alidiza

Maypole Pillow

2026-01-30T13:13:00.000-05:00

I have my Better Together top pieced and basted but while I'm deciding how to quilt it I wanted to make something small with my Charleston scraps to test thread colors. I picked up this cute pillow pattern during the Black Friday sale and thought it'd be perfect.

The pattern is well written, easy to follow and very forgiving since you add oversized strips and then trim down your blocks.

Can you spot the mistake? In my rush to get this one going I didn't label my pieces and mixed up the starting triangles. You can see where things are just a little bit off in the middle. I didn't notice it until I was squaring things up but my cover is actually 18"x19". Total rookie mistake and 100% user error. The pattern has very clear cutting instructions and I was just in too much of a hurry to check my pieces. Since most of my house guests don't inspect the throw pillows I decided I can live with it.

I didn't have enough backing fabric for my usual zipper install so I tried something new and used this fabulous hidden zipper tutorial by Berry Birdy.

I used my usual binding technique since I enjoy hand tacking but I wish I'd tried her machine tacked binding technique as well just to test it out on a low stakes project. The result looks so professional and I will definitely use this one again!

Quilt Stats:
Finished pillow is 18" x 19"
Pattern: Maypole Pillow by Suzy Quilts
Fabrics: Charleston by Amy Sinibaldi for Art Gallery Fabrics.
Batting: Quilter's Dream Orient Bamboo.
Thread: 50 wt. Aurifil in Arctic Sky (2612).

Special Snowflake

2026-01-16T11:52:00.001-05:00

If you've been around a while you know I can get a bit obsessed with a fabric collection and make things with it until I've used up every last scrap. Christmas in the City was no exception. Once I'd pieced my Atomic Star quilt I had plenty of fabric left to play with. So I made yet another one of these Christmas Baubles wall hangings to test thread colors and a coordinating pillow... but there was still more fabric. The AGF Lookbook for this collection had this pink and green version of Modern Handcraft's snowflake quilt and it seemed like a great way to bust the rest of my stash.

First up, I love this pattern. It is well written and gives you lots of options. The directions are clear and there are lots of diagrams. It's not so much a hard quilt to make but there are a lot of pieces to manage. I really missed having my design wall to keep track of where everything goes. I had to settle for using my bed and a copious number of post-its.

Let's just take a moment to appreciate this seam matching on the back!!! If you aren't familiar with using a glue stick to match your center seam check out this excellent print matching tutorial by Suzy Quilts.

I had to climb under my bed to get this one basted. I'm going to need to figure something out if I want to make bigger quilts.

For the quilting I started by outlining the snowflake and then stitching along the seam lines of the patchwork sections. It was as tedious as it sounds but I binged some of my favorite classic holiday films to help the time pass.

With that done I had to decide how to quilt the snowflake. I looked at a lot of versions of this quilt and most people either do straight lines or an all over motif. I finally decided to do my own FMQ snowflake meander. I like the way it softens the hard lines of the rest of the quilt and adds a bit of whimsy.

Past me had graciously made the binding when she finished piecing the quilt so I was able to get the binding on in time for another cozy Christmas movie night and now this one is ready for action.

Quilt Stats:

Finished Quilt is 60" x 72"

Pattern: Snowflake by Nicole Daksiewicz of Modern Handcraft
Fabrics: Christmas in the City and Pure Solids in White Linen by Art Gallery Fabrics.

Binding: Pure Solids in Evergreen by Art Gallery Fabrics.

Batting: Quilter's Dream Orient Bamboo.

Thread: Aurifil 50wt Silver White (2309)

Christmas Starburst

2025-12-15T15:49:00.002-05:00

I'm so excited to have this one ready to share for the holidays!

A lot of love went in to quilting this one. I started by just outline stitching the paper-pieced stars. From there I moved on to the diamonds. A lot of people have done this but I was inspired by the diamonds on @peachandhoneystudio's gorgeous version of this quilt. It was a bit time consuming marking out all the diamonds but the quilting went fairly quickly.

Next I moved to the sashing and quilted multiple parallel lines using the seams as guides. I went back and forth on how to quilt the outer border but in the end I just extended these lines out. It's fairly dense quilting but I love the way it makes the diamonds and stars pop.

The texture is just amazing!

I spent a lot of time curled up under this one while I tacked down the binding and now it's ready for action this holiday season.

I've got one more quilt in mind for this collection and I'd still really like to make this patchwork bow to add to the collection but for now I'm just enjoying all this loveliness.

Quilt Stats:

Finished quilt is 45" x 56"
Pattern: Atomic Starburst by Violet Craft.
Fabrics: Prints from Christmas in the City and coordinating solids by Art Gallery Fabrics.

