Regatta

Are you ready for another stop on the Stash Statement blog hop?  This week features the Regatta quilt, and the background is full of soothing blue and aqua, with just a touch of teal to depict ocean water.

The variation in the shades of blue add amazing depth and movement to the water, and provide the perfect setting for the Kona Red and Corn Yellow racing sailboats.  I quilted this one with a very dense stipple with Aurifil 50 wt. White, and the crinkly texture also adds some great movement to the quilt.

For the back of this quilt, I pulled this soothing blue print from my stash, along with Kona Navy and more Corn Yellow.  This shade of denim blue is really perfect for this quilt, and the little print adds just enough interest.

I used plenty of my leftover blue strip scraps for a scrappy binding, and it disappears right into the quilt, which really is cool.

One of the great things about the quilts in Stash Statement is how easy it is to work on them as a longer term project if you prefer.  I generally like get down to business and sew my improv pieces together in a couple of days, but I have known quilters who prefer to sew a few blocks together here and there, pulling a handful of scraps out between projects.  

You can work on these quilts the same way some quilters put together string blocks or postage stamp blocks- but there is one BIG difference.  You don't have to do any additional cutting beforehand for improv blocks!  You can just grab a handful of scraps and start sewing!  I promise, it's easier than it looks, and the book walks you through the process with step-by-step instructions and three easy methods.  Everyone can do this!

Debbie at A Quilter's Table and Susan at Quilt Fabrication are sharing their own gorgeous versions of the Regatta quilt today, so head over there to check them out!

Ready to start turning your scraps into unique quilts, filled with amazing texture and interest?  You can get a signed copy of Stash Statement from my Etsy shop HERE.  The book is also available from Amazon, Connecting Threads, ShopMartingale.com, or ask about it at your local quilt shop.

Here's the full blog tour lineup!

4/16- Grand Bazaar    Shelley @ Cora's Quilts

                                      Connie @ Freemotion by the River

4/23- Louvered  Lindsey @ Primrose Cottage Quilts 

                            Diann @ Little Penguin Quilts

4/30- Precarious  Jess @ Quilty Habit                       

                              Myra @ Busy Hands Quilts

                                                            

5/7- Beach Retreat  Sarah @ Sarah Goer Quilts                               

                                  Liz @ Savor Every Stitch 

                                                           

5/14- Fire Pit   Alison @ Little Bunny Quilts                                          

                         Preeti @ Sew Preeti Quilts

                                                            

5/21- Detour    Laura @ Slice of Pi Quilts                         

                         Shelley @ The Carpenter's Daughter Who Quilts

                                                            

5/28- Murrina    Yvonne @ Quilting Jetgirl             

                            Leanne @ Devoted Quilter

                                                            

6/4- Scattered    Jayne @ Twiggy and Opal                      

                           Christine @ Triangles and Squares 

                                                            

6/11- Bloom Chicka Boom   Chris @ made by ChrissieD            

                                               Michelle @ From Bolt to Beauty

                                                            

6/18- Regatta   Susan @ Quilt Fabrication                             

                          Debbie @ A Quilter's Table    

                                                            

6/25- Catch a Falling Star  Cynthia @ Quilting is More Fun Than Housework        

                                              Anja @ Anja Quilts

                                                            

7/2- College Prep   Hilary @ by Hilary Jordan                 

                                Lori @ Crossquilt

                                                            

7/9- Take Flight (free bonus pattern)  Kelli @ Seriously, I Think It Needs Stitches 

                                                             Paula @ The Sassy Quilter

 

Three Finished

Well, it made me a little bit crazy to have three WIP's going on at once, but I have to admit that since they were all similar, it went more quickly that I expected.  I know that three WIP's is nothing compared to some of you, but I usually only work on one quilt at a time!  From cutting the shirts to delivering the finished quilts to my friend, it took one week to get them done, and I just might be persuaded to work this way more often.

If you missed my last post, these quilts are made from the shirts of my friend's late husband.  The first two quilts are for her granddaughters, and are the most similar, both using HST's and measuring 48 inches square.

