Showing posts with label Zen Chic Spotted. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Zen Chic Spotted. Show all posts

Thursday, November 3, 2022

New Pattern Launch: mmm quilts/ Heading North

Surprisingly for me, I did not have a quilt finish for October for a number of reasons from working on reorganizing the house, doctor appointments, vaccination and booster shots, granddaughter time which included catching her cold, Fall decorating which involved hyper-extending my right knee,  but the most important reason of all is that my partner in  Quilting, Juki Junebug, needed to go the Spa for a much needed treatment. This meant there was no machine quilting, only piecing on the quiet sister of my trio of Juki sewing machines, Hazel which is a HZL F600 and used when a scant 1/4” is needed for certain blocks.
As I put it, I was innocently sewing Flying Geese Blocks with Hazel in mid-October, when I received an email from Mmmajor Mmmpetus (Sandra, mmm quilts) asking me if I would like to volunteer to make a quilt from her Heading North pattern which was published last year in Make Modern and would be released as a pattern this week. She stressed that it was not a “pattern test” since it has already been tech-edited. Sandra said it was an easy FPP pattern, which I admit is not my favorite technique, but since I made some Wensleydale Blocks last month and am pretty comfortable with the technique now and after a few moments perusing my stash for the right fabric, I told her I would be glad to make the baby size (36” square) version. As much as I liked the throw version, I knew there was no way I could machine quilt it as lovely as Sandra did.

Usually, I spend way too much time just choosing five fabrics but this time once I found my focus or inspiration print which is a 2013 Jessica Swift/Blend print named Geometriska I was able to find the other four prints, which are #30150 Grunge (white), Marcus Bros. Aged Muslin in Dapple Dots Magenta, Zen Chic Spotted in Citrine and AGF Indie Bohemia (blue). I prefer to use tone on tone prints rather than solids and was glad that these prints all from different fabric lines went so well with each other. Because I wanted to feature the Geometriska print more, I did change my fabric layout for the Heading North pattern by using it for the center, as one of the strip prints and the border. I’m glad to have finally been able to use the Geometriska print which I think was perfect for this pattern.
Here’s a collage of the block making and the Heading North pattern which gives the measurements for cutting the fabric for piecing. For any pieces involving HST I would cut the larger size to give you wiggle room to make sure it fits right. Like Sandra said, it is an easy pattern but FPP can’t be sewn fast. I can see why this pattern is done as FPP because you really need for the blocks to click together to show the lovely angles and lines. As mentioned earlier, Juki Junebug went to the Spa after my Heading North flimsy was finished and she so deserved a tune-up.
One pic of the Heading North Quilt taken outside. For a 36” square quilt, it seems larger, doesn’t it? I’m glad the Master Quilt Holder and I figured a way to hold the quilt up, otherwise he really would have had to do some deep stooping. I think Heading North might me the most enjoyable of the mmm mmmakes I did this year (this is my fourth one) even though it involved a little more time. There are five of us who volunteered to make this pattern and you can check out Sandra’s post to see their quilts. Here is the link to purchase The Heading North pattern which will be 30% off until Sunday evening, Nov. 6th (not an affiliate link). I think this pattern would look absolutely wonderful in Christmas/Winter/Holiday fabrics.
After the Heading North flimsy was a finish, I resumed the innocent sewing of the Flying Geese Blocks for my FALLoween Quilt #1, a flimsy, and is considered my October finish for the Country Threads Dirty Dozen UFO Challenge. I am loving these Fall colors. I will write more about this quilt once it is machine quilted. Juki Junebug is going to be very busy upon her return. Right now, I feel like I’m FAlling behind.

Wednesday, June 15, 2022

Pop Star QAL Parade: Celebrating a Famous Canadian’s Birthday

I love a parade, especially a QAL parade and this one is the Sixth Annual Celebrating a Famous Canadian’s Birthday hosted by Sandra, MMMquilts. My project list for 2022 was very short: completing Country Threads 2021/22 Dirty Dozen UFO Challenge and participating in this annual QAL. I always have or make time for Sandra’s QAL pattern; they sew up fast and fun plus I always find the right fabrics in my stash. This year’s pattern Pop Star is no exception.

I always like to include a collage of the current and previous QAL quilts. You probably wouldn’t know from looking at these wonderful quilts that I don’t QAL well either by changing the construction a wee little bit or not following instructions and maybe sewed the flimsie before the QAL started.

My flimsie was finished by the start of the QAL because Sandra, under the pretense of asking me, the QAL Rebel, to pattern test and knowing I don’t like the slow pace which a QAL can sometimes be, sent me the pattern during the last week of March. Like her previous patterns, Pop Star sews up fast and the flimsie could be made in a day.
Lucky for me, I found the perfect fabrics in my stash: the multi-color print is Jennifer Sampou’s Color Rhythm from a few years ago, the gray/white print is Natalie Barnes’ Hand Maker fabric line, the purple is Basic Grey’s Grunge and the teal is Zen Chic’s Spotted. Usually I have a hard time choosing just four fabrics which can take hours but I’m glad to have found yardage of the Color Rhythm print which was perfect in setting the tones for Pop Star.
I can’t say enough how fast the sections sewed and came together. I thought I heard Snap, Crackle, Pop Star.

Quadrant straight-line quilting, 1” apart with a steel gray #50 Aurifil thread nicely accentuated the quilt pattern and fabrics.

Again good quilt karma was with me with the backing found in my stash of Riley Blake’s Girl Power which was so perfect for Pop Star. I usually don’t show a full photo of my backing but couldn’t resist this time. I hope you can see the quilting. It’s nice that you only needed WOF for the backing, no piecing if you have at least 1-1/4 yard piece. The binding is the multi-color Jennifer Sampou Color Rhythm print which I hand sewn and usually don’t do. Would you believe there is wall space available in the darling Granddaughter’s bedroom at the GP House to hang Pop Star? It will go well with all of the other colorful quilts in her room.
I wish I was able to take a pic of Pop Star when the purple irises were at its peak of loveliness but the weather and quilt finishes very rarely are in sync with each other. Now that another year of participating in Celebrating a Famous Canadian’s Birthday QAL is underway, I have to thank Sandra for another great pattern and fun QAL. I can’t wait for next year’s QAL; maybe I’ll QAL well with others (wink). Be sure to visit her blog to see the other participants’ Pop Star quilts.
Along with this QAL, June is a big month for celebrating birthdays; Demando is turning the big Four-O grand doggie Daisy will be 11 and I, myself will be celebrating the golden anniversary of being an adult and of course there’s Father’s Day. We’ll be leaving later in the morning for a vacation in the mountains and I decided my road project will be knitting so I started three different shawls in three lovely colors because knowing me I get bored knitting the same color after awhile. I’m also bringing some hexies to sew together just in case I miss sewing and fabric.