Sunday, May 31, 2015

Sunday Stash - But they were free...

Since my Fabricaholics Anonymous post, I've been evaluating my fabric purchasing. I know, I know, how many posts have you read about working from your stash, blah, blah, blah. But seriously people... I have enough fabric. I could probably quilt an addition on my house.

That said, here's a little fabric eye candy that made it's way into my stash last week. Some lovely Cotton & Steel - Dottie's Cousin Lime, Dottie's Cousin Mint, Hot Cross Buns Natural (all from Rashida Coleman-Hale's Mochi Line), and Study Hall from the Black & White Collection.  
I just love the messages on these pencils... "As ye rip so shall ye sew" ☺
And the selvages!
I know what you're thinking... how is this not adding to your stash? Well, I won it! Thanks to my January Finish in ALYOF, I won a 15$ gift certificate to Fat Quarter Shop. And I showed remarkable restraint and only went a little over!

On-line fabric purchases since beginning Fabricaholics = 0$ (I ordered this well before I began FA)
Visits to LQS since last Sunday Stash Post = 0
Projects made entirely from materials on hand this week = 1 (Don't worry... you'll see it soon!)

Can you do it? Can you stop whenever you want to? I dare you...

Friday, May 29, 2015

I ♥ Doubles - Friday Finish & ALYOF May Finish!

Friday and a Finish! I was easy on myself for this month's edition of ALYOF... you can read all about my slackitude in this post (#93 in the Goal Setting Party).

All that self deprecating talk aside, I did achieve my goal for this month - to bind a Kona strip baby quilt that's been hanging out in the studio for some time. I made this quilt to figure out how long it takes me to make one of my Kona strip baby quilts. I've been having some thoughts about selling my wares. I'll be sharing the break down in a future post... when I've had time to run it through the Sparkle-ator. And recover from the results!
This quilt features quite a list of Konas! The greys are Silver and Steel. The teals are (in alphabetical order of course!) Aqua, Azure, Bahama Blue, Breakers, Capri, Caribbean, Pool, Robin Egg, Teal Blue, and Ultramarine. This was a stash raider... mostly scraps and a few large cuts from the Kona Hoarde.
The quilting is a wide, wavy, wiggly organic line motif done in teal. How's that for quilting buzzwords? My goal here was to make the quilting interesting without investing a lot of time.
The backing is an oh so nicely priced find from the flat fold section at my LQS. 5.99$/m for a backing fabric? Yes, please!
  Gratutitous tulip pic!
The binding is Kona Ultramarine. I machine stitched it, also in a bid to save time. I'm not in love with the results... I likely need more practice!
My quilty and Girl Guide-y pal Anja (of Anja Quilts) is hosting TGIFF today, so there's no way I wouldn't be linking up over there. And because I'm apparently addicted to link-ups, I'll be popping over to Finish Up Friday @ Crazy Mom Quilts AND ALYOF Finish Party for May! Wheeee!!!!

Happy Week-end!

J

Tuesday, May 26, 2015

Pssst! I gotta tip for ya....

Okay... You know I'm a little obsessed with Kona, right? Hold the heckling, please. Here's the thing... have you ever gone and poked around the Robert Kaufman website? Specifically the Patterns tab? Holy smokes, people! It's treasure trove!
                            200 x 200
There are a pile of patterns from Oh Fransson's Elizabeth Hartmann... such as Fancy Fox, Hazel the Hedgehog II,  and New Wave. Granted, they're not all free, but there's good stuff there!
http://www.robertkaufman.com/quilting/quilts_patterns/new_wave_1101/#color:1

A little Carol Friedlander perhaps? Or maybe a lot?  Or a treat or two (or three) from Jaybird Quilts of Hex n' More fame?  Or perhaps you want to make that fabulous Parachute quilt recently featured on Crazy Mom Quilts? Yup, the pattern's right there... for free.
http://www.robertkaufman.com/quilting/quilts_patterns/parachute/

Or maybe you want to make a lovely Prismatic Medallion like Kitty over at The Night Quilter. Well, here you go. There's the pattern!
http://www.robertkaufman.com/quilting/quilts_patterns/prismatic_medallions/#color:1
And the best part? You don't need to sign up, create an account or any of that other crap! Just click a link and download the PDF. Score! Sometimes I wonder why I buy quilt books at all. There's enough free content on this one website to keep me busy for eons!

