Wednesday, March 28, 2018

Lime


When I set out to create my entry for the latest Curated Quilt's call for entries, a quilt design immediately came to mind.  The prompt was triangle's and the colors to be used were some or all of the following - pool blue, lime green, orange, light pink, berry pink and plum purple.

After pulling all the colors and trying different combinations, the lime green really spoke to me.


Not sure what it actually said, but it spoke to me.  And I paired it with the plum purple.

My mini, which I am calling Lime, finishes at 10 x 10''.  I used a faced binding.   The quilting was so much fun - I really like this diamond pattern.


There are a great selection of mini's on the link-up and I'm happy to be adding mine.  Fingers crossed!


I'll be linking up here at Curated Quilts plus I'll be linking up my finish with  Freemotion by the River,   WIP Wednesday's,  Let's Bee SocialMidweek Makers.  Needle and Thread Thursdays, Finish it Up Friday and Finished or Not Friday.

Have a wonderful day! Patty

Monday, March 26, 2018

One Monthly Goal - March Finish Link-up

Ready to link up your March finishes?
Don't panic - this link-up is open until March 31 at 11:55 pm ET.


My goal for March was to make at least 30 blocks for my AG Sunprint quilt.  I made 33 on my guild retreat!  (You can see more about the retreat on this post and my likely layout for the blocks on this post.)



I loved just every minute of making with this fabric.  Now it is your turn to link up - share your goal finish for March.

Please only link up if you finished your goal and if you also participated in the March Goal Setting Link-up.


There will be three winners this month - Fat Quarter Shop is offering a $25 gift certificate, Make Modern Magazine is offering a 6 month subscription to their digital magazine and Sherri McConnell of  A Quilting Life, our featured designer for March, is offering one lucky winner a copy of her book Fresh Family Traditions to a US winner or two (2) PDF patterns to an international winner.  In addition, anyone linking up at both the goal and finish link-ups earns a point towards the first quarter bonus prize which is a thread set from Aurifil.


Congratulations to Jen, Natalie & Judy - our winners for March.  
Congratulations to Erin, the winner chosen from all those who had finishes linked-up in January through March.  Winners have all accepted their prizes!   (updated 4/2)


Visit the One Monthly Goal event page for the specific requirements for links and social tags. 

And remember, to be eligible for the prize(s) by random drawing you must linkup at both the goal setting and the accomplishment linkup in a given month. (
March Goal Setting Link-up.)

Make sure you add a link to this OMG post so others can follow where you are linking.   Let's make that easy -  just paste this into your post:
  


Sign up to receive email notifications when the One Monthly Goal linkup is open.  Think of it as a helpful reminder!  Joining the link-up from Instagram -see the tutorial.




Have a wonderful day! Patty

Sunday, March 25, 2018

Peaches & Plenty - Clementine QAL BLock 3


Block 3 in Fat Quarter Shop's Clementine QAL is called Peaches & Plenty and I'm excited to be one of the bloggers who gets to share their blocks today.  (Click to see more about my prior blocks Watermelon Wheel & Broken Berries.)

There were a lot of pieces in this block and I spread construction over several days so that I could enjoy the process.  Here is my smaller block.  I just love these fabrics!



And here are all the blocks I've made so far in a random layout.  Are they pretty?


I've chosen Moda Creekside for my blocks - the fabrics below plus a few others from my stash.



Fat Quarter Shop's Clementine QAL benefits St. Jude's Children's Research Hospital.  Quilters are encouraged to donate $5 for each block pattern.  I really love how the FQS QALs support a different charity each year.  If you love the fabrics in the sample quilt, you can order the kit!

You can ready more about the QAL and get the latest block pattern today on the Jolly Jabber and read more about the Clementine QAL.  There is also a youtube video on the block!

I am happy to be sharing this QAL blog hop with all these other bloggers - go check them out!

