Several Small Trips Quilt

Well . . .  Thanks to you all helping me decide to take Several Small Trips with my Trip Around the World Blocks from the first of this month,  I can now say that my Trip Around the World Quilt is done and I thought it only fitting to call it Several Small Trips ;)  And I just love, love, love it!!!!

I have made several of these blocks for Bees before using Bonnie Hunter's awesome tutorial.  So way back here I decided it was about time I make my own Trip Around the World quilt. (and yes that is way back :)   So I had some bee mates help out and got some blocks back, and then they sat, and sat, and then sat some more.  And it wasn't until this month that I finally pulled out some scrappy red, black, and white strips and made enough blocks for a quilt top.  And I had forgot just how much fun these blocks were to make.   I wish I wouldn't have waited so long to make more, because they really were a blast and went together super fast.      And now, I can finally say, I have made a Trip Around the World quilt and I am just so thrilled!!!

I made this in Red, Black, and White because it will get donated to my Alma Mater at some point to help raise funds for student scholarships.   Again, I am so glad my school colors are red, black, and white, because they are just so classic in a quilt!!!   And I especially love seeing those colors in all of their scrappy goodness in this quilt.  I don't even know how many prints are in it, but there are a lot!!!  It just makes me so happy.  And I kept the scrappy goodness going with the binding, using up lots of little bits and pieces of leftover binding from other quilts in beautiful red, black, and white :)   So fun!!!

When it came time to quilt it, I just had to do simple arches.  I just love they way the look in all over patchwork.  They just let each little square pop and I love the secondary orange peel design it creates as well.   I decided to change threads for the black, red, and white so that it helped to make the Several Small Trips design pop even more.  It took a bit longer as it meant a lot more cutting threads to start and stop, but it was so worth it!!!

Isn't that so fun how the quilting just makes each square pop!!!  I just love the way those arches frame each square.  Almost gives it the feel of a puff quilt, without all the hassle of stuffing batting, tee hee hee.   I am just so happy how it just really helped to add to the overall design of the quilt.  

And I just had to share this fun backing I found.  Our local Quilt Shop was having a clearance on some red and black prints, I am not even sure what line they are from.   But I thought, how fun to do half and half for the back!!!  I just love how the design changes scale across the print, and how the combination of the two fabrics with the scale created such a fun and unique backing.    And I have just enough left of both prints for 1 more quilt back, so I am sure I will be doing this again sometime ;)   It's just so fun and a perfect fit for the scrappy goodness that is this quilt!!!

And that is my Several Small Trips quilt!!!!!   It measures 72" x 72" as each block finishes at 12" square so it will be just perfect for a stadium blanket for some SUU Alumnus.    I am just so happy to have finished this quilt and couldn't be more thrilled with how it all came together.   It was so much fun to make and I am already thinking I need to add it back to my list of quilts to do.  It is just so classic and a fabulous scrap buster!!!   If you have never made one, I would highly recommend you give it a try.  The possibilities are endless and it is just so much fun ;)

And that's all for today!!! Thanks again for popping in and sharing this finish with me today :)  You all are just the best!!  

I hope you have a very Happy Quilting Weekend!!!

Linking up this finish to Amanda's, Sarah's, and Myra's, ;)  

July Sew Sampler Box!!!

It's always a great day when my Sew Sampler box arrives on my doorstep :)  And this month's box is all about Vintage Chic and it is so amazing!!!   It never ceases to amaze me what a great value these boxes are and how they just keep managing to fill them with such a wonderful variety of quilty goodness ;)

First up, is this gorgeous Snowberry Junior Jelly Roll by 3 Sisters for Moda!!!!  These prints are so beautiful and all of those pretty creams and blues have me wanting to make another Union Jack quilt.  Which really wouldn't work with the Jelly Roll, but I think this will be used in some similar fashion :) 

And boy did I need these adorable little embroidery scissors last week when I was working on my reverse applique block for Aurifil.   They are so sharp and tiny they can get into every little corner.  Now I might actually finish that reverse applique block, it's all about having the right tools ;)

And the other notions in this month's box are just as equally great!!!  These mini wonder clips are just perfect for so many little projects.  I am currently teaching a bunch of youth to make charm bags and we are just about to stitch the tops together, insert mini wonder clips for the win!!!  And I love Seam Rippers with the rubber end to scoop it all up but have never tried this type of seam ripper with more of a blade for ripping, it will be fun to give it a try!!  

