AYLOF - October Finish!

Another month, another goal achieved! I'm 10 for 10. I was #52 on the Goal Setting Party and here's my post. My goal was to finish the blocks for Quilting Protection Program Project #1. 

 

I finished off the last 5 blocks today.  And given the top secret nature of this project, I can only show you snippets. Patience, patience, patience!

Squee! There is so much Kona loveliness in this pile. I am going to have a tonne of colours to cross off my Kona Love list when the time comes!

I'm linking up with the October Finishes Party over at Fibre of All Sorts. Now to think up a goal for November!

J

Dog Gone Cute Twins!

Nope, they're not identical! There's not one pup the same in this whole litter!

 

Welcome to my stop on the Dog Gone Cute Blog Hop! I'm very excited to be showcasing (yet another) incredibly cute animal pattern by the lovely and creative Lorna of Sew Fresh Quilts. She's so generous with her creativity... if you're not a follower, you should be!

You can read more about the early stages of making these critters here and here.

For my project, I opted to make two small quilts, just 25½ by 18½ inches. They're destined to tuck around my 11½ month old twins in their car seats when winter sets in. And I hit my Cotton & Steel stash hard! BT's quilt features pups #4, #5,  #7, and #2 (clockwise from upper left) made from Dottie in Night Owl and XOXO in Ghost.

And for GT's quilt, I went for pups #1, #3, #6 and #8 using Cotton & Steel's XOXO in On the Rocks and  Netorious in Ivory.

Both quilts have C&S Sprinkle in Black Cat as the background, as well as Dottie in Cotton Candy for the inner ears and Netorious in Black Cat for the eyes.

To keep these quilts cozy, I used black polar fleece - a first for me! I was a little nervous about the fleece shifting during the quilting process, so I spray basted and pinned. I also decided not to FMQ as originally planned. Instead, I did random straight line quilting in black thread. Wherever possible, I outlined the pups.

I can never resist a gratuitous binding shot. Since I only had FQs of these C&S's Basics, I went with scrappy pieced bindings.

And now for a trade secret from A Quarter Inch from the Edge! How does one mark their rounded corners? With an emergency snack pack of rice cakes, of course!

Then on went the bias cut binding!

It was a gorgeous Nova Scotian fall day when the pups went outside to play in the leaves. I just couldn't resist snapping a few non-quilty pics!

It's the last day of the blog hop, so I hope you're not all tuckered out from the Dog Gone Cuteness. Click on over to these other blogs who are showcasing their finished projects today.

Abigail of Cut & Alter
Magdalena of iloveneutrals
Anne of Batiks by the Bay
Susie of Susie's Sunroom
Tracy of Tracy’s Bits N Pieces

And if you're a latecomer to the hop (and have some time on your hands!), you can visit all the participating blogs via the main page. There's also a link-up starting on November 3rd for your own Dog Gone Cute projects.

J

P.S. Even though it's not Friday (yet), I'll be linking up with TGIFF @ Faith and Fabric, as well as with Finish Up Friday @ Crazy Mom Quilts.

P.P.S Don't forget that next Friday is Throwback Thursday here at A Quarter Inch from the Edge. It's your chance to link-up an oldie but goodie (or not so goodie) from your dark and twisty quilty past. See you on November 6th!

WIP - And now for something completely different!

You know that feeling. The one that has you itching to pull fabric from your stash... reaching for your rotary cutter.... clearing your design wall. Last week, I gave into it! A dear, dear friend who has been super supportive since DT came on the scene is hitting a milestone birthday at the end of next month. If that isn't a reason for a new project, I don't know what is!

I cut a mountain of 2½ inch strips for an endless strip quilt, but after making Jaybird's Jawbreaker pillows, I couldn't stop thinking about how it would look as a full on quilt. I abandoned my plan and went for a Jumbo Jawbreaker! I love me some strip piecing... 

Even if it does get a little messy sometimes!

Once all those strips were pressed, I got to cutting using my trusty Hex n' More ruler. I'm not one for gadget-y rulers, but I think I've made this one pay for itself!
 
I love, love, love laying stuff like this out on my design wall. Honestly, how did I manage without one? Now all I need is a way to light it for better pics! Your suggestions are more than welcome!

