All-A-Flutter ~ Butterfly Mini Swap Quilt

Back in May the idea was tossed around about a mini quilt swap between the members of the three Modern Quilt Guilds in South Carolina, Greenville MQG (my guild), Palmetto MQG (Columbia) and Charleston MQG.

We will not be officially swapping our mini quilts until Saturday, so I will not reveal the details of my swap partner's likes and dislikes just yet.  But, I just finished All-A-Flutter since it was my One Monthly Goal for October.

The intersections were a little bulky and a doozie to match up so I resewed several.

I alternated the butterflies just like Rita at Red Pepper Quilts did in her quilt, but added in some negative space.  To be honest, I didn't want to make any more butterflies than I did.

For the quilting, I added some ruler work quilting to the wings using Patsy Thompson's 6.5 inch arc ruler and Aurifil 30wt in grey.

I drifted off the ruler a few times, so every curve is not perfect, but I remembered Angela Walter's mantra, 'A finished quilt is better than perfect quilt top'!

I used the 12 inch arc ruler for the background quilting.  The design reminds me of crossed canoes.

Knowing I needed to add a label, I decided frame an extra butterfly and piece it into the backing.  And, to be quite honest, I miscut the backing (Elizabeth Hartman's Firefly in Pickle) and matching fireflies was not going to be fun so I changed the direction of the fireflies.

I'm looking forward to meeting other SC MQG guild members when we swap quilt.  You can check out swap progress at #SCMQGswap.

Quilt Stats

• Finished size: 20" x 20" 
• Pattern: a modified version of Rita's (Red Pepper Quilts) Butterfly Blocks
• Fabrics: Sun Prints by Alison Glass for Andover Fabrics
• Thread: Aurifil 50wt in Natural White 2021 for quilting background and Aurifil 30wt in Grey 2605 for quilting the butterflies   
• Quilting design: ruler work
• Batting: 100% Cotton Warm & White by the Warm Company
• Completed: October 29, 2018

Linking to the October Finish Link-up at Elm Street Quilts and Finish up Friday at Crazy Mom Quilts. 

Postcard Exchange Blog Hop ➕ Plus Signs

Back in January, Patty at Elm Street Quilts announced she would be hosting a worldwide postcard swap which sounded like fun!

The Basic Rules

The swap was limited to 100 participants and rules were simple...

• Choose whether you would ship your postcard worldwide or just within your own country.
• Select a one word clue for the person making your postcard. The clue could be anything - ex: blue, flamingo, summer. 
• Postcards should be 4" x 6'' and must be made of fabric.
• To keep it simple, only the postcard should be mailed - no small treats or extras. 
• The postcard could be mailed in an envelope or just as a normal postcard.
• Keep your swap assignee is a secret - shhhh!!

My Word

I must confess, my one word clue I chose wasn't exactly one word, but I turned it into one word...PlusSign!   And just look at the plus sign postcard I received from Terri, all the way from the west coast.

Playing it safe, Terri mailed my plus sign postcard 'protected' in an envelope.

Who would have thought 4 little plus signs would fit so nicely on a 4"x 6" postcard.  And, look at the detail Terri added with the embroidery with metallic floss. You can see barely see where she quilted the postcard by outlining the plus signs.  

And, look at the detail on the reverse.  The back was printed and includes a special message.  I love the handwritten detail on the postmark.

I was curious as to how Terri put it together.  I could tell the two layers were sewn and then turned right sides out, but where was the seam?  I had to really look hard to fined the seam where it was hand sewn closed.  You can barely make it out on the bottom edge on the left. 

Thank you, Terri!  I appreciate your thoughtfulness and care you put into into creating the Plus Sign postcard you made for me!  I love it!  

Postcard for Nina

The word my partner, Nina, chose was Surprise!   You will never guess what I surprised her with...a Plus Sign, whether it was one word or two.  Here it is finished and ready to be mailed.  

I used the small block from the Signature Plus quilt which was featured on Day 2 of the Modern Plus Sign Quilt Blog Hop.  I extended the width a bit to accommodate the post card.

The indigo plus sign fabric was dyed in an indigo fabric dying class with Maura Ambrose at QuiltCon 2017 in Savannah.

  

Once I made the block, I used 505 spray adhesive to adhere it to the craft felt and quilted around the plus sign just like Terri did her block.  And, I secured the edge with a straight stitch at that point. 

Knowing that I wanted to write on the back, I fused the backing to the postcard.  I secured the edges with a zigzag stitch. I wrote a message on the back and added straight lines to help me keep the address evenly spaced. 

Here is the postcard ready to go in the mail, complete with a return address label and a Global Forever stamp.  