And of course, I can't do a Sew Sampler reveal without a picture of this month's Block ;)  So here is July's Basket Block. Isn't it just so fun.  I really liked the basket in Black, I think it just makes everything else just pop!!!

And that is the July's Sew Sampler Box  . . . August's box should be coming right around the time school starts so that should be a very well timed surprise.  Nothing like quilty goodness to help smooth out the crazy, happy, fun that is the start of another school year  ;)

Happy Quilting!!! 

Baby Quilts for Beginners - 2 New Quilts!!!

EEEkkk, it's another one of those secret sewing project reveal days!!  I just love being able to share these quilts that I have had to keep a secret for what seems like forever.    So let's not wait a minute more and get right to sharing the quilts!!!

This is  Labyrinth.

and this is Time to Shine.   

 And I just love how cute and adorable they both are!!!!  I made these two quilts last July for the newly released Baby Quilts for Beginners book and I have been so excited to see all the adorable quilts ever since then.  I just love making baby quilts!!!  I can't help but smile when I think of a sweet little angel being wrapped up in all that quilty goodness.  And this book is jam packed with 14 adorable quilts that are perfect for beginners to learn on, but also perfect for those who have a little more experience, but need a fast "go-to" gift.  Most of these quilts be made up in a day!!!

So let me tell you a bit about my two quilts found in Baby Quilts for Beginners.   First up is Labyrinth.   When we were asked to submit ideas for baby quilts that would be suitable for a beginner, I immediately thought of Jelly Rolls.  They are just so great to learn with as they mostly involve strip piecing.   So I came up with this fun Maze design that gives lots of movement, but is really just an easy strip pieced block that has been rotated.  So fun!!!

And the nice thing about jelly roll friendly quilts is you get so much variety in the fabrics which just adds to that fun maze look.   I just loved Sweetwater's The Treehouse Club Fabric for it's happy bright colors and prints, and that it made this particular quilt gender neutral.    But of course, if you knew you were making the quilt for a specific girl, or boy, you can easily use a jelly roll that has that "all Girl" or "all Boy" feel ;)

  

Since this book is all about Beginner quilts, the quilting is focused on beginner friendly designs as well.   And what better place to start with quilting than a simple meandering or stippling, whichever you prefer to call it :)  I kept the size of the meander to a medium so it is still nice and soft for snuggling but at the same time adds lots of yummy texture.

And speaking of soft and snuggly, how adorable is this picture from Baby Quilts for Beginners!!!  I just love little baby toes, and this picture had me all excited for the quilt to return and to gift to a special little one!!!

And that is Labyrinth ;)    It measures 40" x 40" and it oh so much fun to make.   It's just perfect for beginners to learn on, and wonderful for experienced quilters that want a fast and fun finish.    I hope you just love it as much as I do ;)  And of course, I just had to share this picture from Baby Quilts for Beginners as well, because that little girl is just precious!!!

And the second project I am blessed to have featured in Baby Quilts for Beginners is Time to Shine.   You all know how much I love Star Quilts!!!  Well this fun, offset trio of stars just make this little baby quilt pop :)   I love the big bulky border around each star that lets the actual star really shine :)

And it's perfect for beginners as the star can be broken down to some basic stitch and flip and a 9 patch.  Easy as that!!!   Which again, makes it great for the more experienced quilter to use it as one of those, "I have a baby shower tomorrow and nothing to bring" gifts that can really be put together in an afternoon.  Just grab three fabrics from your stash and you are good to go!!!

