'starry christmas' quilt top {& a small giveaway}

I finished the Starry Christmas quilt top earlier this afternoon.  (I know, such an original quilt name, right?)  The blocks took me quite awhile to make, but after that it went very quickly.  Maybe only two hours to put the blocks together into the quilt top.  For more on the fabric & blocks, see this post.  (Not the best pictures this time, but the real feel outside is -25 degrees F.  Needless to say, inside pictures must suffice.) 

A few close-up pictures of the blocks:

 

And a section of the quilt top:

I plan on having this quilt done on the long-arm at my LQS - most likely in a panto pattern.  Although I am open to other suggestions!  (The top measures 61.5" x 82", so I am not keen to quilt this one myself.)

And now... a small giveaway.  I have a large ziplock bag of fabric scraps left over from the making of my rainbow hexagon quilt.  About half of the scraps are solids left over from the quilt top and the other half are from the quilt back, which was made from Cuzco by Kate Spain for Moda.  Some of the scraps are fairly large in size.  It isn't much of a giveaway, but I don't have room to store scraps, so if you are interested, just leave a comment to be entered to win.  For a second chance to win, follow my blog & tell me that you did so in the comments.  (Please be sure I have a way to reach you, in case you are a no-reply blogger.)  The giveaway will close Sunday night (Feb. 3rd) at 5:00 pm CST and I will announce the winner Monday morning.  (US entries only please.  Shipping is just too expensive otherwise.)  Giveaway is now closed.  

Update!  Thank you all for your kind comments!  Random.org has selected a winner:

 

And #19 is....

  

Congratulations, Maribeth!  You have been contacted by email!

-V 

Linking up to Finish It Up Friday hosted by Amanda Jean @ Crazy Mom Quilts.
Linking up to Thank Goodness It's Finished Friday.
Linking up to Confessions Of A Fabric Addict.
Linking up to Richard & Tanya Quilts.    

'starry christmas' quilt & a huge WIP

I started working on a Christmas / winter quilt in December, with high hopes that I would finish it before the end of 2012.  Well, that didn't happen, and here I am still working away on it.  I refuse to put it aside until next Christmas, since one of my New Year's resolutions was to finish everything I start before going on to a new project. 

I started with these fabrics from the Blitzen line by Basic Grey (for Moda).  I really like the combination of colors & patterns in this line.  I saw this quilt that Aneela had been working on and thought that these fabrics would look really neat in that pattern.  I followed Allison's tutorial on how to make the blocks.  I followed her tape trick, which was extremely handy & saved lots of time!

The blocks are 11".  I squared mine up to 10 3/4".  I made 48 blocks total.  Now, I just need to get them sewn together!  I plan on laying them out 6 blocks x 8 blocks, for a quilt top that finishes at 61.5" x 82".  Kind of random dimensions, but I guess that is what happens when you use a block that finishes at 10 1/4".  Hopefully by Friday I will be able to show you a finished quilt top.

There is another WIP that is going to be on my plate for awhile and that is this:

My husband and I bought a 1905 Foursquare!  It is in great shape, it just needs a bit of updating.  This will be the only house we will ever own, so I can't wait to make it our own.  Although this is primarily a blog about quilting, I am sure I will share some of the remodeling on here.  I hope you don't mind. 

There is some very cool history behind this house, and so we have this image of the house, circa 1930:  

The wrap around porch and sleeping porch have been removed somewhere along the way, but I am really hoping I can talk the husband into putting a wrap around porch back on....

Stop back Friday & hopefully I will have a finished quilt top to show you!  I am also thinking about doing a small giveaway on Friday, if anyone is interested.  Hope to see you soon!

-V 

Linking up to:

simply color + parisville table runner : finished

So this table runner has been finished for-freaking-ever!  It is almost sad how long it has taken me to blog about this one.  And the only reason it has taken me so long is because I was waiting to get good pictures of it.  Well, I have given up on that and decided to just go ahead with blogging about it, because at this point I won't get good pictures until spring if the weather continues on its current path!  It was -6 degrees Fahrenheit the other day with a real feel of -23.  So needless to say I am not going outside to take pictures of this table runner!

I made this table runner back in October & November.  You can read more about it here.  Basically, I used a charm pack of Simply Color (by V & Co for Moda) and cut each charm square into four 2.5" squares.  I cut into my stash of Parisville (by Tula Pink for Free Spirit Fabrics) to add to the size of the table runner.  The two fabric lines really look great together.  Kim (one of the owners of my LQS), quilted it on their long arm with a cross-hatch pattern using a grey thread.  I think grey might be the perfect neutral.  The quilting blends into the table runner very nicely, which is what I wanted given that the top already has a lot going on! 

I chose a fabric from Kate Spain's Cuzco line for the backing - called Cornflower City Gate.  I seriously love that fabric line!  I just need to find the time to use it on the front of a quilt instead of the back of a project like I have done twice now!  

For the binding I went with another fabric from the Cuzco line - this time Indigo Citadel.  The Cuzco line and the Simply Color line also complement each other quite well, so I chose to use this print for the binding rather than a fabric from Simply Color.  