And, one more!  I'm glad to say my post card to Nina arrived safely the UK.  I was nervous, especially since I mailed her postcard naked (without an envelope)!

Thank you Patty for hosting the Postcard Exchange!  I had so much fun making and receiving a postcard.  And, thank you, Terri, for making the lovely post card for me!  

Please stop by and visit the bloggers to see what postcards they have made and received. 

Denise @ DottieDoodle

Dione @ Clever Chameleon Quilting

Isis @ Creation d'Isis

Karen @ Run Sew Fun

Lynette @ What A Hoot Quilts

Laura @ LC's Cottage

Lisa @ Sunlight in Winter Quilts

Marsha @ Quilter in Motion

Michelle @ Creative Blonde

Paige @ Quilted Blooms (you're here!)

Patty @ Elm Street Quilts

Sandra @ mmm! quilts

Susan @ California Fiber and Music

Valerie @ Val's Quilting Studio

Be sure to check out the Postcard Linkup at Elm Street Quilts or #ESQpostcardswap on Instagram for inspiration on making your own postcard to swap with a quilty friend.

Linking to...

Finish It Up Friday with Amanda Jean at Crazy Mom Quilts

Show Off Saturday with Caroline at Sew She Can

Alison Glass Charm Swap

When Yvonne at Quilting Jetgirl announced she was hosting an Alison Glass charm swap I knew I wanted to participate.  What I didn't realize is how fast it would fill up!  I was pretty close to bottom of the list and glad to be included.

I found Historical fiction (7868) in Green from Ex Libris collection by Andover Fabrics at my local quilt shop.

5" charm squares of Historical Fiction from Ex Libris by Alison Glass

All 72 of the 5" charm squares were cut from 1 1/2 yards and will be on their way to Yvonne tomorrow.

Historical Fiction from Ex Libris 5" charm squares

The original print I was planning to use for the swap was Bike Path in blue from her Luck Penny collection.  I was about to cut into it and discovered I had already prewashed it...and that would be breaking swap rule #4. (The perils of a prewasher.)  I think this will make a great binding with the dotted stripes.

Bike Path from Lucky Penny by Alison Glass

Now to wait on my charm squares to arrive.  In the mean time, have your peeked at Alison's new line Seventy-Six?  It's beautiful!

Linking to Let's Bee Social and Fabric Frenzy Friday.

2016 Mid Year Review

Well, the first six months of 2016 flew right by! Did you see Yvonne at Quilting Jetgirl is hosting a 2016 Mid Year Review link party?

I divided my 2016 goals between blogging and quilting.  Let's see where I stand:

Blogging Goals

1. Photography - Wanting to improve my blog photos, I picked up some tips from a Craftsy class, Basics of Digital Photography.  At the suggestion of a fellow blogger, I found another Craftsy class even more helpful, Product Photography at Home, I have found that photography, just like free motion quilting, takes practice. (Non-affiliate links)

2. Write a tutorial - I participated in 12 Days of Christmas in July Blog Hop hosted by Sarah at Confessions of a Fabric Addict and presented Blue Christmas, a machine applique pillow cover or wall hanging tutorial.  Perfect timing...I checked this one off my list just yesterday.

Blue Christmas, a machine appliqued pillow cover with a vintage string of lights

3.  Participate in the 2016 New Quilt Bloggers Blog Hop - I've met so many new bloggers thanks to hosts Yvonne at Quilting Jetgirl, Cheryl at Meadow Mist Designs and Stephanie at Late Night Quilter.  My introductory post was the 2nd week of June and was I was part of the The Sewcial Network.

4. Brand Identity - I wanted a logo which included a button from a card of vintage pearl buttons from my grandmother and Valerie from Inkblot Graphic Design Studio designed my blog header and other graphics just as I had envisioned.

Vintage pearl buttons which were my grandmothers

I also worked with Emily at BD Web Studio who updated my blogger template and created a gallery separated between finished quilts, projects and quilt blocks which are listed by year. Now, I need a new tab for tutorials!

Quilting Goals

1. Quilt of Valor - I am planning a quilt in non-traditional patriotic colors following the Star Light, Star Dark Quilt-A-Long by Jess at Quilty Habit.  These are my fabrics.  More about this later.

Fabrics chosen for Star Light, Star Dark Quilt-A-Long

2.  Charity Quilt - no progress on this one.

3. Midnight Mystery Quilt - I posted back in January one complete block here.  Unfortunately, no progress on this one lately and now Cheryl's new mystery quilt, Meadow Mystery, is just getting under way with fabric selections going on now.  I had the opportunity to review the Meadow Mystery and it's a beauty!

