Color Play Friday - Bobbins

Hello and welcome to another Color Play Friday!

It has been a busy week and I'm not sure if I'm glad it's Friday or not! On the one hand, it's good that this busy week is over but on the other hand, I could use an extra day or two before the weekend!

For those of you who may be new, Color Play Friday is a weekly challenge hosted by Trina from In an Otter Life and Lorinda from Laurel, Poppy and Pine. Every week they provide one of their own photographs and then the CPF participants create a color palette and coordinating fabric bundle based on the photo. Fun!

This week's photo is called Bobbins.

We all have plenty of these sitting around! Confession time. I really only use one bobbin! I know, I know! All you quilters out there who pre-wind a bunch at a time are probably gasping with shock. I just don't like to have a lot of loose bobbins all over the place, pre-wound or not. 

Do you have a bunch of pre-wound bobbins? How do you store them?

Anyway, here is what I came up with for the week.

This photo did not offer up a lot in terms of color. I had to zoom in and then zoom in again to find that bit of lavender. It was hiding inside one of the bobbins. The medium grays also came from around that area. I know it's hard to tell but I promise those colors came from this photo! Lol.

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I "shopped" at Hawthorne Threads again this week. I'm not sponsored by them or anything like that; I just find it really easy to use their color grid tool to search for fabrics.

Hearts in Smoke by Dear Stella

Little Lamb in Grey by Cotton + Steel

Chambray Swiss Dots in Black by Robert Kaufman

Sailing Stripe in Onyx by Hawthorne Threads

Oval Elements in Licorice by Pat Bravo

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Be sure to check out the other participants this week!

Hosts:
Trina @ In an Otter Life
Lorinda @ Laurel, Poppy and Pine

Participants:
Jennifer on Flickr
Mel @ Cloth and Paper Studio
and ME!

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As always, if you are interested in playing along, please check out the hosts' pages for more info. You can click on either of the CPF buttons on my sidebar.

See my past CPF entries by clicking the Color Play Friday tab at the top of my blog!

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Until next time!
- Sarah

Color Play Friday - Idaho Storm

Hello everyone and welcome back to another Color Play Friday!

You may have noticed that it's been a little quiet on the blog lately. I took some time off to visit family. I can't think of a better way to get back to blogging than to play along with Color Play Friday!

Color Play Friday is a fun weekly challenge hosted by Trina from In an Otter Life and Lorinda from Laurel, Poppy and Pine. Each week they choose one of their photos and then all the participants create a color palette and a fabric bundle based on the photo.

This week's photo is called Idaho Storm.

I love a good rainbow. :) I've never been to Idaho but this is pretty much what I think it looks like. I also expect to see a lot of potatoes there.

Anyway, here is what I came up with for this week.

I really love the palette this time around. I think it has a bit of a washed out feel to it. It was actually pretty difficult to find coordinating fabrics though. I originally had some florals picked out but when I found that Dena Fishbein print I knew I wanted to go in a more geometric direction. I tried to find "softer" geometrics. I always feel like there is a softness in the air after a storm and I didn't want any harsh geometrics to clash with that.

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I "shopped" at Hawthorne Threads this week.

Warp and Weft Double Gauze in Teal by Eloise Renouf

Chamomile in Purple By Dena Fishbein

Rattan in Indigo by Hawthorne Threads

Fan in Teal by The Henley Studio

Abacus in Eucalyptus by Joel Dewberry 

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Be sure to check out the other participants this week!

Hosts:
Trina @ In an Otter Life
Lorinda @ Laurel, Poppy and Pine

Participants:
Jennifer on Flickr
Mel @ Cloth and Paper Studio
and ME!

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As always, if you are interested in playing along, please check out the hosts' pages for more info. You can click on either of the Color Play Friday buttons on my sidebar.

See my past CPF entries by clicking the Color Play Friday tab at the top of my blog.

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Until next time!
- Sarah

Color Play Friday - Lycoming Engine

Hello everyone and welcome to a special holiday edition of Color Play Friday!!!

Before I get started, let me tell you a bit about Color Play Friday (CPF). CPF is a fun weekly challenge hosted by Trina from In an Otter Life and Lorinda from Laurel, Poppy and Pine. Each week they provide one of their photographs as inspiration and then all the participants create a color palette and fabric bundle based on the photo.

This week's photo is called Lycoming Engine.

I'll admit, I didn't know what a Lycoming Engine was. Google to the rescue. It's an airplane engine! Who knew?! Apparently, the founder of Lycoming also manufactured sewing machines. There's a fun fact for you!

Here is what I came up with this week.

I thought a modern red, white, and blue palette would be appropriate this week. Here in the U.S. it's almost time for the Fourth of July!!! It's one of my favorite holidays. I love the smell of the fireworks, grilling out, and, of course, the cakes decorated with berries to look like an American flag. Come on, you know you've had cake like that before!

