Trying Hand Quilting

You've seen this block here before, but that was so long ago I doubt many remember it!  Sometimes a project gets constantly bumped to the back of the work in progress pile, and that is the sad story of this mini quilt.  You see, I decided I'd try my first ever hand quilting on it...

But, in spite of searching for tutorials, I could not seem to get my stitches right.  I ended up just doing a stabbing method because I could not seem to get my needle in at a 90° angle otherwise {I ended up mostly looking at Anna Maria Horner's "Anna Answers" post to help me out}.

I eventually decided that it was most important that my stitches look straight and uniform on the front...and just let the back be a little crooked-y.  It is just a wall hanging anyway!

Here's a closer look at the crooked back, maybe I shouldn't have used a solid color either!  In conclusion I think I need a hand quilting frame of some sort and a lot of practice!  In reality, I will probably just stick to mostly machine quilting!

And here's a look at Norah's wall all finished {for now, at least!}.  I think the kids room is starting to look all cozy!

Linking up with:

Old is New Again

Sometimes it amazes me that my mom and I are so much on the same page, even if we don't chat about it.  Last week I snapped a couple pictures of an older quilt I made, thinking I'd  share it with you, and then my mom shared her first sewing machine...so, now it seems fitting that I share this quilt:

I made this quilt the very first year I was married.  I had decided to decorate our room in blue and white {nevermind the yellow walls and curtains...this is a rental house!}.  I later changed the color scheme to reds, and this quilt got packed away {I've also always been a bit disappointed that I didn't add another row of the blocks, instead I just added borders, those were my early quilting days and the pattern was for a double bed.  I now dream of chopping the extra borders off, rebinding it, and using it on the spare bed}.

This quilt resurfaced not that long ago, when a certain little boy got my cream, thrifted quilt dirty right before bedtime.  Now I have the itch to make a new quilt for my bed.  I've probably mentioned this before, but I have a fat quarter bundle of Simple Abundance by Bonnie & Camille for Moda {here's the other quilt I made with my layer cake!}.  Every time Josiah sees the fabric or the other quilt he mentions how much he likes it.  Since it's a favorite for me too, it seems destined for our bedroom.

So, the question remains...what pattern should I use?  For the longest time I've thought I would design my own, but I realize now that is not going to happen any time soon...so if I actually want to sleep under this quilt in the near future, I'd better just choose a pattern.

Here are my requirements: not super girly, nice and simple, the pattern should be queen size already, and I don't mind adding quite a bit of neutral/cream to the fabric, as the line is a little on the darker side already.  Any suggestions?

Making for a Quick Sew

I have been cutting and stacking my squares for the granny square quilt I have been working on. This is much quicker for me. I simply place the cut squares in the order I want to sew them in and then place the layers of squares on a small cutting mat. This way I can move the mat around and put it on my table right next to my sewing machine.  There are some wonderful mini design boards I have seen but have not made one yet, although I do have the supplies to do so!

Sewing them in the chain sewing method is so much faster than each square individually.

 I have also learned that there are many, many names for the granny square block. It is so funny when you realize that everything old is new again.

I am enjoying seeing all the variations on so many blogs, I am really glad I decided to join in on all the fun, if you haven't begun your own yet, you may just want to!

Merry Go Round Quilt progress

My cutting and sewing table looks like this right now, and I love it! I am so excited to go in there in the morning and get to my sewing while the sun is shining and I can sip on a fresh cup of coffee!

This is the pattern I am using, fom McCall's Quilting Oct. 2008, it is a little different from the pattern I first posted about. I didn't know but there are at least three variations of this quilt, all by Sandy Klopp! The first one I showed uses three jelly rolls, which made a very large hexagon block, this one in the magazine uses two jelly rolls. And... this version you can see on PamKittyMorning's blog uses one jelly roll, and one honey bun, I think, I love her fabric choices!! That is a lot in one breath!

