W.i.P. Wednesday: And Now For Something Completely Different...

It's turned rather cold here this week and I decided I needed a new hat.  Of course I couldn't just go buy one like a normal person...  I have to make my own:-)

I found this adorable Hermione Hearts Ron pattern inspired by this hat on Ravelry, dug out this gorgeous pink yarn I had stashed, and got started.  If ever there was justification for having a huge stash of crafting supplies... it's so nice to be able to start something the minute you get the urge.

The pattern suggests an Italian Tubular Cast On which I'd never done before but Anacapa Knits demo made it simple.  The hardest part was counting to 132;-)

I've finished 2 of the 4 cable and lace repeats and I love the way it looks.  Hopefully I can get it finished up before the spring thaw arrives.  With a long weekend of kids home from school and house guests this may be just the thing for keeping calm;-)

See what else is in the works at this week's W.i.P. Wednesday:-)

Bring Us Some Figgy Pudding

It seems like it's been a long time since I finished anything which makes it especially gratifying to have this Figgy Pudding table runner done.  This levitated out of my UFO  pile last week.  I made the top back in 2011 as a prototype for my Boston MQG Kitchen Swap.  I decided the design didn't work for my swap fabrics but it was all basted and ready to quilt *someday*.

Last year it was on my Just 3 for December list but it still didn't get done...

It was a great way to practice my FMQ.  I obsessed over every stitch but with the busy prints most of my stitching really doesn't show.  True to form, I had started quilting this with gold Madeira rayon and then ran out:-(  I couldn't find anymore Madeira so I switched to a Superior metallic.  At least I saw it coming and made the change after I finished the ribbon candy swirls...  totally a design decision;-)  The metallic thread in the setting triangles does add a little extra sparkle, it's subtle but it almost looks like twinkling Christmas lights.

It's amazing how quickly the quilting goes once you just sit down and do it!!!  So many things get lost waiting to be quilted when really the could be finished in just a couple of hours....

And with all that practicing I got this fabulous Sparkle Star mug rug as a bonus...  just what I needed;-)

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

Quilt Stats:

Finished runner is 18" x 66"
Pattern: Original design based on a Bento Box block.
Fabrics: Figgy Pudding, Fruitcake, Jovial and Grunge by Basic Grey
Thread: Madeira Rayon 1055, Superior Threads Metallics #2

W.i.P. Wednesday: Christmas is Coming!

This week I've been quilting away on my Figgy Pudding runner.  I tried a ribbon candy swirl on the inside white boxes.  It's not too bad if you don't look at where I turned the corners (which you instantly did). 

I always like to make a sample to practice my design, adjust my thread tension, and choose a thread color before quilting any project.  The fancy term is a Maquette but around here they're referred to as yet another mug rug;-)  In this case I made a sparkle star block and then tried a loopy stipple.  I love the way it looks like Christmas lights.  Once I felt like I had it under control I used this to quilt the setting triangles and finally finished quilting my table runner.

I slapped on the binding and just need a movie night to finish this one up...  just in time for the holidays;-)

See what else is in the works at this week's W.i.P. Wednesday:-)

W.i.P. Wednesday: Seasonally Challenged

So after failing to finish my Halloween quilts on time I threw them on the UFO pile which promptly toppled to the floor...

At the bottom I found this Figgy Pudding table runner I've been promising to finish forever.  With 41 days until Christmas, this may be the year:-)

These holly garlands are one of the first FMQ designs I mastered...  they're totally forgiving and easy to use to fill a narrow space.  For the center boxes I modified Oh, Fransson!'s loopy flowers to look be pointy flowers so they look like Poinsettias.  Of course after practicing endlessly I realized they really don't show all that much.

And when you pull something off the UFO pile you get to start something new so I've jumped on the Modern Maples bandwagon.  These go together really quickly so maybe I'll be able to finish them before Spring arrives;-)

See who else is sewing at this week's W.i.P. Wednesday:-)

Undone

I had big quilting plans this Halloween...  

When I was digging through my stash of Halloween fabrics looking for Ghastlies I found this Haunted Mansion jellyroll.

Inspired by My Quilting Journey's Cute and Spooky Spiderweb quilt, I decided to use my Hex 'n More ruler to make Spiderweb Hexagons.  

After playing with a few different arrangements I pieced them together to make this table runner.  It's basted and ready for some spiderweb quilting.

I also started this Ghastly strip quilt but didn't get it quilted either...

But I did manage to finish this Ghastly pillow, which looks fabulous with my Ghastly Coffin quilt:-)  I guess there's always next year!!!

See more fabulous finishes at Finish it Up Friday by Crazy Mom Quilts.

Ghastly Games

I don't know which is more inspiring...  seeing all the fabulous new fabrics making their debut at Quilt Market or seeing all the absolutely amazing Blogger's Quilt Festival quilts!  Either way, I just want to barricade myself in my studio and quilt my brains out:-)

I had the idea for this quilt last year but never got a chance to make it and it's been haunting me ever since.  As soon as October rolled around I started having all sorts of Ghastly thoughts:-)  I pulled out my stash and immediately got to it.

