Hurray, it's time for the parade . . .

Here's my entry in Sherri and Sinta's Schnibbles Parade,

Hubbel/Hubble

This is Lifetime Quilt Number 91!

It has approximately 328 pieces.

It finished at 70" x 70".

The fabric is Terrain by Kate Spain for Moda.

The pattern is Hubble by Carrie Nelson for Miss Rosie's Quilt Co.

Here's the star without its border.

What a difference a little strip of color adds to the finished look of this quilt!

If you're looking for a good size pattern that's easy to piece, look no further.

Some folks were confused when I said this Schnibbles finished so big, some folks think Schnibbles means small quilt, but Schnibbles are patterns that are made using charm packs or 5 inch squares, they can be any size, most of the time they are small, but in this case not so small.  But you do need a bunch of those 5 inch squares for Hubble, 80 of them.

I can hardly wait for the Schnibbles Parade, with this month's project being anything goes, it should be very interesting.

Are you missing Tools Tuesday? Well stop back by for a Thursday edition of Tools Tuesday, and it won't be a terrible tool, I promise!

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BOM Rehab . . . .

It's BOM Rehab Monday, thanks again to Sinta, the BOM hostess with the mostest.

I'm still managing to get one Northern Lights block done a week, I think this is my third straight week!

3 focus blocks done, 4 more to go!

Here's this block nesting in the middle of the setting blocks.

A couple of folks have asked me if I miss working with color, but since I'm only making one block a week, so far, the absence of color has not bothered me.  Maybe that's the secret, I can go one day without color in my sewing room.

Remember when French General by Moda was first out, and how I went on and on about the great selvages?  I've got bags full of French General selvages.  But as of late, those beautiful selvages have been annoying me.  I do this at least once on every block.

I'm using Marti Michell templates to make these blocks, hey it looked just fine on the front layer of fabric!

For more information on my Northern Lights project select Northern Lights from my Categories list on the right.

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Hubba Hubba I'm Lov'n my Hubbel!

I was worried about meeting my end of month deadline for my Schnibbles project, but I got lucky!  Not only did I pick a fun pattern, I picked an easy one!

Know what you get when you make 4 of these?

This!

How are you liking these colors?  I'm using Terrain by Kate Spain for Moda.

A little different for me but fun happy colors that I'm enjoying immensely. 

I wanted to make sure that I didn't have any like fabrics touching on my star points so I laid the blocks out like this.

Then I labeled them.  See those little white triangles on those blocks, that's a number that corresponds to a number on the center that is already pieced.

I think I'm going to make the parade!

Just in case you missed an earlier post, the pattern is Hubble by Miss Rosie's Quilt Co. You can buy it here.

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Spool- Along Sew-Along . . .

We've got another finish!

Isn't this another lovely version of Spools!

This quilt was made by Cindy in North Carolina.  She doesn't have a blog but sent the cutest note about making this quilt and I thought I would share it with you.  Her enthusiasm is contagious, if you've not started on  your Spools I think Cindy will get your motor going!

From Cindy -

"I'm so excited to show you the picture of my completed Spools quilt.  I am an on-again-off-again quilter who mostly makes scrappy tops/quilts for charities such as Quilts of Valor and Newborns in Need.  I'm fortunate to have a job that gives me the summer off, and I decided that this summer I would make a quilt just for myself.

I didn't have a particular pattern in mind, but was intrigued when I first saw Camille's Spool design.  I thought it would look cute as a scrappy quilt, especially in 30's fabrics, but none of the fabric combinations I envisioned inspired me.  When the PDF pattern was put on sale I went ahead and ordered it -- the first time I've purchased a pattern this way (so fast and easy -- and it saves the cost of shipping) and the first Thimble Blossoms pattern I've bought.  That was on July 11.

