Fabric Tuesday!

Welcome to Fabric Tuesday!  The day of week around here where we share the fabric projects we've been working on.  This week I have something to share..and it IS NOT something for my baby girl!  Shocking I know! :)

A while ago I made this chevron bag for a friends birthday.  I had a few cuts of the chevron in different colors and had plans for all of them!  I'm happy to say I've made 3 of the 4 bags.  The one I haven't made is the one for me of course!

I really really love this color combo.  The chevron's are from Riley Blake (I know several of our sponsor carry them) and I know that they have a variety of chevron's coming out, big, medium, small...the blue is a Kona solid and the matching dots inside are from Michael Miller!  I really wanted this one for myself...like kept trying to justify it, but I really thought it was too perfect for my friends birthday so I decided to give it to her.  Boo. :)

And I made up the gray chevron with a fabulous Michael Miller green solid (seen in this post) but I didn't take pics of the bag! I was rushing to get it to my niece for her graduation.  But I'm happy to report when she came to visit me a few weeks later she had brought it along and it was filled with books :)

And another un-related fabric project I made this blanket for another one of my besties.  Her sweet baby Mason got a cochlear implant last week and I just thought having the softy minky to snuggle would be so nice!  So the softness is for him, his name and the cute fabrics are for me and his mom! :)

The minky is from Shannon Fabrics, a Robert Kaufman design.  If you haven't checked out some of this seriously amazing quality of designer minky I challenge you to...it doesn't even compare to Joann's...and I hate to say that because I am NOT a Joann-hater at all.  I go almost weekly. And I have used their minky.  But when you can and for those extra special projects, you really should try out Shannon Fabrics (they carry lots of designers, but it is all top quality).  A lot of our sponsors on the side carry their minky too :)

Phew!

How about you?  Quilt blocks/tops/finishes? Pillows? Wip's? Clothing?  Lets see it!

See here if you need more info about our linky party.

Fabric Tuesday #93

Charm Pack Quilt from Katie Mae Quilts

Last week was busy for Heather and I.  Heather was on vacation with her family and I was hosting our mom, dad, a niece and nephew!  Phew!  Sorry for not getting the winner of the Skye Reve Fabrics $25 giveaway as promised.  Drumroll....

Kirsten N said...

I like the Secret Garden bundles - the blues are so lovely.

JUNE 7, 2012 7:37 PM 

Congrats Kirsten!!  It's always fun to see familiar readers win. Send us an email and we'll get you your prize!!  Now for the feature...

Sweet and simple quilt today from Kate of Katie Mae Quilts, a quilt that she made from a QAL.  I love the colors, so sweet, perfect for a girly :)  Kate is a mom, wife to a military man and has two cats, as she describes one annoying and one fat! :)  She's got a great list of her finishes and soon to be finishes...see her Tops Waiting to be Quilted, Finishes 2008-10, Finishes 2011 and Finishes 2012 for some great eye candy!

I don't have a song title name for it yet, but I'm taking suggestions.

It was started over the summer (with the actual quilt along) but obviously wasn't a priority until I made it one.

I wanted to avoid the bulky seams, so I quilted straight lines in the white. It's bound with rick rack (so fast and easy!)

 It's 70x70", made with Deb Strain's Love U and white Kona.

The wind didn't think I should take a flat picture of the back. It's lemon Kona and that random yard of Love U.

And now it's off to my niece, who instantly declared anything pink and butterflies as hers.

Pretty Pillowcase Tutorial

Welcome!  Today is my stop on the Festival of Half Square Triangles from Canoe Ridge Creations.  All month Megan (of CRC) has had tons of inspiring guest tutorials all using HST's.  Then starting next week you can link-up your projects that use HST's and are entered in to win awesome prizes.  Click here to find out more!

Ever wanted to know how to make a pillowcase?  Maybe a pillowcase with some pretty details or piecing?  Well look no further!

Pretty Pillowcase Tutorial

• I will give instructions for two different pillows, a chevron pillowcase and a pinwheel pillowcase.  All fabric/cutting requirements are for a single pillowcase.  If you would like to make both you will need to double accordingly.
• All seam allowances are 1/4".

Fabric Requirements

1/2 yard of a solid

*1/8 yard of print for band for pinwheel pillowcase

*Two 1/8 yard of print for band for chevron pillowcase

3/4 yard of print for main pillowcase

Cutting Requirements

Pinwheel Pillowcase

1. Solid: 5.5" x 39" and 5.5" x 20.5" and 2" x 5.5" and two 1.5" x 5.5" and six 3.5" x 3.5" 
2. Print for Band: six 3.5" x 3.5"
3. Main Print: 25" x 39"

Chevron Pillowcase

1. Solid: 5.5" x 39" and 5.5" x 19" and eight 3.5" x 3.5" 
2. Print for Band: from each print four 3.5" x 3.5" squares, eight total
3. Main Print: 25" x 39"

Create HST's using all the 3.5" x 3.5" solids and prints.  For pinwheels a total of 12 HST's.  For chevron a total of 16 HST's.  If you need help making Half Square Triangles I have a tutorial for the method I use HERE. Square each HST to 3" x 3".

