A potential UFO (but hopefully not)

One thing I love to work on in the summer months is embroidery. It is a lightweight craft that travels easily and can really be done almost anywhere. I've been really wanting a sampler embroidery type quilt for a while and have wanted to keep it a simple black and white.

So when I needed a quick project to take with me on a day trip I decided to whip up a block and see what I could do with it. I used my quilting stencils as my design and made the blocks rather large. Pictured is actually the second block that I've been working on. I finished the first one a while back and have been making steady progress on this one.

It is so easy and is a nice relaxing project to work on while sitting in the grass now that the days are getting warm enough for me to be outside. I have yet to decide how large this will end up being, but I'm kinda making it up as I go.

As for it's potential to be a UFO, that will come once the top is finished and I will have to work on actually quilting it. That's where a lot of my quilts go through a UFO phase. But someday it will get done, it's all a matter of when.

Sweet Baby Gifts (pt 2)

 To go along with the receiving blanket from yesterday's post, I made this super-duper simple and girly quilt. Again, being short on time, I opted for a really easy, basic quilt design.

The new mommy is a Hello Kitty fanatic! So when I saw this pink, cutesy fabric, I knew I had to get it. I got a yard and a half of the Hello Kitty print, one yard each of pink and white, and matching binding. Naturally, there was plenty of the pink and white left over because it's always nice to have some solid colors around.

I used all the Hello Kitty print though - three strips on the front and then the rest as the back of the quilt. The HK strips were about 5" finished, the pink about 4" and the white stripes are all 2" finished by the width of the fabric. The finished quilt size was about 35"x 43".

The only thing I didn't get a picture of was the back - which is just the HK fabric bordered by the solid pink. In total this quilt took me about three days to finish given the limited time I had. You can see that I used simple straight line quilting. Really, if I had a good day to work on a quilt and needed to have one finished, this is the design I would use.

This is also a great beginner quilt. It is simple and can easy be made in to a more striking design by using more vibrant or contrasting patterns than the ones I've used.

In the end, the new mommy loved the quilt, and I had the honor of giving the new baby her very first Hello Kitty blanket!

Almost done...

The quilt is in the home stretch. With the blocks being pieced and put together, the size of the blanket is becoming clear and I can start seeing how my seam allowance wasn't exactly perfect. Of course, I didn't really stress about keeping them perfect. But that's okay.

I actually like the little imperfections that can be found in this quilt. I like them because they add to the homemade feel. I like that the imperfections show that someone took the time to make it rather than just went out and bought it. So, if you are kinda new to sewing or trying this style for the first time, don't stress about imperfections! Take pride in what you do, practice it and you will do just fine.

Okay, now that the little pep talk is done, I gotta show you the next step in the process. Clipping the seams is one of the last steps in the process. This step helps the material fray and become soft. It gives it the classic rag quilt look. You can see that I opted to have the seams on the denim side. I thought, when cuddling under the blanket, having the soft and flannel close to the body would be so much nicer.

Clipping the fabric can be pretty tedious. It seems to be much easier with the wider seam allowance. Especially if you separate the layers. I noticed in researching the process, the pictures of people clipping the seams all made it look so easy. Using the tips of the scissors like you could just sail right through it.

Well, you can't. The only way to really use just the tips of the scissors is to cut each layer of material individual. At least, that is the way it worked for me. That would have taken way too long. So, being very careful, I cut through all four layers by moving the seam further down the scissors. Yes I had to be much more careful, but I think it helped me get through it faster.

Anyway, tomorrow I will show you the finished product and give you some points based on what I learned through the process.

Let the Sewing Begin...

 Now that all the squares are cut, it is time for me to get to work sewing everything together. Here you can see two of the blocks I have assembled. (One is flannel side up and the other is denim up.)

You can see the quilt pattern is a super simple checkerboard. I really like this because this quilt doesn't need to be extra difficult to put together, just warm when it's done.

From my research I learned that you don't really have to do any traditional quilting on these types of throws. I opted to sew an "X" through each 6.5" block before assembling my finished blocks. I did this pretty much just for looks, and to help me hold my material straight as I pieced the blocks together.