I was doing some on-line "window shopping" when I saw the Pam Kitty Morning yellow and green 15 FQ set at Shabby Fabrics.  I loved this line when it first came out, but it wasn't until I envisioned it made into a Spools quilt that I fell head-over-heels-gotta-have-it-now in love.  I knew it would be perfect for my yellow sewing room, which I call  "The Tree Fort"  because it is in my walk-up attic and is the play space I always wanted, but never had, as a child.  Shabby Fabrics also had a Robert Kaufman fabric called Regency Square that seemed destined to be the spool tops.  I ordered the fabric even though -- brace yourself -- it wasn't on sale.  I believe this is the first time in my life I've purchased fabric that wasn't discounted in one way or another.  Since it happened to be my birthday (July 16), I completely lost control and also ordered the adorable Betsy's Closet in Stitches kit.  That would make a fun stitch/quilt along.

The fabric arrived on the 20th, and (another first) I immediately washed, dried, and cut it.  I usually pet and fondle fabric for quite a while before I cut it, but this time I dove right in.  I did cut out the Kona Snow I had on hand for the sashing first, but otherwise that pretty stack of PKM  didn't have time to get used to its new home before it was sliced and diced.  I made one complete block that night, and by July 24 the entire quilt was done.  The pattern was very well written and easy to understand.

My wonderful long arm quilter, Margaret, used to live just a few miles from me.  She has moved to the beach, but once a month she returns to town and sets up shop at the local LQS where customers can drop off or pick up quilts.  She will be here on August 1, and I have an appointment to leave the Spools quilt with her.

I don't have a bog, but I appreciate the opportunity you've provided to participate in this "Spool-Along."

Cindy, thank you for participating, I'm so happy you could join us!

Since Cindy doesn't have a blog I sure hope you'll leave some comments on this post for her, thanks so much!

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All in a day's work . . . .

So I set a goal of making all the required Hubble/Hubbel half square triangles in one day.

The pattern calls for making the units big and squaring them up, my preferred method!

Here they are, all 112 of them!

I got them all done in no time flat, an easy and fun day in my sewing room.

Just in case you've forgotten, I'm making Hubble/Hubbel for my July Schnibbles Sew Along project.

This pattern uses charms squares to make this 70" x 70"star, amazing!  Don't have the pattern yet, it's available here.


Speaking of Sew Alongs, Annette at Sunshine Yellow finished her Spools flimsy in a day!  

I just love her red and yellow fabric combination.  Read all about it here.

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It's July 25th!!

Good gravy where has July gone!

So I've decided on the fabric for my spools toppers and bottoms. I'm going pink and green!  Most folks are using grays and I've seen a couple of taupe versions.  

The spools I literally use are orange but that didn't appeal to me. I thought white toppers and bottoms would look nice against a red background, but was stumped on what fabric would then pop for the threads. I also contemplated going with red toppers and bottoms but the pink and green matches my sewing room so that's what I'm going with.  Whew, I sure made that hard!

  So I made my two inspiration blocks and called it quits, for now!

I need to get my July Schnibbles of the month done!  And this month is quilters choice, I couldn't pass up this month.

Do you remember that bundle of Kate Spain Terrain fabric that I said I was going to enjoy looking at on my sewing room shelf all summer? 

Well it's now officially off the shelf and on my sewing table.

I've decided to make Hubble, can you believe this stack of fabric is going to make that 70" x 70" inch star?  Me either!  But I'm thinking it will be fun to give it a try.  Lots and lots of half square triangles in my future, one of my favorite blocks!

BTW, Carrie named this pattern after the famed astrologer Edwin Hubble.  But I always think of Robert Redford from the movie "The Way We Were" when I hear Hubble, but he spelled his name Hubbel.  Since Robert Redford is a big star, and dreamy,  I'm naming my project Hubbel!

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Another Tools Tuesday . . . .

So for those of you stopping by for the first time, one of my summer goals was to clean out my tools, templates, and rulers drawer; and then, any item in the drawer that I didn't know how to use would not go back into the drawer until I determined how to use it or decided if I would use it. 

This week's tool is the Petal Shapes ruler by Darlene Zimmerman for EZ Quilting

I don't remember why I bought this ruler, I don't remember ever wanting or needing to make petal shapes, although with a blog name of Cupcakes n Daisies maybe I just had daisies on my mind when I bought it, more likely, I thought I could use it to fashion some sort of ice cream cone appliqué project.

