Thankful for a Finish

I'm all about taking a small win any way I can get one these days!  While I had no real need to finish this pillow, I put it high on my WIP list from the Declutter to Destash challenge because I knew it was something I could easily knock out in a few hours.

I made this as a test block before cutting in to my carefully horded bundle of Malibu.  I've learned many times over that this step is crucial to my future happiness and sanity.  In this case I also used it to take a test drive of my new toy, a ViviLux laser guide.  I'd read several review of quilters who love this for making HSTs since it eliminates the need for marking your squares.  Sadly, I'm just not a fan.  Perhaps the issue was that I didn't want to apply the hook and loop tape to my machine to hold it in place and just used masking tape.  I found the flexible cord a bit too flexible and susceptible to getting knocked out of alignment as a result of my clumsiness or just the machine's vibration.  I also originally planned to use it with 10" layer cake squares but the line isn't long enough to reach both corners of the square.  Ultimately, I flexed my declutter muscles and donated this.  

I was so excited I finished this block I didn't even notice that I'd rotated the corner HST until after I'd shared it.  I could have kept it and called it a humility block but that's not how I roll so I grabbed the seam ripper and fixed it.

With holiday stress mounting (my refrigerator died exactly 1 week before Thanksgiving) I decided to spend a few hours in my studio for some easy stress relief sewing.  I went with a lazy meander which was done in no time.

I even won this round of thread chicken:-)

It should have been so easy to use my favorite s.o.t.a.k handmade zipper tutorial and finish the pillow cover.  Apparently I'm really out of practice and forgot to open the zipper before sewing around the 4 sides and further compounded the problem by trimming the ends of the zipper including the pull.  

I took a (cocktail) break and with a bit of googling was able to find this awesome fork hack for fixing a zipper.  In no time I was able to pop the seam and guide the zipper pull back on to the zipper.  I lost a bit of my point on that side but I had a functional pillow cover and I love how fabulous it looks with the rest of my Sunny Isle collection.

We're having a low-key Thanksgiving with friends this year so I'm hoping I'll have time to start on my holiday makes.  My heartfelt thanks to everyone who's still reading along.  I wish you a healthy and happy holiday!!!

Quilt Stats:
Finished pillow is 18"x18"
Pattern: Joyful by Tasha Noel
Fabrics: Sunny Isle bundle by Jennifer Paganelli for Free Spirit, Bella Solids in Ash.  Michael Miller Cotton Couture: Flower.
Batting: Quilter's Dream Orient.
Thread: 50wt Aurifil in  Arctic Sky (2612).

Coastal Cabin

It's always sunny somewhere!

I became totally obsessed with these Sunny Isle prints as I worked with them for the Shimmer QAL so I was determined to use up every last bit.  Since I already had a lot of long skinny leftover strips it seemed like a fine time to tackle a log cabin block.

There are a million different ways to make this block but since I was working with such small strips I chose to paper piece them using this free template.

Rather than using paper I used this lightweight foundation.  It's printer ready so I could print directly on it and I didn't risk stretching my blocks (and my sanity) tearing out all the little bits of paper.  The finished blocks are a bit stiffer than normal but for a pillow cover it's fine and actually makes it feel a bit more polished.

4 1/2" blocks are no joke!  With 20 pieces per block this was a rather time intensive project.

It also didn't help that for some reason I thought I was making 12 blocks when I really needed 16.  Fortunately it's fairly mindless sewing so I got to binge watch a couple more episodes of The Great British Bake Off .

And as I hadn't gone insane so far I decided to do a densely quilted crosshatch.  What's a few more hours?

Totally worth it!

And since no scrap could be left behind I used up even more to make a matching wall hanging but somehow forgot to take a single picture of the process.  Now my foyer will always be sunny;-)

Dreaming of getting away to a Sunny Isle with this week's Brag About Your Beauties Pageant by Michelle at From Bolt to Beauty.

Pillow Stats:
Finished pillow is 18" x 18"
Pattern: Free templates for Paper pieced 4 1/2" log cabin blocks by Generations Quilt Patterns.
Fabrics: Sunny Isle bundle by Jennifer Paganelli for Free Spirit, Bella Solids in Ash.
Batting: Quilter's Dream Orient.
Thread: 50wt Aurifil in  Arctic Sky (2612).

Quilt Stats:
Finished quilt is 23" x 23"
Pattern: Adapted from this Broken Herringbone Block tutorial by Freemotion by the River.
Fabrics: Sunny Isle bundle by Jennifer Paganelli for Free Spirit, Bella Solids in Ash.
Batting: Quilter's Dream Orient.
Thread: 50wt Aurifil in  Arctic Sky (2612).

Shimmer and Sunshine

Things are about to get all Ghastlies around here but I'm still holding on to summer!  Back in January my dear friend Aimee invited me to join her for the Shimmer block-a-long hosted by Cluck Cluck Sew.  I figured this would be a good way to get back my sewjo and it worked (for me at least).

Since this wasn't a project I had actually envisioned I just dug around in my studio and found a bundle I thought would work, in this case Jennifer Paganelli's Sunny Isle.  Since this is a bright and busy (in the best way) collection I matched up solids from my stash for the center spokes to calm things down a bit.

The pattern is very clear and Allison also shared some great tips for making these blocks.  That said, these are rather fiddly and each block has a lot of pieces.  I worked out a system for batch processing them based on which foot I prefer to use.

This probably would have lingered in my TBQ pile but I had some free time and a credit about to expire at Burlington Electric Quilters so I was able to get in at the last minute to quilt this.

And since it's football season it made sense to slap a binding on to have something to keep me entertained and my hands out of the snack bowl.

I'm such a sucker for a striped binding!!!

Holding on to summer with this week's Brag About Your Beauties Pageant by Michelle at From Bolt to Beauty.

Quilt Stats:
Finished quilt is 56"x70"
Pattern: Shimmer by Cluck Cluck Sew.
Fabrics: Sunny Isle bundle by Jennifer Paganelli for Free Spirit.  Bella Solids Ash.  Michael Miller Cotton Couture: Kryp, Azure, Raspberry, Carribean, Isle.  Free Spirit Designer Solids: McCaw, Aqua.  Kona: Carnation.
Pantograph: Happy Times.
Batting: Quilter's Dream Orient.
Thread: King Tut Morning Sky #960