The second picture is a close up of the back of the block. As you can see, I wasn't stressed about getting everything lined up perfectly. I feel this type of project will be fairly forgiving, of course I won't know for sure until I am all the way done.

At any rate, I am piecing this as I would any other quilt, except I am using a roughly 1/2" seam allowance. All that extra allowance is what will be frayed and fuzzy looking in the finished project. So far, I am happy with how this is going together, but I will have to see how I feel after putting some of the blocks together. I am noticing that sometimes, just because of the thickness of the materials, these can be a little difficult to get through the sewing machine.

When all the blocks are done, it will be time to assemble the whole quilt. I will work on that part tomorrow. For now, I'll focus on getting my twenty blocks (made from 80 smaller blocks) finished. Then I'll start being happy that it is almost done!

The Tedious Part...

I'm one of those people that loves instant gratification. Today's part of the quilt was a little difficult for me, just because it was so tedious! I had to cut all the material!!! I know - it's hardly traumatic for a person that enjoys quilting, I just don't like it.

Anyway, I decided to use 6 1/2" squares for my quilt. For the 44"x55" quilt, I figured I would need about 80 total squares, so I set to work cutting my 6.5" squares out of both the denim and the flannel.

 Here you can see that each stack is about the same height, which might hint at the fact that I used a lightweight denim. All the denim squares were cut from the legs of the pants.

(I am working on a project for the pockets that were left over. I really don't like wasting anything that I can use. Stay tuned and see how that works out!)

In the close up picture you can also see the different shades of denim. You will notice that there is a total of 40 yellow flannel squares and 20 of each red and brown. The reason for this is that I had more yellow on hand.

From what I have gathered, denim and flannel quilts each lend themselves nicely to simple square patterns. So that is what I am going with - a nice simple checkerboard pattern.

Once you have your squares cut, take a break. I did! Tomorrow we start sewing, which won't be that difficult, but again a little time consuming. Of course, by the end of the week, it will be nice to have a quilt to cuddle under. I will just keep reminding myself that the gratification may not be instant, but it still won't take that long!

Sewing Like Crazy (pt 3)

This last quilt top needs a little applique work done, so I guess technically, it's almost finished but close enough to share. The inspiration for this design came from wandering around Pinterest. I came across THIS PICTURE and knew it would be a perfect Christmas present for my brother's girlfriend. She collects foxes and I thought this might be a nice addition to that collection.

You can see mine is a bit different from the picture, just in some of the shapes and color tones.The reason for this is I had to figure out the pattern on my own. Afterall, all I had was a picture, no instructions or measurements. I used about a yard of the red, two fat quarters of the off-white beige color and about two yards of the black. The fox is made out of mostly 9" blocks. 

The red sashing was my brother's idea to dress up the empty black space around it. All in all, I'm very pleased with how this turned out and am even considering making another one for myself. If anyone would like a tutorial on how I made the fox, please leave a comment and I will get to work on it!

Sewing Like Crazy (part 2)

Yesterday I shared an almost finished king size quilt. Today, I go down one size and show you a completed queen size quilt. This one is a Christmas gift for a special young man in my life and I really hope he likes it.

The pattern for this blue and black quilt was adapted from a baby quilt that I shared back in August (and can be seen here). It was pretty simple to adapt the pattern, just a matter of doing some math. Personally, I'm very happy with how this quilt turned out, it is very bold in its shades of blue but still simple enough for a young man to enjoy.

 I used a total of sixteen fat quarters for the main part of the quilt, two of each fabric. Then I believe I used about two and a half yards each of the black and the light blue green used in the long bars and in the borders.

It was pretty simple to put this together, really just a matter of a straight seam, press it, add a straight seam. I think it took me about a day and a half worth of work to get this whole top completed.

Here you can see a little more detail of the fabrics I used. What I love about fat quarters is they aren't really that expensive and you can get some great variations in color and tone. Those variations are what really make this quilt stand out.

