New Quilts

Last week I received not one, not 2 but 5 new requests for custom quilts!  Thanks to all of my former clients who are happy to pass on my name.

The first of the 5 quilts is to be a quilt for a new baby.  This is a memory/baby quilt for a repeat client of mine. Over the years she saved various articles of clothing from her daughter and son.  Her son blessed her with her first grandchild in 2013. It was then that I made this quilt for her.

 Some of my long time readers may remember see this on my blog.  Now with the addition of her second grandchild, this time it's her daughter's turn.  The new grandbaby's quilt will be as different as her two children.  This newest quilt will be modern and sleek and full of surprises.  I am pleased and excited to be making this newest quilt for her and Honored to have her as a return client.

The next quilt is a client who recently lost her mother.  She is having me make 2 memory table runners and one lap quilt.  The lap quilt is for the daughter who wanted the quilt made from her grandmother's favorite red and black tops.  I pondered over this a while.  I really felt a traditional quilt block setting would not quite suit the daughters tastes. Yet, I wasn't exactly sure how to honor the style of the grandmother clothing.  Then once again the internet pulled through.  I was reading my blog roll on Bloglovin' and came across the perfect quilt design.

Quilt by Emmalinebags.blogspot.com

This beauty was the creation of Emmaline Bags.  This is the pattern that was I waiting for.  There is even a pattern on the Emmaline bags blog if you want one of your very own.  Click here for the instructions.

I sent off a picture to my client who thought it was the perfect answer.  As of now I have the HST made and laid out.  A few minor adjustments and we will be ready to sew!

The next 2 quilts I am working on are still in the planing and gathering faze.  Both will be long table runners.  One in the reds and blacks pictured above and another in teal and pink.  I have yet to decide on a fabric to complement the clothing.

The last quilt is another t-shirt graduation quilt.  Tis the season.

Duty calls! I am off to the fabric store!

AMB Tour Day 4- South Carolina

South Carolina State Block Tutorial

Hello All!  Or should I say, Welcome Ya'll to South Carolina!  I am Kristin of The Crafty Quilter's Closet, Day 4 on American Made Brand Tour. I am sharing Today with Spring Water Designs in Maryland so be sure to pop on over there and check out her block.

Being chosen to design a block for South Carolina was simultaneously exciting and scary.  Not being a Native to South Carolina, I felt a TON of pressure to do this wonderful state justice.  Since moving to the state 6 years ago, we have learned a lot about this place we call home.  One of the things we've learned is South Carolinians have fierce pride in their State.  Nowhere is this pride more evident than in the their flag.  The South Carolina Flag can trace it's roots back to the Revolutionary War.  The Blue of the Flag representing the blue of the uniforms worn by the troops warn in the war.  The Crescent, which most people wrongfully assume is a moon, is actually a gorget.  A gorget was originally a protective military throat covering, although over time it has become an ornamental military piece.  The palmetto tree on the flag was not added to the flag until 1861 as a reference to 

Colonel William Moultrie's defense of Sullivan's Island.

Fort Moultrie, Sullivan's Island, SC

Fort Moultrie

The significance of the flag and the broad use of the palmetto tree and crescent throughout out South Carolina made including them into the block a no-brainer.  I wanted to add something to the block that made the block evident to other's, who may not be as familiar with the South Carolina Flag. Thus the pieced block in the shape of the State was born.  As part of the criteria for the Block set forth by AMB we had to include the name of our state.  South Carolina is quite a long name to try to add to a 12"X6" piece of fabric, but I managed that with a little embroidery.

You can download the hand embroidery images Here .You can get the South Carolina Block directions Here

Now for some free stuff!

I have 3 give-aways today.  You heard me!  Three!

First is a lovely bundle of Fat Quarters Solids from American Made Brand. Oooo. Ahhh.

Second is this beautiful stack of 6.5" x 6.5" solids.  Also American Made Brand.  (Did you see that coming?) But wait there's MORE.  The winner of this stack of fabrics will also be sent A package of Aunt Maggie's Sweet Corn Bread Mix.  A produce of the Gullah Gourmet Inc., made right here in Charleston SC!

