Skill Builder Sampler Giveaway

Giveaway Closed!

Everyone had a pretty good chance of winning this week with only 10 entries, but that Random Number Generator picked Julie again!  Seriously, I didn't cheat!  Congratulations Julie!

Hello!  I have been rather missing this week - there's nothing big going on - just kids, laundry, shopping, 18lbs of strawberries (there was a great sale), picking fabric for a new project...all of the normal stuff that doesn't seem interesting enough to post about.

But I did search through my stash today and made this custom fat quarter bundle of fabrics that will go to someone who has completed blocks 28-30 of the Skill Builder Sampler.  I bought the cowgirl fabric years ago - I think it was my first purchase of yardage at a quilt store.  It was made up into the cutest pajamas complete with a bandanna collar for my little girl.  She is 11 now and her 2 year old sister is still wearing them.  They are the cutest things ever - the girls and the pjs.  :)

But I digress... this month for the Skill Builder Sampler we worked on odd shapes and templates (tumblers, apple cores and triangles) and I sure felt like my skills were stretched.  I realized that I don't like tracing and cutting out fabric by hand (that dang apple core block!).  Isn't that why they invented rotary cutters?  But the results sure are cute!

If you completed blocks 28-30, leave a comment saying so and I will enter you into the drawing to win some of my favorite fabrics.  I will pick a winner on Friday, May 4th.  We will also start making blocks with inset or y-seams that day.

1. copos, 2. SBS Block #30 - Triangles, 3. SBS #29 - Apple Core, 4. SBS block 29, 5. Apple Core Block, 6. Tumblers in red and white, 7. Block #29 - Apple Core, 8. #30- Equilateral Triangles, 9. SBS block 28

And just in case you haven't visited the We Can Do It! Skill Builder Sampler flicker group lately, here is a sampling of some of the blocky-goodness that has been happening over there.  You guys are great!

HST Pillow

I meant to have my HST quilt done in time to enter into the Festival of the Half Square Triangles, but that is just not happening.  I did however steal some of the hst and make this coordinating pillow cover.

I hand stitched along the edges of the hsts with black pearl cotton.  It was my first time doing hand stitching in quite awhile, and my first time ever using pearl cotton.  I had been thinking about hand quilting the large hst quilt, but now I don't think that I will.  ;)

I added a flange and a one inch border around the edge.  I love how it frames the design.

For the back, I used a print from Echo (oh, how I love it!) and burgundy kona cotton.  Who would have thought that burgundy could look so good?

Now I just have to pick up a pillow form the right size.  Be sure to jump on over to the Festival of Half Square Triangles to see all of the other beautiful things people have been making.

I Cut Fabric With Scissors!

 Do you remember this 4x5 Modern Quilt Bee block that I wasn't fond of but didn't know if I wanted to redo?  Fate stepped in in the form of my 2 year old.  I came upstairs last week after folding some laundry and she proudly announced, "I cut fabric with scissors!"  Ahhh!!!  At least it was this block that got cut up around the edges.

  So here is the new and improved block  I do like it much better.  It isn't quite so intense.

And here is the little cutie with the new block.  Let's pretend she felt sorry for what she did and will never take scissors to anything important again.   Yeah...

Who Likes Fabric?

I sure do!  After being rather frustrated with the complete lack of grays in my stash when making the 4x5 Modern Bee Blocks I decided I needed to use the $20 gift card I had for my local quilt shop to buy some grays and whatever else caught my eye.  ;)

Left to right:  Sweet Treats by Diane Zimmerman, Sunkissed by Sweetwater,
Lost and Found by Jan Allyson, ? and Echo by Lotta Jansdotter

Grays are definitely in style.  I found no lack of them in the shop and choose a light, medium and dark gray that I thought would be good blenders and a few yellow/mustard prints that I will use in the HST Quilt.  I have to admit that I do like the gray/mustard combo.  

Speaking of mustard, there was a small spot of mustard on the Sunkissed fabric and so I ended up getting it half off.  Sweet!  But really, who goes around eating a sandwich in a fabric store and wiping mustard off their fingers onto the fabric?  Weird.

Found at Fresh Squeezed Fabrics

I kept my eyes open for some of the new American Jane line, School Days, but the shop didn't have any.  The Fat Quarter Shop doesn't have it in stock either.  ?!?!  They usually have everything.  I did find some of the prints at Fresh Squeezed Fabrics - these are my favorite prints of the line.  I really should get some...right?

Available May 2012

While I was skimming the Coming Soon section at the Fat Quarter Shop to see if they were getting in School Days, I found this fabric that I just adore!  I rarely like every print in a line, but Seaside is right up my alley.  I love every-single-print.  Such a lovely retro/vintage line.

