Update Tuesday

We have another QCR Sew-Along finish!

Here is Mickey's Metro Lattice flimsy.

This top has 64 blocks and is 93 inches square.  Mickey is going to quilt this top herself and is planning to piece a Metro Rings next.  

Great job Mickey, thanks for joining us!

Dawn is getting a late start, first she had to wait for the pattern then she did some traveling.

But here is her first Dancing Churndash Block, great start Dawn!  For the details check out Dawn's blog post here.

 Great news, I just learned of a few more Moda Basic Building Block options.

Primitive Gatherings is offering 3 BOM options,  the traditional Bella Solid kit, as shown above,  a primitive fabric option, and a Japanese fabric option.  They all sound great to me, the details are here.

And finally, I literally laughed out loud at all the comments from folks wondering what happened to the red couches and what was replacing them.

We've lived in this house for 10 years now, and the house was 5 years old when we moved in, so it's time for some updates.  Those are the drapes from the sunroom (red couch room) that I took down and donated to GoodWill.   The sun room is probably one of the nicest rooms in the house.  It has a vaulted ceiling and nothing but windows on three sides.  While those red couches looked great, they were not comfortable.  That room is small and so I bought small furniture to fit in there, but we're not small people, and never really felt comfortable sitting in that room.  There's new furniture coming but it's not here yet, we need new carpet and some paint before we add new furniture to the room, but I'll share pictures once it's done.  I'm really looking forward to finally using that room.

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Catch Up

This time last year I was here, 

 "Paris is always a good idea" said Audrey Hepburn in Sabrina.  I agree.

I don't have any plans to go back, but am counting the days until I do.

For all you folks who have followed my blog for years, you are quite familiar with these red couches.  

I think I've photographed over 100 of my quilts on these couches.  Well they've found a new home, pictures of my quilts on the red couches are a thing of the past. The end of an era.

Next up for me?

I'm going to try another Australian pattern.  I love all the patterns in this book, as you can see by the 9 tabs I've added.  It's not Kathy Doughty's patterns that puzzle me, it's her use of fabric.  Those Australian's are fearless when it comes to selecting and combining fabric.  After finishing Playground and Gypsy Kisses I've now decided to try Super Nova.

This quilt finishes at 72" x 84".  Here is what the author says about the background fabric, "The background black-and-white fabric is my favorite neutral for sustaining colorful fabrics."  Neutral, are you kidding me,  we have a different definition of neutral.  I think I'm going to use Terra Australis by Emma Jean Jansen for my fabric and am still auditioning background fabric.

Kellie from Indiana won the Miss Rosie pattern giveaway and selected Crop Circles.  If you make a Crop Circles or Freddy be sure to send me a picture or a link to your blog, I can hardly wait to see your finished quilts.  

We have two more QCR finishes, check out Vicky/LA Quilter and Kristen/Meadowbrook in my Favorite Blogs list to see their quilts, which are amazing!

You are now up to date on my life!  Hope all is well with yours.

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Moda Building Blocks

At Spring Market in Pittsburgh Moda had this quilt in their booth.  It's called Moda Building Blocks. I fell in love with it, me and most everyone else at the show, and put it on my To Do List.  I wasn't sure how I was going to get this quilt made, I didn't know if it was a pattern, a kit, or what exactly, I just knew I wanted one of my very own.

Right after market Fig Tree announced a block of the month for this pattern using a few of the Moda Bella Solids from this quilt and a few Fig Tree prints.  I think it sold out in less than a week.  But that was OK with me, I figured I would just wait for some of the other Moda designers to come up with their own take on this pattern.  I think this pattern would work for any style of fabric and was eager to see French General, Bonnie and Camille, BasicGrey, Kate Spain and Edyta Sitar versions.

Well I've finally figured out that this quilt will be available as a kit in a quilt shop near you, using the Bella Solids in the market quilt, but no other Moda designers jumped on the Moda Building Blocks bandwagon.  And even though I'm disappointed not to get to see some different versions, I am happy to report that Moda is offering the pattern without the kit.  So WE can make our own versions.

The Fat Quarter Shop has the pattern listed for $12 and available in September.  (click here)

After mulling over all my options I've decided to make a polka dot version.  I want a happy and fun Moda Building Blocks top and I love dots.  I use dots every now and then but I've never made a quilt entirely of dots, until now.