*April of April Rosenthal (@amrosenthal)
Bonnie of Sunset Family Living (@sunsetfamilyliving)
Cara of That Crafty Cara (@thatcraftycara)
Carrie of Moda Cutting Table (@modafabrics)
Denise of Pieced Brain (@piecedbrain)
Elise of Elise and Emelie (@eliseandemelie)
Gina of Carpe Quiltin (@gina_tell_carpequiltin)
Heather of A Creative Pursuit (@acreativemama)
Hilary of By Hilary Jordan (@byhilaryjordan)
Jan of Cocoa Quilts (@cocoaquilts)
Jen of Heritage Threads (@heritage.threads)
Joanne of Quilts by Joanne (@turtlequilterjo)
Kairle of Kairle Oaks Handcrafted Goodness (@kairleoaks)
Kendra of Good Starter (@good_starter)
Kristen of 3 in the Nest (@threeinthenestraleigh)
Kristina of Center Street Quilts (@centerstreetquilts)
Leah of Ponderings from My Heart (@ponderingsfrommyheart)
Melanie of A Bit of Scrap Stuff (@mellierc)
Melissa of Happy Quilting (@happyquiltingmc)
Pat of Pat Sloan (@quilterpatsloan)
Pat B. of Life in the Scrapatch (@scrapatches)
Patty of Elm Street Quilts (@elmstreetquilts)
Rebecca of One Wee Bird (@oneweebird)
Sarah of 123 Quilt (@123quilt)
Seema of SSK Craft Shop (@sskcraftshop)
Sherri of A Quilting Life (@aquiltinglife)
Sondra of Out of the Blue Quilts (@sondradavison)
Stephanie of Quilt 'n Party (@quiltnparty)
Tanya of Tanya Quilts in CO (@tanyaquiltsinco)
Teresa of Aurea's Kitchen (@aureaskitchen)
Vickie of Crocheting Vixen (@crochetingvixen)

Have a wonderful day! Patty

Saturday, March 24, 2018

Coming soon: A Postcard Hop

Postcards have been popping into mailboxes all over the world and we've all been treated to sneakpeaks of them on Instagram (#esqpostcardswap) and in the Elm Street Quilts Facebook page.  We've got 100 people participating and most of the cards are in the mail and many already received. 



On April 7, I will be hosting a postcard parade and blog hop to share photos of as many postcards as possible.  (Participants, look in your inbox for an email sent earlier this week with the link to the "secret" link-up page to make sure your card will be included.  If you have problems, just drop me an email and I'll be happy to help.)

Several bloggers will be joining me in a blog hop that day and I'm excited for them to share the postcards they created and received as well as a bit about the overall swap process.   

Denise @ DottieDoodle
Karen @ Run Sew Fun
Laura @ LC's Cottage
Michelle @ Creative Blonde
Paige @ Quilted Blooms
Sandra @ mmm! quilts

I've really enjoyed hosting this swap.  Everyone has created such wonderful little works of art.  People have commented how they especially enjoyed that there wasn't a large commitment (time or money) required to participate.  Just an opportunity to be creative and make someone's day and then receive something back in return!

Participating in the hop?  Grab a button:



Elm Street Quilts

Have a wonderful day! Patty

Friday, March 23, 2018

My Sunprint Quilt

Last month I blogged about my newly acquired collection of fabrics from the Sunprint 2018 collection.


I absolutely love how rich and saturated the colors are.   My local quilt store - Cary Quilting Company - will nicely sell you fabrics by the inch so I purchased 6'' of each of the colorways.

I brought the project on my recent guild retreat and made 33 blocks.  It was really cheerful to sew these blocks with those fabrics.


Now, to decide on my layout.  This is what I am thinking about - I mocked it up in EQ7 but didn't spend the time distributing all the colors.  As drawn, this quilt will be 62 x 64''.


Right now, the blocks sit on the floor of my daughter's room while she is off at college.  Each time I walk by her room, I stop and adjust my color layout!


I guess I do need to decide which direction these arrow head like blocks are pointing.  Looking at the picture, I see it is different than I had planned! 

