De La Luna Family Portrait (#103)

The fabric:  Here is the very popular De La Luna collection from Tula Pink. It has everything a Day of the Dead fan could want:  eye balls, skulls, bats, beautiful bright colors and so much more.  Better yet, I was able to purchase the fabrics as part of a quilt kit - a first for me. 
(Quilt kit from DIY Addict here.) 

The pattern:  The pattern is free (here) and called Family Portrait. It has since been updated to include the correct amount of yardage and fussy cut instructions. Unfortunately not in time for me - but luckily for those now making this quilt.

I like to pick a quilt pattern that can be made from a few simple blocks - put them together and call it a day.  Of course this pattern was nothing like that!

Here are some tips I found helpful especially since these blocks were not oversized for final trimming.

1) Measure the fabric and make sure it can handle slight shrinkage that will come from using starch & steam.

2) Make a dummy block and get a handle on unfamiliar angles or techniques.

3)  Sew slowly and be as precise as you can with your seam allowance.

I did all of the above and after more sweaty palm moments than I would have liked -  totally enjoyed the pattern, the fabric and the challenge of making something so different.

Quilting:  Because there is so much going on in this quilt I kept it to simple lines 1/4" on either side of the seams with a walking foot.  I did not sew over the faces and opted for a beautiful Aqua thread from the Tula Pink Chipper collection - Aurifil 50wt. #2835.  

The backing is black dimple dot minky. The pattern called for 2.25" width for binding - yikes. I usually do 2.5" width because of the bulk of the minky & batting.  But the good news is - a 2.25" wide binding can work with such a ' thick' quilt sandwich. 

Materials:

De La Luna / Tula Pink

Family Portrait pattern / Free Spirit
Quilt Kit from DIY Addict

Aurifil 50wt #2835 (bright Aqua) #2692 (black)
Warm & White batting

Dimple dot minky / black

Size: 59" x 59"

December 2018

Tula Pink Hunter's Star Quilt ... MSQC Style (#99)

It all started with the Tula Pink bunnies from her Slow & Steady collection. 

 How could I incorporate three large fussy cut bunnies but still highlight the rest of the designs in a pretty quilt.

 Enter the Hunter's Star pattern from Missouri Star Quilt Company. 

This version of the Hunter's Star pattern is great since it's all small HST's and squares.  The squares show a nice chunk of fabric design and the small half square triangles make it look complicated.

There is a learning curve because the pattern uses two star blocks ... block A with points going one way ... block B with points going the opposite.  This video (here) as well as a digital pattern from the Missouri Star Quilt Co has you covered with clear instructions.

I reduced the size of the units to 4.5" instead of 5" (which was stated in the pattern) so I could cut the half square triangles on my favorite Accuquilt die.  I won't do this again.  This quilt needed accurate points to highlight the star feature.

In my Thicket quilt I trimmed & squared up large blocks made with these same small half square triangles.  Missing points and corners didn't matter or even show up since all the pieces were clumped together

But here, these delicate little half square triangles need to steal the show.  Even with starch (and yes, some steam) - they came out more wonky than I would have liked. I do have success with most of my Accuquilt dies but am finding that in patterns that require accuracy without trimming - they miss the mark. 

The back is Free Fall wide in Navy which softens all the rich and vibrant colors on the quilt front. 

Quilting is wavy line stitching following the seams every 2 inches. Aurifil 50wt. #2311 on the top and a beautiful blue #1248 for the back.  Perfect thread every time.

There are "A" and "B" star blocks on either side of the bunnies in coordinating colors with white Kona to fill in the gaps.  The trick with this type of quilt was to sew a few rows and then figure where to put the fussy cuts.  I thought the bunny placement would look good after 2 rows - it didn't.  So I put another star row above them and voila - a nicely balanced quilt :)
Linking up for some Tuesday fun with Connie at Freemotion by the River

Materials:
Slow & Steady / Tula Pink
Free Fall Wide Backing in Navy / Tula Pink
Kona white
Warm & White batting
Aurifil 50wt. #2311 / #1248
Missouri Star Quilt Co / Hunter's Star pattern
#Missouristarquiltco, #huntersstar, #tulapink, #slowandsteadyfabric
Size: 64.5" x 74"
July 2018

Tula Pink Chipper Quilt (#92)

Tula Pink has a legion of fans ... I am one of them. 

This quilt is a combo of Chipper fabric leftovers from 2016 (here) and dark grey accents in Manatee by Free Spirit. What a different look sashing color can make.

The Chipper pieces were slightly different lengths due to the fact they were 'scraps".  That worked out well for this brick pattern and made everything look random and staggered.  It also made it easy to trim a row on either side when it was too long!

Most importantly was making sure the 'bricks' were cut a consistent 4.5" wide.

 On every piece of Chipper fabric I sewed a 1.5" wide piece of Manatee on the right side. If the fabric was non-directional it wouldn't matter what side you sewed on.  But, since I wanted the animals not be upside down, it was easier to pick a side and stick to it! 

 Each row was laid out one at a time. Manatee sashing between rows was also cut at 1.5" wide.

 Enter my favorite thread Aurifil 50wt. and a #14 needle.   #5004 Grey on the Manatee strips and in the bottom bobbin throughout.  And a pretty #2835 Aqua through the 'bricks" from the Tula Pink / Chipper collection - perfect!

I usually quilt in a simple grid pattern which works well on a minky & batting quilt.  But this time I did only horizontal lines ... super fun! It was easy, surprisingly fast and very effective. 

A great color matching minky from Hawthorne Threads in "Ink" ... who doesn't love soft & fluffy?

A wide border of Manatee cut at 7" wide for the top and bottom frames all the bright colors and the binding in purple Cotton Couture matched perfectly.  This quilt is leaving with my daughter to gift to a new friend ... Chipper is going to college!
Materials:
Chipper / Tula Pink
Manatee / Free Spirit
Binding: Cotton Couture Purple / Michael Miller
Aurifil 50wt. thread #2835 & #5004
Warm & White batting
Dimple dot minky in Ink / Hawthorne Threads
#tulapinkchipper, #chipperfabric, #aurifil
Size: 61" x 73"
Date: January 2018