I caved

And got a roll of batting...!!! Warm And Natural, to be exact!

It's kind-of a funny story really. I need batting for 4 quilts that are almost done. So, to Jo-Ann fabric website, I go. And, lo and behold, batting is 40% off! Yipee! Oh, and I had a 10% coupon :). So, I convinced myself that this was the most economical decision, and I would thank myself in the long run.

My hubby, however, was not so pleased...heehee.

This is how the conversation went, over dinner.

Me: So, I got the batting for my Aunt's quilt, our quilt, and a couple other things.

Hubby: Oh? What was the damage? (As he has a mouthful of food)

Me: Well, I got a lot of it.

Hubby: Yeah, You always get a lot of everything. You're just like your mother. (I'm not sure if that's a compliment or a weak attempt at an insult)

Me: Yeah, but...I really got a lot.

Hubby: Well how much is a lot?

Me: 40 yards?

Hubby then proceedes to choke on his food.

Hubby: Oh my God! Where are we going to put this big momma?! In the living room next to the sofa?!

Me: Well, it can always sleep in bed with me if you keep up the 'tude :) :).

It was quite humerous. We banter back and forth like that daily. We're a very sarcastic couple.

The batting arrived on my doorstep a few days ago, and my hubby walked in the door and saw it and just laughed. Good to know it's not the end of the world! Now, it's nestled in the closet in my sewing room. Out of sight, out of mind, right?! LOL!

Happy Quilting

Happy Easter!

Happy Easter, everyone! 

I'm so thankful to all my family, friends, readers, and followers who have supported me, laughed with me, cried with me, and shared in my joy with my sewing and quilting journey!

I wouldn't have come this far without everyone, including myself, pushing me to do my absolute best, and to go outside my comfort zone and to try new things!

When I made my first quilt, I thought 'Oh my goodness what have I done?!' (As in, this project was a huge mistake!)

I've learned so much since then, from fellow bloggers, quilt shop owners, and my own family, that it takes A LOT of bad quilting to be a decent quilter! 

I truly could not have come this far without my family, friends, readers, and followers. You all keep me on my toes, and make me want to keep writing, even if I'm a little off my rocker! :o)

Happy Easter to all, and have a safe and joyous weekend!

Oh, and as always, Happy Quilting!

A wonky pinwheel tutorial

Do you remember these pinwheels I showed you earlier this week? 

Well, I'd love to show you how to make them! They are quick, easy, and so addicting, you'll want to crank out dozens of these!

For the quilt top for these pinwheels, I'm using four charm packs - two white, and two of Make Life by Sweetwater for Moda. You can use any combination you want, but I would suggest using a solid and a print. 

*If you don't feel comfortable possibly cutting your squares wrong, then practice on some scraps of 5 inch squares! There is absolutely no harm in practice, I highly encourage it! It took me a few trial and errors for me to get the hang of it :)

Materials Needed

Four Charm Squares - Two charm squares in a solid, and two in a print (matching of the print is not required). 

Sewing machine

Iron

1/4 inch seam foot

Rotary cutter, mat, and a clear ruler at least 6 inches long

Part one

So, you have your four, 5 inch, charm squares. Lay those charm squares on top of each other, in a stack, right sides facing up. This part is VERY important, as you don't want the blades of the pinwheels to face in the same direction!

Part Two

Now that your charm squares are in a stack, right sides facing up, you're ready to cut!

QUICK TIP - To make sure that you cut in the right place, mark your start and stop point with a couple pieces of tape. I always start on a number with zero, because it's like starting on the actual number zero. So, since I placed my squares at the 10 inch mark, I place one piece of tape above the charm squares at the 12 inch mark with the long side facing left, and another piece of tape on the 13 inch mark, with the long side facing right. 

Now that you're ready to cut, place your ruler with the edges lining snugly up with each line that you have marked with the tape. 

Hold your ruler down firmly, without letting it slide, and cut through all four charm packs.

Part Three

At this point, you will now have two stacks :).

I don't like to move them all that much from this general area, otherwise I run the risk of getting everything mixed up and sewing the wrong things together! 

Lay the printed ones out like this.

And your white ones out like this. 

Now you're ready to sew!

Part Four 

Lay your pieces together. You should have four pairs of printed and white squares. 

Using your 1/4 inch seam foot, Sew along the side so that your little blocks look like this.

It's okay if you're not perfect when you line up the side, but try to get it lined up as closely as possible

This is why I don't like to move around these little blocks all that much, so that way you know which side to sew.

Press your seams. It doesn't matter which way you press them. You should now have four more little blocks. 

Part Five

Now that you have four 'things', lay them out in the pinwheel shape!

You will notice that the 'things' are different sizes in terms of length. That's okay! We'll be trimming that off :).

Now, take the top left 'thing' and lay it on top of the bottom left 'thing', with the top seam, making sure that the 'fat' end of the top left, printed 'thing' is sticking out. Sew together using a 1/4 inch seam. 

Repeat for the other half of your pinwheel. 

Trim off the excess, using the rotary cutter, mat, and ruler. Make sure the skinny end of printed block is not the end you're cutting off!

