Sunday Stash #2 - Lots of Loot

It's Monday. Yes, yes, I know. I'm a day late...again. I like to think that blogging has a certain learning curve to it and I think I've finally learned that I just can't find the time to write up a blog post on the weekend. So, a day late I will be!

For my Sunday Stash (Monday Post) I wanted to share some of the awesome loot I've won lately.

Let me tell you why I love blog giveaways. Yeah, you can win some pretty cool stuff, that's a given; but I really like that entering a giveaway forces me to comment on blogs, to become part of the conversation. It can lead to new quilty/bloggy friendships as well. I've "met" some of the nicest people just because I entered their giveaway. 

Okay, okay, it's time for the good stuff. Let's meet the loot!

I won not one, but four, FOUR, charm packs of From Bump to Baby by Gina Martin. The giveaway was hosted by Hilary of Young Texan Mama. If you haven't been to her blog I highly recommend that you go check it out! Anyway, I love this cute line of fabric. It has a great range of color and some darling nursery prints. It also has a lot of geometric basics thrown in there; so if you don't use the whole charm pack, your leftovers don't have to be limited to baby projects. Speaking of baby projects, I have a new niece or nephew arriving soon and these charm packs are going to be perfect for making a special baby quilt! I can't wait to use these. 

Next up is this gorgeous set of fat quarters. 

I won these from Annemarie of the infamous GenX Quilters blog. You know her from her amazing BOM's. Anyway, she hosted the giveaway as part of Jennifer Sampou's Black and White Collection blog hop. I'm so glad I won these but now I want need more! I don't have a specific project in mind for these beauties yet I'm sure there is a black and white quilt in my future. 

Last up is this drool worthy book. 

Why yes, that IS Paper Pieced Modern by Amy of 13spools and it is ah-maze-ing! I've been a fan of Amy's work for a long time and have been anxiously awaiting the release of this book. Then, lo and behold, I won a copy from Charlotte at Displacement Activity. It's safe to say I want to make all the quilts. ALL the quilts! Lol.

So, there you have it, my fantastic winnings. I'm slightly light-headed from writing this post. Chalk it up to quilty euphoria!

Until next time,

-Sarah

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Linking up to Sunday Stash over at Molli Sparkles!

Instagram Got Me

Oh dear. I've been lost in an Instagram haze for the last few weeks. I feel as though I've just stumbled out of a loud, hazy Vegas nightclub with a beer stain on my dress and what I sincerely hope isn't vomit on my new shoes, only to be blinded by the rising sun. Was I in there all night? We've all been there, right?

I thought it had been maybe a week and a half since I last wrote a blog post. Nooooo, it's been three weeks! Wait, what?! Three weeks! I have so much to share, so much to say. It's been a busy three weeks, relatively.

I finished piecing the top of my "Xbox and Botox" quilt. You can read more about the pattern and fabric selection on this post. Rather than do a random splattering of blocks, I decided to do a deliberate gradation of color. I LOVE how this one turned out! I mean seriously love! Which is a good thing because this one is mine. Mine I tell you! This will be the first quilt, other than the one I made for myself about 15 years ago, that I will be keeping. Selfish sewing is good for the soul.

Okay, I've got to talk about seams. Yes, I know it's a can of worms but it's got to be done. I have always pressed my seams open. There, I admit it. However, I do believe that there is a time and a place for side-pressed seams. This quilt definitely falls into that category. See how beautifully those intersections come together?

I love a good nesting seam and the quick ease of pressing to the side. You do have to pay a bit more attention, though. I thought I had all my pressing directions organized but when I changed the layout of my blocks to the color gradation, I moved everything around and not all of my seams nested. Boo.

I still need to baste and quilt this one. I've been putting it off because I'm not sure how I want to quilt it. Yeah, that's the reason. It has nothing to do with the fact that I strained my bicep FMQ'g a month ago. *face palm* Sarah - 0, sewing machine - 1.

In other news, here is a pretty little pile of trimmings for a new project I've been working on. More to be revealed later; you know, when I have more than trimmings to show.

I'll save my other quilty doings for future posts. In the meantime, I'll be lurking around on IG; it's been a few hours since my last fix. I'm trying to be more social by commenting on things rather than just doing lookie-loo drive-bys. You can find me there as @123quilt.

- Sarah

WIP Wednesday - Sea of Sqaures Part 2

Today I made some progress on my Sea of Squares quilt. I'm following this tutorial from Christa Quilts. All my "X blocks" and "O blocks" are sewn together and pressed open.

