Summer Fair: My first quilt!

AnneMarie is hosting Summer Fair: A Quilt and Recipe Show this week. I'm showing you my first quilt, which I finished two years ago. If you haven't been reading my blog since the very beginning, this might be the first time you've seen it.


The story: I won a giveaway for a fat quarter bundle of Good Folks on Anna Maria Horner's blog. I really don't remember why I was reading her blog--I didn't know anything about fabric then, and I'm sure I had no idea what a fat quarter was! I came across this tutorial on Diary of a Quilter and thought I'd try making a quilt. My mom and sister had given me a sewing machine for my bridal shower a few years before (I'm sure they couldn't have guessed how much time I'd spend with the machine), so I got to sewing and was immediately hooked. This giveaway win definitely ended up costing me a bundle!


I didn't give much thought to the design--just sewed the rectangles together. At this point, I was in way over my head, so I had it professionally quilted. I really didn't think I'd be able to quilt on my machine, but it didn't take me long to figure that out. I was obnoxiously proud of my finished product (kinda still am).


My friend Leah helped me pick out the backing and binding fabrics. We picked the blue Cathedral print for the backing.


The quilter used gold thread for the quilting. A good reminder that I should be more adventurous with my thread choice sometimes. (And one of these days I'll get around to fixing that popped seam.) This is the most used quilt in our house, and it remains my very favorite.

And now, on to the recipe part of the Summer Fair! My mom used to make this taco salad recipe for our family reunions, and it just reminds me of summer. I asked her to dig it up for the Fourth of July, so it's fresh on my mind. It's definitely not gourmet, but it's a blue ribbon winner in my book!



Taco Salad


1 can chili beans or red beans, drained
1 cup shredded cheese
1 or 2 cups shredded lettuce
½ lb ground beef, browned
½ cup chopped onion
1 cup corn chips or taco flavored chips, crushed
¼ cup French dressing
¼ cup mayo

Drain beans, mix with cheese, lettuce, ground beef, and onions. Refrigerate until serving time.

Combine French dressing and mayo. Then toss beef mixture with chips and dressing.


Be sure to head over to Gen X Quilters to see the rest of the Fair entries!

WIP Wednesday

Not much on the WIP Report this week. Here's what I've been up to.



Finished:
Nada.

Ongoing projects:

Central Park Girl Quilt


Just need to finish up that binding, and these will be DONE.

Tree quilts
I hope to finish up the first one this weekend.

Completed tops awaiting quilting:
sigh.
Red Letter Day quilt
Postage Stamp quilt
Kaleidoscope Babies

To do:
For the Love of Solids Swap. Partner received. Scheming has begun.
4x5 blocks
Modern Crosses wall quilt
Deer quilt

Head over to Lee's to see what everyone else is working on!

To the bat cave!

So, despite my best efforts, Luke turned 4 today. He's been asking me for ages to make him a cape. We picked out the materials a few months ago, and I finally got around to making it for his birthday.


Little man on a mission. I used this pattern from Georgia Leigh (formerly Puking Pastilles). It's an excellent pattern, and she offers several different applique options if Batman isn't your kid's superhero of choice.


(Don't be jealous of my lawn. Clearly I spend more time sewing than landscaping.)


He thinks the neck is a little too tight. I made this as a surprise, so I wasn't able to measure it properly. If you make this pattern, I'd recommend trying it on if you can. No biggie--he just uses the second Velcro strip.

He hasn't taken it off all day, so I consider it a success!


P.S. Doubles as a dog cape!

WIP Wednesday

I'm really pleased with my progress this week! I feel good about getting some things marked off ye olde to-do list.



Finished:
Central Park boy quilt

Fresh from the dryer and awaiting the completion of his sister-quilt.

Scottie Dog #2

. I made Scottie Dog #1 for my friend's little girl, and they requested a second. These are so fun to make! Great way to use up some little (2 1/4 inch) squares.

Cape for Luke

Luke turns 4 on Monday. I can't wait to give this to him! I'm sure I'll subject you to more pictures once it has been gifted.

July Bee Blocks.


For Megan,


for Krista,


And for Naomi. Done, done, and done.


Ongoing projects:

Central Park Girl Quilt


Quilting is underway!

Kaleidoscope quilt-along


I decided to make two baby quilts. The tops are done, and I'm thinking about quilting possibilities.

Tree quilts
I ironed out the logistics and got everything cut out. Need to grab some batting.

Completed tops awaiting quilting:
sigh.
Red Letter Day quilt
Postage Stamp quilt

To do:
Scottie dog #2
Rectangle Squared blocks for do. Good Stitches (July) (fabric picked out)
VIBees block for Krista
Sew Beautiful block for Megan
Cape for Luke
4x5 blocks
Modern Crosses wall quilt
Deer quilt

Head over to Lee's to see what everyone else is working on!

