pink+tan dresden {blogger's quilt festival}

This pink+tan "dainty dresden" is my first entry in the Blogger's Quilt Festival over at Amy's Creative Side (baby quilts category).  A huge thanks to Amy for hosting, and welcome to everyone visiting from the festival ;)

A handful of you might have seen this before, but as it was my first ever blogging post back in January, I'm guessing not too many have.  Honestly I'm fairly certain I was the only person reading my blog back then ;)

I designed this for some dear friends of ours who welcomed their {absolutely adorable} little girl this past winter.  When we found out they were expecting a girl, I quickly learned that her mama was planning the nursery in pink + brown.  Not wanting to be too matchy-matchy, I swapped out the chocolate brown for low volume tans and off-whites to add a timeless (I hope) touch.  I wish I had more pictures, but as this was a gift, in the usual {no} hats style I was stitching up the binding the morning of the baby shower and only managed to get the single full shot above before getting a bow on it ;)

I did take a couple (literally, two) progress shots.  Here's one of the freshly cut dresden leaves against the background squares:

And another of the first plate:

And that's it ;(  Short, but sweet!  The finished quilt measures 45" x 60".  It was machine-quilted by yours truly (mostly straight lines, but I echo FMQ'd some stars in the dresden centers for a little added flare).

Thanks for stopping by!  And be sure to check out the other quilts on display (or enter your own!) over at the festival ;)

city sampler, country twist

After an exhilarating week of SMS Giveaway Day, I was stunned when Jessica emailed me Friday night to say *I* had won a copy of Tula Pink's City Sampler!  Whaaa?! The cherry on top?  Getting this little package in Monday's mail ;)  Fabric, too?!  You da best, Jessica!!

She was also kind enough to mention that The Intrepid Thread is doing a quilt along on flickr.  C'mon, quilting along > quilting alone, right?  And as luck would have it, May is month #1 ;)  They're (well, we're) doing blocks that end in "1" for May, "2" for June, and so on in case you want to join in.

Edited to add:  Thank you Jess (!) for also letting me in on the Sew Sweetness Tula Pink sew-along.  Sara's group is tackling the blocks in order and it looks like weekly link-ups will be starting next Monday!

As I was flipping through the book, I couldn't quite figure out what fabric to use.  Rainbow palettes are fun, but I've got quite a splash of color in this selvage quilt to tide me over for the time being:

While perusing my stash, I happened upon some feedsacks I'd picked up a while back and thought, "Why not?"  I have a decent variety on hand, so old farm fabric—and perhaps some new additions from my bid list (hey, ebay habits die hard)—it will be.

I guess I can also appreciate the irony of using traditional country cloth for a city sampler of modern blocks.  And I have to say I'm liking the look!  Of course the varying fabric weights make ironing a little more taxing than normal, but at least it keeps things interesting ;)

In other news, I'm at a standstill with my BBP quilt because I am absolutely determined to find a way to incorporate these lovely leftover fabric strips:

I thought about trying to make some sort of a skinny double border for the quilt top, or a giant outlined hat for the back... help?!  Please please let me know if anything jumps out at you when you see these ;)

Also, earlier today I uploaded a free pattern to craftsy for BB #2726 ("Boston Pavement") in case you're interested!  (Think steam punk, but without any curved piecing or applique).

Linking up with Lee!

hunter's star + bochie's blanket

O-m-i-G-A-H.  How happy am I that the last gift for operation xmas 2012 is bound and ready for delivery?!  So happy that I can hardly sit still long enough to write this post, so I'll make it quick ;)

This one goes out to my parents.  It's based on a traditional block called "Hunter's Star," BB #1284.  When I initially saw the little sketch in my hefty book, I knew my mom would appreciate the design for its simplicity.  Once I read its name, I couldn't help but think of my dad and smile.  Sold.  So I drew up measurements for a 72" block and got to work.

Because the quilt is bound for my father's childhood home, I could think of no better way to honor my grandmother ("Bochie") than to incorporate an unfinished, hand sewn quilt top that we first discovered while going through some belongings several years ago, and then again more recently among my own sewing supplies (as the resident sewist, I scored all of Bochie's old fabrics, notions, and a few pseudo-finished pieces like this).  Originally I had other plans for the back (a nautical print paired with an Artisania peeping duck for some added irony), but the reappearance of this nine-patch was just too perfect to pass up.  It just wouldn't feel right housed in any home other than hers, and makes for the perfect dash of nostalgia amongst otherwise contemporary decor.