 Once I decided to use dots for my Moda Building Blocks top I was eager to get started and made two blocks, two blocks not in the pattern but oh well, you know me, and how I like my quilts to be different.

I have made a baby Swoon block and a mini Swoon quilt but never the original big Swoon block, and I want one in my sampler so that's the first block I made.  Next up,  I fell in love with all those alphabet quilts folks were making but didn't really want a whole alphabet quilt, but did want one block, so I made a "T" block too.

So yes, I've made two blocks, neither of which is in the pattern, and now I have decided to wait on the remaining blocks until I have the actual Building Blocks pattern that will be available this fall.  Which means you have a few weeks to pick out some fabric and come up with your own Moda Building Blocks quilt too!

According to the Fat Quarter Shop the quilt finishes at 84" x 96" and has 48 blocks ranging in sizes from 36" to 6".  I think this quilt should be called Something for Everybody, because it is!

Now I need to come up with something to keep me busy and out of trouble until September!

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Quick Curve Ruler Sew Along Update

So here's my Metro with no Lattice.  I think I  may be done.  A friend suggested I add side borders, but right now I like having the border on the top and bottom only.  There's just something about the simplicity of this top that appeals to me.  I wonder sometimes if our quilts don't reflect what's going on in our lives.  Right now I'm juggling some home improvement projects and wonder if my desire for calm is coming out in my quilt.  I'll think about it and let me know what you think too.

But for right now this is Lifetime Quilt Number 140

It finished at 65" x 71"

I made 41 blocks

The pattern is Metro Lattice by Sew Kind of Wonderful.  I did not add the sashing and set the blocks on point.

The fabric is Persimmon by BasicGrey for Moda

It has approximately 514 pieces.

Diana Young sent me several photos of her Metro Rings.

Diana is going with a fractured Metro Rings look  that I'm really loving.

And here is Mickey's progress.

Which I think is looking great.

Nicole is going to town on several QCR projects, I hope you're following her blog, I think she had the first official finish.  Check out Sister's Choice in my blog list if you've missed her progress.

Vicky/LA Quilter and Kristen/Meadowbrook also posted some updates on their blogs this week of their progress.  They are also in my blog list so check them out if you happened to miss their updates on Monday.

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Two Finishes

Earlier this year I was given the opportunity to piece a few quilt tops for Spring Market for Miss Rosie's Quilt Co.  And while I enjoyed making all the tops, and completely totally fell in love with the finished quilts,  I didn't want to blog about them until the patterns were available to you, and now they are, and so I am!

First up, Freddy!  This quilt is named for Freddy Moran, an amazing quilter who taught Carrie Nelson, among other things, "that through piecing and appliqué you're are essentially creating your own fabric" And that's what Carrie told me to do when I started piecing this top, take the Denyse Schmidt fabric and create new fabric. Since I tend to overthink and over fuss with the fabric for my own projects, I think I would have totally freaked out over the fabric placement for a market quilt if it were not for this advice.  Advice I've used on every project since.  Click here to see awesome Freddy Moran quilts on Pinterest.

This is Lifetime Quilt Number 132

It finished at 81" x 81"

The fabric is by Denyse Schmidt for Free Spirit (mainly Ansonia)

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

It has approximately 1,632 pieces.  

This quilt can have a lot of different looks depending on your fabric choices, two colors, like this one,  maybe entirely scrappy (great scrap buster) or maybe 9 different colors. You can use fat quarters, (23) or fat eighths (54).

This is what the quilt looked like when it left my home.  ( Cooper loved it too)

And this is what Freddy looked like at Market after being beautifully quilted by Diane Tricka.  I love what Diane did with the open space between those blocks, all the blocks.

Another quilt I pieced was Crop Circles.  When Carrie asked me to piece this quilt I said no, I can count on one hand the number of appliqué projects I've completed, and I sure didn't want my lack of appliqué skills on display at Market.  Carrie then asked if I would at least piece the arcs, to save her some time, and she would appliqué the blocks.  Well once I started making this top there was no way I was going to let anyone else finish it, the appliqué was a breeze, and I didn't hear a single rumor at market that it looked like it was appliquéd by someone who can count on one hand the number of appliqué projects they've completed, so all is well.

I worked on this top in February, here in the midwest we had a very brutal winter, I rarely even left the house, but working on this happy project lifted my spirits and kept the winter blues at bay.  Have you been looking for the perfect project for that April Showers bundle you've been hoarding, look no more!

