April 7, 2022

Sailing on the Wind

 Sometimes you make a quilt for someone because you come across a new pattern and/or fabric line that you know instantly is perfect for someone in your life.  That's exactly what happened when I first saw The Regetta by Patchwork Studios.  

You see, my son's best friend Jon's parents, Linda and Tom, have a sailboat on a local lake where they spend practically the entire summer and they graciously invite my son to join them for multiple days at a time over many weekends each year.  They are even teaching him how to sail.  It goes without saying, that when I saw the pattern, I had to make it for them as a small thank you for their continuing generosity year after year.

 It started with these pretty fabrics, Sail Away by Northcott, and the sailboat panel. 

This was another project that was quick and easy to piece together and within a very short time it was done and loaded on the frame.

In process...the quilting really brings so much movement and life to the quilt.
Quilting was done in no time flat and now it just needed the binding.
This is the finished quilt, ready to be gifted.
 I really love the way it turned out.  I expect that during the long northeastern winters this quilt would remind them of their summers on the lake and all the memories made there. 
 I chose the Seaside panto for this quilt.  Not only was the panto name perfect but the curve reminds me of the ribbons of the wind.
On the water areas, the stitching design looks like the back and forth of the waves.
You can almost feel the breezes in your hair.   
I know I say it all the time, but the stitching just adds such pretty texture. The thread used is Glide Tar Heel on the top and Glide Light Tan on the back.
I used this great anchor print from the same fabric line for the backing.
There was a big piece of the panel left over that I didn't want to waste.  I decided to turn it into a wall hanging that actually fits perfectly on a narrow wall in Linda and Tom's house.
For the quilting, I did organic wavy lines with random spacing. 
The back was also a leftover piece from the quilt so even less bits were added to my scrap bins.
Linda and Tom were completely surprised by the quilt and so thrilled.
It felt great to be able give these quilts to our good friends and I know that during the winter, they dreamed of the day when they get to return to their boat, Without Wind. 

 

April 1, 2022

Always and Forever Table Runners

One of the things that has been very satisfying over the last year and a half has been the fact that I've been able to get a bunch of UFOs finished or previously un-started projects actually made and off my To Make list.  One of the items crossed off the UFO list was the pair table runners I pieced using a charm pack of Always and Forever by Deb Strain for Moda.

The last time I showed these here on the blog was February 2014, so a whopping 8 years ago.

They were both simple piecing but I still like the way they turned out. First up s the runner for our larger table which is in the dining room. It's 14" x 56".

The Love Dance panto is what I stitched on this using Glide White thread.
The detail shows nicely on the back which is a Red tone on tone print I found at a LQS.
This is the smaller runner that is on our kitchen table.  It is 14" x 48".  I created it literally from the scraps leftover from the longer runner and winged the design.
The blocks were pieced randomly and I think I used up almost all the bits so it was a Win, Win.
The one got the Heart Fancy panto stitched onto it using the same Glide White on the front and Glide Cardinal on the back.
I finished these last year, used them this year for a few weeks around Valentine's Day and now they are packed away until next year. 
I hope to delve into the UFO pile again soon to see what else I can get finished and crossed off the list. 

 


March 30, 2022

Heartfelt Quilt Along - Buttercup Block

After completing the first month's blocks for the Heartfelt QAL, I was looking forward to putting fabrics together to make the Buttercup blocks for March.
    
These are the fabrics I ended up choosing for this month.
  
The construction was simple and before long the first 3 were done.
The last 2 were then completed quickly.
March's Buttercup blocks definitely sing of spring. 
I put the Beloved and Buttercup blocks together and I'm really happy with what I see so far.  
I'm all ready for April.  How are you coming along with this quilt along?  If you're not playing along, you might want to change your mind and join us. I can confirm that this one is a lot of fun.
 

March 20, 2022

Heartfelt Quilt Along - Beloved Block

When I saw the initial announcement about Fat Quarter Shop's Heartfelt Quilt Along last fall, I was immediately tempted. I've been very good in recent years at resisting these kids of temptations as I already have more than enough projects on my To Make List that I really want to create some day, but this one kept calling to me. 

Then last month, after seeing a few of the blocks other quilters were making, I relented, paid my $50 donation and set to figure out what fabrics I want to use.
This quilt would be beautiful in so many of the newest fabric lines that have come out recently but ultimately I decided to make this quilt epic (in my world) and use some of my huge stash of Kate Spain fabrics.  I have plenty of charms and yardage and finally actually sewing some of this into a quilt will feel really good.
I made the first Beloved block to test out the instructions and was happy with the result.
Deciding which fabrics to pair up for the next 4 Beloved blocks was fun and they quickly came together. For this round, the lighter fabric is featured in the center.
I'm actually enjoying mixing different prints from the various Kate Spain fabric lines.
All 5 Beloved blocks were completed in earlier this month so now I can move onto the March blocks.
Having only 1 quilt along commitment works for me at the moment.  It's Girl Scout cookie season here and that takes up a huge amount of my time. 
 

February 11, 2022

Did Someone Say Cake? Giveaway

The Giveaway is closed. Congratulations Needled Mom!  I'll be contacting you shortly.

The copies of the new book Did Someone Say Cake? arrived so it's time for a giveaway to celebrate.  I'm giving away one autographed copy.

Photo courtesy of Martingale Publishing
 
It's a fabulous compilation of 12 gorgeous quilt patterns by talented designers.  I am humbled and honored to be included in this book.

This is my design, Jeweled Diamonds.
 

It's a beautiful, bright quilt that finished at 72 1/2" x 80 1/2" which is perfect for snuggling up under during the wet and chilly days of late winter and early spring.  It was a overcast, damp day when I took this picture, so here's a picture from the book to show that it's much brighter in real life.

Photo courtesy of Martingale Publishing

To enter the giveaway:

1) Follow me

2) Leave a comment telling me who is your favorite fabric designer.

P.S. Please make sure you are not a No Comment Blogger because if you win, I won't be able to contact you.

That's it!  Easy, peasy.  

I'll make someone's Valentine's Day even better by announcing the winner that evening so the giveaway will close Monday, February 14th at 5pm EST.

For another chance to win, I'm hosting a giveaway for a 2nd book over on Instagram.  You can find me at @crayonboxquiltstudio.