Whale Cocktail

This project was inspired by the #QuiltconFromHome #dailychallenge: "Cut into your good stuff!"

I hate to play favorites when it comes to Lilly prints but Shrimp Cocktail is definitely at the top of the list.  Audrey's dress was long outgrown and had some glitter glue stains but it still seemed sacrilegious to cut it up.  With "permission" granted I started chopping.  Yeah, we're that family - deal with it!

I wanted to take advantage of the pocket trim, luckily the pockets were perfectly sized for the face pieces.  With those removed and trimmed I cut up the rest of the dress up and whipped up some blocks.  These go together really quickly and with some sashing added I was ready to get quilting.

I kept the quilting simple with Bernina Stitch #4 waves.  As easy as straight line quilting but so much fun.

I decided this would get more use as a pillow.  I found the perfect pink gingham in my stash for the back and some lime Essex linen for the binding.

And now it will always fit;-)  Chillin' with this week's Finish it Up Friday by Crazy Mom Quilts.

Pillow Stats:
Finished pillow is 16" x 16"
Pattern:  Preppy the Whale by Elizabeth Hartman.
Fabrics: Lilly Pulitzer Shrimp Cocktail, Michael Miller Cotton Couture Soft White.  Lime Essex Linen for binding.
Batting: Warm and Natural.
Thread: 50 wt. Aurifil in  Natural White (2021).

Pillow Party

I scored a quilting hat trick this week and finished up all 3 of my Boat House pillows.  I'm obsessed with this collection and want to use up every last little bit!

First up is Save Me...  a sized down version of Thimble Blossoms' Cheerios pattern.

This one is Dex's Monogram, DSG, in nautical flags.  I swapped the aqua for yellow.

And I couldn't resist making one more Preppy the Whale...  I love this guy so much!!!

Eventually they'll end up back in Dex's room when I finish my Sloops quilt but for now they're bringing some nautical flair to our mudroom:-)  I've still got some left so there may be more to come...  something with bunting perhaps?

Joining the fun this week's Finish it Up Friday by Crazy Mom Quilts.

Cheerios Pillow:
Finished pillow is 20" x 20"
Pattern:  Cheerios by Camille Roskelley of Thimble Blossoms.
Fabrics: Boat House by Sweetwater for Moda, Kona Snow.
Batting: Quilter's Dream Orient Bamboo.
Thread: 50 wt. Aurifil in Natural White (2021).

Nauti Monogram Pillow:
Finished pillow is 14" x 28"
Fabrics: Boat House by Sweetwater for Moda, Kona Snow.
Batting: Quilter's Dream Orient Bamboo.
Thread: 50 wt. Aurifil in Natural White (2021).

Preppy the Whale Pillow:
Finished pillow is 12" x 16"
Pattern:  Preppy the Whale by Elizabeth Hartman.
Fabrics: Boat House by Sweetwater for Moda, Kona Snow.
Batting: Quilter's Dream Orient Bamboo.
Thread: 50 wt. Aurifil in Natural White (2021).

Thar She Blows!

Just in time for the Blogger's Quilt Festival I finished this Preppy the Whale mini quilt.  I have to admit when I was asked to make this quilt I was unenthused...  been there, done that and grey?  How blah!

I pulled these fabrics and then it sat until guilt and the baby's impending arrival finally motivated me.  I don't know why I waited so long, once I actually started this went together in an afternoon.  Despite having 16 different sized pieces per block these whales go together quickly.

The quilting was also a breeze.  I love these wavy organic lines!

Orange isn't really my color but I thought it added the perfect pop for the binding.  Now that it's finished I'm a little sad to send it off but I know it will be a lovely addition to my friend's new nursery.

