Poodle Bee Block ~ August OMG

I declared my August One Monthly Goal thinking I would get this poodle block done earlier but I just kept putting it off until I realized August is almost over.  Finally, I have a right facing poodle block for Karen at Tu-Na Quilts.

The cutting chart Karen provided in this post and all the assembly tips she provided over her 8 days in Paris were very helpful.  I was alrealy speaking French by the time I had all the poodle parts cut out which took about an hour.

The labels very helpful to keep everything in order.  I pinned the labels to the larger pieces and kept them attahced while sewing.  I removed the labels to press and pinned them right back on afterwards.

You can find the instructions for the right facing poodle here at The Objects of Design.  I printed out one assembly photo Sally provided and outlined the poodle parts with a sharpie for reference.  With this one photo, I assembled the poodle without needing the instructions.  Karen has a series of posts which are helpful also.

I took the approach that done was better than perfect and didn't redo any seams.  The tail section matched up perfectly.  Where the legs join the poof could be a little more aligned, but he's done!  The piecing took over three hours.

With the help of Photoshop Elements, I 'made' a left facting poodle.  You can find the instructions for the left facing poodle here.

Now this poodle needs to find his way to Karen's house!

Excited to have this Bee Inspired block done, I'm linking to the August OMG finsh link-up with Patty at Elm Street Quilts.

And I'm linking to Let's Bee Social #192  with Lorna at Sew Fresh Quilts and Midweek Makers #87 with Susan at QuiltFabrication.

Positively Transparent++MQG August 2017 Quilt of the Month

I am excited to share my quilt, Positively Transparent, which was chosen by the Modern Quilt Guild for the August 2017 Quilt of the Month. 

If this design looks familiar, you are right!  The original Positively Transparent, measuring just 16" x 18", was exhibited at QuiltCon 2016 in the small quilts category.  It has also appeared Simply Moderne twice, first in issue #5 and then again in issue #9 in an article, Creating Transparency in Quilting, by Riane Menardi of the MQG.

The mini Positively Transparent was started in a class taught by Lizzy House which focused on exploring the elements and principles of design.  You can read all about the making the mini version in this blog post.

The background fabric is Essex Yarn Dyed in flax and the plus sign fabrics are Kona Cotton solids, all generously provided by Robert Kaufman Fabrics.

I love the backing fabric also, Vincent Van Gogh 2 Journal Notes in Grey, again by Robert Kaufman. Here you can see I decided to apply a facing rather than a binding, just like my original Positively Transparent.

I really like how the edge looks with the facing.  The quilting threads just disappear around the edge.

I quilted Positively Transparent in an uneven grid using various weights of Aurifil which was a first for me.  Until now I had pieced and quilted with only 50 wt. Aurifil.

I used Aurifil 5011 40 wt. (green spool) in background but still used 50 wt. in the bobbin.  In the plus signs, matching the fabrics, I quilted with 28 wt. (gray spool) and used a 90/14 topstitch needle just a Aurifil suggests here. As an Auriful Artisan, all of the thread was provided by Aurifil.

You can see I carried the thread color used in each plus sign all the way through the quilt.  I didn't keep track of the hours of quilting time, but it took awhile and, to me, worth every stitch.

And just for giggles, I thought I would show you an outtake from my photoshoot.  I found this awesome two-colored painted wall of a warehouse just a couple miles from my house.  Yes, there were some funny looks!  And while my quilt was barely in the shade of the building, I was standing in the blazing sun.

Seriously, I would like to thank my pattern reviewers Cheryl at Meadow Mist Designs and Patty at Elm Street Quilts for providing valuable help and feedback.  And thanks to E.A. Cox for pattern testing for me.  I would also like to thank The Warm Company for providing my favorite batting, Warm & White.

Positively Transparent has been enlarged to a lap quilt measuring 60" x 68". You can find the pattern under Resourses of the Community tab at the Modern Quilt Guild.  If you are not already a member of the MQG, you can join right here to gain access to this pattern "plus" so much more.

If you love plus sign quilts, check out this secret project, Modern Plus Sign Quilts (affiliate link), which has been in the works and is now listed for pre-order on Amazon! More about this soon!

Excited to share my very first quilt pattern, I'm crashing every party this week!

Let's Bee Social #191 with Lorna at Sew Fresh Quilts

Midweek Makers with Susan at QuiltFabrication

Needle and Thread Thursday with Kelly at My Quilt Infatuation

Thank Goodness It's Finished Friday this week with Anja at Anja Quilts

Can I get a Whoop Whoop with Sarah at Confessions of a Fabric Addict

and Show Off Saturday with Caroline at Sew She Can

Finish It Up Friday when Amanda of Crazy Mom Quilts returns in September

Summer Crush Mosaic Contest

Did you see that Rachel at Stitched in Color is hosting another mosaic contest?  The theme is Summer Crush.  Here in South Carolina we have one more month of summer and as usual it is HOT and humid!

To participate, you need to create your own summer mosaic of nine fabrics by shopping at Quilt Sandwich Fabrics and upload your mosaic by the deadline of August 20th at midnight.  Here's my Summer Crush mosaic.

