Paper Piecing Pinwheels

This is one of those happy accidents. And it's February in the Northeast---a dark and wet time, so I am telling you---I can use all the happy accidents I can get!! 

In searching for a pinwheel pattern I liked for my latest round of Flickr quilting bees, I came upon this pattern by Peggy Miller.  Turns out it was included in a Craftsy class that Peggy had done. As I have mentioned before, I am a big fan of the Craftsy platform, so I hopped over there and got myself a whole class on paper piecing.  

Paper piecing by definition includes a LOT of paper! Each of these blocks comes with four quadrants.  So for 6 blocks I had to make 24 of these squares:

After I ripped off the paper---before assembling each block---my 5 year old decided to make a puzzle of the piles of paper on the dining room table and make me a Valentine! Love him.

The resulting block has two layout options: 

 I went with having more of the lighter layout and here is the finished result:

So the happy accident is this:  I meant this as a Bee block---I would do one for each person in the group.  However, I misread the pattern, thought I needed to resize it (which I didn't) and so this original block came out bigger than expected.  I liked it so much I decided to run with it and make a quilt I never intended to make.

What do you think?  Leave me a comment!

Eye of the Storm

In 2013, I am really looking forward to giving away some quilts.  I began this quilt the night that Hurricane Sandy rolled into the East Coast.  The devastation was massive.  

We were very lucky.  This tree fell AWAY from our house!

Many others were not so lucky. Many people in New York, in particular in Queens and Rockaway remain without power and heat---in the middle of February.  I finished this quilt top last week and I am calling it, "Eye of the Storm." I hope to quilt it this Friday with my guild and send it out into the world to warm someone still suffering the effects of the hurricane.

In with the New

I recently got interested in checking out the online quilting community that exists on Flickr.  I got accepted to a bee that asked us to do blocks that included some kind of hexagon.  Having done Amy Gibson's Block of the Month on Craftsy and with my local quilt guild, I had already experimented a little with English paper piecing and hand-sewing hexagons.  I looked for a way I could do this in an improv fashion and still get some hand-sewing in---great for doing while catching up on episodes of Mad Men...

Here is what I came up with:

We were given each person's color choices and then asked to make the same block in each palette.

This was my first block and I was a little bothered that the hexagons came out a little wonky, but then I decided to embrace the imperfections and run with it.  In the end, I am pretty happy with how they turned out.

What do you think?

Here is another little hexagon project that will become a baby quilt.

I look forward to sharing all the blocks I receive when I get them. Getting mail is such a rare treat these days!!

Out with the Old

I made a commitment at the end of 2012 to get some of my UFO's off my table---not all, mind you, but at least a couple!  How about you? Did you make any similar year-end resolutions?  I managed to get two quilts done and delivered!  

One, handed off to my sister as a house-warming gift for her new home as she hosted her first Thanksgiving (this is an un-bound pic!)

This quilt came out of a really awesome improv workshop I did with Denyse Schmidt in early 2012.  You can find a link to Denyse's workshops here.

The back:

And the second, a long time coming, a queen sized quilt I had finished ages ago and never could bring myself to quilt.  This one was for my mother and I was terribly intimidated by quilting something this big by myself, so I finally resigned myself to the fact that it was better to send it out!  And, I am so glad I did!  It came out gorgeous, and in time for the holidays!

Tell me about your completions!

Star Quilt with Spiderweb Blocks

Hi Sewing Enthusiasts!! 

I am finally ready to show off some progress, not completion mind you, but in my world, enough done to share!!  Remember back here when I posted about "a few of my favorite things"? Well, one of them was Craftsy, and the enormously fun Block of the Month (FREE, people, FREE) class taught my Amy Gibson of Stitchery Dickory Dock.   

One of my favorite blocks I made so far was the "Spiderweb" block, but I didn't entirely get the "spiderweb" part until... 

It always helps to have more hands...and pins

I showed the four blocks I had made with my Denyse Schmidt charm squares at my quilt guild meeting and my friend, Leslie (check her out here) said, "Put them all together, next to each other..." and what do you know?  A SPIDERWEB!    

Ok, so with this choice of fabrics, it is the "stars" that pop and not the "spiderweb," but you get the idea. I think I will make more of the red and white ones to see what happens when those go together.  

Front---almost done quilting and then to bind!

Back (pre-quilting)

My basting helpers

I decided to quilt-in-the-ditch in the center panels and then free-motion around the outside.

The stars really show up on the blue flannel back, which will be soft for the intended baby recipient.

And, last but not least, this is what happens to my back when I squat down during photo session...*sigh*  :)

Do you have quilting assistants?

xoxo
Nell

Fourth on Farragut

Thank you so much to everyone who responded to my request for followers last week!  I hope you won't be disappointed!  This is a post for all my new Kate-sent followers!  

I try to hit a museum every time I travel.  It used to be art museums, but these days I am discovering the wide world of wonderful museums designed with kids in mind.  On our recent trip to Washington D.C. to see my sister's new house, Kate had the brilliant idea of visiting the National Building Museum because of the LEGO Architecture exhibit that was up.  On a day when the temperature gauge in my car  was reading 108, the Great Hall of the museum was a godsend!  Cool, wide-open carpeted area to run around and Henry and I had a nice discussion of Greek architecture wherein he identified for me the examples of Doric, Ionian and Corinthian columns in the hall (he is deep into learning about the Ancient Greeks right now :)! There is a great picture of it here.

In one part of the Hall was a set of numbered blocks that you could put together to make a Roman arch.  No finished pictures because it took all adult hands on deck to hold it up! But process photos...

Next, LEGOS!! The professional LEGO constructions were of the tallest buildings in the world, which I could not get on this particular lens of my camera, but I did get one of my favorite structures in the USA:

Lego Fallingwater

And then ours:

Left for posterity in the museum:

Aunt Kate through the metro tunnel:

Now, finally, lest you think this post has nothing whatsoever to do with sewing: Mira was gifted a beautiful new dress that has got me thinking. 

Thinking about that box of seersuckers that I never did anything with last summer...ooh, what will I make with these!  Stay tuned!

So Skirty Giveaway

Summer Flouncy Skirt Giveaway!!!

I am looking for some *new* followers, so please follow my blog and leave a comment.  On Friday, July 6th, I will pick a winner of a flouncy skirt.  Thanks!!

This giveaway is closed.  The winner is #12, FLS!  Congrats, Farley! And many thanks to all the new followers! 

And some boys who really enjoyed Beacon Riverfest!!