Batting: Quilter's Dream Orient Bamboo.
Thread: 50 wt. Aurifil in SilverWhite (2309).

Better Together

2025-11-14T17:26:00.000-05:00

This one has been on my todo list for awhile. When we were getting ready to move and I was doing some serious destashing I picked out my favorite bundles that I absolutely wanted to use and tried to kit them up as projects I could grab and go with when I had time and things got settled. This Charleston bundle by Amy Sinibaldi was at the top of my list!

The mood struck and I got to work. I'm not sure I really needed a pattern to make an HST quilt but I like to support people in the quilting industry. This Better Together pattern by Elizabeth Chappell of Quilters Candy is very comprehensive and is a true beginners pattern. She explains everything in great detail and even includes companion videos with lots of great demonstrations. She uses the 8 at a time HST technique so these work up quickly.

Though you do have to trim down all those HSTs!

Once that was done it was pretty straight forward to piece all the blocks together. I love a good quilting marathon where I can binge Netflix and knock out a quilt top. I tried not to overthink the layout but I definitely missed having my design wall.

To keep everything straight I used Suzy Quilts Chain Piecing Quilt Rows technique. It gets a bit fiddly as it grows but it did the trick. The holes are where the oversized blocks will go.

Gratuitous basting shot... We'll see how long this one lingers in the TBQ pile.

Pineapple Princess

2025-11-07T17:51:00.004-05:00

Catching up some more... I'd finished this flimsy up a year ago but wasn't sure how I was going to quilt it since it's bigger than I'm comfortable with for my domestic. I took it back to Maine with a vague plan of renting some longarm time but the days quickly passed and I realized I was running out time before we were heading south again.

Luckily an adorable new quilt shop opened in our town and the owner does longarm quilting. Not only did she do an amazing job she was able to get it done before we left and even gave me enough time to get the binding on so I'd have some handwork for the long drive back to Florida.

I was almost finished when we finally rolled in to the Keys.

Now that it's done it's headed to my daughter's new apartment in Miami but until she gets settled I get to enjoy it.

But seriously, that quilting!!!

Quilt Stats:

Finished quilt is 72" x 77"
Pattern: Pining for You by Tula Pink.
Fabrics: Tula Pink's DayDreamer and Designer Solids Collections from Free Spirit.
Batting: Quilter's Dream Orient Bamboo.

Quilting by Vicki at Knots & Bolts Creating Co.

I Put a Hex on You!

2025-10-26T15:40:00.001-04:00

A better late than never post... Last year when I started to think about what to make to go with my Batty wall hanging I remembered I always wanted a redo of this Haunted Hexies table runner.

The original tutorial I used is no longer available but I was able to piece together the process pretty easily. Since I no longer have my giant table I sized the strips down to fit the size of my buffet. I cut 2" x 20" strips from my fat quarters and pieced 3 together to make a strip set. I used my equilateral triangle ruler to cut them alternating up and down. You should be able to get 6 triangles from each strip set which I then split to use in 2 different hexagons.

I came up with this pressing plan so the triangles nest together nicely and my points would match up.

Here's my usual gratuitous basting shot but since I also like to reflect on what I could have done better on a project I'll take this time to point out that I should have used a true solid for the setting triangles rather than the dotty candy print. It just doesn't provide enough contrast to make the pattern work as well as it did in the original version.

The scariest part of all was when I sat down to quilt this and my machine started smoking. Being a DIY kind of girl (and knowing the nearest repair shop is 2 hours away) I opened up my machine to see if it was something fixable like dust on the lightbulb. Imagine my absolute horror when a lizard jumped out at me. Obviously we have to move, I'm traumatized for life!!!

After my husband disposed of the trespasser and I self-medicated with a cocktail I went back to quilting and was able to finish this up. Like the original I just outlined the pieced hexagons but then I decided to get fancy in the setting triangles and went with this Harry Potter inspired Elder Wand design from the Deathly Hallows.

I was on bed rest for a bit after some minor surgery and this was the perfect distraction while I was laid up.

I'm having so much fun with this collection so when I saw Peony Pedal Quilts had this bundle to make a coordinating Campfire Glow quilt I scooped one up. Hopefully next Halloween I'll have a finished quilt to add to the mix!

Quilt Stats:
Finished quilt is 20" x 59"
Fabrics: Assorted prints from Spooky n' Witchy and Sweet n' Spookier by Art Gallery Fabrics
Batting: Quilter's Dream Orient Bamboo
Thread: Aurifil 50wt in Blossom Pink (2530) and Pale Pink (2410)

Ahoy Matey!