Plus, when using fat quarters, you can really mix and match your fabrics to get whatever look you like, without necessarily having to stick to a particular shade or tone.

Sewing Like Crazy Lately...

So, if you remember last week, I shared this Shining Quilt with you. It is a Christmas present that I got finished for a special person in my family. Well, all I can say is sewing is pretty addictive. I have since finished two more quilt tops, have one that is almost finished and one that is in the process of being made. Granted they are only tops right now, but tops generally take the longest time with all the piecing involved. 

This week, I want to share some of the sewing I have been doing. I'm going to start with the one that is almost finished. It will be for my king size bed when it's done. Right now all that is left is to figure out a border to go around it to get it up to the right size. My hubby loves the colors in this quilt and the very simple pattern that I used. 

 Sorry the first picture is sideways, but I still haven't quite gotten that figure out. Anyway, right now it is just about the right size for a queen bed, but as I said, I need a good border that will make it perfect for our king.

This one is not a high priority right now just because it is not a Christmas present - it might have been in the hubby didn't see already. But it will get done within the next month or two. I am even considering making it in to a cover for our down comforter, but haven't decided 100% yet.

Below is a close up of the fabrics I used. These have been in my stash for quite a while because I wasn't sure what I wanted to do with them. I was fortunate enough to find some more of the black with the swirly pattern at my local Joann's.

I also have an idea for the back of this quilt that will make it more of a reversible quilt, I just have to sit down and really plan it all out. But for right now, my sewing machine is calling me...

A Shining Quilt

It is roughly 85 days till Christmas. I can't believe it is October already! Everyone here has been so busy that I have no idea where this year has gone. I know I might be jumping the gun a little bringing up Christmas, but I needed to get an early start. (Hey, it's not like I have decorations up or anything! That happens after Thanksgiving!)

We are a single income family and my hubby just changed careers, so Christmas might be very lean this year if I didn't start thinking about it now. It's not that we have extravagant gifts or even mountains of them every year, but we have a large family. Even just getting one thing per person can get pricey - so I started early, picking up one gift here and there and deciding on what I would make for everyone.  And there will be a lot of handmade. The goal was to spread the expense over as many months as I could rather than try to come up with a lot of money and time in December. I don't know about you, but none of my bills can be put off in December, they still have to be paid regardless of the holiday.

So, this is the first hand made gift I've completed of the year. I showed you one block a couple of weeks ago, and thanks to a week of sewing like crazy, I have it finished! YAY! One down, only about four more quilts to finish! The recipient collects lighthouses and loves the coast, so I embroidered lighthouses on blocks and chose warm beachy browns and cool blues.

 

Getting those blocks framed and set was a pain, but worth it for the overall quilt. I finished it with some basic (crooked) straight line quilting. I don't know that I will do another one like this, layout at least, until I've forgotten how much a pain this was!

A quilt in progress...

So I am the only one planning for Christmas already? I hope not. With my husband retiring from the military and starting his second career, money is going to be tight and our already limited budget is about to get more limited. I want to give my family a nice Christmas, so I have started my shopping now and get a few things here and there as I can afford them.

My favorite gifts to give are always the handmade ones. This year I am making one person a quilt with hand stitched lighthouses at the center of each block. This is the first one I have almost finished. There are two more embroidery blocks to finish and then to start adding borders and piecing.

There will be a total of eight lighthouses, so I have to come up with something for the center of my nine block quilt. I'm actually kind of excited to see how this one turns out. It's been a while since I've done a quilt like this. It should be done before Christmas, and I am planning quilts for at least one other person, so lets see how this all turns out!

Wall Hanging...

I love doing needlework on road trips. It's a compact hobby that can produce some beautiful results. A couple years ago I started a wall hanging to commemorate my relationship with my husband. It consisted of squares depicting important memories from the time we were dating through our wedding.

I've had the needlework and piecing done for more than a year now but have never found the motivation to back, quilt and hang the quilt. Until now. With my attention being turned to my UFOs, this one is at the top of my list of things to actually finish. It realistically should not take long to complete. In fact, I bet I can have it done by the end of the week.

Happy Crafting All!