This is Lifetime Quilt Number 126

The pattern is Crop Circles by Miss Rosie's Quilt Co

It finished at 76" x 78"

The fabric is April Showers by Bonnie and Camille for Moda

It has approximately 1,010 pieces.

This is what the top looked like all finished in my sewing room.

And this is what the quilt looks like now, after also being quilted by Diane Tricka.  I was very pleased and in love with this top when I finished piecing it, after seeing it at Market all quilted, I about cried.  It's one of my top ten favorite quilts for sure.  This pattern is also fat eighth or fat quarter friendly.

Besides Crop Circles and Freddy, Miss Rosie's Quilt Co has two other new large quilt patterns from Market that are available, Sugarboo and Seven Letters.  Paper or PDF versions are ready for purchase here.

To celebrate the release of the new patterns I'm giving away any Miss Rosie's Quilt Co pattern, your choice.  Of course I'm hoping you'll select a new one, because really, don't you want to make a Freddy or a Crop Circles, but they're all winners.  Anyone may enter the giveaway, but if you win, and don't live in the US, your selection needs to be a PDF pattern.  Just leave a comment on this post telling me what fabric you would use to make your own Crop Circles or Freddy, or maybe you would go with the fabric I used, and that's OK too.  You have until Friday to enter.

I am not an employee of Miss Rosie's Quilt Co and this is not a sponsored giveaway, I'm paying for and giving away the pattern.  While I am fortunate enough to call Carrie Nelson a friend, when it comes to work and the business side of things I'm more of a  minion,  volunteer, or nuisance,  and that suits me perfectly.

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Quick Curve Ruler Sew Along Update

I'm always amazed by the amount of sewing folks get done over holiday weekends, I sew the least on the weekend and if it's a holiday weekend, even less yet, this weekend was no exception, but I do have some QCR updates to share.

As I finish attaching the corners to my main blocks I throw them on my design wall for storage and to admire.

 For some reason it occurred to me to put the blocks on point, and then I decided I liked this look, so this is what I've decided to go with.  I guess I'm making Metro No Lattice.  I think it has a cathedral window vibe.

Ramona is going to town on her Metro Rings project.

Here is her start on a baby blanket, I sure hope it's a girl, but I'm loving those pink arcs all the same. She told me the curves were super easy, that she just needed to go a little bit slower than what she usually pieces a straight seam.  Keep up the great work Ramona!

Here are Mickey's Metro Lattice blocks.   She mentioned in her email to me that she's going to move those sashing blocks around and not match them to their blocks, she's off to a great start.

Kristen at Meadowbrook  has updated her blog with her Metro Lattice progress, her blocks look great.  Kristen did not have a positive  history of working with curves but is now sold on the QCR, click here to see her progress.  

Vicky at LA Quilter is also making great progress on her Metro Scope blocks, once she got that brown paper off the back of the ruler, lol.  (click here)

Lisa and Nicole are blogging about their progress today too, so stop by their blogs as well.

If you're sewing along too be sure to let either Lisa, Nicole or myself know.  You don't need a blog to join the sew along and the only goal is to be done by labor day.

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Summer Quilt Tour

The spring quilts are put up and the summer quilts are out!. And summer quilts to me are red quilts!

Victory Gardens and Dulcinea on the red couches.

Red and White Tribute in living room.

A table topper from a 4th of July sew along in kitchen, a fellow quilter out there has this topper's twin, hope it's out too!

Top to bottom, Nantucket, T Stands for Thelma, One Star Two Star, and Father's Fancy!  

Out of the 8 quilts out for summer, 5 were sew along quilts.   Anytime is a perfect time for a sew along, but evidently I like summer sew alongs.

And speaking of sew alongs, I'll have some QCR Sew Along pictures to share next week, mine and a few others!

Best wishes for a safe and happy holiday weekend. 

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Metro Lattice Update

Happy July!  The year's half over, I wonder if I've accomplished half of what I wanted to when this year started, I'll need to think about that.

I've pieced and trimmed the center sections of my Metro Lattice blocks.   The next step, adding the background pieces.

I've heard from a few folks sewing along, no pictures to share yet, hopefully soon.   Dawn is going to be waiting a little bit longer for her Dancing Churndash pattern and will be getting a later start, but that's OK, we have a couple of months and plenty of time.  Maybe some new folks will give it a go when some of our projects start coming to life.

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