2025-10-15T17:34:00.001-04:00

As you've probably noticed I haven't been quilting much recently but when I found out one of my dear friends from the sailing club was pregnant I knew I had to make her a baby quilt. As usual I procrastinated on this awhile but with our exodus from Maine looming and the baby shower rapidly approaching I had to get things going.

I played with a lot of ideas but this quilt evolved into a mashup of my original Out to Sea Penny Patch and this Briar Rose quilt. I so appreciate past me for leaving these detailed notes on how to make the various blocks I used before.

Making a quilt is much trickier these days where my stash isn't immediately accessible and it's anyone's guess where any given tool is hiding. After a supply run down to my storage bin and a generous fabric donation from my quilting bestie I was ready to start. A lot of the blocks already looked like nautical flags but what really took this quilt to the next level was when my bestie suggested spelling out the baby's name in flags. Unfortunately, since I needed specific letters I didn't have to spell out the baby's name and I was incorporating some larger blocks there was still much mathing involved. My quilt math skills are definitely rusty...

If you read flag, the name Willa is incorporated into the design twice. I was really wishing they had gone with a name without an "I" but I found this inset circles tutorial by on Williams Street which helped alleviate the pain. Having my circular templates would definitely have made this process less painful but sometimes you just have to go with what you've got.

I think most of all I miss my design wall. Planning on my bed is so much less convenient.

Eventually I was able to get a flimsy together and I got a perfect day for a photo shoot.

Basting presented another challenge. I'm pretty sure this is the maximum size quilt I can baste in our cabin.

I kept the quilting simple and just quilted along both sides of the seams for a simple grid. I was able to get this quilted and the binding on in plenty of time before we hit the road.

And this was the perfect distraction for our long journey from Maine to Florida. I will never get tired of a striped binding!

To keep with the nautical theme I designed the label to look like a burgee. We can't wait to meet our newest crew member.

Quilt Stats:

Finished quilt is 41" x 54"

Fabrics: Out to Sea by Sarah Jane, Michael Miller Cotton Couture: Boy, Raspberry, Flower, Nautical, White, Stash

Batting: Quilter's Dream Bamboo

Thread: Aurifil 50wt. in Natural White (2021) and Pale Pink (2410)

Christmas Wrap Up

2024-12-29T14:35:00.000-05:00

As always, with Christmas approaching I wanted to make something seasonal. I've been chipping away at my Christmas in the City bundle and this year added Christmas in the Cabin to the mix. I've got my Christmas Baubles hanging and I'm sooo close to finishing the Atomic Starburst quilt I started last year so it seemed like a pillow was in order. I was tempted to make another Swoon pillow but then I spotted this North Star block and decided it would be perfect.

It's a fairly simple paper-pieced pattern though the sharp angle of some of the background pieces make it a little tricky if you're not used to how paper piecing works. I know it's meant to use scraps but I would have appreciated some guidelines for block sizes to use for each piece.

Because I wanted to take advantage of the novelty scene I decided to use a fussy cut circle for the center. It's been a long time since I've done an inset circle so I did a quick review using this Insetting Circles tutorial by Bill Weeks at Modern Quilt Studio. Weeks and Bill were a big part of the original modern quilting movement and if you've ever used one of the patterns you know how much attention they pay to both the design and the process.

I used the 12" block but since I like my pillows a little bigger I wanted to add a border. Of course I wanted mitered seams to match the lines of the star so that took some remembering as well. Thankfully my BQF is always there for me with this fabulous tutorial.

Once that was done I used my first day of holiday vacation to baste it together and quilt. For the center I kept the quilting simple in the spirit of getting things done and just outlined the star components. I deliberately made the border the same as my Starburst quilt so I could try out my swag idea. I definitely won't be doing that on my quilt! As you can see most of my arcs are a bit wobbly and I don't think it enhances the design. Back to the drawing board on that one.

Another quick review of my go to zipper closure tutorial by SOTAK Handmade and I was ready for Santa. It was so nice to have some handwork to do while I relaxed by the tree with some (spiked) eggnog and Scrooged.

Still no quilt but now I have a pillow and a wall hanging. I put this adorable Patchwork Bow on my Christmas list so we'll see if I can manage to make that as well before I totally wrap up this holiday.

Pillow Stats:
Finished pillow is 18" x 18"
Pattern: North Star FPP Quilt Block by Amanda at Prairie Quilt Co.
Fabrics: Christmas in the City and Christmas in the Cabin by Art Gallery Fabrics.
Batting: Quilter's Dream Orient Bamboo.
Thread: 50 wt. Aurifil in SilverWhite (2309).