This table runner is ultimately destined for Norway to brighten up a friend's table.  However, it got a little side tracked at my LQS.  They liked it so much that they asked if I would be willing to let them display it for a bit.

I'm finally caught up sharing all of my finishes with you!  I still need to finish my It's a Hoot quilt, but I am still stuck on choosing a backing.  I also started a Christmas / winter quilt in December that I had originally hoped to finish before the end of December.  That obviously didn't happen, so now I am hoping to finish it before the end of January....  So check back soon and hopefully I will have some progress to share with you!

Stats:
 Fabric:   Top - Simply Color (by V & Co for Moda) and Parisville (by Tula Pink for Free Spirit Fabrics)
                Batting - Warm & Natural
                Backing - Cornflower City Gate from Cuzco (by Kate Spain for Moda)
                Binding - Indigo Citadel print, also from Cuzco
Pattern: 2.5" squares (unfinished) patchwork
Dimensions: 20" x 42"
Started top: October 27th, 2012
Finished top: November 7th, 2012
Quilted: November 10th, 2012 on long arm at Quilt-N-Kaboodle by one of the co-owners, Kim Barrett, in a cross-hatch pattern
Made for: display at Quilt-N-Kaboodle & ultimately a gift for a friend

-V

Linking up to Finish It Up Friday hosted by Amanda Jean @ Crazy Mom Quilts.
Linking up to Thank Goodness It's Finished Friday.
Linking up to Confessions Of A Fabric Addict.
Linking up to Richard & Tanya Quilts.   

rainbow hexagon quilt : finished

I finished the rainbow hexagon quilt a week or so ago.  You can read more about piecing this quilt here and here.  It was quilted by my LQS.  

Kim made a template using the Hex-N-More ruler, so the quilting inside the hexagon would match exactly.  She quilted 1/4" from the seam around the inside of each hexagon shape, and then quilted on the lines she had marked from the hexagon template.  (I think the template was approximately a 3" hexagon.)  She used a medium grey thread that looks great with every color on the quilt.

 

I used Cuzco (by Kate Spain for Moda) on the back of the quilt, and I thought Indigo Sanctuary (the center, blue peacock) fabric was perfect for the binding.

I am very happy with the way this quilt turned out & it is now on display at my LQS!  

Quilt Stats:
 Fabric:  Quilt top - solid fabrics (mixture of Kona & Moda)
                Batting - Warm & Natural
                Backing - 5 prints from the Cuzco line (by Kate Spain for Moda)
                Binding - Indigo Sanctuary print from Cuzco
Pattern: used Hex-N-More ruler to make 6" half hexagons
Dimensions: 60" x 80"
Started quilt top: November 19th, 2012
Finished quilt top: December 5th, 2012
Quilted: on long arm at Quilt-N-Kaboodle by one of the co-owners, Kim Barrett
Made for: display at Quilt-N-Kaboodle

-V

Linking up to Finish It Up Friday hosted by Amanda Jean @ Crazy Mom Quilts.
Linking up to Thank Goodness It's Finished Friday.
Linking up to Confessions Of A Fabric Addict.  
Linking up to Richard & Tanya Quilts. 

civil war quilt

I made this quilt for my sister & brother-in-law for Christmas & for my sister's birthday, which is 2 weeks after Christmas.  We don't exchange gifts for Christmas or birthdays, so I really made it just because I love them.  (Don't worry Mom & Dad, you are getting quilts someday.)

I didn't take any pictures of the "process" of making this quilt because there wasn't much to show.  I made this quilt top in about 2 hours!  The center fabric is a "cheater" fabric - also known as wholecloth fabric.  I did piece the cheater fabric just a bit in order to make it wider than 44".  Then, all I had to do was cut & join my border fabrics & add them to the sides.

I quilted this on the long arm at my LQS.  I used a simple crosshatch in every other square for the center fabric.  The inner border was quilted with a simple wavy pattern.  For the outer border, I did meander quilting.  It is really fun to do meander quilting on a long arm!

Someday I would like to make my sister & brother-in-law this Civil War tumbler quilt.  The kit is for sale at my LQS.  (I don't know if I should even tell you that - I don't want them to sell out before I purchase mine!)  It is a really beautiful quilt. I just didn't have time to piece it before Christmas, plus I already had the cheater fabric, so I thought I should use it.  I do like the quilt I made, just not quite as well as the tumbler quilt.  ;)

For the backing I used a green Civil War wide back, also from my LQS.  I used the leftover backing for the binding. 

Quilt Stats:
 Fabric:  Marcus Fabrics Civil War wholecloth fabric (I forgot to get the exact name)
                Batting - Warm & Natural
                Backing & Binding - green Civil War wide back
Pattern: pieced the wholecloth fabric to make it a bit wider, then added borders
Dimensions: 64" x 70"
Started quilt top: December 17th, 2012
Finished quilt top: December 17th, 2012
Quilted: on long arm at Quilt-N-Kaboodle by me
Made for: my sister & brother-in-law for Christmas & my sister's birthday

-V

Linking up to Finish It Up Friday hosted by Amanda Jean @ Crazy Mom Quilts.
Linking up to Confessions Of A Fabric Addict.
Linking up to Richard & Tanya Quilts.
Linking up to Thank Goodness It's Finished Friday hosted by From Blank Pages.
Linking up to The Free Motion Quilting Project.

