May is For Makers Week 5

May has come to an end and my last purchase for the May is for Makers campaign is the Courtyard Tiles quilt pattern by Kelly Young of My Quilt Infatuation.

I purchased this pattern as I’m always thinking ahead to possible future projects. I think this pattern would be the perfect opportunity for me to use some of the large scale prints from my stash.

I’ve really enjoyed participating in the May is for Makers campaign and admit to having a large number of other wonderful indie patterns on my wish list!

Here is a wrap up of my five purchased patterns:

• Week 1 – Spinning Quilt Pattern by Beth @ Cooking Up Quilts
• Week 2 – The Snazzy Slouch Handbag Sewing Pattern by ChrisW Designs
• Week 3 – Modern Sorbet Quilted Pillowcase Pattern by Seraphym HM
• Week 4 – Hexie Framed Quilt Pattern by Quilty Love
• Week 5 – Courtyard Tiles Quilt Pattern by Kelly @ My Quilt Infatuation

I’d better get sewing!

Deb 🙂

Modern Crosses Quilt Top

After sewing my thirty-five log cabin blocks together, I was happy to discover that my finished Modern Crosses Quilt top measures 45″ x 57″ which I think is a reasonable size for a lap quilt. I made this quilt using a pattern from the wonderful book Modern Log Cabin Quilting but I made a few modifications which you can read about in my previous post.

I did play with a few alternative layout ideas

before deciding that I liked the staggered arrangement best with the colours fading from left to right.I’m still contemplating how to quilt this one but already have it basted and ready for when I decide…

This week, I also finished quilting my Colour Happy Quilt and have started hand stitching down the binding. I’m hoping to be able to show you the finished quilt very soon.

 

For Week 4 of the May is for Makers campaign, I decided to purchase a pattern that I can see myself making in the near future.

While on a road trip with my family earlier in the year, I stumbled unexpectedly on a quaint little gift/quilt shop in a small country town. I managed to pick up a bargain jelly roll from the Moda fabric collection Road 15 by Sweetwater.

I’ve been searching for a suitable jelly roll pattern and think that this Hexie Framed quilt pattern by Quilty Love will be perfect!

Linking up to Main Crush Monday @ Cooking Up Quilts, Design Board Monday @ Bits ‘n Bobs, Let’s Bee Social @ Sew Fresh Quilts and Needle and Thread Thursday @ My Quilt Infatuation 

 

More Log Cabins

I have plenty of WIP’s that I should could be working on but instead I have been spending my recent sewing time making colourful log cabin blocks.

These blocks are for my new project from the book Modern Log Cabin Quilting. The project, called “Modern Crosses”, is featured on the book cover.

I wrote about this wonderful book in a previous post and showed you the log cabin pillow I recently made using strips of my cherished Carolyn Friedlander Doe fabric.

For this new project, I have used solids leftover from bunting I made for our Guild’s booth at the local Craft and Quilt Fair last year.

If you’re interested, the bunting pattern is a free tutorial by Jeni Baker @ In Color Order.

There wasn’t a lot remaining from the original fat eighths after the bunting was made but I’ve been holding onto these small scraps just waiting for an opportunity to use them.

I can honestly say that there was just enough leftover fabric to make my Modern Crosses blocks and I literally sewed right up to the selvage edge (as shown in the photo below).

I did have to make a few changes to the original pattern as 2 inch strips were required for the “logs” and I only had enough coloured fabric for strips 1¾ inches wide. So, as a result, my blocks measure at 8½ inches square instead of the 9½ inch size in the pattern.

Each block is made up of four log cabins:

I used various low volume fabrics from my stash for the background .

And as I had five varying shades of seven different colours to begin with, I only made 35 blocks (as opposed to the 60 in the book pattern).

I’m really looking forward to sewing these blocks together and discovering what size quilt I end up with! 😉

In support of the current May is for Makers campaign, I have purchased another pattern from an indie designer this week.

For week 3, I have purchased a quilted pillowcase pattern – Modern Sorbet by Seraphym Handmade.It’s no secret that I love making pillows and as Drunkards Path blocks have always been on my bucket list, I thought this small project would be a great way for me to try curved piecing for the first time!

Deb 🙂

Linking up to Main Crush Monday @ Cooking Up Quilts, Design Board Monday @ Bits ‘n Bobs, Let’s Bee Social @ Sew Fresh Quilts and Needle and Thread Thursday @ My Quilt Infatuation 

 

May is for Makers

If you read my last post, you will be aware of my decision to participate in the May is for Makers campaign, started by Lindsay of LR Stitched.

For every week of this month, I will purchase a pattern from an Indie Designer and write about it on my blog.

Last week, I purchased the wonderful new quilt pattern Spinning by Beth @ Cooking Up Quilts. As soon as I saw this pattern, I knew I wanted to make it. However, with all of my current WIP’s, it may be a while before I make a start…

For Week 2, I decided to purchase a new bag pattern.

I bought The Snazzy Slouch Handbag Sewing Pattern by ChrisW Designs.

I love making bags and my current everyday bag is a Noodlehead Super Tote that I made last year. I really like the casual slouchy style of this new bag pattern and already have the perfect fabric in mind!

Deb 🙂

OMG (One Monthly Goal)

After participating in several goal setting linky parties last year, I’ve been hesitant to set too many quilting goals this year for fear of failure.

I realise that this sounds quite ridiculous but I can be a little obsessive about achieving my personal goals. My sewing time is much more limited than it was last year and I really don’t want to put any unnecessary pressure on myself.

I did sign up for Quarter 2 of the 2016 Finish Along but only because I thought three months was plenty of time to work towards achieving my goals. But here it is, May already, and I haven’t made any real progress on these projects.

So, with a little trepidation, I will set myself One Monthly Goal with Heidi at Red Letter Quilts. I’m hoping that concentrating on one project this month will motivate me to get moving.

My OMG for May is to finish my Colour Happy Quilt.

This quilt top was finished back in February and I basted it ready for quilting not long after.

Then I ran into a few problems…

The batting I originally chose to use for this project is a polyester wool blend. The size of this quilt – 65″ x 73″- and the thicker batting was a struggle for my little Janome, which has a very small throat space. I was not happy with my first attempt at quilting it. The fabric seemed to stretch and pucker and I ended up unpicking it. I’m not sure whether my choice of backing fabric – a shot cotton – also contributed to this result.

So my new plan is to unbaste the quilt and try a thinner cotton batting instead.

Wish me better luck this time!

On another note, some of you may be aware of the current May is for Makers campaign.

This campaign is all about supporting indie designers and purchasing their patterns. It was started by Lindsey at LR Stitched and you can read more about it here.

I feel rather guilty as a lot of the sewing I’ve done in my first few years has been made using free tutorials and patterns available on the internet. While I’ve always appreciated the generosity of bloggers/designers who offer these freebies, I have given little thought to the fact that some of them are also trying to make a living out of their craft.

After making my first quilt block tutorial and resulting quilt, I have much more appreciation for how much time and effort goes into producing original patterns.

So, this month, as a supporter of the campaign, I will endeavour to purchase a pattern from an indie designer each week and write about it on my blog.

This week was an easy choice for me. I have just purchased the new pattern “Spinning” from a blogger I really admire – Beth from Cooking Up Quilts.

Beth has consistently encouraged me by leaving kind comments on my blog from the start of my quilting journey a little over a year ago. My purchase of her wonderful pattern is a small way of saying thanks and that I support and appreciate her as a “Maker”.

Deb 🙂