With my freshly polished toes for scale:-)

A huge thank you to Amy for once again organizing the Blogger's Quilt Festival!!!  I've entered this in the Small Quilts category.  For a whale of a good time check out all the participants:-)

Quilt Stats:
Finished quilt is 20" x 26"
Pattern: Preppy the Whale by the fabulous Elizabeth Hartman of Oh, Fransson!
Fabrics: Kona Nautical, Just Color by Studio E, Sunkissed by Sweetwater, Little Apples by Aneela Hoey, Foxfield by Tula Pink, and Textures by Angela Walters.  Binding: DS Quilts.  Backing: Riley Blake Multi Houndstooth.
Batting: Quilter's Dream Cotton Select
Thread: Aurifil  Light Grey Green (2847)

Tote-ally Preppy

This is school vacation week here so I needed a small project to keep me busy between snow storms and adventures with the kids.  We've got 9 FEET of snow on the ground so I'm dreaming of warmer days.  Digging through my stash I spotted these Navy and Chartreuse Essex linens and before you could say "too preppy for words" I whipped up a couple of Preppy the Whale blocks.

I didn't want to make another whole quilt but figured these would be perfect as pockets for a tote bag.  As usual I started with my go to pattern, the Summer Madras Tote by Noodlehead.  I added strips to the sides, top and bottom of the whale block to enlarge it to 9"x17" and made the lining piece an inch taller to use a fold-over edge rather than bias tape.

Instead of making straps I kept the nautical vibe going with grommets and rope...  and an added bonus of a bit of stress relief:-)

I also got fancy on the inside and added a pocket and key fob.

Now if Spring ever gets here I'm ready!!!

Linking up to the fabulous Finish it Up Friday by Crazy Mom Quilts.

Blogger's Quilt Festival: Meet Murray the Whale

It's that time of year again... time for the Blogger's Quilt Festival.  I've been on a bit of a nautical kick this year and preppy has always been my thing so the minute I saw Oh, Fransson!'s Preppy the Whale pattern I knew I had to make one.  As luck would have it Elizabeth was looking for pattern testers and I begged offered to help.

I wanted to make a single block to test the pattern before committing to cutting all my fabrics.  This pink whale was inspired by the Vineyard Vines logo.  I named him Murray in honor of Shep & Ian, the brothers who founded Vineyard Vines.  He was so cute I knew I had to put him in his own quilt.  What could be preppier than stripes and a kelly green binding?

I used the thicker 12 wt. Aurifil thread to quilt this.  I love the extra definition it adds!!!

Of course I couldn't resist the chance to take a trip to Martha's Vineyard for a photo shoot!

A huge thank you to Amy for once again organizing the Blogger's Quilt Festival!!!  I've entered this in the Small Quilts category.  For a whale of a good time check out all the participants:-)

Quilt Stats:
Finished quilt is 42" x 52"
Pattern: Based on Preppy the Whale by the fabulous Elizabeth Hartman of Oh, Fransson!
Fabrics: Kona Nautical and Carnation, Bella Solids White.  Binding: Bella Solids Kelly.  Backing: Riley Blake large gingham in Navy
Batting: Quilter's Dream Wool
Thread: Aurifil  50wt and 12wt in White (2024) and Very Dark Navy (2785)

Murray the Whale

I started this quilt as a test run pattern testing Oh, Fransson!'s new Preppy the Whale.  Since it was obviously inspired by the Vineyard Vines logo I was hoping for a trip to Martha's Vineyard for the photo shoot but had to settle for a day in Gloucester:-)  

I thought I might hand quilt this but then we had a rainy day in Maine and I decided it was the perfect opportunity to try machine quilting with Aurifil 12wt.  Based on Angela at Cut to Pieces' tips I used coordinating 50wt thread in the bobbin, increased my stitch length to 4, and used a 90/14 quilting needle.  It took a little adjusting to get the tension correct but once I had it right it looked fabulous.  I love the extra definition it adds!

I was planning to use pink for the binding but my peanut gallery insisted on kelly green which of course I already had in my stash.  It was definitely the right call, it perfectly frames the quilt and looks fabulous with the Riley Blake large gingham backing I picked up at Marden's.

The pattern will be available Monday, August 4th and Elizabeth is hosting a giveaway this weekend so hop over here to enter to win a copy of the pattern and her new Kona charm packs.  Thanks again Elizabeth for letting my test this pattern!!!

