It's a "Swell" Christmas Quilt (#101)

Nothing says Christmas like this fabric from Urban Chiks called Swell.  Cute retro images in soft cream, pink and green with a bright punch of Santa red.

If you happen to pick up a jelly roll and are not sure what to sew ... Thimble Blossoms Patchwork Swoon pattern (here) is a perfect fit.  For my first holiday quilt I wanted something that screamed CHRISTMAS, so instead of using a solid background fabric I used this happy red & white Christmas text by Henry Glass.

This is a nice pattern to follow with good directions and diagrams.  I chose to put a solid Santa square in the middle rather than patchwork.   

There are some overages of half square triangles (HST) that are a by product of the design. Quite enough for another project like a table runner or little blanket.

Quilting and piecing was done with my favorite off/white Aurifil 50wt. thread #2311.  It's sometimes called Muslin and it just melds with white Kona & the softer creams of Swell.  I love little squares created by jelly rolls (and 2.5" squares) because they create a ready made grid for me to follow when I quilt.  A wavy line following the seams with a walking foot is my 'go to' quilting method for most projects - it's pretty fast, easy to do and looks consistent.

For a large quilt with lots of design punch Patchwork Swoon is perfect. There are smaller versions of the same Swoon design, a 16" block just came out and is demonstrated here on the Fat Quarter Shop YouTube channel. 
Materials:
Swell by Urban Chiks / Moda
Holiday Wishes / Henry Glass
Kona white
Aurifil 50wt. #2311
Patchwork Swoon pattern / Thimble Blossoms
Warm & White batting
white flannel
Size: 73" x 73"
November 2018

Four Patch Quilt (#77)

To  make a quick child's quilt I used some left over Lecien Retro 30's jelly roll pieces and RJR Pixie Strips.  Color scraps went on a white strip and then cut to widths of 2.5".

I sewed them into four patches and should have stopped to trim them all the same size - I didn't. 

There is always some distortion with pre-cuts and slight variations with different brands.  They didn't look too wonky but in the final assembly my seams were off in some rows.  No amount of tugging was going to match them.  But some careful trimming around the quilt top and a border fixed everything up nicely - whew!

I like the whole idea of pre-cuts just not the fact they vary in size a lot of the time.  Happy with the final result since no one is going to get upset with a few unmatched squares and using up scraps is great ...win/win. 

Materials:
Lecien Retro 30's jelly roll
RJR Pixie Strips / Supreme White
Warm & White battinga
Dimple Dot minky in Azurite /  Hawthorne Threads 
Aurifil 50wt. #2311
Binding: Marmalade Stripe Raspberry / Moda
Size: 41" x 41"
May 2017

Tula Pink Double Hour Glass Quilt (#56)

Who doesn't love Tula Pink? Her collection Chipper has all the color and animal images I could wish for.

Lurking on my Pinterest board was this link to Adrianne of Little Bluebell and her 'no template' method of making the double hourglass block.  Great instructions and very fun to do. Since I cut my own 2.5"strips, used starch and lots of steam - each block was trimmed to 7.5" to be consistent.

The hourglass blocks were laid out first to determine the top to bottom length of the quilt (anywhere between 72" to 74"). Then the animal images were cut 4" wide and into rectangles - joined with 1.5" strips of Kona white. These were laid next to the hourglass blocks and trimmed to fit - again from top to bottom.  Finally, I cut 1.5" and 2" sashing strips for inside the quilt - and 2.5" strips for the outer borders.

Not bad for a lap quilt that was made without a formal pattern.

I am totally pleased with the strong beautiful colors of Chipper and how well they work with this block design.

 I am loving the Aurifil 50wt. Muslin on the Kona white - and with a #14 needle working through starched fabric, batting and minky - not one thread broke or messed up.
This is "Teen Quilt #1" - (quilts for my daughter's friends before they graduate high school in 2017.)

Materials:

Chipper by Tula Pink

Kona white

Binding: Michael Miller Cotton Couture / Purple

Aurifil 50wt. Muslin #2311 & Iris #2560

Warm & white batting

Dimple dot minky / Lilac

Size: 58" x 74"

October 2016

Noteworthy Arkansas Crossroads Quilt (#53)

Déjà vu ... obviously I really like Sweetwater's Noteworthy collection ... this is my third quilt using it and I have two more to go! 

Noteworthy is a modern and none traditional group of fabrics.  Combining their love of Pinterest (a pre-occupation with "Bucket List's") and memories of doodling - Sweetwater designers incorporate swirls and scribbles to perfection.

Every muted color of the rainbow is here, making it the perfect quilt to sew for friends ... it's so easy to like.  Quilted with Aurifil 50wt. Light Sand on the top, Mint Ice on the bottom - this wavy line grid pattern gets all crinkly after washing and still looks good on the minky back.