Another Crazy Quilt

This is the quilt that I made for my husband as a birthday present. I love this quilt myself - so snuggly and so easy. It is another design from the Crazy Short Cut Quilts book. He loves it because it actually covers him.

Next week I will post begin posting more information on how to make these quilts, so you can try one for yourself!

Happy Crafting All!

Hour Glass Block Tutorial

The Hour-Glass Block that is demostrated in this video from Missouri Star Quilt Co. can be used to create some very dramatic looking quilts. If you notice the quilt in the background on the video was made with Hour Glass and Nine-Patch blocks (which I posted the video about a couple of weeks ago). It is a very simple block that can be used to create very intricate looking designs and Jenny does a fabulous job of teaching how to make this block. Enjoy!



Happy Crafting All!

Half-Triangle Block

Triangles can be very intimidating if you are new to quilting. Cutting and piecing them seems so tricky when you start thinking about lining up the corners and points just right. Well, the ladies at the Missouri Star Quilt Co. have taken a lot of the mystery out of the Half-Triangle Block in this video. What a wonderful job Jenny does explaining the process and showing, step-by-step, how to make this traditional block as well as a couple of it's many uses.

Enjoy!



Happy Crafting All!

Four-Patch Quilt Block

Here is another wonderful video from the Missouri Star Quilt Co. I love their videos because they explain things so clearly and concisely - much better than I could! The Four-Patch Block is another basic block in quilting making and is very versatile. Have fun with it!



Happy Crafting All!

Nine-Patch Block Tutorial

I recently came across this fabulous series of how-to videos that beautifully illustrate how to make different basic quilt blocks. This series was put together by the ladies over at Missouri Star Quilt Shop. I'm sure you will find it incredibly helpful, and hopefully it will inspire you to get out the sewing machine and some beautiful fabrics and have fun!



Happy Crafting All!

Simple Quilting Resource

I love when I can finish a throw quilt in a day or two. That is no easy feat, but this book makes it possible. Think traditional crazy quilts on a large scale. It is so easy and fairly quick because you don't really have to worry about precise cutting. I've made two quilts from this book and I'm planning on making a few more for Christmas gifts.

If you are new to quilting and wanting something that can offer some instant gratification, this is the book for you. I've already recommended it to several people and they love it. For more information, be sure to check out the authors website and blog at http://www.crazyshortcutquilts.com/ .

Happy Crafting All!

Make A Quilt With Me, Wk 6

We are in the home stretch. Everything for your beautiful baby quilt is done - except the binding, the very last step.

Attaching the binding can be a very frustrating process for new quilters. I have been quilting for a few years and it is still the only part of the quilting process I truly dread. Rather than drag this out, lets get to the instructions so you can finish up that quilt!

First, you will need to get out those four 2.5" strips of Fabric B that you set aside all those weeks ago. You are going arrange them with right sides facing, to create an 'L' shape. Then you will draw a diagonal line as shown in the picture below.

Join the two pieces by sewing on the line you marked. Then trim the triangle of excess fabric and press the piece open. Repeat this step until you have all four strips connected into one long strip. Where you connect the strips should look like the picture below. Trim the ends at a 45 degree angle.

Once you have all four connected and the ends trimmed, it is time to press your binding. Fold the binding in half as you press to create a strip of material that is double thickness with the right side facing out. (This is where you can see the reasoning for connecting the strips with an angled seam. Once the fabric is folded in half, the seam will not over lap which reduces the bulk that you will be sewing through when you attach the binding.)


I have been contemplating the best possible way to explain the final binding process. I have realized that I probably could not write instructions that would be clear enough to guide you through this very important step. So, when you have finished assembling your quilt binding, please watch the video below with Eleanor Burns showing you how to finish binding your quilt.




The very last step to any quilt is sign it. I use a fabric marker and will write my name, pattern name, date the quilt was made and who it was for on the back of the quilt, generally along the binding. I like to keep the signature subtle and small on the back.

Now that your quilt is completed, it is time to sit back and enjoy the efforts of your hard work. You should be proud of yourself. It can be frustrating, but hopefully you made it through the whole process and have a beautiful baby quilt for your own little one or to give a very special gift.