Cozy for Christmas

2024-12-27T14:33:00.003-05:00

Now that these have been delivered I can share. I like to make gifts for my crafty friends so I'm always on the look out for new ideas of things to share. My BQF started making her own tortillas from scratch so obviously she needs a pretty tortilla warmer!

This summer I found this fabulous Michael Miller Sugar Skulls fabric at Marden's which seemed perfect and paired it with some Cedar Essex. I don't usually prewash my fabrics but since I was planning to use these around food I did. When making things to be used in the microwave it's important to use all 100% cotton products. There are microwave specific battings but I just used up some leftover Quilters Dream Cotton.

There are a lot of options out there but I loosely followed this tutorial from the Bernina We All Sew site. Rather than quilting each circle individually, I pre-quilted a section big enough to make 3 warmers (6 circles).

I found working with double fold bias binding a bit fiddly and had a hard time keeping my sewing lines on both sides of the binding, especially on the bottom where I'm binding two layers together. You definitely want to use bias binding here since you're going around curves. I think if I do this again I'll make my binding a bit wider or just use my usual quilt method. It's not something I do often so maybe I just need more practice though after the 3rd one I felt like I'd practiced enough.

Pattern: Fabric Tortilla Warmer by Ashley Johnston for Bernina at We All Sew.
Fabrics: Sugar Skulls by Michael Miller, Essex linen in Cedar.
Batting: Quilter's Dream Cotton.
Thread: 50 wt. Aurifil in Rusty Orange (2240) and Pale Pink (2410).

Christmas in the Keys

2024-05-03T10:36:00.007-04:00

This is another one I pushed myself to finish up before we leave. When it became obvious I wasn't going to finish my Bats table topper in time for the holiday I started thinking about Christmas. I fell in love with this Christmas in the City collection and immediately started dreaming of all the things I could make with it.

To get warmed up I decided to start with another version of the Christmas Baubles. For those keeping count this will be my 3rd go at this pattern. I'm not sure why I keep making it, it's fairly tedious with lots of small pieces. Rather than marking all those 1 1/2" squares I used the diagonal seam tape method. It's not as accurate as drawing all those lines but it's much speedier.

But there's still all that trimming and pressing. Eventually I finished the blocks and got them together but by then that holiday had also passed.

I was on a roll after quilting my Bats quilt so I quickly basted this and got quilting. It felt a bit silly to be quilting snowflakes in Florida but you've got to go with what works. At least it'll be all ready when Christmas rolls around again.

The local quilt guild here hosts a weekly sew-in at the library so I took this with me to bind while I made new quilt friends. They're a lovely group and I hope to get more involved when we come back in the fall.

Quilt Stats:
Finished quilt is 20" x 26"
Pattern: Christmas Baubles by Jen Daley for Moda Bake Shop.
Fabrics: Christmas in the City and Pure Solids in White Linen by Art Gallery Fabrics.
Batting: Quilter's Dream Orient Bamboo.
Thread: 50 wt. Aurifil in SilverWhite (2309).

Something Spooktacular

2024-04-26T17:40:00.001-04:00

Now that we're getting ready to head back up north I've been making a push to finish up all my WIPs.

I've slowly been getting my Sewjo back and as Halloween approached I realized I didn't have any of my Ghastlies to put out. I'd picked up this cute little bundle of Art Gallery fabrics at Portsmouth Fabric Co. and thought it would be perfect to whip up something spooky for the holiday and when I saw Prairie Quilt Co.'s Nocturna block for the Soul-a-long hosted by Mija Handmade it sealed the deal.

It was an ambitious choice given that I'd barely set up my quilt space and I have almost none of my quilting tools. If I did it again I'd definitely get a log cabin ruler, this is a bit wonkier than I'd hoped. The blocks are basically just a courthouse steps block with some pieced logs. I found it easiest to piece all my logs and then assemble the blocks.

It also was a mental challenge to cut and piece the inverse blocks where I swapped the colors. Having these block buddies definitely helped me keep my sanity! Thank you Aimee!!!

I originally planned this as a table runner but after playing with a few different layouts I decided to make it a square. For the quilting I started by just doing a stitch in the ditch around the bats but then I went a little wild and did these FMQ bats. Some are definitely better than others and it helps that they're very subtle on the busy background but I love the effect!

I just love to relax and hand tack my bindings. It's such a nice way to slow down and appreciate all the little details. I can't wait for Halloween to roll around again so I can put it in action!

