Friday Finish: Summer Sampler Series Quilt

Crazy Mom Quilts' "Finish It Up Friday" link up has really become a big motivator for me to finish up some of my UFO's!  I got another one done this week, and here it is!  Be sure to hop over to her blog and see what others have finished!

This week, I finally finished the Summer Sampler Series Quilt that I started more than a few months ago.  I am so excited at how it turned out!  I also got to try out some Isacord thread for the first time, and I must admit that it's pretty fantastic!  After many broken and skipped cotton threads, I put in some Isacord thread that I just got a few days ago, and was able to sew non-stop, full speed for over an hour!  This made me very happy!  I'm afraid my machine's still giving me issues on the pieced bulky blocks, but the thread really helped a lot, and I got 'er done!  It sure feels good, as I LOVE this quilt!  It's also my first quilt with paper pieced blocks.  I've rapidly become very fond of paper piecing, and am already making more! 

I used "sharp stippling" throughout the quilt, partly because the neurotic part of me likes that it not only starts with "s"'s, like Summer Sampler Series (sharp stippling), but it also looks like S's!  I bet that's a first for choosing a stitch to use on a quilt LOL! 

As I get more and more quilts under my belt, I've noticed a distinct preference for certain themes and designs.  I once again used "suns" a lot, as well as spirals.  I can't seem to get enough of these.  Maybe it's because of the solar panels on our roof, maybe it's just because it's fun, and they work well with so many quilt blocks.  I also like the way the "rays", and the sharp stippling looks like fire, which is also a common theme in our household, as my husband is a wild land fire fighter.  Anyway, enough blabber.  Here's a few more details!  Enjoy!

On deck

I hope all of you had a great last few days!  We certainly did!  The last of my Christmas presents just arrived this morning...  The Electric Quilt 7 computer program!!  My DH ordered it all by himself!!  Is that sweet or what?  It's his birthday today, so I'm going to have to find a way to say both thanks, and Happy Birthday!!

I got a few presents made for my kids... fleece pajamas and I made this ipod cover for my youngest, with plans to make another for my oldest.  Maybe I'll do a tutorial for it here next year (LOL).

I have my Summer Sampler Series "on deck", all pin-basted, and ready to quilt, but it'll have to wait, since I'll be playing with my new toy for a while, I'm sure!!

WIP Wed: New Projects!

It's Wednesday, and as usual, I'm linking up with Lee at Freshly Pieced's linky party!  Come join us! 

I'm afraid we've had some nasty respiratory bugs here in our house, which has kept me close to home, but luckily I've managed to stay healthy!  One good thing (I guess) about working in a hospital is that I think it really exposed me to so many viruses and such that I've built up quite an immunity to them.  Same is true for school teachers, I hear... It also taught me the importance of hand washing and surface cleaning...  I still have one home from school, but at their age, they don't need nearly as much "care", (but just as much TLC).  So, I've been able to get some sewing done.

My only "old" project in the works this week is my Summer Sampler Series Quilt.  I found some really cool clearance fabric to use for the back.  It's a map, and some of the town and city names are where I have relatives, which is pretty neat!  I bought all that they had left, which was about 2 2/3 yard, ALMOST what I need for the quilt back.  I hope to get the back sewn up, and then pin baste the whole thing this week.

As I was going through my stash, figuring what to make next, I came across a few fabric block panels that I bought in Michigan, and had thumb tacked up on my wall there.  We don't have nearly as much wall space here, so I decided to make a quilt quilt from them.  It's the first time I've used a panel, although I own a growing collection of them.  The quilt came together so FAST!  I ran out of the green fabric though, so I just need to buy a bit more to finish the borders.  I literally made this in one afternoon!  I love crows and ravens, and this will make a good Christmas quilt, but won't be so "festive" that I have to put it away in January!

I've also been working on Kindle Covers, but all of the wide black Velcro in town is sold out.  I'm guessing someone else bought it all to make things for our big craft fair.  I was hoping to drive to the nearest Jo-anns to get more (an hour away), but with a sick kid, I haven't been able to.

So I started cutting out a few more quilts instead.  I'm planning this one for my MIL.

But I'm really excited about this one!  Yes, that's the only fabric that will be in it!  If all goes well, I may have a super-easy nerdy quilt to blog about really soon!  Thanks for stopping by!!

Summer Sampler Series Quilt top DONE!

