Endless Summer

I totally kept this one under the radar.  I finished it in the spring but really wanted to give it a proper beach photo shoot.  The opportunity finally presented itself when we dropped Dex off at college and stayed for an empty nester-moon in Mystic.  Note to self, photographing quilts on the beach takes way more patience than my family possess.  Between the bright light, ocean breezes and other beach goers it's definitely a challenge but I managed to get a few shots I liked.

I knew I was going to have to make something special the minute I saw Heather Ross' Malibu collection.  After playing with a couple of other ideas I totally copied Stephanie at S-Renee Designs.  She considers herself a fabric collector rather than a quilter but I beg to differ.  Her work is amazing and you should definitely check it out!!!  The original pattern is Joyful but it was Stephanie's idea to upgrade the center square.  I used this fabulous Economy Block Tutorial by Amy Smart at Diary of a Quilter.

While this pattern is very comprehensive and easy to follow after making a test block I was able to streamline the process with some shortcut techniques.  For the flying geese I used this 4 at a time flying geese tutorial by Modernly Morgan (and this one by Suzy Quilts here).  This also has the benefit of correctly orienting the directional prints.  

I also streamlined making the corner HST units using this 8 at a time technique by Suzy Quilts.  

This was another one I entrusted to my amazing friend Rebecca and asked her to do a traditional Baptist fan design to mimic ocean waves.  As always she totally delivered and it is exactly how I envisioned it.  

Also, that plaid backing!!!  

Quilt Stats:
Finished quilt is 70"x70"
Pattern: Joyful by Tasha Noel
Fabrics: Malibu by Heather Ross, Ruby + Bee Solids, MMCC Soft White
Batting: Quilters Dream Bamboo

Binding:  Ruby + Bee Solids Aquamarine

Quilting: Baptist Fan pantograph by Rebecca Loren

Siesta Anyone?

I've already talked a lot about constructing this quilt so there's not much left to add...

The quilting was uneventful...  Endless rows of straight-lines while binge watching Catastrophe.  Fortunately the drama stayed on-screen, not even a thread emergency.

I had some leftover triangles so I stitched them together and added them to the back.  I'm not wasting a bit of this fabric!!!

Gratuitous binding shot because the snails on the tree amuse me...

I must say this is the most snuggly quilt I've ever made - I wish I'd made it queen sized so I could put it on my bed.  The combination of cotton lawn fabrics and wool batting makes it absolutely cloud like.  Perfect for an afternoon siesta in the hammock:-)  Details on my matching Nap Time pillow are here.

Chillin' out with this week's Finish it Up Friday by Crazy Mom Quilts.

Quilt Stats:
Finished quilt is 45" x 57"
Fabrics: Sleeping Porch by Heather Ross.
Batting: Quilter's Dream Wool.
Thread: 50 wt. Aurifil in  Blossom Pink (2530).

Nap Time Pillow

Making Espadrilles was just the kick in the pants I needed to get back to sewing!!!  Back while I was waiting for my Sleeping Porch Triangles batting to arrive from Fat Quarter Shop I started sewing together some of the scraps.  This time instead of triangles I used the end pieces to make Half Square Rectangles (HSRs).  This fabric is so yummy I can't let a single bit go to waste!  I had enough pieces already cut so now that I was finally back in my studio I put together this little pillow top.

I love small projects like this to test thread colors for bigger projects.  In the end I decided to go with Blossom Pink Aurifil.  I kept the quilting simple so in no time I had this one ready to finish.

I've found I get more use out of pillows than wall hangings so I paired this Kaffe Fassett Roman Glass from my stash with yet another zipper from my endless supply.  I still haven't found a better zipper tutorial than this one by s.o.t.a.k handmade.

Since I was on a roll I even basted my Triangle quilt and got quilting...  hopefully I'll have a matched set soon.

Making stuff with this week's Finish it Up Friday by Crazy Mom Quilts.

Quilt Stats:
Finished pillow is 12" x 17"
Fabrics: Sleeping Porch by Heather Ross.  Roman Glass in Leafy by Kaffe Fassett.
Batting: Quilter's Dream Orient.
Thread: 50 wt. Aurifil in  Blossom Pink (2530).

Be a Mermaid

I was so excited when Heather Ross re-released Mendocino, one of my all time favorite fabric collections.  I had some of the original collection that I'd been hoarding but it always felt too precious to actually use.  With a new bundle in hand (thank you Hawthorne Threads!) and my Briar Rose addiction sated I pulled this assortment of prints and got cutting.

I started by fussy cutting the mermaids and then add rows of chevron "waves" above and below.  There are lots of ways to make a chevron but I prefer the rectangle approach - Crazy Mom Quilts has a great tutorial which I just adjusted for the center squares.

In no time at all I had a flimsy together.  I made the binding, pieced the back, basted it, bought more thread than I'd possibly need to quilt it...  and then it just sat.

Finally I grabbed this for something to do at quilt camp.  I'm not sure why I was so intimidated by the thought of quilting this, I finished it in one afternoon.  With the binding already made it was super fast and easy to square it up, slap on the binding, and tack it down during the Super Bowl - with the overtime I even had time to finish;-)

Now that it's done I couldn't love it more!!!  I wish I'd completely finished it while we were still at the beach so I could get pictures there but I'll have to settle for these...  maybe I'll do some more this summer.

And it's the perfect companion for this pillow!

