12.5" Butterfly block

Whew! So, we are finally settled into my Dad's place. Moving is stressful! We'll just be here temporarily until we can find a place we like in our price range. We're still in the same area. It's nice to have family close by!

To add to the chaos, we are leaving on a road trip tomorrow, but it should be fun. :)

September is my month for the Heal do.Good Stitches circle again! I'm so excited to be doing this. Nicke, our lovely circle leader, posted about some of the hospice patients receiving their quilts. It was very moving to see their smiling faces despite the adversity they face in life.

So, for the September quilt, I want to keep it simple. I found this fabric for a steal online a month ago. 

These butterflies are quite sweet and will be perfect for the quilt back!

I immediately thought of Ashley's Dinner Date Tutorial because to me they look like butterflies. I just want to provide some more detailed instruction for consistencies sake since so many are contributing. (I'm one of those people who loves details! That's why improv is tricky for me. LOL!)

To make a 12.5" Butterfly block:

1. Start by cutting 4 6.5" squares from your white (background) fabric.
2. Take a square and make a mark at 3.25" on each side. 

3. Chose scraps that will adequately cover the top right and bottom left corners. Place them well within the markings (this is so the "butterfly wings" won't overlap when all sewn together. My green one here is a little too close to the markings.). Vary the angles a bit to make them a bit wonky.


4. Sew the corner scraps on, again making sure that your seams are well within the markings.


5. Press and then flip to trim away the excess.


6. Now trim away the excess background. You don't want your seams to be too bulky.


7. Repeat so that you have 4 6.5" squares.


8. Sew and press seams open. (oops I forgot to trip one of my corners)


9. Whaalaah!


This block is super simple and I think it will make a very happy quilt!

Nursery Versery!

Between packing last week I was fast and furiously working on a little project for Rachel's Nursery Versery contest. Just the week before (during my fabric ordering spurt) I had allowed myself to pick just one of the adorable Nursery Versery prints. It was a close pick between the Country Mice in green or the Itsy Bitsy in grey; the spiders won by a hair. When I saw Rachel's post and contest my wheels started turning.

I guess I'm still on an improv roll because this is what I came up with. :)

After I got started, the first thing I thought was, what did I get myself into!!! If you've done improv before you probably already know what I came to find out, improv is a lot of work! Totally worth it though since I'm super happy with how it came out!

Love this little guy coming down from his web!


I hope my pictures look okay because I had to use my little point and shoot because who knows where my other camera is (you know how that is when you're moving!) and I used my husband's laptop to download and edit them and the screen he has on this thing is horrible!



I completely adore the backing too! A yard of Maya Dot in Desert Sky with strips of Kona Cotton in Curry and a Denyse Schmidt print. So I think this quilt came out to be about 39" by 48". Pretty good sized!

These spiders have a lot of rain to deal with! Hehehe!


I've linked up to Rachel's contest post. There are so many other super cute and creative submissions!

Friday Favorites

Happy Friday!



1. technicolor triangles., 2. swoon block, 3. lucky front, 4. Roller Skate Munki Quilt, 5. Scrap Vomit quilt, 6. Elinor's Quilt 1, 7. washi supernova quilt, 8. Cosmos Ribbon Quilt, 9. 39_40 (60 more to go)

must make NOW!

Oh if only I weren't knee deep in packing boxes!!! There are two things that I'm obsessed with right now. First, a Washi Dress. I've always thought it was really cute but I totally fell in love with it after seeing this version.
Second, I really want this Feather Bed Quilt! I knew I would have to make one the minute I saw it. I'm thinking my other new fabric acquisition might be nice for the feathers. Chicopee fat quarter bundle pre-ordered from Stash Fabrics.



That red there on top is such a gorgeous red! I have hardly any red in my stash because I can never find the perfect shade. I'll need to get some yardage of that one.

{good} cause

Hey guys, just in case you weren't aware, I wanted to mention the Action Kivu Fundraiser that Handmade by Alissa is doing. Having been to Africa twice now I can vouch for what an incredible difference a small donation makes! Action Kivu is such a great cause, I hope you will consider donating even just $10. And the prizes are INSANE! It was double motivation for me to get my name in the drawing. Today is the last day!

Anyway, I did indulge in a few goodies last week. I really wanted the whole line of Anna Maria Horner's new Field Study line (except for the leopard prints....not my thing I guess) but I forced myself to chose just a few of my favorites.

















I hate to admit that I have some more new fabric acquisitions to show off (what?! this is a tough time of year for me with all the gorgeous new fabric lines coming out!) but I'll save them for the next post since I really should be packing up the kitchen right now.

:)

Loving this new nail polish I got recently. Pure Ice in Feelin Hot + Sally Hansen Xtreme Wear in Strobe Light. Fun stuff!

Shouldn't your nail polish always match your current project?


The house is officially sold! We close on the 30th. Haven't found anything we love yet to buy but we're going to be staying with my Dad until we do. I always said I'd never move back in with my parents but as the old saying goes, never say never! It shouldn't be too bad, he's got some property with a barn and a huge playground/tree house; Jack will have so much to do there. Packing is so lame though!

Hope Valley Quilt

Yay! It feels so good to get things FINISHED! I made the quilt top for this one several months ago but had to set it aside for other priorities. I'm smitten with this quilt, it has a vintage feel to it but is fresh and modern at the same time.

I used Ashley's tutorial to make the blocks using Denyse Schmidt's Hope Valley fabrics.
Have a great weekend!

going improv

For the month of August, we were asked to make improv blocks for our Heal circle of do. Good Stitches. I have to admit, improv is a stretch for me. But, I decided to just go for it and I'm pretty happy with how my blocks turned out.

Tested out some curvy piecing. Fun!


I guess I was really on a roll because I then proceeded to use my newly learned improv skills in making an iPad sleeve. I used the tutorial from One Shabby Chick.

Have a happy Wednesday!

April do. Good Stitches quilt

I'm a bit late with finishing my do. Good Stitches quilt for April but I could not be more pleased with how it turned out!
The ladies in the Heal circle did a fantastic job with all the blocks!

I asked for Ribbon Star blocks (tutorial from Fresh Lemons) in a particular color palette.

Our group is benefiting hospice and I truly hope that this quilt will bring a moment of comfort to those on hospice and their families.

I'm already looking forward to my next month which is September. I have several plans brewing.

TGIF!

Happy Friday! We signed a contract on our house a few days ago, yay! Hopefully, the rest of the process will go smoothly. We didn't have many showings this week so I was able to find more time to sew.

I was missing my Farmer's Wife Sampler quilt.
#36 Flower Garden Path
This little block took an obscene amount of time to make but I'm super happy with how it came out.


#34 Flock
Nice and simple. :)

Yesterday I took my baby, my Janome 5330, into the shop for a general cleaning and check up. It had been over 2 years I think since it was last done and I've had no problems with it but with as much as I use it I want to make sure it keeps running smoothly. HOWEVER, I was shocked when they told me what the price was going to be for the simple cleaning: $110!!!! Does that seem high to anybody else? The shop I took it to last time has closed (owners retired) and they only charged $55 and they were a very reputable shop/Janome dealer. All I can say is ouch! At least they are quick, it's ready for pick up today.

Like my washi tape? I think it adds some nice color to the ole girl.