Trust me when I tell you that chain piecing is the way to go on this one! These blocks come together in no time. Just remember to keep everything organized so you don't accidentally swap any pieces between the two types of blocks. Now that these are ready, I can start laying them out. I love that part of the piecing progress; it's when you can really see what the quilt will look like.

*****

Ha! The man of the house just decided to rename my blocks for me.

Instead of "X blocks" and "O blocks" I now have "X Bocks" and "Bo Tocks" (Xbox and Botox). Never a dull moment around here!

Linking up with Freshly Pieced's WIP Wednesday!

Tip: Keep Your Pins Sharp!

Late Night Quilter has started hosting a weekly linky party called Tips and Tutorials Tuesday. I thought this would be a great opportunity for me to share this pincushion I made last week.

I used this tutorial from Modern Handcraft. Let me tell you, it was quick and easy! The tutorial recommends using a Sizzix machine for cutting the hexies but since I don't have one, I just cut mine the old-fashioned way - with a ruler and a rotary cutter. Also, instead of using fabric for the background square I used more felt. That may not have been the best idea as the background square shrunk 1/8" in each direction after sewing down the hexies. It all worked out though. 

Now for the tip! Did you know that steel wool/stainless steel wire scourers will help keep your pins sharp?!

I like to shove some in my pincushions to keep my pins sharp as sharp can be. No more dull pins that leave big holes in your fabric! You should be able to find some steel wool in the cleaning products aisle at your grocery store. 

Linking up to Late Night Quilter!

Holiday Gift Recap

It's that time of year when it seems as though everybody you know gets sick. I thought we might dodge the bullet at my house this year. *Sigh* Maybe that was just wishful thinking. What this really means is that I haven't been able to sew in days. I'm going to take this opportunity to show off some sewing projects I gave as gifts over the holidays.

First up is a paper-pieced throw pillow. My niece loves Twilight. I mean lurves! I had the brilliant idea to make her something that highlighted the four book covers from the series. I quickly realized that paper-piecing was the way to go and I completely lucked out and found that Cat Magraith had already made PP'd patterns for the books and they were free. Yep, free! I found the blocks on Fandom in Stitches.

So, it's confession time. Obviously, that is not the finished pillow, it's just the top. I don't think I ever photographed the completed pillow. :( I'll have to do that the next time I visit my niece. Next confession, I totally deviated from Cat's version of the block on the lower right (I think that's the cover for Breaking Dawn). Cat's block calls for PP and applique but I decided I needed a challenge wanted all the blocks PP'd, so I did up my own pattern for that one. Also, Cat's blocks finish out at 5" square but I sized mine up to 8". Last confession, this was my first foray into PP. It was so EASY and I love how the blocks turned out. Seriously, if you've never paper-pieced before you need to try it!

Moving on, the next crafty/sewing gifts I made were some library totes for the kids of some friends. The mom wanted bags with the kids' names on them. I was inspired by this pillow tutorial by Shruti from 13 Woodhouse Road. I used generic canvas bags from the craft store and a different variegated thread for each bag. 

Here is a close up.

These bags were super fun to make up and super fast and easy. For those of you who aren't used to FMQ, it's a great way to get comfortable with the technique and the motion of moving the fabric around under the needle. I think next time I'll make a pillow for myself like Shruti did. 

Okay, that's it for today. I hear some coughing in the background which is my cue. 

Have fun sewing!

- Sarah

WIP Wednesday #1 - Sea of Squares

I'm working on another Sea of Squares quilt. It's an older QAL by Christa Quilts. I made this quilt last December as a gift for my MIL. It was a quick finish and this is the only picture I took before giving it away.

I modified the pattern slightly by adding an extra column and an extra row because, well... I had the fabric and I'm of the bigger = better mentality. The quilting was minimal. I straight-line quilted just a quarter-inch inside every block. The minimal quilting and super soft fabric made for such a smushy, comfy quilt that I hated giving this one away. So, The only solution was to make another one for myself. This time I'm using some long-hoarded charm packs of Sphere by Brigitte Heitland.

I've got my charm squares all sorted into my "X" blocks and "O" blocks. That really is the hardest part of this quilt pattern.

I also cut my "X" blocks and "O" blocks accordingly. 

As long as I can keep them all in order; with some chain piecing, this baby will be pieced into a top in no time. 

Also, linking up to Lee's WIP Wednesday.

- Sarah

My First Sunday Stash! (Even though it's Monday)

Here it is! My very FIRST Sunday Stash! This lovely FQ bundle is Utopia by Frances Newcombe.

 Aren't they just the thing to brighten up a gray January day?

Linking up with Molli Sparkles.