Can you tell I love blender fabrics? Lol.

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This week I "shopped" at Hawthorne Threads.

Squared Elements in Pomegranate by Art Gallery Fabrics

Ta Dot in Snow by Michael Miller

Dash in Glacier Blue by Hawthorne Threads

Ripples in Sea by Bari J.

Thatched in Smoke by Hawthorne Threads

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Be sure to check out the other participants this week!

Hosts:

Trina @ In an Otter Life

Lorinda @ Laurel, Poppy and Pine

Participants:

Jennifer on Flickr

Mel @ Cloth and Paper Studio

and ME!

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As always, if you are interested in playing along, please check out the hosts' pages for more info. You can click either of the CPF buttons on my sidebar.

See my past CPF entries by clicking the Color Play Friday tab at the top of my blog.

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Until next time!

- Sarah

WIP Wednesday - All Over the Place

I normally work on one project at a time. I'm a mono-quilter. I relish each step of the process and I enjoy taking things one step at a time from conception to completion... or maybe just to completion of a quilt top. (I rarely quilt and finish my tops, but that's another post.)

So, I've found myself in a bit of an awkward place. I'm working on four different projects at once! I was cutting fabric for one project and it was just too easy to cut fabric for a second project. Then one thing led to another... Now, I've got four projects in various states of completion.

It's not so bad, really, except that my work space is seriously crowded and sometimes I don't know what to work on for the day. Indecision, I know thee well.

First up is my Dutch Darlings quilt top. Dutch Darlings is a new pattern that I'm testing for Cristy Fincher. All I have so far is my fabric pull for the project.

I'm not behind... yet. I will be if I don't get a move on! Seriously, I should be working on this one now instead of writing up this post. I can't decide if I'm just being a responsible blogger or procrastinating. Probably the latter.

Next, I've had this pull of batiks out on my table for over a month!

I have a plan for these and the background fabric is all cut out already. That's why I'm counting this as a WIP rather than just a project pull. It also counts as a WIP because it's taking up space on my work table.

I'm also working on this fun quilt block.

It's for a quilt pattern called Adam's Rib, designed by Toby Jacobson for Fons and Porter. I modified the pattern slightly to fit my needs. Anyway, keep an eye out for this one; I'm excited about it.

Last, I'm working on a HRT (Half Rectangle Triangle) quilt top using these fabrics plus some black and white.

I wish I had some pictures of the HRTs to share but at this time of year the best lighting in my work space happens right around dinner time. Which means I'm always too busy at that time to take photos.

So, yeah, four projects at once. I feel like I'm all over the place. Do you work on multiple projects at once or are you a one-at-a-timer (a mono-quilter) like me? If you do work on lots of stuff at once how do you keep track of it all?

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Linking up with:

Let's Bee Social at Sew Fresh Quilts

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Until next time!
- Sarah

Color Play Friday - Sprouts

Hello and welcome!

This has been one of those weeks where I don't want to do anything but sit on the couch and binge watch Netflix. Chores... Pfft. We don't need clean dishes! We can eat leftovers! I know you all know what I'm talking about.

At least it's Friday. That means it's time for another round of Color Play Friday! It also means I got off my butt and actually did something this week, otherwise you wouldn't be reading this post. (I still didn't cook though; we're having leftover enchiladas for dinner.)

Anyway, for those of you who are new, Color Play Friday (CPF) is a fun weekly challenge hosted by Trina from In an Otter Life and Lorinda from Laurel, Poppy and Pine where they provide one of their photographs as inspiration and then all the participants create a color palette and fabric bundle based on the photo.

This week's photo is called Sprouts.

Let me just say that I do not have a green thumb. I've managed to kill every houseplant that has crossed my threshold. I'm mystified by those of you who can take a seed, drop it in dirt, and have something sprout up a few weeks later. I think there must be some sort of voodoo who-doo magic involved. 

What I can do is play with color. So here is what I came up for the week.

At first glance, the photo doesn't seem to have a lot to work with because, well, it's all dirt! Lol. I was very surprised to find that the plastic planter had more blue in it than black. If you've been following my CPF's, you may have noticed that if I find blue in the photo, I tend to run with it. Run with it I did! I used that as my starting point and then pulled the green, yellow, and cream from the sprouts. Then I added in brown because I couldn't really ignore 80% of the photo. Lol. 

My palette felt a little iffy until I found that Bari J. print and then suddenly everything came together. It's funny how one fabric can change the whole bundle. The rest of the bundle is pretty standard for me. It's all blenders and, of course, I used a Painters Canvas print again. I can't help it. I know what I like!

