Two - Zero - Niner

It really wasn't such a big deal fixing this quilt.  Plus I know myself well enough that not fixing it would have driven me crazy until the end of time.   I did enjoy the comments I got from quilters who would have probably not noticed the difference or not corrected the top.  Lucky you for being so casual and easy going, I envy you, and I'm guessing you'll live longer than me.

So here it is,

This is Lifetime Quilt Number 209

The pattern is Bits and Pieces by Midcoast Cottage Design ( I did change the pattern just a tad)

The fabric is an assortment of Carolyn Friedlander's fabric for Robert Kaufman

It finished at 79" x 85"

It has approximately 792 pieces

I've been obsessing about the quilts still on my 2017 To Do List, but today ran across a bit of advice and it said when your To Do  list gets you down, sometimes thinking about your Done List cheers you up.  I could not agree more.  If I don't finish another quilt this year it's already been a very rewarding, fun, and productive sewing year.  But really, how much longer can I put off that Double Wedding Ring quilt, tick-tock, lol.  

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Next Up

Do you remember how one of my 2017 sewing goals was to work on my Carolyn Friedlander stash and then I made this top that only used 12 of my fat quarters?  Not much of a stash buster.

Then I saw this pattern and thought I would give using up that fabric another go.

The pattern is Bits & Pieces by Midcoast Cottage Design.

First I cut a few strips from each fat quarter in my stack, which was perfect, I'm using a good portion of my Carolyn Friedlander fabric but not all, so for future projects I will still be able to mix in some of her new prints with the old.

I did change up the pattern a bit.  The pattern uses the same number of strips in each strip set with two different widths of strips.  I decided to change up the number of strips in the sets and cut the sets several different widths.   My goal was to make it super scrappy while also using as much fabric as possible.

So this is usually the happy ending section of my blog, where I give you all the finished quilt specifics and myself a pat on the back for a job well done.   Not this time.

Once I got all the sashing and borders on my rows the bottom of the quilt measured 3/4" wider than the top!  WHAT!! I don't think I was as careful as I should have been with my pressing. Those rows have a lot of give.  So I'll spend my weekend taking the borders off, squaring it up again, then putting the borders back on.

But even with this little hiccup, I'm still loving the summery look of this quilt top.

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Sugar Shack

I don't think I've ever met a house quilt pattern that I didn't love and Martingale has created a whole book of them, I think it's just for me, because it's the Year of Thelma!

Luckily you can buy the book too.  I Love House Blocks has 14 different house patterns by a variety of designers.  The styles are a nice variety too, and whatever your taste in fabric you'll find a pattern that's a perfect match.

I plan to make several of the patterns but first up is Sugar Shack by Tonya Alexander of Eye Candy Quilts.

I decided to break into my Carolyn Friedlander stash of fabric for this pattern.

This is Lifetime Quilt Number 207

The pattern is Sugar Shack by Tonya Alexander from the book I Love House Blocks by Martingale.

If finished at 60" x 64"

The fabric is Crosshatch by Carolyn Friedlander for Robert Kaufman

There are approximately 336 pieces.

I prepped all my Carolyn Friedlander fabric before I decided to use the Crosshatch prints, so while I have all that fabric out, and since it's ready to go, I think I'll make another quilt top using her fabric.

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Autumn Woods - a finish, finally

I'm so happy I didn't give up on this fabric.  It took several tries, and a lot of contemplation,  but I finally came up with a good pattern for my Autumn Woods fabric.

This is Lifetime Quilt Number 186

The focus fabric is Autumn Woods by Kate and Birdie for Moda

The background fabric is Reflect by Carolyn Friedlander for Robert Kaufman.

The pattern was inspired by High Surf in the Blue book by Vanessa Christenson.

It finished at 68" x 68"

It has approximately 1,232 pieces

The background fabric is printed on Essex Linen.  I love the look of the two different textures, the linen alongside the quilting cotton, and it was very easy to work with.  I prewashed the fabric and it didn't shrink or wrinkle.

It is heavier than the quilting cotton, and hard to press open.  I couldn't get the sharp creases that I'm used to when working only with quilting cotton, I lost quite a few points because the fabric wouldn't press as flat, due to the bulk.  It may be better suited for bags, pillows, and seat cushions.

Here is the pattern that I started with.  The pattern has large, medium and small half square triangle units.

I added more medium sized hsts and played around with their placement to get a different look.  It's hard to go wrong when you're playing with hsts.  I use the Easy Angle when piecing my units, cut them a tad bit large, and square them up.

I continue to use my project scraps to make Village houses, here's 3 more, a nice addition for Fall.

It's almost the end of the year and I almost have enough houses for my 2016 Village project.  I love it when a plan comes together.

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