Summer Sampler Series top

With the help of my mother working the iron, my Summer Sampler Series quilt top is completed.  I have 5 extra blocks to go on the back.  I seem to have forgotten to take into account the sashing between the rows when I calculated how many blocks I would need.  Oops.  Better too many than not enough.  She came out of quiet time today and danced and hopped around to all her favorite blocks.  That was fun to watch.  Then comes her favorite part of "putting the safety and scary pins in their beds" when basting and attaching the binding.

What I like about the quilt:

• I can paper piece now with relative confidence.
• I love the colors selected.
• It was my first non-collection based quilt.
• Only one block of 29 was significantly not 12.5 inches.  
• Over half of the fabric choices and most of the color choices were made by a 4 year old.

What I wish I did differently:

• The main one was to discover my error before attaching any sashing so I could have made the top and bottom borders equal to the sides.
• Slightly narrower sashing.
• I have five blocks for the back but that means that I won't do my 5 inch rainbow strip at the seam.  I may change my mind and do it instead of the five blocks.  We'll see.  Perhaps I should ask her.

And the final block that was made.  What do you do with leftover flying geese and HST already trimmed?  Make this block.  I didn't have enough geese already made for the center and decided just to go with Kona Snow.  I probably should have put something else there.  Oh well.

Here are the three pillowcases made two weeks ago that I forgot to take pictures of before sending.  The sharks are the favorite.  Hopefully the stitching will withstand lots of washing.

And I've now linked the blog to my flickr account.  I find that a little scary but it's a passive way of letting others see what I am doing and writing if they happen to click on my profile page.  But, if you're reading this, that might be how you got here.

Colorwheel Geese

I had all the measurements but didn't write them down on anything other than the pieces I tore and recycled.  Argh.  4.5 x 4", 7 x 3", 7 x 2.25", 3 x 2.5?, 6.5 x ___, 5.25 x ____.  The 7" might have been 7.5 just to give extra room.   I read somewhere that 3.5" squares cut on the diagonal would work for the geese, but I found that 4" squares worked better for me.  Less stressful.

piecebynumber.com/pastbom/colorwheelpatt.htm

1 more block to go.....



www.quilterscache.com/B/BrokenSugarBowlBlock.html

Not sure whether she picked it because of the name or because the picture was blue. And then I reversed some of the blocks when putting it together. I don't think she'll notice.

And I think I am going to redo the Blazing Arrows. It just is a little too dark.

Rolling Star and Breaking Out

I made Breaking Out using the instructions on Sewn by Leila.  And, although all the rainbow colors are represented, it doesn't scream rainbow.

Rolling Star, on the other hand, screams rainbow.  She did let me make the outer ring purple.  The blue from the binding would have been my next choice but I'm not sure I have enough.  I probably made the fabric pieces bigger than they need to be for paper piecing, but they all worked and I had plenty of room for seam allowances.   The purple along the outside was 5.25 x 2 (but could be thinner).  The inner white (step 8) was 5.5 x 3".  The outer white was 6.75 x 4".  The white between the colors were both 4 x 5".  The color for step 3 was cut at 5.5 x 2.25" and the color for step 4 was 3 x 4.5".   I could have cut less fabric but it was definitely a comfortable amount.  

And here are 26 of the 28 blocks.  The Blazing Arrows all blue and purple one really stands out.  I'll have to see if she wants to keep it, or if I need to make something else.  I'm also debating whether I want to take the square on point from 5 spot and Minnesota to put it in the sashing with the same blue as the binding.  That might be a little excessive.

And my new violet for the Color Wheel Charm Swap.  I used it on the Rolling Star block.  Now what will I do with the yard+ of Heirloom?

Following directions

On to finished blocks.  4 more to go.

www.quilterscache.com/S/SnowblossomsBlock.html

I cut the white at 3x7", the blues at 3.25x4.5, the center green at 3.25x6, and the dark greens using a 5.5" 60 degree triangle.

Kansas Dust Storm.  It was a lot easier than what I thought it would be with the three templates.



My 12 official Summer Sampler Series blocks.  To get it to be about twin size, I am adding 16 blocks and some wide side borders.  I still plan to make four corners, the flying geese paper pieced blocks, possibly Breaking Out, and Checkerboard.  I will try to hyperlink the blocks soon but a nap is more important.

And paper piecing is fun again

I finally got around to cutting the strips for the star.  I thought I'd only finish the strips and then do the rest today but managed to finish it all last night.  I really didn't mind paper piecing this time even though I forgot to shorten my stitch length.  It worked out reasonably well.  Now I just need to finish the Kansas Dust Storm block and 5 other ones and I can start to sash and put it together.  Can it get done before August 27?

Rainbow Summer Sampler

I was doodling with her on great big paper when she drew some rainbow lines.  I sketched a 12 and then a 9 grid and the appropriate HST lines and got a rainbow stripe block.