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I "shopped" at Hawthorne Threads this week. 

C'est la Vie Winter By Bari J. Ackerman

Mini Pearl Bracelets in Lime Curd by Lizzy House

Painters Canvas in Lime by Laura Gunn

Arrows in Navy by Natalie Lymer

Quilters Linen Metallic in Chocolate by Robert Kaufman

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Be sure to check out the other CPF participants this week!

Hosts:
Trina @ In an Otter Life 

Lorinda @ Laurel, Poppy and Pine

Participants:
Mel Moore @ Cloth and Paper Studio
Jennifer on Flickr
and ME!

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As always, if you are interested in playing along, please check out the hosts' pages for more info. You can click either of the CPF buttons on my sidebar.

See my past CPF entries by clicking the Color Play Friday tab at the top of my blog.

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Until next time!
- Sarah

Color Play Friday - Purplishous Gets Coffee

Welcome to another Color Play Friday!!!

It's been a weird week around here; one of those weeks that's busy but strangely not busy at all. I have no idea how that works. Anyway, Color Play Friday was a welcome distraction for me this week. :)

For those of you who are new, Color Play Friday (CPF) is a fun weekly challenge hosted by Trina from In an Otter Life and Lorinda from Laurel, Poppy and Pine where they provide one of their photographs as inspiration and then all the participants create a color palette and fabric bundle based on the photo.

This week's photo is one of Trina's and it's called Purplishous Gets Coffee.

That's one happy unicorn! Makes sense. I mean, I'd be happy if I had some coffee right now. Truthfully, I just finished my morning dose of caramel hot chocolate. So, so good!

Anyway, here is what I came up with this week.

I'm sure Trina has some interesting back story on Purplishous. I'd love to hear it. Anyway, I chose to completely disregard the red and focus entirely on Purplishous for my palette/bundle this week. I started with the purple as my focus color and I'm very pleased I found a focus fabric to match! From there is was an easy leap to work in the pretty blues from the unicorn horn. Then I pulled the light grey from Purplishous's hair and the darker grey from around that happy smile.

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I "shopped" at Hawthorne Threads this week.

Schematic in Grey by Carolyn Friedlander

Butterfly Box in Blue by Lizzy House

Desert Hexies in Blue by Amanda Herring

Garland in Teal by Makower

Desert Text in Grey by Amanda Herring

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Be sure to check out the other participants this week!

Hosts:

Trina @ In an Otter Life

Lorinda @ Laurel, Poppy and Pine

Participants:

Sarah G. @ Sarah Goer Quilts

Jennifer on Flickr

and ME!

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As always, if you are interested in playing along, please check out the hosts' pages for more info. You can click either of the CPF buttons on my sidebar.

See my past CPF entries by clicking the Color Play Friday tab at the top of my blog.

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Until next time!
- Sarah

2016 New Quilt Bloggers!

Hello and welcome to the first day of the 2016 New Quilt Bloggers Blog Hop!

      

First off, I want to give the three hosts a HUGE thank you for all their hard work in putting this hop together! So thank you Yvonne @ QuiltingJetgirl, Cheryl @ MeadowMistDesigns, and Stephanie @ LateNightQuilter!

Let me introduce myself! My name is Sarah, I'm in my early 30's, and I'm a quilter. I'm deeply passionate about what I do and I try to share that here on my blog and on my Instagram account. I love to play around with color and I participate in a weekly challenge called Color Play Friday. You can read more about it on my Color Play Friday Page. I also love to laugh and hopefully I can make some of you laugh with my How to Speak Like a Quilter page and my Mr.123Quilt Says... page. I hope you stay a while and take a look around.

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My Origin Story

So, what exactly is an origin story? If you’re a comic book nerd, you already know. For everyone else, it’s an account or back-story explaining the circumstances of how that character came to be; or in my case, it’s my story of how I became a quilter.

A long time ago, in a galaxy far, far away…  Just kidding!!!

Okay, here’s the real story. I’ve been crafty for as long as I can remember. As a kid, I was deeply passionate about loom weave potholders, embroidery floss friendship bracelets, painting ceramics, crochet... the list goes on. Now, I don’t actually remember seeing my mom sew anything but I know she did because I vividly recall a pair of homemade, zebra striped hammer pants that were probably pretty cool back then. Hideous I tell ya! I do, however, remember her teaching me how to thread a sewing machine. So she must have taught me how to use it, right? Who knows, but I can say that after that I hoarded bits of fabric and made clothes for all my Barbie dolls.

   

Fast forward a few years to high school math class. I spent more time in class doodling on my graph paper than paying attention to the lessons. A lot of my doodles started to look like quilt patterns and one day I decided to actually make a quilt. It’s important to note that I didn’t grow up in a quilting household. I don’t think I had ever even seen or held a quilt in person before, so this attempt was met with a few sideways glances but I was determined. I got some supplies… and that’s that, a love affair was born.