I used 3  prints from Sherri and Chelsi's Desert Bloom fabric line for this quilt.   The colors were the perfect fit for the feel that I was trying to create, and all of the tiny prints really let the stars just shine.   And I love that the "background" fabric just has a pop of color to keep that big negative space fun and intersting ;)

When it came time to quilt it, I again decided I wanted something that a beginner could do.   So I quilted it with an all over grid pattern that is just as easy to do on a home machine as it is on a long arm.   Just simple back and forth lines, that you can do with either a walking foot or a free motion foot if you like a little bit of wiggle in it, which I do ;) And goodness, talk about some yummy texture!!!

And that is Time to Shine!!    The quilt measures 45" x 45" just perfect for wrapping up some wee little fingers and toes and pudgy little cheeks.    Oh, and I just love that you can turn this quilt any direction and it will give it a new look.   There really is no up or down or side to side, and that just makes it all the more fun!!!

And those are my two quilts from the new Baby Quilts for Beginners Book!!!  And I am just so excited to finally get to share them  and now I want to grab a jelly roll and make up labyrinth today because I just found out a friend is expecting!!!  So fun  ;)

 There are lots of adorable baby quilts in this book and all are easy, fast, and so much fun to make!!!   So be sure to Pop on over to  Martingale, the book publisher, to see all of the beautiful quilts ;)   And they just might be celebrating the release with a Giveaway as well!!! Good Luck!!!    Baby Quilts for Beginners is now available wherever quilting books are sold and  if you would like a signed by me copy, I have a few available in my little book shop here!!

Thanks so much for popping in today and each day!!!  I just love being able to share my daily quilting adventures with you all ;)

Have a Happy Quilting Day!!!

Terrific Tuesday Giveaway Day!!!

It's Terrific Tuesday Giveaway Day so let's have some fun :)

But first, we need to announce the winner from last weeks Terrific Tuesday Giveaway!!   The winner of the Scrappy Project Planner by Lori Holt from Fat Quarter Shop is . . .   Number # 181. . . Congrats claudia!!!   I have emailed you :)        

  

  

And on to today's

Today's Terrific Tuesday Giveaway is being sponsored by QuiltMania.   Quiltmania is known for their high quality photos, their international articles and artists, and detailed instructions of full size patterns in every magazine. People that work at Quiltmania are quilters themselves so they understand what quilting is about.   Quiltmania also publishes 10+ books per year, with designers from all over the world and with a lot of different styles. Right now they a library of 40+ books all in French and English (inches and centimeters).  And Quiltmania is celebrating 20 years in September!!!!  How exciting is that!!!!! 

And for today's Terrific Tuesday Giveaway Quitlmania has a copy of their three their summer Edition Magazines for one lucky winner!!!!     Quiltmania is THE magazine for quilt lovers and each issue has 7 patterns including a mystery quilt.  Simply Vintage is the best of country, primitive, vintage and folk art quilts with lots of little projects, and accessories.    And finally, Simply Moderne is our Quiltmania's latest magazine as they are only at issue #9 right now.  It has 10+ quilts with patterns inside, exhibitions, portraits, technical lessons... all they can find in the fresh and exciting world of modern quilting.   And one lucky winner will take home all 3!!!!

You have two entry chances, the second being optional, and please leave a separate comment for each.  All Entries are welcome, including International Entries.  Please just be sure to leave an email address if you are a no-reply blogger ;)  

ENTRY 1 - Simply leave a comment that tells me which magazine jumps out to you the most : Vintage, Modern, or Mania :)   

 ENTRY 2 - Show your QuiltMania love.   You can follow them on   Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest,  or You Tube.  You can Sign up for their Newsletter (right hand side) or Visit their Shop and tell me a favorite issue you found.      Just be sure to leave a comment of how you showed your QuiltMania Love!!!

