My Whimsical Flower Garden quilt..blocks 1-7

Feb 24th, I sat down to start this quilt.  I spent 6 hours that day working on the first 3 blocks.  It was actually such a great moment of relaxation.  I have been going like crazy for a while now.  Between the last Sat in Jan and the 3rd sat in Feb I had a ballet performance that I was in as a pianist or worked or attended that occupied all my spare weekend moments.  Of course, I thoroughly love my professional job, so no complaints about spending hours performing, but it does wear a person out!  Then we spent the most wonderful 4 days at my in-laws over Presidents day weekend.  Honestly, we played lots and lots of card games and board games.  We only nearly a couple hundred games in our house, so we play a lot of games.  But, the first free weekend, I spent nearly the entire day at my sewing machine.  It was HEAVEN!!  The slowness of the weekend and the project were just wonderful. 

I still have a couple of these blocks that I am not fans of, so they might be changing, but here is the start. 

Block 1

Block 2

I went back and added the faint red stitch about the flowers afterwards on this block and I absolutely love it.  It really defines the petals.

Block 3

I just love the green on this one!! 

Block 4

I love how the middle flower turned out.  I love the fabric I found in my stash, I love the edging I did, I love the fussy cutting to get the purple smodges every other petal.  Oh and the greens just turned out soooo fun!!  I think that the palm tree leaves are kind of funny, but I am keeping with the exact pattern for that kind of stuff and it makes for something unique and fun.  

Block 5

I feel like I need to do some sort of color stitch of a different color around the bird, but can't decide what to do.

Block 6

I feel like I would like to add a red stitch line all the way around the edge of the orange flower and an orange one around the red flower. So, this block might still be a WIP.  

Block 7

I sewed this one yesterday.  I still haven't finished the bird. I need to stitch around it to hold it down.  However, I added it because it is all ironed on.  I really love the fun flowers that are opening on the bottom.  I also like that this is the first flower that I made without a print.  I think that will be a good to have that contrast in the quilt.  

Each block takes about 2 1/2-3 hours.  Between cutting each individual piece, ironing on some bonding, ironing them onto the block, stitching around the edges and adding the borders, it takes some time.  However, the first couple blocks I was only bonding on some steam a seam or such on the exact portion of the fabric i needed.  Then I realized that I would be using the same browns or some of the same green throughout and just bonded on a large section.  That made it start going much quicker because I could just grab something from the scraps pile that is growing.  

Its been the perfect project to work on because I have been in need of quiet a bit of thinking/meditating time with all the responsibilities in my current life.  I am over 1/3 through the 20 blocks but hope to be half way by the end of this week.  

Hope you enjoyed!!

Foundation Paper Piecing

Guys, I have wanted to learn how to do foundation paper piecing forever.  I have watched videos overtime but I have never really understood it...and it seems that sometimes the right time to learn something new also has just the right time as well. 

Anyways, I watched this connecting threads tutorial on youtube and maybe it was just the right moment and maybe it was just the way she did it, but it finally made sense.  I wish I would have seen her take the paper out because I would have liked to have seen that, but at least I feel like I have somewhere to go. 

After the video I did two things.  I got on amazon to purchase an add a quarter ruler.  I have to post a picture of the packaging that I got it in because it was super fun and funny.  I got it from Hancocks of Paducah on amazon.  They taped the ruler inside the cardboard of an old fabric bolt with a bag doubled over.

Naturally, afterwards I spend time looking for a few projects to make.  I found an instagram post that linked me to THIS PATTERN called No Y Seam Feathered Star.  Oh, I can't wait to make it!!  I really hope that instagram link works because the pillow is just so pretty!!!  She posted it on Dec. 24, 2016. 

Either way, as soon as I am done with my whimsical garden, I am going to work on this technique.  I can't wait to learn how to do this so I can made pretty, tiny little pieces line up so clean and perfect.

Hope you enjoyed. 

My whimsical garden quilt...in progress

Back in 2011, I purchased this pattern and wrote a post on it!!  That was 7 years ago?  Oh, heavens.  Over the course of those years I did the following in hopes that I would get to making the quilt.

1.  I cut up the 12in by 12in white background blocks and stored them in my storage room.  (I eventually started using those blocks for other projects and when I pulled them out a couple weeks ago I only had 12 left of the original 20.  Oh well.)

2.  I copied all of the pages of the pattern and put the pieces in little ziplock bags for each block.  This took FOREVER!!!  I am actually glad now that I am working on this quilt that I took the time to finish all but a couple blocks like this 7 years ago, because honestly, if I had had to cut them out right now and then cut out each applique piece and then iron them on and then sew around them...ya, I would have lost steam.  However, I find that my go to/get it done personality that I only have the patience for max 3 steps on a project and I will still have the energy to keep going.  If I hadn't cut those papers out, I would never have gone onto each block.

3.  I collected orange and green fabrics.  A 1/2 yrd here or these and put them in a bag.

4.  I got really frustrated a month ago with not being able to find anything I wanted in my storage room.  So, I finally went and got containers for my fabric and sorted all my fabric out.

...and that was what finally did it. I saw the pattern, I saw the white cut out blocks and thought, what am I waiting on?  However, as I got into cutting out the appliques for the first block I realized 2 things.  If I hadn't organized my fabric I would have lost my energy really quick on this project.  It is so fun to just grab the entire basket of reds and sort through for the perfect combination with the perfect orange.  I still wish I had a couple more red prints but I am determined to only use what I already have, so that is that.  2nd.  I am finally a point in my personal life where I can truly enjoy the journey of working on a long project block by block and not get frustrated when I don't have time or it is taking too long.  I couldn't have even said that about myself 3 months ago.  However, I was ready to take on a project when I have to applique 20-45 pieces per block for 20 blocks.  It is going to take a couple months but here is the beginning....

Since finishing these 3 blocks 2 weekends ago, I have finished 3 more blocks.  I will have to post them soon. I am so glad that I also waited until after I finished the mini bird house quilt and buying the border fabric for that quilt because it is going to be absolutely perfect for this quilt.  I am not going to add all the circles from the pattern on the border.  I just know that I will get to that point and not be interested.  I will try and keep up with posting each block as I do them!!  I will also take some close ups of each block the next time I post pictures.

Hope you enjoyed!!

St Patrick's Table Runner

Since my last blog post, I have finished 2 large quilts and several small projects.  It seems like I either take the time to quilt in my spare moments during the day or to post pictures.  Either way, it is super fun to constantly be working on things.

Yesterday, I went and spent 6 hours at my best friends house and we whipped up a fun St. Patrick's day table runner.  We copied the idea from a post I saw on instagram from the quilt shop Pines and Needles.  Their kit is super super cute, but we already had some St. Patrick's fabric so we made up our own dimensions and sewed away.  I got all the fabric at JoAnn's except the green stem which I found in my stash.

I think it turned out super cute.  I loved the size on her table.  I love the darker black with golden horseshoes fabric.  Each block in the 4 patches end up being 4 inches before being sewn together.  Final dimension of our project is 31 1/2 by 14 inches.

I had two shamrocks left over so I sewed four blocks together from the scraps and threw them in my box.   I will have to think over what I want to do with the leftovers.  I can't decide if I just want to have a tiny table runner or if I want to make them into a larger wall hanging quilt.  Something will be decided this coming week.

Hope you enjoyed.