One good thing about having older kids, is that I can enlist them to help me take pictures :-).  I finished my Summer Sampler Series Quilt top today, and got my younger son to help me take a picture of it.  That's me (and our dog) behind the quilt!  It only seems fitting to be bringing this quilt to an end (or beginning?), as the weather turns crisp and the leaves start their beautiful demise.

Here's a picture he took of me (and the dog, again) as I headed inside!

WIP Wed: Another Project Linus Quilt, Summer Sampler and Art Project

It's Wednesday, so I'm linking up with Freshly Pieced WIP wed, and letting you know what I'm working on!

In the box with the striped squares that I used for my first Project Linus Quilt was a bunch of "puss in the corner" blocks that were made up.  I decided to pair them with another yard of fabric I had in my stash to make another Project Linus Quilt.  When I dropped the first one off yesterday, one of the coordinators was in the quilt shop, and it was fun talking with her about the project.  She told me that one of the agencies who gives away quilts also receives many nice stuffed animals to give away, and when the kids are given a choice between a toy and a quilt, they ALWAYS pick the quilt!  Is that neat, or what?  I had already started the quilt, and as I was sewing the rows together, it occurred me that the puss in the corner and striped blocks were originally meant to go together as one quilt... they were the same proportions, same box and all.  Oh well...  That's what happens when you have a WIP for 3-4 years shelved away in a closet.  I'm really happier with the 2 separate projects than the initial one.  So sometimes I guess all it takes to resurrect a WIP or UFO is to split it into a few different quilts...

I also decided to get out my Summer Sampler Series Quilt to finish, now that the weather has turned.  Originally I was planning to add additional blocks to make it bigger, but I found a cream fabric on clearance that was a good match, and now I'm going to make it bigger by giving it nice wide sashings and borders.

Finally, I'm taking part in a local art challenge that's perfect for me!  The challenge is to go to a community thrift store here in town (which raises money for local charities), spend no more than 5 dollars on items there, and create a piece of art to be displayed in their street window.  We can also use items from our own stash.  Here's what I bought yesterday, a $3 polyester/rayon women's suit, and an orphan flannel brown flat sheet for 25 cents.  As a bonus, I found a vintage sheet that was ripped that they gave me for free, and 3 men's silk shirts, all under $3 per shirt!  If my husband won't wear them, I may have to make a quilt from them!  Has anyone ever made a quilt with silk?  Any tips?  These shirts are so luxurious!!

We are finally getting our fall rains here, after many, many weeks without measurable rain, which is typical here.  It's so nice to see clouds and rain again!  Best of all, rain, clouds, and cold means perfect sewing weather!!

WIP Wed: Summer Sampler Continued

I have 2 more blocks done, and only 1 left to make!  Yipee!  I love how this quilt is coming together!  With only 21 days left until school starts, I hope to get some good chunks of time back to do some actual quilting soon (weather permitting).  I can't complain much though, as my kids are getting old enough that I no longer worry about keeping them out of trouble, but instead worry that they spend way too much time entertaining themselves on the computer.  I've been able to do more sewing this summer than ever before!  I've started the final block, and hope to finish it soon, and pack up my finished quilt blocks to make room for school supplies and veggies.

Speaking of veggies, our garden is coming along quite well.  I'm so glad my kids like veggies.  Each year, our garden gets bigger and bigger, and we have less and less of it to preserve.  Anyone with teen boys knows where it all goes :-).  I only planted a few flowers this year, none for cutting, so I'm enjoying instead the flowers in the garden.  Ever notice most are yellow?  I wonder why.  But I did find a few purple ones this week... an eggplant flower, and a yard-long bean flower.  Pretty!

We also have some young okra almost ready to pick (my favorite veggie), and some red starting to appear!

As usual, it's Wednesday, so I'm linking up with Freshly Pieced blog.  Come join us!

2 more blocks!

This block, from the Summer Sampler Series, (Arkansas Traveler) is one of my favorites!  So pretty.  I love the diamond shape in any quilt or design.  So elegant!

I also finished up the "mosaic" block!  Very fun!  Only 3 more blocks to go!

First Okra Blossom!!!

I just had to share this!  We have the first (several) okra blossom(s) in our garden!  Okra doesn't grow nearly as well here as it does down South, but it does grow.  Taking that into consideration, we planted a TON of okra, hoping to get enough to make me happy!  It's my favorite vegetable!  My husband even jokes that okra blossoms are my favorite flower :-).  They certainly are pretty!