And that's it ;)  The giveaway will be open until next Tuesday, August 1st , when I will announce a winner at the beginning of next weeks Terrific Tuesday Giveaway Post :)

Good Luck and Have a Happy Quilting Day!!!

Ruler Remake!!!

So this weekend my Ruler Storage got a total remake and I couldn't be more happy!!!!  Look how pretty and organized they look :)   It is so fun to see them all hanging there and it so inspires me to just want to create with them all!!!

This was my previous ruler storage.  Everything just stacked in the drawer.   It was driving me nuts.  Whenever I needed my 2 1/2" ruler I had to pretty much pull everything out because it has inevitably fallen to the bottom of the drawer.    Guess that is what happens when you start accumulating 40+ rulers.  Good times!!!

 So on Saturday, I told my amazing sweetheart that I would just love it if he put me a peg board up in this happy space.  I really liked the idea of having all of my rulers right at my fingertips when I was cutting.

And within an hour, this was my ruler storage remake!!!  Jacob just cut up an old pair of flip flops and drilled a hole through the middle of them to make "thick washers".  They because the mount between the wall and the board, making it perfect to just screw them into the studs and still leaving enough room to get the hooks into the board.   I just love it and you better believe I am kicking myself for waiting so long to do this!!!  It was so easy and now it just feels so organized and that just inspires me to create all the more ;)

And that drawer . . . Well, you can certainly find things in it now.  I had a few rulers that didn't have holes in them, but I know they have those cute little wire baskets that you can hang on a peg board so that will be the solution for those rulers and then the drawer will be even more tidy.   Yippee!!!

So ya, if you can't tell, I am pretty happy with my storage Ruler Remake!!!!  Now to pulling some of those rulers down and starting some new Works in Progress :)   But first, it's July 24th here in Utah, meaning it's Pioneer Day and I have a Main Street Mile to run and then a parade to enjoy with the kiddos ;)

Happy Monday All!!!! 

Skittles - McCalls Quick Quilts Feature

Today I am excited to share another secret finish from a few month's ago!!!!!     This is called Skittles and I just love it!!!!   I tell you what, there is something about a baby size quilt that you just can't help but love.   They are just so adorable in their little patchwork goodness and you can't help imagine them being wrapped around a sweet little angel ;)

Skittles is featured in McCalls Quick Quilts August/September issue.     It looks a little complex, but it goes together super quick using the simple stitch and flip method.   Meaning it will make for a great little go to baby quilt when you are in a pinch to make up something fast but still super cute!!!

The "O" block was originally published in Quiltmaker's 100 Blocks Volume 14.  I knew at that point, that I wanted to add an X block to the design and make it a cute hugs and kisses quilt!!!   And the nice thing is, all it takes is a rotation on the same units to make the X block, again, simple and fast ;) 

For my quilt, I used a variety of Blue and Green prints from Blueberry Park by Karen Lewis for Robert Kaufman Fabrics. I just love these fun prints and how they really show off the wonderful variety of colors in each color family!! And they really give it that “all boy” feel.  And of course, if you wanted to go "all girl" you could just swap out the blues and greens for pinks and purples ;)

And Getting stared on your own Skittles quilt is super easy because this Baby Quilt is totally Layer Cake Friendly.  All you need is 36 squares, so just grab a Layer Cake from your stash and you are good to start cutting!!   And of course, you can always do a scrappy version as well and do some stash busting :)

When it came time to quilt Skittles I decided to keep it simple for this baby boy version!!  I quilted a wavy horizontal line all the way across the quilt, and then flipped it 90 degrees on the long arm and repeated the quilting to create a fun wavy crosshatch.  Simple and totally keeping with the "all boy" idea of the quilt ;)

And it made for such a great baby quilt texture.  My goad was to do the lines far enough apart to still keep the snuggly goodness, but close enough together to create a really fun texture.   And I was super happy with how it turned out :)  Snuggly, check, Texture, check :)

