The Bonnie & Camille Quilt Bee Book

Wow, am I ever enjoying this book!  

The Bonnie & Camille Quilt Bee, by Bonnie Olaveson and Camille Roskelley, published by Fat Quarter Shop, is something special.  Like most quilt books, it has projects to make but interspersed with the project directions are anecdotes about the joy quilting has brought to the lives of both authors (who happen to be mother and daughter) and the connections they've made with other quilters.  It is really heart warming, especially in this time of Covid-19 when we can be starved for human connection, and I spent a very enjoyable afternoon browsing through the book.  

I have my eye on a few key projects. First is this thread catcher.  

It will be adorable on my sewing table and also handy to take to my crafting afternoons (once this Covid thing is behind us).  And of course, there are quilts.  Besides the cover sampler quilt, I especially like the red and white Starburst Quilt...

... and Bonnie's Beehive Quilt.

Bonnie and Camille each made a quilt from the over 1,000 Beehive blocks they received from around the country and world after Camille asked Instagram followers to help with a project by making this small block and sending it to her.  They were overwhelmed with the response, which says something about the quilting community's desire to help and the esteem they have for Bonnie and Camille.  

I was also struck by the high quality of the art direction in this book.  It has all been thought out so well.  For example, the general directions for the cover sampler quilt give fabric requirements for those who want to make the quilt exactly like the sample.  Instead of just listing the order number for each fabric, there are these darling images of each print in the shape of a spool of thread.

The book includes directions for all of the blocks in the sampler quilt as well as how to assemble it, directions for the Beehive block and the two quilts and a pillow, several other quilts and the thread catcher.  Plus a bonus cross stitch version of the sampler quilt.  I consider it an excellent addition to my quilt book library and think you will enjoy it too.

Getting the Christmas Spirit With American Patchwork & Quilting

Someone posted a picture online of the cover of the latest edition of American Patchwork & Quilting; I couldn't stop thinking about the cover quilt and had to find a copy of the magazine.  I found it at my LQS but Barnes & Noble likely carries it too.

The cover quilt is called Snowfall and was designed by Wendy Sheppard.  I bet I have enough Christmas prints in my stash to make it.  The curved seams don't deter me but I'd like to find acrylic templates to use for the cutting.  Please leave a comment if you are aware of any good sources.  The pattern pieces are included in the magazine but I think it would be easier and more accurate to use acrylic templates. 

There are a couple of other projects in this December 2017 edition of the magazine that I like.  Arctic Circles, designed by Victoria Findlay Wolfe, is a variation on the kaleidoscope block.  Nine individual blocks come together to form a large 36" block and four of these larger blocks go together to make a 96" square quilt. Yes, giant!

There is a 10-page write-up on Meg Hawkey and Crabapple Hill Studio designs.  She has a signature soft look that combines piecing and embroidery, often embellished with beads and other materials.  Some great designs are showcased in the article and then comes Holiday Wishes, a 30" square table topper design.  I love it but am not sure my embroidery skills are up to the demands of the center square.  The magazine does include detailed directions for using crayons to add color to embroidery designs.

I'm sure I can't finish any of these projects in time for this Christmas, but as Christmas comes every year, there is always 2018.

Plans for 2017

OK, I bought the cardboard, the comic book backing boards.  Did you somehow miss out on this "thing?"  These pieces of cardboard were originally sold for comic book collectors to use to protect their collectibles and keep the paper from creasing.  A clever quilter re-purposed them as the stiff center for mini bolts of fabric.  After folding yardage a second time length-wise, it becomes the right size to wrap around the card, creating a mini bolt that can stand upright on a shelf.

So, I bought a package of 100 (surprisingly inexpensive) and spent the long weekend cleaning and organizing the closet in my sewing room.  I like the way they stand on end, like a bolt of fabric in the shop; it makes it easier to pull a piece of fabric out to check and easier to put it back in place than the piles I had previously.  Unfortunately, they take up about the same amount of room as the folded piles of fabric that were my previous method of organization.  I had visions of being able to squeeze more into the closet.  I have several plastic bins of fabric that I store in the attic (really, a 3rd floor) but out of sight, out of mind.  My goal is to get my entire stash into the sewing room.  It's not happening this year though.

What is going to happen this year is completion of a UFO, Little Butterflies.  I finished the top in mid-2015 but it has been waiting for me to get to the hand quilting.