There is a lot of sewing and cutting and pressing but I love this quilt. It is so bright and cheery!! I am excited to see it finished and bound. If you want to see this same quilt made and almost finished go here, Amy has made it and it is gorgeous, she's really fast!! We both wanted to make this quilt and have done sort of a quilt-a-long, more like, we are working on the same quilt but at our own pace. We are thinking about another quilt-a-long and I think it is a fun way to make a quilt and be encouraged along the way. We will let you know as soon as we decide on a quilt and when we plan to begin and maybe you would like to join us, no pressure!!

It's almost the weekend! Hope you have a great day and enjoy what ever you are doing!

Blogger's Quilt Festival :: Castle Peeps Toddler Quilt

If you're a quilter, you know this weekend is Quilt Market, fortunately, for those of us who can't make it, Quilt Market means its also time for the Blogger's Quilt Festival, yay!  If you're unfamiliar, hop over to Amy's Creative Side and you'll see an array of beautiful quilts!

This year I'd like to show a quilt that's been finished for some time, but that I never got around to photographing, Silas's toddler bed quilt:

I used a simple stretched star block, with solid gray and Castle Peeps by Lizzy House for Andover.

The binding is Kona Lime because Castle Peeps was getting hard to find by the time I actually finished the quilt.

I was glad to find a few yards of the lime green castles for the border and back though, especially since green is Silas's favorite color!

I also added a strip of Kona Lime to the back to make the backing stretch!  It is quilted in diagonal lines for easy and softness.  This quilt measures about 46" x 60", and that seems to be about the perfect size for a toddler bed {or in this case...a crib mattress on the floor}.

And here's his cute toddler bed set up, truck pillow and all!  I think one of my favorite things about this quilt is that is so perfect for my little boy, I struggle with finding cute boy fabrics that aren't too baby-ish.  And he loves it {and drags it all over the house!}.  Thanks for visiting!

My First Quilt

Well, I've been blogging here for quite some time {eek, almost three years!}, and I have to admit, I've never shown you my first quilt. But, since tomorrow is Valentine's Day, and my first quilt is a heart quilt...I thought I'd finally post it for you.

Oh, look at that cute firefighter {sorry he's a bit out of focus, he jumped in on the photo after I'd already focused the camera...cute anyway!}...now I know why I hardly ever get anything done!

I made this quilt over ten years ago, when I was getting ready to go to college. It is backed with the same purple flowers that are on the border.  Almost all the prints came from my mom's scraps, then I chose the solids at my local Joann's.

Here is one of my favorite hearts too, ballerina bunnies...it brings back so many memories!  When I got it out this afternoon to take pictures, I remembered why quilting is so special, because really, every quilt is a kind of heirloom {I was especially convinced when both my babies were laying on it to play!}.

Now, does anyone have any suggestions for taking photos of big quilts?  This one is twin size and I used the perspective tool in Gimp to make it a little less angled...what do you do?

A quilt for today

Good Morning! It's Clara here,
It's been a while since I finished this quilt, so I thought I should show you what it looks like.

 Here is the row of dresdens, I like them!

For the back I used the aqua floral and for the binding I chose the red tulip.

There it is, something different for you to look at today. 

I hope you have a wonderful weekend, stay warm.  I am going to do my best to do a little sewing, maybe I will even finish quilting my embroidery quilt! What are you working on in your sewing room?

Swapping (again!)

{Images: 1. Zig zag quilt for doll bed, 2. woodland happiness~ mini dresden plate, 3. DQS8, 4. a few finishes!, 5. MBS Tutorial: Summer Dreamin', 6. Retro Flowers Quilt, 7. Butterfly Potholder, 8. DQS11 Quilt, finished, and in the mail, hope you like it partner!, 9. Too much?, 10. glamour shot, 11. Drunkards Path for Amber aka One Shabby Chic - PTS 6, 12. DQS11, the last post, 13. DQS11: finished quilt FRONT, 14. 10 Lovely Tea Roses - Progress, 15. SwoonAlong---Block 1, 16. Untitled}

I know, right?  I couldn't resist...but, this time around, I'm going to try to limit my swapping very carefully.  Above is my inspiration mosaic for the Fab Little Quilt Swap, I cannot wait to be a part of this brand new swap.  I've also signed up for the Hoop Up! Stitch & Send Swap...an embroidery swap, yes please!  Oh, and I joined my first online quilting bee too {if you're interested, there are still a few spots open, just e-mail me (jennie {at} cloverandviolet.com) for the details!}.

