Another block

Lollygagging

I have been lollygagging with the Star Sampler quilt. I had cut the strips weeks ago, but not the pieces. I finally got around to starting this afternoon. I used my seam ripper A LOT! The star points did not work. The half square triangles didn't work. I am not sure if I should just give up now or try to get at least a few more done and make a mini-quilt. There are 12 blocks and that seems never ending right now.

LOVE my sampler quilt

I love this quilt. I love the fabric. I love the blocks. They aren't perfect, but that is what I love about it. Each block has a memory attached to it. I can see the puckering from my very first applique block. There was the disaster of the wonky block. Still have no idea what went wrong. There is going to be a hole in one of the blocks because I have no seam. Very few of my points are perfect; some are worse than others. None of it matters though because when it is quilted and laying on my lap, I am going to remember what fun I had with the quilt along. Konda did a great job organizing this quilt along.


I didn't follow the layer cake layout instructions. I used the jelly roll layout instructions. I perused the jelly roll flickr page and saw one with a scrappy border in addition to the sashing and the main border. I think it turned out well. Did I say I love this quilt?

Bella Parade @ 13 Woodhouse Road

This is a super neat idea- Shruti at 13 Woodhouse Road is having a Bella Parade. From May 1st through the 31st, she will post a Moda Bella solid colour with corresponding background information and our job is to post pictures in the Flickr group that features that colour . There is also a quilt along for a mini quilt and a 20% discount on Bella Solids through Fat Quarter Shop. The member group is from all around the world, so it should be interesting what kind of pictures get posted.

Why I love colour

God could have created this world in black and white and we would have been none the wiser. He created colours in nature that are beyond description. Spring has arrived in Iowa and I am daily reminded of the beautiful colours in nature. I grew up in India and we love colour. The brighter the better. I grew up shopping with my mum in fabric megastores. As in three to four floors of fabric of every imaginable kind- silks, velvets, cottons, synthetics, blends. We have the most beautiful fabric. Indian women match their saris to solid fabric for their cholis. The match has to be EXACT, so the fabrics had very subtle nuances. Cotton was usually the most popular choice for sari blouses. Here are some pictures from my last trip home. This is just one floor and only one side. Don't you wish this was your local quilt shop?

My first FNSI

So yesterday was my first Friday Night Sew-In. It was really good motivation. It had been a long week and I would have just sat like a bump on a log all night if it weren't for FNSI. I didn't do a whole lot, but I made progress on my Rural Jardin quilt. I got the blocks all sewn together, but I never got around to pressing them. I chained pieced the blocks and then watched TV to cut them apart. The picture is wretched, but this is the pile of blocks.

I wanted to see how the blocks would look, so I pressed one block open. I really like it. At first I wondered if I had wasted the jelly roll on too simple a pattern, but I am glad I did. The fabric is beautiful and the simplicity of the block allows the fabric to be showcased. I really like the aesthetic of French General. Maison De Garance was gorgeous.

Talking about fabric, I was in Joann's tonight. I had to pick up some thread and decided to check out the Denyse Schmidt fabric. I am sure everybody is aware of the surrounding brouhaha. Anyway, they had all 21 fabrics. I hear they are running out at other stores. If anybody is in need of completing their collection, hit me up. I have a valid 20% off coupon right now, but new 50% ones should come out tomorrow. It is priced at $9.99 a yard. I couldn't find an image for the line, but here is an etsy listing with an image.

Waay behind

Work is crazy right now and I come home too tired to do anything except lay about. I have been doing a bit of sewing with the Rural Jardin quilt. A lot of chain piecing and then a lot of sitting on the couch watching TV and cutting apart the chain.

Patchwork Squared is having a Modern Solids Quilt Along. I have accumulated a fair amount of Kona auditioning fabric combinations. I am two weeks behind in my blocks, but I will catch up at some point. I am doing two quilts. I want to get to the point where I can have a stash of quilts and give away a quilt when the need arises. That's my plan for these two quilts.

Colour scheme 1: Snow, Avocado, Champagne, Bright Pink

Colour scheme 2: White, Peridot, Pink, Coal

I am going to participate in my first Friday Night Sew-In to get get more accomplished on my Rural Jardin quilt. Will post pictures tomorrow.

Sampler quilt

I have my first sampler quilt! Thanks to Moose on the Porch's Layer Cake Quilt Along, I have my very own sampler quilt. I love it! I have worked through several issues through this quilt along. I gave up some control by not knowing the entire pattern when starting. I have learned fabric selection and scale. I've worked with scraps. Lots of little things that have made me a better quilter, in my opinion.

So here is block 12. Super easy to put together. Only two seams to match. I succeeded in getting one to match.

The finishing instructions should be up soon. I am excited to see all the blocks together with sashing, etc..

Giveaway- Jaybird Quilts and Fabric Shoppe

Julie over at Jaybird Quilts is having a sponsor giveaway. Fabric Shoppe sells mostly modern fabrics, but also staples like solids. The really neat thing is fabric bundles in half-yard cuts. That works great for when you need more than a fat quarter, but want coordinated fabrics from the same line. I love the gray Aviary 2 by Joel Dewberry. Anyway, head over to Jaybird Quilts for the details on how to enter the giveaway.

Finally all cut

It took me forever to get the strips cut up for the Rural Jardin/Split Decisions quilt. I don't know what held me back. Technically I could have stacked the strips and made fewer cuts, but I didn't cut my cutting skills that much. Jelly roll strips with their pinked edges are a bit squirmy in my opinion. I am a bit compulsive with co-ordinating my fabrics and I overthink things. I had to match up lights and darks and I knew I would agonize over the choices. So I took the scientific approach. I assigned numbers to each pile, randomized numbers 1 through 18, 19 through 36 and matched them up.