Quick and Final Finish for 2013 . . .

My Shower Shuffle is done! I don't think I could have picked a better project for wrapping up my sewing year.

This is Lifetime Quilt #122

The Inspiration for this pattern came from Camille Roskelley from Thimble Blossoms .  The color palette is from Carmile's pattern Puddling Jumping and the blocks are from Camille's Craftsy video, 25 Half-Square Triangle Blocks.

The majority of the fabric is April Showers by Bonnie and Camille for Moda.

This quilt finished at 75" x 75",  each pieced hst block finished at 15".

This quilt has approximately 549 pieces.

This was a fun project start to finish.  I sewed along with an imaginary friend which made it all the more fun.   

I wish you a safe, happy, and heathy New Year.  I plan to take a look back at my 2013 sewing year later this week, but am really looking forward to another rewarding and challenging 2014.

Thanks for stopping by, it's wonderful to have so many folks to "talk" quilts with, that's been the best part of my year, truly.  

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Shower Shuffle . . .

Hello and welcome back!  Our family had the nicest Christmas, I hope yours did too.  Thanks so much for all your warm wishes, they made my holiday even sweeter.  I love this time between Christmas and New Years, we just stay in and enjoy the decorations, leftovers, and lull that follows Christmas.  It's a pleasant and relaxing way to wrap up the year.

Even though I took a blogging holiday I've still been sewing and am very excited to have something new to share with you today, so thanks for stopping by!

Have you seen Camille Roskelley's Craftsy Video called, "25 Half-Square Triangle Blocks with Camille Roskelley"?   This post won't make any sense unless you have, so I've attempted to attach the video to this post.  If you can't get it to work the video is also available on Camille's blog, Simplify, here.  I think this is a clever little video and Camille's fun personality and enthusiastic facial expressions makes me laugh every time I watch it.

If you're a regular reader of my blog you know half-square triangle units are my favorite block.  I use the Easy Angle, make them big, then square them to size.  Perfectly made hst units can make some amazing blocks.  In Camille's video she uses a half square triangle in every square of a 16 piece block.  She comes up with 25 different blocks, naturally, being a hst fan, I love them all.

I mentioned this video to a friend, Carrie, and shared that I was thinking of making every block in the video, and to make it even more fun, I was thinking of making different size blocks, setting some on point, adding sashing to others, and basically creating some sort of math and setting hst hot mess.  My friend was intrigued by this idea and suggested a little holiday sew along.  In the end we decided to select 16 blocks from Camilles' video and to use Camille's color palette from her pattern Puddle Jumping (click here) for our projects.

We both started with the exact same number of hsts in the exact same fabrics.  Here are my 14 different pieces of fabric with 20 hsts from each fabric for a total of 280 units.  (yes, that's Starlight still languishing in a state of limbo on that second shelf)  Making 16 blocks meant that we needed 256 hst units, starting with 280 gave us 24 extra units to play with.

The next thing I did was select the 16 blocks that I wanted to make out of the possible 25.

Next step, to start piecing.  I didn't have any rules on which pieces of fabric I used, I just went with what was pleasing to my eye.  My 16th block was a little of a challenge, based on the units I had to work with, but considering I didn't have a master plan, I think they all turned out just fine.

And here are my 16 blocks.

The blocks finish at 15 inches and the fabric is mostly April Showers by Bonnie and Camille for Moda.

Carrie and I are going to use the same setting for our blocks and I'm  hoping to add this quilt to my list of 2013 finishes, stop back by to see if I make it.  Carrie/La Vie En Rosie has finished her "Shower Shuffle", the name we're giving our projects, and is blogging about her finish today. (click here)  I can hardly wait to see her blocks and compare them to mine.

This would be a great scrap project for that bag of orphan hsts you've been saving and the size is up to you. The block, setting and size potential is unlimited.  I think this project would make for a nice guild challenge quilt or bee swap too.  Keep it in mind as you work on your 2014 To Do list.

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Two Finishes . . . .

Finish number one,  I got the Christmas tree in my sewing room out and decorated.  This tree should be the first decoration I get out, not my last.  All those pink decorations on a fluffy white tree put a smile on my face.  It's a random assortment of food, beverage, Hello Kitty, Barbie and bedazzled ornaments, but they're all pink so it works, or so I think!  It even lights up.

Finish number two, my Joyful Round and Round!  This is the quilt that will be hanging in my living room next Christmas!  I think I'm one of the last stragglers to finish for Camille's Round and Round-along, but this is definitely a perfect case of better late than never.

