I had planned this post for last week and the time got away from me.  I have WAY TOO MANY works in progress but progress is the operative word!

I have been itching to make another quilt top using my Not So Twin Strips pattern and my local quilt shop, Roxanne’s wanted a sample using fabric from their store so my first WIP is this quilt top.  Needs a back and quilting and it will be complete.

I also have had an upholstery project on the back burner for some time.  My daughter and son-in-law picked up these two chairs at a garage sale awhile back and the plan was to put them in my granddaughter’s room for a reading nook.  They spent some time in the man cave but were relieved of their duty there a couple of months ago but needed some help before they could live in the house.

    

I found some neutral courderoy online for cheap and bought enough to cover both chairs.  It turned out to be a MUCH bigger chore than I expected – curves and seams and lots of frustration later – ONE chair is finished!  Both chairs are in the room so I will have to get that second one complete quick!

    

It’s a cute little reading nook for little girls with a basket of books between the chairs!

And the last project this week was a very old UFO that has been languishing in a drawer for a couple of years.  This was a mystery quilt from a class I took at the Long Beach International Quilt Show a few years ago.  I made a couple of mistakes when trimming the blocks so my points were not going to be great so I stashed it. BUT, it finally made it out of the drawer.

The center of the quilt top is complete and I will add a couple of borders and then it will be ready for a back and quilting.  I think I kinda like it!  That is definitely progress!

I’m linking up to Freshly Pieced and Quilt Story.  Check out all the projects for some inspiration!

Thanks for checking in.

Irelle

 

My entry for the Spring Blogger’s Quilt Festival hosted by Amy Ellis at Amy’s Creative Side is my Madrona Road Quilt.  I am entering this quilt in the Home Machine Quilted Quilts.  I am much better at cranking out quilt tops than actually doing the quilting but I am pushing myself to expand those skills.

I first posted about this quilt here.  This quilt was made as part of a challenge for the Modern Quilt Guild and this quilt was chosen as one of the ten favorites of the fabric designer, Violet Craft – I was very honored.

I thought it might be interesting to follow my design process for this quilt. I started with perusing Pinterest – another favorite pasttime.  I came across this interesting table with a geometric design and thought it would be a great quilt design.  Here’s the photo.

I took the basic idea of the geometric pattern of the table and transferred it to graph paper adding my own tweaks to come up with the quilt design.

You can read more about the construction of the quilt in the original post noted above.  I am really working hard on my quilting skills and this quilt was a nice size to practice several different styles.

I started with my walking foot and stitched in the ditch to anchor down the various sections.

I wanted to try different patterns in the different sections so I started with bubbles or circles in the linen in the large section on the right.

I did some straight line quilting in several sections and also tried some other patterns that I found in Angela Walter’s book, Free Motion Quilting and Natalia Bonner’s book, A Beginner’s Guilde to Free Motion Quilting.  There were several patterns in both books that I wanted to try but with no time to practice, I stuck with the ones I found easiest!  Take a peak at these photos.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I used a wavy or curvy line to quote the section of 2″ squares on the right.

Here are a few more random photos of this quilt.  I am really happy with how it turned out and hope you like it too.  I will be doing more of my own quilting as time goes on but I like the smaller projects best on my home machine.

         

Be sure to check out all the wonderful quilts that are participating in this Blogger’s Quilt Festival.  It will definitely inspire you.

Thanks for checking in.

Irelle

Twice a year, Amy at Amy’s Creative Side hosts a Blogger’s Quilt Festival where bloggers from all over the world share their amazing quilting creativity.  She has lots of categories for quilts this year so you can peruse a little easier without being completely overwhelmed by the sheer numbers of beautiful quilts on display.  Think of this as your local quilt show magnified by maybe 100!!

I am entering one of the Santa Barbara Modern Quilt Guild’s group project quilts this year into the Group or Bee Quilt Cateogry because I think this is a fabulous quilt.  It is going this week as a donation quilt to a local organization that helps kids coming out of foster care.

I challenged the gals in the Santa Barbara Modern Quilt Guild to make log cabin or square in a square blocks, either traditional or wonky using the fabric I provided from my stash.  The print fabric was a Kaffer Fasset print that I had used on the back of another quilt.

I then pulled solids from my stash that coordinated with the many colors in this focal fabric and cut everything into wide strips and put them into zip lock bags to distribute to the group.  They could add one more neutral solid to make their block but no prints.  I love the creativity of this group!  No two blocks are alike and yet they work really well together!

I assembled the blocks with no sashing and found a plaid in my stash for the back that coordinated well with the colors on the front.  I inserted a strip of some of the leftovers from the front to add some interest and quilted it with a circular pattern.  The quilt measures 56″ x 72″.

         

This was a great group project and our SBMQG plans many more for the next 12 months as we continue to support Fostering Friends in providing handmade quilts for the teenagers leaving the foster care program in our county.

I hope you like this Group or Bee Quilt for the Blogger’s Quilt Festival.

Thanks for checking in.

