Friday Finish

Posted on 02/07/2014 by Ashley

I am so happy to share this finish today! This quilt is so very special, as it was the very first quilt top I actually finished. I started this quilt on 1/20/2013, and finished the quilt top on 1/31/2013. Also, this quilt won the Sew Can She challenge for their It’s a New Year Sewalong. So, I love this quilt. It was one of those: I saw the Herringbone block on Pinterest, the Internet turned it into a QAL, I just had to rush order fabric, and then I sewed all night kind of projects. Oh wait – that is almost all of them. Yes, you are correct, though. It’s now February 7, 2014 and here is the finished quilt.

Last year when I started quilting I made many quilt tops before I ever made a complete quilt. However, my goal last year was to quilt all of the quilt tops I had accumulated during my stage of quilting fear. This one was 1 of 3 that I didn’t finish. Whoops. The other two are going to have to wait.

In Jersey you can have the full snow or half snow effect. It’s great.

I adore the back of this quilt. It’s got two of my favorite Cuzco prints, and then a beautiful grey and teal plaid that I never would have chosen on my own had I not bought way too little fabric way back in the days of quilting infancy. However, I think it is stunning. This might be on of my favorite quilt backs yet!

I quilted it with a stipple which is oh so hard to capture on film, but I love how it crinkled up so nicely.

Still can’t see it? But I worked so hard on my very first stipple!

And then here’s the binding – my favorite part. Always.

I love this image my husband captured during our photo shoot. This is what quilters do to get the shot.

Even if we wore Toms out …

[dumb.]

To me, this quilt represents the excitement and energy that made me fall in love with quilting. This quilt is the baby that got my blog going, introduced me to so many friends, and it’s the first quilt I ever showed at my Modern Quilt Guild. Thanks for stopping by and sharing in the excitement of this Friday Finish!

I’m linking this up to every Friday party I can find.

Work in Progress Wednesday!

Posted on 01/30/2013 by Ashley

I’m so excited because today’s WiP Wednesday post is partially a Work Done post! While it’s not quilted, the Herringbone quilt top is done and that counts in my book. Amen? Amen.

I made the Sew Can She deadline (for the Herringbone block challenge) last night 30 minutes before the cut-off for the competition. I like to to live on the edge, people. There were so many great entries for this challenge, and I certainly don’t expect to win, but I did win. I have a quilt. One of those “everybody is a winner” moments. Those never really exist, but they do in the quilting world!

The Herringbone Quilt: By the Numbers

30 blocks
5 ft x 6 ft (unquilted)
3 Jelly Rolls
420 Strips of Cuzco by Kate Spain fabric
11 Days
14 x too many repeats of the Indigo Girls’ CD
3 nights of dirty dishes on the counter

Without further ado, the Herringbone quilt top is done!

Now I have quite a few bags of scrappy triangles to sew together for the back of this quilt from all of the extra cuts offs of each block…

I got all sappy on Instagram last night finishing this quilt …

Yep, I took a photo of the last seam. Yes, I did do that…

So, what next? Why my original first quilt, of course! Now that the Herringbone quilt is done, the Love Lives Here quilt is back up on the design wall.

Only 9 more blocks to go…

And, of course, I’ve started another project. The Sister’s Ten Modern Block of the Month sew-along. Supposedly I should have two blocks done by the end of January. I’m thinking February 1st is just fine!

Quilting 101: Jelly Rolls

Posted on 01/28/2013 by Ashley

First of all, a little update on the Herringbone Quilt. It’s coming along quickly, but I’m hoping that I meet Sew Can She‘s deadline tomorrow.

As the Queen of Procrastination I still have quite a lot to do, of course.

Now, onto today’s topic. Fabric selection.

Many of you have reached out saying that you would like to make a quilt, but you don’t know where to start. First of all, go you! Second of all, I felt overwhelmed, too. This is where I can help. While I am not an expert, I spend most of my (little) free time these days quilting, researching quilting, reading about quilting, talking about quilting, pinning quilts, etc. You get the picture. I want to share what I’ve learned so far in my quilting journey because I know how intimidating it can be to walk into a fabric store and feel overwhelmed. Now you can just feel overwhelmed by the stunning fabrics surrounding you!