I'm linking up today for the first time with....
New Blogger Series
Pop on over and be inspired or find a "duh... why did I never think of that" tip! 
J

Sunday, May 24, 2015

Sunday Stash - It was just (point) one...

So I slipped a little this week. But I needed to. I had a problem that wouldn't fix itself without an infusion of fabric.
Yes, dear reader, I was able to hold those pieces of fabric in place with a pin or two. Because I bought 0.1m. Yup. Just a measly 6 inches of each. I have no idea if my LQS has a minimum cut (I've never really needed to know), but this might be it!
And I ran out of thread at a pivotal moment in my FMQ last week-end. Grrrr. Had to pick up another kilometer of thread. Always makes me smile to think of a 1000m spool that way!

I'm linking up with the oh so glittery Molli Sparkles for...
Molli Sparkles

It would appear that my purchases coordinate oh so nicely with Molli's logo!


On-line fabric purchases since last Sunday Stash Post = 0$
Visits to LQS since last Sunday Stash Post = 1 (purchases totaled less than 9$)
Work days lost to fabric related incidents = 0

J

Wednesday, May 20, 2015

WIP Wednesday - In a Technicolor Galaxy far, far away...

Actual quilting happened this week! It`s been a while, but after only minimal cursing and ripping out of stitching, I was back in the FMQ groove.
In the interest of saving time and sanity, I'm going to mark all the spools of thread I use for this quilt with a little piece of Washi tape. That way, when I go to quilt the next layer outward, I won't have to rack my brain trying to remember what I've used already!
I only stopped working on the Color Wheel because I ran out of white thread. Curses!

I also finished piecing the last of the Star Points! Yay, me!
Then it was on to choosing the Konas for the backing of each star point (they're QAYG so I get to choose backing over and over again!). Twelve Konas were provided in the kit, but since I did a little playing around with the colour distribution in the star points... they didn't all seem to work so well in my version.
 
Which just gave me an excuse to dive into the Kona piles. Can't you just see me frolicking around like Scrooge McDuck in his piles of gold coins? Or maybe Kona Badasses don't frolic. Oh well.
Curry, Ice Frappe, and Candy Blue got nixed. I actually ended up taking out the piece of Lilac that's shown in the pic above. It was just too... Lilac.

Star points are layered, stacked and ready to be packed for our MMQG Sew In this coming Saturday. Yay! An entire day of sewing! I might not want to come home.
I'm linking up today with WIP Wednesday @ Freshly Pieced as well as Let's Bee Social @ Sew Fresh Quilts. Today, you get a little glimpse into her stash. All I can say is... oh my!!!

J

P.S. If you're a new quilt blogger, you should definitely pop over to Quilting JetGirl and check out the 2015 New Quilt Blogger Blog Hop. If you've been blogging for less than 2 years about mainly modern quilting and post somewhere around 4 posts a month, this might be right up your alley. I participated last year and found it helpful. I wish I could do it again this year, since they'll be using FaceBook as a communication platform. So much easier that Google groups... at least for me!

Tuesday, May 19, 2015

And the winner is....


I didn't forget about last week's giveaway... honest! This week-end, the first long week-end, the kick-off to summer... got away from me! I really enjoyed reading all your dreams of what you'd do if you had a million dollars. Though I think only Val of Purple Boots and Pigtails got the soundtrack down pat.

The winner of a lovely little zipper pouch stuffed with quilty goodies (as chosen by Mr. Random Number Generator) is #59 - Q-B! Q-B is none other than my PiG, bee mate, and newly minted member of the Maritime Modern Quilt Guild (say that five times fast!), Brenda.

What I would have spent on postage, I can now spend on fabric. Score!

J

Sunday, May 17, 2015

Sunday Stash - I swore I wouldn't...

And I didn't...

