do.Good Stitches - Candy Land Quilt FINISHED!!

This is my ONE finished item from the Fourth Quarter FAL (that's my original post with all my projects) with Rhonda over at Quilter in the Gap. I am linking it up here in the final link up.

It is finally here! This has been a long time in the making, and well worth it. I am so grateful for all the Harmony girls to helped with this quilt. :) It's taken me WAY to long to finish, and I apologize for that, and I am glad no one got mad at me for being so slow. ;)

If you want to make this quilt, you can find the tutorial for 1-2 blocks here. I definitely want to make this again, and it's been on my list for a long time to make a full pattern of it. Now that it's finished, I REALLY want to make another. I love how it turned out! These are prewash pictures. I get nervous about what quilts will look like after the wash, so I always take before and after pictures in case it looks horrible, which they never do. Anyway, here are some more photos of it:

I did a 1/4" echo quilting around all the strips and really loved how crisp and simple it looked, but the wider spaces definitely needed something. I decided to go with the clamshell design from Angela Walter's book, Free Motion Quilting. I REALLY love how it looks with the quilt. This is the very center.

Some more quilting around the top.

I think this shows the quilting really well. It was hard to get a good shot of this quilt.

I also love the binding on this! I think the light green gives it just the right accent without taking away from all the colors in the quilt. I did one little corner of a darker green to add some contrast (and I was like 5 inches shy of enough of the main binding fabric (it's by Henry Glass, not sure what. The dark green is from the Dear Stella line, a little something I got from Sewing Summit!) :)



It's such a cozy quilt. I can't wait to wash it and send it off. Crossing my fingers that the recipient will really love it!

Make sure to head over to Stitched in Color and check out all the Celebrate Good Stitches! stuff going on! I LOVE looking at all the quilts that everyone has made!

The linky party will be up shortly. Sorry in advance for the blogging overload today.

It happens when it happens, and sometimes that's all at once. ;)

Candy Land Quilt Progress!

Can you believe this quilt has taken me so long? Ok, I can. But still. I am SO happy to at least have the top done! It will be complete once I get back from the Sewing Summit! This quilt is the do.Good Stitches quilt from February (hanging my head in shame), from the Harmony Circle. The pattern is the Candy Land quilt, and I have a tutorial for each block style that can be found here. The measurements are for 1 or 2 blocks, not the whole quilt, so this is great if you want to use it for a quilting bee, or where multiple people will be contributing blocks.

 Man, what an awesome group of girls we had! I still miss them and wish I could be back sewing with them some days. :) Rachel finally sent me a message last month giving me the kick in the butt I needed to get going on this. Trust me, this has been at the top of my list, or 5 lists, for months and months! Thanks Rachel for the welcomed nagging. ;) I needed it. I guess I'm good at skipping around on my lists... Anyway, I think this is the ONLY thing I worked on in September (darn that feeling sick!).

I finished the top Sunday morning and had fun taking pictures! They don't give a super clear picture of what it actually looks like in normal light (except the first picture), but I LOVE the "stained glass" look. :)

The softest, lightest blocks went in the middle, with the darker blocks around the outside. I think my two straight blocks actually ended up being the darkest. oops. I'm super impressed with how well they all go together!

I think it's interesting how all the different columns look with the sun light behind the quilt. Everyone ironed their strips just a little bit differently and it makes it look like the columns are different widths. They really are all the same!

Everyone did such an excellent job! I really had no problems lining up all the different blocks, and they all match great! I'm so glad that my tutorial really did work since I was the last one to use it!! lol.

Thanks to all the wonderful ladies who helped me!! I can't wait to quilt this!! :)

doing good for do.Good

Basically that means I finally finished the quilt for the do.Good Stitches Harmony Circle from last September! Oops! Anyway, I'm so happy with it! All the wonderful girls in the group did such a good job and finishing this makes me realize that I miss them a lot. It was a fun group! But the break has definitely been a needed one.

I made up a quick tutorial for it here. And asked that everyone make blocks using 4 off center squares-in-square. And that they each include at least one orange square and one white square. Square-in-square is basically a log cabin, except that each round uses the same fabric rather than giving it the scrappy feel of the log cabin design.

It's always interesting to see the variety of blocks that you get back from a bee group, never what I expect, but it's still so much fun!! I had a great time putting these together.

I did some basic wavy lines across the quilt for the quilting. I still need to wash it, but I wanted it to keep a soft fluffy feel, so hopefully it works. :)

I still have mixed emotions about the back, but somehow I really like it. :)

p.s. Check out my new huge backyard!! I love that it has a clothes line!! I'm not so sure about hanging our clothes out there for the world to see, but hanging quilts for pictures! Yes please! :)

I used the binding method that Red Pepper Quilts uses, of sewing it on the front and then pinning it on the back and sewing in the ditch on the front so it catches the back. I only missed one small section on the back, and for the most part I stayed right in the ditch! I'm so proud of myself! lol. :) As my husband said last night, a humble brag. ;) hey, everyone deserves to give themselves a pat on the back for a job well done!