As with my other rulers, I found little guidance online when it came to instructions for using this ruler or or finding any projects that required this ruler.  The Petal Shapes ruler did come with this 6 page pamphlet that was luckily still attached to the front of the ruler.

According to the chart provided, I can make flowers ranging in size from 1 inch to 9 inches, sounds pretty good to me!

  I decided to make a 5 inch flower block.

The instructions were few but good enough.  Cut wedges first, 

then cut  the curve.  

I struggled a little here, the lines on the side of the curve are supposed to help you center the wedge.

Each one of my cuts was a little different, even though I thought I lined up each wedge the same.

No worries, I just stacked them up and trimmed them all.

Then I sewed them together, easy peasy.

And this is what I got!!!

Hmmmm, something's not quilt right with this flower, is it me or the ruler?

This is the picture on the front of the directions, and sort of what I was expecting.  It must be me, who would sell a petal ruler that doesn't yield petals?

So I decided to give it another try.

I looked at the directions again and decided I didn't cut the curve quite right.

This should do it!

My first attempt is on the left, the second on the right!

Still doesn't look like a flower to me!

So I tired one more time, going for the 9 inch size, so I wouldn't have to wonder how to line up the wedge when I cut the curve.  And I did get a petal shape.

So I'm curious about this Petal Shapes ruler, it does make an OK 9 inch flower but what about the other sizes listed on the chart, didn't anyone test the other shapes, is it me or is it the ruler?

As with all my Tools Tuesday posts, be sure to add any experience you've had with the Petal Shapes ruler, this one is a mystery to me, and probably not going back into the tools drawer!

A friend suggested I call these posts "Terrible Tools Tuesday", I think I'm starting to agree!

Added Later:  I contacted Darlene Zimmerman for some help with this ruler.  The ruler will make a wonderful large flower but the curved top of the template does not work for smaller flower petals, not enough curve.  This ruler does make traditional dresden plate blocks, just ignore the curve.  So I'm relieved to hear it wasn't me, it was the template.  This ruler is also sold to folks who do scrapbooks and has some other uses, it wasn't made just for quilters.

Darlene responded quickly and pleasantly to my note and asked me to pass along that more free patterns and how-to videos are going to be added to the Simplicity.com site soon for her rulers. That will be great!

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BOM Rehab . . .

I am so happy that Sinta is hosting this weekly BOM Rehab.  If I accomplish nothing else during the course of the week, I'm motivated to at least work one Northern Lights block into my schedule.

This week I decided to make the spool block, it goes with the general theme of things in my sewing room right now!

These are big spools, this block is 16 1/2 inches.

Here's how it looks surrounded by the setting blocks.

 

Two focus blocks done, 5 more to go!

You know how I said Free Spirit Medley looked better in the pictures than in real life, the total opposite is true of this project, I can't take a picture that captures the soft, mellow, loveliness of this project, but trust me, it's going to be a beauty!

Here's the pattern cover that came with the project, and what I aiming for.

The majority of the fabrics that I'm using are Lumiere de Noel by French General for Moda and some Park Avenue by 3 Sisters for Moda.  Older lines of faric that I had on hand that I think work well together.   I have also been able to use 3 different pieces of the fabric that came with the BOM.

This pattern is by Marti Michell, here is her version.

I just love seeing the same quilt made with different fabric.  If these two quilts were hung side by side, I'm not sure you would notice that they are made from the same pattern.

Hey, Mary Caldwell, you won the Spools pattern but I don't have a way of contacting you, please send an email to me at cupcakesndaisies@gmail.com with your mailing address. THANKS!

If I don't hear from Mary by tomorrow I'll pick another winner.

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Hot mess with a side of bliss . . . .

So this is where it ends, at least temporarily, with Free Spirit Medley.

I'm just not happy with my fabric selections for the center of this quilt.  And with so much piecing yet to come with the borders, I don't think I want to risk that I might come around and like this sometime  down the road.