This week's Sunday Stash came in a squishy envelope from Fridays Off Fabric, courtesy of the Z's. It's my penultimate (yup, there's that word again) batch of fat quarters from Le Club. So technically, I didn't purchase any fabric this week!

First up, some Safari Park critters.... more Lewis & Irene prints - Safari Animals on Charcoal and Safari Animals on Turquoise. I'm seeing some more Polaroid blocks in my future. Don't you just love those monkeys in the palm tree?
Next up, Crowd of Cats in Multi and Paws in Multi from Makower. These are a little, well... pink, and a little, well.... cat for me. Perhaps Miss N from my bee would be interested! ☺
More Lewis & Irene... this time two prints from the April Showers line - April Showers on White and Balloons on Grey. I kind of wish they had the print with the Tour d'Eiffel and the cute saying in French! I'm a sucker for fabric with French on it... such a francophile!
And selvages... sweet selvages. These make me so happy... especially the little "Threaded with Love" on the Lewis & Irene prints.
I'm linking up with the oh so glittery Molli Sparkles for...
Molli Sparkles


On-line fabric purchases since last Sunday Stash Post = 0$
Visits to LQS since last Sunday Stash Post = 0
Work days lost to fabric related incidents = 0

J

Thursday, May 14, 2015

TGIFF is here!

It's Thank Goodness It's Finished Friday! If you're popping over to link-up and have never been here before, welcome to A Quarter Inch from the Edge! To learn a little more about me (and enter a giveaway ☺), you can visit my post on the recent Meet Maritime Modern Blog Hop.
But enough about that, let's get to this week's finish! 
This 16 by 16 inch pillow is a design of my own creation. It combines my love of selvages and Kona solids. Since I struggle with quilt math, sketching things out really works for me!
It's based on a little wall hanging in my studio that doubles as a bulletin board when my other one is too full!
I do love a good selvage! It was tough to part with these, but I'm sure they'll go to a good home when it gets swapped with the Edmonton Modern Quilt Guild in a couple months. And it's not like my selvage stash is hurting!
So many memories of fun fabrics I've worked with and friends that have passed their selvages on to me! And some lovely Kona Silver to let those bright colours pop!
For the quilting, I continued the visual lines created in the selvage chevron. I varied the distance between the lines, ranging from less than ¼ inch to almost 1 inch. (I used different parts of my presser foot as guidelines!)
I carried the grey onto the back... and the chevron feeling too... by using a Dear Stella chevron print.
I took a page from Scrapmaster's book and opted to use the selvage edge instead of finishing the edge of the pillow backing. It seems only fitting given the selvages on the front!
A few more money shots of the quilting... 
 
I can't say it won't be hard to say good-bye to this one...
This week, I'm really saying thank goodness it's finished, since it was touch and go whether I'd get anything completed in time for today! Thank goodness for visiting grandparents too! Have you finished a project this week? We'd love to hear about it. If this is your first time at TGIFF, the rules are simple:

•    Post your finish using the linky tool.
•    Point your readers back to TGIFF with a text link or button.
•    Visit and comment on other participants’ finishes.

And don't worry if you've never linked up before, just click the "add your link" button and follow the directions. Easy peasy!

An InLinkz Link-up

Again, thanks for stopping by!

J



Wednesday, May 13, 2015

WIP Wednesday - Happy Mother's Day to me!

Can I brag just for a minute? Okay? Great! I got an awesome Mother's Day present. Some studio time! Himself twin wrangled and I sewed.... after I chowed down on pancakes and bacon. Yum! It gave me a chance to finish almost all of the Star Point on Technicolor Galaxy. The purple zone really needed some help... I took Val's advice and dumped all evidence of mauve. Here's the before....
 I picked up these (Purple, Midnight, Eggplant) to fix the problem.
 And the after shot. Complete with the Sangria edged Star Point that needed some attention as well.
I even got the low volume and print points done... all but one. I'm having trouble finding the right transition fabric to get me from dark red to plum. MMQGers, help!
Speaking of MMQG, it's the last day of our Meet Maritime Modern Blog Hop. Insert sad face here. I've had lots of fun learning new things about my guildmates and admiring their fabulous quilts. Today's blogger/quilter is no exception. Aimee from Candy Coated Quilts isn't making your grandmother's quilts... unless your grandma knew what a pixel is and really digs Big Bang Theory!

