Friday, April 27, 2018

Best looking design wall ever!



Typically my design wall is covered by bits and pieces from a bunch of projects in flight but right now, it is filled with these incredible cute animals.

These animals are from Elizabeth Hartman's Delightful Desert pattern and will become a baby quilt. This is a commissioned quilt and they were interested in this specific colorway.

This pattern is fun and easy to follow with pictures that make the assembly process very clear.  Her pattern assigns specific FQs - you work with 6 of them for a baby sized quilt - to various pieces of the quilt assembly.   I followed the patterns color choices very specifically but found the quilt was reading too yellow.  Like this yellow deer - it just wasn't speaking to me. 


So I redid the deer in a different colors and replaced some of the vegetation with a  green print in a few places. This gal is just so much cuter - just look at those eyelashes!


Now I am very happy with the color balance - I just love this quilt!

Here are the fabrics I'm using - although the green print isn't in the photo:  3 prints from Elizabeth's Terrarium fabric line and paired solids from Painter's Palette - Pencil Yellow, Paprika, Bronze, Wasabi and Beige.










Have a wonderful day! Patty

Wednesday, April 25, 2018

Coconut Cross - Clementine QAL Block 4


Block 4 in Fat Quarter Shop's Clementine QAL is called Coconut Cross 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.)

I really enjoy this block and love the way it is set.  These are four 12'' blocks.



And then the small one for this month.



Here are all the large blocks so far.  I am loving this grouping of the large ones. Not sure what my final setting will be.



And the small ones.


I do need to think through my fabric pulls for month 5 and 6 given what I used so far.

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

Tuesday, April 24, 2018

One Monthly Goal - April Finish Link-up

Ready to link up your April finishes?
Don't panic - this link-up is open until April 30 at 11:55 pm ET.



My goal for April was to piece my quilt top using Alison Glass Sunprint 2018 fabric.  The solid I used is a Painter's Palette Gray.  While it may not look like it in this photo, this quilt will be square - 64 x 64''. Now onto some straight line quilting!


Please only link up if you finished your goal and if you also participated in the April 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 Violet Craft is offering a copy of one of her patterns. In addition, anyone linking up at both the goal and finish link-ups earns a point towards the second quarter bonus prize which is a fat-eight bundle of fabric from Green Fairy Quilts.


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. (
April 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.

Congratulations to Mary, Judy & Sharon - our randomly chosen winners for April.
Winners were notified by email. (updated May 2)




Have a wonderful day! Patty

Friday, April 20, 2018

Butterfly


A quick fun project to turn a single block into a hot pad for spring!

I made my butterfly block with the specific purpose of turning it into a hot pad but you can do this with any orphan block you've got hanging around.  These fabrics were Northcott Artisan Spirit Shimmer and were part of the QuiltCon swag bag. (I won a swag bag from a giveaway from Quilting Jetgil.)

For my hot pad / potholder,  I used a layer of Insul-bright and a layer of batting and then quilted as I normally would.  I wanted the butterfly to pop so only quilted around it in the ditch.  I'm thinking I'll embroider some antennas to help it look more like a butterfly.

(I just realized from the picture that I've got those fabrics in the wings going different ways.  Oh well, I'll just pretend I intended it to be this way.  You won't tell, will you?)

Have a wonderful day! Patty

Wednesday, April 18, 2018

Baby quilt - Delightful Desert

I've started working on my very first commission quilt.  This quilt will be a baby gift for their nephew who is due this summer.   After a bit of back and forth on pattern ideas, I was thrilled when he settled on Delightful Desert by Elizabeth Hartman.  I've loved her patterns forever.  (Elizabeth is one of the featured designers in One Monthly Goal this year!)

Two animals are done - aren't these just so cute?  I love seeing them on my design wall!

Elizabeth hartman delightful desert animals

For a baby size, I'm thinking of a quilt 40 x 40'' so this will be one set of animals with wide sashing / borders.   I am definitely putting an animal on the back.

Warm colors was the palette of choice and I decided to use 3 prints from Elizabeth's Terrarium fabric line and paired them with solids.  The solids are all Painter's Palette - Pencil Yellow, Paprika, Bronze, Wasabi and Beige.


I think I'll make the crane next!

I'll be linking up my blocks 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, April 16, 2018

Quilter's Planner Blocks

Any reader of my blog knows, I love a good QAL!  So it was an easy decision to make blocks as part of the Quilter's Planner QAL.

The April block is a Churn Dash - doesn't it look good with my three other blocks?


