3 More Projects Added to the Mix

I am super excited to be starting some new projects!!!  Don't you just love getting  a new pattern and finding just the right fabrics for it :)  Envisioning what it is going to look like when it's all done!!  It is just so fun!!!    And I got to play in my fabric stash 3 times this week for 3 new projects, triple bonus!!!

First off, I raided my stash of black and white scraps and threw in a solid red for a new quilt from my good friend Andy Knowlton's new Fresh Fat-Quarter Quilts book.    I am super excited for this project ;)   The quilt will make an awesome Rally quilt, which of course, is why it is in classic Red, White, and Black.  Yup, this one is destined to get an SUU logo and be donated next year ;)  I got this all cut out on Tuesday and started some stitching on it yesterday and I am already just thrilled with how it is coming together.  Can't wait to share more on this in a couple of weeks!!

Next, I agreed to get in a Pillow Fight this week and I will explain more on that in the future.  But for now, I am super excited to pull my color/white squares off the shelf.  I sorted these squares separately when I was starting to work on my Scraptastic Stars Quilt.  They all read a white background with a color and I figured they would make a cool project someday.   And I excited to see them in a pillow from Edyta Star's new Pillow Talk Book :)    I am thinking patchwork rainbow, eeekk!!

And lastly, my sister called and asked if I could make her a "baby dragon girl" quilt.   And of course, I love my sister so I said yes, even though I had absolutely no idea what I was going to make.   So I searched baby dragon images and found this adorable little sketch.   Cue the Layered Applique.   And with all the applique, I knew I wanted to use a basic fabric, and I found these Riley Blake Shades in my stash.  And I think they will be just the perfect amount of solid with some texture to make these dragons.   This is going to be so cute!!! Here is hoping I can make what is in my mind work out ;)  Wish me luck!!

So that is what I am going to be working on this weekend :)

What are you going to be Happy Quilting for the next few days??  

What's Sewing On :)

With the Starstruck Quilt Along starting to wind down to it's close, there is suddenly more time to work on some more projects!!!   So I thought it would be fun to share that today as it has been awhile since I did a "what I am working on" post, other than of course, the weekly Starstruck posts, tee hee hee ;)  

So first off, I am super excited that I finally got my "Vanessa Squared" blocks sewn into a quilt top!!!   If your remember, I shared last month  that I am using the Smart Cookie pattern from Vanessa Goertzen's new Jelly Filled book, combined with Vanessa Christensen's  new Ombre Fabrics.  I loved the quilt blocks but basically just needing enough time to figure out a color layout I liked.   So this weekend I did that.   And funny thing,  once I had the layout figured, the blocks sewed up into a quilt top in an hour ;)   And I can't wait to get this quilted and share the finish.  My stop on Vanessa's Book Tour is Nov. 8th, so not to much longer to wait!!! 

And I have also been working on a new Leader and Ender project while constructing all of the Starstruck Quilt Along tutorials and Charming Baby Quilts.   Since I finished piecing all of my Scraptastic Star Blocks  I needed a new Leader and Ender project and my Be Fruitful project I planned back in June was the perfect fit!!! I have now finished all of the block centers, and corners, and only have the 4 sets of side blocks and cornerstones left ;)  I can't wait to see these blocks come together, it is going to be such a pretty quilt!!!

And finally, you know I can't help but start a new project when I have a little open time, right!!!  I was thrilled when my good friends at Fat Quarter Shop  asked if I would like to participate in their new Perfect 5 Quilts Quilt Along!!!   Of course, with the announcement of my Charming Baby Quilts book it is no secret that I am a big fan of working with Charm Packs, so I was all in for playing with the new Perfect 5 Ruler (specifically designed for Charm Packs) and making a new project from the amazing pages of the Perfect 5 Quilts book.  I plan to use 2 Wonder Charm Packs and a combination of 2 blocks to make a super soft and adorable baby quilt!!  Can't wait to share more ;)

So that is what I am working on . . . So how about you???  What's on your cutting tables, sewing machines, and ironing boards today??? 

September Sew Sampler!!!

