Out of Season

Once I finished up this year's Valentine's pillow I moved on to the next thing.  Never mind that it's February, I needed something quick and easy and this Sugarplums flimsy was at the top of the UFO pile.

 Last summer in a fit of optimism inspired by the Christmas in July blog hop hosted by Confessions of a Fabric Addict I dug up these Candy Christmas charm packs from my stash and started playing.  With visions of sugarplums I paired them up with the pin dots for the sashing and corner stones.  Great minds think alike, Diary of a Quilter made an almost identical version using the same technique I used.  Amy's Quick Cornerstone tutorial is awesome so I won't bore you with the details.  Inspired again I hoped to get this basted and quilted in time for Christmas but I was thwarted by the batting and it went back in the UFO stack.

In between snowstorms I made a run to Joann's for a pillow form and decided to suck it up and buy batting there also.  I almost always use Quilter's Dream Orient in my quilts but settled for the Warm and Natural they carry.  And then, in a twinkling, I got this one basted and started quilting.

I stuck with my theme of keeping it simple and just quilted on the diagonal thru the squares.  By the time I'd finished Season 1 of Crazy Ex-Girlfriend it was ready for a binding...

Stripes of course;-)  And I had to go with this Cookie Recipe fabric for the backing - so perfect.

Playing along with this week's Finish it Up Friday by Crazy Mom Quilts.

Quilt Stats:

Finished quilt is 42" x 48"
Fabrics: Candy Christmas charm packs, Swiss Dots, and Cookie Recipe from Cozy Christmas all by Riley Blake.
Batting: Warm and Natural.
Thread: 50 wt. Aurifil in  Natural White (2021).

Pretty in Pink

So winter finally decided to make an appearance in New England.  Being trapped inside makes me a bit manic so I decided to combat my cabin fever with a little holiday making...

I fell in love with Cluck Cluck Sew's adorable Red Heart pillow so I grabbed my Nicey Jane stash and started cutting...

and got a jump start on the weekend with some piecing and a Crazy Ex-Girlfriend marathon (thanks, Alexis!).

These hearts go together really quickly.  I couldn't have done this if I'd tried...  sometimes the quilt gods like to show the love;-)

I followed Allison's lead and kept the quilting simple, just stitching along the sashing lines.  And of course you can never go wrong with a striped binding!

I'm still chipping away at my lifetime supply of zippers so I went with my go to zipper closure tutorial by to S.O.T.A.K. Handmade for the back.

And now my foyer is pretty in pink!  Hope your Valentine's day is nicey ♥

Pillow Stats:
Finished pillow is 18" x 18"
Pattern:  Adapted from Red Heart Pillow by Cluck Cluck Sew
Fabrics: Nicey Jane by Heather Bailey, FSDS Rose
Batting: Quilter's Dream Orient.
Thread: 50 wt. Aurifil in  Baby Pink (2423).

We Sew Together

Back before Christmas my BQF proposed a swap, she'd make me a patchwork clock if I'd make her a Sew Together Bag.  Of course she's absolutely awesome and got mine done while I totally flaked out...  so typical!

With all my "obligation" sewing finally done this moved to the top of my todo list.  I planned to make something in purple and grey but when I started shopping my stash I ended up with this preppy assortment.  She gave me the green light so I packed it up and took it all to quilt camp last weekend.

For my first Sew Together I used canvas on the outside and quilted my appliqued motifs with batting.  For this one I was just using quilting cotton so I took quilary's advice and added Decor-bond to the outside body piece and Shape-flex (SF101) to the lining and side pieces.  I wish I'd quilted the exterior or used canvas again, I don't like the texture of this one as much.

I know the 4 zippers on this bag sound intimidating but it really does go together quickly and there are tons of blog tips on how to make it easier.  The best advice is just follow the Quilt Barn Sew-a-Long.  I did use Amanda Jean's zipper ends tutorial again but this time trimmed them to 8".  I really think this makes for a more polished looking bag.

Despite all the tips out there I still have the hardest time wrapping my brain around how to make the long zipper ends and I don't love the bulk having the seam allowances inside adds.  I'm hoping to think up a better approach if I ever make another one of these.

I love that this bag gives you the opportunity to use so many different fabrics and it's perfect for storing all your sewing toys.

Now I just need to find time for a trip to Portsmouth to deliver it:-)  Can't wait!!!

Sewing along with this week's Finish it Up Friday by Crazy Mom Quilts.

W.i.P. Wednesday: Super Sewing Weekend

My quilty friends & I have been sneaking off to quilt camp for awhile now.  It's always a challenge to synchronize our schedules but it's so worth it once we finally make it work.  This weekend the planets aligned and we headed to the beach.

I haven't started anything new since I finished my City Sampler so I was at a bit of a loss for what to work on.  I knew I didn't have the mental energy for a big project so I cut and prepped all the pieces for a long ago promised Sew Together Bag for my awesome friend Aimee.  I was worried this might be too preppy but she gave me the green light so I was ready to go.

This bag seems intimidating with it's 4 zippers but it really does come together quickly.

By the end of the day my bag was together and ready for binding.

Of course that's when the cursing started...  I ran out of bobbin thread inches from the end sewing on my big zipper.

Finally it was finished and I could move on to the next thing.  I'd just grabbed this basted Mendocino zigzag off the UFO tower.  I'm not sure why I thought it was going to take me so long to quilt this though I did plan to quilt it more densely.  In the end I decided it didn't really need it - why compete with such awesome fabrics - and this was done as well.

I usually make my binding when I finish constructing the quilt top but I couldn't remember if I had this time.  True to form when I got home I found a binding ready and waiting so I quickly trimmed my quilt and slapped the binding on so I'd have something to do while watching the Super Bowl.  We all know how that turned out;-)  That extra overtime was just what I needed!

This year's BostonMQG retreat is rapidly approaching so I've got to start planning what to work on during my next adventure...  what kind of projects do you prefer when traveling?