2 finishes for September

Happy to say that I've managed to finish 2 projects on my list for September. The first one is the Hampton Ridge BOM quilt that I was working on as a shop sample. I enjoyed working on this quilt and love the more vibrant colors of these reproduction fabrics.

The mitred stripe border adds so much interest to the edges of the quilt and went together a lot easier than I had expected.

Here is a picture of the quilt top.
It's not on a flannel wall but hanging from a wire - which is why it looks a little "drapey". A good size, this quilt finished at 88" x 88".

Check this club program out at your local quilt shop. If they don't carry it you can find it HERE.

My 2nd finish is actually an older UFO. I designed the top nearly 2 years ago while recovering from rib surgery. The quilt is called Acorns & Oak Leaves and was sewn by hand using a method called Reverse Applique'. I machine stitched a simple bead border around the outside edges to add a little bit of structure to the design.

I'm ashamed to say that binding is NOT my favorite part of quilting which is why this piece was neglected for so long. Finally, I stitched the binding to the front of this quilt. I'm looking forward to hand tacking it to the back of the quilt today so I can display it the entire Autumn season.

I hope you've all had a happy & productive month of sewing as well!

every quilt tells a story...

October Sew Along details - quick project

Do you have a pretty border print fabric in your stash? The stripe and floral combinations always pull me in, but sewing these often tricky to match mitred borders to the edge of a quilt isn't one of my favorite projects.
I recently discovered a couple of fun table runner patterns using border print fabrics. These clever, exact match kaleidoscope type table runners look fantastic.

Just one catch, if your prints are not small repeats there can be some fabric waste as you drop-match/align your fabric rows in an effort to cut identical pieces. Well, thru experimentation, laziness and being cheap creative, I've decided that "Windswept" patterns look just as nice as a true kaleidoscope pattern design and a bit more unpredictable. (just my humble opinion of course)

In October, I will show you how to make a SUPER easy 16" hexagon shaped Table Mat. You will be able to make several of these from just 1 yard of a stripe & print border fabric.

here is another version I cut out using the same border print fabric:

We will cover my "NOT so fussy" technique, but you could always make a more perfect kaleidoscope version if you wish. If you are looking for perfection, then I'd like to recommend a free pattern link provided by Jinny Beyer found HERE.
Jinny shows you how to exact match your fabrics.

I also recommend the following great table runner pattern that uses border prints. It's called Easy Striped Table Runner by The Quilt Company.

I hope you decide to join me for Windswept, our free October sew-along. Each Wednesday during the month I will post an instructional tutorial. You will need 1 yard of a border print fabric and a 60 degree triangle ruler or a ruler with a 60 degree line thru it.

every quilt tells a story...

An August Finish - something for Fall

I'm a little slow in posting this - but here is one of my quilt finishes for August. The quilt is called Zip or Zag.
It measures 60" square and is made from just 6 fat quarters, a background fabric and a seasonal border print.

Many of you may recall the free Sew Along I held in May with a somewhat similar pattern. I wrote the instructions for this one first but chose to do it in a Fall fabric line. That's why I opted to choose the more summery Summer Breeze pattern for our Sew Along. (that pattern is now called Box Kites)

Do you know Mary of Quilt Hollow?
Just look at the wonderful pumpkin and leaf design she quilted all over my top. She picked the perfect pattern and I'm so pleased how it turned out!

Here is my quilt on display at Kelly Ann's Quilting.
I'm excited that she has chosen to feature my quilt for one of her Fall quilt Kits. This is my very first quilt shop feature!

Autumn is my very favorite season and I'm looking forward to it's arrival in just a few weeks!
I'd love to see and/or hear about what seasonal project you are working on. If you'd like to share - please post a picture link below.

every quilt tells a story.....

Sneak preview of what I've been working on

Here is a peek at what I've been working on the past few weeks. The quilt is called Hampton Ridge by Paula Barnes of Red Crinoline Quilts and I really love it! It's a new Block of the Month program that quilt shops will be offering up this Fall.

The quilt offers 41 unique quilt blocks surrounded by a unified block border that ties them all together beautifully.
Nearly all of the half square triangles in this quilt are easy paper pieced and I'm happy to say the papers were included with the kit!
I love the fabrics in this quilt - the reds, blues and golds are more vibrant and the background is a pretty cream floral print.
Here is a stack of blocks ready for sashing.

And another one....

OK, one last peek at a few more blocks up on my design wall.

I will share a picture of the finished quilt top once it's completed. (hopefully very soon).
This is going to hang up as a shop sample at Kelly Ann's quilt shop. Customers will be able to come in and see the quilt before the program begins in early November.

If you love sampler quilts and reproduction fabrics - be sure to ask your local shop about this block of the month program. If you don't have local quilt shop Kelly Ann has a limited number of kits available for mail order. You can inquire and sign up HERE.

Wishing you all a wonderful start to September!

every quilt tells a story...