Blogger's quilt festival spring 2014

It's always exciting when the Blogger's Quilt Festival comes around!

This year I am entering my most recent finish - my Seascapes string quilt made from my Moda Bake Shop tutorial.

I started working on it at the same time I was making the Wishes string quilt top for the Bake Shop project, but the top sat un-basted for a few months afterwards.

I finally got around to basting it a month ago - then it sat with me undecided on how to quilt it.......  Finally a week ago, I buckled down and quilted it!

 I ended up doing a freehand swirl/flower thing.  Probably not a design I will ever do again on a quilt - although it turned out nice, it was difficult and it took a LOT of thread.  I used 14 bobbins to quilt/bind this 85''x85'' quilt!  I worked hard last Sunday to try to get it done - and I had the quilting done, and started on the binding - when I was on the 3rd side of the binding, I found an area that hadn't been quilted!  A large area!  UGH.  I put it away for the night after that.  I swear this was the quilt that kept growing!

 I just adore the colors in this quilt!  I am hoping some day that another designer will come out with a collection of prints in these colors!  Love love love!

The backing with the sun shining through, busy busy!

And, a stripey binding of course ::grins::

Happy mail from Moda

Tuesday I got happy mail from United Notions (Moda) delivered by UPS!

You know what this means?!  Yup, another Moda Bake Shop project!  I do believe that this will be my very first Christmas quilt too!  Fabric is ''Be Jolly'' by Deb Strain and it is SO cute!

I started cutting into it yesterday, fun fun!!!

Seascapes quilt post-washing :)

Ahh, love the krinkles! :)

Seascapes string quilt finished!

I am *finally* finished with my Seascapes string quilt using my string quilt tutorial for Moda Bake Shop :)

It's in the washing machine now, so here are the pics pre-wash.

I tried a different quilting pattern this time (a swirl flower), and am not completely happy with how it turned out.  It was hard to go from one swirl flower to the next and get a nice fill and not have big empty spots or spots where the line was too straight.   I probably won't use the fill again, and I'm glad I tried it on a 'keeper' quilt because it took FOREVER to quilt.

 Not to mention it took 15 bobbins to quilt and bind this one!  UGH!

The backing is pretty busy with all those tiny tiles, but it looks cool with the sun shining through it!

I have to admit - I am *terrible* about making labels for my quilts.  So, I have decided that from now on, I am going to quilt my name and the year in the quilt somewhere.  That way, there is no unsightly label, but it's still technically 'labeled' for prosterity.  I did this one freehand, but next time I will definitely use an indelible marker and follow the lines!  Eeek!

I will show post-washed pics tomorrow!

Hexies and the Voice

Watching The Voice tonight and working on hexagons.  I have to say, doesn't Adam's hair look ridiculous?  

Anyhow, two hexies so far......

I haven't worked on these for a while,  so my hands ache after just two LOL

Karin

Orange dresden plate sashing

I finally decided on a print for the sashing on the vintage dresden plate blocks from this post!

It is a DQ Quilts print, and I got 5+ yards.  Plenty enough for wide sashing and a wide border.  But, I am also contemplating about adding a center to the blocks with it?

Should I leave them alone with all their wonky-ness?

Or make nice neat circle centers with the sashing material?

Or does anybody else have a better layout idea?  I have 10 blocks of the plates - and a bit of the orange fabric and the 5+ yards of the DS print.......

working on a sewing machine cover

After I saw this sewing machine cover found on Pinterest, I knew I had to make my own.

But, I wanted it to look more like an actual camper trailer.  More importantly, MY actual vintage camper trailer (a 15' Serro Scotty from 1967).

So, I printed out a picture of one the size that I wanted the cover to be and used that as a pattern :)

Here is the start of the cover.

It needs a little more detail - and I am still deciding on whether I want to do a zigzig/satin stitch over the edges of the fabric - or maybe do a sketchy black straight stitch to hold things down.  The 'grass' and the trailer are simply butted up together because the grass showed through the white.  So, I do think that I will do a wide satin stitch around the perimeter to mimic the aluminum trim that are on these trailers - then maybe I'll do the black stitching.  Oh, I don't know!  I do think the little bunting is a nice touch too - and I think I'll add one of those in Bonnie and Camille fabrics that I dig out of my scrap bin.  I do have to figure out a 'sky' fabric too because I was an idiot and didn't think about the seam allowance when I cut out the trailer, DUH. Rookie mistake.