Bits and Pieces of a lot of things

It's always fun to see the sampler quilts progress from month to month. The Highlights sampler is nearing the end and so the first group's blocks are really shaping up. Laura was worried that hers were too busy because of her repeating block, but I reminded her that they all had a border around them that spreads them out, so once we did the layout with some of them in place, it took on a different look. She liked it much better. 

Laura

Jane has been working on two quilts at the same time; one with a yellow background for her grandson and one with a green background. She decided she had enough blocks finished to put together the yellow one, so she brought it to class last week. You can see she made her Eccentric Stars out of different fabrics. I love it this way too. 

Jane

 Here are the green ones and last week's block. So pretty.

She also made these adorable camper pincushions for a friend and brought them to show us.

Jane

Diana

Diana is working with three fabrics and her background on this quilt. I love her placement of the fussy cut flowers. That is her border fabric, I think. It's great when people add their own ideas to your design. 

 The To The Point sampler group worked on this leaf block last week. We all think it looks more like a tree. That is mine from the quilt below.

 We talked about how different the blocks look when set on point and put some on the wall to see. I forgot to take a pic of them straight. Some blocks are more interesting on point.

Dianne has been working on her Beads, Buttons and Baubles quilt the past two Tuesdays. It's looking good and with all of those bug fabrics, I think she should name it Beetles, Bugs and More Bugs!

Dianne

I have been working on a lot of class stuff, but not sewing the past few days. I'm working on the Simply Posies Sampler 21 pattern, which is going very well. It's sort of the sampler that's not a traditional sampler, but I love it! I wish I could've gotten it quilted before I hung it at the store Wednesday, but it's actually easier to display the larger quilts in the classroom as a flimsy, so I guess it's ok. I may get it done yet this summer!

Simply Posies Sampler 21

I've also been working on the weekly sewing, posts and patterns that go along with the Red, White and True Quilt Along. (You can find all of the info on the quilt along on the link above.) I'm really getting excited about it and anxious to cut out my second quilt and sew along with everyone.Have you picked out your fabrics? There is a Flickr group you can post pictures to so we can all admire them! I will be posting the cutting directions on Mon. June 22, so have those fabrics pressed and ready to cut! Are you joining us?

I am going to load Red, White and True on the frame today and try to get it quilted. It's smaller and shouldn't take too long. Wish me luck! 

Beads, Buttons and Baubles remix

I was very excited to receive these pictures of Kerstin's version of the Beads, Buttons and Baubles quilt the other day. She agreed to test the pattern for me...you might remember that she tested the Against the Tide Mystery pattern last year as well. She has a great eye for color and I love her beautiful quilt. Her fabrics capture the playful aspect of this design perfectly. 

Jane tested the pattern as well and made a smaller version last month for a baby gift. She chose soft colors to match the cute animal print she had found. The two quilts look so totally different, yet both are so pretty in their own way.  That's what I love about seeing different versions of the same pattern.

If you want to try this design, the pattern is available now through my Craftsy shop. I would love to see pictures if you do!

Beads, Buttons and Baubles

Rainy, quilty afternoon....

 Yesterday I hosted a UFO Saturday...it was the perfect day to stay inside and sew. Brenda brought her Lone Star to work on. She had the two halves made and partially sewn together. She was having trouble sewing the two sections together so we figured out what the problem was and she got it sewn. Next she cut out her corner squares and side triangles...they are large, so it's nice to have more space in the classroom to do that! Then she started sewing them in.

 Jane spent some time arranging her Honeycomb Waffle half blocks until she had it the way she wanted. She made some blocks with some color mixed in with her gray/black filler blocks, which add an interesting touch. Jane loves colorful batiks, can you tell?

Dianne worked on her Beads, Buttons and Baubles quilt. She did a lot of cutting and prepping so will soon be ready to put the rest of her blocks together. 

 Brenda finished her Lone Star center....wowser! I love these huge stars and they look gorgeous in all color combos. I have two people interested in taking this class, so if you live in the area and are interested, let me know....I will schedule around the interested quilter's schedules if possible. I also have a quilter who wants me to teach the Honeycomb Waffle, Too class again. I love teaching this class, so if you are interested too, let me know!

 Jane got her rows sewn together vertically, so is probably sewing them together this morning. She was undecided when we left yesterday about her top and bottom setting triangles. She had cut some black ones, bu thought they might be too dark. She will have to decide soon!