 
Tuesday, May 5 - Jenn @ A Quarter Inch from the Edge(Hey, that's me... and there's a giveaway!)
Wednesday, May 6 - Adrienne @ 
Chezzetcook Modern Quilts  (... and there's a giveaway!)
Thursday, May 7 - Tracy @ 
Quilting on the Dark Side (... and there's a giveaway. I see a theme!)
Friday, May 8 - Anja @ 
Anja Quilts  (Whee... another giveaway!)
Saturday, May 9 - Val @ 
Purple Boots and Pigtails (Guess what? There's a giveaway!)
Sunday, May 10 -  Linda @ Scrapmaster (And another fabulous giveaway!)
Monday, May 11 - Jeanette @
 Stamp Stitch Create  (Yup.. you guessed it. A giveaway!)
Tuesday, May 12 - Dominique @ The Running Thimble (Oooh... a giveaway!) 
Wednesday, May 13 - Aimee @ 
Candy Coated Quilts


I'm linking up today with Let's Bee Social @ Sew Fresh Quilts and WIP Wednesday @ Freshly Pieced... you know, because it's Wednesday and all!

Tuesday, May 12, 2015

The penultimate...


Our Meet Maritime Modern Blog Hop is drawing to a close... today's stop (the next to last) is over at The Running Thimble with the super busy, Dominique. We first met as members of Mariners Quilt Guild. I'm so happy she's made the jump to Martime Modern. She's got a great way of combining modern and traditional style!
It's not too late to catch up on your reading and enter a giveaway or two!

Tuesday, May 5 - Jenn @ A Quarter Inch from the Edge(Hey, that's me... and there's a giveaway!)
Wednesday, May 6 - Adrienne @ 
Chezzetcook Modern Quilts  (... and there's a giveaway!)
Thursday, May 7 - Tracy @ 
Quilting on the Dark Side (... and there's a giveaway. I see a theme!)
Friday, May 8 - Anja @ 
Anja Quilts  (Whee... another giveaway!)
Saturday, May 9 - Val @ 
Purple Boots and Pigtails (Guess what? There's a giveaway!)
Sunday, May 10 -  Linda @ Scrapmaster (And another fabulous giveaway!)
Monday, May 11 - Jeanette @
 Stamp Stitch Create  (Yup.. you guessed it. A giveaway!)
Tuesday, May 12 - Dominique @ The Running Thimble (Oooh... a giveaway!) 
Wednesday, May 13 - Aimee @ 
Candy Coated Quilts


J

Monday, May 11, 2015

Next stop....

It's a new week and the MMQG is still hoppin' along! Today's stop is over at Stamp Stitch Create with our Guild Secretary, Jeannette. You'll love having a look at her swanky sewing space. And of course, the quilts. If I had a million dollars, I would hire Jeannette as my personal fabric shopper. Boy, can she choose great colour palettes!
Tuesday, May 5 - Jenn @ A Quarter Inch from the Edge(Hey, that's me... and there's a giveaway!)
Wednesday, May 6 - Adrienne @ 
Chezzetcook Modern Quilts  (... and there's a giveaway!)
Thursday, May 7 - Tracy @ 
Quilting on the Dark Side (... and there's a giveaway. I see a theme!)
Friday, May 8 - Anja @ 
Anja Quilts  (Whee... another giveaway!)
Saturday, May 9 - Val @ 
Purple Boots and Pigtails (Guess what? There's a giveaway!)
Sunday, May 10 -  Linda @ Scrapmaster (And another fabulous giveaway!)
Monday, May 11 - Jeanette @
 Stamp Stitch Create  (Yup.. you guessed it. A giveaway!)
Tuesday, May 12 - Dominique @ The Running Thimble
Wednesday, May 13 - Aimee @ 
Candy Coated Quilts


J