Magic Squared

During the pandemic, April Rosenthal designed a follow up collection to her very adorable Midnight Magic Halloween collection from a year or two earlier. I'm not generally a big Halloween fan, but I really loved (a lot of) that line, especially the florals. It was Halloween, but not overly cutesy, not overly Halloween-esque, and just really nice. However, the fabric faced major delays, and apparently, a lot of shops cancelled their orders. When I saw Abby Latimer had precuts, I ordered a jelly roll and a charm pack to make sure I had at least some of the fabric, and luckily, a local quilt shop got most of the line in yardage so I was able to buy some cuts of the best prints, especially the florals. 

But, what to do with the precuts? I don't usually use precuts. I feel wasteful if I don't use the entire piece of fabric, so trimming a charm square down to 3 or 4 inches is out of the question. I thought about a simple star block, using the charm squares as centers and the jelly roll to make flying geese for the points, but I didn't love the math. And then I saw a quilt on the cover of a book, and realized it would be perfect. I had seen the book at my mom's, but it was simple enough I was able to do the math myself. 

I cut some 2-1/2" strips from some of my Halloween fabric to mix in because I don't love quilts made from just one line of fabric, and got to work. It came together really quickly and I love it!

Apparently, other people loved it too. My quilter, Abby Latimer, posted a picture of it on Instagram and lots of people asked what the pattern was. Abby didn't know, I responded to one person who tagged me and gave the details, but I couldn't believe how rude some people were. "Why post a quilt without posting the pattern information??" or some such variation. Berating a longarm quilter for not providing detailed information she didn't have just seemed very rude. I hopped back onto the post to check out the comment section when I received a DM from someone I don't know who asked if I sold patterns because Abby wouldn't respond to her questions. I was appalled at how she had berated Abby, telling her she was so unprofessional and how could she possibly run a quilting business like this...Abby was more patient than I would have been, and I didn't dare respond because I didn't think I could without being rude back. However, a simple glance through the comments would have revealed my source for the design, and if she'd spent as much time scrolling through comments as she did berating Abby, she would have seen the answer to her question. Sigh. The internet has killed civility. 

I backed it with an amazing Halloween print I found on Hawthorne Supply Co on clearance. Love that! I think it's Art Gallery, but I'm not totally sure...

Magic Squared, long arm quilted by Abby Latimer, completed 2022

Travel Scraps

 My Patchwork City Sampler was such an undertaking. I did a fair amount of fussy cutting, which can leave your fabric just in shreds. Or rather, holey. As I got ready to reintegrate the fabric I had set aside for the quilt back into my stash, I decided to clean it up a bit and also opted to see about making a quick scrap quilt from the cleaned up bits. I chose a scrap pattern I've had on my list for a while. It's from Scraps Inc, volume 1 and it was designed by Camille Roskelley. It's called Delightful. I loved how she offset the blocks and I love the simple block construction. With the larger centers (I think they're 4 1/2" to accommodate leftover charm squares if I remember correctly...) I thought it would be perfect to use up some of the novelty prints I had fussy cut from. 

I pulled out a bunch of the prints that needed to be trimmed up and then I had to pick a background fabric. This was really tricky and I opted to go bold for a couple reasons. First, there were enough prints that  Was using that had white or light backgrounds that I knew I needed something for them to stand up against. Second, I figured I could experiment with something bright and bold on a scrap quilt that I didn't necessarily care about, something that was extra. 

I went with Kona in curry, one of my favorite yellows. I figured, it wasn't too bright since it's a muted yellow, and it was more fun than a blue or a gray. I tried to audition it next to some of the prints, but it was really difficult to tell. It looked like it would work, so I went for it.

But it did NOT turn out awesome. I really thought about not having it quilted even. In the end, I hoped that quilting and binding would help finish it up and I would like it better. The picture here actually doesn't look as terrible as it does in real life, haha. 

It helped only a little. It's definitely not a great quilt. You know it's bad when your quilter tells you when you pick it up that the back is really fun, haha. But I am proud of myself for trying something out of my comfort zone.

I used some leftovers for the backing that I didn't anticipate wanting to use in the future and the backing turned out okay. Maybe better than the front, lol. 

It's okay. It really is. It was good practice and I think it's nice to remember that everything doesn't have to be perfect. That not every time we set about to create something, it will work. And now it sits in my closet. It can come out if we needed a quilt for warmth, or for some other utilitarian purpose, but I doubt it will come out to decorate. And that's okay.

Remnants of Dreams, pattern by Camille Roskelley, long arm quilted by Abby Latimer, completed 2021

Controlled Improv WIP

I got to go to the Quilt Con quilt show earlier this year. We happened to be visiting my in-laws in Phoenix the very same time Quilt Con was happening. I didn't realize early enough to sign up for any classes, but that's okay. I spent a very long and full day looking at so many beautiful quilts at the show and browsing the vendors area. One of the vendors was Jittery Wings Quilt Co, and she had several quilts on display that corresponded to her patterns. I was really intrigued by a couple and she gave me a very brief demo on the color organization that she said the one pattern teaches. She called in controlled improv and I was sufficiently intrigued that I bough the pattern. It's called All the Good and I finally started sewing it. I'm a little nervous but I'm trying to trust the process. So far, I've gotten my HSTs all sewn, trimmed, and pressed, and I'm working on pairing my flying geese fabrics. 

