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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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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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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There's No Place Like Home . . .

I'm happy to be back home even though I had the best time in Paducah at the AQS Show.  I have plenty to show and tell you about the show and my classes (I didn't win a ribbon and that's ok) but that's going to have to wait, Settler's Trail is going to have to wait too, it's the end of April and time for a Summer Day, Sinta and Sherri's April Schnibbles Sew Along.

I'm going with some Hope Valley by Denyse Schmidt scraps I have in my sewing room.  I used my Fit to be Geese ruler by Monique at Open Gate Quilts to make my perfect flying geese units. 

I bought the Summer Day pattern as soon as it was released, I just loved it.  I'm so glad Sinta and Sherri picked it for the April Schnibbles of the month, it forced me to move it from my ever growing To Do List to my Do It Now List.  

April has been a very hectic month for me, and for some reason, this pattern suddenly also felt hectic to me.  In an effort to achieve some calm in my life,  I decided to try and add some calm to my project.

I thought going scrappy, but just within each color way, would bring some calm to the project, but that wasn't enough calm for me.

My next attempt at tranquility was to add some white space, but that was little too quiet for me.

Then I decided to add some dots to those white spaces and decided I liked that. 

I also arranged the blocks into units of 4, with three flying geese units pointing towards a dot unit in a clockwise motion.  The perfect combination of order to the chaos.

It's like a little island of relaxation surrounded by the hectic days of summer. 

 Together I think they add up to a summer of fun, so that's what I've named my April Schnibbles, Summer Fun.  

To keep things even I had to add an additional row and column of blocks.  ( you know me, ever the accountant, debits must equal credits,  everything has to be even steven!)

I think it may need another border or two,  I'll give that some thought, stay tuned for an update, maybe!

Tomorrow will be the big Schnibbles Parade over at Sinta and Sherri's blogs, don't miss it, I'm sure it will be a fun Summer Day!

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Schnibbles in a Schnibbles . . . . .

I finished my latest project last night, ahead of my end of month schedule, barely. It's a wonder, the way my month got started. But once I got working on Madeline my pace and my attitude improved.

When I started working on Madeline, I wasn't even thinking of Sinta and Sherri's A Year of Schnibbles Sew Along, but luckily for me the month of May is quilter's choice, and I chose

Madeline and Good Fortune.

So here's quilt #58 named Madeline's Good Fortune. It finished at 108 x 108

As you may remember, I started working on Madeline after seeing Nicole's bigger and better version of Madeline. We enlarged the blocks to finish at 11 /1/2 inches, Nicole went with a five blocks by five rows Bigger Madeline and my plan was to go with a seven blocks by seven rows Even Bigger Madeline for my king size bed.

Madeline was the Schnibbles pattern for January and I loved every one of those quilts in the parade, especially the ones made from Rouenneries fabric.

I had been saving my Rouenneries fabric for a lady of the lakes or ocean waves type of pattern. But when I received my fat quarter bundle of Rural Jardin, I decided those patterns would look even better if I used Rural Jardin, the blue from that family giving one of those projects more dimension. So between Nicole's pictures of Bigger Madeline and my recently freed up my Rouenneries fabric I was set to go to town on my Madeline.

So I made 30 of the blocks I needed for my original design of 49, and filled up my design wall. I liked every block I made better than the last. And even though I loved each block, I got to thinking a whole king size bed of those Madeline blocks would be a little plain, so I hit the internet looking for ideas.

I started with Carrie Nelson's blog, La Vie en Rosie, since she designed Madeline I thought perhaps she would have some ideas.

Then I stumbled across this Schinibbles . . .

and it was my "Good Fortune" that Carrie had earlier designed a pattern with the same look and feel as Madeline.

If I centered something in the middle of Madeline, I needed something that was 35 x 35, Good Fortune is 32 x 32! So I increased the size of the outer border and added a border and got this

The perfect compliment to Madeline. I think it looks lovely all by itself.

Good Fortune would make a wonderful center for any type of medallion quilt, just add any borders that suit you. This was a breeze to piece and finished exactly at the 35 x 35 size I needed.

I mitered corners for the the first time on my last quilt . . . .

and went the same route for Madeline's Good Fortune. But this time I went with a mitered double border. I had no troubles this go round and think I'm hooked on mitered corners.

I made Madeline's Good Fortune to actually use on my bed. I think once it's quilted it will be a perfect fit!

Next up, a few pillows and shams to match....oh and getting it quilted.....the sooner the better!!

Be sure to stop by the blogs of Sinta/Pink Pin Cushion and Sherri/A Quilting Life on June 1 to see all the wonderful Schnibbles.

With it being quilter's choice, it should be quite a show.

Thanks for stopping by,

Added Later: I have received so many requests for the yardage requirements for this project that I have decided to add them here. I've never written or designed a pattern, and pulled all the fabric I used for Madeline's Good Fortune from a stack of French General fabric (Rouenneries and Rural Jardin) that I owned, paying no attention to how much I used, this is my best guess.

