Hens and Chicks Table Quilt

A couple of weeks ago, hubs sweetness and I went to Always In Stitches, a LQS, if you will, for me.

I found this delectable fabric and brought home a yard.  It's "Pam Kitty Floral" by Lake House Dry Goods' founder, Holly Holderman.

What happy, bright, cheerful colors and I love the selvage!  An awesome blog I came across recently while browsing for different selvage designs is the Selvage Blog.  

(images from Selvage Blog) 

How over the top cute are these!

This weekend, I decided that I wanted to put together a new table topper for my bedside table and that the "Pam Kitty" needed to be a focus fabric.  I scoured Pinterest, Flickr, blog sites and quilting magazines on hand for inspiration.  I knew I wanted straight sewing after all the "Y" seams from this monster.

(waiting for inspiration on how to finish this out...ideas?)

Two geometric quilts kept speaking to me.

Bush Fire Quilt by Quilt Craft and Film Strip by AmandaJean.

I started cutting 1 1/2" white squares and sashing them with 1 1/2" wide fabric strips that complimented the focus fabric.  I then went a little bigger and did the same with fabric cut 3 1/2" wide around a 3 1/2"sq white center and played around with the placement.

I had already settled on my finished pattern when I came across this "upscaled" quilt on Pinterest.

How weird is that!  I thought I was being so original.  LOL

This is what I finished putting together yesterday.

I named it "Hens and Chicks".  The table by my bed measures 28" x 18" and the table quilt comes in at 23" x 15" before finishing.  I've already picked out a bright, yellow floral print for the back and a skippy pink polka dot for the binding.

This went together fast! and was fun to hit the scrap baskets to find yummy fabrics to go with the "Pam Kitty Floral".  Hopefully, it will be my first finish for 2013 and on the table soon!

Fabric Tuesday, WIP Wednesday and Finish It Up Friday are linky parties hosted each week.  You can click on the links and have a quilt show without even changing out of your jammies and leaving home!  Make sure you start 2013 right and stop by for inspiration and encouragement!

May 2013 be full of blessings, new beginnins, renewed and restored relationships, love, and quiltey goodness!



Final Finish for 2012

...just in time for Finish It Up Friday with crazy mom quilts!

I fell in love with EPP (English Paper Piecing) Rose Star Blocks.  I made a lot of them!  Each one was so much fun to pick out fabrics for!  I am not a huge fan of sewing these by hand...I love the look, but I figured out how to cut templates for machine piecing them.  Having a good feel for "Y" seams is very important.  You can find more Rose Star Blocks that are EPP on flickr.

The first one was started on January 21st, 2012!

Here it is, December 28th, 2012...and I can say I've finished up the block piecing and joining part of the quilt.  This was an "on again-off again" relationship!  I worked on joining the blocks on and off through the year.  There were times I was very discouraged and just folded it up and put it back for when I wanted to work on it again.  I decided to get it out over the Christmas holidays to see if I could finish it up.  I'm so glad I did!  Once I started, the work went fast and easy and was perfect for sewing on in between Christmas activities and slow days post 25th.

My helper elves (Ben and Chris) helped me capture this in some weak, morning light in our kitchen. 

There are a total of eighteen blocks joined together by a soft, white muslin.  I'm working on making it a twin size quilt for snuggling and cuddling up with a good book (or iPad mini e-book).  Now comes the hard part of deciding what fabric (s) to use as borders, what the back will look like and the ever perplexing question of "how do I quilt this?"

I don't know that I have a favorite because each one I pieced became my "new" favorite block!  Hubs and Javi like the deep red, rose fussy cut one.  It is such a happy mix of some of my favorite fabrics and colors.  There's even some vintage fabric in there, which always makes me happy!

Thanks for joining me through the year and sharing a love of sewing and quilting with me!  I have "met" so many people, made friends, learned so much and been encouraged by the projects you've shared with me.

Blessings for 2013!



Snowflakes!

We haven't had many of them here...and I'm perfectly okay with that!

Living in Indiana for over forty years has taught me I'm more of a beach person, not a wintry slopes one.

Not much sewing going on around here lately.

So, in the spirit of the season, I thought I would go back and look at a snowflake project I did for a swap a couple of years ago.

This was a fun, paper piecing block!  You can find the pattern here.  My original Flickr notes say I took this to the printer and had it increased by 50%.  I wish I had kept better track of statistics and general information about this!

I'll be doing this one again for a mini to hang on our front door through the season after Christmas.

Guess I'll be making another trip to the printer.

May your season be merry and bright!