I'll be linking up my project with  Freemotion by the River,   WIP Wednesday's,  Let's Bee SocialMidweek Makers.  Needle and Thread Thursdays, Finish it Up Friday and Finished or Not Friday.

Have a wonderful day! Patty

Wednesday, March 21, 2018

Quilt Shows

One of the larger (if not largest) guilds in the area hosted a quilt show this weekend and I entered my quilt Sunset Flight.   This was the 3rd time I had entered any quilt into a juried show and the first time a quilt was accepted.  (The first two times were Quiltcon 2017 and 2018.)

It was really exciting to round a corner and see my quilt  hanging in the show.  (Given that I'm not wearing my usual yoga pants and tee shirt combo and actually thought I looked quite stylish in my shirt/sweater, I decided to share a photo with me in it.  I think I actually match one of the yellow geese in my quilt!)

Other than hunting down my quilt, I surprisingly didn't spend any other time looking at quilts or shopping.  I spent the whole day on Friday working in the booth for the guild which I am a member of - Triangle Modern Quilt Guild.  Among other things, I am responsible for running the raffle for our raffle quilt - pictured on the left below.  It was such fun meeting so many people and talking about the benefits for being part of the guild.  We recruited two new members right on the spot - they paid their dues and everything - and know that many more will come check out our upcoming meetings.



One the overall topic of quilt show, I didn't make it to QuiltCon 2018 this year, but a bit of me did.  I contributed to our guild's charity quilt (see photo here on Instagram) plus one other.

At QuiltCon 2017, Michel Miller Fabrics were handing out fabric samples and asking you to make a block for a charity quilt for Quilts for Cure.    The resulting quilts were displayed at this year's QuiltCon.


My block is the one in the corner of the blue quilt - with the circles!  Bottom left block in photo below.


I wasn't at QuiltCon this year but a block I made was!

These photos were sourced from Michael Miller Fabrics Facebook page.

Have a wonderful day! Patty

Monday, March 19, 2018

My experiences at a quilt retreat

I got to spend the weekend at a guild retreat two weeks ago.   We were at the beach and had amazing weather.


Our room had a view - you can see the reflection of the palm trees in the windows and the weather was nice enough that most of the time we could open the windows..


We spent a lot of time working on this Amethyst Bag by Sew Sweetness.  Far too much time, actually, because there were lots of steps.  I ended up putting it aside so that I could finish it at home.  It is a really nice bag. 


I used Fragile by Zen Chic for the outside and inside of the bag.  I'm loving my two mesh pockets.  Many bags were finished during the retreat and each time one was 'birthed' (the final stage of turning it inside out) there were large cheers in the room.


We also had a Secret Sister swap.  I was totally spoiled with some chocolate, a small quilting frame and an awesome bag filled with goodies.


I arrived with a multitude of projects but besides the bag, really only worked on one.  But it was a fun one -  I got all 33 of my blocks made! I loved working with this fabric (Sunprint 2018) so much.


A couple of things that I will do for my next retreat -
  • Pack less.  I don't sew as fast as I imagine I would in a world without children and laundry and other household distractions.  I brought so many project along but only worked on one of them in addition to the bag.  
  • Prep ahead.  Cutting as much ahead of time was a really good idea.  There isn't much table space available.
  • Bring lunch/snacks. Enough said.
  • Save the difficult cutting for another time.  Being tired just does not led to accurate cutting!
Bottom line - I had way more fun than I expected to and I now know several of the guild members much better as a result of spending so much time with them.

Have a wonderful day! Patty

Friday, March 16, 2018

Jelly Roll Ripples


Welcome to my stop on Fat Quarter Shop's Jelly Roll Ripples blog tour!

For my quilt, I used a Riley Blake roll called By the Sea.


The blocks are fun and fast to go together and the instructions from Fat Quarter Shop are easy to follow.  I enjoyed adding the pop of red to the quilt.  (Get the pattern and see the video here!)