What is also fun to see is how using different colors in this "Arkansas Crossroads" quilt pattern changes the vibe of each blanket - below is Terrain by Kate Spain, Noteworthy & Oh Deer by Moda. 

 Whether the colors are strong or soft - this pattern is my favorite.  For tutorial links and tips how to make an Arkansas Crossroads quilt: HERE  is my earlier post. 

Materials:
Noteworthy by Sweetwater (Moda)
Aurifil 50wt. Light Sand (#2000) &  Mint Ice (#2800)
Dimple Dot Minky in Aspen (Hawthorne Threads)
Warm & White batting
Size: 58" x 74"
April 2016

Fancy Fox Quilt - Retro Style (#46)

I loved making Elizabeth Hartman's Fancy Fox Quilt with Riley Blake Shades (here) - but it was time for a whole different look and feel: beautiful coordinating  Retro 30's Child Smile from Lecien was perfect.

It took a while before I settled on these medium to small colorful prints from Lecien - I had my heart set on the 'Joie De Vivre in Beryl' by Frances Newcombe and Essex black yarn dyed linen. 

After making a few blocks, I felt the large floral design distracted from the simple beauty of the fox face. 

Fabrics like this lavender Dot to Dot Mixmaster (Robert Kaufman) look great however, as do cross hatch and burlap textured looking cottons from Carolyn Friedlander, Timeless Treasures & other manufacturers.  

1.5" sashing in Essex denim linen was sewn around every side of the fox block and trimmed to 8x10" unfinished, not much waste at all.

Lots of ironing & starching made the cotton & linen easy to handle - and using a scant 1/4" seam is a must with the different fabric weights. All seams are ironed open.

All piecing & quilting was done using Aurifil 50wt. Dove #2600.  A wavy serpentine stitch follows the larger seams, and the wavy stitch again into a 3" diagonal diamond pattern overall. I changed needles twice to keep everything sharp and the thread worked beautifully through the heavier Essex linen and the delicate backing. 

Not being a free motion quilter, following the seams and doing a grid pattern looks rather simple when compared to intricate FM designs that add lots of pizzazz.  But, every time that Aurifil looks so consistent as it sinks into any weight of fabric - I do a happy dance.

Lastly, a nice binding is this Hatch Basic in Graphite by Timeless Treasures - not heavy looking like a flat black but dark enough with a hint of texture.

There are 64 foxes so a 4" border all around allows them space to float and not run into the edges.  A beautiful rainbow of foxes made with a fun pattern that works every time.

Materials:

Retro 30's Child Smile Spring 2015/ 2.5" sushi roll / Lecien

Essex Yarn Dyed Linen in denim (Robert Kaufman)
Far Far Away 2 (Unicorns in Blue) / Heather Ross
Hatch Basic Graphite /Timeless Treasures (binding)
Fancy Fox Quilt Pattern by Elizabeth Hartman

Aurifil 50wt. Dove #2600 & Medium Grey #1158

Warm & White batting

Size: 65" x 81"

December 2015

Peak Hour Half Hexi Baby Quilt (#41)

The fourth, and last quilt to be made with Peak Hour by Riley Blake.  With some left over jelly roll strips and a 10" layer cake, I thought it would be fun to experiment making a hexagon pattern.

Here is what worked best for me:  for the jelly roll 2.5" strips, the small half hexagon from Missouri Star Quilt Co. worked nicely. For the 10" squares (layer cake) I used Lori Holt's  large Hexie Half ruler.

I was very lucky finding a layer cake since this design was released 3 years ago ... and was more short on fabric than I thought.  No worries - white Kona came to my rescue to fill out the gaps.

A half hexagon quilt, much like a  tumbler quilt, has to be laid out row by row to balance color. 

It is easier to see the hexagon shapes when the 'top' and 'bottom' hexi's match, but if you don't have enough fabric - mismatched works fine - as does combining the two different sizes.  

The half hexagon templates are fun - the larger size is my favorite as it comes together really, really fast! Quilting was done with Aurifil 50wt white in a loose zigzag, 2" apart - making a beautiful design through the batting and flannel back.

Materials:
Peak Hour / Riley Blake
White Kona
Amy Butler / Sunspots in olive
Aurifil 50wt. white
Warm & White batting
Size: 47" x 54"
July 2015

Another California Girl Quilt (#37)

Two jelly rolls and two different patterns make up this pretty quilt using California Girl by Fig Tree for Moda.  The patterns are simple - a square block (instructions below) and small strips (or a coin pattern).

The truth is, I began two different quilts at two different times and had already cut the jelly rolls for each.  When both quilts were going to end up too small -  I just combined them into one.

