Flowering Snowball - Done!

My Kaffe Fassett Flowering Snowball quilt is "in the books". "Put it n the books" is what my husband says to me whenever his favorite baseball team wins.  I think the announcers say it too.  Sometimes I get a text that says, " put it in the books", that tells me two things, his team won and he'll be in a good mood.  Sometimes I love baseball season, sometimes I don't.  Baseball season officially started last week, it's a very long season, figuratively and literally.

But back to this beauty! I'm not adding a border, I like it just like this.

This is Lifetime Quilt Number 155

I guess I've named this quilt Kaffe Fassett Flowering Snowball.

For the most part the fabric is Happy by Kaffe Fassett

It finished at 57" x 64"

It has approximately 378 pieces.

I started with this roll, which was a gift from a friend. (Thanks again Lisa)

I used all the prints except two and added 6 more that I purchased online.  I enjoyed working with this fabric and having a family of fabric to get me started was a big help.  I think the thing that fascinated me the most were the big prints, prints I would probably pass on if I saw them in a store because they were so big.  But I used the big prints in the roll and was amazed how different they looked when they were cut up.  In the quilt they sometimes look like they are from different prints instead of the same print.  I'll be more open minded about using large prints for smallish blocks in the future.

This is the template set I used for my blocks.  It worked great and I would recommend it.

Baycreek Quilting Products has different size options for this block and several other templates.

So I worked with new templates, sewed curved pieces, and used fabric outside my normal milieu,  what an adventure!  I have decided for sure that this will not be my last project using Kaffe Fassett fabric.

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What's going on at my house . . . .

Here's my April quilt of the month,  Lifetime Quilt #140.

 I just got this quilt back from the quilter and was so pleased with it I immediately hung it up.  The fabric is Persimmon by BasicGrey for Moda. The pattern is Metro Lattice by Sew Kind of Wonderful.    I didn't add the lattice, lol.  I don't know if that Persimmon line is a spring fabric but I love it and think it works for April, especially since we've not had much of a spring yet. (click here for more details about LQ#140)  I know some quilters think using a family of fabric is sort of cheating, and I sometimes add a few pieces from my stash when I work with a family of fabric to make it more my own, but this quilt is all Persimmon, and I wouldn't change a thing.  The Fat Quarter Shop still has a few pieces of this fabric left in their inventory.  They also have charm packs and Jolly bars.  For less than $20 you could make something really cool using this fabric and a jolly bar!  This quilt was wonderfully quilted by Connie Lancaster at Quilts Plus in Indianapolis, IN.  

I seem to have a circle theme going here.  My Kaffe Fassett Flowering Snowball is progressing nicely.  The blocks are really easy to piece.  I'm keeping my fingers crossed that all the pieces line up perfectly when I sew my blocks into rows.

Right now I'm really not paying much attention to my fabric placement, I just don't want two like fabrics touching (that's against the law you know).  For those of you who left comments saying you too were overwhelmed by selecting Kaffe Fassett fabric, look for a bundle like I'm using, it gives you such a great start. I've eliminated two prints from the roll and selected 6 other prints online to add to the mix.  It's wild but I'm still liking it.

And finally, summer is a hectic time of year around our house.  It seems we are on the go more, after hibernating all winter we're usually up for anything going on outside the house for a change of pace.  Since I don't spend as much time in my sewing room I thought maybe a hand project would be a nice way to fill the few extra minutes I do have here and there throughout the day and the time in the car.

I've decided to try this Sue Daley pattern called Gathering Pieces.  It finishes at 54" x 54"

Instead of going with a white background like the pattern, I'm using the orange dot from Happy Go Lucky by Bonnie and Camille for Moda.  I'm also using the navy truffula tree print from Happy Go Lucky for the outer border.  I wanted a project that felt like summer and I think this fits the bill.

Only 216 more orange octagons to go!

Have a great weekend!  

Truffula tree, from the Dr Seuss book The Lorax, don't those look like truffula trees to you?

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Flowering Snowball

If you search Pinterest for Flowering Snowball quilts you get a lot of inspiration.  However my inspiration for my Flowering Snowball came from a fellow blogger and friend, Nicole at Sister's Choice Quilts. (click here)

Based on Nicole's experience I'm using the same template set made by Baycreek Quilting Products.  There are several sizes, 8, 9, 10, and 12 inch finished blocks. I'm making the 10" size. I am very happy with these templates, they create perfect pieces which creates perfect blocks.  Baycreek has several templates, I'm so happy with this set I plan to try some of their other acrylic templates.

And like Nicole, I'm using  Kaffe Fassett fabric.  This roll is the perfect size to make 10" blocks.  I have two Kaffe Fassett books and love most every quilt I see made with that fabric, but this is the first quilt I've made using that designer's fabric.  I've tried to shop for Kaffe Fassett fabric to make specific patterns but I seem to get overwhelmed by the prints, their various sizes, and all the colors,  and just walk away with none. This roll was a gift from a friend and it's just what I need to get going on my first Kaffe Fassett project .

Cutting the pieces was very easy using the templates.

Sewing the pieces is just as easy.  I'm eager to fill my design wall with this wonderful fabric.

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