christmas is coming... advent calendar

I'm back today to share an advent calendar that I made last year.  I didn't get it finished until about December 5th last year & then of course, with the busy holiday season, I never got around to taking pictures of it or blogging about it.

I knew I wanted an advent calendar of some sort to hang in our home, mostly just to cut down on the "When is it going to be Christmas" whining.  After looking around on ones to buy, I decided to make one instead.  I used a charm pack of Basic Grey's Blitzen and 2/3 yd of background fabric, which is a Basic Grey grunge.  I didn't take many pictures along the way & the ones I took were all blurry, so here is a brief synopsis of what I did....

1. Cut (24) 5" squares for the pockets (I used charm squares)
2. Iron the edges under on all sides (I didn't want raw edges, but you could leave them raw to save time, especially since the charm square edges are pinked)
3. Cut 24 squares of interfacing at 4.25"
4. Iron interfacing to the wrong side of the charm square (to give the pocket some structure)
5. "Stamp" the number on the charm square using fabric paint and a stencil (I used Martha Stewart paint, stencil, and "stampers" from Michael's)
6. Mark where you want to place the charm squares on the background fabric (I did a 4x6 configuration, with 1" between each charm.)
7.  Layer the backing fabric, batting, and background fabric
8. Pin the charm square onto the "quilt sandwich", making sure the square will not twist
9. Sew the charm square 1/4" from the edge on 3 sides (not the top, or you won't be able to open the pocket)
10. Remove pins, square up the quilt
11. Bind quilt

To hang my advent calendar, I sewed loops into the binding on the back.  I just used white ribbon to make my loops.  They are visible when I hang the calendar, but I think it looks cute that way.  I'm sure there are a ton of different options for hanging, so use whatever way you prefer!

That's all there was to it! Hope you enjoyed this short tutorial!

Thanks for reading!
Valerie

honeysweet fabric scrap winner!

I used Random.Org to decide my winner for the Honeysweet scrap giveaway.....

 and number 8 is Stephanie, who said :

8. AnonymousNovember 14, 2015 at 9:50 AM

   This is beautiful! I am currently working on a coin quilt for my Nana with a Fig Tree & Co. jelly roll in Mirabelle. They really have beautiful, vintage-y looking fabrics, don't they? I'm pretty sure I just invented a word there...vintage-y! :) Anyway, very nice job on your quilt and have a great Thanksgiving!
   
   Stephanie
   barefootcontessajunkie@hotmail.com

   
   

   
   

   
   

   Thank you all for reading & commenting!  Stephanie, I will be emailing you soon to get your mailing address!

   Valerie

clovers & jam

Oh man, I did not intend to take such a long hiatus!  I don’t have a good excuse other than that my last post was last November (a full year ago!) and I think I probably got busy with the holiday season & after that I jumped right into making a full size bed quilt for my daughter’s 4^th birthday.  And I’ll show you that quilt soon(ish), but first before Fall is completely over, I want to share this quilt I made LAST FALL!

I pre-ordered this quilt as a kit directly from Fig Tree & Co in the spring of 2013! I loved the fabrics (Honeysweet by Fig Tree & Co for Moda) & the pattern (Clovers & Jam, also by Fig Tree & Co) and I was really looking forward to making this quilt in the fall of 2013.  Easton was born September 23^rd, 2013 and for some reason I had thought I would be able to find the time to work on the quilt after he was born. Not so much. So I pushed it off and finally got around to working on it in September of 2014.  I finally got it pieced & sent out to be long arm quilted in November of 2014.  And then it sat for another 6+ months before I finally put the binding on!  

But anyway, it is finally finished & we are putting it to good use now that we are starting to have some cooler fall weather.  (This fall has just been unreal with 60-70 degree temps up until this week, which is very unseasonably warm for Northwest Iowa.)

As much as I like this quilt, I learned that making a quilt from a kit is maybe just not for me.  For me, a huge part of the enjoyment of making a quilt is not knowing quite how it is going to turn out.  I love the surprise of seeing the final product and how it came together in real life versus how I thought it would look “in my head”.  

As a thank you for reading this blog post after my long hiatus, I'd like to giveaway the leftover fabric from making this quilt.  To enter, please leave a comment on this post about ANYTHING!  Your favorite Thanksgiving dish, favorite thing about Fall, favorite color, favorite quilting tool or technique, literally anything you want!  Please make sure you are not a No-Reply commenter, or if you are, please leave your email address so I can contact you.  (Open to US only please since I am paying shipping.) I will leave the giveaway open until next Friday morning at 8 am CST.  Giveaway now closed.