While shopping at Quilt Sandwich Fabrics, I found a Kaffe Fassett print, Oriental Trees, which reminded me of the Crepe Myrtle trees which are blooming here in the south.  While the ones in my yard are hot pink, there are plenty of purple ones blooming like the one here.

I've said it before, here and here, but Rachel has such a way with words and always finds the perfect photos to represent the chosen theme.

At first glance, I didn't notice a lot of purple in the collages Rachel created, but take a second look.

Include in these Pinterest links, there's purple in the sky here, the surfboard here, the pastel quilt here, and Rossie Hutchinson's Arne quilt here and here on the MQG website.

And a few more purple inspiration photos I've taken...

This is a Columbine taken at the Kilgore-Lewis House home of the Greenville Council of Garden Clubs in Greenville, SC.

Purple Verbena taken at the same time.

And I'm not sure what this one is.

And a bachelor button taken in my yard.

Thank you Rachel for hosting another fabric mosaic contest and Quilt Sandwich Fabrics for sponsoring.  Now head on over see all the mosaics and be sure return when Rachel opens up voting on the 21st so you can vote on your favorite Summer Crush mosaic. 

Rin by Machine Applique ~ Block #2

I machine appliqued my second block made from Carolyn Friedlander's Rin quilt pattern. The first one is here that I made during the Rin Along hosted by Cheryl at Meadow Mist Designs and Cindy at Hyacinth Quilt Designs.

When you pull fabric from your stash, does it ever evoke a memory of where you were when you purchased it or possibly who you were with?  This certainly happened with me when I was choosing the background fabric for this block.  I know exactly where I was.  It was 2015 and I was in Austin, TX at my very first QuiltCon.  I had no idea how I would use this fabric, but I knew I wanted some.

Architextures was Carolyn's very first fabric line with Robert Kaufman and this is Ledger in Ivory.

For the rings I'm using another Cotton and Steel print, Add It Up in Close Your Eyes.  Although it reads as solid black from a distance, I just love the little blue plus signs you can see up close.

I did something a little differently this time. I actually cut out the entire outer ring and the outer circle of the inner ring with my 45mm rotary cutter.  A few times, I cut a little further than I should have in the V of scallop, but I think it will be fine.  You can read all about my fusing process in the first blog post.

As I have time, I plan to make more blocks.  I plan to use all Carolyn Friedlander prints for the background fabrics and will use various blacks from different designers for the rings.

Excited to have one more Rin block done by zig zag satin stitch on the machine, I'm linking to Let's Bee Social with Lorna at Sew Fresh Quilts.

Sunday Stash (Sun Print 2017 + 2018 Quilter's Planner)

I am thrilled to announce that I will have a quilt in The 2018 Quilter's Planner! And while I can't share the project just yet, I can show you the two Alison Glass prints included in my quilt.  They are both from the Sun Print 2017 collection by Andover Fabrics.

The orange is the Link pattern in the Carrot colorway and includes birds and bees along with a faint dot.

The Meadow print below in the Tide colorway combines many of Alison's signature motifs.  It's such a beautiful tone on tone print.

I had no idea when I proposed my project to Stepanie Palmer, the Late Night Quilter and genius behind the Quilter's Planner, that Alison Glass was the featured designer for the 2018 Quilter's Planner.  Neither did I know that the Meadow print, the exact one I included in my quilt, would be highlighted on the cover!  How cool is that?

I have the 2016 and 2017 Quilter's Planners and Stepanie has included many new features the 2018 Quilter's Planner such as:

• The Quilter’s Planner Magazine: A full-color, glossy companion publication with 13 quilting and sewing patterns by top designers
• 4 pages of planner stickers, yes STICKERS, by Alison Glass
• 15 coloring pages by Alison Glass
• 12 monthly blocks featured in a new Quilter’s Planner Sampler Quilt pattern by Cheryl Brickey
• Yearly goals planning page
• Fabric chart from Andover Fabrics featuring Alison Glass fabrics

It's time to pre-order your 2018 Quilter's Planner now!

Once again, you have the option to include the Quilter's Planner Mini with your pre-order.

International orders can be placed at the Fat Quarter Shop for the Planner and the Bundle.

Linking to Sunday Stash #231 since I'm excited to share the Alison Glass Sun Prints and the 2018 Quilter's Planner.

Disclosure: Links to the 2018 Quilter's Planner and Bundle are affiliate links meaning, at no additional cost to you, I will earn a small commission if you purchase through my link. Thank you!

In the Dog House - August One Monthly Goal

I've managed to keep up with my Bee Inspired bee blocks up until now, but I'm late making the right facing poodle block for Karen at Tu-na Quilts.

The fabrics have been picked out for the poodle and now he needs to come to life!

I enjoyed Karen's tour of Paris, the wonderful cutting chart she provided in this post and all the assembly tips she provided over her 8 days in Paris.

I think I was intimidated by the cutting and number of pieces required.  I've decided to declare making the poodle block for Karen my August One Monthly Goal and will be linking to Patty at Elm Street Quilts.

Have you set your One Monthly Goal yet?