This is my stack of fabric, almost, in the order I chose for the half square triangles. Once I went to cut it, I realized I was short on two of the prints. I could have sworn I had already verified that, since I had to order more of the light blue speckled Ruby Star print. I didn't mind, it's one of my favorites and I wanted more anyway. But I was pretty surprised that a few weren't wide enough for what I needed. I had to sub in two different greens, and a different yellow.

I was really irritated with myself and it took some major discipline when I made an irreversible cutting error. I wasn't thinking, and neglected the fact that I was cutting two at a time, and cut 8 of one size instead of 4. I intentionally did those first because I only needed one of the last size, and wanted to do the other before I opened it up to single layer, so of course I was aware of what I was doing, but nevertheless, I did it anyway, and didn't have enough to cut the single square for the flying geese. And of course, didn't have enough of that fabric left. Grr. It's a print by Amy Smart from her London line, and I really like it. I'm disappointed I will have less of that fabric in the quilt. BUT, it is improv, so I elected to take another print that was close in color that I did have extra of, and cut a second of that. It's fine. It'll be fine. But it's always irritating when you cut something incorrectly and don't have enough fabric to correct it. 

The pattern has you put them in a gradiant order and sew HSTs in that gradiant order, but I did a few switches because I was worried there wasn't enough contrast. I'm still a bit worried, to be honest, but I'm hopeful it'll turn out the right way since I'm basically following instructions. I'm using some prints I really love, too, and I think in general I've got a great fabric selection so hopefully it'll all work out.

I am breaking with the instructions a bit for the fabric order for the flying geese, mostly because I don't understand how it'll produce different results than what I've done. I'm trying to make sure that none of the pairings are the same as the HSTs, and I'm also trying to make sure that I don't have any inverted pairs, where I've got the same exact fabrics paired, but also that I don't have any that are too similar. This is my current organization. We'll see if I make any more changes.

I'm a tad nervous to see how this all comes together, and I don't know how I'll do the layout when it's time. I have a great design wall in my sewing room, but it's too narrow for this quilt, and it's really more of a block holding/organizing board than a design board since it's not wide enough for most things. But, you use the space you have, right? I'll have to layout on the floor outside my room where I do have space, and hope I can get it laid out well enough before I really have to pick it up. Usually, I'll take loads of pictures to help with layout (changing it to black and white can help me see value issues) and it has the added benefit of helping me if I have to pick it up before I'm done. 

Around the World BOM

When Whole Circle Studio announced an Around the World monthly sampler, I knew I had to sign up. The quilt is stunning, and I couldn't pass it up, I think I signed up the first day and got to take advantage of the early bird pricing.

I was not excited to sew more paper pieced blocks, I had just finished a bunch for a memorial project I'll post later, but I thought it would be worth it. I think it was. Originally, I figured with only one block per month, it wouldn't be too tiring, but by the end, I was so done with paper piecing. I wouldn't mind never paper piecing ever again. I know I will. But I'm sure not antsy to do it. :)

I chose really similar colors to the original, subbing in some for others I didn't love. They're all Kona cottons. And I redid completely one of the blocks because I wasn't happy with how it looked, especially with all the other blocks around it. I originally made Dubai with an orange background, and it ended up being too similar to the Cairo. I redid it in pink instead and had just enough to complete it. 

One change I made was using letter patterns I already owned instead of the one designed by WCS. I didn't love some of her letter shapes, and I already had one I really liked, by From Blank Pages. So I did a little math and increased the size of the pattern so it would fit better into the blocks. It also meant I had to be flexible and measure to get the piece the right size and shape to fit into the block. It was difficult, and I think it was worth it. I love it with the letters!

I also decided to add a nice, wide border to it. When the top was completed, I was underwhelmed by the size. If you've been around my blog much, you know I like BIG quilts. Oversized lap quilts are my preferred size, and by oversized, I mean practically twin. Or, if it's square, practically queen. ;-) And after all the work of the paper piecing, I just wanted the finished product to be larger. So I added a nice wide border in a light gray. I love how it turned out, and the size is much more me. 

I knew, after all the work, I had to send it to Marion McClellan for custom quilting and she did a stellar job. I love the winding road in the border with the pebbling, it's perfection. I am never disappointed with her quilting. 

Before I took it to her, I consulted her on the backing; I had purchased more fabric than I needed intentionally because paper piecing is such a fabric hog, and I had lots leftover. I asked her if it would be awful to pair pretty dense paper piecing with a pieced backing and described what I was thinking and she was supportive! Of course she acknowledged normal backings are easier but also said she thought it would look amazing and that if it were her, she'd definitely consider it. So I went for it; I figured how large the back needed to be and then divided that evenly and cut a bunch of squares to make a pieced back. I do like it; it's different than I pictured, and I might like it more if I hadn't tried to use up my least favorite colors, haha. But, in the interest in not wasting fabric, I went with what I'd like most to get rid of. 