Irelle

 

 

I have lots in progress as usual but here’s a glimpse of a few.

This quilt top is from the Boston Strong project sponsored by our local quilt shop, Roxanne’s A Wish and A Dream in Carpinteria, CA.  A close friend of Roxanne’s was critically injured in the marathon bombing and Roxanne called on quilters near and far to make these scrappy strip blocks in blue and yellow to make quilts for many of the victims including her family friend, John. The quilt above is John’s quilt that I assembled in her shop yesterday.  She welcomed quilters to bring their machines to her shop to work together to assemble the dozens of donated blocks into tops.  I took a couple of hours off work to help with assembling the tops and then brought this quilt home to do the machine quilting this weekend.  This one is priority number ONE!

Last night I tried to catch up on the Lucky Stars Block of the Month sponsored by Don’t Call Me Betsy.  It is paper-piecing and takes a bit longer than I’m used to.  I finished half of the April block and hope to complete it tonight and start on the May block.  Below are the first three plus my partial April block.

And I’m definitely ready to try a new version of my “Not So Twin Strips Quilt”. Here are the original versions in this post. I’m making this as a sample for Roxanne’s and since she doesn’t carry linen, I am going to try it in Quilters Linen and some other tone on tone neutrals with a little Kaffe thrown in for the pops of color!  What do you think?

I’m linking up today to Freshly Pieced – WIP Wednesday.  Thanks for checking in and stay tuned for the completed projects!

Irelle

 

The Sew Mama Sew Giveaway ended today at 5pm.  I had been writing down the names of all the people leaving comments all week.  406 comments – Wowza!!  Next step was to cut them up!

    

In my giveaway blog post, I mentioned that my granddaughter Janelle would draw the winner! Her little sister Jaylen helped pick the additional pattern winners.  Here they are checking out the names.

And here is Janelle picking the winner!

 

The WINNER is Jodi R.  Here is her comment:

At the moment hubby and I are hoping and dreaming that there will be another baby in our home, a sibling for our darling daughter. I would love to make this quilt in preparation for that blessing.

And the winners of the additional 5 patterns are Tammy, Mara, Lissa, Megan and Marci Girl.

I will be sending emails to all the winners.  Thank you ALL for visiting my blog to participate in the giveaway.  I hope you visit again!

Thanks for checking in.

Irelle

I have mentioned previously on my blog that the Santa Barbara Modern Quilt Guild is supporting an organization in our community called Fostering Friends.  This organization supports young adults that are leaving the foster care program and going out on their own for the first time.  We are providing quilts to go in their “graduation care package”.

Here are the three quilts I completed this week.  Details below.

   

The first of the three quilts was started as part of a scrappy QAL sponsored by Ellison Lane Quilts. I made six yellow scrappy log cabin blocks and then all my other projects got in the way.  SBMQG had a Sew Day on April 13th and several of the gals made a scrappy orange log cabin.  I took the blocks home, made 3 more orange blocks and used part of a cream jelly roll for the sashing.  I was auditioning border prints on Facebook and one of the suggestions was to make it scrappy so I did! I used a tie die look flannel on the back. One of the ladies, Marty Frolli,  in my local Coastal Quilt Guild did the long arm quilting for me and I bound it in a cute zigzag print.  This is a happy quilt!

    

The center quilt above was started by one of the other members of the SBMQG. She made all of the scrappy rail fence blocks and passed it off to me to finish.  I assembled the blocks into a top and used this fabulous, funky Ikea print on the back.  If the kids in the Fostering Friends program don’t like the front, I think they will LOVE the back!  Marty quilted this one for me as well.  Thanks Marty!

    

The third of the three I completed this week is one that I started at the Sew Day using some partial strip sets that I picked up at our Coastal Quilt Guild Auction last summer.  Many of them were partial triangles that I used for the basis of some of the blocks.  I sewed more cream and brown strip sets and made them into the twelve blocks.  But once I got it on the design wall, it needed something so I did a little unsewing and inserting pops of green!  I added a green flange and brown border. I used a brown and white polka dot flannel for the back and a brown/black check for the binding.  I like this quilt!

    

With a little help from the Coastal Quilt Guild Community Quilts committee and more sewing at another Sew Day tomorrow, we are going to meet our goal of 27 quilts for Fostering Friends.  Our Modern Guild is going to continue to provide quilts to this wonderful organization on an annual basis.

Thanks for checking in.  I am linking up to Crazy Mom Quilts Finish it Up Friday and Sew Many Ways, Find a Friend Friday!

Irelle

 

 

 

It’s Giveaway Day at Sew Mama Sew and I’m joining the fun for the first time.  If this is your first time visiting my blog, welcome.  I hope you come back.  Thanks to Kristin for hosting this fabulous Giveaway opportunity for all of us.

My giveaway is a quilt kit for a baby quilt using my original pattern called “The Anna Quilt”.  The kit includes 9 fat quarters and 4  half yard cuts for the borders.  This pattern is great for beginners but fun for all levels.  There are so many wonderful comments for entries that Janelle is going to draw FIVE more names for just the pattern after she draws the winning name for the kit.