I need to insert the title of this block.  Overall we needed orange and green to balance out the colors a bit.  I was going to do a friendship star but instead added the extra HST.

Blazing arrows from Quilter's Cache. I needed more blue and purple together.  Well, really purple is my favorite color and blue is hers.  So it is the mom and daughter block.  And since I have extra flying geese and an hourglass, I think I might make a similar one with 4 squares on point.

The total count I currently have is 21.  7 more to go.  Apparently I did not take a picture of the Virginia Star (take 2) in the bottom row or the simple flying geese pinwheel in the third row.  

It has been a crazy, stressful and life changing week.  I also sewed three pillowcases for my niece but sent them off before I found the camera.  Sharks and purple.  I took the idea from Julie at Jaybird Quilts for when she made pillowcases for her nephew.  It sounds like they were well received.  She's using them now that she's home too.  And it made me feel like I was actually doing something even though I was 60 miles away.  

My fabric did arrive for the Color Wheel Charm Swap but I have not cut it yet.  That's the scary part for me. I did order extra so I have a bit of wiggle room.  I'm a little surprised at the scale of the design for Heirloom.  I thought it was on a smaller scale.  Not a big deal, just not what I expected.  Hopefully I'll be able to cut that in the next few days before I go back to work in 2 weeks.  

Color Wheel Charm Swap

I received notification that I am in the Color Wheel Charm Swap hosted by Kati of fromthebluechair.com.  I started posting pictures to flickr and started the blog so I could attempt to be involved in a few swaps and maybe a bee.  Simply lurking and participating but not posting pictures was not helping me toward the goal.  I'm looking forward to getting my colors assigned so I can go shopping.  I put down purple and blue but I'd be happy to be assigned any color.  Someone's going to be really excited when a rainbow envelope shows up at the door.

A few extra blocks

After a frustrating time with the Evening Star, I decided not to paper piece the Kansas one quite yet.  Instead, I added three extra blocks in an effort to make this more of a twin size quilt.  I need more green and orange.

I made HST that finished at 3.5" and arranged them this way.  It might be called Windmill but I'm not sure.  I tried to balance the rainbow from the Mosaic block.  I need more indigo fabric.

Churn Dash is pretty monochromatic.  It was a nice simple block and that's what I needed.

Cups and Saucers.  I cut the HST at 5" and trimmed them after sewing a .25" away from the diagonals so they were 4.5".  I have learned that I cut large and then trim.  I used the No Waste Flying Geese Method to make my flying geese.  Two white squares cut to 5.75" and eight purple squares cut to 3 3/8 inches.  I still have to trim the geese each time so I'm not sure if I am doing something wrong or that is the intention.  Geese are trimmed to 2.5x4.5.  Being a purple fan, I do love this block.

And I ended up with different backing fabric than the Urban Blooms dots.  Irving Street Flannel  which looks like it will coordinate with Summersault for binding pretty well.  I'm glad I submitted a back up fabric.  And I accomplished all this because the 4 year old is with her cousin for the day and the night.  I probably should have paper pieced in her absence.

Evening Star

It really is nearly 12.5 inches but the center is definitely wonky.  I should have waited until the morning to piece the triangles together rather than doing it after being up for 16 hours already.  I'll make it up in the quilting....  The rainbow was going to be clockwise, but I didn't pay attention on the first seam so I just switched the orientation.  And I didn't realize that I "fussy cut" the girl with the umbrella on the pink until it was done.  What a nice accident.  The templates are printed for today's block but not started at all.  I ordered fabric for the backing and the binding today but am not sure if enough of the backing is in stock for my first choice.  She loves Mingle Dots so I got Urban Blooms in Aqua.  I think I'll bind it with Summersault Pinwheels in Marine.  It has a little bit of rainbow and a whole lot of blue for her.

The real Key West Star and the Five Spot

www.quilterscache.com/K/KeyWestStarBlock.html
I made it with templates from www.quilterscache.com/M/MorningStarsBlock.html.  It can be made with the templates from the Evening Star from the Summer Sampler Series.  I consumed too much ice cream while making this block because I tried to be stingy with my fabric pieces and then sewed the pieces together without lining it up properly.  Seam ripping paper piecing is a royal pain.  The points don't quite line up and there is a bubble in the light blue on one of them.  Ice cream helped me to feel better about it.

I'm much more comfortable paper piecing right triangles for squares like this one.  Again, I was a little stingy with the red triangles and had to redo one or two.  The seam ripper date made me unable to complete the Evening Star from the Summer Sampler series today.  My next couple extra blocks will probably not involve paper piecing.  Let me do a few HST blocks and I'll feel a bit better.  And a little bit of fabric came today from an order placed a few weeks ago.  More Metro Living Circles in turquoise, navy, gray and yellow.