For some reason I went against the norm and put the label in the top corner. It just looks better on that fabric I think. Anyway, I still need to write in "Harmony Circle - Sept. 2011" on it. THEN it will be complete. :) I'm not sure where the nearest Project Linus is in these parts, so I might see if there is a family/someone in the area who could give this beauty some good love! :) I hope the Harmony girls don't mind!


So, basically, I should be unpacking, cleaning, filling out claims forms, teaching my children about the weather system and oceanic sea life (ok, not really), and everything else that is on my to-do list, but with so much drama going on (more about that later) I drastically needed a break! Yesterday I put together my make shift sewing area, finding supplies as I went, and I am SO glad I did! :) I think that was the most rewarding sewing I've done in a long time!

I'm just a little embarrassed to show a messy picture online. lol. ;)

Amazing Contributors to this quilt:

Melissa of A Child of the Wild Blue Yonder

Jessica of A Little Gray

Leigh of Leedle Deedle Quilts

Angelina79

Denise of My Family Thinks I am Working

Sandi, aka Missplanner

3 Beans Studio of 3 Beans Studio

Jeri of Durable Goods

Erica (aka  three_little_pumpkins') of fabric glue and thread 

Now onto finishing the candy land quilt.... though I think that will have to wait for another day.

How are all your sewing projects coming along???

I'm so glad I read Lori's blog the other day 

and for her reminder about how it's almost time to link up any finishes for the the Finish-a-Long!

I am so happy I'll be able to link up this quilt!! :)
(you can see this in my original post here.) 

W.i.P. Wednesday {5.2.2012}

There have been a few changes around here... the wees ones have either stopped napping, or aren't napping at the same time = midday-mom-time is null. Deep breath. ;) My oldest "uses" my camera all the time (sneaky boy) and it is having issues... but I think I've figured it out. Phew. A bit of ADD project hopping and I actually feel like I've made some good progress on things! Yippy! :) All in all it's been an awesome week!


I had my list of things I wanted to finish in April, you can see my post about it here. I don't think I finished any of them. Over the weekend as I realized that the month was just about over, I went ahead and whipped up three quilt backs and cut what batting I had for those quilts! Now I just need to do some basting and I can finish up three two of my quilts! Wahoo!! I still need to finish the back for my kaleidoscope quilt, and I need my batting to arrive for Mabel's quilt... so I'm almost there.

Here's what's ready to be finished:

disclaimer: whenever I take pictures with orange, the orange goes crazy bright and all the other colors go muted. any idea why??? the colors aren't great in all of these, but you get the idea.

Giant Granny Square:

I was so nervous about this because with all that bias sewing the first time I sewed on the sashing it was wavy city! Luckily I figured it out and I think it finished up rather nicely. :)

The Back
crazy bright colors! It looks better in person. It's ok. I am going to do hand quilting on this one, I'm excited to try it out. So hopefully that will help pull the back together as well. 

do.Good Stitches Quilt from last fall:

I think I have about a million pictures of this one, but I need a side-by-side comparison with the back, rigth?! :)

The Back
I don't have yardage, so I pulled from the colors on the front, and went with a variation of square-in-square. The greens are brighter, as well as the blue. I hope when I get this finished I'll be able to take better photos that are a bit more real to life. This is the first time I've just pulled fabrics together and pieced a back like this. It was fun and I like how it came together.




Mabel's Quilt
I am SO close. I still don't know how to quilt it though! I want to do flowers, but I'm not very good at them. Both of the boys quilts were quilted by a "professional" so they are amazing with stars and leaves. Maybe I should practice a little more and just do it. Only 9 more days to finish it!! ok, I forgot. I probably won't make it in time because the batting for this quilt is in the mail. It's the worst when you go to finish a quilt and you're out of batting! I'd love to get one of these huge rolls of Warm & Natural!! wouldn't that be awesome?! Only drawback... did you see the price? I'm sure in the end it's a better deal. maybe one day. ;)



The Back
How easy is this?! I thought I was going to need to piece the back because the quilt was too wide, but it turned out perfectly! Yay! And now I have a huge amount of leftover pink minky. :) It's so soft!!

I do have a finish to celebrate too!

My Paper Piecing Tutorial

using Two Stars Squared

Ok, the tutorial isn't yet finished, but the block is. The pictures are all taken. The post is written up. Just a few more finishing touches and I'll post it today... sooner if the little ones nap today. :) Sorry if you've been waiting for this!!
(this tutorial is broken up into a few posts: supplies, cutting, and piecing)

Alright, linking up at Freshly Pieced! 

