Finishes! (Warning: Picture Heavy Post)

I know it's been a while since I've posted anything - but I have been sewing.  And trust me when I say Quilting is definitely my therapy!

So here goes:

I finished Dwell From Camille Roskelly's Simply Retro - This is much larger than the pattern called for and I made a variety of 6 inch blocks to go in the center of the houses.  If you notice the shams (sorry for the lousy pictures, I'm still learning) I used Lori Holt's pattern for the barn and the tractor.  I also used minky for the backing.
 

 This one is my favorite!
















I also finished two Deck-ade the Halls from the Fat Quarter Shop's Quilt-Along - the bright colored one is for me and the traditional colored one is for my brother and sis-in-law.

 

I made stockings and a tree skirt for Daughter #1 since this is her first Christmas in her own apartment (technically speaking - she'll be home with us for Christmas). These stockings are huge at 24 inches long! And even though you can't tell by my fabulous picture taking abilities, the stockings are the exact same size.
The "Wooden Soldier" and the "Angel" came from two different Debbie Mumm patterns.  I had made stockings for all of us many years ago and had super-sized the stocking pattern from one of those furry red with the white cuff stockings.

 

The tree skirt is a pattern from The Fat Quarterly 2010 Holiday Edition

 And, not quite last, but the last thing that I have a picture of, are a bunch of mug rugs and potholders.  The Christmas mug rugs are from Kate Spain's pattern for her fabric line, In from the Cold, only miniature. I drew it out on graph paper.  Most of the fabric is also Kate Spain's Flurry. The rest of the fabric came from my stash is probably from Connecting Threads.

 The second set is super simple - just five inch squares of cute fabric.  I didn't use binding as I was going for quick and simple.  I cut the back two inches larger all the way around and folded and mitered the corners.  Super Simple!
 

 They make great hostess gifts, too!

 And since it's after Christmas...Mr. Claus (aka Sweet Hubby) brought me these little lovelies!

I participated in the original Row Along and I could not wait to get a copy of this book!  Now I can't wait to get caught up on the Quilty Fun Sew Along!

I also squeezed in a baby quilt and I completely forgot to take a picture (lucky you ;0)

And since I'm not very good at paper piecing, I've decided to participate in Quiet Play's Paper Piecing Party!  I'm hoping that I can improve my skills enough that I don't scream in frustration and throw the blocks away.  I generally make three or four (sometimes five) attempts before I get it right.  And I seem to make different mistakes every time (I also make the same mistakes over and over - just not one right after the other) : /

Cheers!

Squeal!

I'm a winner! 

                   







                                         From Me and My Sister Designs

I'm so excited!  I can't wait for this book to arrive!

Cheers!

In progress...

In between the frustration of those teeny, tiny blocks, I'm working on Dwell, from Camille's new book.  I'm making this quilt Queen size so I've multiplied the number of blocks I'm making.  For this house, the pattern calls for a 6" pinwheel in the center - but I made a different 6" block for each house I built.

This one is my Favorite!

Thanks for stopping by!

Cheers!

A few finishes....

So I finished piecing a quilt from this Craftsy class, but I haven't even started quilting it yet.  I do have a few finishes to share though.

This is a Moda Bake Shop quilt, Eli's Wheels Quilt, that I thought would work well with Fig Tree's Tapestry Line, mixed with a darker fabric...

I love the pattern and the fabric line, but I find the darker fabric too distracting.  Either way, it's a finish and the colors do go well in my living room.






This next one, was one of those times when you just want instant gratification.  I had purchased a fat quarter bundle of

http://www.rileyblakedesigns.com/shop/category/riley-blake-designs/just-arrived/bake-sale-cottons/

And had a bit of fun with Lori's Pattern....

The next two finishes are the cover quilt from this book:

I used a fat eighth bundle of
instead of a layer cake and I added a border with the off-cuts.  Two lap quilts and I really enjoyed making these.  The pattern was simple and I love the chosen fabric. 

T

This is a paper pieced pattern from Red Pepper Quilts.  I had such trouble with the paper piecing.  So I went to YouTube and found this tutorial by The Crafty Gemini.  Very helpful! As you can see, the tutorial helped me figure it out!

Maybe I'll try building a larger quilt with this as the center...For now, I'm satisfied with just a pillow.

And then....

These are table mats, playing with scraps.  The little stars above and the the little blocks are 4" finished.
What a fun way to use up scraps!

Thanks for visiting.

Cheers!

Ugh...

#1

#2

#3

#4

Ugh!  These blocks finish at 2 inches and as you can see by my first four attempts, it was not as simple as just piecing together!  For attempt #1, I forgot to trim to size - but it didn't really matter - just look at those HST and I put the basket together wrong! Yuk!   Attempt 2,  Ditto!  I did not learn from my mistake.  Attempt 3, my machine was hungry - and started to eat the fabric - but no matter I still didn't get the HST right.  At last I pieced the basket correctly, if not accurately.  And Attempt 4 - okay, marginally better - but again, accuracy sucks!

Finally!  Now we're getting somewhere!

Attempt #5

Attempt #6

Whoops!

Did anyone else have as much trouble piecing these teeny, tiny blocks?

Craftsy - Pre-Cut Piecing Made Simple with Camille Roskelley as the Instructor

     Craftsy!


By now, I'm sure many of you have jumped on the Craftsy train.   I signed up for a few of the free classes to give it a try.  This is the first class that I purchased.

This class advertises "good for beginner's" (although I wouldn't exactly call myself a beginner) and while that is definitely true, I learned some time saving techniques.  The class covers more than one quilting project so you have the opportunity to try out the techniques on various projects.  All instructions, materials, etc. are downloadable too.  The class also encourages your creativity by giving examples of some of the blocks you can make using just the half-square triangle.  And you can go at your own pace, rewind to review, and even make notes.

And of course, Camille is just adorable!

This class earns a

for Beginning Quilters with tips and techniques for the more advanced quilter.

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Another Review...Simply Retro by Camille Roskelley

  

  First off, let me say that I am a huge fan of Bonnie and Camille's fabric lines as well as their beautiful patterns!  I also took Camille's Craftsy class, Pre-Cut Piecing Made Simple, which I really should have reviewed already but will soon.

I've followed Camille's blog, Simplify, since I first entered the blogging world and shortly after, started following her mother, Bonnie.  They are truly a beautiful team and their fabric and patterns reflect everything I love. 

Now the review...No disappointment here! 

This book is Eye Candy!  The pictures are bright and bold and make you want to drop everything to start every quilt in it.  I have browsed through a hundred times and read through this book at least twice and I only received it on Saturday.  I just can't get enough of the pictures.

The patterns are fresh and bright and she gives you exactly what she claims, "fresh quilts from classic blocks".  One of her baby quilts is one large classic block (don't want to reveal too much here).  The scale of the block, along with the quilting, give a modern feel.  And I can only imagine how quickly that one block will go together.  (Perfect gift for daughter #1's friend's baby shower that she just told you about yesterday, and the shower is on Sunday - LOL - Thankfully, daughter #1 has not done that to me...yet)

My absolute "must. start. now. " quilt is "Dwell".  Simple little houses with a few surprises thrown in.  Her instructions are clear and to the point and doesn't require multiple re-reads to figure out what needs to be done.  She gives measurements at multiple points along the way, making it easy to individualize it.  I've got a bundle of happy-go-lucky that I can't wait to cut into and I'm going to throw in a little of this and a little Bliss to make it larger.
                                                                       
This book gets a FIVE STAR rating!

Definitely a keeper for your quilting library.

Cheers!