 We are starting to get some chilly mornings and I have already made 3 Pumpkin Rolls.   So glad that it is Fall!!!   I really think it is my favorite season, even if it is only like 3 weeks in Cedar City ;)    And Fall coming on means September came and went!!   And with September rolling out, it means another Sew Sampler Box came in the mail!!!  This month's theme was Think Pink, and I know I say it about every box, but I just love, love, love this month's box!!!! (and FYI, there is still a waiting list for the Sew Sampler Box membership, but I hear it turns over fast ;)

I absolutely love Moda Color Cuts!!!  They are just perfect for when you want to sew with a specific color family.   And I just love working on rainbow projects and monochromatic projects so these pre-cuts of color groupings really appeal to me. And this  Think Pink Color Cut Dessert Role is just so pretty!!! .  Now I just can't decide if I want to use it to make this awesome pattern by Susan Ache (who is absolutely a whiz with color!!!) or to make a supersized Scraptastic Star block and turn it into a baby quilt.  It was suggested when I shared the Pink Scraptastic Star block and I haven't been able to get it out of my mind.  And then these pinks show up and I could easily make 5" squares from the roll . . . decisions, decisions :)  

And this month's notions are so fun!!!  I am super excited about the Just Bobbin Along case.  I am sure we can all use more Bobbin storage ;)   And the Dritz Thread Cutter Caddy is just so cool!!! I am going to use it to hold my 10 bobbins that I keep prewound for piecing.  When the bobbins run out, it's time to clean the machine and then rewind the 10 bobbins.  But I love that it also is a thread cutter, and has a magnetic side that you can throw your pins on as you cut your threads.   Just so brilliant. 

And of course, we can't finish out a month of Sew Sampler without another Goodness Grows block!!!  This month the block is called  Bloom in Season  and it was a super fast one to make and oh so cute!    I am so loving this sampler :)

And that is my September Sew Sampler box  :)  And now we have to wait a whole month of October's, tee hee hee!!!

I hope you are all having a Happy Quilting Day!!

The Scraptastic Star Blocks are Done!!

I finished the last 3 of my Scraptastic Star Blocks that I have been making as my Leader and Enders this year!!  And I am so excited!!!   But more on all 16 blocks in a minute.  First, let's look at the last 3 blocks ;)  The first one is pretty in Pink!!  I love how soft this block is :)

The next block is Red.   And this one has so many wonderful shades of red.   I was really surprised with how many shades of red I had in my little stash of 2 1/2" squares.  And I just love how much the white squares pop against all of those red prints!!

And finally, Burgundy.  And I just love these deep, rich reds.  And mostly, I just love that it was the very last  Scraptastic Star Block for my quilt!!!  So do you want to see them all???

I thought so :)   Here they are, my 16 Scraptastic Star Blocks all together!!  And I have to say, that this picture just makes me smile from ear to ear.  I love, love, love these blocks and I have had so much fun making them as  Leader and Enders throughout this year.  

Now all that is left is to make the sashing.  Now my only decision is do I use scrappy black prints or solid black fabric for my sashing??  What do you think . . . scrappy or solid??

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

Aqua, Lime, and Olive means only 3 Left!!!

I finished 3 more of my Scraptastic Star Blocks sewing them between other projects as Leader and Enders !!!  The first one is this beautiful Aqua!!  And it just has me wanting to jump in an ocean.  I just love playing around in the blue scraps, they are so calming.

The next block is Lime.   And I am just loving having this Scraptastic Stars  Leader and Ender project  to clean out some of my 2 1/2" squares stash.  But I am wondering on this block, if I should have edited out that top left hand square.   It just seems not to fit.   I am debating doing a little block surgery and replacing that one.  What do you think??

And finally, Olive.  And I just love these deep, rich greens.  And I love even more that with these 3 blocks done, it means I only have 3 blocks left!!!   I can't wait to see all of the Scraptastic Star Blocks laid out in a rainbow!!!   And now that I have a layout decided, it's even more exciting!!!

So I best get back to stitching ;)

Oh, and one last note before I go.   Speaking of a Rainbow of Colors . . . I wanted to remind you that there are only Two Days left on the Kit Discount for the Starstruck Quilt Along ;)   So if you wanted to pick up your own rainbow of fabric goodness, be sure and order before Sunday before the coupon code expires!!   I can't wait to quilt along with you all!!!  

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

Scraptastic Stars Layout???

So I almost have two more of my Scraptastic Star Blocks done which I will be sharing soon.  But with the blocks winding down, I realized I need to decide on a layout!!!   So I sat down yesterday and stared playing with EQ8 .    And playing in EQ8 is so fun and easy, but now the only problem is, I can't decide!!   So do you think you could help a girl out here and let me know in the comments which you like the best???

Option A is where I started with just a nice, plain black sashing.

And then I decided I wanted to keep the chain going.   So Option B is a Black sashing with some White squares added in to finish the "chain" look.  

And then I wondered what it would look like with that same idea but adding cornerstones.  So Option C is a Black sashing with the chain squares as well as some White cornerstones.

