Tuesday, October 30, 2012

Hop on scotch

Hop On Scotch a play on the game Hop Scotch.  I came up with this while trying to make a chevron design work out.  Sometimes what you end up with is nothing like what you started out to make.  Not always a bad thing :)
 
 
 
 
Hard to see my pebble quilting.
 

Sunday, October 28, 2012

Finishing up some UFO's

 
 
Playing with geometrics and solids.  I plan to border and quilt this little wall hanging today if I can find the time.
 
 
 
Kodachrome, my Double Stairway to Heaven is finished!

 
I tried a zig-zag free motion quilting on this, not sure I love it but bam, it's done.

Sunday, October 14, 2012

Playing Hooky - Design Wall Monday

 
 
Hooky Junk Quilt
I received these fat quarter bundles from www.fatquartershop.com and decided to make up a pattern to tie them together. I used a Kaffe Fassett Fire fat quarter bundle and a Riley Blake solids fat quarter bundle. I drew a template of one quarter of the block, stitched the quarters together to make the hooky square. I used some fusible to help hold it down while I blanket stitched around it.
 
 
 
 
Stay tuned...
 
 
The top is finished... now to quilt it.
 
 
And Done!
 
 
 

Wednesday, October 10, 2012

Come On Get Happy!

A tutorial of sorts...


Come On Get Happy

When the sewing "work"slows down I like to use my free time to sew the kinds of things that "I" really like sewing. I have an unrealistic amount of stash fabric so I came up with this little number to use up some of that extra fabric that is taking up space in my sewing studio.
 

I started with cutting 12-1/2" squares of white fabric. I then created my templates. I made my large teardrop template based on a 10" circle then folded the paper in half and drew the teardrop point freehand and cut the paper to make a usable template. It measures 13" from top of the circle to the tip of the teardrop.  Make a 7-3/4" circle template and a 6-1/4" circle with a 3" hole in the center.  Make a 5" circle with a 3" center hole.

To begin: Trace around the teardrop template and cut the fabric out into a teardrop shape. Center and applique the whole teardrop with a blanket stitch to the 12-1/2" block. Using a 7-3/4" circle template, center template over the appliqued teardrop and trace around it with a washable marker. Carefully poke a hole in the top colored fabric only and cut that center piece of the fabric out. Sew with a blanket stitch around the inside of the teardrop.







For the inner circle template cut a 6-1/4" circle with a 3" donut hole center. Fold that in half to make it easier to cut around. Place and pin the fold of the template on the fold of the fabric and cut both of the arcs to make your fabric ring. I used a tone on tone fabric for the teardrop and a little bit busier tonal fabric for the center ring.


After completing the blocks piece the top together and add 5 circles that measure 5" with a 3" center hole at the intersections as seen below. Again, blanket stitch the inside of the ring first then the outside, this helps to keep it nice and flat.  I added white sashing around each block cut at 1-1/2".  I floated the quilt top with 3" of an inner white border then I added a 2-1/2" mitered border with some of the fabrics in the quilt and finished it off with another 2-1/2" white final border and bound it in white. I did an allover spiral free motion quilting pattern. I named it Come On Get Happy because it reminded me a little of the Partridge Family birds from my childhood and this quilt makes me HAPPY!