BlockBase Sew Along #2354 Crazy Pieces block

BlockBase #2354 Crazy Pieces quilt block

Here is block #6 in the BlockBase Sew Along by Electric Quilt. It is called Crazy Pieces and is block #2354 in BlockBase.  I made this block 8" finished and used paper piecing to construct it.  It is very easy to sew with just four identical sections.

This is the halfway point in the Sew Along.  If you haven't started yet, you can still catch up.  If you submit a block, you are entered to win a prize for that week.  You have until December 26th at noon to link up this week's block.  The next block will be posted January 7, 2013.  Go here to see all the blocks quilters have made so far. Happy Holidays!

Block Base Sew Along #1755 Prairie Flower block

BlockBase #1755 Prairie Flower quilt block-9"

Here is block 5 in the BlockBase Sew Along hosted by Electric Quilt.  It is called Prairie Flower and is attributed to Nancy Cabot.  I love this block!  It goes together easily using the stitch and flip method for the corners of each block.  I used 3 1/2" squares to make this a 9" finished size block.  I then used 2 1/2" squares to make a 6" block from much different fabrics!  Check out other versions of this block here.

BlockBase #1755 Prairie Flower quilt block-6"

BlockBase Sew Along Block #2049 Independence Square

#2049 Independence Square block

Here's my block #4 for Electric Quilt's BlockBase Sew Along.  It is block #2049 called Independence Square and was published by Nancy Cabot in 1938.

I decided not to make it an 8" block like I have the rest of the blocks in this sew along.  The pieces in the center nine patch would have been tiny. I used 1 1/2" strips and ended up with a 9" block.

I won a bag of scraps in the BlockBase giveaway for linking up my Week 3 block. Here's what I got!

Check out all the Week 4 blocks by clicking here or link up your own block for a chance to win your own bag of scraps.  Block #5 will be posted on Monday.

Hurricane Sandy Quilt Block Drive

Wonky Scrappy Log Cabin blocks for Sandy Quilt Block Drive

The Quilting Gallery is hosting the Sandy Quilt Block Drive for victims of Hurricane Sandy.  Michelle is looking for volunteers to make blocks or be team leaders to assemble the blocks into a quilt.  I signed up to make 20 blocks and my friend Linda helped me make the blocks shown above.  The block is called Wonky Scrappy Log Cabin and there is a tutorial provided to make the blocks. It's a great block to make to use up your scraps!  Please consider donating to this worthy cause.

BlockBase #2448 Pyramids block

BlockBase #2448 Pyramid Block

Here's my third block for the BlockBase Sew Along!  It is block #2448 and is called the Pyramid block.  I used 9 different fabrics like the sample block shows.  I decided to paper piece this block because of the large number of pieces and their small size since I'm making 8" blocks.  The block was easily made from my pre-cut scraps of 5" squares, 2 1/2" squares and 2 1/2" X 5" pieces.  See more blocks by clicking here.

BlockBase #2741 Gem Star block

Here is Block #2 in the BlockBase Sew Along.  It is block #2741 and is named Gem Star or Golda.  I love the look of this block but it is not an easy one.  I didn't find a way to use 5" squares in it's construction so decided to make the block 8" finished to match the size of Block #1. The Electric Quilt blog suggests constructing the block in wedge sections.  I did not want to cut the tiny pieces or make "y" seams so I decided to paper piece the block instead.  I did have to open it in in my Electric Quilt software to be able to print the paper piece pattern however.  You can download a pdf of the pattern I used here.  It is for an 8" block. You can see how others made the block by clicking here.

Block #3 is posted today!  

Block Base #1336 Seesaw block using a jelly roll or charm pack

I have my first block done for the BlockBase Sew Along at Electric Quilt!! Here it is, block #1336, the Seesaw block.  Today is the day you can link up your finished blocks.  Go to the blog to see everyone's finished blocks! There's quite a variety of fabric choices.

I have decided to use scraps of my bright fabrics and make a sampler quilt with the blocks.  There will be 12 blocks total.  A new one will be posted every two weeks.  You can make them whatever size you like but I decided to use my scraps which means 5", 2 1/2" and 2 1/2" x 5" pieces of fabric, of course, going along with my whole "nickel" theme.  Making this block an 8" finished block works perfectly!

Here's a very quick, basic tutorial for creating an 8" Seesaw block using scraps from a jellyroll or charm pack-

All of the squares are 2 1/2" x 2 1/2" and the rectangle pieces are 2 1/2" x 4 1/2".  You need all the pieces shown above.

Just sew squares across the corners of  the rectangles using the stitch and flip technique as shown above.  You need 2 sets of each of these units in different fabrics like shown below.

Sew your parts together into 4 sections like shown above and then sew them all together like shown below.
Super fast and easy!!  If I were going to make this block any other size, I would use the paper piecing templates. The rotary cutting templates have you cut to the 7/8" which I don't care to do.