For quilting, I went with organic wavy lines - a fun way to quilt.  The binding was made from jelly roll strips.  And I used some additional strips to add some interest to the back of the quilt.


And I used some additional strips to add some interest to the back of the quilt.


My quilt finishes 60 x 60'' and is a nice lap sized quilt.  I will be donating this to our local guild charity.


Have a wonderful day! Patty

Thursday, March 15, 2018

modern PLUS SIGN QUILTS - My RicRac Plus Runner

Photo credit: C&T Publications
I am very excited about today's post - my opportunity to share a project in celebration of the Modern Plus Signs Quilts - the new book by Cheryl Brickey and Paige Alexander.

Before I share my project, let me tell you that this book is just beautiful.  I love the projects, the easy to understand directions and just the overall look of the book.  I know I will be flipping through it over and over again!  There is also going to be a QAL later this year - making a block from each of the designs and assembling it together into a unique sampler quilt.  I can't wait!

You can find a copy of the book on Amazon (afflicate link).  For an autographed copy, please purchase via Cheryl's or Paige's Etsy stores.

I've never made a plus sign block before and I was excited to dive right in  - here is my version of the RicRac Plus Runner.  This runner was designed by Paige.


Daffidols bloomed early this year in North Carolina and gave me a perfect backdrop for my photos.


Fabric used is Moda Sweetwater Freedom.  My runner measures 40 x 20'' and fits perfectly on my kitchen table.  I used my walking foot to quilt and followed the instructions in Jacquie Gering's Walk book to create an orange peel like pattern.


It was a fun pattern to do with my walking foot and I was able to use seam intersections on the quilt (instead of marking) to get my patterns.


There are so many wonderful quilts in the book that this hop lasts for ten days!

Today you can find several other bloggers sharing their versions of the RicRac Plus Runner along with Postage Plus pattern. Make sure you also visit Cheryl @ Meadow Mist Designs and Paige @ Quilted Blooms for more information about the hop plus the chance to win wonderful prizes!

Here is the full list of bloggers -




Monday, March 12th 
Cheryl @ Meadow Mist Designs
Paige @ Quilted Blooms

Tuesday, March 13th

Kitty @ Night Quilter
Sophie @ Luna Lovequilts
Afton @ Quilting Mod



Wednesday, March 14th
Jayne @ Twiggy and Opal
Abigail @ Cut & Alter
Yvonne @ Quilting Jetgirl
Sandra @ mmm! Quilts
Karen @ Run Sew Fun



Thursday, March 15th
Bernie @ Needle and Foot
Michelle @ From Bolt to Beauty



Thursday, March 15th
Bernie @ Needle and Foot
Michelle @ From Bolt to Beauty
Patty @ Elm Street Quilts  (that's me!)



Friday, March 16th
Izzy @ Dizzy Quilts
Christa @ Christa Quilts



Monday, March 19th
Jessica @ Quilty Habit



Tuesday, March 20th
Katherine @ Sew Me Something Good



Wednesday, March 21st
Anja @ Anja Quilts



Thursday, March 22nd
Joanne @ Quilts by Joanne

Friday, March 23rd
Cheryl @ Meadow Mist Designs
Paige @ Quilted Blooms








I'll be linking up my finish with  Freemotion by the River,   WIP Wednesday's,  Let's Bee SocialMidweek Makers.  Needle and Thread Thursdays, Finish it Up Friday and Finished or Not Friday.

Have a wonderful day! Patty

Monday, March 12, 2018

More Bags for Quilting Friends

I just love making project bags and put together two of them as a thank you to two quilting friends.


This ladies have been working hard to organize our guild retreat and I wanted to make them a little something to say thank you.

Before the retreat, we were each assigned our Secret Sister.  I made mine a little bag!  The fabric on the handle is the same as the lining fabric.



The tutorial for the project bags - which were featured in Bag It 2017 event - can be found here.  Fun to make - I use mine all the time!   The tutorial for the boxy bag is here.

More about the retreat coming in a post later this week!

Have a wonderful day! Patty