The best part of using the pre-cut collection from Moda (or any other manufacturer), is that the end results harmonize - and that was a plus for me since the fabric came out in 2012. There was no stress since every piece worked - and there were many, many pieces.

I opted for a dimple dot minky in taupe instead of honey browns or light creams since this quilt is going to a home with that palette. Those colors would also work for the back. (The coordinating coral color binding was also a request - but a nice choice is the ocean blue like my other California Girl quilt - more of a contrast.)

While California Girl has overall softer colors, its like many other muted collections that benefit from white accents or sashing.  The white allows the designs to pop out and makes the final quilt look clean & fresh.

Quilting was done with a medium broken zigzag using the sides of the squares as a guide - then straight stitching using a 3.5 stitch length down the middle of each square.

The basic pattern for the block uses a pre-cut jelly roll or 2.5" wide piece of fabric.  Begin by cutting a center square 2.5" (I used white throughout) and chain piecing the 2.5" squares on the top and bottom.  
Move to step 2 and sew 2.5" x 6.5" on the sides - chain piecing again.  
I press my seams open and trimmed to 6".  Join 4 six inch squares together and make a block - trim to 11"
White sashing was 2.5" strips of Kona cotton.

Materials:
California Girl by Fig Tree/Moda
Kona white
Dimple dot minky / taupe
Aurifil 50wt / light sand (#2000) & beige (#2314)
Warm & white batting
Size: 65"x83"
July 2015

Peak Hour Coin Quilt (#29)

Even after 3 baby quilts made with Riley Blake's Peak Hour, I still enjoy the whole happy vibe of these colors.   My last & final rollie pollie (jelly roll) of this fabric will be another baby blanket - using a half hexi template to mix things up a bit.

For some reason these coin did not line up straight and I kept cutting off parts of rows to square them up.  After a while I gave up ... added lots of Kona white in 6" borders to camouflage the ' wonky drift' of the rows and then squared it by cutting into the borders. 

Warm and Natural batting, Peak Hour flannel back, binding is Amy Butler Love Sunspots in Olive.  Isacord #40 white to piece and quilt.
Linking up with SEWjo Saturday

Size: 47"x 55"
July 2014

California Girl Coin Quilt (#20)

 My first stacked coin quilt made from Fig Tree Quilts' California Girl fabric collection.  Using a 4" wide quilt ruler I cut the entire jelly roll into individual pieces 4" long x 2.5" wide.

 This is a tedious way, versus sewing long strips together and then cutting - but I liked it because I had complete control of where each color went and how long to make the 'coin strips'.  This was a 'make up the  size as you go' type of quilt for me (using Crazy Mom Quilts stacked coin quilt tutorial as a basic guide).

 The top and bottom were fun because I randomly sewed the 2.5" edges together into one giant length - then cut it into the widths I wanted, making sure that each row was 'off-set' with the one below it.

A summer coverlet weight, this is backed with Michael Miller's Dumb Dot flannel in beige and the 'batting' is muslin.  Kona white accents and California Girl 'daisy' in ocean for the binding. Quilting was done with a smaller ragged zig zag stitch using Isacord 40 wt. top and bottom with a walking foot.  Binding attached with my first time use of Aurifil 50 wt. beige - both threads were nice and smooth.

I have a Janome DC2013 which has 50 stitches - and this ragged zig zag is the only stitch that 'covers' both sides of the seam.  Since I always press my seams open - it catches a little of each side and can be adjusted for size & width depending on the quilt.  This dainty quilt needed a smaller size zig zag - the Buried Treasure a larger & wider one.  It's very forgiving if you stray off the seam line, which is your guide as you quilt.  win/win:)

Size:  56" x 68"
March 2014

Peak Hour Baby Quilts (#12 & 13)

 Coin quilt with Peak Hour - 1 jelly roll, inside sashing is white jelly roll - top & bottom and sides are 3.5" kona white (and then squared straight).
Isacord 40 to quilt.  

 Straight line quilting from top to bottom - 6/8th's of an inch between rows - 10 rows took me about an hour to do - using the walking foot and guide.  Amy Butler sunspots in olive is the binding - the usual 2.5".

  Cotton pieced top, flannel middle & back.
41"x51"
June 2013

FRIENDSHIP BRAID QUILT

Friendship Braid quilt made using binding tool from the Missouri Star Quilt Company (tutorial here).  One jelly roll of Riley Blake Peak Hour with some Kona white/snow - and coordinating flannel for the back.
Binding is Amy Butler sunspots olive.
Batting is white flannel.

Riley Blake charms have only 24 squares, jelly rolls only 25 strips - versus Moda charms with 42 squares / jelly with 40 or 42 strips.
August 2012