Available August 2012

I also ogled Denyse Schmidt's new line Chicopee which comes out in August.  I love the lighter prints. 

Available May 2012

And if you wanted some more fabric to coordinate with Chicopee, I think this line by Jenean Morrison would be perfect!

Available June 2012

If I get my act together and finish up some UFOs, maybe I will start a mustard and gray project with some of the beautiful prints in Madrona Road line.  Love the florals.

Have you seen any fabrics that have tickled your fancy recently?
Anything else I should add to my shopping list?  :)

350 Half Square Triangles.

I cut out tons of 3 inch half square triangles last fall for my HST quilt using my friend Julie's Accuquilt Go!.  Then I decided that I still wouldn't have enough for the size of quilt I wanted and cut out some more.   They are all sewed and pressed right now and I have about 350.

350 little units!   And it still isn't enough!  I really want 500, but could squeeze by with 414.  Time to borrow the Go! again.  Sometimes I wonder if cutting fabric into little pieces and sewing it back together isn't really a bit crazy.

But it sure is fun!

4x5 Modern Bee Blocks

Do you ever make a list of things to do only to realize that you left off the most important time sensitive thing?  That's what I did last week - I totally forgot about my 4x5 Modern Bee Blocks!  I did a quick browse through Quilting Bee Blocks looking for inspiration and decided to make Antique Tile blocks a la this tutorial.  Then I jotted down my groups color choices and got to work picking out fabric and cutting.  That is the point things got a bit sticky.

I had a hard time picking out fabric for each block.  It didn't help that I don't own any gray fabric.  Well, I bought a 1/2 yard of medium gray solid last round of the Bee because gray is a popular color, but that is the only reason I have any gray in my stash.  I don't know why it doesn't speak to me more.  Oh, well.

I liked how this block turned out - simple, rather muted but classic.  The colors were green, aqua and gray.  What I think is interesting is that the middle circle and the next round of rectangles are the same color green.  It is the larger white dots in the center make it look like a different shade.  Kinda cool.

This block took me forever to find fabric for.  The colors were medium blue, light blue and gray.  I picked out the gray and DS print quickly, but none of my other blue fabrics played nicely with the DS blue - and I have a lot of blues.  I didn't try out this plaid at first because I thought it would overpower the other blue and gray, but it turns out they work well together.

Ah, tomato red, lime/chartreuse and gray - what fun colors!  But I wish I had mixed up the placement of fabric on this one.  The red really needs to be where the green is...not bad, but the placement could use some work and I really need to get some different gray fabric.  That gray adds nothing to the block - it is a blob of blah in the middle.

 Pink and lime/chartreuse.  I think this one turned out pretty well - although if I was to do it over I would change out the center square.  I don't like how it has a cream background.

This was the hardest block for me to choose fabric for and I am still not thrilled with it.  Colors:  pink, lime/chartreuse and aqua.  I pulled out every aqua I owned and they all looked horrid with the other pinks and limes I had.  So I went back and looked at the inspiration mosaic and noticed that the aquas in the examples had a lot of turquoise in them.  So I pulled out this turquoise/aqua fabric and believe it or not it was the best fit.  How do you think it looks, really?  I can't tell if the colors are just very bright and not me or if it is ugly as sin and needs to be redone.

 And here is mine.  Colors:  Red and white.  I really liked how this turned out.   But as I was ironing the red scalloped fabric I noticed that the lines were wonky (upper left hand corner) and I though, "Augh, I hope my partner isn't too picky.  Maybe I should restitch those pieces..."  Then I realized that it was my block and I didn't care.  :)

I also chained pieced over 20 of the block units together before I realized I had run out of bobbin thread.  Oh boy...that is the most "sewing" I have ever done without thread.  :)

If you want to participate in the next round of the 4x5 Modern Bee the sign up is open now.

It's Official...

... I am currently suffering from a case of quilters envy.  I soooo want to go to the Sewing Summit this fall, but even if I could swing the airfare and registration fee, I will have a month old baby and even if I felt like I could bring her/him, it is one of the busiest times of year for my husband at work and he won't be able to take off time to watch the kids - eek!  All of the cards are stacked against me this year.

  Then I was silly enough to read through all of the teacher profiles - they have a great line up! - but it somehow made me feel very old and un-hip compared to all of the super cool teachers/bloggers/quilters.  Sigh...

Thankfully, I felt much better after working in the yard for a bit.  The cabbage, lettuce, broccoli, brussel sprouts, spinach and peas are planted and my tulips are blooming.  Life is good even if I am a crazy competitive whiner.  :)  So, go to the Sewing Summit, take tons of pictures and write all about it so I can live vicariously through you!

Edited:  Did you see that tickets sold out in 12 hours?!?  Wow!