Press your seams in opposite directions from each-other. This will make piecing the blocks and making a nice point a lot easier. 

This is what you should have. 

Part Six

Now that your seams are pressed in opposite direction, you're ready to finish the block!

Making that little notch in the middle, with your seams pressed in opposite directions, line up the straight edges of your two half-blocks.

Remember, you want to line up your half-blocks going from the center - outward. When you do this, you will have a longer strip on each side that will be trimmed off.


Sew the seam, with your 1/4 inch foot.
Trim off the excess on each side.

Press your seam to one side - it doesn't matter which side you press.

And you're done! You should feel very proud of yourself :). It looks complicated, but it's easy!

I like easy blocks that look hard. So go make many more and make a pretty quilt top!

Happy Quilting!

A Day At The Zoo

This is the first quilt I've made specifically for a boy! 

"A Day At The Zoo"

I used "2-D Zoo" by Alexander Henry and brown and white gingham. 

This quilt went by very fast! From start to finish, about 3 days.

It measures approx. 41"x46". 

The unfinished squares are 7" and finished, they are 6". 

It can be found in my Etsy store here.

Happy Quilting! 

Quick Tip - Fabric Storage

I'm one of those ladies that whoever dies with the most fabric wins.

:)

I love fabric. 

But recently, I've had some problems storing it. Until I took a trip to the fabric store. 

I thought to myself, "Self, now how are we going to store this fabric?" And then it dawned on me.

Fabric. Bolts.

So, I then proceeded to ask the lovely ladies at the shop if they would so kindly give me their empty bolts. They practically threw them at me, they wanted to be rid of them so bad. 

I, of course, gladly caught them and headed to my car, bolts in hand.

My awesome, lovely, amazingly helpful hubby cut them in half this weekend, and we went to wrapping fabric. 

Some re-arranging of furniture, a new cutting table, and some storage bins later, and I have a re-vamped sewing room!

It almost looks like I know what I'm doing! 

Almost :). 

There are always improvements to be made, so until next time, this will have to do :). 

Happy Quilting!

Pretty Pinwheels

 I've been working on these pretties lately! They're wonky pinwheels! I saw these on a quilt top and was so intrigued!

The main print is Make Life by Sweetwater for Moda, and the backround is Bella Solids in White. In the shop, the quilt top showed each 'blade' of the pinwheel the same color. But, I don't much like playing by the rules, so I made up my own! :). That's the beauty of quilting, you make your own rules!

The awesome, lovely, most generous shop owner taught me the trick of the 'wonky-ness', and it's easy-peasy!

I will be posting a tutorial for the wonky pinwheel soon, so stay tuned!

A disappearing 9-patch tutorial

Want to create a block that looks impressive, but is easy-peasy? Then the disappearing 9-patch is for you!

This block is soo-ooo easy, and you come out with a great result and you look like a seasoned quilter in the process!

Materials Needed:

9 Charm Squares (a center, contrasting square is optional, but not required.)

Sewing Machine

1/4" Seam Foot. (If you don't have one, I highly suggest you spend the $10 and buy one. It will save you a lot of trouble!)

Rotary Cutter and Mat

A Clear Ruler, at least 12" long

A Little Bit of Imagination!

Part One: 

First, you are going to lay out your charm squares in 3 rows of 3. Make sure to keep in mind the order in which you lay your squares, keeping it in a coordinating, but separate the colors so you don't have the same color up against another square of the same color.

For my block, I chose to use a contrasting solid in the center block. You will understand why the center, but if you choose to do the contrasting solid, always put it in the center and not on one of the edges.

Part Two

Now we are going to sew our rows together. Sew your first row using a 1/4" seam. Press the seams to one side. Your first row should look like this.

Repeat the same step for the second row. However, when you press the seams, press them in the opposite direction from what you pressed your first row. So, if you pressed your seams to the right for the first row, you will press your seams to the left for this row. 

Repeat the same step for the third row, pressing the seams in the opposite direction from what you pressed in the second row. 

You now should have three rows of three charm squares.

Part Three

Now, we will be sewing the rows together, making a 9-patch block. 

Take your top two rows and lay them on top of each other. Make sure the sides you are lining up are the sides you want sewn together. 

To make sure you get that nice little point on your finished block, and none of your squares are off center, you want to kind-of notch the two seams together. See how the way you pressed your seams creates a little crevice for each one to lay? That's how you want yours to look.

Sew your rows together, using this method, and press your seams to one side. It doesn't matter what way you press your seams in this step.

Your block should look like this.

Part Four

Now, your disappearing 9-patch is going to come alive!

Lay your 9-patch block on your cutting mat. Make sure it's straight with at least the bottom line, and one of the side lines. You don't want your squares coming out wonky!

Find the center of your block, and cut with your rotary cutter.

Do the same in the opposite direction, like a cross.

And you're finished! You've created four disappearing 9-patch blocks! Easy-peasy, right?

See that little square in the corner? That's the center, contrasting solid square that I chose! It puts a nice punch to the block, without overwhelming the colors :).

You can lay them out in any order or style that pleases you, because after all, you make the rules in quilting!

Enjoy and Happy Quilting!