Blogger's Quilt Festival

I feel like picking a quilt for the BQF is almost like picking a favorite child. I almost went with my latest finish, Mr. M's Owl quilt, but I decided instead to go with a quilt I made just for me, Le Mille.

 

 

Using leftover HST units from a snowball quilt, I pieced this bad boy together for a Tula SAL last fall, but with holiday sewing, a cross-country move, and life in general, I didn't finish it until this spring.

But when I did, oh la la! Love! This is my snuggle quilt, and it makes its home on my favorite chair. When I'm feeling generous, I let my husband snuggle under it with me.

 

Full disclosure: trimming the 300+ HST units was awful. Keeping them in order while I was sewing rows was awful. But the finished product? Totally worth it. 

If you'd like more details, please visit the original post.

Quilt Stats

Name: Le Mille

Size: 50" x 58" 

Fabrics: Tula Pink's Parisville line, Bella Solids in Jade; Backing is a print from Patty Young's Heaven and Helsinki line and a print from Laura Gunn's Cosmos; Binding is Bella Solids in Jade

Quilting: Straight line quilting in solid stripes; FMQ flower in center bullseye

Started: September 2012

Completed: March 2013 

I'm linking up to the Blogger's Quilt Festival hosted at Amy's Creative Side.

FF: Marie in Partial Glory.

I have a big finish this week, hooray! My Le Mille quilt is done, woo!

This is my favoritest quilt to date. I'm making a snowball queen-size "Marie" quilt using Tula Pink's Parisville line, and each of those blocks made a bunch of leftover HST units that were begging to be made into a throw. I originally sewed up Le Mille for the Tula sew-along at Sew Sweetness last year, and I finally finished the binding this week.

The quilting is mostly straight lines in the solid squares, but I did FMQ a flowery kind of something in the center bit. I used Aurifil thread for the white portions and Sulky thread in the jade portions. The Sulky thread was a lot heavier, but Agatha seemed to take to either thread without problem.

 

The border is scrappy and uses even more scraps from my bed quilt. I still have a huge stack of scraps from that project, but I'm certainly not complaining since I love Parisville something fierce! Binding is the jade solid, which is Bella Solids in Jade. The white is Kona Snow, I believe. 

Since the front has a lot going on already, I went simple with the back and only used two prints. The floral is from Laura Gunn's Cosmos line, and the aqua is from Patty Young's Heaven and Helsinki line.

This quilt was super fun to make--even if I hated trimming all of those crazy HSTs--and I'm so thankful to have it done for snuggling!

And it's not as exciting, but I also finished a scalloped bunting from this tutorial from sew mama sew.

I had plenty of leftovers from this ikea text print I used for backing in Autumn's quilt and Boo's quilt, and they worked perfectly with this bunting. It's hanging in my kitchen, making me a very happy girl.

I'm linking up today with TGIFF at Sew, Love, Live and Finish It Up Friday at Crazy Mom Quilts. 

FF: All the Small Finishes!

No big finishes this week, but a lot of little ones!

Two more lined drawstring bags using this tutorial from In Color Order! (Seriously, these have been waiting four months for me to make the drawstrings and thread them through. I finally cut some ribbon just to be done with it. It took ten minutes.) I use them in place of gift bags, and the other is already in use for Lito's birthday this weekend.

Two gathered clutches using this tutorial from Noodlehead! (I was cutting fabric for one and thought I might as well make a second one while I was at it. One is staying with me, and the other is headed off to a friend.) They aren't perfect, or even near perfect, but I will use this tutorial again, though I think I'll do a few things different next time. The tutorial was genius though!

 

Inside view. Exterior fabric is from the Cosmos line by Laura Gunn and a random mustard pin dot. Interior is more Cosmos and a bit of a print from Patty Young's Heaven and Helsinki line.

Mini trashcan for my sewing table. It beats the ugly teal plastic bowl or my son's purple plastic frying pan! I kind of came up with it on the fly, and it worked out. I'm not a super huge fan of the lime interior, but I had it on hand, and since it's a trash can, I'm not stressing about it too much.

And a whole string of BOM and bee blocks, so now it's off to bigger projects, like finishing up the binding on this lovely. I'm linking up with TGIFF, which is being hosted this week at Dreaming in Patchwork, and Finish It Up Friday at Crazy Mom Quilts.

WIP: Finishing February Edition.