My friend Linda decided to join the fun and made the same block look very different!

Check back next week to see if I can create the next block from 5" squares!

Ghostly Treats pattern

Today's my day to post a pattern to the Halloween Paper Pieced Blog Hop at Whims and Fancies.  If you haven't done so already, check out the great free patterns that are being posted daily.  If you make a block and post it, you have a chance to win a prize too.  Go here for all the details!

Ghostly Treats

My Ghostly Treats block pattern finishes at 10" square as do all of the blocks on the hop.  I used a marker to draw the features on the ghost's face and the Trick or Treat pumpkin bag but they could also be embroidered.  A piece of small black ribbon is inserted before the top two rows are sewn together to create a dimensional handle for the bag,  You can get the paper pieced pattern here.

October quilting

October is starting out to be a busy quilting month!  The AQS quilt show in Des Moines starts this week.  My friends and I always go on Friday of the show. Can't wait!  If you are heading there, be sure to check out Rainbows and Calico Things Quilt Shop's booth.  They will have a great selection of brights and novelty fabrics in fat quarter, half yard and one yard lengths.  Don't miss The Woolen Needle's booth either.  They will have tons of wool. 

Another exciting event for October is the Halloween Paper Pieced Blog Hop 2012 hosted by Whims and Fancies.  Each day of October, a designer will post a free Halloween themed paper pieced quilt block that they created. I will post mine on the 10th.  Be sure to visit the blogs and get your free patterns!  

Also starting today is the BlockBase Sew Along by Electric Quilt.  I have owned BlockBase for years and hope this Sew Along will help me use it.  BlockBase is the CD-ROM version of Barbara Brackman's Encyclopedia of Pieced Quilt Patterns with over 4300 block patterns.  Electric Quilt recently published it again but the product is the same.  Every two weeks, a block will be featured to sew and there will be a link up so everyone can show a photo of their finished block.  The first block is posted so I better get started!

Time to sew

I've been gone awhile with moving, remodeling, downsizing and changing jobs but 

we are finally settled in-at least enough to do some sewing. Yay!

The house is coming along but is not "decorated" yet.  I had hoped to show progress pictures but got too burned out to completely finish a single room and my type A personality won't let me show you a room until it is "done." 

So, here are a some photos of areas in my sewing room that are done-

My cutting mats are hung on the back of the door using a skirt hanger and a Command hook and my rulers are hung on pegboard attached to the wall behind the door and

I have an 8' by 8' design wall to left of the door and right next to my sewing machine.  This by far the best set-up I have ever had for sewing.  I love it!

The blocks on the wall are from a Buggy Barn pattern called Spring Fever.  I don't know if they will all go in the same quilt or not.  I have made 48 of these blocks so far in an attempt to decrease my fat quarter stash.  I have five nieces and I may make each one of them a quilt using this pattern.

Twister receiving blanket quilts finished

If you have been following me for awhile, you know that my daughter has me make quilts for her children from the receiving blankets they used as babies.  One particular set of blankets (Lainey Jane's) had colors that didn't really look right together and it took me a long time to figure out how to use them in the same quilt.  I ended up making a larger version of a Twister quilt which I posted about here and this is the finished quilt.

Lainey's Big Twister quilt

Here's a closeup of the quilting and the polka dot binding.  Linda of L&R Designs did the custom quilting.

The backing is made from two polka dot fabrics from my stash.

I liked the Twister idea so well that I made Lylie's blankets into a Twister quilt also.  This time I just used the tool and 10" squares instead of making it oversized.

Lylie's Twister quilt

A closeup of the quilting by Linda of L&R Designs

and the back.  I purchased flannel for the back of this quilt and used the leftovers for the binding.

I cut the rest of the receiving blankets into squares and made Lylie a smaller quilt and a quilt for her dollies.

The backings for these quilts were from my stash which doesn't appear to be getting any smaller!

I am caught up on making quilts from receiving blankets because Kinsey is still using hers!  I overheard my daughter telling her grandmother who is also a quilter, "Grandma, I can have babies faster than you can make quilts."  Isn't that the truth for many of us quilters!

Great Granny Along blocks

I ran across the Great Granny Along quilt along and decided I needed to take a break from working on our house and make a block even if my sewing room is still a mess.  I talked Linda of L&R Designs into sewing one with me.  Here's our untrimmed blocks-

my great granny block

Linda's great granny block

Funny how we ended up using very similar colors in the same arrangement!  It wasn't planned.  We weren't really paying much attention to what fabrics the other was using.

What I love about this block is that it fits perfectly with my nickel theme.  You need one 5" square of fabric for the first round, two 5" squares for the second round and three 5" squares for the third round!  But you can also use 2 1/2" strips or squares.  It just fits in perfectly with how I cut up my scraps already. Check out Linda's blog to read more about how we made them.  You can find the tutorial to make your own great granny blocks here (scroll down).  