I really love how it turned out, and I love having it in our living room!

Come Fly With Me, designed by Whole Circle Studio, long arm quilted by Marion McClellan, completed March 2022

Scrap Stash Plus

When I saw Emily Dennis's Scrap Stash Plus tutorial, I immediately wanted to make one. I recognized in it the Inside Out pattern designed by Allison Harris of Cluck Cluck Sew, which I own already, but loved the alternating background Emily used. And the rainbow. So good. 

It took me a while to get around to actually making it, though not too long. And as it happened, I didn't expect to finish it as quickly as I did. I brainstormed a color scheme (I opted to go for a partial rainbow, just pink to green), and then, because I was working on some pretty big and demanding projects, I decided to just make a couple blocks to give myself a break from the tough stuff. 

But, when does a couple of blocks ever stay a couple of blocks? I continued on with my harder project (I think it was the Patchwork City sampler...) but I added in a few of these blocks a day and became thoroughly enamored with them. I made it a bit bigger than the throw size, but a few rows shorter than the twin size, and it's the perfect oversized throw for our family. I love the scrap variety, I didn't reuse a single colored scrap (though I had to reuse a lot of the low volume scraps because I just didn't have enough). And I love the rainbow/ombre effect. 

I backed it with a navy blue minky and it's lovely. I bound it with Kona Curry, even though there isn't any yellow in it, and I think it's the perfect bright-but-not-too-bright complement. 

Also, side note, as I cut out the background, I realized that for one block, I had miscalculated with my scrap and I was one 2-1/2" square shy. It happened to be a print from April Rosenthal's Midnight Magic, and I just happen to live in the same city she does. I reached out to ask if she had any scraps of the print and she graciously gave me a whole fat quarter! Quilters are the best people. I was so grateful. 

Scrap Stash Plus, quilted by Abby Latimer, completed May 2022

Swoon Sixteen 2.0

My second daughter had been patiently asking for a minky-backed bed quilt longer than my oldest daughter and as most middle children, she gets overlooked more than is fair and often very patiently waits. I couldn't keep pushing her quilt request off when I had just made a quilt for my oldest, so luckily for her, her quilt request shot to the top of the list. I got the top done shortly after my oldest daughter's, and they went to the quilter together and were finished together. I might have finished hers first, just to make sure she got looked after. 

I picked out a stack of fabric I thought she'd love, and she did. I thought Swoon 16 by Camille Roskelley would be the perfect pattern, and I do enjoy piecing quilts in this style. Camille Roskelley and Allison Harris are among my favorites, even still, and they have patterns I'm most willing to resew. I'm contemplating another Shimmer quilt (I've made two already, plus a Wallflower, which is nearly the same pattern), and it's similar to the Swoon in construction and look, and it's just a pattern I enjoy sewing. I was glad when she said she'd like it.

I think it turned out really great. I used some leftover Ruby Star Society lawn (a major sacrifice!) and some others that I'd been holding onto for a while. We backed it with aqua minky, and that gave us a hard time. Apparently, aqua is a color that has been hard to restock, and since it's popular, Abby Latimer had been out for a while. I went on a search of local quilt shops and found it after checking a couple, and they had *just* enough. Like, I texted Abby after they measured it to make sure it would be okay. She said she could make it work and I was so so glad. My daughter really wanted aqua, and I didn't want to let her down. 

She doesn't really sleep with hers, either. But that's okay. I'm pretty sure she loves it too.

Long arm quilted by Abby Latimer, completed March 2022

Hidden Stars

My older girls have been asking me to make them new bed quilts for a while. They've been jealous that the twins have minky-backed bed quilts, and theirs have boring-and-not-as-soft flannel. Even though they still share a room, I think they were also tired of having coordinated quilts and wanted something more personal.

It was on my list, but low. I have so many other projects that I'm more excited about, and they HAVE bed quilts. 

Then, I ordered a Florida jelly roll by Ruby Star Society when it was on sale and my oldest daughter fell in love with it when I opened it up to brainstorm. I don't usually buy precuts or sew with them because I've always found it easier to use yardage, and I don't typically sew quilts from just one line. Sometimes there's a dominant line, but I rarely use exclusively one line. 

This quilt is no exception. I used the whole jelly roll because it was a half-sized roll anyway, but I added a bunch of strips from my yardage too. And I copied a pattern I had seen online somewhere, doing the math myself  (not sure it was jelly roll friendly anyway). I love the secondary pattern it creates with the stars in the middle between the blocks and she was excited about it too. 

We backed it with dark gray minky and she loves it. At least, I think she does...she still mostly sleeps under her comforter. *shrug*

Long arm quilted by Abby Latimer, completed March 2022