Monday, October 31, 2016

October OMG complete!

Happy Halloween! 
See my favorite homemade Halloween project here, which we'll be using tonight during trick or treat!

I finished my October One Monthly Goal! My goal was to bind this handprint quilt from my son's preschool. I chose the leftover solids from the handprints to make a cheery, scrappy binding. I'm happy to have this done--now it's time to get it hung at preschool! 



Thursday, October 27, 2016

First Blush Blog Hop: Zipper Pouches

I'm thrilled to be the last stop on the Windham First Blush Blog Hop!

The First Blush collection by Ruby Red Designs is so light and airy, and full of vintage-inspired prints. It's been sitting in my studio for a few months, helping keep that summer vibe alive as the days get darker and colder. I've enjoyed seeing what everyone else created from their fabrics (see the links below if you've missed any!), and I knew exactly what I wanted to make.

If you've visited my blog before, you may know that my house is filled with, how does the rhyme go? Snips and snails and puppy dog tails.

This was my opportunity to create something girly! I have three nieces who are at just the right ages for filling zippered pouches with treasures. And thanks to this hop, I now have my first three Christmas gifts complete!




I used the Triple Zip Pouch tutorial from Debbie at A Quilter's Table as inspiration for these sweet pouches. I sewed a Triple Zip Pouch back when the tutorial was new and liked the construction method and the opportunity to add many different fabrics into the pouch. I sorted the fabric and picked five to use for each pouch for maximum mix-and-matchiness.



These pouches are larger than the sample in the tutorial, and I only used two zippers. I had fun coming up with a different way to customize each pouch as well!

A sweet gingham ruffle:


I had fun choosing different prints for the two linings (and of course different colored zippers!)


I fused a wavy ribbon on this pouch. I love the little floral stripe! 


Two more prints on the inside: 


These soft pinks and blues seemed perfect for a heart applique.


Pale white and pink prints on the inside as well:


Here's the fourth bundle I put together but didn't use. I think this might become my pouch...



A big thank you to Windham for providing me with the fabric to play with! And now it's your chance to win some First Blush (and more). For each day of the hop, Windham Fabrics will giveaway a FQ bundle of the collection, along with a small thread box of First Blush from Aurifil for each stop of the blog tour! Thank you Aurifil!

For a chance to win the FQ bundle and small thread box, leave me a comment letting me know if you've ever made a zip pouch. Because I'm the last day on the hop, this giveaway is only open until 9 am on Friday, October 28th. So leave your comment quickly! :) 






And if you missed any of the other stops on the hop, check them out here:

Blog Schedule
Monday, October 10 – Chris Dodsley, made by Chrissie D

Tuesday, October 11 – Sinta at Pincushion

Wednesday, October 12 -  Fat Quarter Shop

Thursday, October 13- Windham/Two Blondes and a Sewing Machine

Friday, October 14- Jennie at Clover and Violet

Saturday, October 15- Aurifil- Hilary Jordan

Sunday, October 16- Tina Egner

Monday, October 17 – Kristyne Czepuryk

Tuesday, October 18 – Allison Harris

Wednesday, October 19 – Erin Cox

Thursday, October 20 – Angie Wilson Gnome Angel

Friday, October 21 – Debbie at happy little cottage

Saturday, October 22 – Heidi Staples

Sunday, October 23 – Leanne Elliott

Monday, October 24- Greg Jones Grey Dogwood Studio

Tuesday, October 25- Wendy Sheppard Ivory Spring

Wednesday, October 26 – Stephanie Lynn Denton

Thursday, October 27 – Lisa Ruble

Rules for how to win:

Contest is open from Monday, October 10th through Thursday, October 27th. Contest is open to US and International entries. Winners will be chosen randomly from comments posted on blog posts and will be announced Friday, October 28th.

p.s. If you don't win, First Blush is shipping right now, so ask for it at your local quilt shop! And don't miss the BOM featuring First Blush by It's Sew Emma--you can find details on the Fat Quarter Shop website

Thursday, October 6, 2016

Sewing with Jacquie!

A couple weeks ago, Jacquie Gering came to Kalamazoo. In addition to speaking at our guild meeting, she offered two workshops. I took them both! Seeing so many of her quilts up close and personal was inspiring--it was hard to decide what to make during each workshop!

The first day was Slice and Insert Improvisation. 
I chose to use the plus motif for mine. I had fun making these blocks--it was fun to vary the size of the blocks and the plus signs, and play with all these gorgeous indigo prints. 

I'd been saving this bundle of Stardust prints from Contempo for something special. This workshop seemed like the perfect thing. I love these blues!

I auditioned a few different solids for the background. My first try was the red-orange. My 7-year-old, who was with me (and complaining about how long it was taking me to choose one fabric!), was pushing the magenta you see below. Hence the magenta photo bomb. 

I also considered a neutral background: 

I ultimately chose this burnt orange color. I wanted to do something bolder than the neutrals, but not super bright. 

Can't wait to keep working on this quilt!


The second workshop day was Stitch and Flip Improvisation. I chose a dark purple for the background and grabbed blacks, whites, and grays for the corners. Jacquie demonstrated so many different ways to lay these blocks out. I really liked how four wonky corners together looked, so that's the layout I started working on. 
Here's how the black/white blocks looked: 

I liked it, but wanted a pop of color. I added in a few bits of lime, orange and turquoise just for fun.It'll be fun to sew these blocks together! 

Me with Jacquie--she's a great teacher and a lot of fun! 

Tuesday, October 4, 2016

OMG: October Goal

 My October goal for the One Monthly Goal challenge over at Red Letter Quilts was an easy choice!

I recently got my preschool handprint quilt back from my friend Diane Oakes, who quilted it. So my goal is to bind it! I have plenty of solid scraps left from making the handprints, so I'll be doing a scrappy binding.

I gave Diane free rein to quilt this--I love both the yellow thread color and the three different designs she used. Plus, she loosely quilted the edges of each hand print for a little added security. 

Can't wait to get this quilt done and hang it up at preschool!