Agatha and I are keeping busy. Besides quilting work, I'm also spending time getting our house into shape. This nook is my current sewing spot, but I'm hoping to expand it to another tabletop soon as I use this surface to cut, iron, and sew. This table is 36" long, and I feel like that's expecting a lot from one tabletop.

 

I finished up my February bee blocks, and just in time! This one was based on Elizabeth Hartman's improv series in a color scheme of white, turquoise, lime, and purple. It measures 15" square.

My Lucky Stars Feb block is still a pile of un-ironed, uncut fabric. 

 

And I've been spending naptime quilting my Le Mille quilt in hopes of getting it finished. I don't think I'll make my end of Feb self-imposed deadline, but I'm making progress, and I'm happy with how she's turning out! 

What are you working on? I'm linking up with WIP Wednesday at Freshly Pieced and Building Blocks Tuesday at Quilter in the Closet. 

WIP: Three in the Works

If you've been reading long, you probably know I'm a bit...ummmm...ambitious when it comes to, well, everything. Skill level, work load, monthly to-do lists.... Everything. Though I will admit this week is a first. The first week I worked on three separate quilts. And while they aren't king-size mammoths, they are lap- to throw-size, and that was enough work for me thankyouverymuch.

I will finish this quilt. I will finish this quilt. I will finish this quilt. I was at my LQS over the weekend buying fabric for the binding and lamenting just how late this holiday gift will be when the woman tearing my fabric told me to inform my sister it's a very early 2013 holiday gift. Woo! I like her thinking. 

Why yes, that is stippling, pebbles, and clamshell FMQ! I decided, for funsies you know, to do different quilting in each block. Mostly FMQ. Because, you know, I am SO experienced with FMQ (I am actually a totally noob) and it's fun! I have yet to swear at a quilt, but I would have thrown this one if it was smaller and easier to manage. As it was, I had a tough time getting it out from under my machine, and by the time it was available for throwing, the need for quilt violence was replaced with sorrow and utter frustration. Thank goodness all that is left to quilt is the borders.

My low volume charms have become a low volume quilt top. But no borders. (Yet.)

 

I progressed with the quilting on my Le Mille quilt. I'm particularly in love with the backing. I can't wait to show y'all. And, like all good quilters balancing too many WIPs, the one I want to work on is the one that is the least pressing. You know, since I really should have those other two quilts done so I can hand deliver them in ten days. 

Just trying to keep it real and fun over here! I'm linking up with WIP Wednesdays at Freshly Pieced!

WIP: Busy, Busy Edition.

January Block - Lucky Stars BOM

 

Le Mille Quilt - Basted

Low Volume Charms - Beginnings of a New Quilt

There's not much text today--still unpacking and reorganizing and cleaning from our big move!

I'm linking up with Building Blocks Tuesday at Quilter in the Closet and WIP Wednesday at Freshly Pieced. 

Le Mille

When I found out there was going to be a Tula Pink Sew Along, I seriously geeked out. You loyal readers know of my serious Tula love, and you newcomers, well, I have serious Tula love. I had way too much on my plate, but I dropped everything to get to work on this because how often do Tula Pink Sew Alongs come along? 

I would have finished this bad boy yesterday night, but I ran out of thread. Seriously. And by the time my amazing husband got home, and I ran to the store, and I bought my thread and got back home, I was much too much too exhausted to do any more sewing.

But here it is! Le Mille! (Or rather, here is the finished quilt top. Quilting, backing, and binding to come!)

It measures 53" x 60", contains 186 HST units (on the front--the pieced back will have more), and it uses a small portion (I kid not) of the scraps from my Marie Quilt. We're talking Parisville galore with the snails print from Prince Charming and a couple of other filler prints. I used Bella Solids in Jade and Kona Snow for my solids.

I'm super excited about this one! Since my oldest son routinely steals my pinwheel attack quilt for snuggling on the couch, I realized there are not enough quilts in this house. My solution, obviously, is to make one for each family member.

While I was thread shopping, I picked up some hot pink thread to quilt this baby, and I'm excited to piece the back and get to quilting. Except, I may take a bit of a break from the HST love. I am so so so tired of pressing and trimming those little buggers, and I have quite a few left waiting patiently in a stack on my sewing table.

And because I can never seem to have enough Tula in my life, I also sewed up this skirt using fabric from Tula's The Birds and The Bees line. When I first saw those trees, I knew I needed a skirt using them, and after much debate on which colorway to use, I selected the white background. So. Awesome.

My Tula love is satiated...for now....