On the fence

Have you seen the Garden Fence quilt-along over at McIntyre Girl?










Love this pattern, and Elizabeth's kaleidoscope quilt-along is wrapping up soon...


I'm thinking this might be a fun way to put my (somewhat embarrassing) Hideaway stash to use.

Buzz.

I put my July bee blocks together last night. I had an easy month this time--all of the requested blocks were pretty simple and straightforward.


Krista is making a quilt for her son, and it's "evil brown" (her words!). She was having a hard time dealing with all of that non-color on her own, so she enlisted the help of the VIBees. It's based on Cherri House's Tempest quilt. The color is off in this photo, but it's definitely brown!


Now for something on the complete opposite end of the color/pattern spectrum! Megan had the Sew Beautiful Bee members make x and + blocks using this tutorial from Badskirt and Innocent Crush. Very fun.


Naomi is heading up the Peace Circle of do. Good Stitches this month, and we're using the Rectangle Squared tutorial from Film in the Fridge to make blocks for a teenage boy quilt.

Always such a good feeling to mark these bee blocks off the list!

Baby Kaleidoscopes (aka a lesson in fuzzy math)

I originally made 20 blocks (I counted!) for Elizabeth's quilt-along. I planned on making a 5x4 throw-size quilt. Then last week I thought to myself, "Self, you need 2 baby girl gifts...why don't you take the practical approach for once and turn those 20 blocks into 2 baby quilts instead?" Made sense (I can be very convincing), so I set about making 4 more blocks, bringing my total to 24 so I could make 2 (3x4) baby quilts. Logical, right?

So after I made my extra blocks, I counted (three times) and much to my surprise I came up with 28. Eh? How did that happen? I puzzled it for a bit and then put my quilt tops together, figuring I'd put the extra 4 blocks to use on the quilt backs. After assembling my tops, I had 5 blocks left over, meaning I actually made 29. Is this a loaves and fishes type of situation, or am I really that bad at math (who am I kidding?) counting? Let's hope Luke never needs help with his homework when his father isn't around.




I'm much happier with my work now that the quilt tops are assembled. Sure, they still have their imperfections, but I think they're much less noticeable.


Some of these corner blocks are looking really good!

For the Love of Solids

(I don't know why this is so tiny!)

I have heretofore shied away from the world of Flickr swapping. But when I found out Elizabeth and Megan were hosting For the Love of Solids (a Modern Swap), I was powerless to resist.

(Are you laughing at me for using "heretofore" in a blog post? I understand.)


Here's the inspiration mosaic I made for my yet-to-be-named partner. We're making one large item (table runner, set of placemats, pillow cover, tote bag, mini-quilt, sewing machine cover, craft apron, etc.) and one smaller item.

It looks like they're are still some spots available. Maybe you'll join in on the fun too??

WIP Wednesday!

I missed WIP Wednesday last week, and I gotta say it made me a little twitchy. Here's where I am.



Finished:


Okay, I finished my Vera bag two weeks ago, but it missed out on WIP Wednesday, so I'm posting it here. Still in love.

Ongoing projects:

Central Park Quilts

The boy version is quilted, and the binding needs some attention. Girl version is ready to be basted. I'll be wrapping these up soon.

Kaleidoscope quilt-along

I'm caught up on this project. Now I'm considering a change of plans. I had intended to make the throw size, but I had no real purpose for it (not that that sort of thing usually matters to me...). I'm in need of two baby girl gifts, so now I'm thinking I'll make a few extra blocks and make two baby quilts. I have to admit--these blocks gave me a bit of trouble. They're on the puffy side, and I didn't have much luck getting my points to be pointy. I'm hoping a little quilting magic will hide some of these flaws!

Tree quilts
I'm making good progress on these. More soon.

Completed tops awaiting quilting:
These are starting to make me sad.
Red Letter Day quilt
Postage Stamp quilt

To do:
Scottie dog #2
Rectangle Squared blocks for do. Good Stitches (July) (fabric picked out)
VIBees block for Krista
Sew Beautiful block for Megan
Cape for Luke
4x5 blocks
Modern Crosses wall quilt
Deer quilt

Head over to Lee's to see what everyone else is working on!

Back in action

We're back home after spending Fourth of July week with family. I finished up quilting twin-size Central Park quilt #1 this morning (and boy are my arms tired!).

No, I haven't finished unpacking yet.

P.S. Confession time: I'm thrilled that Big Brother (possibly the guiltiest of summer's guilty pleasures) is back! I know it's trash, but it's my trash.