And then I really got into the whole chain idea, and added in a lot more piecing.   So Option D is a larger Black sashing with some White and Black Nine Patches added in to totally finish the "chain" look.   

 And the of course, there is always that point where you circle back around and wonder if you should just keep it simple.  So Option E is just taking it back to a plain White Sashing.

So what do you think???   Which finishing style do you like best???  

Also, another question.  Last time I posted my blocks, I had questions emailed me if I could teach this as a class or if I would make it into a full pattern with size options.  So now I am curious??  Would you like to see this as a full on Happy Quilting Pattern with the alterations to the original free pattern and size options and finishing instructions??

So ya, know you have two opinions to weigh in on ;)

Oh, and one last thing.  Speaking of Patterns . . . I am celebrating turning 40 with a  40% off Pattern Sale!!!  The sale will go until Friday and I have also added Printed HARD COPY PATTERNS in my shop.  So if you see a quilt you want to make but can't be in class because you are far away, now is the time to pick up the pattern for it ;)

  

Thanks for your help today and I hope you all are having a very Happy Quilting Weekend!!!

Coral and Rose Scraptastic Stars!!

Okay, still working on lots of sewing that I can't quite show yet which means even more Leader and Enders sewing and two more Scraptastic Star Blocks!!!    The first one is lovely coral!!!  And I have to say, I was blown away with how many gorgeous shades of coral I had in my stash.   This is such a pretty color and I am thrilled I had enough to make a block just for coral!!

And the second is Rose.   I had to look up what shade of pink you would call these little squares as there is another softer (blush) pink coming and I didn't want to have to call them Light Pink and Dark Pink.  No fun in that ;)    But Doesn't Rose just fit this block just so perfectly!!!  I just love that this little Scraptastic Stars  Leader and Ender project  is really a great little exercise in color for me and I am having so much fun playing with the rainbow!!!

And that means ten down and only 6 to go!!!   Seriously, it is getting so hard at this point not to just drop everything and stitch up the last 6 blocks.  Good thing I still have lots of sewing on my plate to help crank out those last 6 blocks.   And I should probably start thinking about layout options ;)    I will be sure to share more on that as I play with ideas!!

I hope you all are having a very Happy Quilting Weekend!!!

Orange and Yellow Scraptastic Stars!!!

I have been stitching up a storm this last week and that means I was also stitching a lot of Leader and Enders which means two more Scraptastic Star Blocks!!!    The first one is happy as sunshine Yellow!!!  And doesn't that just make you want to soak up some serious rays.   I just love it!!! 

And the second is the Orange block, and I know orange isn't always a favorite of a lot of quilters, but how fun are all of these shades of orange when put together!!!  I just love that this little Scraptastic Stars  Leader and Ender project  combines so many shades of each color and just shows off how many wonderful colors we as quilters get to play with each and every day!!!

And that means I have made 8 of of 16 blocks and am half way!!!  Eeekk, so exciting!!!  I have lots more I am working on right now, so hopefully that means a few more blocks really soon like ;)

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

Magenta and Teal make 6!!!

While I do have a finish (or 2) from this week, I can't share them yet, but, I can share the two additional Scraptastic Star Blocks that I finished from my Leader and Enders from making those two can't share finishes :)    The first one was the Magenta color scheme, and ya know, I was totally loving this because it's in the purple family!!! 

And the second is the Teal block, and funny thing, this is my daughters favorite color!!!  So she was totally wanting this block as soon as I finished it.  But ya, I told her this is all part of my Scraptastic Stars  Leader and Ender project  and so she will just have to make her own :)    And I for sure have enough 2 1/2" squares for her to do just that!

And that means 6 down and only 10 to go!!!   Eeekk, I am so loving these!!   Each time I make another block and do a little happy dance seeing these rainbow of colors come together.   Next up is the light Yellow block and it will for sure add some more sunshine to this stack!!!

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

2 More Scraptastic Stars!!!

The week before leaving to teach at UQSM I got to do some secret Market Sewing :)  I made two quilt samples for my good friends at Moda, which of course I will share more of after Market.  And with those two samples, came a lot of Leader and Ender Sewing ;)   And I am super excited to have made 2 more Scraptastic Star Blocks!!!!

Scraptastic Stars is my new Leader and Ender project and I just love making these blocks!!!   They really are so much fun to play with all of those little 2 1/2" squares, and you all know how much I love making rainbow quilts ;) 

My plan is to make 16 blocks in all, and with 4 done, I am 1/4 of the way!!!  So fun ;)   And I just have to say, don't they look so awesome next to each other!!  I am really loving where this project is going :)

Next color block will be the Magenta-Purples and ya, I am super stocked to sew another shade of Purple!!!!   