Quilt Stats:
Finished quilt is 24" x 24"
Pattern: Nocturna by Prairie Quilt Co. for the for the Soul-a-long hosted by Mija Handmade.
Fabrics: Assorted prints from Spooky n' Witchy and Sweet n' Spookier by Art Gallery Fabrics
Batting: Quilter's Dream Orient Bamboo
Thread: Aurifil 50wt in Blossom Pink (2530) and Pale Pink (2410)

Atomic Starburst

2024-04-15T13:26:00.000-04:00

I've wanted to make the Atomic Starburst quilt by the adorable Violet Craft for ages and the MCM vibe of this Christmas in the City collection seemed like the perfect match. I decided to go off book and size this down to make it a bit more of a throw size and I also added a border to frame it up.

A lot of people have made this quilt but very few give details. The best are these videos and blog posts by Canary Quilts. I especially appreciate her measurements for the background paper piecing pieces and her tip for how to cut piece 4 makes all the difference. If you're new to paper-piecing here is another nice tutorial by I See Stars Quilting. In general I used the template so that my diamonds didn't have bias edges but for the ones with a directional print I found this triangle ruler worked perfectly.

Another place where I didn't love the pattern as printed was attaching the sashing. I started by cutting the strips to size and adding them but quickly decided it would be easier to just sew them on to a continuous strip and then cut them to size. I did this for both the side and the top sashing.

This is another super useful tutorial by Quilt Addicts Anonymous. She's using a different pattern but it's a similar diamond quilt tutorial and around the 9 minute mark there's a good explanation for cutting the filler triangles and she also has great tips for matching the points on your sashing. Matching all those points is a bit tricky but once you get the hang of it they go together nicely.

I was on a roll so I went ahead and basted this one but I doubt I'll have enough time to quilt it before I leave. Now I have to decide if I take it with me or leave it here waiting for my return.

Christmas Caddy

2023-12-27T14:50:00.002-05:00

There's nothing like a handmade gift and I definitely wanted to make something special for my BQF. I spied this cute little Woppet Bucket pattern on Etsy and thought it would be adorable with some of the Christmas in the City fabrics I've been using for my Christmas Star quilt.

I was on a deadline so I didn't stop to take any pictures of the process. The pattern is well written and easy to follow and overall I was pleased with the result. I do like my bags to really stand up on their own so I think if I made it again I'd try a heavier fusible than the Shape Flex 101 suggested or possibly do a quilted outside. It requires a bit of scrolling (why doesn't IG have better search capabilities?) but Princess In a Pouch has some great tips for using different fillings.

Pattern: Woppet Bucket by Cleverwoppet.
Fabrics: Prints from Christmas in the City and London Red by Art Gallery Fabrics.

Thread: Aurifil 50wt Pale Pink (2410)

Pining To Sew

2023-12-06T10:17:00.003-05:00

I have a slight pineapple obsession and a huge love for Tula Pink so obviously I was going to buy the Pining for You kit that came out with Daydreamer. I'm not usually one for kits but with all the transitions happening in my life this was the perfect project for grab and go. I don't have access to my stash right now so having all the fabrics I needed pre-assembled made this feasible though with 50 different fabrics I might have underestimated.

The blocks are just challenging enough to be interesting but go together quickly and easily. They are also fairly basic without a lot of points to match. I did find it best to press the snowball blocks toward the center rectangle and the crown strips towards the triangles. That way the seams would nest when I sewed them together. I also found it useful to square up the snowball blocks and the top flying geese crown block. Doing that made my borders line up best. There are definitely a few wonky crowns but in the spirit of going with the flow I decided I could live with that.

I did them in sets of 4 as the pattern is laid out. I could do a set in about 3 hours which is a reasonable block of sewing time to carve out in a day.

It was definitely an adjustment setting up a workspace at our home in Maine. I was really missing my studio but I made it work and was able to get all of the blocks made before we left for the season.

Once we got settled again I squared up all my blocks and got to sewing them together. Buying a 15 1/2" square ruler definitely made the process easier.

And in almost no time I had a finished flimsy. I decided to make it a little bigger and added a border so it should fit on a king sized bed. Now to figure out how to get this quilted so I can put it in action.

Preppy Forever

2023-10-25T17:20:00.001-04:00

I haven't made a quilt in forever but friends of ours from the sailing club are having a baby and I couldn't resist making something special for them. I was looking for something quick and easy that I could pull together in my makeshift studio with the limited supply of fabrics I had on hand. This one was so good the first time I decided to do it again.

I changed it up a bit this time and made the stripes 8 1/2" wide but otherwise it's the same construction as Murray. The backing is a plaid seersucker I had in my stash and it gives this quilt such a fun texture and makes it a feel a bit more nautical. It quilted up nicely so I'll definitely be checking my stack of seersuckers when pulling backings.

He's just so adorable and the 12 wt. Aurifil really makes the quilting pop.

