Scrappy Trip Along - Finish!

My first finish of 2013 - the scrappy trip along.  

I used half of an upcycled duvet cover for the backing and then made a scrappy binding and I hand-tied it using perle cotton.

I think I decided about halfway through the piecing that I was going to use this quilting method.  Every time I go in our basement to do laundry (which is quite often), I see this doll quilt  and always think how I want to make a person size hand tied patchwork quilt so I figured the scrappy trip along was close enough!

I'm happy with how the quilt came out but I really messed up the binding.  I decided to machine stitch the binding again using the stitch in the ditch method which worked well for me in this quilt but I don't know if it was because of the size difference or what but this time around I really struggled with it.  Plus, the stitching line doesn't blend in with the rest of the quilting like the last time because, well, there is no quilting!  Oh, well!  So, between the binding issues and the mismatched seams, just don't look too closely, okay?

And since I just realized that tomorrow is February 1st, here is my January mosaic (even though everything but the scrappy trip along was actually made in December!)

Linking to Crazy Mom Quilts and Fresh Sewing Day.

wordless wednesdays

Linking to WIP Wednesday.

Let's Get Acquainted Monday Link Up

Last month, I participated in the happy little pouch hop along with one of my dearest friends from the online quilting world, Heidi from Fabric Mutt.  Heidi made this wonderful little  hexagon pouch that I absolutely adored so you can imagine my reaction when I received a holiday package from her in the mail a few weeks later and inside was none other than that little pouch!  And not only did Heidi send me the pouch but she stuffed it full with a variety of fabric scraps that she knew I would just love.

And speaking of fun fabric scraps, these in the above photo are from another one of my dearest friends that I met this year though this online sewing/quilting community, Nicole from Bold Goods.  Actually, though, these fabrics aren't mine - Nicole put together two adorable packages of fabrics for each of my two older daughters (but I convinced them to trade with me for that little dancing couple - I mean, seriously, how cute is that fabric!)  I've actually now met Nicole twice - in real life!  We don't live near each other but fortunately, she has some friends that live near me so twice now we've been able to sneak in a visit when she has been nearby.  And have I mentioned how much my daughters adore her? Especially my one year old!

And lastly, see these perfectly basted EPP hexagons - well, I'm not the one who basted them!  I finally went to my local modern quilt guild meeting last week and I am so glad that I did!  It was so fun to meet Instagram and blog friends in real life!  The basted hexagons and precut hexagon scraps are from Melinda from Quirky Granola Girl - she saw that I was working on a EPP hexagon project and gave these to me (I think she said they were leftover from this amazing quilt.)  There were so many great fabrics in the pile including a bunch of cute novelty ones that I had never seen before.  Fun, fun, fun!

1. Link up any recent sewing/quilting post.
2. In your post or on your blog, please include either a text link or a button letting people know about this link up.
3. Visit at least the two bloggers who link up before you and everyone who visits you from this post.
4. When the link tool asks for your name, write down a random fact about yourself that has nothing to do with sewing or quilting.

Scrappy Trip Along

Well, I have officially finished my largest quilt top to date.  

I made and pieced together 30 12" blocks - which might be small for most of you but it seems huge to me!  The blocks were fun to make and I could have happily kept on going but I stopped here thinking ahead to the actual quilting part.

I also used this opportunity to try to figure out some new places inside my house to take quilt pics since this top was too big to fit on the white brick wall in my sewing space that I usually use.  The photo above is on my couch in front of a large window that faces west.

This is the floor in front of the couch.  

The chair on the other side of the room.

And finally on my bed.  

Well, the photo taking is still a work in progress but I'm having fun experimenting with the possibilities!

Linking to Freshly Pieced and Crazy Mom Quilts.  

Let's Get Acquainted Monday Link Up

Just a quick post to let you know that my wonderful friend Heidi from Fabric Mutt is hosting this week's Let's Get Acquainted Link Up on her blog.  Click here to add your link and while you are there, I definitely recommend taking a look around her awesome blog and seeing all of her beautiful projects!

I'm excited to see what everyone has been working on.  I'll be posting in the next day or so about my scrappy trip along progress and an old crafty hobby that my daughters and I decided to pick up again this weekend!

Improv Star Quilt

Last month, I wrote a post about a table runner I made that was quite different from the original plan and had resulted in a few unused blocks.  One of those was a swoon block in some of my favorite Chicopee fabrics which I ultimately used as a starting point to make a couch quilt for my husband.  This might actually be the first thing I've made for him - not sure what else to say about that!