{ 2012 year in review } & 2013 "goals"

{I am late getting this posted because I worked at my LQS on New Year's Day, helping with inventory.  The next day, my daughter got sick and we just found out yesterday that it is strep throat, so now that she has antibiotics in her system, she is doing much better and I am able to get a bit typed up....}

Well, 2012 was a decent year.....

In case you want to check out the blog post for any of these projects, here are the links:

1. Beginner's quilt   2. Quilts for Kids quilt   3. Duvet cover & matching pillows   4. Fabric covered cork board   5. Kindle cover   6. Kindle cover   7. Doll quilt   8. iPod pouch   9. Pillowcase dress   10. Tote bag   11. Baby blanket   12. Kindle cover   13. Emma Grace quilt   14. Doll quilt   15 - 17. Baby blankets   18. Pillowcase dress  19. Baby blanket  20. Table runner (still need to blog about finishing this one!)   21. It's a Hoot HST quilt top (technically not completely finished as it still needs to be quilted)   22. Snowman mat   23. Ava's 2012 Christmas quilt   24. Ella's 2012 Christmas quilt

I only have one UFO (unfinished object) from 2012, and that is the It's a Hoot HST quilt top.  I can not decide what to do for a backing.  I am going back and forth between ordering yardage of one of the prints from the fabric line (or ordering yardage of a few of the prints from the line for a pieced backing), or using the "background" fabric, which was a cream fabric with green polka dots.  I just can't decide.....

I also just finished binding 2 quilts, so those will be my first 2 finishes of 2013!  In addition, I am working on a quilt top and I will *hopefully* show you all of those very soon!

I don't really believe in New Year's Resolutions.  I think that if something is important enough to you, you don't wait for the New Year to make it happen; you just start doing it!  With that being said, my "New Year's Resolutions" are really just goals that I started awhile back & hope to continue to follow through on....

The first is to use my fabric stash.  I decided at some point that I am really not the type of person to have a huge fabric stash.  It bothers me.  I don't like clutter and I don't have a lot of room in my house.  When I start new projects, I want to be able to go out and buy new fabric!  Plus, my LQS is awesome, so technically I have an entire shop's worth of "stash" very nearby!

The second is to have ZERO unfinished projects at any given time.  I am not the type of person who can have multiple projects going on at one time.  I prefer to start something and finish it without getting side tracked.  I find it very distracting and somewhat "stressful" to have just that one UFO sitting in my closet!

My third goal is to make more of what I want rather than taking custom orders or making things for a craft show.  Of course, there will be exceptions, but I hope to focus more on quilting for myself & my loved ones and less on making things "mass production" style.

My last (and perhaps most important) goal is to make at least one quilt for Quilts for Kids.  Of course, I would love to make more than one, but I will start with just one for my goal, as I think that is achievable.

Well, that is all for now.  I hope to be back here soon with pictures of my first 2 finishes of 2013!

~V

ella's christmas quilt : finished

As promised, here are some pictures & details about Ella's quilt, which I finished just before Christmas & am just now getting around to blogging about....  (Pictures taken by my Uncle John!  Thank you John ~ I owe you!)

 

I quilted this on the long arm at my LQS with a pantogram pattern.  (They have a computerized long arm so don't think I did this free hand!)  Since I used charm packs for this quilt, I didn't have anything left over to use on the back, so the back is just a solid purple / lavender that matches the purple dresses on the little girls in the Children at Play fabric.  (You can read more about the making of this quilt top here and here.)  Purple is Ella's favorite color, which was the main reason I went with purple.

A few close up pictures.... I love those little girls!  

I went with a black & white striped binding.  I've followed Rita's blog for quite awhile now and I love her striped bindings.  So I shamelessly copied her.  

And one last picture (that I took myself - can't you tell?)....  I initially forgot to sew my label into the binding, so I had to go back and rip the binding stitches out and add the label.  

I loved making this quilt & I hope Ella loves it too.  She wouldn't let me take any pictures of her holding it ~ maybe someday. ;)

Quilt Stats:
 Fabric: Aneela Hoey's "A Walk in the Woods", "Little Apples", & "Sherbet Pips" : one charm pack of each line
             "Pinwheels", "Summer Gardens", and "Dolls" from Sarah Jane's "Children at Play" line
              Michael Miller Ta-Dot (black polka dot on white background)
              Backing - purple Moda solid (forgot to document the name)
              Batting - Warm & Natural
              Binding - Kensington for Quilting Treasures
Pattern: simple patchwork using 5" charm squares (4.5" finished)
Dimensions: 50" x 72"
Started piecing on: August 24th, 2012
Finished piecing on: September 1st, 2012
Quilted: on long arm at Quilt-N-Kaboodle by me using computerized pantogram
Made for: my niece Ella for Christmas 2012

Linking up to Lily's Quilts Small Blog Meet:

And linking up to Finish It Up Friday hosted by Amanda Jean @ Crazy Mom Quilts.

-V