3 yards of assorted lights for star backgrounds

5 yards of assorted gray fabrics for stars and setting triangles

5 yards of assorted reds and pinks for stars and setting triangles.

3 yards of fabric for border

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It's No Picnic . . . . .

Here's the pattern for November for the Year of Schnibbles challenge, "Picnic".

I was so excited when I saw the pattern that Sinta and Sherri had selected. As I've mentioned before, I'm fairly new to quilting , so I have a long list of first quilts that I want to make. My first basket quilt is on that list.

While I loved the fabric used for this pattern, I was not in the mood to work with what seemed more like summer colors, but that's OK, I thought maybe I could switch things up by going with a "Christmas baskets in the snow" type theme.

Well you know me and Schnibbles, we don't see eye to eye on size. Schnibbles are very clever patterns that use charm packs to their biggest advantage. The patterns seem to run in the neighborhood of 33 inches square, give or take. I like to supersize my Schnibbles to more of a lap size.

So as soon as my pattern arrived in the mail I did this to it. True the quilt was now more of a size that appealed to me, but as a basket quilt I thought I could do better.

Then I ran across this, Miss Rosie also has this pattern called MoJo. It finishes at 76" x 76", a size I like. I liked this pattern better than my super sized Schnibbles pattern. Then it dawned on me that if I made this pattern, it would not qualify for the Year of Schnibbles Challenge, which made me rethink the whole basket concept. One thing that popped into my mind was that I really like the baskets with handles. While Miss Rosie's baskets are as cute as can be, I was missing the handle.

So I was off to find the best basket pattern for me when I found this.....

This pattern is called "Gathering Baskets" and is by Primitive Pieces by Lynda . This pattern is so me, the red, the black, the flower, THE HANDLES on the baskets. It's a nice mix of modern and traditional and is 80" X 86". So I've decided that this will be my first basket quilt.

So I'll be eagerly awaiting the Picnic Parade on the 1st of December, sadly I won't have an entry, but I will have a basket quilt in my future!

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Goodbye Halloween, Hello Thanksgiving . . .

I got all my Halloween decorations packed up over the weekend.

Goodbye Halloween..........and

Hello Thanksgiving...........

I don't really have much in the way of Thanksgiving decorations.

I start decorating for Christmas before Thanksgiving, so I don't really want my decorations battling for space during the month of November.

This was pretty much it.

Until now!!!!! Look what I got back from the quilter last week!!!

Eat More Pie, my September Schnibbles made from Gobble Gobble!

I went with an overall swirling leaves design. I'm not usually an overall pattern type of girl, but the quilter thought this would fit the style of this quilt. Plus, this quilt will only be out one month a year, so why spend the extra on a custom quilting job?

Here it is, all done and hanging over the bannister!!

Every time I finish a quilt top I call my quilter to get on her list, so it's pretty random when I get a call that my turn is up. Technically, this time slot was for a quilt I finished in April, but I got it quilted in July, which was the time slot for a quilt I made in February. So I have a quilt I made in February patiently waiting its turn. That's OK, I'm so glad I get to enjoy Eat More Pie this year!

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October Schnibbles Supersized . . . . . . .

Cindy Lou Who, meet.....

One Star

Two Star

Red Star

Blue Star

My October Schnibbles.

When this pattern was announced I was a little disappointed, for some reason it did not initially appeal to me, but I went ahead and ordered the pattern. Once I studied the pattern I was excited to make it. I had never made a quilt top that used snowball blocks. Last month I was determined to use my Gobble Gobble fabric, before I even saw the pattern. This month I mulled over my choices after getting the pattern and decided I wanted to go with a red, white and blue theme. I wasn't in the mood to work with those colors, I was more in a fall or holiday fabric mood, but I went with what I thought it should be and am really glad I listened to my inner voice. This is a quilt I would never have made if I weren't participating in this challenge. I am very happy with how it turned out and happy to have it. I plan to use it next summer as a coverlet for my bed. This is quilt # 51.

Additional Note: I increased the block size to 6 1/2 inches to accommodate the size of the center star in the 9 patch blocks and I mostly used leftover fabric from a previous project so this is practically a "free" quilt!

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It's a New Day ..........

Thanks to all for supporting my right to whine! What a great group you are. So here's my Tuesday post, with a little improvement in the tone.

When I decided to go with my red and blue scraps for the stars in "Cindy Lou Who", the Schnibbles pattern for October, I needed to pick up some gold for the stars and some background fabric for the snowballs. We went through the gold process on Monday. As you may recall, I don't have easy access to quilt shops, so many of my purchases are made on-line. This has always worked out pretty well for me. So I went on-line and found this fabric.

I thought it was perfect, it's like a little party is going on all over that fabric. The colors and whimsical tone suited this project perfectly.