The fat quarters are from a collection called bungle jungle by tim and beck for Moda.  There are adorable animals, elephants and cute coordinating prints.

 I chose three solids and a coordinating dot for the borders.

 Here are a couple of other baby quilts made using this pattern.

If you would like a chance to win this cute quilt kit, please leave a comment telling me who you would like to make this quilt for.  I will put all your names in a hat and have my granddaughter Janelle draw the winner when the giveaway closes on May 10th at 5 pm PST.  I will ship internationally also

Good luck and thanks for checking in.

Irelle

I used my Jaylen’s Wonky Geese pattern for a new version in Kaffe fabrics.  It is a completely different look from the Malka fabric in the first version.

I used a deep blue shot cotton for the solid on the Kaffe Quilt and a fat quarter bundle of Kaffe “Classic” prints for the geese and scrappy border.

 

I used a fabulous Ikea print on the back with leftover shot cotton and scrappy strips.  I quilted the geese with stippling and the solid with curved lines in the triangle shapes.

I also discovered in following my own pattern, that some clarification was needed and there were a couple of goofs which I have now corrected   If you purchased this pattern from Beyond the Reef at PIQF or Road to California, please contact me and I will send you the revised version.

I am linking to Crazy Mom Quilts Finish it up Friday!

Thanks for checking in.

Irelle

I finished quilting one of the Fostering Friend donation quilts and now just have to decide on binding.  I could continue adding color by using the same green as the flange OR I have a black and brown check that would look nice.  Any suggestions?

I also have three other donation quilts to bind once I pick them up from the long arm quilter.  I flat ran out of time to do it ALL!

Our Santa Barbara Modern Quilt Guild has been making blocks with Madrona Road so I am considering block combinations and sashing to get one of the tops done.  Here is a block layout and I am thinking about narrow grey sashing and no border but the same grey binding.

And since I don’t have enough on my plate trying to get 20 donation quilts ready (I’m not making them all – just coordinating the effort), I have several sample quilts I am working on for our local quilt shop Roxanne’s.

This quilt is TOTALLY outside my comfort zone but it’s been fun to work if not challenging. I didn’t do the embroidery!!  I just had to make all those tiny little nine patches that border the center and form the corners of the 4 corner blocks.  The sections still need to be pieced and a large orange border added and then I’m turning it back over to the shop for the rest of the details which include large black ricrac and black ball fringe.

I also have a Challenge Quilt Wall Hanging to finish for our Coastal Quilters Challenge called Judging a Book by its Cover.  The quilt is complete and quilted but I want to add a bit of hand quilting and then it needs to be bound and a hanging sleeve added before next Thursday! I can’t show it to you as the judging is blind (no names and a few of the members check in on my blog).

Sure wish I could quit my day job!  I’m linking up to Freshly Pieced and Fiber of All Sorts!  I’m claiming both of these donation quilts as my May Finish Goal for the Lovely Year of Finishes at Fiber of All Sorts.

Thanks for checking in.

Irelle

 

My local Santa Barbara Modern Quilt Guild got together for a Sew Day last Saturday and most of us were busy working on blocks for charity quilts. Wish I had taken some photos of the works in progress from the wonderful ladies that were there but alas, my hands were busy sewing!

I started with some brown strip quilted pieces and cream strip quilted pieces that I had purchased as part of a bundle at Coastal Quilters Guild auction last summer. Since we were planning on using scraps and donated fabric for these quilts, this seemed like a good start.  Lots of the stripped pieces had been cut into various size triangles and squares so I just added to them and made them into blocks.

At the sew day, we all agreed that the brown and beige was pretty boring but we were going for masculine and black sashing was chosen by the group.  HOWEVER, when I got home and made the rest of the BORING blocks, I had to make a change.  SO – I did a little “unsewing” and inserted pops of green to liven it up a little.

I added the black sashing, a little flange of bright green and a brown border and the top was complete.  Still masculine but not quite as boring.

I’m using a brown polka dot flannel for the back and have already started stitching in the ditch around the black sashing and then I will quilt the inside of the blocks!

As people came and went for our Sew Day, a couple of people needed a project so I asked them to do scrappy log cabin blocks in orange to go with the 6 yellow ones I had already completed.  I left the Sew Day with two completed orange blocks thanks to Kelly and Elaine and one partial done by Liz.  I was glad to have a bright happy quilt top to work with on Sunday after spending Saturday with brown!  I completed the rest of the orange blocks added them to the yellow ones and sashed them with cream!  I think it’s a bright happy quilt top! Now on to borders, backing, basting and quilting!  What do you think so far?

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I have many, many more WIP’s but these two were last weekend’s projects and showing you all of them would be overkill!  I’m linking up to WIP Wednesday over at Freshly Pieced.  Thanks to Lee for sponsoring WIP Wednesday!

Thanks for checking in.

Irelle