He made quite a splash at the baby shower. We can't wait to meet our newest little sailor!

Quilt Stats:

Finished quilt is 42" x 56"
Pattern: Based on Preppy the Whale by the fabulous Elizabeth Hartman.
Fabrics: FSDS Winter White and Navy.

Backing and Binding: Red, white and blue plaid from stash.
Batting: Quilter's Dream Cotton
Thread: Aurifil 50wt and 12wt in White (2024) and Midnight (2745)

Endless Summer

2022-09-22T17:04:00.000-04:00

I totally kept this one under the radar. I finished it in the spring but really wanted to give it a proper beach photo shoot. The opportunity finally presented itself when we dropped Dex off at college and stayed for an empty nester-moon in Mystic. Note to self, photographing quilts on the beach takes way more patience than my family possess. Between the bright light, ocean breezes and other beach goers it's definitely a challenge but I managed to get a few shots I liked.

I knew I was going to have to make something special the minute I saw Heather Ross' Malibu collection. After playing with a couple of other ideas I totally copied Stephanie at S-Renee Designs. She considers herself a fabric collector rather than a quilter but I beg to differ. Her work is amazing and you should definitely check it out!!! The original pattern is Joyful but it was Stephanie's idea to upgrade the center square. I used this fabulous Economy Block Tutorial by Amy Smart at Diary of a Quilter.

While this pattern is very comprehensive and easy to follow after making a test block I was able to streamline the process with some shortcut techniques. For the flying geese I used this 4 at a time flying geese tutorial by Modernly Morgan (and this one by Suzy Quilts here). This also has the benefit of correctly orienting the directional prints.

I also streamlined making the corner HST units using this 8 at a time technique by Suzy Quilts.

This was another one I entrusted to my amazing friend Rebecca and asked her to do a traditional Baptist fan design to mimic ocean waves. As always she totally delivered and it is exactly how I envisioned it.

Also, that plaid backing!!!

Quilt Stats:
Finished quilt is 70"x70"
Pattern: Joyful by Tasha Noel
Fabrics: Malibu by Heather Ross, Ruby + Bee Solids, MMCC Soft White
Batting: Quilters Dream Bamboo

Binding: Ruby + Bee Solids Aquamarine

Quilting: Baptist Fan pantograph by Rebecca Loren

Wedded Bliss

2022-06-24T12:09:00.000-04:00

I love a modern take on a traditional quilt design! Tara Faughnan's innovative approach for making the oldie goldie Double Wedding Ring goes together easily using freezer paper piecing and she has tons of great tips for handling the curved piecing as well. I started this in a Zoom workshop with her and it was honestly one of the best classes I've ever taken.

As usual this lingered in the TBQ pile for a while but over the winter I pulled it out and quilted it in fits and starts while binging on Inventing Anna and The Woman in the House Across the Street from the Girl in the Window. I used Jacquie Gering's masking tape hack to straight-line quilt the centers. If you haven't checked out her book Walk: Master Machine Quilting with your Walking Foot, do it. She has so many great suggestions for great results with less effort.

I'd outline stitched all the arcs but it still felt a bit sparsely quilted so I taught myself a new skill and did these ribbon candy swirls in the arcs.

With several college visit road trips looming I pushed myself to get this finished up so I'd have something to occupy myself in the car. Accepted students days at 5 schools in 5 weeks was intense. (Go Camels!)

I'm a sucker for a perfectly mitered striped binding corner shot!

I had just enough of this fabulous Beauty Queen print for the backing. One of my all-time faves!

We spent Father's Day at a friend's house so I took advantage of her beautiful landscaping and tall son to change things up for my photo shoot. I love this spot and want to use it for all my quilts.

Quilt Stats:

Finished quilt is 72"x 72"
Pattern: Double Wedding Ring by Tara Faughnan
Fabrics: Bella Solids Bleached White, RJR Supreme Solids Shell Pink, Michael Miller Cotton Couture: Berry, Indigo, Khaki, Essex Metallic: Oyster, Peony.

Backing Letty from the Beauty Queen collection by Jennifer Paganelli for Free Spirit.
Batting: Quilters Dream Cotton

Binding: Dear Stella Stripe

Thread: Aurifil Natural White (2021) and Pale Pink (2410)

Limerick

2022-03-17T11:20:00.001-04:00

Last year around this time my BQF Aimee convinced me to join the Irish Chain Sewical hosted by Amanda at A Craft Fox.

This was a great pandemic project. The sewing itself was mostly mindless strip piecing but there are a lot of squares in this quilt and at times it was a challenge to keep everything straight.

So many strip sets!!!

