Garnet Fireburst

I am bursting at the seams over here!  I finally have my first (of 5) Fireburst Mystery Quilt finish!  This is technically the quilt that started it all.  It was to be my submission to a guild challenge using birthstone colors (I ended up using another project).  As I pieced the quilt together I kept thinking it would make a great mystery quilt and I think as a mystery it held up pretty good.  Today I want to talk about the quilting on this quilt.

I decided on LOTS of dot to dot quilting.  It requires minimal marking and you can use rulers.  It's also perfect for walking foot quilting as well.  For this quilt I used both free motion and walking foot quilting.  For the radiating lines, I first marked all the lines with a blue water soluble pen and stitched them with the walking foot.

Let's not forget thread! 

For this one, I used two different colors of Aurifil thread; #2024 White and #2460 Dark Carmine Red.  Both melted perfectly into the fabrics in this quilt.  How about a close up of the quilting?

Want to quilt a Fireburst just like this one?  I've also put together a quilting plan that you can follow, showing how I marked the quilt.

For the radiating lines, I marked around the edge of the quilt about every 2" and connected them to a point in the center of the quilt.  In the very center square I chose to fill it with the wishbone filler.  Please feel free to use this plan and adapt it in any way you want!  I just want everyone to be happy and have a finish quilt in the end.

For my quilty photo shoot I went a bit industrial...more like lumber yard chic.  I figure if you have access to it, use it.

I framed the quilt with this adorable garnet with gold flake binging.

I love this little quilt so much!  But the time has come to put it away and focus on quilting the next one.  I have a different custom quilting plan mapped out for it and hope to be able to share it with you very soon.

Don't forget the fireworks display of quilts will be coming up on January 1st!  To enter all you have to do is send me a picture of your finished quilt top or quilt.  I will put all call out for emails of the quilts very soon and will be announcing all the generous sponsors next week.  There is still plenty of time to make a quilt or quilt top before the dead line.  All the instructions for the quilt along can be found here.  Check back in on Wednesday for a list of sponsors and all the generous prizes they have offered up to help us bring the New Year in with a blast!

UFO Busting #39

It's been a week of nose to the grind stone-ness over here.  I decided this year to throw my hat in the quilting ring with the good folks over at Island Batik for a spot as a 2019 ambassador.  I've drooled over their fabrics for years so why not try to play with them as part of their team?  One of our tasks for first year applicants was to make a 12" block and send to them.  Above is my entry made with batik fabrics that were gifted to me back in the fall.

The rest of the focus this week has been on my second Fireburst Mystery Quilt and the quilting there of (a post of the first one is to come on Monday).  It always amazes me how many hours of quilting can go into a small quilt...needless to say I'm quilting the snot out of life into it.

With this version I am playing with secondary designs that are hiding in the background fabric, just waiting for you to see them.  I'm down to stitching black thread on black fabric, hopefully I'm not blind from eye strain when I'm done. #quiltersproblems.

Earlier this week, I shared my recent Americana Flag finishes.  If you missed them you can check them out here (there also may be a link to a free tutorial).

These flags lived in UFO land for way to long!  Now they just wait for loving homes.

Let's take a look from last week's party.  Gail from Quilting Gail had a cute little wine bag finish!

You have to love those super quick finishes right before the holidays.  Little gifts to show our loved ones how much they mean to us.  Gail also talks about her PhD program, designed to motivate us to finish UFO's.  It sounds like the program will continue on to next year and I'm thinking I just might have to join in.

Kathleen McMusing had a sweet little finish this week as well.

Her husband requested an iPhone mat and she delivered...two to be exact.  Kathleen has been joining in on the #slashthatstash movement I'm trying to start and found some fabrics she forgot how much she loved, and boom, iPhone mats.  Lot's of other fun stuff going on over there too.  I think I may have read there might be an upcoming give away and she could use some advice on picking fabrics for her Island Batik challenge, so make sure you go show Kathleen some love.

So what have you been up to this week?  Are you in the middle of the Christmas UFO or Squirrel shuffle?  You know that dance where you think you can make all the Christmas presents you need in the count down hours of the holiday??  Link up below and tell us all about it.