Congratulations on completing the quilt! I hope you had fun!

Happy Crafting All!

Make A Quilt With Me, Wk 5

We are in the home stretch now! Of course, this is also where the quilt making can get a little tricky and very frustrating. These last steps will require a lot of patience. By now you have you quilt top completed and pinned to the batting and backing in a 'quilt sandwich' and you are ready to start quilting through the center.

One of the easiest ways to do the actual quilting is what's called 'stitch in the ditch.' This basically means you will be stitching next to (in the ditch) your block seams. I personally love this method because I have a very inexpensive sewing machine and straight lines are easier to do than trying to do fancy curves and designs.


Unroll your quilt on one side, just to the center seam. I prefer to start stitching in the center of the quilt and work my way out. The rolled part will stay under the throat of the machine as you sew a straight line down the center seam.

The biggest key here is to go slow. You may want to drop your dog (feeder) feet so you can guide the quilt through the throat and past the needle. I found that it helped me to leave my feet up - they aided in moving the material through a little more smoothly with less effort on my part.

For this week, take your time and sew all the straight seams between each of the 36 blocks. On the back, you will notice a grid pattern take shape. Once you have all the vertical seams sewn, rotate the quilt one quarter turn. This will make the vertical stitching you just finished horizontal. Roll half of the quilt and repeat the process. Make sure you also do the seam connecting the border to the squares.

That's it for this week. Again, TAKE YOUR TIME! Keep a slow, steady pace as you move the quilt through the machine and before you know it, it will be done.

Now is when you should be getting really excited! Next week will be the final step and once you've completed it, you'll have a beautiful quilt you can be proud of. Until then....

Happy Crafting All!

Make A Quilt With Me, Wk 4

If you have been following along with me, by now you have sewn all your blocks together in the pattern of your choice. Hopefully it all came together fairly easily for you and you are ready for this weeks instructions. Now, because lasts weeks instructions were a little involved, this weeks homework will be fairly easily.

The first step this week is to out four strips of Fabric B which were set aside when we started. You will need to sew one strip to each side of the quilt, adding the only border to the quilt. Press the top to smooth it out. Once you have that done, the top of your quilt is finished! You should be proud of yourself! You are half way to having a completed quilt ready for your own little one or to give as a gift.

Now, get out your backing material (Fabric D), and your batting. It is time to make your quilt sandwich. You are going to need a fairly large area to work. I will generally lay everything out on the floor at this point, however if you have enough space on your dining room table, I would recommend using that surface.

First, you'll need to press your backing material flat. Lay it out on the work surface. Then open up your batting, unroll and unfold it, smoothing it over the backing material. Use your hand to smooth it over the entire backing material; it will sort of adhere to the back material and not slip too much. Next, lay your quilt top over the batting and smooth it down with your hand as you did the batting.
Once you have it all smoothed and flattened, grab your safety pins and start pinning through all three layers. I prefer to use safety pins for this step because, even though they are a little more work to get on and off, I don't have to worry about stabbing myself on a straight pin while I'm working.
As you can see, I put one safety pin in the center of each fence rail block and along the border. You really need to use a lot of pins so that your materials don't shift and move around as you are quilting. Nothing is more frustrating than working so hard to quilt the layers together only to find out it shifted and won't lay flat once it is done.
After you it is pinned, trim the backing and batting to 1.5" - 2" larger than the quilt top, all the way around. Then, starting from one side, start rolling the quilt like cinnamon rolls. Go ahead and roll the entire quilt and set it aside until next week. As I said, this week is pretty simple. It is very important though, that you roll the quilt from this point on. If you fold the quilt in half, you risk shifting the material or allowing the batting to bunch or crinkle. This can cause problems when you are quilting with your machine.
So that's it for this week. Now you have a good idea of what your quilt look and feel like. You can feel the actual weight and texture of finished quilt. Next week we will do the actual quilting through all three layers of your quilt sandwich! Until then...

Happy Crafting All!!