And one last thought.   I know I have said it before, but I just love the way they stylize photo's for magazines.   Photography is one of the things I really want to get better at, and so I always love seeing the way they do these shots.   So pretty!!!  I have downloaded a photography craftsy class, now just to make the time to sit and watch it ;)

And that is my Skittles Quilt!!!!   It finishes at 42"x 42" so ya, baby size goodness.     And if you want to see a little more of my Skittles Quilt, you can pop on over to McCalls's Quilting blog to read a special guest blog that I have posted over there ;)   And there just might be a giveaway for my Irish Chain Quilts book as well!!!!   Good Luck ;)

And that's all for today!!!   I hope that you have a very Happy Quilting Day :)

Linking up these finishes to Amanda's and Myra's ;) 

June and July Bee Blocks

Yup, I got behind again with the Bees Knees.   Ahh, something about the summertime that makes the month's just slip by without you noticing ;)  But it sure makes them fun, right!!!   So for June, Stephanie asked us each to make one 100 patch block and three 9 patch blocks.  And even though that is some tiny 1" patchwork, it went together super quick with strip piecing and nesting.   I just loved lining up all of those cute little squares!!!

And then for July, Sinta asked us each to make one of these adorable Camera Blocks from the Snapshots Quilt Along by Fat Quarter Shop a while back.   I had already made this block once for my own Snapshots quilt, and it was just as fun to make it a second time!!!  I love all of these fun picture blocks, and thank heavens for my Alphabitties to keep all of the pieces straight ;)  Makes sewing up the block so much faster!!!

And now I am all caught up!!!  With two weeks to spare before the next block :)   I can't wait for my month to roll around, I already have a plan and can't wait to share it!!!

Hope you are having a very Happy Quilting Day!!!

July Aurifil Designer BOM

The July Aurifil Designer Block of the Month was released a few days ago and I was so excited to try it out because it was trying something new, Reverse Applique!!!   I have done a bit of reverse applique but not a fancy design like this before.    And now your thinking, Hey, that's not reverse applique, more on that later ;)   But for now, let's just say that July's block was all about Orange and  Shruti Dandekar created a super awesome Reverse Applique block.  Isn't that just a gorgeous design!!!

  

It really is such a gorgeous design!!!  I just love all of the detail in it, especially the little tendril hooks, so delicate!!!  And I just love how it pops on the orange background.  And speaking of that orange background, that is what led to my block not being Reverse Applique.

Here is where we keep things real.  This was my first attempt at the block.  I was doing the reverse applique and got to this point and realized that I wanted to switch the orange and the white placement because I wanted to block to read Orange and not White with a little bit of orange.   So I cut two more squares and was ready to start over and realized that I just wasn't digging all of that cutting.  It wasn't so much the time it took to cut out the reverse applique, rather it was just driving me nuts that no matter how hard I tried, I wasn't able to cut out the inside of that applique and still have it look straight and even.  I just felt like this was such a pretty design and I wasn't doing it justice with my not so straight edges.  So ya, my need for "even" got the better of me and I switched to regular fusible applique.    

I know, I whimped out, but I have to say, I really like the finished look with the beautiful blanket stitch that just frames up that gorgeous design so nicely. (so for my own sanity, I am glad I whimped out ;)    I used my Aurifil 2235 Orange thread for that blanket stitch (which I was also happy to switch out from the original block as I was kicking myself during all that cutting that I didn't stitch in the contrasting orange thread)  and I just love how it makes that gorgeous design just pop right off of that beautiful orange background.  So fun!!!

So that is my Aurifil July Block!!!  You can find Shruti's fantastic pattern for this block right over here and then be sure to pop over here to read Shruti's  interview.     And if you make your own Reverse Applique Block (or regular applique if you follow my lead) , be sure and enter a picture of it at Pat's blog ;)  Every entry  is eligible to win a Large Aurifil Thread Kit!!!!!  

So excited to see this rainbow of blocks come together!!!  Can't wait for next month's block ;)  

Have a Happy Quilting Day!!!