Third, and sadly, Final winner will be sent One Royal Blue and One White Fat Quarter, White and Blue DMC floss, a package of 22K Gold-Plated needles!  GASP!  (did she say Gold?!) and That's not all.  Included in this prize is a bag of Cromer's (Guaranteed Worst in Town) Roasted p-nuts!  A Columbia, SC original since 1935.

You'll have just one week to leave me a comment telling me what state you're from and something fun you like to do there to be entered.  Make sure if you are a No-reply blogger that you leave someway for me to contact you.  If I cannot email you, I will have to pick another winner. Sorry. Winners will be announced May 27th!

Only US residents or those with a US mailing address are eligible for this giveaway.This giveaway is now closed.

AMB - blog tour

The AMB Blog Tour

Are you following along?
Do you see where you belong?
Doesn't it make you want to quilt all nightlong?
Ah, time to stop the rhyming, ding-dong.

If you checked out the first two days of the tour you've seen the wonderful quilt blocks created by
Blue Striped Room (Delaware) ,  Cheryl Lynch Quilts (Pennsylvania) ,  Butterfly Threads Quilting(Georgia), and  Quilt Taffy (Idaho).  If you haven't, Well get moving!  We don't have all day! Besides Today we have 2 more wonderful states to stop by. green Quilts (Alabama) and A Quilting Jewel (Massachusetts). We are getting around!  Blogs may be a little out of order from the original post, a few of the tour stops have had to do some switching around due to a Typepad glitch.  (ah, technology) Don't worry if you get lost along the way, you can always stop for directions over at The Works.

And don't forget Everyone of these blogs is giving away FABRIC!  You heard me.  A chance to win free fabric.  (And some of the bloggers are giving away food too!)  Fabric and Food.  Pinch me I must be dreaming.

Stop back tomorrow and check out my quilt block.  And a chance to win more Fabric and maybe some food too.  You'll just have to wait and see.

Seriously,
This quilt is going to be amazing!

Sax-a-quilt

Spring Has Sprung! Flowers are blooming, trees have leaves, the birds and the bees are back. And while we are on the topic of Birds and Bees, I'll just say that it seems like babies are being born faster than I can make quilts for them.  The kids have at least 4 teachers who are having babies in the next 3 weeks.  One of those special babies happens to be arriving for Jack's Saxophone teacher and his wife.
I wanted to make him a special quilt because he has really done a wonderful job instructing Jack this year.  However, I was running out of ideas until I ran across this quilt on Pintrist, by Stormy-Day.  I have always had a special fondness for Elephants.  Initially I believe that is why I pinned this quilt.  Well, that and the awesome colors, beautiful placement and the awesome quilting.  It all just screamed at me.

Elephant Quilt by Dana at Stormy-Day

I was inspired to do a similar version, but out of a saxophone.  I found a simplistic version of a saxophone in clip art.  My son Jack, ever the purist, helped me discern what I absolutely needed to include on the quilt to make it look "real".  I took some measurements of the clip art, multiplied all of my measurements by 3 and sketched out an enlarged version of the sax on a larger piece of paper.

If you check out Dana at Stormy-Day talks about how she developed her Elephant quilt.

I had purchased a few selected solids and a purple and polka-dot pattern for the backing at Jo-Anns, I pulled a few scraps from my stash to come up with a slightly more infant color scheme.  I layer the strips out in the shape of my saxophone and sewed them together in a 'rainbow-ish' color pattern.  After I had a very rough version of the saxophone sewn together I traced the inverted drawing on to the back of some Heat and bond. I fused the heat and bond to the back of the saxophone strips and then cut out my Saxophone shape.  following manufacturers directions I fused the Saxophone strips to the white backing.  Using a wide zig-zag stitch I machine appliquéd the saxophone to the white background.   I cut out 3 different sized circles and hand stitched them to the saxophone to look like keys.

Please excuse the wrinkly mess.

I trimmed the background to 36" X44". I cut out 42 assorted 4"x4" squares and bordered the white backing with these.