And I updated my Quilts to Make Pinterest board.  Well, I updated it in my usual way, editing the board's title to change the year while deleting the few projects I finished in 2016.  It still holds way more than I'll get to this year but my priority projects are Colorway (I have the fabric purchased and set aside with the pattern), a Christmas quilt (probably All Wrapped Up), a lace clutch using my collection of vintage and cutter linens, some pillow shams or cases, and some smaller projects.  I'd love to make a Flowering Snowball quilt with my stash of Kaffe Fassett fabric and am looking for the perfect background fabric to use.  Oh, and I ordered paper pieces for a new English paper piecing project.  It will be my new portable/travel project, not necessarily to be completed in 2017.

What are your quilting plans for 2017?

Go Four It

Do you have four-patch fever?  Are you joining American Patchwork & Quilting's Go Four It quilt along?  I was very tempted to join in, only held back by the feeling I have too many projects going on at once.  Then I realized, been there, done that!

I have a bunch of quilts hanging on these re-purposed curtain rods on my upstairs landing, right outside the bedrooms.  See that quilt on the lower left, the one hiding behind the hot pink and aqua quilt?  I made it about 15 years ago, while in my 30's repro phase.

The block is called Arkansas Crossroads.  My four patch blocks were pieced to finish at 4 inches (2 inch squares/2.5 inches cut), so the individual block is 8 inches.  The "look" comes about as you sew the individual blocks together.  

This border effect is made by inserting 2" strips (cut 2.5") of solid blue (or use any coordinating color) between the outer most blocks.  It makes a nice finish without having to use a single fabric for the border, and works well for a scrap quilt.  

I made my quilt single bed size but this block works for any size quilt - just add more blocks to fit a larger bed.  The April issue of American Patchwork & Quilting magazine has directions and several different layouts using four patch blocks.  And so many quilt bloggers have joined in that a quick Google search will take you to more alternative settings.  

I'm still tempted to join in.

Fabric Souvenirs from Hawaii

Visiting quilt shops was not a priority of my vacation.  I was traveling with my mother and my daughter, both non-quilters.  But I did get to one shop on Kauai, Kapaia Stitchery.  It is located on Kuhio Highway (aka Rt. 50/56, the main road that runs about 80% of the way around the island). 

Kapaia Stitchery is a quilt shop and more, with some other needlecraft items (most with an Hawaiian theme) and handmade finished craft items to buy as souvenirs.  They have a large selection of traditional Hawaiian print fabric, quilting weight and heavier weight for use in bags and home decor.  They also have an extensive selection of Asian quilting fabric and lots of batiks.  Kapaia Stitchery's website is not set up for e-retail but does include their phone number so if you are looking for something in particular, I bet they would take a phone order. 

I found these strip sets (like a jelly roll) in colors that remind me of Hawaii and could not resist buying both.  Whatever I do with them, it will be something "different' for me as I rarely use batiks.  But I do like these colors!  I had heard of Island Batiks but had not seen these pre-cuts before so thought I better buy them and not have regrets later.

Orchid on the left, Sea Swept on the right

I've been through my patterns and books, looking for ideas for these strips.  I thought of my Kim Brackett books first; there are a few designs there that I am partial to.  I also have a couple of patterns I bought, intending to use them when the right jelly roll came along.  But I think I've settled on a design by Cindy Lammon of Hyacinth Quilt Designs blog.  She has a chevron quilt under her free patterns tab that I admire very much and that is perfect for this particular pre-cut because it requires two strips of each fabric used.  The sets from Island Batik differ from Moda's jelly rolls in that they contain two strips of each of 20 different fabrics.  I've added a photo to my Quilts To Make In 2014 Pinterest board.  Now, I just need to decide which of the two strip sets to use and make a trip to my LQS for the additional yardage for the project (too bad, lol!).

The Year Ahead In Quilting

I like to set myself some goals when it comes to quilting, partly because I am just oriented that way and have goals and lists for everything, but mainly to ensure I develop as a quilter.  Rather than make the same easy quilts over and over in different color combinations, I want to be sure I develop new skills, like piecing curves and hand applique.  So these goals are about stretching my current skills and developing new ones, not about the number of quilts completed. 

Though I still want to be able to follow a whim and make a specific quilt when the spirit moves me (or, rather, I see something online or in a magazine).  So I don't plan ahead in too much detail.

Pinterest is a perfect tool for my planning purposes.  I recently updated my board formerly known as Quilts To Make in 2013; it is now Quilts To Make in 2014!   I subtracted some pictures, like those that inspired quilts I actually did make in 2013 as well as those that I no longer feel any great longing to make.  And I added some new pictures. 