Swimming along with this week's Finish it Up Friday by Crazy Mom Quilts.

Quilt Stats:
Finished quilt is 43" x 52"
Fabrics: Mendocino by Heather Ross.  Michael Miller Cotton Couture Apricot
Batting: Quilter's Dream Orient.
Thread: 50 wt. Aurifil in  Light Turquoise (2805).

Swimming Along

We're in the lazy days of summer just swimming along with no set schedule.  We've spent a lot of time in Maine (with more to come) which means lots of progress on my La Passacaglia but we had a brief interlude of bad weather which sent us home early.  After 10 days with no TV the kids were ready to catch up on some screen time so I snuck off to my studio for some sewing.

My plan was to piece together the back for my Mendocino chevron but that seemed like too much work so I decided to just make a pillow with one of the leftover fussy cut mermaid blocks.  A square in square layout seemed obvious but I added a band of apricot to make the center block pop.  I thought it would be "fun" to challenge myself so I mitered the corners.

Pillows are great for picking thread colors and practicing quilting designs.  I love the way the turquoise thread pops against the orange.

I kept the quilting simple just outlining the pieces but did added a wavy pattern (Bernina stitch #4) in the Apricot.

Now that we're back at the lake I got a perfect morning to tack the binding and finish this one up.

I bought a truckload of zippers before Quilter's Way closed so I used my go to zipper closure tutorial by to S.O.T.A.K. Handmade for the back.

Swimming along with this week's Finish it Up Friday by Crazy Mom Quilts.

Pillow Stats:
Finished pillow is 14" x 14"
Fabrics: Mendocino by Heather Ross.  Michael Miller Cotton Couture Apricot
Batting: Quilter's Dream Orient.
Thread: 50 wt. Aurifil in  Light Turquoise (2805).

Another Round

I really didn't mean to make another Briar Rose project...  I just wanted something to tryout my new Drunkard's Path templates and the scraps were just sitting there on the edge of my cutting table.  Next thing I knew I had a stack cut out and I was on my way.

There are a million great tutorials out there on curved piecing.  For these 3 1/2" squares I had the best results pinning using Amanda Jean's technique.  In no time at all I had them pieced together.

For the quilting I just decided to do a spiral.  It's a little wonky in the middle but it gets easier as you work your way out...  quilting it was definitely giving me the spins.

I found this pretty pink binding leftover from my Ruffled Argyle so I was ready with some handwork in time for family movie night (The Martian - not as good as the book but Matt Damon;-)

And here's the collection...  3 pillows and 2 quilts from a fat quarter bundle.  I finally busted into my Mendocino this week...  I've got full yards of that one so be prepared.

Until my next bender...  Chillin' with this week's Finish it Up Friday by Crazy Mom Quilts.

Pillow Stats:
Finished pillow is 14" x 14"
Fabrics: Briar Rose by Heather Ross. Binding Wee WoodLand by Keiki.
Batting: Quilter's Dream Orient Bamboo.
Thread: 50 wt. Aurifil in  Natural White (2021).

Strawberry Fields Forever

I feel like I've talked about this quilt so much in the making that there isn't much left to say.  I started it on the Boston MQG retreat in March and it's been amazing to watch a stack of fabrics transformed into a quilt.  I have to admit this wasn't my favorite Heather Ross line but I love how sweet it turned out.

And I'm still ridiculously pleased with how this butterfly quilting came out.  It truly makes the quilt!

After using up pretty much every last scrap making all the things with this collection I was a bit stuck for what to use on the binding.  Nothing I had left was working for me so I dug into my stash and came up with this Joel Dewberry woodgrain.  Perfection!!!

Hanging out with this week's Finish it Up Friday by Crazy Mom Quilts and a finish for Q2 of the 2016 Finish Along.



Quilt Stats:
Finished quilt is 60" x 60"
Pattern: Adapted from Jedi Craft Girl's Stair Steps quilt.
Fabrics: Briar Rose by Heather Ross, Michael Miller Cotton Couture in Soft White.  Binding Joel Dewberry Aviary Woodgrain in Orange.
Batting: Quilter's Dream Orient Bamboo.
Thread: 50 wt. Aurifil in  Natural White (2021).
Quilting: FMQ inspired by Flutter Bys pantograph.

 

Mash Up

I was hoping for some sunshine and May flowers to do today's photo shoot but I had to settle for a break in the rain.  I'm sick of this weather but I can pretend it's summer with this cheerful quilt.  This was something simple I whipped up with some stash and most of what was left from a bundle of Briar Rose.  I might have gotten a bit obsessed with this fabric:-)

I kept the quilting simple... just straight lines 1/4" from the seams.  Absolutely perfect for when I needed a break from the chaos of vacation week.  I could just pop in to my studio and sew a few lines before we were off and running to the next activity.

And I got the binding tacked during family movie night...  I so love a striped binding!!!

As much as I love this a friend just had a baby girl so I think this one will be a gift.  If I'm feeling really generous I may even throw in a matching pillow;-)

Checking in at this week's Finish it Up Friday by Crazy Mom Quilts and my first finish for Q2 of the 2016 Finish Along.

Quilt Stats:
Finished quilt is 41" x 50"
Fabrics: Briar Rose by Heather Ross and Stash.  Binding Happier by Riley Blake.
Batting: Quilter's Dream Orient Bamboo.
Thread: 50 wt. Aurifil in  Natural White (2021).