Project Quilting -Season 9-1 Hometown Proud

Project Quilting season 9 is here!I'm so excited to participate in another great year of challenges.  Challenge one is Hometown Proud.  We were asked to be inspired by our community.  I had such grand plans, that I will eventually finish, but this week had a bit too much going on so I switched to a smaller project.  

This project still shows my hometown.  I live on the Jersey Shore and I love all things pertaining to the water.  I love my nautical fabrics and projects.  Instead of the quilt I went with a cute nautical quilted tote bag with a starfish applique.  (This tote also holds 3 bottles of wine perfectly for those byo places, just an fyi ;) )

The front panel of the tote is made with 2.5" squares out of my nautical stash.  After I pieced them I quilted the panel directly to the batting with a free motion squiggle.  I then added the starfish applique.  The starfish is attached with the interfacing method then free motion quilted to secure it.  

I kept the back just a simple, quilting the piece to the batting so it would be the same thickness as the front. I loved the look of the lattice as the back of the bag.  

This little tote is fully lined and has has extra interfacing in the handles to keep them from stretching during use.  It is definitely perfect for my hometown pride.  I love my little town on the water and living so close to the beach.   

Nautical Tote

Created in Lanoka Harbor, NJ

My tote is around 12" x 12.5" plus the straps.  

Barnegat Lighthouse on the Barnegat Bay

Project Quilting - Time is Up

The final challenge of Project Quilting Season 8 is here and the topic is "Time is Up".  I struggled with this one, with the lyrics to Bruce Springsteen's Jersey Girl in my head, ""cause down the shore everything's alright."  It is always beach time here at the shore.  The beach is beautiful all year long, especially when the snow is covering the sand and the water meets the snow.  (A future beach photo shoot is in order)

So I decided a Jersey Quilt is the way to finish off this season of Project Quilting.  

Lots of nautical fabrics were used in this quilt, including some of my favorites and horded fabrics.  My lobsters are always in my nautical quilts.  But I added in my Moda nautical from my flying goose quilt, along with my sea horses and and loved Barnegat Bay fabrics, named for the bay where I live.  A blue rope print frames is perfectly as the binding.  

The back is a navy anchor print that was just perfect for this quilt.  I free motion quilted swirling waves all over this quilt.  Perfect for my Jersey Shore quilt.  

I am in love with this quilt.  I think it is the perfect quilt to finish this season of Project Quilting.  I'm sad that is it over , though.  Can't wait for next year!

'Cause Down the Shore Everything's Alright

48" x 64"

2.5" squares 

All cotton 

Created in Lanoka Harbor, NJ - On the Jersey Shore ;) 

Project Quilting -A Well Dressed Man

This weeks Project Quilting Challenge is A Well Dressed Man.  I was a little stumped at first, but then thought," Who needs a well dressed man when you have a well dressed bear"?  So I set to work to make my nephew's Duffy Bear a new suit.

I used Joey Bear as my model since he is just a little smaller than Duffy.  He had a little say in the design, too.

I quilted three layers of cotton together with close straight lines, using just cotton to try and keep the suit jacket from being too stiff.

Using the same pattern I drafted for his Hawaiian shit, I made the jacket, adding an extra collar for the lapel of the suit jacket.  I still HATE putting those sleeves in, but I feel it turned out super cute.  The pants were drafted from a baby legging pant pattern.  I had to add the tail hole in for Duffy's (and Joey's) tails.  The suit has a velcro closure with a button on the outside to add that dapper touch.  A little tie, attached with elastic, adds that finishing touch to his little suit.  

 

A little different than my standard Project Quilting finish, but still meets the challenge with the quilted suit coat.  And I think that my nephew will love Duffy's new suit.  

Duffy's Quilted Suit

Made with stash

Created in Lanoka Harbor, NJ

Project Quilting Season 8 - Brighter the Better

We are up to challenge 4 with Project Quilting this season and the challenge was "Brighter the Better".  Now, this was right up my alley.  I love bright colors. 

My mind went right to this great bundle of  batik fabrics that I was given from a friend.  I had no idea what I was going to use it in and this was the perfect challenge for it. 

I decided that a plus quilt would be perfect for this challenge, so I set to cutting out a ton of 2.5" squares from this bundle and my overflowing batik scrap stash.  As I worked I kept cutting more and more squares since I decided I was making this one to do double duty for PQ and the Scrap Quilt Challenge. 

I cut so many of my scraps, but it still looks like I didn't touch them! The quilt is free motion with a large meander all over the quilt.  The binding came from stash and has so many of the colors of the fabrics in the quilt in it. 

My On the Bright Side plus quilt measures 52" x 64" and is made up of 832 2.5" squares. 

I backed it with a mustard yellow print from my backing stash that was prefect for the quilt.  A little stained glass action in the sun, too. 

 

Photographed on a perfectly bright warm day this February. 

 

On the Bright Side
52" x 64"
95% scraps
All from stash
Made in Lanoka Harbor, NJ

Project Quilting Season 8 - Texture

I can't believe we are already in to February and challenge 3 of Project Quilting Season 8.  This weeks challenge was Texture.  Such a fun challenge that made me look for inspiration all around. 

My inspiration came from a few things.  On my sewing desk sits a Rubik's cube and an Alexander's Star.  The Alexander's Star has a great shape, with triangles facing all different directions.  These triangles look so much like flying geese.  Also, this week, I was making draft socks and filling them with ground walnut shells.  The texture reminded me of the sand on the beach.  Once these two came together my idea began to form.  

I pulled a background fabric that reminded me of mornings on the beach with the sun sparkling off the sand and pebbles sprinkled in.  For the colors of my geese I turned to my collection of sea glass.  I love the different shades of teals and blues that I have collected, even some green and white can be found in my jars.  

I began to build my mini quilt, starting with paper piecing curving and growing geese from my own patterns.  It is as if the sea glass geese are coming out of the sand.  

To add more texture to the sand I decided on a small stipple for the quilting.  Giving the feeling of the beach when the water recedes and a light texture remains on the wet sand.   

This Sea Geese mini quilt measures 19" x 21".  All the fabrics in it are batik, they add just the right amount of texture and variation to the colors that make them perfect for this mini.

Sea Geese
19" x 21"
Batik fabrics
cotton batting
Created in Lanoka Harbor, NJ

I just love how it looks through the back of the quilt with the sun shining, like stained glass. 

Project Quilting Season 8 - Carolina Lily

Another week of Project Quilting is completed. This week's challenge was to be inspired by the Carolina Lily. The Carolina Lily looks a lot like the tiger lily that grows in our yard, also know as carrot flowers for how they look before they bloom.

While flipping through a sketchbook at the beginning of the week I came across the perfect quilt idea that reflected on the shape of the Carolina lily quilt block. I decided that would be my quilt for this challenge. I pulled a number of floral inspired fabrics and set to work.

Half square rectangles frame the center nine patch with the half square triangle stem. The feathered quilting and swirl quilting helps to separate the different sections.

The baking is a cute floral print with lilies and a few cute kittens.

My Lily Garden quilt finishes at 39"x39". The perfect size baby quilt.

Lily Garden

39"x39"
All cotton fabrics from my stash
Created in Lanoka Harbor, NJ

 

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