So there it is.  Check.  Mark.  Done.  And Merry Christmas people ;)  Now, time to get back to the 13+ other projects {impatiently} waiting in the wings ;)  Hooray for finishes!

Happily linking up with crazy mom quilts.

{bloom}ing right along

*** If paper-pieced bling sounds like your thing, my birthstone pattern giveaway is still open! ***

I've been working through this quilt at a relatively quick clip.  And not just because Lee's offering a linky soon (though that is a nice incentive!)  The main reason is that I needed a finished top stat to test how my {new} new machine handles large quilts.  (Sidenote:  if you have any strong feelings one way or the other about Elna or Pfaff, please please share! I was having issues with my 6-month old Pfaff so my dealer has given me the choice between upgrading to a newly released model or switching to an Elna... and I need help!)  But you didn't come here to read about sewing machines, now did you?  ;)

I've been toying with my BBP layout and I think this is my favorite...

But here were the other contenders:

Trying to steer my helper clear of the family room floor while I think about it ;)  I generally wanted the pinks/reds starting in one corner, and the oranges/yellows in the other.  Otherwise I didn't really have an agenda aside from spreading the various values (and insufficiently bleached "blobs"!) across the quilt.  Did I pick the right one?!  Can you even tell a difference? :)

Update:  Top is finished!  Stuck with layout #1:

And oh how pretty are those open seams? ;)

I've also been doing a little sewing for my birthplace of Boston.  Being the BB Encyclopedia junkie that I am, I found a block titled, "Boston Pavement" (#2726) (perfection!) and fell in love.

Very steam punk-y (aka Air Ship Propeller, BB #3499), minus the curved piecing and appliqued center.  (And the blades here are the skinny sections vs. the chubbier steam punk ones).  This is the first of several I plan to incorporate into some "To Boston With Love" flags.  They'll finish around 5" square when set in the flags.

Now, off to rescue my quilt layout from a toddler tornado! Linking up with Lee at freshly pieced ;)

birthstone bling {giveaway day!}

***GIVEAWAY NOW CLOSED***

Edited to add:  Sir Random has spoken... #110 it is!

Congratulations to Krista of krista stitched!  And—in what will perhaps become a {no} hats giveaway tradition— because someone always has to be first even though we all know Sir Random hardly ever shows #1 any love (if at all!), a birthstone block pattern bundle is also headed Cindy's way over at Live a Colorful Life ;)

To everyone else (181?! Whaaa? Beat my expectations by about twentyfold), I truly <3'd and appreciated all of your comments and wish I could hand these out to each and everyone one of you.  In the meantime, keep an eye on the shop for some freebies (albeit less sparkly) in the near future!

***************************************************************

I have to say I've never done a giveaway before and I'm not sure how much of a turnout this will generate... but think of it this way:  potentially higher odds for you!

Up for grabs from this house of {no} hats during the Sew Mama Sew Giveaway Day Week extravaganza is...

A bundle of {shine bright} like a birthstone quilt block patterns (princess + round), hot off the {digital} press from my fledgling craftsy shop.  Both are 6-page PDFs (instant gratification!) complete with introductions + instructions, coloring pages + color placement tips, and paper piecing templates that can be scaled to create whatever size gem your heart desires.

 

Sample stone layouts for Jan-Dec modern birthstones:  garnet, amethyst, aquamarine, diamond, emerald, alexandrite, ruby, peridot, sapphire, tourmaline, citrine, blue topaz

Dare I say they're less complicated than they look?  So far I've experimented with February, April, and May:

Now, what will you "bedazzle"?  {Couldn't resist.  I actually had have (?!) one of those... yikes!}

You have two chances to win*:

1.  Leave a comment on this post.  Easy peasy.  What to say?  Tell me anything:  what your birthstone is, what you'd make with these, whether you too have coveted owned a BeDazzler, what you had for breakfast... really, a-n-y-t-h-i-n-g!

