Ready for Halloween!

Here is a picture of the HST Halloween quilt all quilted, washed and dried.  (Named it Scary Pumpkin Party Quilt.)

It's quilted with glow in the dark thread.  The patterns are spiders, webs, pumpkins, tombstones, candy corn, Trick or Treat and Happy Halloween.

This will be packed up along with these two reversible trick or treat bags and sent to my Grandkids and family.

Fun!

Friday Finishes!

Okay, I admit that I keep thinking that somehow 'life' is going to get less complicated after I get ____ (fill in the blank) done.  But it doesn't.  When I get one project done, another one (or two) are added.  By me.  I totally do this to myself.  But I love it!  Wouldn't want it any other way.

In our MQG, Jessica taught us how to make The Sugarloaf Quilt by Debby Kratovil.  Yes, I came home and finished mine.  I went shopping in my stash and found some bright, hand dyed rainbow fabrics for mine.  Yes, it IS very colorful and bright!

Quilt top is finished.  Now, how to quilt it?!?  It will be a little while til I can get it upstairs and loaded on.  Presently, I am working on this quilt for a talented customer:

It is her first quilt!  I am so impressed!  

AND, I have been commissioned to make a full size quilt.  Here is one block with all the pieces.

 

The pattern is Midnight Sky by Michael Miller Fabrics done in the Constellations Fabrics by Lizzy House (Andover Fabrics).  The unfinished block size is 12.5".  Lots of flying geese in these blocks. 

 

I have three quilts quilted with one almost done with the binding being hand sewn on.  (Not my favorite part of quilting - hand sewing on binding.)  Hope to finish two of those tonight with pictures coming!

 

This is just the sewing part of my life.  The other parts are just as crazy.  But, really, I wouldn't have it any other way. 

 

Sew far, sew good,

Julie

Halloween HST Quilt Part 2

It has been a crazy, busy week!  Part of the week was spent sourcing fabrics, quilt patterns, designing quilts and presenting them to a wonderful neighbor who has asked me to make a quilt for her grandson.  Talk about loving what you do and getting paid for it!

I finally got some undisturbed sewing time in yesterday and today.  I was able to work on my HST Halloween quilt.

There are two blocks in the quilt, a pinwheel and a diamond.  Here is a photo.

The nesting technique to get the points to match is the best way for me.  I seamed the

two top pieces together, then the two bottom pieces.  I pressed those seams going in different directions and then seamed the top to the bottom.  I pressed this seam open to reduce some of the bulk where the points come together.

Here are photos of the completed top:

Happy Birthday fun!

Today is my Granddaughter's 1 year birthday!  She and her brother got the package of quilts (Owlivia and Dr. Suess) that I sent out.  Here are some pictures-I had to share!

Easy As ABC or KLMNO

On Thursday, I got my 5 fat quarters from Sew Lux Fabric.  Friday was my dear husband's birthday (Yay!) so I didn't sew at all.  Nope, no sewing.  Had lunch with his parents and had a great day!  So today, I broke out those fat quarters and got to work.  Well, technically, IMHO, sewing is not work.

It is a bright sunny day today and the pictures are not the best.  This is a great quilt along!  Alyce has clear, concise and easy to follow directions on her website Blossom HeartQuilts.  She is also a Kate Spain-aholic!   And buying fabric IS definitely cheaper than therapy!

Here is a picture of the alphabet so far:

I am loving this quilt and the fabrics that Sew Lux Fabric has sent!

Halloween HST Quilt Part 1

I wanted to make a fairly simple Halloween quilt to give away to some family.  Something that wouldn't take too long, but would look like maybe it had.  On the flight back from Salt Lake City, I used the program on my iPad to come up with this quilt pattern.

 

 

I have several charm packs that I bought while on sale a couple of months ago.  I had two charm packs of Moda Pumpkin Party and Bella solids in black.  So this is what I came up with.

 

Open the two charm packs of Pumpkin Party and sort into a pile of purple and black; another of the orange and gray.   There are 4 white spider web charm squares.  I put two of this one in each pile, so that each pile had 42 charms squares.  There will be no waste, so be careful when sewing and cutting.

 

 

 

 

Take two charm packs of Bella Solid black.  Down the center from corner to corner, mark a line with white chalk.  With the chalk mark on top, place a black solid charm square on top of the right side of each of the charm squares from the Pumpkin Party piles.

 

 

Sew down each side of the white chalk line 1/4" away from the chalk line.  Like sew...(hehehe)

 

 

 

I chain pieced mine and had piles like this...looks like Halloween!

 



 

After chain piecing, cut the thread between each of the two squares sewn together with right sides together.  Then cut on the chalk mark, 1/4" away from the seam on one side.

 

 

 

Since I used black thread, I actually turned mine over and cut 1/4" away and down the middle from one of the seams.

 

Now, your pile will look like this:

 

 

Take these to the ironing board, set the seams by pressing them and then press open with the seam going toward the black. 

 

 

Square up to 4 1/2"...

 

 

 

Mine looked like this when I was done.  Look at all those trimmings!

 



 

 

This is the layout of the quilt I have come up with on my design wall.  With the gray and black prints mixed in, it looks a bit different than the pattern in my iPad - I do like it!

 

 

 I will post more later.  I have to pause at this point to finish longarm quilting my granddaughter's Owlivia quilt, bind it, make binding for my husband's Winter Soltice quilt, and make the backing for the Cuzco quilt (that is still a secret - can't show it yet).

 

 

Plus it is now September so I've got some BOM's to do!  (That's why I wanted something fairly quick and easy.)