 It's fun watching the project grow and grow...  

Ta da! Ready to sew those rows! I promise the colours are better in real life. I'm pleased to say that no visits to my LQS were made in the preparation of this quilt. Ah... so satisfying to work from one's stash!

Yesterday, I actually managed to get a row sewn together. When working with triangles, I have a tough time figuring out how long the row will turn out to be.

And that's when I figured out that if I didn't add more triangle segments, this quilt would be far too narrow. Back to the stash, the rotary cutter, and the Hex n' More!

I'm linking up with Let's Bee Social @ Sew Fresh Quilts, as well as WIP Wednesday @ Freshly Pieced.

J

Dino-tastic TGIFF!

Happy Friday and welcome to TGIFF @ A Quarter Inch from the Edge! If you're new to the blog, I hope you'll take a few minutes to look around.

This week's finish has been hanging out in the Quilting Protection Program for some time under the name of Project #2. My fingers are crossed that I can get these delivered to a certain dino-lovin' gal before she sees this post. She's not a quilter so I'm likely safe!

When I saw Lizzie House's Natural History, I was smitten indeed. And I knew that the above mentioned gal would love, love, love these blue and purple dinosaurs.

I wanted to use the Dino Exhibit print on the back to get maximum dinosaur impact,  but I ran short and had to use some Twinkle Twinkle and some Kona Midnight.

They're made using the Jaybird Quilt Jaw Breaker pattern. I so enjoyed making the Christmas version last year that I just had to make them again. (And I've got a major WIP on the go using a similar method... but that's for another day!)

The Deets

Title:  Dino Jaw Breaker

Size: 18 by 18 inches 
Pattern: Jawbreaker by Jaybird Quilts

Fabrics Used: Natural History by Lizzie House - Dino Exhibit in Navy, Hall of Gems in Sapphire, Twinkle Twinkle in Midnight Blue
Konas Used: Astral, Deep Blue, Midnight, Niagara, Nightfall, Sky
Quilting: ¼ inch echo on each hexagon, navy Gutterman thread
Backing: Pieced from Dino Exhibit, Twinkle Twinkle, and Kona Midnight
Favourite Part(s): A fun housewarming gift for a dynamic and dino lovin' Girl Guide friend

Now it's your turn... link up your finish (finishes only please!) and link back to the TGIFF party so your readers can find us and link up too. Don't forget to spread the bloggy love and visit some other Finishes!

An InLinkz Link-up

J

Quilty Roadtrip!

It's been a while since I hit the open road for quilty purposes... or for any purposes for that matter! But this past Thursday, I hopped in the car and headed to Amherst to represent my lovely little guild (as Scrapmaster Linda calls it) at the Nova Scotia Fibre Arts Fest.

The aforementioned Linda and Jeannette @ Stamp Stitch Create had already worked their magic by the time I got to Amherst. Look at all that quilty goodness!

  Doesn't that wall of pillows just make you want to dive in there?

When the Town Hall closed for the day, we headed down the street to Mrs. Pugleys' Emporium to peruse her wares. I was very moderate in my purchasing!
If you're a frequent reader, you might be having a little déjà vu. I do have this charm pack in my stash already, but I figured having a second one would give me a little more versatility in what I end up making!

And I snagged three FQs... some lovely Mirror Ball and two other metallic prints. I already have a project in mind for those lime greens. Pop back on Wednesday to see my latest WIP!

I spend Friday chatting with visitors about our quilts, our guild, and modern quilting in general with Linda @ Scrapmaster and KaHolly. Even though some of the quilts on display are fairly familiar to me now, it was lovely to spend time admiring them. Feel free to pop on over to our guild's blog and check out the voting for Viewer's Choice. We had in person voting at the show and on-line!

It was pretty fun (and nice for the ego!) to hear all the lovely comments about my own work. It's the first time I've ever put my quilts in a show. 

 

Before the rain started on Friday, I managed to pop out and snap some pics around town. This would be a great place to quilt bomb. I think this fellow looks a little chilly in his quilt.

 I love sandstone buildings... we don't have many in Halifax!