2.  Leave a second comment if you are a follower (old or new!).  Just tell me how you follow. Bloglovin'?  Feedly?  The soon-to-be-extinct-yet-existent-nonetheless Google Reader?  Two cans and a string?

*If you are a no-reply blogger, please please {please!} include your email address in your comment!

This giveaway will be open until 8 pm EST (5 pm PST) on Friday, May 10.  Then your fate will be in the hands of the finicky Sir Random {dot} Org, who will pick a winner over the weekend in time for stateside Mother's Day ;)  The winner will be notified via email and her or his name added to this entry.

Thanks for stopping by!  Good luck, friends ;)  And be sure to check out all the other amazing giveaways out there!

-- Sarah

bloom {bleach} pow

What do you get when you mix Lee's Bloom Bloom Pow quilt along with Rossie's recent fabric bleaching adventures?  Hopefully something good, because that's what's happening in this {house}.

Last night a "sunset-y" spread of fabrics (inspired by the BBP ringleader's recent pull, no less) took a bath in some bleach water (and a rinse in some bleach stop!)  After a quick wash and a mad midnight cutting frenzy, here's what I've got to show for it:

Not terrible, right?  (The creases are pretty bad but the bleaching turned out alright!)  Of course there were five fabrics (not pictured) that didn't change at all:  two reds, an orange, and two yellows.  On the bright side, luckily I had extras and at least it wasn't all the same color group ;)  Now off to do some chain piecing and catching up!

In other unrelated news, I've been gathering supplies like a squirrel collects nuts these days.  Any Aurifil enthusiasts out there?  Then you should definitely check out Sue's shop (she's reduced her prices and is offering an extra 10% almost site wide).  I just picked up quite a few neutral 50wts (medium and light beige, white and off-white) and some 40wts, all together averaging under $6 per 1422yd spool.  {Shipping included.}  Uh.  Yah.  That happened.

505 aficionados?  This guy's got what you want:  17 oz cans of the stuff for $12.49, and superfast shipping.  I ordered several cans because the S&H remains pretty constant no matter how many you order, and I was aiming for, er, economic stashing ;)

Happy Saturday :)

...and Monday!

  

scrappy {selvage} st. louis 16 patch

I've been dutifully saving selvages ever since setting eyes on this lovely (you can see Jacquie's finished quilt here).  And by "saving," I mean {generously} trimming selvages before tossing the fabric into the wash (yep, I'm in that camp).

Let's just say that after four years of conscious collection, that s* adds up!  As in, almost seven pounds! {Not including the crate ;)}  To be honest, I always figured I would make that spiderweb quilt (still might!), but these slivers just weren't screaming spiderweb to me anymore.  Enter the st. louis 16 patch (aka BB #1102a, "Mosaic #20").  "Quick and oh so easy"?  Yes please!  Scrappily strip-pieced?  Sold.  And whadda ya know... just in time for string fever ;)

So my selvage elf diligently dove in, meticulously sorting through scraps...

That is, until she started nodding off on the job.

While she snoozed, I managed to pick up her slack in the sorting department...  {Imagine that!}

Get a little bit organized...

And even start sewing ;)

Okay, so I didn't get too far on the sewing front.  But I did manage to cut enough strips for at least 12 more blocks, so keep an eye out for those because this addictive endeavor is officially underway!

Of course, I hadn't been crazy enough didn't have the forethought to trim a full 4" strip along the selvage of each and every (or any) fabric, so I had to scale down the finished square size from 3 1/2" to 1 5/8".  Admittedly, doing so sort of negates the "quick" factor that originally lured me in as I'll need four times as many blocks for every one of Steffani's, but I think it'll be worth it to finally get some use out of these trimmings ;)

If this simple goodness sparks your fancy, be sure to check out Steffani's tutorial* for the "how to" and join Katy's flickr group for the "let's do this!"

*As I'm using selvage pieces, I did make a few modifications to her instructions.  I'll post a {modified} tutorial once I finish the quilt (I'm using very, shall we say, modest seam allowances along the selvage edges and want to make sure they hold up in the wash before I go on blabbing about how to do what I'm doing).

 ;)

Happy Wednesday!  So tell me, any other selvage hoarders out there or am I by my lonesome?  {And if you don't want 'em, I'll gladly take them off your hands!}