I found that when I started dreaming about the quilts I wanted to make that fabric selection really motivated me. There’s something about having the fabric in your possession that makes you want to create. So, now you’re wondering – but what do I buy? There are all these fancy words I keep throwing around – Jelly Roll, Fat Quarter, Charm Pack, Bundles… Let’s break down this quilting jargon so you can confidently head to your local quilt store and get started! Each day this week I’ll break down one of these fabric choices and link to some awesome projects you can make with them!

Jelly Rolls

A jelly roll is a great way to get a collection of fabric. They come with 10-40 strips that are usually 2.5 inches wide by 44 inches long.

Here are some quilts that I love that are made from Jelly Rolls. This is just to give you an idea of what you can do with the jelly rolls. Where I could, I’ve linked to the blog or instructions for each quilt. Just click on the picture:

So, there you have it. Jelly Rolls. Basically, half the work is done for you because they are already cut. (For the most part, but hey, it can’t be too easy or it wouldn’t be fun!)

Oh, and don’t forget, the Herringbone Block is also made with a jelly roll!

Happy Quilting and keep the questions coming!

Work in Progress Wednesday!

Posted on 01/23/2013 by Ashley

I have a feeling I’ll be having a lot of Work In Progress Wednesdays, before I have an actual finished quilt. But, a girl can dream, right? The other Work in Progress posts over at Freshly Pieced are so inspiring, you should go check them out. Come on, you know you want to procrastinate!

I’ve made some progress on the Herringbone quilt. This quilt makes me smile every time I see it on my design wall.

I even started playing with the layout of this quilt, and while I like this, I’m not quite feeling it.

I don’t like how the center of the diamonds are all different fabrics. See:

Gross.

I wish I had planned them better, or had even used a white Jelly Roll, to off-set the zig-zag and give it some uniformity. Next time, friends, next time. And, yes, I’ve already decided to make another one of these – who wants a quilt?!

So, that’s my work in progress so far – but I can’t wait until it’s a work done.

I guess today I should piece these babies together …

… Instead of getting sucked into The Bachelor like I did last night. Whoops.

Happy Wednesday!

Up for the Challenge

Posted on 01/20/2013 by Ashley

My January goal was to complete my Love Lives Here quilt. I’m still making progress – 21 out of 30 blocks done, but then the blog-world threw me a challenge. I landed on Sew Can She’s new year challenge.

Complete a project, using the Herringbone Block, by January 29, 2013. So, of course, I thought this was a great idea. Never mind that I wouldn’t get my fabric until January 18. Being the Queen of Procrastination that I am, (thank you, Enloe High School), I knew a deadline was probably the best thing for me. So, no, I’m not making a pillow, placemat, apron, purse, or something to small to help me out with this fast approaching deadline. I’m making a full blown quilt in 11 days.

Here is the inspiration quilt for this blogging challenge – which I already had on my Pinterest board. Obsessed.

And, here is the tutorial by Bijou Lovely for this amazing Herringbone Block. I’m telling you, this is the easiest quilt and her directions are so clear. (Don’t you like my confident assertion even though I’ve yet to finish a quilt…?) One tip: if you want to make this quilt, which you should, buy Jelly Rolls instead of yardage of your fabric of choice. This cuts your prep load in half, and I’m all about some shortcuts. (Again, thank you, Enloe High School)

Here is my fabric choice – Cuzco by Kate Spain which has been at the top of my fabric choice since I started even looking at quilts.

This fabric is absolutely gorgeous and I am digging the vibrant jewel tone colors.

I had a few other quilts I wanted to make with this fabric, but I knew this quilt was the right choice. I think the choice to go bold is going to pay off in the end. And, who am I kidding, of course I went for obnoxiously bright!

Since I bought the jelly roll, cutting the 2.5 x 11 inch strips was a breeze. I organized the strips by color family so that I could easily disperse the color throughout. (Great use of a TV tray, no?)