This was perfect for binge watching Bridgerton.

Given that state of things this had to be made 100% from stash. I was surprised by how thin my selection of low volume fabrics was but I made myself stretch to find enough fabrics to make it work.

This turned out a bit bigger than I'm comfortable quilting on my home machine and since I already had a pile going to my good friend Rebecca I added this one for her to longarm. I told her of my vague concept for a swirly meander with shamrocks but gave her carte blanche to work her magic.

Obviously she understood the assignment- the quilting totally makes this one!

And now my foyer is ready for St. Patrick's Day. May your troubles be less, and your blessings be more, and nothing but happiness come through your door!

Quilt Stats:
Finished quilt is 66"x 86"
Pattern: Limerick by A Crafty Fox
Fabrics: Stash
Batting: Quilters Dream Bamboo

Binding: Happier by Deena Rutter for Riley Blake Designs

Quilting: Free Motion Quilting by the amazing Rebecca Loren.
Thread: Aurifil Natural White (2021)

Cheers to the New Year

2022-01-31T22:15:00.011-05:00

With everyone doing dry January I figured this was the perfect time to focus on my Drinks quilt.

I joined the Drink Quilt Along hosted by Seamlessly Stephanie back in August but the QAL sort of fizzled out along with my enthusiasm. If you know me IRL you know I have a "special cup" for each of my different drink choices and I rarely go anywhere with out drink in my hand so this was a fun way to commemorate all my favorites. I'd also dipped in to my "precious" stash for some of the early blocks so I was highly motivated to not let this one totally fall by the wayside. It was so much fun digging thru my beloved Lilly Pulitzer fabrics and other faves to find something perfect for each block.

At this point I've got 24 blocks which seems like a good number for a quilt. Some of these whipped up really quickly, other's not so much. It was definitely a challenge since there's no set pattern so I was using blocks from multiple designers. Clicking the image will take you to the pattern for each block. For some of them I adapted the design to get the effect I wanted and I did some scaling to get the sizes to work. It was a lot of fun but reminded my why I rarely do paper piecing.

We'll see how long it takes me to pick out my cornerstones and get this top together. Until then, cheers to making it thru January!

2021 Year in Review

2021-12-31T18:11:00.002-05:00

2021 by the numbers...

1 quilt, 1 pillow, and 1 table runner.

175 hours on Duolingo.

108 books read. Best of the bunch: The Secret Life of Addie Larue, Too Good to Be True, and For Your Own Good.

Like almost everyone, my year can best be described as languishing. I didn't accomplish much in any area of my life but there's always hope for the new year. May you be safe and live happily.

Super Star

2021-12-28T17:35:00.000-05:00

It took me all year but I finally have a finished quilt. This is my oldest UFO, a BOM I started back in the late 90s. I finished all the blocks more or less on time but they had been sitting in a box ever since waiting for me to put it all together. This summer I finally pulled out the blocks and stitched them together and encouraged by Feel Good Fibers Declutter to Destash challenge I added this to the stack to drop off to be quilted.

The real star of this show is my amazing friend RebeccaLorenQuilts, her quilting took this one into the stratosphere!

She turned this around in less than a week and I was able to slap the binding on (thank you to past me for being considerate enough to make a binding so I was ready to go:-) Even better I had enough room in my suitcase to bring this one with me on vacation.

We had a Christmas movie marathon and I was able to tack the binding down and finally call this one done.

But seriously, that quilting!!!

It's interesting to finish a 20 year old quilt. My sewing skills have definitely improved over the last two decades. This is something I'd never make today but I'm thrilled with it now that it's done and happily it's going to a good home where it will be appreciated. What's the oldest UFO you've ever finished?

Quilt Stats:

Finished quilt is 70" x 70"
Pattern: Galaxy of Stars BOM by Jinny Beyer
Fabrics: Jinny Beyer Collection
Batting: Quilter's Dream Orient

Quilted by: the utterly amazing Rebecca Loren

Bringing the Holiday Cheer

2021-12-13T22:48:00.002-05:00

One of my favorite things to make and gift are cocktail napkins. Who isn't thrilled by a cute set of napkins and a bottle of booze?

For my first set I went with my tried and true self binding napkin tutorial with this adorable pineapple fabric I had in my stash.

I've used a ton of different techniques for making napkins but this time I wanted to experiment with decorative edges. I started with using ric-rac with this Cotton + Steel cocktail fabric.

I found it worked best to baste my ric-rac in place before making the fabric sandwich and stitching around the 4 sides leaving a hole for turning. Once I flipped them right sides out I just top stitched around the edge.

With that success I used the same technique with this pom-pom trim. I made these specifically to gift but now I want to keep them for myself!