Then home again, home again - back to my babies and Himself. There's nothing quite like being away (even if it's only for 24 hours) to make you appreciate home. My guildmates, Val @ Purple Boots & Pigtails and Adrienne @ Chezzetcook Modern Quilts headed into town to represent on Friday. Sounds like was another awesome day!

J

Friday Finish - More manly presents!

Tuesday was DT's 11 month birthday, as well as my dad's... hmmm... not 11 month birthday. Last year, I made him a very manly yoga tote. He's been enjoying it all year long. This year, I went for some accessories for his other hobby - photography. I whipped up a camera strap cover as well as lens case for when you don't want to lug around an entire camera bag.

I hit my Lizzy House Natural History stash hard on this one, but he's worth it. I think the Twinkle Twinkle in Midnight Blue has the right blend of fun and subtlety. How's that for swanky fabric talk? To make the strap cover, I wanted to treat it like a miniature quilt, but not have to worry about binding it. So I layered it up and stitched around the outside, leaving one end open to turn it.

 I trimmed the excess batting to reduce bulk...

Once it was turned right side out and the edge topstitched, I whipped out my trusty hera marker and make some random straight line quilting marks. Once I had quilted them, I bounced back and forth across the strap adding more stitching.

I've made camera straps for myself, but they've been a sleeve style that necessitates me taking apart my strap to change/wash it. Such a pain. For Dad's strap, I decided to make a sleeve with a velcro closure. Since I was using what I had on hand, I meant cutting down a 1 inch piece of velcro so as not to add too much bulk.

Though the navy thread doesn't match the velcro, I wanted to make sure the stitching didn't show on the exterior and take away from my quilting.

For the padded lens cases, I used this tutorial from Polka Dot Chair. I'm not 100% sure what sort of lens she totes around, but the large case is huge. You could pack a small lunch in it! ☺ I wish I had started with the small case... instead of making three and having only one that's really usable. Oh well.

Instead of using the ¼ inch foam as directed in the tutorial, I opted to use two layers of cotton quilt batting. Why you ask? Because that's what I had on hand. Yup. That's how I roll y'all.

Today, I'm posting from Amherst, Nova Scotia where I'm shmoozing and talking up the lovely work of my Maritime Modern Quilt Guild pals at our Quilting Modern Show @ NS Fibre Fest. I'll tell you all about it in an upcoming post!

I'm linking up to day with Finish Up Friday @ Crazy Mom Quilts, as well as TGIFF, hosted this week by The Carpenter's Daughter Who Quilts. I hope you'll come back next Friday when I'm hosting TGIFF and link up a finish or two. Happy week-end everyone!

J

WIP Wednesday - Dog Gone Cutting!

After finally choosing fabrics for my contribution to the Dog Gone Cute Blog Hop, I had some marathon cutting and organizing sessions. These blocks have a LOT of pieces - 30+ in each block. And since I opted for the small pup blocks, some of them are TINY. Like one inch cut tiny.

With this many pieces, I check off each from the cutting guide as I go and then label with fancy shmancy masking tape. I find it saves me time in the long run... especially if I have to walk away from cutting or piecing (which happens fairly regularly!)

I've been using these small ziploc bags from the dollar store to organize the bits in QPP Project #1. They're really handy for keeping small pieces organized. Again, fancy shmancy masking tape to number them.

After quite a bit of piecing (and hopping up and down to the ironing board!), Pup #8 was the first to be finished! The patch around her eye is a little wonky, but I think it gives her character!

 And soon after that, she had a brother!

Even the crappy lighting of this pic (winter is coming here in Nova Scotia) can't take away from the sheer cuteness of these pups. I am not a dog person at all, but these critters are very highly on the squeak scale!

Today I'm off to my LQS to pick up some more Cotton & Steel Sprinkle to do the sashing and borders. Fingers crossed that they're not sold out! If you haven't been checking out the blogs on the Dog Gone Cute blog hop, you really should. There's a lot of puppy cuteness out there... and a few giveaways to boot!

And I'm linking up today with Let's Bee Social @ Sew Fresh Quilts as well as WIP Wednesday @ Freshly Pieced.

J