I had sewn together some more strips the other night in anticipation of my Summer Fling Stringpiecing Workshop next Sat. at Cut Up and Quilt, so I cut them out in between helping the others. I will probably have enough for a small quilt or if I don't I will have to make more so I don't waste them....this happens to me a lot, ok?

I had some black/tan leftover jelly roll strips so I sewed them together as well. Not sure how they will look mixed in with the more colorful ones, but hopefully I can use them together. Then I cut some solid blocks out of the pink polka dot fabric I used on the back of one of my Peas in a Pod quilts. I still have some solid colored blocks left from the original quilt, too. 

It was a fun day of sewing, chatting and sharing ideas. I think we planned several more quilts while they worked on these! Isn't that always the way it goes?

Would I string you along?

Probably not, but after teaching yesterday's class for the Beads, Buttons and Baubles quilt at Cut Up and Quilt, I felt like I was stringing beads and baubles for sure. First off, Jane brought her baby version that she made while testing the pattern for me. She loved this directional kid's print so chose her fabrics to match it. It turned out so cute, and it was fun to have another model to show the class!

Jane's Beads, Buttons and Baubles close-up

I had given them some pre-cutting directions so as to speed things along a bit in class. I started them off cutting a few more strips, and sub-cutting some of the strips they had already cut. Then we were ready to start sewing!

Elsie

Once they started sewing, things started happening as they formed their first block. There are several different blocks that you twist and turn to make this eclectic design.

Dianne

We talked a lot about different options for the blocks as well as different options for setting the blocks. There is a lot of room for creativity with this quilt design.

Donna D

Carol

 Once they got a few blocks made, some of them started chain piecing their Beads sections to speed up the process. As you can see, these will be some gorgeous quilts.

Bettie S

My Beads, Buttons and Baubles

My next class at Cut Up and Quilt will be the Summer Fling Stringpiecing Workshop on May 2. If you have lots of scraps and leftovers, you will love this quilt bee style class. I will be bringing some strips/scraps to share and you can too! 

Summer Fling

I am going to a health fair this morning and then swimming this afternoon. Maybe a little time to work too, we'll see. 

Summer Fling

Spring, are you here?

I took advantage of a sunny day and got some outside pictures of Beads, Buttons and Baubles. I might have to do it again once the grass greens up! I have a few older quilts that need new pictures. too. I either don't have good pictures of them or I just can't find them. I have always taken pictures of my quilts, but now I make sure I take finished pictures and not just pictures of the finished top. Plus I don't always get the best pictures in my house. The lighting just isn't good enough in the places I have room to lay them out.

Here's that backing fabric...love it and think that it worked well for the binding. Love, love, love batiks!

I spent some time working on a new stringpiecing project yesterday. It's time to use up some scraps!

Love a good finish!

 I trimmed the edges and made binding last night for Beads, Buttons and Baubles. I decided to use the backing fabric for the binding because it brought out so many of the colors of this scrappy -go-lucky quilt.

 Now to get some good pictures and make a label. I will be teaching a class on this quilt in April at Cut Up and Quilt.

Is it really all in a name?

 I was excited to finish the quilting on Buttons and Beads last night after work. I don't do much quilting on the midarm at night, but I really need to get it finished. Sometimes as I reach this part of the process, I wonder if I captured the spirit of the design as I envisioned it. I second guess my decisions and think of things I could've done...would it be better? I don't know if this is normal or not, but at this point I have to move on, finish it and worry about it later.

I have been agonizing over the name for this quilt too, nothing seems quite right. Even as I write this, I'm wondering if it should be Buttons and Beads, or Buttons and Baubles. I have to decide!

I love the way the bright colors play off the teal background and chose this multicolored batik backing that picks up most of the colors. I'm thinking of using it as the binding as well.

I knew I was running low on my favorite blendy thread, so ordered another one the other day, but luckily I made it to the end without running out. At first glance, this thread might not seem like the best choice for a teal background, but with so many colors in the quilt, I think it works. It blends without taking over.

 Now to bind and label!

I decided on the name Beads, Buttons and Baubles...what do you think?

Sunday quilting....

I started quilting the new quilt yesterday and have done a few rows/passes today. Taking a break and then back at it.

 I'm using the Starburst panto, which I really like for it's bounciness. I like pantos that fill in without that "row-y" look.

 The colors aren't perfect in these pictures, but hopefully I'll get some good ones when I get it off the frame and bound. You can see the backing fabric rolled up in the foreground...it's an orangey, lemony, pinky batik with some purple mixed in.  I might use it for the binding as well. Not sure yet.

Are you quilting today?