Midnight Mystery in progress

4. Modern Quilts Unlimited Block and Quilt Challenge - All 12 blocks are completed in the Everything Old is New Again Challenge and now and it's time to decide on a layout for the final quilt.  The deadline is Sept 15th.  My post about Block #12 gives more details about the blocks and challenge. Here are my 12 blocks.

My 12 blocks for the Everything Old is New Again Block Challenge

5. Write and publish a pattern - No visible progress yet, but I'm thinking about this one.  Oh wait, I did have a block, It All Adds Up, published in Quiltmaker's 100 Blocks, Vol. 13 in May.

My block in Quiltmaker's 100 Blocks, Vol. 13

6. Online quilt or block swap - I've actually participated in 3 swaps this year.

• Rainbow Mini Swap Round 2:  I made Colorful Cats pillow cover from Elizabeth Hartman's Cat Block pattern.  I received this beauty from Becky @SolarThreads in exchange.

Colorful Cats

• Bonnie and Camille Low Volume Plus Swap - I made 30 plus blocks as you can see in my flipgram here and received 30 blocks in exchange.
• Sewtopia Swap - I made Becca Bags zippered pouches for a Sewtopia Swap and received these goodies in exchange.

The year is shaping up and I'm looking forward to see what's in store for the remainder of 2016.

I better get busy...now, hop on over to see everyone's progress at the 2016 Mid Year Review.  Because I'm crushing on my progress, I'm linking to Main Crush Monday with Beth at Cooking Up Quilts.

Rainbow Mini Swap Round Two: Colorful Cats

I am happy to show you Colorful Cats since my swap partner has received her mini quilt pillow cover for the Rainbow Mini Swap Round Two which took place on Instagram.

Colorful Cats pillow cover by Paige Alexander

Two of my swap partner's favorite fabric designers were Bonnie and Camille and Tasha Noel.  At the time I did not have fabrics by either one in my stash but soon remedied that with a a couple of trips to my local quilt shops.  You can read about my fabric selection of reds, pinks and aquas in this blog post.

Since my swap partner was limited on wall space, she requested a pillow cover instead of a mini quilt.  I found the Cat Block pattern by Elizabeth Hartman offered as a free download from Janome. The pillow finished at 20" x 20" which for a perfect size.

I incorporated some fussy cut elements into some of the blocks using fabrics from Hello Darling and Vintage Market with a few other fabrics added.  I used Michael Miller Cotton Couture in Bright White for the background.  Here are the finished blocks on the design wall.  I was still deciding on the arrangement of the cat blocks.

Cat Blocks made from Elizabeth Hartman's pattern

I decided on crosshatch quilting just like Elizabeth used on her pillow.  I marked the initial two quilting lines with a hera marker.

Quilting lines marked with a hera marker

Here is the quilt after the first two lines in each direction were quilted using the walking foot.

After four lines of quilting on Colorful Cats

Now here is where patience is needed.  You just keep quilting, line after line, until it is finally quilted.

Crosshatch quilting on Colorful Cats

I finished the pillow cover with a traditional binding us a Riley Blake dot fabric.

Traditional binding on Colorful Cats

Pillow Stats:

• Finished size:  20" x 20" pillow with envelope backing
• Pattern:  Cat Block and Pillow by Elizabeth Hartman for Janome
• Binding: 3/8" finished straight grain binding finished by machine using a Riley Blake dot
• Fabrics: Hello Darling by Bonnie and Camille for Moda, Vintage Market by Tasha Noel for Riley Blake and others
• Batting: 100% Cotton Warm & White by the Warm Company
• Thread: Aurifil 2024 White for piecing and quilting
• Quilting:  Crosshatch using the edge of the walking foot as a guide

From looking at the Instagram account of my swap partner, I knew she had a cute little kitten.  Rather than making a little something extra for her, I made a stuffed kitty for daughter.  The pattern for the kitty was from a panel by VIP.  I saw the pattern on blog and wish I could give them credit, but I did find the same panel in this Etsy listing.  This also shows the envelope backing for the pillow cover using a print from Vintage Market.

Calico Kitty made from a vintage VIP panel pattern

Although my pillow is missing a few colors from the rainbow, I tried to make something my swap partner would like.  Close to 500 swappers participated in the #RainbowMiniSwapR2 and I had fun participating. Thanks to Kate @katebasti for organizing  and swap mama Sara @supersara20 for helping with the swap.

Linking up to Finish Up Friday, Whoop Whoop Friday, Jenn at A Quarter Inch from the Edge hosting Thank Goodness Its Finished Friday this week, Fabric Frenzy Friday, Whoop, There It Is! and Show Off Saturday.

Sunday Stash #5: Red, Pink and Aqua

I am participating in my first mini quilt swap, the Rainbow Mini Swap Round #2, on Instagram and am on Team Yellow.  I did not have any fabrics from my partner's favorite designers so I needed to go shopping.  Luckily, I found all of these at my local quilt shop.