My original plan was to use the quilting as a tool to emulate "music" coming out of the Saxophone.  I cut out 3 heart sizes and used them as templates to make it look as though hearts not notes were streaming out of the horn.  However in my rush to quilt this beauty I got a little over zealous and quilted the hearts a bit too densely.  You can barely see them.  Sad, I know.  

With the exception of the quilting I really LOVE how this quilt turned out.  I think I may have to make another in Black and White.  I think that the absence of color would be striking. Now this one is all wrapped up and ready for her new home.

American as Apple Pie Quilt top

This quilt has been bouncing around in my head for at least a year.  It changed and morphed itself into this design quite by accident.

Initially, I had more of a 'pie' look in mind for the quilt.  A pie quilt, one with blocks on point, lattice sashing, prairie points around the boarder and a scalloped edge.

 That idea changed around as I started laying the blocks out on my design floor.  The more I mixed them around the more I liked this layout.  And so this quilt was born.

Hopefully a pattern will follow shortly...

To be Continued.

Simply Woven - {finish}

I spent Friday finishing up this small quilt.

 Using up a stack of 2.5 in strips that may have once come as a jelly roll.  As mentioned in my previous posts I used Simply Woven quilt pattern by Jessica Kelly of sewcraftyjess.com for Moda.  I found her directions superb, I really enjoyed watching the emerging pattern. I ended up making 16 block for this quilt.  However, due to a small miscalculation I could only use 12 on the front and 3 on the back.  Somehow I mixed up the placement of one of the stripes causing the entire block to not match up with the other 15.  One of the downfalls of quilting past your bedtime.

I used an all over quilted swirl on this quilt, trying to balance out the square edges and sharp corners with a few curves and waves.

  

The back I pieced from a few pieces I had leftover from another quilt + the three blocks I couldn't use on the front. The misfit block that wouldn't work anywhere will probably be made into a journal cover.  Only time will tell. This quilt is going up in the basket of quilts to be gifted.  More than likely it will find a home with one of the 4 teachers we have this year who are becoming first time parents.

E was my big helper for this photo shoot. 

 She really got into it.  Posing in all sorts of funny positions and faces.

  Even she enjoyed this fun quilt.

Hexie-Flowers Quilt

Faithful readers may remember back last summer when I started (obsessively) piecing hexies together.  You can read about it here. At the time I wash't quite sure where I was headed with the project.  Thoughts and possibilities  of what to make with the hexies flew in and out of my mind on a daily basis.  My pintrest board is full to bursting with Hexie ideas.  Somehow none of the ideas that flitted through my mind stuck.  Until now.

I purchased a Moda Honey Comb pack from Craftsy in Scrumptious by Bonnie and Camille. And Scrumptious it is!  All the beautiful pastel florals and prints.  It all called to me to be made into a beautiful baby quilt for my soon to be niece.

I drew up a couple of preliminary sketched prior to starting, so I had an idea of where I was going with it.  Let me say it is turning out so much better than I had envisioned.  Love it when that happens.

I envisioned all of the hexies surrounded by a white back ground with my hand pieced hexie flowers dispersed randomly throughout.  Slowly over the course of the past two weeks, amid my other mommy jobs I have been piecing it together.  I cut out white hexagons 2 inches larger than the Honey comb templet.  I then hand appliquéd the 6 hexie-flowers I planned on using for the quilt.  I bordered each Honey comb with 1 inch strip of the same white fabric.  Then slowly pinned and sewed each set in seam together.  Time consuming yes.  But totally worth it!

I am now down to deciding on the last 2 borders, and then sewing the back together.  I cannot wait to get this onto my Long-arm.  Flower designs here I come!

Lots of UFOs

Recently I have had an overwhelming flood of creativity.  I don't know if it is the cooler weather or what?  All I know is I cannot write down my ideas fast enough!  I have more UFOs than area 51! Ha!  The fact that I have started referring them as 'pile #1, 2, 3 and 4' is probably an indication I need to get organized (or sew faster.)

 First I have these little hooters to share.  They are in stage one of development far, far, FAR away from the completed idea.