And my mom and I are working on another Embroidery Stitch & Quilt Along...but it probably won't start until late February/early March, anyone interested?

Room Update (#1)

Here's a little peek at the updated kid's room {now that you've finally seen Norah's beautiful quilt my mom made!}.  A friend from college sent Norah the beautiful crochet blanket on the rocking chair, isn't a perfect match?

Apparently I love lime...and am glad that so many pretty fabrics go with it.  I have a few plans for some more decorations, so this is just an intermediate update, but I couldn't resist showing the start of things!

Finished Quilt

Don't you think the baby makes the quilt? I do. I am very pleased with the finished quilt and especially happy it is loved. Ruby is definitely one of my favorites. I will be making many more projects using it.

It was fun to see Norah already snuggled up on it. She has quilts and blankies made especially for her. Such a blessed little baby girl indeed!

12 Days of Christmas Sampler Quilt Along

Welcome to block 4 of the 12 Days of Christmas Sampler Quilt Along. For my block I've done a scrappy star.  This is a simple block that will add a nice pop of color to your sampler quilt.

If you're just joining, see the introductory post and schedule here; and if you're visiting this blog for the first time as part of the QAL, welcome!  Now, for the part you're waiting for, the finished block:

The block measures 12 1/2" square, and will finish to 12".  All seam allowances are 1/4".  You will need:

• 8 - 2" squares {star fabric}
• 1 - 3 1/2" square {star fabric}
• 8 - 2" x 5" rectangles
• 4 - 5" squares 

Draw a line diagonally across all the 2" squares.  I like to use a water soluable pen, then I can spray the marks away with distilled water before ironing.

Place the white squares on one end of each of the 2" x 5" rectangles.  Half of the diagonal lines should point left to right, the other half right to left {as shown in the image below}.  Stitch along the lines.

Measure 1/4" from the line toward the short end of the rectangle...

...and trim the corners away.

Press the triangle toward the bottom of the block.  This will create all the points of the star.

Sew the rectangles together in pairs with the point of the printed fabric in the center.
 

Press the seams open to reduce bulk.

Repeat until all the star points are sewn.  Arrange the points and 5" squares around the 3 1/2" square as desired and sew together into three rows.

I pressed my seams for the top and bottom rows toward the 5" squares, and for the center row towards the 3 1/2" square.  This will allow your seams to nest nicely.  When sewing the points to the 3 1/2" square, I like to sew with the point fabric on top {still right sides together} up so I can stitch right through the center where all the colors meet.

Join the three rows together in the same manner, and you'll have the finished star.

For another variation, use a string piecing method to replace the printed fabrics{this was my first string piecing attempt...it took me hours, but was worth it!}.  To make the chevron pieces with the star points, cut 4 - 4" x 5" rectangles out of paper, draw a 45° degree angle from the top left corner of two of the rectangles, and the top right corner of the other two {Edit to add:  find a tutorial on the chevrons and using selvages here!}.  Then use this angle for the pieces.  When finished, cut the rectangles into 8 - 2" x 5" pieces and arrange the chevrons.  Continue as for the rest of the block.

And there you have it, a simple, scrappy star.  It's not too late to follow the rest of the blocks for the 12 Days of Christmas Sampler Quilt Along either.  And don't forget to check out all the blocks in the Flickr group too. Enjoy!

Disclaimer: I realize there are a lot of star blocks out there, if you happen to have seen this exact one before, please know that I did my best to create my own variation of this star and did not intentionally copy anyone.  Thanks!