Here's our harvest for the day:

I decided, as I was going through all of my batik scraps that I'm going to add more blocks to the summer sampler quilt (eventually).  I have a ton of extra 3x3 squares that I cut for Lee's "Supernova" quilt along that are just begging to be used up.  I'll have to cut up some more reds, greens and oranges to add to the mix.  I hope it doesn't get too scrappy!  I'm thinking of adding them checkerboard style, and putting the quilt on point.  We'll see....

With family in Texas, my mind has been there quite a bit.  I hope all of you are safe and staying cool!

WIP Wed: More Sampler Blocks

I almost have another Summer Sampler Block finished. I'm slowly getting caught up.  It's been so much fun sewing these beauties up!  Using up scraps and learning to paper piece is also great!  As usual, the flickr group looks fantastic!  I marvel almost every day at how the internet has transformed my life (and the world)!

Here's the group I have all finished up:

The garden's loving the hot weather we've finally been getting!  I picked our first green beans and our first pepper today!  Yipee!  The summer squash have been producing for a few weeks now!

It's also Wednesday, so I'm linking up with Freshly Pieced WIP Wed blog!  Come join us!!

A few more blocks: Evening Star and Virgina Star

Gosh, the paper pieced Evening Star was quite the challenge for me!  But I was up for it, and it turned out so pretty!  I impressed myself LOL!  It's got to be among my favorite pieced blocks!

After that, the Star of Virgina was such an easy fun block.  I've made many of these, but never scrappy like this.  This quilt is coming together so well.  I love all of the colors!  It's nice to finally have enough scraps to do a quilt like this.  It's my 3rd quilt made almost entirely from scraps.  So far, I haven't bought a bit of fabric.  I hope I don't have to at all to finish this!  I'm taking a break though, and I'm off to the pool with the boys!!

Greek Cross Block

Yep, I'm hooked on the Summer Sampler Series...  I had to make the Greek Cross blue, since my father-in-law is Greek, and would give me a hard time if I didn't!

I forgot how much fun sampler quilts are.  It's neat to focus entirely on one single block, instead of one block made many times.  I started my second paper-pieced block today, and honestly that's another biggie that finally drew me in.  I love to learn new skills each time I make a quilt, and certainly my ripper has been busy ;-).

The floor looks pretty too!

Luckily, my husband is looking out for our garden!  He pulled all of the garlic and tied them up to dry over the week-end!  NICE!!

Minnesota Block: My First Paper Pieced Project!

Here it is!  I had so much fun making this!  Thanks Lee!

Paper piecing, Summer Sampler Series, and a Surprise!

First of all, I got such a wonderful surprise in the mail yesterday!  The above picture was taken at this year's Sisters Quilt Show in Sisters Oregon., and mailed to me!!  It's from last year's winner of their quilt block contest.  The rules have changed this year, but last year, one winner was best of show, and 24 others were picked as "teacher's choice" awards, and the top winner got all of those blacks to make a quilt from, as well as $50.  The rest of the blocks were sent to randomly chosen contest participants.  Long story short, the winner, Ruth Newell, of Michigan, sent me a wonderful handmade pin as a thank you gift (so generous, and totally unexpected).  Imagine my surprise when I got this picture of hers of her finished quilt that she entered into the Sisters show of all of our blocks in a finished quilt!!  WOW!  Great job Ruth!!

Here's the block I entered last year:

e

This year, they picked the top 6 and all of the blocks were divided up and sent to them.  I did not make the cut, but got to see the winners (on the Internet), and WOW what a wonderful job they all did!

Next, I was able to catch up on my blog reading today, and was stopped in my tracks by the lovely Minnesota block that Lee of Freshly Pieced Blog had on there today.  One of my favorite parts of the quilt blog-o-sphere is the quilt alongs, but I've resisted joining in this summer because I just don't have the time with my kids home 24/7.  This block, though, caught my attention since it's so pretty and since it uses paper piecing, a technique I've been really wanting to learn / try for some time now.  Lee's directions are clear as a bell, even her computer direction...  I decided that I want to make it.

But the clincher was visiting with Marlene at Kissed Quilts, who lives about 45 minutes away from me.  I had some rare summer kid-free time, and headed over there for a trip to some fabric stores and to see Marlene's studio (she has a long arm quilting and pattern business).  She just happened to have some paper piecing templates laying around, and helped me in person understand how to do it!  Thanks Marlene!  I'm not superstitious, but if this isn't a "sign", then I don't know what is LOL!!  With Lee's computer help, I just now  printed out the templates, and hope to get a block made soon!

Finally, I have a stack of Kindle covers for my Etsy shop all ready to sew up.  I hope you all have a productive week-end as well!!