There are tons of great tutorials on how to make a circle quilt out there.  Mine is loosely based on this Liberty Mini (which I'm totally going to make someday) by Purl Soho.  I used the Easy Circle Cut ruler to cut my circles out of sheer fusible interfacing (Pellon 906F) then pinned this to my printed fabric so the fusible side is facing the right side of the fabric.  Stitch around the circle using a 1/4" seam allowance and then trim your circle using pinking sheers so you don't have to worry about clipping the curves.  Make a small slit in the fusible and turn the circle right side out.  DO NOT IRON!!!

Once all my circles were made I assembled the checkerboard background, basted it, and quilted 1/4" on either side of the seam lines.  Once I arranged the circles the way I wanted I fused them to the quilted top and then quilted around each circle.

You'd think I'd have learned my lesson but I used this leftover binding from my Ghastly Coffin quilt without measuring it first...  it was THAT close but I made it:-)

I was totally inspired by the fabulous presentation by The Story of Kat at our October BMQG meeting on hand-embroidered quilt labels.  My text is a little too tight and I definitely need to work on my stitches but I'm learning to embrace imperfection.

This perfectly captures my vision but those Ghastlies may still be haunting me;-)

Go find your inspiration at the Blogger's Quilt Festival!!!

Quilt Stats:
Finished quilt is 40" x 40"
Fabrics: The Ghastlies, Ghastly Family Reunion, and A Ghastly Night by Alexander Henry, Onyx Grunge by Basic Grey, Fairy Frost Glow White by Michael Miller
Batting: Quilter's Dream Orient
Thread: King Tut 978, Rosetta Stone

Blogger's Quilt Festival: Christy's Garden

It's hard to believe it's time for another Blogger's Quilt Festival.  Choosing a quilt to share made me realize how little quilting I've done this year but it gives me another chance to show off Christy's Garden, one of my absolute favorite projects.

I had the idea to make this quilt with the 26 kids in Audrey's 6th grade class as a gift for their teacher when they graduated from elementary school.  Hexagons seemed appropriate since they have 6 sides;-)

  

Over the course of the spring we scheduled several sessions for the kids to come over after school and work on their project.

I precut the hexagons and let the kids pick which fabric to use for their flower.  Each person had to make at least one printed petal and a solid yellow center which they signed.  For many of them this was a challenge but focused on the goal of making something special for their teacher they stuck with it and persevered.  Almost everyone made all 7 hexagons for their flower and many of the kids went on to stitch them together.

Once the kids had finished their flowers I invited the parents over to help me with assembling all the flowers together (or at least keep me company while I did it:-)  Our school is very focused on community and this truly was a project that embraced that philosophy.  

With graduation rapidly approaching I quilted this and got the binding on so the kids could present it to their teacher.  They were all so excited to point out each of their flowers and tell her about making it.  The best part is when I'm volunteering at the junior high and see the kids from this class they all stop to talk to me and several have asked if we can make another quilt.  The next generation of quilters is here!!!

Tips for making a quilt with kids:

1. Start early, it will take longer than you think!!!
2. Have all of your materials ready in advance.  I bought paper hexagon templates and precut all of the  fabrics.  It also helps to have pre-threaded needles with knotted ends for kids to use to tack down their hexagons.  They'll have plenty of chances to learn to thread a needle and it'll let you quickly get everyone started making their flower.  I also gave each kid a binder clip to hold their first side down.
3. If possible, start by teaching a small group first.  I did our first session with just Audrey's close friends.  That way they were able to help the kids who were struggling and needed some extra help.
4. Schedule frequent short sessions rather than long marathons.  We scheduled two hour sessions but had lost most of the kids after the first hour.  Snack breaks help:-)
5. Enlist help from other parents.  Even if they say they've never sewed in their life they can help thread needles and keep the kids focused.  I "encouraged" each Mom who showed up to make at least one flower also.  After all, if their child did it they certainly could manage;-)
6. Stay organized.  I gave each person a ziplock bag with their name on it to keep all their supplies in one place.  Rather than sending pieces home and risking them never coming back I kept everything and scheduled more sessions.  Also keep a class list to check off who has made their flowers and also to make sure that all the finished flowers make it in to the final quilt.

Be sure to check out more awesome quilts at the Blogger's Quilt Festival!!!

Quilt Stats:
Finished quilt is 53" x 65"
Pattern: Based on Hexy MF by the fabulous Katy of I'm a Ginger Monkey
Fabrics: Avignon by Emily Taylor and stash.
Background: Happy-Go-Lucky by Bonnie & Camille
Backing: City Weekend by Oliver + S
Batting: Quilter's Dream Orient
Thread: Aurifil 2600