Craftsy BOM 2016 - January

I've been waiting for a Crafsy BOM that excited me as much as the 2012 did and this one just might be it!  I went way outside my comfort zone by choosing the border fabric (I'm already second guessing how light it is) first and filling in the rest with my stash.  Surprisingly I've never done this before and it's nerve racking!

Seams pressed open - I'm doing this more and more.  I didn't press the seams open on the border.

My points could probably be a little bit more precise, but I'm fairly pleased considering I don't think I've made hour glass blocks before.  Incidentally, I didn't make them as per the class instructions.  I didn't feel the need to cut or sew triangles.

Ready for February!

I Love Scraps Mark II

Pattern:  N/A

Size: 30 inches square

Date:  January 2016

Reason / Fabrics:  My Aunt gave me a fresh box of scraps - instead of sorting them by colour into my drawers, I immediately started using them as leaders and enders while I sewed "I'm Blue" ( to come to a blog near you soon).  It worked really well and really quickly.  It wasn't long before I had these blocks.

It is quilted with my walking foot.  It has a little blue marking pen on it still - that will come out when I wash it.

Seriously - who needs a baby quilt?  Any showers in your future?  Can I mail you one?  I'm pretty sure I have at least ten, perhaps even a dozen baby quilts hanging about my house. 

Melon Peel

Inspired by:  Craftsy Modern Quilting class

Fabrics:  The grey was a Christmas gift.  The petals were from my scrap drawers.  The back was an amazing find at MCC.

Thoughts:  This is a quilt that's been on my list for at least 6 months.  

It's one of seven projects in a modern quilt class I took on Craftsy.  Sort of.  I mean, the style (melon or orange peel) was used in the Craftsy class, but I had no wish to individually appliqué 36 petals on to individual squares then piece them all together and blah blah blah. 

Remember the hexis I did?  Click here to refresh your rememory.  It was the first time I sandwiched a top and then added the details after.  I knew I'd need to do it again,

Note to self:  Hand positioning is critical if you don't want jogs like the oopsie above.

This might just be top five for me.  I really like it.  I'm a little annoyed by the shrink.  Either I needed to wash the grey a second time or my 20p / 80c batting shrunk a bit.

There it is.  I have two more from this Craftsy class to quilt - one is by hand and it's on a frame - it will be a while.  The other is ready to go whenever I get the urge.  When it's done I'm calling this a complete (because the hand quilted one will take forever) and starting a new course.

Welcome Baby

Date:  September - December 2015

Pattern:  Wonky Crosses

Reason:  A new baby in the family!

Fabrics:  Most of the fabrics were a gift from my sister.  I took one look at the bundle and said "You're really trying to push me out of my comfort zone, aren't you?"  Yikes.  Fabrics with more than ONE colour in them.  Eek.  Yes, I'm a monochromatic girl.

I added a couple dots from my stash.  I LOVE dots.

Thoughts:  I knew I'd make this pattern again.  The first time was here.  It's a fun and easy top because the blocks are improvisational and just need to be squared up when they are done.

Lessons Learned:  Find out of the recipients are going to be close by in the near future before shipping a package to another country.

Cabin in the Woods

Date:  January - September 2015

Pattern:  www.craftsy.com  Inspired Modern Quilts

Reason:  Part of a class in modern quilting

Thoughts:  I can't say that I love this quilt.  I've done better improve.  I do like the floating blocks, though and need to play with this concept.  I enjoyed the FMQ.  I also played with straight line quilting with a walking foot. 

Lessons Learned:   It's okay to not be thrilled with the outcome if you learned something along the way.

Rebecca

Quilt Canada was finally near me this year.  I've been saving up for it for a long time so I could take a workshop every day.

The second workshop I took was a family pick.  My Grandmother and two of my aunts and I signed up in the first 30 minutes to make sure we could all get a spot with Weeks Ringle.  Because life happens it turned out that her husband Bill came instead.  We had a really good time with him.  

The workshop was all about roll of colour in a quilt.  We also talked quite a bit about edge.  Bill explained that the two couldn't really be separated.  Both were necessary for a good quilt.  I am finding that to be absolutely true in the work that I do.  It was very necessary to think of both when I chose to make a portrait of my daughter.

There are endless pieces of Rebecca in this quilt.  The purple and pink are obvious.  Her favourite part is the Pinkie Pie in the middle.  The first pod is the princess that she loves to be.  It was the first major part of her personality to shine.  The second pod is her love for what her Daddy has introduced her to - Marvel, Starwars, etc.

The straight lines of the blocks and of the quilting and the traditional 9-patch speak to how her mind works, the way she likes to think inside her box.

The curved edges are all about her imagination and the fun she has when she plays.

I did micro "scribbling" in the white space of the quilt.  Just those two little spaces took a whole bobbin.

I kind of cheated for this assignment.  Bill told us what to do before lunch and I realized that most of the fabric I brought with me wouldn't work.  Off to the merchant mall I went.  I felt a bit like I was on a timed shopping spree as I went from booth to booth looking for "Rebecca".  A lot of the fabric I bought, I normally wouldn't look twice at.  .

Date:  June - July 2015

Pattern:  Inspired from pods in a craftsy.com class.

Fabrics / Best Buys:  Most was bought from the Merchant Mall at Quilt Canada - Yay for $2 fat quarters.  I used the back of grey fabric because the front was too harsh for the subject matter.

Lessons Learned:  I tried a new binding technique with curved edges.  This is the tutorial I used.  Sew Very Easy  The curves turned out perfectly, but the binding process did not.  I'll need to think about how I can make it more uniform for next time.

Thoughts:  This was a very challenging and very personal project.  As we went around the table at the workshop and discussed our work, there were profound thoughts and even tears as people discussed their journeys and loved ones.  It was good.

Spook

One of my favourite things is when I'm given blocks or UFOs from our local MCC Thrift Store.  I have a friend and fellow quilter there who sometimes passes things on.  The idea is to finish them and send them back.  MCC can sell a finish for much more than the sum of the parts.

Date:  July 2015

Pattern:  Unknown - the top came finished with the exception of the outer border.

Fabric:  All from MCC except outer border and binding.  They were from my stash.

Lessons Learned:  If your tension isn't absolutely perfect when quilting, use a thread in the bobbin that matches the fabric on the front.  Yes, I cheat :)

Thoughts:  I'm not a Halloween girl, but I'm sure someone will love this.

All the quilting on this was a walking foot at ¼".  I used to have a ½" walking foot.  I think it met an accidental end.  I think I might want to invest in one to make thicker rows.

My quilting group and I are likely to put on a show at the library next spring.  I'll show it there and then send it back to MCC for sale.