Hmmm. maybe I'll start on these next?

Second I have this pile with these mason jars and lovely embroidered fabrics.

I could start on these. I am sure I could finish them in a couple of hours!

Third I have this pattern for a toddler bean bag from lellaboutique.com.  I really have to get this done.  I know a little fella who is turning 2 soon.  I should definitely start on this next.

Forth I have those hexie flowers.  I just keep crankin' them out.  They haven't yet reveled what they would like to be.

Fifth I also have these sheets of red hexagons.  Which have suddenly declared they are to be stockings for Christmas.

Sixth, I have a pile of apple core blocks, okay partial blocks, which are destine to become an apple pie quilt.

oh, pie.  Wait maybe I have to reorder?  Without a doubt, pie is the next project. Hey, a girls got to eat.

The plan, the project and the puppy

I have a drooler.  She is part boxer part shar-pei.  We love her to death but she makes the biggest mess when she takes a drink. I have tried place-mats, dogie water absorbent food mats and finally resorted to rags.  Now rags work the best, they can be washed daily or as needed but they look, well.. bad.  No one really wants to walk into my kitchen and gaze at my husbands dirty, old t-shirt lying under the dogie bowls, no matter how functional they may be. Couple that with the fact that the dogie water absorbent mats while functional, cannot be changed out daily at $10-$40 a piece no matter how much I love my puppy.

 Thus the plan...design and sew up. A functional, yet cute, water absorbent food mat.  I sketched out a couple of ideas and this is what I came up with..

The Puppy Food Mat

Materials:
32- 2.5 in x 2.5 in scrap squares.
2  strips of fabric 2.5 in by 16 inch
2 strips of fabric 4.5 in by 13 inch
an old terry cloth towel or piece of terry cloth 15 in x 26 in
3 length of fabric strips 2.5 inches wide for binding.

Arrange your 32-- 2.5 in X 2.5 in squares in a configuration as shown below:

Sew together and press seams open. Pressing seams open makes it easier to quilt. Sew 2.5 in X 16 in fabric along long side of patchwork. press seams.  Sew 4.5in X 13 in pieces along short side of patchwork.  press seams.

Next pin quilt top to slightly larger piece of terry cloth or towel.  I used pins to baste the 2 pieces together.

Quilt as desired, using walking foot attachment. I quilted along the seams of the patchwork.

Trim patchwork quilt to shape desired.  The first quilt I trimmed into an oval using the side of a pizza pan as my guide for rounding the corners.  The second quilt I trimmed to look like a dog bone.  (more on that later).  Once you have the shape you want bind as you would any quilt.  I used cross grain strips for my binding and in hindsight I think bias binding would have been easier to use.  Then again it is for a dog.  

Isn't she patient. 

Now you have a mat, used up some scraps, re-purposed an old towel and when your mat gets wet or dirty you can just throw it in the wash!  How cool is that.  I think a few of these would make great gifts for a friend who just got a new puppy. just sayin'

halloween treats

With Halloween just a few days away I couldn't resist whipping up a batch of yummy goodness. (drool).  Carmel Apples!

I stuck, mostly with the recipe on the back of the Carmel bag, through in a had full of candy corn for extra bright orange color. (you know you cannot get that color in naturally).  I melted the Carmel and the candy corn in the microwave.  How simple?!  I could have made plain old Carmel apples, but with all of those yummy gourmet apples out there I couldn't resist adding MORE!  I chopped up some Oreos,  M&M's and melted some chocolate.

 Talk about 900 calories of sweetness.  OH!  it was soooooo good. I made enough that each child could have two, one M&M and one Oreo.

The problem I encountered is going to sound so bizarre.  Yesterday it was HOT,  81 degrees here.  We have had the air off for a couple of weeks enjoying the cooler temps.  Well, when the temperature outside rises, so apparently does the temp on the inside. (who knew? heehee:)  The temperature got hot enough that it remelted the Carmel.  OH, NO!  OH, YES!  Now we have 3 apples sitting in a pile of Carmel, Oreos and chocolate.  Somehow I don't think that will stop the kiddo's from chowing down after school.