Snapdragon Cove-Quilt Top Finish

 I'm back again and I'm still loving on Cheryl at Meadow Mist Design's newest book release, Just Two Charm Packs.  

I have more charm packs than one quilter should, and this book is the answer.  When Cheryl reached out to me about the hop for the book, she asked if I would be interested in making a quilt.  That was a no brainer, yes.  But once I cracked it open, I couldn't decide on just one.  So, I did the only logical thing and made a total of four quilts tops.  

When I saw Cheryl's version in the book, I fell in love with the colors.  The dark background called to me.  For my version I used Moda Grunge Basics in Christmas Green and a layer cake of Gingham Cottage by Heather Peterson for Riley Blake.  Wait, layer cake, not charm pack?  Yes, that is correct.  With a few simple cuts I whacked the 10" squares down to 5" squares.  Bang for your buck, I now have the equivalent of two charm packs left that I can make another quilt!

I've said it before and I'll say it again, with just a bit of quilty math on your part, all of these patterns can easily be made using 10" squares and even mini charms (2.5" squares).  That's really like getting tripple the pattern power.

Confession, if you look close enough, you can see that I made a mistake.  When you are working on a quilt, and you realize you don't have enough of one thing and too much of another...you might not be looking hard enough at your pattern.  Me?  I chose to make more pieces and proceed.  The mistake isn't as readily apparent because I was consistentd in my mistake.  If you spot my mistake, I think I can make it even less noticeable when I quilt it.  No seam rippers on this one.

I'm super tempted to make a second version of this quilt but switch up the green and white.  I just love this pattern!

If you would like to see the previous two quilts that I made from Just Two Charm Packs, you can read about my Star Ray quilts here.  And please stop by tomorrow to see the last quilt I squeezed in before the hop started.  In the mean time...get on over to Chery's and read more about the other quilts featured today!

Diatom Quilt Top Finishes

 

They are finished just in time for the link up for the Diatom Linkup Party over at Quilting Jetgirl!  I have been following along with Yvonne since the start of the quilt along.  I managed to keep up with writing about my progress until two months ago and then I did the thing I do, I fell off the face of the blogging world...but I'm back and ready to share.

When I started the quilt along I wanted to make the twin size version of the quilts in blue.  After a trip to the store and not much luck finding blue fabrics, I settled on purple...that's close to blue.

I'll admit, I wasn't in love with my fabric pull, but decided they would work.  Once the quilt along started I realized I bought the wrong fabric amounts...I used the throw size.  So, off to a different store for dun dun dun...blue fabric.

Now I'm cooking!  I'm ready!  And two quilts it is!  Then I pieced my first block.

I'm sad to say I just wasn't digging my color contrast choices.  A few fabric pulls later, on both color ways, I was back in business and loving what I pulled.

Absolutely no regrets.  I love that pop of peach with the blues and the dramatic contrast the light gray gives the purples. 

For now, these two beauties will join all the other stacks of UFO floating around in the back room.  I keep swearing that I'm going to start quilting and ground myself from piecing.  So hopefully, sooner than later I can share my ideas for quilting these babies.

Just Two Charm Packs--Star Rays times 2

 

When I heard that Cheryl at Meadow Mist Designs was coming out with a follow up book to her Just One Charm Pack book I was a little more than excited.  I LOVE pre cuts!

When I participated in the hop for the release of the first book, I chose to make a pattern called Star Surround.  (You can read more about it here)

When I saw the pattern for Star Rays, I instantly knew I had to make it. Actually, I knew I would make two.   

For my first quilt, I used charm packs from Moda'a Country Rose by Lella Boutique.

This pattern is perfect for beginners as well as fun for a seasoned pro.  All of the star points are perfect for showing off all the fun prints in a fabric line.  It truly pieces up like a dream.

For the second quilt, I chose to work with a layer cake of Strength in Pink by Riley Blake.

I began by chopping up the fabric into the 5 inch squares.  

The best part is now I have enough to make a second quilt.  With help from my supervisor my second quilt pieced up super quickly.

My head is spinning with all kinds of ideas for the quilting.  I wish I had time to quilt them before the hop, but I was so in love with the patterns in the book, I made a total of four quilts, in three different patterns!  

I even bought mini charm packs in Moda's Sunwashed by Coriander Quilts to make a smaller version of Star Rays.  All of the patterns in the Just Two Charm Packs book are easily converted into a larger or smaller sizes, after a bit of quilty math, to incorporate layer cakes and mini charm packs.  Technically, you are getting even more bang for your buck.

Make sure to check in each day with Cheryl to see all of the different versions of the quilts.  Each day she will feature a different quilt (or two) from the book and show all of the different versions we came up with.  I've even heard there are several opportunities to win a copy of what is my new favorite book.  I hope to see you next week when I share with you the two other quilts I've pieced.

Allison Glass Star Quilt Finish

Today I am celebrating a quilting finish!  I LOVE the bright Allison Glass prints that make up these stars!  Unfortunately, I cannot take credit for picking them out or piecing this quilt.  I can take credit for demanding to quilt it.  

When I picked out threads for this quilt, I chose spools of Aurifil 50wt thread that matched the outer points of each star.  There is so much going on color wise, I feel like any color would have melted perfectly.  The motif's for each star was inspired by Natalia Bonner at Piece N Quilt (I can watch her quilt for hours and do on her PNQ Academy videos) and I used her 4 in 1 quilting rulers and book Let's Stitch a Block a Day to create the designs.

I started quilting on this quilt in March of last year.  Over the course of 2-3 weeks I got all of the stars quilted.

Black fabric really shows lint like nobody's business.  

Somehow I didn't manage to get a picture of the lime green star in the early quilting stages.  Sadly, I did the thing I always do.  I got inside my head about quilting the background.  I froze.  So, this little gem was folded and set aside for...a year.  

After a year of pondering and worrying about what to quilt in the background I realized, it really doesn't matter what I quilt.  I'm going to use black thread on black fabric...you're not really going to see it.  The main purpose will be to quilt something very densely so that the background allows the quilting on the starts to pop.  I decided enough was enough...let's quilt this background!!

I chose to use swirls and pebbles...heavy on the swirls, lighter on the pebbles.  I have to say, the more I practice the better I get, but I think that is what is suppose to happen when you practice.  All in all, the filler did exactly what it was suppose to do.  It's a fun little feature that helps those bright stars shine.

I'm trying to keep the quilting momentum going.  Overthinking is the biggest killer to finishing a project.  I've already got another one under the needle and can't wait to share it with you when I'm finished.  So for now, the Star Quilt and I wave goodbye but not for long.

Diatom QAL--Block 7

 

I have to say I've impressed myself by actually keeping up with Yvonne at Quilting Jetgirls's Diatom Quilt Along.  Last week Block 7 was released and it pieced like a dream.  Below are the blocks for the full and throw size versions.

My favorite moment of sewing was attaching the first six blocks into two rows.  That means the first half of the quilts are pieced!

Above is the throw size version.

And we have the full-size version.  I somehow managed to get the top row of blocks out of order, but I am completely okay with that.  This is supposed to be a for fun no stress quilting project for me, so I refuse to whip out the seam ripper for that.  I absolutely can't wait to finish these tops and quilt them.  Stars are one of my favorite things to quilt!