The third quilt is for my friend herself, and I made it a little bit bigger, measuring 54 x 57 inches.  She loved the fact that all of the logos and pockets are incorporated into hers.

I kept the backing and binding the same for all three quilts.  The Kona Navy is the perfect frame for the shirts, and the chambray backing with the stripe of scraps fits the feel of the quilts perfectly!  Some of the shirts had a thicker woven texture, so I quilted these with a wide stipple so that the quilt would drape nicely without being too stiff.

I'm so glad I was able to make these quilts for her and her granddaughters.  She absolutely loved them, and I know they'll be treasured for many, many years to come.

A Few Things

Happy summer, my friends!  Yes, I know that the official start of summer isn't until June 21st (ish), but Memorial Day weekend always feels like the kickoff of summer to me.  I also wrapped up the school year yesterday, so life feels pretty free and easy right now.

On that note, I have some exciting news to share.  I have decided to leave teaching, and spend more time pattern designing, as well as some additional commission quilting.  I can't wait to experience all of the fun stay-at-home-mom-benefits that this new flexibility will allow as well.  This is a giant leap, but one I felt I needed to take.

On this glorious first day of summer, I have finished the two preemie donation quilts for the local children's hospital.  The first quilt is made from the leftovers from my Bubble Bath quilt.  I sewed the scraps together using my improv method, then created half square triangles with white.  I've never laid out HST's like this before, and I think it is so fun!  The backing is a pretty gray quatrefoil, and I love the pink binding on it.  This quilt measures 40 inches square.

Incidentally, my Bubble Bath quilt is entered in the Original Design category in the Blogger's Quilt Festival over at Amy's Creative Side.  Voting opened yesterday, and I would love to have your vote in that category!

The second preemie quilt is made from leftover strips from my First Light quilt.  It is 40 inches square as well.  I thought the gray and aqua chevron was just perfect for the backing, and this one has a soft gray crosshatch binding that blends right into the quilt.

I think I've written about this before, but in case you aren't aware, being able to donate these quilts holds a very special place in my heart.  My son was just 3 lbs. 10 oz. at his tiniest, and stayed in the NICU for 5 weeks.  He will turn 11 in a couple of weeks, so those days are long gone, but they will never be forgotten.  It makes my heart so happy to be able to give these tokens of comfort to families who are experiencing such a tough time.

Preppy Plaid Chevrons

I am finished with the fourth (and final) memory quilt- Preppy Plaid Chevrons!  And I couldn't be happier with the way it turned out.  If I could have gone to the coast to take beautiful photos near sailboats and blue water I would have, but alas, living in Tennessee that is not really an option.

The thing about a chevron quilt is that you don't need a ton of fabric variety, but you do need a decent amount of each fabric.  I only used nine of the shirts on this one, and I added the navy and white.  The chevrons took the entire back panel from each shirt (which is what was left).  Since that only gave me about 48 inches in width, I needed the navy stripes on either side to make the size more consistent with the other three memory quilts- about 60 x 60 in.

Although I wasn't sure how I would like the navy stripes, I'm really pleased with them!  I'm glad I chose to add them to the sides only though, so the dark fabric doesn't frame the chevrons too much.

As with Western Kaleidoscope, Bricks and Mortar, and Going Camping, Preppy Plaid Chevrons has a Kona Coal backing with a chambray stripe, Kona Rich Red binding, and is quilted with stippling in a coal gray thread.  I hope these little touches help the differing styles still feel like a set.

The other consistent feature of all four quilts is the wording of the labels.  My dad's is slightly different, of course, but the basic wording is the same.

I really hope these quilts will be treasured by my dad and uncles, and I hope that each son loves the mood of the plaid I've chosen for him.  I'm planning another post soon with all four quilts to wrap up this chapter in my quilting.  I think it will be really neat to see all of them together!

Polkadots and Posies

I just finished putting the binding on my HST quilt, and now that it's finished, I do like it better.  I think it will make a sweet quilt for a little girl.