How about you, have your tried a rainbow quilt before???

Scraptastic Stars for my Leader and Ender WIP

 I have shared here in the past how much I like Leader and Ender projects.  They are such a great way to work with scraps, and make "bonus" quilts while working on others.  But this last year, I have been kind of slacking on the whole Leader and Ender thing.  Here's what happened . . .   In this post  (a year ago!!!)    I decided my new Leader and Ender Project for 2018 would be my  Scraptastic Stars Block . (pattern can be found here)   I gathered my squares and decided that  I was going to use 2 1/2"squares instead of 2" squares so that the blocks finish at 16" and planned on making 16 blocks. When I went to sort my stack of 2 1/2" squares into 16 piles I found I was needing more squares.  Quite a bit actually, as I was trying to stick pretty closely to tone on tone prints.    So the new plan was to just cut some extra 2 1/2" squares when working on other projects until I had enough.   Well here we are in 2019  :)

Seriously, if I just needed blues or greens, I would have been ready to go in a month as I cut a whole lot of fabric!!!! But there are just some hues of colors (like that gold one on the bottom) that you don't cut a lot of.  So last week I saw all these squares sitting on my desk and I thought, "why in the world am I still waiting to start this project on a few squares."  I pulled out the scrap drawer and after a bit of digging, found the colors I needed to finish the few piles of missing squares.   And TaDa!!   Bring on the Leader and Ender stitching!!!

I decided in way back to make this project more Leader and Ender Friendly I would change the pattern to do Stitch and Flip triangles for the star points instead of traditional HST's.  That way every piece is the same 2 1/2" square size to start with. (which meant more squares as well, 48 of each color to be exact :)  I have found that  I like grouping my squares into the three types of Leader and Ender I need for the project, then I don't have to think about what I need to sew, just pick up two from a group and stitch.

And after I had made everything into 2 patches, I figured I might as well continue on with the block.  So I added a third patch onto the two patches for the corners and then it was just sewing the Three Patches into the Corner Units and the 2 Patches into the Side Units. And then just finish the block.   I did all of this still as Leader and Enders.   This is a little different for me as I would normally do all the two patches for all 16 blocks, but I am thinking where this block has a few more "moving pieces" it makes it easier to do one block at a time.   And I have to say, it sure makes the process more fun to have little finishes along the way.  1 down and 15 to go!!!  (You knew I would start with the purple one ;) 

So I am hoping to share more Scraptastic Stars blocks over the next few months.   I am just loving getting back into the swing of Leader and Enders and I can't believe I let a whole year go by without these "free" quilt blocks :)   I think it is a good lesson for me to remember, just stop and cut so you can sew!!!!

How about you . . . do you have a Leader and Ender project that you are working on???

Oh, Scrap! Blog Hop and Giveaway

Today I am so very excited to share with you all a fantastic new book, Oh, Scrap! by my very good friend, Lissa Alexander !!  And let me just tell you, this book is incredible!!!  I can't stop adding to the list of  "to make" quilts from this!!!   And since they are all scrap quilts, and my scrap bins continue to overflow, I just might have to make them all (eventually ;)

You might know Lissa as Moda Lissa.   She is the head of Marketing at Moda Fabrics and is an amazing quilter!!!  This is her first stand alone book, but she has been the creative genius working behind the scenes on lots of compilation books, like the Moda All Star Books, and the Sweet Celebration book which just happened to be my first time being published in a book.   I am still so grateful that she sent me a little invite to be a part of that book as it really got me started on the publishing path.   Lissa has been a wonderful friend and mentor guiding me through a lot of this industry and giving me wonderful opportunities to share my work :)   I can not thank her enough for her friendship and guidance!!

Lissa has been working in the quilting industry for over 25 years and this book is like getting all of that scrappy quilting knowledge tied up with lots of pretty pictures and a bow on top :)  Seriously, it is amazing!!!  You will find so many wonderful tidbits of scrappy goodness that Lissa has picked up over the years and is now sharing in her own fun way.  Reading through the book truly feels like I am sitting at Lissa's kitchen table with a pile of scraps as we go through it and decide how best to use them.   Which, I would totally love to literally do someday!!! 

And as I said before, Oh, Scrap! is full of amazing scrap quilts and you will want to make every single one of them.    And now I am excited to finally get to share that I was so very blessed to have made one of the quilts in  Oh, Scrap! !!!  It's called Kismet and I just love it!!!   A long while back,  Lissa asked if I could take her Courthouse Steps block and make it up in my own color layout  to give it a new spin and of course, I couldn't say yes fast enough!!  