At the top of my list I have:

1. a log cabin quilt - a way to use the scraps left in my Fig Tree basket
2. something curvy - using the Quick Curves Ruler I bought a few months ago
3. a small project - like pillow shams and/or a sewing machine cover
4. a bright, fresh color combination - I love the gray, aqua, and lime green combo

And I'm giving myself some leeway to act on a whim, should a new pattern, picture, or fabric grouping catch my fancy. 

Let's not mention the UFOs, PIGS, and other well-intentioned but never fnished projects I have around here.  No, let's not mention them.

Double Wedding Ring Love

One quilt top partially made and I've convinced myself that sewing curves is no big deal so why not make a double wedding ring quilt.  Why not?  In fact, I'm so in love with the double wedding ring that I wasted spent a few hours one evening viewing quilts on Google Images and Pinterest to get ideas. 

How about this one?  Or this one?  (Click over to see then come back because I have more to talk about.) 

Sew Kind of Wonderful (designer of the Quick Curves Ruler I'm using for my Waves quilt) has several takes on the double wedding ring:

one

two

three

 

 

So I could make a version using my Quick Curves Ruler and one of Jenny's patterns.  But I've also found several ruler/template sets made especially for the double wedding ring design.  Creative Grids has one, Simplicity has one (looks a bit odd), and Marti Michell has one.   There are also dies from AccuQuilt Go but they fit the larger machine only whereas I have the Go Baby model. 

 

If anyone has used one of these, I'd like to know what you think of it.  I like that the Marti Michell version can be used to make some other designs, like orange peel and Robbing Peter to Pay Paul.  Oh boy, so many choices!

 

 



Scrap Quilt Ideas

My primary project right now is the LeMoyne star Scrap Basket Sunday project. I'm making my stars out of partial fat quarters from my vast Fig Tree Quilts fabric collection.  I still have a lot of fat quarters and other large-ish pieces of fabric to work with in my Fig Tree Harvest project, but it is only a matter of time before I am down to true scraps.  So I started "collecting" scrap quilt ideas.  I saw Camp Randall from Primitive Gatherings on Linda's blog (she quilted the original) and went absolutely nuts for it!  I immediately ordered the pattern.

The photos Linda took look even better than the pattern cover photo.  I'm saving my small Fig Tree pieces in order to make this one; I'll have to find a unifying fabric to use in place of the navy used for the original. 

And I've been saving scrap quilt ideas on a Pinterest board. 

Here are some more scrappy quilt ideas:

Frequent Flyer was my last true scrap quilt.  It uses uneven 9-patch blocks and a flying geese border.  The pattern was in an issue of American Patchwork & Quilting. 

.

The Dresden plate block lends itself well to the use of scraps.  Summertime is scrappy but I used fat quarters. 

Tilted Spools, from the book Pretty Patchwork Quilts by Cyndi Walker.

 

 

Six-pointed stars in a block called seven sisters.

 

 

A Quilt For Alice, a pattern from Red Crinoline Quilts.

 

 

 

With so many scrappy designs vying for my attention, I may need more scraps!

 



Design Inspiration

Over the past week, a few items have come my way and inspired thoughts of future quilts!

First, I came across this pattern by Carolyn Friedlander, called Sessoms.  The cover quilt is made with Kaffe Fassett prints.  I have a bag of Kaffe fat quarters and this may be just the project for them.  I bought my copy of the pattern at Pink Chalk Fabrics.  I appreciate that they don't charge to ship patterns.

Next, Amazon.com delivered my copy of Pretty Patchwork Quilts, by Cyndi Walker.  The designs are fairly traditional, livened up by the fabric choices (mostly scrappy) and applique accents.  I've put a couple of the projects on "my list."

This pattern, Shooting Stars, is great for fat quarters and does not require border fabric. 

I like Tilted Spools even better.  I plan to make this as a wall hanging for my "studio."

This month's McCall's Quilting (May/June 2012) is full of possibilities.  The ever-prolific Gerri Robinson has a pattern featured that uses stars while another frequent contributor, Lynn Lister, has a patriotic sawtooth star design in the issue.  This issue is worth adding to your collection.

Gifts From Your Workshop

Being a "crafty type," I like to make presents when I can.  Of course, I don't have time to make gifts for everyone on my list, and not everyone appreciates a hand-made present.  I am selective about who I make quilts for (must appreciate both the quality of the work and the quantity of time spent, and not treat it like a bargain from T.J. Maxx), but I often make smaller items that take less time than a quilt.  Still, they do require some thought, to match the gift to the recipient. 