It took awhile for me to get into the groove of quilting this one.  My thread broke a few times before i realized that it was wrapped around my sewing machine handle, and then there was this-

I've broken needles on safety pins before, but I have never had this happen.  I immediately freaked out, worried that I had messed up my machine, then remembered that Hydeeann from Splish Splash Stash had this happen a few days ago, and her machine was fine-which was reassuring.  I'll never make the mistake of thinking I can sew that close to a pin again!

After much annoyance, I managed to finish the stippling on the quilt (I really must try another kind of FMQ, but I just love it!).  I kept the stippling fairly wide so that the quilt would stay soft and drapey.

With the polkadot backing and binding, as well as some polkadots in the April Cornell fabric, I've decided to call this one Polkadots and Posies.  I almost called it Pocket Full of Posies, but with my previous Ring Around the Rosy quilt, I thought that would be high on the cheese factor.  This label is one of the neatest ones I've done (writing on fabric neatly is harder than it sounds).  If you're wondering how I make and attach my labels- without hand stitching and without the stitches showing on the front, you can find a tutorial HERE as part of the Beginner QAL.  It's really easy!

I managed to use every single scrap of this fabric by also piecing the backing, so it is 100% gone!  It always makes me happy when I don't have leftovers (those multiply when you're not looking, you know).  I went with asymmetry on the backing, and I'm happy I did!  It's much more interesting!

Well, I still have a huge (40 FQ) bundle of April Cornell's Spring Magic that I need to use (again, very pretty fabric, but not exactly my style lately).  I tried to find a single picture of all the fabrics, but the best I could find after so long is a link to the Moda brochure HERE.  Once I use that, that will be the end of my shabby chic fabrics!

ps- don't forget, tomorrow is Needle and Thread Thursday!  I hope you'll link up!

HST Quilt on a Mission

I am on a mission.  A mission to make quilts of the FQ sets I already have sitting in my stash without buying more fabric.  Except backing fabric.  Or any fabric I see that is so awesome that I cannot live another day without it.  Or any fabric that is fabulous and is on sale.  But I digress... A serious mission, I tell you!

So in the name of resourcefulness, I pulled out some fabric that has been sitting in my stash for over three years.  Now, that sounds like a long time, but I had wrist surgery a year ago, and in trying to avoid that surgery, I took almost two years off from quilting before that.  That was a bummer.  So, in my defense, if you subtract all of the time I wasn't actually quilting, the fabric hasn't really been sitting around that long.

This is April Cornell for Moda fabric and I think it's called Poetry (someone please correct me if I'm wrong) except for the gingham which is from my stash.  It really is amazing how my taste in fabric has changed.  Not that this fabric is unattractive, because it's actually very pretty, but I'm fairly sure I wouldn't buy it today.  Lately, I've been drawn to more bold colors with a more graphic vibe (think Soul Blossoms or Carnaby Street).  That being said, it was just sitting in my cabinet and not hideous, so something really had to be done with it.  It would be ignored no longer.

I decided a simple HST quilt was in order since I've never done one.  Raspberry Limeade was a chevron quilt, which I know is kind of the same thing, but for some reason, I don't really count that since the finished look is totally different.

It really needed a fresh burst of white to make the colors pop since they are muted and the white HST's I threw in just weren't cutting it, so I added a white border, which also had the added bonus of making it a little bit bigger.  I think it makes it feel a little more fresh.

What about you?  Do you have fabrics sitting in your stash that don't wow you anymore?  What are they?

By the way, week 3 is underway at Plum and June's New Blogger Blog Hop.  Check out the fantastic blogs up this week!

                                                            

Leigh Ann @ Ella's Cottage

Stacey @ The Tilted Quilt

Sarah @ Quilt Candy

Jackie @ NW Patchwork

Liz @ Beadqueene's Bits and Baubles

Erica @ Happy Fabric

Stephanie @ Simple Sewendipity

Lauren @ Seraphym

Amy @ Cloud CouCou Crafts