Linking up to the fabulous Finish it Up Friday by Crazy Mom Quilts.

Quilt Stats:
Finished quilt is 42" x 52"
Pattern: Based on Preppy the Whale by the fabulous Elizabeth Hartman of Oh, Fransson!
Fabrics: Kona Nautical and Carnation, Bella Solids White.  Binding: Bella Solids Kelly.  Backing: Riley Blake large gingham in Navy
Batting: Quilter's Dream Wool
Thread: Aurifil  50wt and 12wt in White (2024) and Very Dark Navy (2785)

Preppy the Whale

Don't Panic!  I have to admit the first time I read through Oh, Fransson's adorable Preppy the Whale pattern I wondered what I'd gotten myself in to... each whale is made up of 16 different sized pieces.  When you add in sashing and borders there are 462 pieces required to make the child sized version.

Fortunately, the directions are clearly written and once the cutting is done this goes together very quickly.  It is just challenging enough to be interesting and the whales are so cute you just love seeing them come together!  Sewing with this view also might have made things go together a bit easier:-)

For the quilting I wanted something fast and easy that wouldn't compete with cuteness of the whales.  This was my first try at wavy organic lines and I LOVED it!!!  I was able to quilt the entire top in an evening while drinking wine.

It was this close but for once I did NOT have a thread emergency that had me banging on the door at Quilter's Way first thing in the morning.

For the back I made one more whale as a label and pieced in the navy stripe (22 additional pieces) so I could get away with only using one length of this adorable anchor fabric.

A huge thank you to the lovely Elizabeth Hartman for letting my test this pattern!  It was a pleasure every step of the way:-)

Linking up to the fabulous Finish it Up Friday by Crazy Mom Quilts.

Quilt Stats:
Finished quilt is 47" x 50"
Pattern: Preppy the Whale by the fabulous Elizabeth Hartman of Oh, Fransson!
Fabrics: Kona: Carnation, Buttercup, Sour Apple, Bright Pink, Nautical.  FSDS: Hummingbird, Bleached White. Unknown Aqua from stash.  Quilter's Linen in Platinum.  Backing: Dear Stella Anchors Green.
Batting: Quilter's Dream Orient Bamboo
Thread: Aurifil  50wt Iceberg (2846)

W.i.P Wednesday: A Whale of a Good Time

Other than a brief visit from Arthur our summer has been off to a fabulous start!  I wasn't sure how much sewing time I'd actually get while we were in Maine but with so much swimming and water skiing by afternoon the kids are ready for a little quiet time which gives me a chance to sneak in some sewing:-)  After my success with Murray the Whale I was ready to jump in and make the child sized version of Oh, Fransson!'s Preppy the Whale.

There are lots of pieces to cut and I found the key is to stay organized.  It's easy to get confused with so many different sized pieces so I have a post-it marked pile for each component.

Once everything was cut I set up camp on the deck and started chain piecing my way through all those piles...  I'm making good progress and only have a few more whales to go.  As long as the sun keeps shining I should be done in no time:-)

Checking in at this week's W.i.P. Wednesday:-)

W.i.P. Wednesday: True Prep

A while ago the fabulous Oh Frannson! posted her Preppy the Whale quilt on Instagram.  This quilt couldn't be more me if it had my initials monogrammed on it so when I heard she was looking for pattern testers I immediately begged her to pick me volunteered my services.  Given this is a test I wanted to try making one of these before cutting in to my "real" fabric just in case there were any problems.  Inspired by the Vineyard Vines logo I pulled some pink and navy from my stash and started cutting.

I needn't have worried, Elizabeth's instructions were as detailed and precise as ever and I quickly whipped together my first whale, Murray.

I loved him so much I decided he needed a quilt of his own:-)  A few stripes later I had this cute little flimsy together just begging to be basted and quilted.  Now I can't wait to start cutting a whole pod of whales!!!

Checking in at this week's W.i.P. Wednesday:-)