The best part is crafting all the cocktail themed photo shoots to get the perfect shot;-) Cheers to a festive holiday season!

Cozied Up

2021-12-06T17:43:00.003-05:00

I love a good cozy so when a good friend of me asked if I would make her some bowl cozies as a holiday gift of course I said yes.

I used this microwaveable bowl cozy tutorial from American Patchwork & Quilting and in no time I had my first set.

I liked them so much I decided another friend, who hadn't actually asked for any, needed some too. Obviously I really like her because I dipped into my stash of precious Amy Butler for these ones.

These are a great way to bust stash and also a fabulous way to use up all those leftover batting ends so I kept going and made another set for myself.

And then Audrey saw them and decided she needed to get in on the game for her new apartment. One of her favorite things to make is molten chocolate lava cakes so I decided to try making a smaller ramekin sized version. I fiddled with the sizing and finally had a successful prototype.

So Audrey ended up with a double stack for her and her roomies. 22 cozies later I think I'm done... at least for now. We'll see who else gets handmade gifts this year. How are your holiday makes going?

Thankful for a Finish

2021-11-21T22:08:00.002-05:00

I'm all about taking a small win any way I can get one these days! While I had no real need to finish this pillow, I put it high on my WIP list from the Declutter to Destash challenge because I knew it was something I could easily knock out in a few hours.

I made this as a test block before cutting in to my carefully horded bundle of Malibu. I've learned many times over that this step is crucial to my future happiness and sanity. In this case I also used it to take a test drive of my new toy, a ViviLux laser guide. I'd read several review of quilters who love this for making HSTs since it eliminates the need for marking your squares. Sadly, I'm just not a fan. Perhaps the issue was that I didn't want to apply the hook and loop tape to my machine to hold it in place and just used masking tape. I found the flexible cord a bit too flexible and susceptible to getting knocked out of alignment as a result of my clumsiness or just the machine's vibration. I also originally planned to use it with 10" layer cake squares but the line isn't long enough to reach both corners of the square. Ultimately, I flexed my declutter muscles and donated this.

I was so excited I finished this block I didn't even notice that I'd rotated the corner HST until after I'd shared it. I could have kept it and called it a humility block but that's not how I roll so I grabbed the seam ripper and fixed it.

With holiday stress mounting (my refrigerator died exactly 1 week before Thanksgiving) I decided to spend a few hours in my studio for some easy stress relief sewing. I went with a lazy meander which was done in no time.

I even won this round of thread chicken:-)

It should have been so easy to use my favorite s.o.t.a.k handmade zipper tutorial and finish the pillow cover. Apparently I'm really out of practice and forgot to open the zipper before sewing around the 4 sides and further compounded the problem by trimming the ends of the zipper including the pull.

I took a (cocktail) break and with a bit of googling was able to find this awesome fork hack for fixing a zipper. In no time I was able to pop the seam and guide the zipper pull back on to the zipper. I lost a bit of my point on that side but I had a functional pillow cover and I love how fabulous it looks with the rest of my Sunny Isle collection.

We're having a low-key Thanksgiving with friends this year so I'm hoping I'll have time to start on my holiday makes. My heartfelt thanks to everyone who's still reading along. I wish you a healthy and happy holiday!!!

Quilt Stats:
Finished pillow is 18"x18"
Pattern: Joyful by Tasha Noel
Fabrics: Sunny Isle bundle by Jennifer Paganelli for Free Spirit, Bella Solids in Ash. Michael Miller Cotton Couture: Flower.
Batting: Quilter's Dream Orient.
Thread: 50wt Aurifil in Arctic Sky (2612).

Clean Sweep

2021-10-31T19:03:00.000-04:00

This house is clean... or at least my studio! Over the last 4 weeks with Declutter to Destash Challenge hosted by Feel Good Fibers I've been bringing my quilting space back from the abyss.

The timing was fortuitous because my local trad quilt guild is currently accepting donations for their bi-annual Fabric, Yarn & Notion Sale. I ended up making two trips and was able to unload an assortment of books, fabric and quilting supplies. Locals should definitely check it out! I've found many treasures there over the years!

I've actually been pretty good about keeping my fabric organized but just didn't have places to put it all. With so much removed I was able to clear all the fabric off my floor and unbury my desk and cutting table where the ghosts of projects past had been lingering. It makes such a difference in the room and makes me want to sew again.

Not to worry, I saved the good stuff to destash with Feel Good Fibers. I've been selling on Poshmark for a couple of years now and I'm hoping this is as easy. I've put together a store with a few bundles and keep an eye out for more out of print precuts and possibly a dip into some of my precious.