Tip:  If you are new to HST's or still can't get it perfect I recommend cutting your squares a little larger than required, by 1/4".  In the end you can cut it down to size with a little trimming.  

Create pinwheels and chevrons pieces like below:

Piece together band.  Piece together first side to side and then top to bottom.

Note: Numbers shown below are the cut fabric requirements, not the finished sizes. I wanted you to know which pieces to use.

 click to enlarge

From here on out the instructions are the same for the pinwheel pillowcase and chevron pillowcase.  I will use whichever picture describes the instructions best regardless of design.

Now we put it all together.  This is what is known to me as the "burrito method".  What is great about this is it allows the band to be lined, but all of your seams end up on the inside.  There are 5 steps and photos below of each step.

Step 1: With the design on the top (important!) place the main pillowcase and band right sides together.

Step 2: Match the unfinished top edges of the band and main piece exactly together.

Step 3: Take the bottom of the main piece and carefully roll it up until you see about half of the band      underneath.

Step 4: Bring the band back over the rolled main piece.

Step 5: Pin the three edges together, taking care to keep all the unfinished edges matched.

Phew! We're almost there!  

If you have a serger I would serge along the pinned edge.  If not do as I did, sew a straight line and zig-zag over top.

Next pull out the main pillowcase piece.  You'll see how nice it looks!  Press entire piece.

the extra gray hanging out the bottom is the other pillowcase :)

Fold pillowcase together and sew along the bottom and side.  Again if you have a serger I would use it here or sew a straight line and zig-zag overtop.

Turn pillowcase right side out and press.  I top stitched along both the bottom of the band and top of the pillowcase.  It helps everything lay nicer plus adds a more professional look!

Done!!  I am so happy with how these turned out and am wondering what took me so long!! I can't wait to bust out a few more!

Please let me know if there are any issues with this tutorials. I will respond in the comment section.

Please give credit and link back to us if you use this tutorial!

Fabrics used: Denyse Schmidt's Aunt Edna print for main pillow, Joel Dewberry's Heirloom for chevrons and pinwheels, Kona bone for solid.

Linking to these parties: Finish it up Friday's at crazy mom quilts; Sew and Tell at amylouwho; Pity Party at Thirty Handmade Days; weekend wrap up at Tatertots and Jello.

Challenge Quilt from Squares and Triangles

Tanya who blogs at Squares and Triangles has the most impressive quilt gallery I've seen online, hands down.  Not only is she very talented and creative, but she has every one of the quilts she has ever made listed, pictured and blogged about!!  Seriously, 1-79!  I so wish I had that. She said it took quite a while to do but has been so worth it.  Tanya also sells some of her quilts in her shop. This quilt today is a product of a challenge from her quilting guild!

I joined the Salt Lake Modern Quilt Guild in May, and I have enjoyed attending the meetings.  Two months ago, they gave us a charm pack of Kona Brights and challenged us to use one additional solid for the front to make this quilt.  So, this is my quilt.

I did intend for it to have a little improv feeling to it.  I initially cut the squares into three strips and sewed 1 inch white strips between them, resulting in a final strip .5 inches wide.  This made it so that the final block was still about 5 inches tall and 5 inches wide.  Then, I cut that block into three strips, cutting through the lines, and sewed those together again with another set of 1 inch white strips between.  This made a resulting 5 inch by 5 inch square (after “squaring it up”) and a # symbol.

Some of the colors had a darker value than the others, so I chose some of the darker blocks and cut them into 1 inch strips.  Then, I used four strips with a 5 x 5 square of Kona White in the same way as the other blocks to make these inverse # blocks.  I was also able to use the extra strips to make three multicolored # blocks.

I only had enough blocks to use 42 in the front, but I just had to include the other blocks and strips that I had.  So, I added them to the back with some Kona Tarragon, which added a whole 6 pounds to my quilt!  :)

I quilted it with a maze/blocky meandering style free motion quilting pattern, and bound it with Kona Ash, which was perfect because it framed the quilt without taking away from the color in the middle.

So, 42 pounds in the front.

6 pounds in the back.

Thus the title, the 48 pound quilt.

Now looking for a 48 pound baby to give it to.  :)

Thanks for stopping by!

Yellow and Grey Lady of the Lake Quilt...

We got this great submission from during quiet time, what an amazing blog I hadn't seen before. When she sent her submission in, I went to her blog and had to force myself to get off 45 minutes later...(I went back later) You will definitely want to check her out for some inspiration. I LOVE this quilt! I love the color combination. The piecing is amazing! She also sells some amazing handprinted fabric at her etsy shop. Be sure to check her out!

