Sew Sunshine

So I tried to do a Baptist Fan.....and I considered it a fail!! That was last week. It took me over 20 hours to rip out the approx. 28" x 60" of quilting that I had done.   My arcs were just too shaky. I had too many spots when I had to go backwards with my darning foot and I was blind to my marking line. ugh It is all out now. I have not picked it up to work on again because I have had lots of other quilty things going on.  Here are a few of the designs from the one of my guilds. I put together and quilted most of the quilts but I used the designs the members submitted. All the quilts will go to a local charity called Lincoln Quilts for Kids.  They send all the quilts to local hospitals for sick children.  I had a chance to take these pictures when we hung the quilts on the rails of the International Quilt Study Center and Museum. Today I was off to the county fair where one of my quilt guilds meet. It needs some major help in revitalizin...

How fun is this? I go to the park and what do a find but a nice little park bench yarn bombed.  Just right for my quilt photo!!!  Love this little find. Thank you yarn bombers!! :) This is my one block quilt. I made this design up based on a block that I used in another quilt (still a quilt top) last year...I think.   I loved how fun it was to sew up the squares and then cut them apart and make this aztec looking block.  This quilt was part of my design challenge for our guild to make a quilt for Lincoln Quilts for Kids Charity.   It was pretty windy so I am surprised that I was able to get a full on pic.  Fabrics were all from my stash.  Quilt measures 45 x 60.  Scrappy backing.  I think some tween or teen will love it. I really want to write up a tutorial on this block someday because it is so fun and easy to do.  Linking up with Crazy Mom Quilts for Finish it up Friday Just added a tutorial on how to ma...

A finished flimsy! Somehow, someway I pieced this together even though I have not been feeling the greatest. Something about the whites and snow and grays with the pops of color just make me happy. Linking up with WIP with Lee@ Freshly Pieced and Let's Bee Social with Lorna @ Sew Fresh Quilts

Up on the wall today I have been working on some 9 patch blocks to make a d9p. I am trying to follow the 4-5 layout that Kristy Daum describes in her 'modernized' version of this quilt.  You can see her layout idea HERE. I really like how the 9 patches look so it will be hard to cut them up but it will be fun to see what I end up with.  I am trying to mix up some of the neutral and low volume pieces I have for the 5 patch and stick to the MQG colors they picked for their charity quilt for 2016 in the 4 patch bright spots. I think this will be fun!   At one of my local quilt guilds, I was involved in a design a 'modern' quilt that would be appropriate for children. We have a local organization here called Lincoln Quilts for Kids that give you all the parts and pieces of the quilt but for the thread and batting. You make the kit up and then give it back so it can go to the local hospitals for sick children.  Our guild did a great job with the designs. Many ...

Dapple - a Floating Square Score 43" x 43"   Spiral quilting with Aurifil thread.   Recently we had a sew day at the museum working on improv. We were lucky enough to have Sherri Lynn Wood stop by on her cross country book tour and give a talk. We were really inspired by her book and wanted to try one of the scores.  You can read more about her visit HERE.   It was exciting to be a little part in having her visit us. My piece took on a life of it's own when the flower print kept falling off the shelf. Have you ever been chosen by a fabric?  I think this one wanted to be in this one for sure. :)     This is a sample of all the floating square scores from several that came to the Improv Sewing day.  What a great mix of color and design.   Literally ....floating squares!!! Someone had to say it Linking up with Finish it up Friday @ crazy mom quilts   and Kelly NTT @ My Quilt Infatuation and C...

Exhibit by Eye Candy Quilts   I have been away for some time but I have been sewing.  I jumped into doing this adorable block swap at LQS Crafthouse.  The pattern is super fun to do and the fabric bundles to choose from were too irresistible!  So here are a couple of the blocks from one bundle. (I have another to make up yet)   I started the month helping at the county fair. That is a fun but tiring endeavor. Hot and muggy most of the fair week.   Placed a blue on my Hillside houses and it won a cash award and certificate, and I placed a  blue on my Off-Kilter Sunrise Sunset quilt.     And....My friend Jennifer, entered our SuperNova Friendship swap quilt and won the choice of the local Modern Quilt Group.  I made the ribbon which is a mini of the guilds logo.   While at the fair, a couple charity quilting groups came in to spend their days quilting. I agreed to help quilt on...

So....that is not going to get changed! Can't believe I didn't see that I had two similar houses together.   Well this has been fun putting these together but now the pieces all over the place are driving me crazy so I must get this put together....as is!! :) This is from the Hillside Houses QAL @ Pretty Little Quilts. I just grabbed a bunch of Kona and went for it without using the coloring sheet. Yep, there ya go!   Linking up with Kelly @ My Quilt Infatuation

  One of my local quilt guilds had a group of lovely ladies come and talk about various charity and out reach programs last month. At the end of the talk I sent out a challenge to design a small quilt for one of them.  I handed out graph paper with the optional sizes on it and told them to keep it modern and simple.  We hope to have them turned in by next meeting and with a little luck and some volunteers, I hope to turn at least one of the designs into a kit-able quilt kit for others to sew up.  I thought I better give it a go so here is one of my simple modern designs. This went together really quick and didn't waste much fabric. I was able to grab fabrics I had on hand to go with the cute butterfly center fabric.   Since the design was so simple I took the time to free motion mums all over in Aurifil gray.  I am getting better at free motion but still not great. I could make several more of these before I will say good. :) I thought a ...

Crossroads  52"x 52" It has been far too many months since the birth of my 'great' nephew.  I persevered,  put my nose to the grind stone, bit the bullet and got this little guy quilted.   This quilt is a kit with a bazillion kona solids in it by Robert Kaufman.  Super easy but how to quilt it was a baffler! I ended up with straight line directional quilting lines in Aurifil gray.  The white word fabric has the names of the colors in a 96 pack of Crayola colors. I thought it was super fun to put on the back of all these colors...until I wanted to quilt it. :)  The gray thread worked pretty well. Today I was so lucky to wrangle my friend Jen from Jennifer under the Juniper tree blog. We headed out for some adventures today including holding my quilt out near some cool train tracks.   After we spotted some quilty inspirations in the area. Totally fun quilt idea...right?  Then we headed to some fabric stores a...

      I actually finished something lately!  I absolutely love this little wall hanging. That is not why I am calling it " and There is Love" though.  This wallhanging is for a special niece and her new husband as of 6/20/15.  The design is by Liz Harvatine and it was a block of the month in Jan for the LAMQG.   I love this block.  I want to make it again and maybe bigger....someday!  The whole time I was working on it I was singing the Wedding Song so that is what I came up with.  This was super hard to give up but I am sure it has a good home!! 24 x 24 Matchstick quilting with Wonderfil Linking up to Crazy Mom Quilts Finish it up Friday