  I went to my scrap bins and instantly realized that I had an overflowing box of blues and greens and thought they would be perfect for a relaxing type feel.  I started cutting a string of blue in green from every piece of scrap in my bins.  This was such a fun trip down memory lane for me. I love that about scrap quilts, they really are a wonderful representation of so many other quilts and more importantly, the people those quilts were for ;)    And they also look pretty fun all laid out in a row ;)  

I had so much fun making up the Kismet blocks and they really went together fast as I just chain pieced each new row on all the blocks.   And before you knew it, Kistmet!!!  I can't say how happy I am with how this scrappy quilt came together and I am again, so grateful that Lissa asked me to be a small part of her incredible Oh, Scrap! book!!!   I will share lots more about this quilt later on, but for know, I want to get back to more quilts from Oh, Scrap!

I knew as soon as Oh, Scrap! arrived in my mailbox, that I totally needed to start another scrap project, but the hard part is, which quilt to start on???  They are all just so fun!!  I debated on starting with the cover quilt, called Izzy Squared with all of it's yummy squared goodness, or maybe even this gorgeous Sherbet Stars quilt as I am a big fan on Lone Stars and their super fun construction.  

But in the end, it had to be Lissa's Surrounded quilt.  In the intro to this quilt, Lissa wrote about how she found she always had leftover light-colored prints from her Moda precuts that are known as "low volume" fabrics that didn't quite fit in her planned color schemes.   So she challenged herself to create a low-volume quilt and Surround was the result.    

This intro spoke to me as I find I am in that same boat of not using my Low-Volume prints from my pre-cuts :)  I have another scrap drawer that I throw all of these bits and pieces in wondering what i will ever use them for.   Well, the bin was tossed on the cutting mat yesterday and I started cutting.   Another super helpful tidbit from the book, you don't have to cut a scrap quilt out all at once!!!!

I love that Lissa's includes what pieces you need just for each block so you can cut until you get a tired of it, and then pull out the pieces you need to make a block.     I love those oh so cute, 1" finished chain blocks, but with hundreds of them needed in a quilt, I am happy to cut as I go ;)  And another helpful tidbit, Lissa helps explain about value and how it can help you determine what is "low-volume" which I have always wondered about ;)    See what I mean, so many jewels of scrappy hints!!!

So I have 1 block done and lots to go, but I am just thrilled to be making this scrappy Surrounded quilt!!!  I plan to use all solids in the chains and make a serious dent in my "low-volume" bin.   It's not often I make a quilt this way, one block at a time I mean,  but I am super excited to really take this project slow and enjoy the scrappy process.

And that is a small taste of Oh, Scrap!   I can't say enough good about this book!!  It truly is scraptastic and I don't see it going on the shelf for a long time.  I think I will finish one scrappy project and then just choose another from it's pages ;)  

And if you haven't had a chance to check out Oh, Scrap!, you are in for a treat!!   One lucky reader is going to win their own e-book copy of Oh, Scrap!  Lissa and Martingale are giving away of Oh, Scrap! along each stop of this fun Blog Hop!

 All you have to do to have a chance to win is leave me a comment telling me your favorite scrappy quilt you have made or want to make!!

I will choose a winner on Saturday, the 24rd :)    Good luck to all!!

GIVEAWAY CLOSED - The winner is #21 - Congrats to Linda!!!  I have emailed you ;) 

And be sure to follow along with the Oh, Scrap! blog tour for lots more chances to win and a ton more Oh, Scrap! eye candy!!!

Thursday – March 15 – Lissa Alexander

Friday – March 16 – Pat Sloan

Saturday – March 17 – Corey Yoder of Coriander Quilts

Sunday – March 18 – Barbara Brackman  

Monday – March 18 – Alison Dale of Fabric Expressions

Tuesday – March 20 – Melissa Corry of Happy Quilting

Wednesday – March 21 – Moi ~ The Cutting Table

Thursday – March 22 – Sherri McConnell of A Quilting Life

Friday – March 23 – Kimberly Jolly of the Fat Quarter Shop

Saturday – March 24 – Teresa Silva of Quilting is My Bliss

Sunday – March 25 – Jane Davidson of QuiltJane

Monday – March 26 – Jenny Wilding Cardon of Martingale/That Patchwork Place

Thanks for popping in today and I hope you have a very Happy (and Scrappy) Quilting Day!!!

P.S.  It's still Tuesday and we are also have Terrific Tuesday Giveaway Day along with this Giveaway.   If you are looking for that post, you will find it here ;) 


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