I have downsized the block patterns so that my blocks are 6  1/2 '' unfinished with a goal of making a pillow(s) for the couch in my studio (aka the bonus room of our home.)   I'm using the same fabrics from an Amy Ellis fabric line so my new pillow will look great with this pillow I made last year (blog post.)


This is my second calendar year using The Quilter's Planner and I really like it.  I've always been a paper planner kind of person and this is by far the best paper planner I've ever used.  The quality of the paper, the layout of the pages are just perfect for me.   All the extra quilting adds - project pages, quilt patterns - just make it even more useful!



Have a wonderful day! Patty

Friday, April 13, 2018

Curves gone crazy

Does this remind you of plumbing?

That is what my DH said as he was trying to figure out which side was up in order while holding the quilt for this photo.

Elm Street Quilts Curves quilt that resembles plumbing

There was no master plan behind this quilt.  I just started playing around with curves and some bright pink fabric I picked up at a guild meeting.  The pink needed something so I added the green and here it is. Blocks rearranged on a design wall several times until I decided on this layout.

What do you think?  I am going to use this as a piece to really practice my FMQ skills.

Have a wonderful day! Patty

Wednesday, April 11, 2018

Pillow for a friend

Many, many years ago, I bonded with an on-line quilting friend over our shared love of Sweetwater fabric.   I wanted to send a gift her way and built the design around Sweetwater fabric, her favorite color (yellow) and her favorite block (churn dash.)


I had a mini-charm pack of Sweetwater's Noteworthy in my stash which made for the perfect pillow!  I even had some yellow yardage from that line which made for the perfect pillow back.


The pillow is 12 x 20'' and I used my own tutorial on installing a zipper into a pillow back.  I added a bit of texty fabric (also a shared favorite) to give it a bit of a pop!

The pillow looked darn nice on my couch and I'm hoping it looks even better on hers!


I'll be linking up my pillow 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, April 9, 2018

March Temperatures

I bid March goodbye!  After February gave us wonderful warm Spring temperatures here in North Carolina, March brought back winter with cold and even some snow!


The first column (of color) on the left is January 1 through 15, next column January 16 through 31 etc which means the last column on the right is March 16 through 31. I'm using a low volume fabric to fill in months that don't have 31 days plus surrounding the overall temperature quilt so this is what you see surrounding the quilt on left edge, top and bottom.

The quilt measures roughly 32'' high and 11'' wide at this point.

That orange hexie in the sea of blues, aquas and green was an 80 degree day we got in mid-February and then another warm one at the end of March.  

Here is the mapping of color to temperature range.  These hexies are now sewn together in one long strip , shown in the photo above.



It takes me about 10 minutes to make and sew a hexie on each night.  Sometimes I end up batching them up.  That said, I am trying to baste up the hexies ahead of time - just need a better storage solution.

Have a wonderful day! Patty

Saturday, April 7, 2018

Its is a parade - a postcard parade!


KA-POW!

Makers: (Top) Ariane, @bruceandisabel, @shemunkee (middle) Tammy, Syliva, Cindy (bottom) Cindy, Jan, @chromatctcia
Look at this amazing group of fabric postcards sent from all over the world as part of the Elm Street Quilts postcard swap.

100 people signed-up to participate with a postcard mailing deadline of March 17.  I know that all of the cards haven't yet arrived at their forever home but many of them have so it is time for a parade!

Lynette sent me a bonus postcard to thank me for organizing the swap.  I love it and have it on my desk where I can see it ever day - it makes me smile.


This was the first time I've ever run a swap and my key objective was for it to fun - low key and not require much of an investment of time and money from the participants.  You were to mail just the postcard (directly or in an envelope) but were not to include any extra stuff.  Just sent a bit of fabric art off to a new friend.

Several of the bloggers who were part of the swap are sharing posts today of the postcards they made and received and a bit about the overall experience.  Please join me in visiting them!

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

Want to see even more cards? Check out #esqpostcardswap on Instagram.

Everyone in the swap is invited to link-up the postcard they made and label it with the Prompt and the From - To locations.   It is fun to see the distance the postcards traveled.




Did you participate in the swap?  Take a minute and comment below and thank your new postcard friend.

Have a wonderful day! Patty

Wednesday, April 4, 2018

Deconstructed Quilt Block


My local MQG issued a challenge for our upcoming meeting -  a deconstructed quilt block.
deconstruct - reduce (something) to its constituent parts in order to reinterpret it
I decided to focus on the log cabin block, playing with some ombre fabric from a recent LQS purchase.

