better at the Beach
34" x 38"
Made in my home in Lanoka Harbor,  NJ

Tangled Thread - Project Quilting Challenge 3

Last night I finished up my Project Quilring Challenge 3 season 7 quilt. This week we were inspired by thread. All I could think about when I thought thread was a dropped bobbin box from last week. I had dropped one of my boxes, of course not the one that really holds the bobbin, but the old one and they were a mess. 

I took that idea and went with. Whole cloth mini quilt this week. I pulled from my stash of 12 weight Aurifil and pearl cotton and started stitching away. I started with a few circles and then added some random lines around them going here and there. 

This was a fun mini to make. I felt absolutely no pressure to make in any specific way and that was totally freeing. 

Tangled Threads

20" x 20"

Aurifil and Pearl Cotton on Kona white 

Pellon Corton Batting 

Made in Lanoka Harbor, NJ

Of course I had a helper when photographing my quilt. She seriously thinks all quilts are hers right now haha. 

Project Quilting Season 7 Challenge 2

It's challenge 2 of season 7 of Project Quilting. This weeks challenge is Seasons. I wasn't sure what to make then,while looking through some pictures, I was reminded of a birch tree quilt I made in the summer. I decided that was how I was going to roll with this challenge. 

I dug out my scraps from the past birch tree quilt and set to work. 

I represented each season; summer, fall, winter, and spring. 

Each season is quilted wih different designs being leaves, loopy snowflakes, flowers, and waves for the different seasons. The birch trees have a simple squiggle to mimic the bark. 

Birch Trees Through the Seasons

22" x 19.5"

Made in super snowy Lanoka Harbor, NJ 

My snow puppy Maggie helped when taking pictures of the quilt. 

Confetti and Streamers

Another year of Project Quilting has started. I always look forward to January for the new season. It jump starts my year of quilting.

Season seven is starting with a celebration. Confetti was our challenge inspiration. I jumped right in with batik 2.5" squares for my confetti and some strips to add in streamers. 

I did a free motion meander over the center where the squares are and a squiggle along the streamer border.  

It's backed with a coral color sid that lets the quilting stand out. 

There are a few half square triangles mixed in for fun too. 

I love how colorful the quilt turned out. I just kept pulling fromy batik scrap stash for this quilt. 

So excited for another year of Project Quilting. 

Confetti and Streamers 

44" x 54"

Batik scraps. 

Maggie wanted my attention when I was taking pictures. She makes me smile.