Twister receiving blanket quilt

The only time I've had to sew since we moved has been at retreats.  I made this Twister quilt at a weekend quilting retreat at the end of June.  It's made from my granddaughter Lylie's receiving blankets.  I used the original Twister tool that's made for 10" squares.  Off to my long arm quilter it goes!

If you have never tried a Twister ruler, you should.  It's addicting and is a great way to use scraps. As part of our retreat activities, we all brought 5" squares to exchange and made Lil' Twister quilts.  We all used the same fabric squares but we each used a different fabric for our outer border.

my Twister quilt

retreat Twister quilts

You can see an even larger Twister quilt that I made using 12 1/2" squares here and a smaller one here using the Itty Bitty Twister tool and 2 1/2" squares.

Since starting this post, I actually made a block in my new sewing room!  The room is far from being done but it's good enough to sew in.  I'll show you what I started next time.

Better late than never!

This is the last day to enter the Blogger's Quilt Festival at Amy's Creative Side.  With moving and all, I almost missed it. That's why I say, "Better late than never."  Click on the link to see all the wonderful quilts that have been posted and to find some new blogs to follow.

I am entering my Jumbled quilt in the festival.  I love all the Kaffe Fassett fabrics I used and it makes me happy to look at it with all the bright colors and patterns.  The pattern is a variation I came up with of the disappearing nine patch block and is made entirely from 5" squares. This quilt now belongs to our granddaughter Samantha.  I hope it makes her happy too.

Butterfly quilt #4

Kinsey Claire's color is aqua. Here's the center of her butterfly quilt top that I made on a quilt retreat that I went on the first weekend in May, less than 2 weeks after she was born.  This quilt is not quite so monochromatic as her sisters' quilts. I fell in love with the floral fabric in the wings of the butterfly in the first block of the second row and decided to use it as my color scheme. I think I will use it as one of my borders.

Kinsey's Butterfly quilt

Yes, in the middle of all of the craziness of moving and remodeling our new house, I went on a 3 day quilt retreat!  Really, really bad timing but I signed up for the retreat way before our house sold and before I knew my daughter was pregnant.  To top it all off, Kinsey's grandpa on her father's side passed away that same weekend. On the bright side, I was able to work on Kinsey's quilt without interruption.  I still need to find border, backing and binding fabrics but that won't happen real soon as I don't even have any idea about how to set up my new sewing room yet.  I just ordered the flooring yesterday.  I do know that I need to part with alot so be watching for more give-aways.

We are officially in our new house as of today and it is total chaos. Boxes and messes are everywhere.  We decided to redo the kitchen and master bath before moving in but as of now, I have no kitchen countertop so no sink or dishwasher either.  None of the drawers have pulls, 2 wall cabinets are not installed, the roll-out shelves for the pantry are not in and none of the trim is done.  The master bath remains gutted but at least we have 2 other working showers.  The whole house is overflowing because we are downsizing by about 1000 sq. ft.  We love the layout of the new house and know all the mess will be worth it soon.

Here are some pictures of the progress of our new kitchen-

I'm linking to:

Give-away winners

Thanks to everyone that participated in the Paper Pieced Pattern-A-Day Garden Party Blog Hop.  I hope you all downloaded a bunch of the fantastic free patterns.  Thanks for all the nice comments and for entering my give-away.

The winners of my give-away of the Butterflies and Blooms book and the  Fast, Fun & Easy Scrapbook Quilts book have been notified by e-mail.  


Kathy won Butterflies and Blooms and Janet won Fast, Fun & Easy Scrapbook Quilts.


Stay tuned for more give-aways as I start packing to move.  I need to part with a few things!

Garden Party Blog Hop and Give-Away

Today is my day on the Garden Party Blog Hop hosted by Jennifer at Sewhooked.  I have designed a paper pieced Butterfly block.  Maybe my subconscious knew that my daughter was having a girl and made me design a butterfly pattern!  This one is different than those I showed you in the last post however.  I had planned on making this block into a mini quilt to show but just ran out of time with moving and a new grandbaby and all.  It's on my to-do list though and I will show it when it's done.

Garden Party Butterfly

You can download your FREE pdf copy of the block pattern here.  If you have never paper pieced before, Jennifer has a great tutorial here.

If you would like to try paper piecing with freezer paper, check out these two different techniques -here and here.


In addition to the FREE pattern, I am giving away two books-Butterflies and Blooms and Fast, Fun & Easy Scrapbook Quilts.  To enter, leave a comment letting me know which book you would like.  If you leave a no reply comment, I can't contact you so please leave an e-mail address if necessary. Two winners will be chosen at random on May 6th at 8:00 p.m. CDT.  I will email the winners and announce it on my blog.