My First Quilt

My first quilt in all her green and yellow glory! I had no idea what I was doing. Seriously, I was just winging the whole thing! Surprisingly, it’s held up really well over the years. It’s currently my “couch” quilt, so it gets a lot of use! I quilted on and off for several years until about 2012 when I needed a baby gift and thought a quilt would be a good idea. I really think that baby quilts need to come with a warning: “This is a gateway quilt into a life full of fabric and sewing addiction!” Anyway, there you have it, that’s my origin story!

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What's in a Name?

123Quilt... What does it mean? Honestly, one of the biggest hurdles I faced when I wanted to start blogging was picking a name. I wanted something catchy and easy to say, something memorable and unique, but everything I came up with was already taken. And I mean everything! I spent over a year searching for the perfect blog name. A year wasted!

I finally decided to start a "fake" blog just to test out the platform and see how things worked. Well, that needed a name too. It didn't have to be a good name, just a name to get me started. "Let's start at the very beginning, a very good place to start." ABC, do re mi... 123? 123Quilt? That was good enough for my "fake" blog. One thing led to another and my "fake" blog became my real blog. So, that's that. Will I re-brand in the future? Maybe. But for now I'm happy to be Sarah@123Quilt.

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Here are a few of my favorite projects and quilt tops:

This is my Xbox and Botox quilt top. Blogged here and here.

Xbox and Botox quilt top

This gorgeous mini is one of my favorites. Blogged here and here.

Simple Celestial Mini

Simple Celestial Mini

 A baby quilt for my niece. (Those baby quilts! I'm tellin' you, they're gateway quilts!) Blogged here.

Celebrations - A Baby Quilt

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In the spirit of the 2016 New Quilt Bloggers Blog Hop, I thought I'd share a few tips with you!

Blogging Tip

Have you ever wondered how to add those great html grab code boxes under one of your buttons? Oh, you have? Me too! Check out my blog button on the sidebar to see an example of a grab code box. I tried a few different ways and found an easy way to do it. If you’re familiar with adding a button to your side bar you should have no problem adding a grab code box. All we are going to do is add some <textarea> code. This will add the box and then whatever you want in the box is placed between the <textarea> elements. Trust me, you can do this.

Step 1: Add the html for your button like you normally would.

Step 2: Then add this. <textarea rows=”3” cols=”20”><YOUR BUTTON HTML CODE></textarea>

Step 3: IMPORTANT!!! You have to change the < and the > in YOUR BUTTON CODE to its alphanumeric equivalent or this won’t work. What that means is every < in YOUR BUTTON CODE ONLY needs to be changed to &lt; and every > to &gt; for example:

<textarea rows=”3” cols=”20”>&lt;YOUR BUTTON HTML CODE&gt;</textarea>

NOTE: most button links have four < or > to change.

Also, you can change the width of the grab code box by changing the cols=”XX” number. Have fun and play around!

I really hope that made sense, if not just send me a message and I’ll help you through it!


Quilting Tip

Scraps. We all have them! Some more than others! It's a good idea to trim your scraps into commonly used sizes. 2 1/2" squares, 5" squares, 2 1/2" strips are good examples of common sizes. This way you can easily work them into your projects. Do you have a scrap mountain rather than a small heap? I suggest trimming down just five scraps per sewing session; that way you won't get overwhelmed by all the trimming! Also, (I guess this is a bonus tip) you can use those scraps as a leader/ender project and pretty soon you'll have the makings of a new quilt top!

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Some Fun Facts

• Favorite Movie: Bill and Ted’s Excellent Adventure (because I like History, lol).
• Favorite TV Show: What is Jeopardy?!
• Favorite Hobby (Other than quilting and reading): I really love solving Japanese logic puzzles. Futoshiki, Kakuro, and Tsunami are some of my favorites
• Favorite Book: … IDK, I read them all! I really love historical fiction.
• Favorite Place to go on Vacation: The beach!!!
• Favorite Food: Birthday Cake!

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Quilty Confession

I sat down and made a list of all the quilts I want to make. That maybe wasn't such a good idea... Now I know that I have over 150 quilts on my bucket list. That's way too many!!! I have to do some paring down. 

Do you have any quilty confessions? I would love to hear them.

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Thanks so much for stopping by my blog today! Please hop over to some of the other blogs in the 2016 New Quilt Bloggers Blog Hop. I’m in the Hive Sewciety Hive and here are the links to some of my fellow hive mates who have posted today!

Allison @ Woodberry Way

Mary @ Stripquilts

and

Jodie @ Persimmon + Pear

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Until next time!

- Sarah