Quilt Stats:
Fabric: Honeysweet by Fig Tree & Co for Moda

Pattern: Clovers & Jam by Fig Tree & Co
Dimensions: 71” x 71”
Started: September 2014  
Finished: November 2014
Quilted by: Abby Latimer of Latimer Lane Quilting 

Thanks for reading!
-V

Linking to:
NTT @ My Quilt Infatuation
TGIFF @ Quilt Matters 
Finish It Up Friday @ Crazy Mom Quilts
Whoop Whoop @ Confessions of a Fabric Addict
Link a Finish Friday @ Richard & Tanya Quilts   
  

"bricks" baby quilt

I have a lot of friends & family having babies in the near future!  My sister-in-law, Leah, is due with a baby girl at the beginning of December.  She asked me to make a quilt for her baby, which was a no-brainer since I was already planning on it!  She said to shoot for a pink / aqua color scheme & I had another jelly roll of Hello Luscious by Basic Grey, so I made 2 quilts out of that fabric line back to back.  I worried I might get sick of the fabrics, but I definitely did not!  It's too bad I don't have a 3rd jelly roll of it to make a quilt for me!  (haha) 

I decided to go with a "brick" layout for this version.  I thought the larger pieces of fabric would really show off this line.  Again, this was such a easy and fun quilt to make.  And again, the "hardest" part was just making sure the fabrics were dispersed evenly.    

I had seen a number of quilts on Pinterest and Instagram with the "brick" pattern and they were all straight line quilted.  So I decided to try it on this quilt.  I thought the straight lines would really accentuate the brick pattern.  I think it turned out fairly good for only my 3rd time quilting anything!

The quilt measured 54" x 56" before washing and shrunk to 50" x 52" after washing & drying.  In hindsight, I wish I had made this quilt a little less wide and a little bit longer because I don't particularly care for square quilts.  I'm not sure how I miscalculated the size of the quilt because I had thought it would come out closer to 48" x 56".  Oh well. 

For the backing fabric, I had this beige fabric in my stash and I thought it complemented the cream and beige colors in the quilt top.  It wasn't quite enough fabric though, so I pulled 3 fat quarters from my stash and pieced them together, along with the beige fabric, to make the back.  I like that it is a pieced back without being too fussy / busy.  

For the binding, I used the beige fabric left over from the backing.  I wanted something neutral and calm and I really like it.  I forgot to get a decent picture of the binding.  I ended up being just about 3 inches short on the binding, so I pieced in a little scrap of pink fabric.  You barely notice it from the front of the quilt.  From the back, it is kind of a fun, unexpected pop of color.  I really like it. 

Quilt Stats:
Fabric: 
          Quilt top - Hello Luscious by Basic Grey
          Backing & binding - beige solid (Moda) and 3 miscellaneous fat quarters pulled from stash

Pattern: brick pattern
Dimensions: 50" x 52"
Started: August 7th, 2014
Finished: September 4th, 2014
Quilted by: myself! 
Made for: Leah's baby girl, Sophia

Thanks for reading!
-V

Linking to:
NTT @ My Quilt Infatuation
TGIFF @ Quilt Matters 
Finish It Up Friday @ Crazy Mom Quilts
Whoop Whoop @ Confessions of a Fabric Addict
Link a Finish Friday @ Richard & Tanya Quilts   

Around the World Blog Hop

You have probably seen the "Around the World" blog hop going on around the blogosphere.  I was invited to participate by Shelley Folkerts of The Carpenter's Daughter Who Quilts.  Shelley is a fellow Iowan.  She has been quilting for over 20 years, but just recently started blogging.  Go check out her blog (after you look over my post, of course).

Painted Ladies WIP

1. What am I working on?

Currently, I am working on a Painted Ladies quilt using a quilt kit from Fig Tree & Co.  The fabric line is Honeysweet.  I absolutely fell in love with this pattern and fabric line in May of 2013 and ordered the quilt kit directly from Fig Tree & Co.  I had unrealistically high hopes that I would get a chance to work on it LAST fall.  I don't know what I was thinking since I had Easton on September 23rd (2013) and we were trying to get our house finished before winter.  I really want to get this quilt finished before fall is over so I can enjoy it before winter sets in!

Sidewalk by October Afternoon & Miss Kate by Bonnie & Camille recently purchased from Latimer Lane Quilting

2. How does my work differ from others of its genre?

I don't really know how to answer this question.  I have made 2 quilts using patterns (Swoon & Painted Ladies).  The rest of my quilts haven't required patterns or I designed them myself.  I am hoping to continue to design my own patterns.  I don't think anything I do is particularly different or unique.  I just like making quilts with pretty fabric.

Little House pins & some mini-charms from Miss Rosie's Quilt Co

3. Why do I create what I do?

Mostly for relaxation and for a "hobby".  I find it really relaxing to cut & piece fabric.  Pressing - not so much, but I guess it is a necessary evil.  And of course, there is the satisfaction of knowing you made something with your 2 hands that is both beautiful & functional.  I think we all hope that the quilts we make will remind our loved ones of us after we are gone.

Just a little crafty organization for my daughter's art supplies. Acrylic jars, chalkboard labels, and chalkboard marker were all from Amazon.

If you want to participate in this blog hop, just write a blog post and let me know!  I will link it up here. 