An InLinkz Link-up

I leave you with this picture.  My mother and other neighbor are really into decorating the outside of their houses for Christmas.  It's just never been my thing...never enough hours to get stuff up and then there is the whole take it back down thing.  I just want to quilt.  When I came home earlier this week, I found these little guys dancing in my yard and flapping in the wind.  My sweet neighbor couldn't take my lack of cheer anymore and decorated for me.  How sweet is that?!?  Wonder if she will take it down too??  Just kidding...kinda.

Americana Flag Finish 2018

Two small UFO's busted!  These sweet and innocent Americana Flags have been hanging out in my house, basted even, for three years...gasp.  Picture it, West Virginia 2015, a girl and a dream.  She wrote a tutorial for Americana Flags (you can find it here) a small wall hanging so easy you could piece it together in two-ish hours or less.  Her vision was to make flags and give them to all her loved ones for Christmas.  Needless to say five were promptly stitched up and given away.  Three were basted and banished to the back room.  Why?  Cause she's a quilter and got distracted by 20 million other things.

Then December 2016 one of those three flags managed to escape from the back room prison along with materials for some hot pads and found itself finished and gifted to a neighbor; leaving these two poor flags left to float around in UFO land again.  Their cries of anguish finally paid off.  The girl decided it was time to set these UFO's free!

UFO Busting #38

I may have got a bit distracted and full on turkey last week and totally didn't make the party.  Ok, there is not may about it, I did.  But that's okay.  I enjoyed every minute of family time and the bits of stitching I was able to sneak in.  I actually have four finishes to share with you over the next few days (when I brave the snow and cold to take pictures).  So what have I been up to?

Well, I'm happy to report I have my first personal Fireburst Mystery Quilt finish!  Here it is all bound and ready for pictures.

If you are dying to see where the quilting was going, you can always pop over to my Instagram page and see some in progress pictures.

UFO Busting #37

I guess I must have had a quilting hangover last week, cause I totally missed our party.  Actually nothing really quilting related happened because I was too busy real life-ing...sometimes that's the pits.  But I'm quilting sober now and all ready to go!

Operation #SlashThatStash is back in swing!  Though it's been more sorting and pressing than actual slashing.  I have pulled out the small yellow tote of fabric to work on with the browns and it hit me...do something cool with your fat quarters!

UFO Busting #36

Well my friends, it has been one exhausting week and I feel like I haven't got much in the sewing department done.  But after reviewing some pictures from this week, I've decided even though the sewing machines were not buzzing, I was productive anyway.  

Last weekend I concentrated on basting quilts.  My mom's garage was open because they were out of town and I decided to capitalize on it, in the form of setting up tables and getting high on basting spray fumes (joking to the last part of course).

It took several hours over two days but I managed to get 8 quilts all basted up.  Most of them are baby size, but it will make going from project to project so much smoother.

UFO Busting #35

I think I blinked and October has totally flew by.  Where has it gone?  I feel like I don't have much to show for it.  This week has been slow in the stitching world for me.  I have still been stealing every moment of free time to continue slashing my stash.  With the green tote completely finished,

I have started on the brown one and I am happy to report that I've seen a bit a progress.  Everything that could be chopped into jelly roll strips has been.

Now I'm starting on charm squares and will finish off with 2.5" squares and crumbs.  

Next up on the quilt front this week, has been quilting on two Americana Flags that I hope to sell.  I have a free tutorial on making them here.  With just the blue part of the flag to go, these should be ready to be rehomed before Christmas.

Other than that, the temperatures have been dropping to a snuggly 34 F and I say snuggly only because I have a million quilts at the house.

They are also handy at high school foot ball games as well.

Now let's see what you were up to last weekend.  Emily from the Darling Dogwood linked up with her finished Rainbow Scrap Challenge Quilt, Elephant Parade (by Lorna at Sew Fresh Quilts).

Look at all those darling little elephants!  Make sure you hop over and congratulate her and find out just where those pink elephants ran off to?

Next up we have Gail from Quilting Gail and her Fireburst Mystery Quilt.

I love the beautiful fall batiks she used in making her quilt top.  She has just started quilting on it.  I need to take a page from Gail's book and start quilting on mine!  

Now let's see what you've been up to this week?  Link up below and tells us all about it.

An InLinkz Link-up

I'm hoping for a mostly quiet at home weekend this week.  I see lots of basting in my future, since my mom's garage will be almost empty this weekend.  And of course I'm going to continue to slash that stash!!!!