We have a winner!

Thanks for entering my Go! Baby giveaway! I picked a winner this morning using Random.org.

Lucky number #103!

And that's....Marci!

Congrats, Marci! I just sent you an e-mail. I hope you enjoy your new Baby!

Want to win a GO! Baby?

The folks at Accuquilt have a GO! Baby fabric cutter ready to give away to one of my readers. The winner will also get to pick out 3 dies. Worth commenting for?



To enter: Comment on this post. Any comment will do, but please make sure I have a way to contact you if you're the lucky winner. I'll close the giveaway at 11:59 p.m. CST on Friday, July 8. I'll pick a winner using Random.org. *International entries welcome!*

Good luck, and if you're in the U.S., happy 4th!

Sunshine in a bag

File this under "sincerest form of flattery." I fell in love with these bags that Ali/a2(w) made for Kelly in the Goodie Bag Swap. I LOVE the Weekender bag, but I've also heard enough stories about that pattern to scare me away from it. After perusing stalking Ali's photo stream, I came across this bag, and decided I must have one like it!


Hello, new friend!
(fabric here)


The little pleating details make me happy.


Love how the straps turned from chevrons to stripes.


For the interior, I used this print from Ty Pennington's Impressions. (I'm loving the yellow/gray right now, as seen in my 4x5 inspiration mosaic.)


This is an excellent pattern, available from Green Bee Patterns on Etsy. I highly recommend it, and I'll be using it again for sure!


In conclusion: Thanks to Ali. Kelly is a lucky lady. Excellent pattern. Love my bag. The end!

Tumbler Wreath Tutorial

The folks at Accuquilt sent me a Go Baby to try out, and I've been having fun playing with this little guy. I was able to pick out three dies. I was tempted by some of the more basic shapes (squares, strips, etc.), but I feel comfortable cutting those with my rotary cutter, so I went with the the Tumbler, Circles, and Drunkard's Path (mostly because I'm obsessed with these drunkard path blocks by Kate at Needle and Spatula!).

I love the look of a tumbler quilt (this one has been on my to-make list forever!), but I've been too lazy to cut out the pieces myself. I started playing with the tumbler die, and I came up with this quick little tutorial for you.


Tumbler Wreath Tutorial



Gather your supplies.
A charm pack of fabric (Scraps would be great too. You'll only need 14 of the charms, so a partial pack will work.)
Background fabric (Again, scraps will work great. If you're using the Go Baby, cut your background fabric into 4.5" x 11.5" strips)
Embroidery floss
Long needle
7" and 10" brass hoops (These are macrame hoops. I found them at Hobby Lobby by the jewelry-making supplies.)


Pick out your 14 favorite charms, and make your tumblers. Repeat with your background fabric.


Note: I had this happen frequently with my tumbler die. The shape would cut out fine, except for one string. Maybe there's something caught in the die? It didn't seem to matter if I used 1 layer of fabric or 4. Not a big deal--I just had to use my scissors to cut that pesky string! Overall, I was pleased with the way the shapes came out. They're accurate, and using the Go Baby is very simple.


Pair up your background tumblers with your print tumblers.


Place a background tumbler and a print tumbler right sides together, and sew using a 1/4 seam and a short stitch length. Leave the long side open for turning. (I used dark thread here so you could see my stitches, but you'll want to use a coordinating thread.)


Turn. Poke out those corners.


Stuff...


And sew up the opening. Now you have a cute little tumbler pillow! Make 13 more.


Take two of your tumbler pillows, and string them together using a doll needle and embroidery thread. Insert the needle 1/4 inch from the bottom of the tumblers.


I really like these long doll needles for projects like this.


Repeat 1/4 inch from the top of the tumbler pillows. If your cutting mat looks as rough as mine, buy a new one.


Continue until you have all 14 shapes strung together in a wreath form.


Use a glue gun to attach your macrame hoops to the back of the wreath. I could see the brass hoops from the front of my wreath, so I wrapped the hoops in strips of my background fabric. (I went to the craft store looking for wooden embroidery hoops or a wire wreath form. I couldn't find either of those in the right size, so I went with the macrame hoops. I think any circular form would work fine.)


Hang, and enjoy!

I think this would be a fun addition to a nursery. I'm going to make another one out of Christmas fabric. OH! And wouldn't it be fun to make one using this candy corn tumbler tutorial? Yes, I'm doing that!

If you have any questions, let me know! And if you make a tumbler wreath of your own, I'd love to see it.


Also, Accuquilt is offering 22 free quilt patterns if you sign up for their newsletter. Check it out!



I'll be back soon with a Go Baby giveaway!