I do think I've figured out where I went wrong.  I'm not crazy about two of my blue choices, but I could live with them, it's the background, it's distracting and looks messy.  I think I need to use one background, not a solid, but something with a little print to it.

I do like the light blue and red geese in the pinwheel blocks and the light brown and dark blue fabric colors for the stars.

It looks better in this picture than it does in real life. 

I was working with fat quarters and a layer cake, but I really need some yardage of the simpler blue fabric pieces.

So while I regroup I thought I would work on my Spools project, have you heard, there's a Spool-Along Sew-Along going on!

I'ved decided to use some Bliss and some Marmalade for my spools. 

I'm so excited several folks have decided to sew along with us, there are going to be some very interesting finishes with some of the creative fabric choices that are in the works.

Mary Caldwell is the Spools pattern winner, Mary, drop me a note with your address, your comment didn't have your email address.

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Spool-Along Sew-Along

I mentioned in an earlier post that the pattern "spools" by Camille Roskelley for thimble blossoms was on my Summer To Do list.  A couple of friends mentioned they wanted to make this adorable quilt too so we thought we would have ourselves a little Spool-Along Sew-Along.

Then Nicole mentioned the Spool-Along Sew-Along on her blog and some folks asked if they could join in.   Ya know what's more fun than sewing with a few friends, sewing with a few more!

Then Camille mentioned our Spool-Along Sew-Along on her blog, and some more folks thought they would like to join in.

So just in case you hadn't heard, there's a Spool-Along Sew-Along going on and your invited to join in too!

Here are the rules, there aren't any!  Just make this quilt and send a note to Nicole, Lisa or myself and we'll blog about it.  At the end of the summer we'll have a little parade and a giveaway of some sort.   We'll blog about finishes and updates every now and then, it's summer, so it's an easy peasy lemon squeezy sort of affair.  You don't need a blog to join us.

So pick out some fabric, get the pattern and let us know how you're doing.

Don't have the pattern yet, I have an extra one, leave a comment on this post to be eligible to win it. I'll announce the winner on Friday.  In your comment let me know what fabric you think you would like to use to make your spools quilt.

Lisa's got a jump start on Nicole and I, visit her blog if you've not seen her spools.

Finally, I've created a Pinterest Spools Board with 3 very cute finished Spool quilts, I hope to add yours to the list!

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Tools Tuesday - Tri-Mate

Are you up for another Tools Tuesday?  This week I'm blogging about the Tri-Mate by Joy Hoffman for EZ Quilting.

This tool is for cutting triangles that are four times as long as they are tall!  When I first read online the purpose of this tool I thought, "good grief, what would I do with a long skinny triangle".  So I asked around and found out there are several things you can do with a long skinny triangle. (Thanks Sinta & Carrie)

You can make these these blocks

or make a jazzed up sashing or border.   This tool works with the Tri-Recs ruler, which is why it is called the Tri-Mate.

I thought I would try adding a border to a simple star block.

Technically you're supposed to cut a strip 1/2" wider than the finished height of the desired triangle.  For example, a triangle with a 2" finished height is cut using a 2 1/2" strip.  Since I was just using scraps I didn't bother cutting strips.

Quick and Easy!

Slide the ruler down to the bottom edge of the strip to trim the corners to make alignment simple when joining the triangles.

So here's a simple 6 1/2 " star block, 

that I turned into a 9 1/2" star block with a fancy border.

The next time I'm wanting to make a block larger, instead of adding simple square sashing, I think I may give this a try.

I'm keeping this tool and I think I'll use it!  My only complaint is the poor job the EZ Quilting website does in providing examples of what you can do with this tool, it does however provide good directions on how to use the tool, for free.  (an improvement over the Starmaker 8 website)

If you have an experience using this tool, good or bad, be sure to share it with us!  Thanks so much!


My friend Sandy at Textile House has caught the Tools Tuesday bug and blogged about an interesting ruler she uses regularly, be sure to check it out!

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