Em's hexi baby quilt

My daughter and I just finished this quilt:

quilt stats:

40" x 51" (washed)

hexi's are random fabrics

quilting is organic straight line w/ hexi's appliquéd on

batting is cotton warm & natural

2 pieces of fabric (a front and back) the size of the ending quilt are basted and quilted.  Hexi's are then appliquéd on.

Em wasn't sure she liked this quilt towards the end of it's making.  Then she saw the washed version and decided it was a keeper!  Something magic happens in that washing machine.

Chain Reaction in Figs - GIVEAWAY

Chain Reaction in Figs is finally finished!  It's my new all time favorite:

quilt stats:

60" x 77" (washed)

fabric is Mirabelle by Fig Tree

negative space is Kona bleached white

warm & natural white batting

quilting design is "Tickle" by Beany Girl Quilts

I fell in love with this quilt pattern when I first saw it at the Houston Market several years ago.    

It is designed by Swirly Girls and can be found in their book, also in a GIVEAWAY below.

The fabric is by Fig Tree

You can see this new line of fabric featured in this post on Joanna's (the designer) blog.

 

I had a lot of fun quilting it from a pantograph design.  You can read about it here.

 The scraps were in perfect shape for a stacked coin design.

GIVEAWAY:  I've been researching different types of threads that quilters use.  If you're interested in having a copy of this book, leave me a comment telling me what kind of thread you use.

linked up:

fresh sewing day

sew giving

fabric addict

fort worth

wip

There's nothing better than a 1940's Singer Featherweight while your regular machine is in the shop.

I'm probably the last one to make this "trip around the world" quilt. It was a total compulsive start, but it's gone by fast. 

 I'm using scraps I NEVER thought I'd use.  Just think, a queen size quilt made with unwanted scraps!  I'll definitely need to make one of these every few years.

 I even have these pieced scraps from a previous quilt for the back.

 My Heather Ross top is ready and waiting for the mail man to bring some fabric for the back.

I'm excited to be posting this finish for Friday:

And on a closing note, I was cleaning out my mother-in-law's kitchen last week and found this pot holder.  I finally realized why I was so drawn to it . . .   Could it possibly be the hot pad that the kids made for their grandma 25 years ago?   I love these, they're the best.

linked up:

Needle & Thread

Blossom Hearts

Quilt Story

Show and Tell

wip

What do they call this?  eye-candy?  a stack of 6 inch pre-cut hexigons . . . 

 . . . randomly sewn together.  How easy is that?

. . . pretty fun actually, till it comes to sewing the rows together.  Then, it gets pretty tedious.

 Marking the corners as instructed with the provided template does help . . . trust me.

I'm not sure about it . . . but I'll keep going.

And then last night, for some random reason, I decided it was time to break into my coveted, secretly protected, untouched, highly invested in, Heather Ross fabrics that have been stored in a cool, dry place.  Maybe it's because I was looking at her new book coming out soon.

I wanted this museum print so bad, I had 3 family members bidding on it during a vacation.  It cost me our grocery budget for the week.

I have a whole pinterest board with HR pins of fun small pieced quilts but most of them take away from her artistic designs.

Then, when I recently saw this quilt that I made several years back, I realized it would make a fun HR quilt, show-casing her designs. 

So, those are my wip for this week.  Do you have any projects you've made with Heather's fabrics?

Linked up:

Quilt Story

Needle and Thread

Sew Fresh Quilts

Freshly Pieced

figs back & quilting

Stacked coins for the back:

I've had this pantograph design (for long-arms) that I've wanted to use.  Isn't it beautiful?  But I don't have a long arm.  

It's designed by Benay @ Beany Girl Quilts, manufactored by WillowLeaf Studio

My first method was to trace a row onto thin tracing paper made for quilters.

Then I pinned it on and quilted the first row across.

Then . . . . I HAD TO PICK OUT ALL THAT PAPER!

 I didn't want to go through that whole process 10 more times.  So, I made a stencil.  Yes, I traced it and cut it out with my tiny scissors.  I think there's a tool that would have made that MUCH faster . . . (note to self: must look into that).

. . . tracing onto quilt with disappearing pen . . .

 quilting finished . . .

So, a question to you free motion quilters out there . . . is there a better way to quilt a specific pattern that is too long to must memorize in your head?  What have you tried?

Linked up:

Freshly Pieced

crazy mom

Friday Frenzy

Chain Reaction in Figs wip

top is finally complete!  My goal for Friday was to get all my other work done so that I could finish this top.  I can hardly wait to quilt it up.

I love this pattern by Swirly Girls.  It's in their new book "Sew Sweet".

The fabric is Mirabelle by Fig Tree.  I don't believe it is due out in retail stores until March.


Linked up:

Crazy Mom Quilts

Quilt Matters

Whoop!

Off the Wall

a tile setter

I love this quilt I'm currently working on, it's coming together nicely.  More about it at the end of this post.

I never thought I'd be a "tile setter".  

If you've ever done a big renovation on your home, you may have experienced some adjustments at the end, in other words, finishing a few things yourself.

After watching some youtube videos and listening to a few crazy friends who have tiled, I realized that it's not much different than quilting, except for the fact that I could take off a finger VERY easily. 

 I noticed that my work area looked a lot like my sewing table with stacks of half square triangles, and squares laying around . . .

I even used a quilting method for cutting half square triangles, ha ha.

My quilting rulers came in very handy.

templates. . .

I love travertine.  I guess it compares to a low volume quilt.

So, if you ever happen to get tired of quilting . . .

you already have some skills that would help you be a tile setter!

This was my Christmas present:

A small china cabinet from my mother in law. 

 After a few minor repairs and cleaning up, it has found it's way into my newly renovated sewing room.

After a wonderful Christmas, I'm finally back to some desperately needed therapy in my sewing room.  I hope you are too.

I've always wanted a design wall.  I just pinned up a piece of batting on a bare wall.  It's awesome! 

Linked up:

crazy mom quilts

Thank Goodness it's Finished Friday  - found this week at Quokka Quilts