I didn't have a plan when making this quilt - just a color scheme and the one big block. 

 I started by making this star block.  

And then made some more of the wonky hourglass blocks from the original project.

Then I just started improvising and adding strips of fabrics in my chosen color palette like I did for this quilt.

I backed it in this sheet that I love.

And then used this opportunity to practice all sorts of different kinds of free motion quilting techniques and motifs.

Now it resides on our couch with my beloved folksy flannel quilt.

- 

And that's that!  He says he loves it and now really wants me to make some pillows for his office couch  out of a very specific yellow (um, maize) and blue fabric that you might have seen me post about on Instagram (I'm plumandjune there too.)

Linking up to Crazy Mom Quilts.

Let's Get Acquainted Monday Link Up

zip pouches in the top photo - made by me

totally scrumptious triple chocolate ice cream pie - made by my husband

1. Link up any recent sewing/quilting posts.
2. In your post or on your blog, pleaseinclude either a text link or a button letting people know about this link up.
3. Visit at least the two bloggers who link up before you and everyone who visits you from this post.
4. When the link tool asks for your name, write down your favorite kind of pie!

Figure 8 Scarf

As I mentioned here, I am busy organizing the ridiculous amount of photos on my computer.  As such, I haven't done much sewing with the exception of one or two scrappy trip along blocks a day.  However, I still have a few projects from December that I haven't written about yet.

I used Anna Maria Horner's fabric and tutorial to make this Figure 8 scarf.  I used flannel and voile but since I had only had 1/2 yard of the voile, mine measured 9 x 72" instead of 18 x 72" and I have an extra seam.  I still really like the scarf - it is sooooo soft!  I was very tempted to keep it but I made it for a holiday gift.

I used shot cotton with the flannel for the second scarf.  I didn't keep this one either but next 

time . . . 

Linking up to Crazy Mom Quilts and TGIFF.

What I'll be working on the next few months

Every so often in 2012, I would notice that many of the blogs I follow would write a post referencing the finish-a-long.  So, yesterday when I saw Leanne's post that she was hosting the 2013 FAL, I looked at the details and decided to join in.

1.  Not surprisingly, the first thing on my list is the Scrappy Trip Along.  Since this is basically all I am working on right now, I am thinking I will most likely have it finished by April!  

2.  Next up is the novelty print quilt that I am making for my youngest daughter for when she moves into a bed - probably within the next year.  I have a pile of fussy cuts to sash and then I need to decide if I am going to make it a larger version of this quilt or something else entirely. 

3.  I don't have any photos to go with #3.  One of my 2013 goals is to learn about and use interfacing.  I  ordered some shape flex and I plan to use it for some type of bag or pouch this quarter.

Those are my official FAL Q1 projects but while I'm at it, here are some other things I plan on working on the next few months.

4.  I'm planning on dusting off my crochet hooks and/or my knitting needles - not sure what I am going to make though!

5.  I also really need to organize my photos - and maybe even actually order some prints!  

6.  Additionally, I have made some progress on my 2013 goals that I wrote about here.   I purchased the Woodland Sampler Cross Stitch (I still need to get the supplies though) and I plan on joining in with Alyssa for her Skill Builder Block of the Month.  

Linking up to She Can Quilt and Freshly Pieced.

Scrappy Trip Along and the Monday Link Up

Happy New Year!!!

I spent most of late December watching this:

But every so often, I would sneak a peek at Instagram and after seeing all the photos and discussions about the scrappy trip along, I knew exactly what my first project of 2013 would be.

I decided to go super scrappy and I plan on this being my largest quilt to date.  I started by just cutting a bunch of 16 x 2.5 strips (here is the tutorial for the quilt.)  Not nearly enough for the whole quilt but enough to get started.  I'm making my blocks one at a time - slowly - and just really enjoying the process of putting together the fabric combinations and seeing it all come together.

I'm linking up to A Lovely Year of Finishes hosted by my wonderful blog friend Melissa.  My goal is to make 30 squares by January 31st.

And now it is your turn - what have you been up to this New Year?

1. Link up any recent sewing/quilting posts.
2. Include either a text link or a button letting people know about this link up.
3. Visit at least the two bloggers who link up before you and everyone who visits you from this post.
4. When the link tool asks for your name, write down one or more words to describe your sewing or blogging goals/philosophy for 2013.