Tuesday, June 30, 2015

Minis and More: Summer Star quilt top


In an attempt to make up my mini charms and charm packs into wallhangings or table toppers, I am going to participate in the Minis and More Parade. (See link in sidebar for more info.) Time will tell how far I get with this endeavor : )



Here is my July entry. Summer Star - perfect pattern for July made up with Prairie Paisley II by Minick & Simpson for Moda,perfect fabric for July. Love how the top turned out! As I wanted a larger wall hanging, I used a regular charm pack (5" squares) to make my Summer Star. This pattern pieced very quickly. Pattern available here - Etsy.

So Happy my points came out a lot better this time (probably because I took more care with my piecing and trimming). I won't be able to get it quilted until next week but I'm feeling proud of myself for getting the top done. I have wanted to make a patriotic wall hanging for several years. Step one completed! 

Happy Fourth of July, everyone!!!




Friday, June 26, 2015

Baby Sea Stars quilt

Thank you all for stopping by and giving your input regarding binding. 
The giveaway winner is Debbie - Sheltered Stitches. Congratulations, Debbie!

Thanks for stopping by to check out my version of Sea Stars, the newest pattern release by Cheryl over at  Meadow Mist Designs. I was excited to test another this pattern for Cheryl. First, I'm drawn to her striking designs and her patterns are always clear, simple, and easy to follow. Second, I love half-square triangles. Third, for some time I have wanted to try a quilt with the plus sign block. Fourth, I thought it would be perfect in grays and yellows, a combination I've been wanting to try even though it is not my combination of choice at all.

How do you not spend all day putting a fabric selection together for a new quilt? Go to your local quilt shop 15 minutes before they close. No kidding. Worked for me. I pulled all the yellow and gray marbles they had, went with the three of each that seemed to want to be together, and tossed in Bella white from stash. Done! Whew, that was easy : )



Cutting my 1/4 yard cuts for the baby size went very smoothly and quickly. I love Cheryl's cutting instructions. So clear and simple. Trimming the HSTs was a breeze with my new Bloc-loc ruler. Love it! Can't recommend it enough if you like to use HSTs in your quilts.




I struggled a bit with piecing. Wrong moon or something. Every block needed ripper attention for some reason or other. I persevered and pushed through the mental fog to victory. Here it is all pieced and ironed. Really like how the blocks come together and form the stars. Ingenious! Am very happy with how the fabrics play together. Sometimes you just don't know how they are going to turn out, you know what I mean?



Quilted! Wasn't sure how to quilt this one. Thought about going with my favorite wavy lines, but it just didn't seem the right choice. Thought about single straight lines on the diagonal but wasn't sure how that would go with the velour backing (and no time for experimenting). So, straight line to the right of seams in both directions. Love how it turned out! Simple, doesn't distract from the block pattern, still soft and cuddly. Quilting success!

Cheryl has another winner with Sea Stars - striking design in a clear, easy to follow pattern. I love that about her patterns.

Giveaway! Closed.
Ok, folks. Time for a giveaway. For a PDF copy of the Sea Stars patterns how about giving me some binding input. What color would you bind this quilt with - one of the grays? one of the yellows? maybe white? For one entry comment letting me know what your binding choice would be. For an additional entry let me know if you are a follower, new or old.  Please make sure I have a way of contacting you. Winner will be drawn Monday, June 29.

Sea Stars can be found on Etsy, Craftsy, and Payhip.