I just completed my yellow and grey Lady of the Lake quilt! It measures 72" x 96" and fits a twin sized bed. I was originally inspired by Rita, of Red Pepper Quilts. She created this beautifulLady of the Lake quilt which was my introduction to the traditional block. I decided that I wanted to make my quilt all yellow and grey and began collecting the fabrics late this summer. I really enjoy selecting fabrics and chose at least a couple dozen prints for this quilt along with Kona White, Kona Ash and Amy Butler's Slate for solids. I also wanted to incorporate my silkscreened quilting process panel in a way that added to the design of the quilt without being distracting but I also didn't want to hide it on the back (see lower right of the quilt).

I started work on the quilt at the beginning of this year and completed it last night, Feb. 5th. After quite a bit of deliberation, I decided to quilt diagonal lines using a soft grey thread. The backing is a solid Kona Ash and the binding is a mini white and grey Designer Houndstooth by Free Spirit.

I found taking pictures of a bed size quilt very difficult, especially with all the snow. I had two helpers wearing snow shoes attempting to help me. It was awfully hard to get the quilt up high enough so this was the best we could do!

My silkscreen panel is difficult to read in these photos but I call it my quilting process panel and it reads "DREAM, CUT, PIECE, BASTE, QUILT, BIND, CRINKLE, LOVE." It is very satisfying to work through that process and arrive at the LOVE stage. Of course, it's hard not to see little flaws but I will learn from those for the next time.

P's Double Pinwheel String Quilt

Paulette from The Way I Sew It has a great quilt to share today, and not only that but a tutorial too so you can make your own!  I love the color combos in this quilt, light blues and reds can really do it for me!  And, she figured out how to make this quilt all on her own...seriously.  Make sure to check out her cute blog, look at these cute potholders she just whipped up!  Nice!  Now on to the quilt:

Double Pinwheel String Quilt

Back in late winter, when the sky and remaining snow cover were often the same shade of gray, I dreamed of making this colorful double pinwheel string quilt. It was pictured in a book called String Quilts with Style, by Bobbie Aug and Sharon Newman, and it was just that—a picture. There were no instructions for this particular quilt. It was just a gallery example of an awesome string quilt.

 

 

Personally, I think ALL string quilts are awesome. I’ve never met one I didn’t like, a LOT. I feel the same way about pinwheel quilts. And scrappy quilts…and bold color? Bring it on! This quilt hit all my happy buttons!

 

 

Without instructions and just the photo for reference, I was left to fly by the seat of my pants. So I busted out the old plastic protractor to determine the angle of the inner red pinwheel, did some fiddling to create a template, and away I went.

 

I used all kinds of scraps for the strings—modern, traditional, vintage—which were pieced onto paper ripped out of the phone book. The blue fabric in the pinwheel blocks was a vintage fabric found at the thrift store. I ran short when it came time for the border, but fortunately there was a Kona blue that was an almost perfect match. It was quilted by my long arm quilter, Sandy, with multicolored variegated thread in an allover design that reminds me of windblown pinwheels.

You can find the details of how to make this quilt on my blog. I posted a four-part tutorial here. And if you make one, let me know—I’d love to see it!

linking to amylouwho

Thank you, Heather and Megan for the invitation to share this quilt on Quilt Story!

 

Thanks so much Paulette!  We really love this quilt and were so happy you would share :)

30 and quilting Paintbox Quilt

Hey everyone :)  Sometimes in blogland you come accross somethings that just speak to you...as did this quilt!  I hadn't heard of the paintbox quilts (have you??) so I just spent the last 30 mintues looking through this flickr group!  Anyway, this brings me to Nicole from 30 and Quilting's Paintbox Quilt.  Really, I just adore it.  It is different and modern and fabulous!

I definitely tried to do something out of my comfort zone with this quilt...I used solids, didn't use white sashing, and I even backed it in blue...and normally I would have went for pink. The scariest part was quilting in a lighter thread color so I knew it would have to be spot on or you'd totally notice if I did a $h:tty job stippling.

go ahead just click on it enlarge it, you know you want to swoon over each block

I used 32 different solids for this quilt instead of the 40 Elizabeth wanted us to use because I didn't have enough different colors (especially purples and blues) or I just didn't like the color. So some colors have 3 blocks instead of 2. Almost all of the fabrics came from my scrap bin...and no, it's not any smaller. It is sashed in Kona Charcoal and stippled with a medium gray thread.

and the back...

Halfway through making 80 blocks, that when finished are 6x6, I was almost ready to give up! The pieces were so tiny and making so many blocks began to be tedious and repetitve...but I pushed on through and I'm so glad I did! The finished quilt is fabulous (especially in person) and I love being able to look at all of my beloved Flea Market Fancy scraps in almost all of the blocks! The feedback I've received on Flickr, my blog, and at the Los Angeles Modern Quilt Guild has been absolutely awesome! Thanks!

Check out her blog for fun projects...just look at her 2009 quilt finishes!  Thanks Nicole for allowing us to feature you.

Also don't forget to comment and become a follower for our pattern giveaway!  Details here.