This is Lifetime Quilt Number 121

The pattern is Round and Round by Camille Roskelly for thimble blossoms.

The fabric is all by Kate Spain for Moda.  There's some "In from the cold", "12 days of Christmas" and even a little "Joy".  The background fabric is the white on white snowflake print from "In from the cold".  It doesn't show up in this picture but it looks great in person, all those snowflakes surrounding my blocks.

I've even pieced a scrappy binding to match.

My quilt finished at 74" x 78".  I added a 3 inch outer border to give the blocks a little more float.

It has approximately 625 pieces.

If you've seen this finished quilt out in blogland and have not added it to your To Do list, and really, I don't even know how that could be humanly possible, give it another thought.  It looks even more wonderful in person, and better yet quilted I'm sure, but besides that, there's just some sort of zen peaceful quality about working on the quilt that you need to experience.  I'm not sure if it's all the white background or the easy piecing, but when you need a relaxing project, this is the one for you, it was the perfect relaxing yin to my hectic December yang.   I always enjoy Christmas, I truly believe it is the most wonderful time of the year, but some years I have more spirit than others, this year I have plenty and even some to spare, and I think it was working on this quilt that got me there.

Christmas officially starts Saturday at my house, that's when my favorite daughter arrives home for the holidays!  I have a little wrapping left to do and the big grocery store shopping trip, but I plan to be drinking an eggnog latte while I finish up that to do, so it won't even be a chore. I hope you're getting the sprit of the season and well on your way to reaping the benefits of your time and hard work.

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It's new to me . . .

I got a new old quilt in the mail yesterday.  Do you remember Amaryllis?  This is a top I pieced for Monique Dillard at Open Gate Quilts back in of April 2012.  It's Lifetime Quilt #85.  

This is the first time I've seen the finished quilt in person.  I pieced the top, mailed it to Monique, then she added a border, got it quilted, attached the binding, then carried it around to trunk shows and classes for the last 18 months.  Monique promised that once its 15 minutes of fame, or in this case 18 months of fame, was over, she would send the quilt home to me.  I'm not sure how she parted with this quilt so close to Christmas, I think I would have kept it, just a couple more weeks at least.

I love this quilt, the fabric is Sentiments by 3 Sisters for Moda.  This fabric has a nice romantic feel to it.    Did you miss out on Sentiments?  I think 3 Sisters new Christmas line, Wintergreen, would look great made up into this quilt too.

This is  my chair and as I type this blog I have this quilt on my lap, sitting next to the Christmas tree, with the fireplace going.  If I could just talk someone into bringing me some hot chocolate life would be perfect, but just having this quilt home for Christmas is pretty wonderful all on its own.

The pattern is available here, I bet you're thinking you need your own Amaryllis, I could not agree more!

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Still going Round & Round

I'm practically done with the decorating, although, at my house, I seem to tweak and adjust and rearrange ornaments, knick knacks, and villages until it's time to pack them all up again.  But that's part of the fun, right?   We are enjoying the decorations, eating off the Christmas dishes, drinking out of the Christmas glasses and turning all the trees, candles and houses on each evening.  It really is the most wonderful time of the year.

And even though I still have some shopping, wrapping and cards to finish up, I've been squeezing in a little sewing time.

This is Round & Round by Camille Roskelley for thimble blossom quilts.  I'm using several of Kate Spain's Christmas lines for my top.  Now that my hsts are done, it takes no time at all to make these blocks.  I break the block assembly down into two steps.  First I select my hsts, arrange them in the proper order, then I decide on my centers.  Step two is piecing it all together.  It takes me longer to finish step one than step two.

I'm over half way done.  I'm a little late to this party, but I am thrilled to be making this top all the same.  The genius of this pattern is its simplicity, and during this hectic time of the year, I'm finding serenity working with all this white space and relishing the simple piecing.  If you've not made this pattern yet add it to your 2014 list, you'll just love it, and any style of fabric will make an amazing quilt.

My friend Monique, at Open Gate Quilts, has joined the impressive teaching staff at Craftsy.  Her first class is all about flying geese and is on sale right now at 50% off.  I'm a huge fan of Monique's method of making geese using her "Fit to be Geese" rulers.  If you've ever struggled making geese I think you would love this class.  Check it out here.  You will also receive Monique's Fat Quarter Winners e-book when you sign up for her class.

I hope things are going well at your house, that you're also getting through your To Dos and most importantly, squeezing in a little fun time for yourself, take it, you've earned it.

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