Here are some ideas.  Last year, I made some kitchen towels using fusible applique.  (The Joy design is from a Nancy Halvorsen Art to Heart book called Tidings.)  They make nice hostess gifts, a good alternative to a bottle of wine.  Or you could make a set of coordinating towels. 

Pillowcases make good gifts, especially for children when made out of novelty fabrics.  There are so many character lines out now, you can surely find the child's favorite thing.  There are numerous tutorials for pillowcases; just Google pillowcase tutorial and take your pick.

Early in the spring, I made myself a new tote bag, using a pattern called Practical Bag.  I used a vintage piece of upholstery fabric I had on hand, but you could use any sturdy fabric, including quilting cotton, making this a good stash project.  Practical Bag is an unstructured bag that is easy to pack for vacations and could even be used for groceries. 

Bags are a good way to use novelty fabrics, too.  How about a new tote made in this chocolate print, and wrapped with a few choice candy bars?

For my next project, I'll be using this cassette tape novelty print to make Miss Main Street a pair of boxer shorts (she wears them as pajamas).  She picked this fabric out during our vacation last summer!  Time to get those boxers made!

Fat Quarter Friendly Quilt Patterns

So now I'm on the lookout for the pefect projects for my bundles of Etchings and Butterscotch and Rose.

Here are a few ideas:

This pattern is called Razz-Ma-Tazz and is from Thimble Creek.    (By the way, the colored font is not just pretty; it represents links that will take you to the website where I bought the pattern - just in case you want to know more about it.) 

When I first saw the pattern, I thought it would be great for my stash of 30's repros. Now that I have the pattern, I'm thinking about it for my leftover turquoise fabrics, or Christmas prints, or Fig Tree prints. The background doesn't have to be white and the diagonal accent doesn't have to be red!

When I saw French Vintage on the Thimble Creek site, I thought it would be perfect for the Etchings fat quarters.  The original was made from Rouenneries, the yummy line from French General.

I'm thinking of this for the red and grey prints from Etchings, along with the light background prints.  I can save the blue fat quarters for another project.

This is Magical Mystery Tour from Abbey Lane Quilts.  It uses 20 fat quarters plus yardage for the sashing and borders.  I think it might work for the Fig Tree prints but am not completely sold on it yet.   

Any suggestions?

Planning Ahead

I'm still working on the spiderweb quilt but that doesn't stop me from thinking about - and mentally planning - my next project.  I have a few things in mind.

First, as previously mentioned, I plan to make several Christmasy quilts to hang here, in place of the pastels, as part of my Christmas decorating.  That's on my planned agenda for July/August.  I have a few ideas and tons of archived Christmas fabric.

Then, I want to make this wool applique picture, from the Sew Scrappy edition of American Patchwork & Quilting magazine.  I have most of the materials but need the background fabric (black wool), perle cotton or embroidery floss, and a frame.

I also want to make a quilt with a house block, either something from the Home Sweet Home book or...

or this pattern from Sew'n Wild Oaks, House on Edgewood Lane. 

But I just bought Simple Graces, by Kim Diehl, because I was attracted to two items on the cover.  This pillowcase...

I think it is perfect for the leftovers from my Rural Jardin quilt!  And I'm just wild about this yo-yo quilt.

Though somewhat less enthusiastic about the idea of making all those yo-yos!  Have you made them?  What's your opinion - ridiculously tedious or fun portable project?

And then there is this applique beauty.  Of course, I need to learn to applique first.

Fortunately, I have a little time before I have to commit to one or another.

Inspiration From Where You Least Expect It

Sometimes, I find inspiration for quilting projects in unexpected places.  Upon my return from Chicago, I had an email greeting from current favorite leather-goods company, Brahmin.  (Brahmin specializes in purses made from mock-croc embossed leather.)

(No, not an ad on my blog, just an illustration for this post.)

I could resist the reduced shipping offer (I'm not going to buy my own Valentine's Day present) but could not resist the heart made up of smaller hearts.  I immediately saw a future applique project!  Wouldn't that look great on a throw pillow?

Happy Valentine's Day!

My Next Quilt Project Found Me

I haven't quite finished my current project, the Ginger Belle quilt I am making with Rural Jardin fabric (it needs a name!), but I already have my next project identified.  I was in Barnes & Noble scanning the magazines when this leapt out at me. 

Here's another view of the quilt top, from a page inside American Patchwork & Quilting, April 2011 edition.

I find the design very appealing.  Moreover, I think I can make it from stash!  I'm going to use colors in the same general color grouping that I used in Saturday Sampler, the quilt below.

But I won't start until I finish my Rural Jardin project.  Help me with a name!