Here is a typical log cabin block - extra pretty in rainbow fabrics!


A typical log cabin blocks starts with the smallest square at the center and then builds around it.  (In my case, I went clockwise.)   For my deconstructed block, I decided to see what would happen if I built the block starting with the largest piece, still building clockwise.   Isn't this cool?


I  drew up a graphic so you can get a better sense on how I built this.  On the left is the traditional log cabin block, starting with piece 1.  On the right is my reinterpreted version, starting with piece 13 (starred).  In both cases, I built the block clockwise.




I am thinking about how I might bring both of these blocks together into one quilt layout and left them as blocks for this weekend's guild meeting. 


Have a wonderful day! Patty

Sunday, April 1, 2018

One Monthly Goal - April Goal Setting Link-up

Welcome to April!  We had 143 projects linked up in March - let's see what this month brings!



New to One Monthly Goal?  Welcome!  To join, share a photo of your project, some words about what you want to accomplish in a blog post, an Instagram post (tutorial) or a post on Flickr.  Return at the end of the month and share your results.  You can read about the event and the rules on the main event page.

We have wonderful sponsors this month - three (3) winners will be randomly chosen from those that link up in both the goal and the finish event.  Plus anyone linking up will earn an entry for the bonus prize.  (Bonus prize to be awarded in July - you can earn up to 3 entries by joining the link-ups April through June.) 


Fat Quarter Shop offers a tremendous selection of fabric, notions, books and just about anything you will need for your project. Consider their Sew Sampler box to receive a monthly surprise delivery of fabric and fun.  Fat Quarter Shop is offering a $25 gift certificate to one lucky participant.

Make Modern is a digital magazine launched by a collaboration of quilters based in Australia. Their magazine is filled with modern quilt designs and a wonderful source of inspiration. Make Modern is offering a 6 month subscription to one lucky participant.


Green Fairy Quilts  is a wonderful online quilt store that offers precuts, patterns and notions at prices that can't be beat.  They are my source for precuts! Shipping is fast and the selection is wonderful. Green Fairy Quilts is offering a beautiful fat-eighth bundle of Puzzle Pieces by Moda for the 2Q bonus prize.

 Photo credit - Violet Craft, sourced from violetcraft.com
I am very excited to share April's featured designer - Violet Craft of Violet Craft.  Violet is an award winning quilter, a quilt designer, and a fabric designer for Robert Kaufman.  (Her latest line currently available in store is Palm Canyon, a beautiful collection in lovely colors for Spring.)

Violet might be best known for her iconic quilt patterns like the elephant, giraffe and lion shown in the photo below. Her pattern portfolio includes a wonderful selection of English paper pieced (EPP) and foundation paper pieced patterns.  The lion is an EPP project (and on my make list) and you can watch Violet share tips on EPP and the lion pattern in this episode of Fresh Quilting.

Those lucky enough to attend the Modern Quilt Guild's annual quilt show, Quilt Con 2018, likely saw Violet's quilt Terrance which placed second in the minimalist category.  Congratulations to Violet!  (See photos of all Quilt Con 2018 winning quilts.)

Quit and photo credit - Violet Craft, sourced from violetcraft.com

Violet is offering one lucky winner a pattern of their choice from her shop.  US winners can choose between a PDF or paper version.  Winners outside the US will receive a PDF version.  You can visit Violet at Violet Craft, on her blog, on Instagram, and her pattern store

My goal for April is to assemble my blocks into a quilt top.  I've used the floor in my daughter's room as my design wall and now it is time to sew these blocks together!



Now it is your turn to link up - what is your goal for April?  (A goal could be to finish a quilt but it could also be to attach a binding.  Whatever it takes to help you move forward and make progress on your projects!  And as long as the project involves a needle and/or fabric, you can link up!)

Make sure you visit the One Monthly Goal event page for the specific requirements for links and social tags. 
 Your blog post (or Flickr post) must contain a photo of your project, a clearly stated goal and a link back to Elm Street Quilts.  Your Instagram post must include a photo of your project, a clearly stated goal and the tag #onemonthlygoal.  (Entries which don't contain the required information may be disqualified.)

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.   (The One Monthly Goal accomplishment linkup will be available on April 24.)

Make sure you add a link to this OMG post so others can find the OMG link-up from your blog.  Let's make that easy -  just paste this into your post: 

 







Have a wonderful day! Patty