Now before I go any further, I would like you to know that I am not obsessed with designer labels. I like nice things and quality, I feel paying extra for nice things and quality pays off in the long run. I do know that you don't always have to pay a premium to buy nice things.

That being said, I have always bought my quilting fabric from quilt shops. When I started sewing I heard horror stories of quilters spending a great deal of time on a project only to have it turn out poorly or shrink and fade due to substandard fabric. I also noticed on-line that some swaps specifically stated, "No Walmart Fabric" allowed. Now I'm sure fabric at Walmart is like most things at Walmart, some good and some bad. But just to be on the safe side I stick with quilt shop quality fabric. Also, I've been sewing long enough now that I can sometimes pick out a designer's fabric, like Kaffe Fassett, Jenny Beyer, and Sandy Gervais. But so far I've not been driven to buy something just because of the designer. I buy what appeals to me, like the fabric above.

I'm not going to say who made or designed the fabric above, but the company and designer were familiar to me.

So the fabric shows up and I'm ready to get going on my project. When I first saw this fabric I thought it looked a little thin, and it didn't really have a nice feel to it like most of the fabrics I get now. But I didn't pay much attention to that, I bought it from a quilt shop, it was designer fabric and I paid a designer price for it.

After cutting my squares for my snowball block I noticed the following going on,

several threads pulling away from the fabric.
After adding only two squares to this block, which required very little handling, look how much that fabric has frayed!!!

But worse yet, look what happened when I pressed the block...

this 6 1/2 inch block shrunk by as much as an 1/8 of an inch!!! I know fabric can shrink, but I usually work with fabric in widths of 18 to 20 inches. I press and steam the fabric before I cut it, thinking if it's going to shrink, it should be done shrinking before I cut it into pieces. I've made over 50 quilts and have never experienced anything like this. So now I have all these snowball blocks in all shapes and sizes except 6 1/2 inch square. And while I never intended this quilt to be a show quilt, I was giving it a good effort and expected to be able to at least piece and assemble the quilt without this much work. Plus, in the back of my mind, I'm wondering what the effects of this fabric will be over the long haul, through the quilting process and future washings. I really should have switched fabrics, but that is one of the disadvantages of having a looming deadline.

So I'm disappointed but moving on. I know that if the worst thing I can say about my life this week is that I got some shoddy fabric at a high price, then I'm a lucky person. But still I think I deserved better, or at a minimum, I deserved what I paid for. I know for sure I won't buy fabric from this manufacturer or designer on-line in the future. And I think the quilt shop should maybe have noticed something was not quite right, so I'll move them to the bottom of my list. But I am taking the high road and not naming the designer or manufacturer, but I will give you one more look at this lovely fabric.

I said I improved the tone....I'm sticking with the pictures ; ))

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Room With A View..........

Hello friends!! I hope you had a wonderful weekend. It finally quit raining here, and the leaves are just starting to turn.

This is the view from my sewing room window. Hopefully I'll be able to share a weekly picture of this tree changing its color. Some folks are predicting a colorless fall for our area. I hope the leaves just don't dry up and fall off....we'll all have to wait and see together.

Last week was gloomy and rainy. When my dog doesn't get his daily walks, he's a pistol.

In an effort to entertain him, I hid treats in the paper and boxes that normally store my Halloween decorations.

Cooper was entertained for a good while but I'm not sure what to do about storing the Halloween decorations. I guess I'll worry about that November 1st.

I've been happily working away on my October Schnibbles project.

For those not familiar, this is the pattern that was selected for October for "The Year of Schnibbles" challenge.

The September Schnibble was frustrating for me, I struggled with my fabric choices. No problems in that area this month. I'm exchanging the Grinch green for blue, otherwise mine is the same. If it were up to me, I never would have made this quilt, but I'm loving it as it comes together. It appears as if I'm going to have a quilt that I really like, that I would not have made if it weren't for the Schnibbles project.

I was good with fabric from my stash for the red and blue stars but needed gold and background fabric for this pattern. I had never paid much attention to gold fabric, but I'm an expert now. It's hard to find gold toned fabric. I found gold with a hint of brown, gold with a hint of yellow, and gold with a hint of orange. I don't have much in the way of quilt shops here but I did drive 45 minutes one way to a quilt shop only to come home empty handed.

I then turned to the internet.

This fabric was part of a set of 10 fatquarters. It looked gold online, and the description said it was gold..it's not gold, it's yellow. It's not even close to gold. I now own 10 fatquarters of black and yellow fabric.
This fabric was also billed as gold, but to my dismay, it's more of a mustard color. Maybe it will work in some scrappy quilt down the road.

The background on this fabric is gold, but the green does not go at all. I really do think I may use this fabric some time.

Here are the fabrics that I found and plan to use. Not perfect, but I've discovered once I put them in the blocks they look fine. "Sometimes good is good enough".

My internet purchase for the background fabric isn't exactly working out, but I'll save that story for tomorrow!

Thanks for stopping by!!

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