I hope you've having a lot of success in finishing up your projects as well! :)

W.i.P. Wednesday {2/22/12}

I am going to jump straight to the punch: THERE IS TOO MUCH GOING ON! I am going a little crazy! :) I have 3 swaps that end in the next 7 days, another one in March and then luckily my Bee blocks aren't due until April. They have taken the back burner for now. I also have my other bee blocks I need to do for this month. AND I'm right in the middle of the Cash Envelope Sew Along! (I am sorry for anyone trying to follow along with me - and my late post last night. Like I said, I'm going a little crazy.) ;) But it's fun! And amidst it all, somehow the little family seems to be more playful and happy as ever. :) The laughs definitely help me keep my feet on the ground. Love those little ones!! (and the big one too! lol.)



I did finish one swap project! My pincushion!! :)

you can see more pictures here.

Here's what I've worked on so far for my Mouthy Stitches Pouch. It's been a fun group! There are some amazing pouches being made in that group! (Don't worry partner! I probably work my best under pressure! ;)  )

Here is my to-life size drawing of what I want to put on it. The little stars will be french knots, and maybe not so many. We'll see how transferring it works out. :) I'm happy with it so far though!

Here's a sneak peek of some of the fabric I am planning on using for the Potholder Pass. My partner and I know who each other are, so it's a little bit different... not being able to drool over all the lovely creations hoping that one of them is mine! But I know she is going to make something absolutely amazing. :) I hope she will enjoy mine as well. :)

FTLOS swap - here is what I have ironed and up on my design wall. I have a lot more than this sewn, just not ironed and picture worthy. :) I'm getting a little nervous that it doesn't have enough POP though! My partner seems to really like lots of color and awesomeness, and I don't know if this is what she is going to LOVE. I still have time to come up with something else... ? We'll see, maybe it will turn out more awesome as I finish it up.

Here's where we are with the Cash Envelope Sew Along! Cover is finished! Check out the difference between the one I'm making now and the one I made over a year ago! I'd say my sewing skills are definitely improving! (I also fixed a few mistakes I made in the first one.)

Here's what we're doing today! Zipper pouches!! Come back later to find out how. :) If you'd like to join along in the Sew Along, you can read more about it here, as well as find all the posts about it. :)

I've started receiving some of my blocks for the do.Good Stitches Candy Land Quilt!! Wahoo! I still need to make my blocks, but so far I am really liking how it is coming together!!

OH! And I also forgot! In the midst of it all, Rachael and I have been trying to get the new Giveaway site up! It's up and running and we have a lot of great giveaways on there that will be ending soon. Be sure to stop by and check it out! And if you see any giveaways, send them our way so we can share them with the world! haha. :) We appreciate everyone's help! And I appreciate Rachael and all the work she's put into it! I feel like a slacker. sorry. :)

Ok, now I'm off to try and finish things, play a LOT, try and not lose my head, and all that other good stuff! :)

Thanks for stopping by!

and stop by Freshly Pieced too see what everyone else is working on! :)

Phew!

Do you ever get done with something and it's like you want to collapse on the floor with relief?! That's how I feel after putting the tutorial together for the Candy Land Quilt. It's been on my mind for the last two weeks, bugging me to finish it! I honestly didn't think it would take that long... I decided to do the whole thing in Illustrator (which I LOVE and am so grateful for that program!) But I spent all day on the computer yesterday. Thank goodness for grandma's who love to have little boys come over and destroy her house. ;) (They're not that bad.) Anyway, after all that work I just want to do one more post of it! (Mostly because I didn't put the front and back together and want to see them together.) :) I'm pretty excited for this!! :)

Front and Back

I think it will be so fun!! What little girl wouldn't love this on her bed, right?! ;)

You can find all the instructions for putting this together here.

Now I'm off to relax and breathe and avoid the computer like the plague. heehee.

Candy Land Quilt: the Backing

This tutorial is for the back of a quilt we are making for our February do.Good Stitches quilt. You can find the rest of the tutorials for this quilt by going to the main post.

Here is how I am thinking of doing the back of this quilt.

Of course it will look better with lots of prints, and probably a different arrangement than what is shown. It will kind of be a reverse to the front. Each color block will measure 12.5"x12.5" square - unfinished. And in the second row from the left, instead of having the little strips of color, I thought it would be fun to just have 4 strips of white going all the way from the top to the bottom.

These 5 blocks will be super easy to assemble.

UPDATED TO ADD

*** I am thinking that maybe it would look good to use the same colors as the front, except in darker values. Just to add a little more contrast! :)


To complete the back you will need:

15 - 12.5" x 12.5" squares, in an assortment of colors
5 blocks using the following block tutorial

For 1 Block

Cut:

from the background fabric
3 - 2.5" x 12.5" strips
2 - 1.5" x 12.5" strips

from white fabric
4 - 1.5" x 12.5" strips.


Then piece them together in the same order (measurement wise) as we did in the Straight Line blocks.

Piece all the squares together for the back.
Then baste, quilt, bind, and it's finished! :) I can't wait to see how it all really comes together. :)

If anyone makes this, outside of my do.Good Stitches group (who can obviously also share your blocks here), I'd love to see them! You can share them in my flickr group! :)

You can find the rest of the tutorials for this quilt by going to the main post.