Thanks for reading!
-Valerie

Linked to:
Freshly Pieced

"postage stamp" baby quilt

My good friend, Heidi, is due with a baby girl at the end of this month.  She asked me to make a quilt for the baby, which was a no-brainer since I was already planning on it!  She said she wanted simple patchwork.  One afternoon when she was over, she went through my stash, and decided on Hello Luscious by Basic Grey.  I had 2 jelly rolls of it, so it worked out good to use my stash - plus I had been wanting to use that fabric line for a long time!  

This was such a easy and fun quilt to make.  The "hardest" part was just making sure the fabrics were dispersed evenly.    

Because it was such a classic and simple pattern, I had it long-arm quilted at my LQS.  I really love the swirl pattern!  

For the backing fabric, I used one of the fabrics from Wee Wander by Sarah Jane.  I didn't have enough, so Kim (who owns my LQS) suggested using the blue fabric to make a "cross".  I really love the way it turned out! 

The quilt measured 48" x 56" before washing and shrunk to 44" x 52" after washing & drying.

I debated on what to do for the binding.  I initially thought I would go with a pink fabric, but after auditioning a number of fabrics, I couldn't find one that was just the right shade.  The blue fabric that I used on the back was a near perfect match to the blues on the front, so I went with it. 

I can't wait to meet the little peanut!

Quilt Stats:
Fabric: 

Quilt top - Hello Luscious by Basic Grey
               Backing & binding - Wee Wander by Sarah Jane

Pattern: simple patchwork
Dimensions: 44" x 52"
Started quilt top: June 27th, 2014
Finished quilt top: August 2nd, 2014
Quilted: by Kim Barrett, owner of Quilt-N-Kaboodle
Made for: Charlie Joan

Linking to:
NTT @ My Quilt Infatuation  
TGIFF @ Quilt Matters 
Finish It Up Friday @ Crazy Mom Quilts
Whoop Whoop @ Confessions of a Fabric Addict 
Link a Finish Friday @ Richard & Tanya Quilts  

easton's baby quilt :: finished

Well, yet again I have inadvertently taken a 3 month hiatus from blogging.  However, I have worked on a few projects this summer. First up to show you is my son's baby quilt....

Last summer I started working on a quilt for my then yet-to-be-born baby boy.  I was pretty sure I wanted to work around a navy / aqua / green color scheme.  I had pinned a few quilts with similar color schemes on Pinterest.  Somehow I came across the striped fabric from the Seaside fabric line by October Afternoon.  It was exactly the colors I had in mind, so I purchased a yard of it and slowly collected fabrics that coordinated. 

I finished the first (test) block for Easton’s quilt on August 26^th, 2013.  I was really loving the way it looked; the colors, the fabrics, everything.  So, I made 47 more blocks.  Chain-piecing made quick work of it and I had all the blocks done about a week before Easton was born.  And I could have had the quilt top together before he was born, if it hadn’t been for one little glitch….  

When I laid out all the blocks as I had originally planned, the values were not quite right. I wasn’t getting the secondary pattern I had hoped for.  My goal had been Sunshine & Shadows (pictured on the left), but even the Barn Raising layout (pictured on the right) didn't look right.  As I was mulling over my options (over-analyzing as my family would say), I ended up going into labor & having Easton.  So the blocks sat.  Finally this past April, I couldn’t look at the poor blocks any longer.  I was adamant that they get sewn into a quilt top…. But I still couldn’t decide on a layout.  I toyed with sashing them, but ultimately decided that was more work than I wanted to put into it and I didn’t think it would look any better.  

Finally, I decided to go with this zig zag layout, which is officially called Fields and Furrows, and is quite fitting since we are a farm family.  Plus, it was the only layout that looked half decent.    

This quilt top was sent to Abby Latimer for quilting.  She suggested the "Modern Leaves" pantograph & it turned out perfect.  It complements both the fabrics & the zig zag layout.  

I decided to bind the quilt with the same green fabric that I used for the backing since I thought the top could use a little more green to balance it out.  (And I had plenty of green fabric left over.)

 

Easton turns 1 on September 23rd.  I thought Tensley's first year went fast, but Easton's first year went even faster!

Quilt Stats:
Fabric: 

Quilt top - compilation of fabrics based on navy / aqua / green color scheme
               Backing - green fabric

               Binding - same green fabric as backing
Pattern: log cabin blocks in the Fields and Furrows layout
Dimensions: 48” x 64”
Started quilt top: August 22^nd, 2013
Finished quilt top: April 23^rd, 2014
Quilted: by Abby Latimer of Latimer Lane Quilting using the “Modern Leaves” pantograph pattern  
Made for: Easton Cronin

Thanks for reading!  I have 2 more baby quilts to share, so hopefully I will get those blogged soon!

-V

Linking to:
NTT @ My Quilt Infatuation  
Finish It Up Friday @ Crazy Mom Quilts
Whoop Whoop @ Confessions of a Fabric Addict  
Link a Finish Friday @ Richard & Tanya Quilts 
TGIFF @ Quokka Quilts 
Fresh Sewing Day @ Lily's Quilts