First up are prints with mostly red and aqua with white backgrounds.

• Hearts - Smitten by Barb Tourtillotte for Clothworks
• Floral - Vintage Floral from Vintage Market by Tasha Noel for Riley Blake 
• Stitches - Stitch Petal from Michael Miller

The pink stack includes:

• Bloom Check in pink from Bloom and Bliss by Nadra Ridgeway of Ellis & Higgs for Riley Blake
• Vintage Strawberries in pink from Vintage Market 
• Stripe from Lovey Dovey by Doodlebug Designs for Riley Blake

The Aqua stack includes:

• Bloom Diamond in blue from Bloom and Bliss
• Red dot - feels like Art Gallery but not sure 
• Aqua solid - unknown

And lastly some:

• Ladybugs in lava from True Colors by Tula Pink for Free Sprint
• Vintage Text in Red from Vintage Market

Look at the adorable selvages on the Riley Blake fabrics.  These will be added to the selvage collection!

I realize all the rainbow colors are not represented here, but I have a few more to add to the mix and I think these will make my partner happy!

Linking up to Sunday Stash #159 and for the fist time to Main Crush Monday with Beth at Cooking Up Quilts.

Rainbow Hexie Flower Mini Mini Quilt + (GIVEAWAY)

Instagrams kept popping up for the Mini Mini Quilt Swap and I wanted to participate.  When I commented on the quilting and perfect binding of Bright and Cherry, the 20th mini mini quilt by Yvonne at Quilting Jetgirl, she graciously mailed it to me (along with my favorite, dark chocolate!)  Wanting to return the favor, I set out to make a mini mini quilt for Yvonne.  I have always had a fondness for miniature quilts, but most of these were finishing at a mere 4 inches square.  I knew it had to somehow include rainbow colors since Yvonne loves rainbows and decided on a rainbow hexagon flower.

Rainbow Hexie Flower Mini Mini Quilt using  3/8" hexagon paper pieces

The English Paper Piecing (EPP) hexagon flower was made from Kona Cottons using 3/8" paper pieces and the 3/8" acrylic template with the 1/4" seam allowance from Paper Pieces.  I used Clover silk thread in gray #205 in an effort to minimize the thread showing with the different colored fabrics.

Hexagon flower made using 3/8" paper pieces

Back of hexagon flower before appliqueing to background

I machine appliqued a stem and leaf using a zigzag stitch before hand appliqueing the hexagon to the background.  To reduce the bulk and to allow for removing the papers, I cut away the background behind the hexagon flower.

Background cut out behind hexagon flower and before removing papers

Quilt top after removing papers

I was nervous about binding such a small piece and decided on a single fold bias binding.  I knew joining the final seam in a 4 inch space would be tricky.

Single fold binding applied with ends joined using bias seam

If you will look in the lower right of the picture below,  you can see I barely took 3 or 4 stitches after turning the corner, trying to leave as much room as possible for joining the ends with a bias seam.

Bias seam of binding pressed before trimming

For the quilting, I outlined the flower, stem and leaf and used a swirling wind motif in the sky.

Quilting detail of Rainbow Hexie Mini Mini Quilt

Quilt Stats:

• Finished size: 4" x 4"
• Fabrics:  Kona cottons for hexagons and ground; Robert Kaufman Whisper Prints for the background; Michael Miller Garden Pindot for the binding
• Batting:  Warm and White
• Thread:  Aurifil 50 wt for quilting; Clover silk #205 for EPP and hand applique
• Quilting:  free motion

Below is the mini mini quilt I received from Yvonne.  Thank you so much!  Yvonne, your Rainbow Hexie Mini Mini will be in the mail to you shortly!

Bright and Cheery made by Yvonne at Quilting Jetgirl

Giveaway

Now, on to the giveaway! My quilty friend, Cheryl Brickey of Meadow Mist Designs just released her latest pattern, Outlined Plus.

Outlined Plus pattern by Cheryl Brickey | Cover quilt by Jackie Padesky

Here is a close up of Jackie Padesky's beautiful version of Outlined Plus.

Outlined Plus is a fun take on a classic plus sign block and is a very versatile pattern containing 5 sizes: baby, lap, twin, queen, and king along with fabric requirements and cutting instructions to make each section (plus, outline, and background) using different fabrics in each block for a scrappy look or any of the block sections from a single fabric.  You can mix and match the instructions to customize your quilt!

Outlined Plus can be purchased at an introductory price of $6 until January 1st in the Meadow Mist Designs Etsy Shop or on Craftsy.

Cheryl has generously allowed me to giveaway a PDF copy of Outlined Plus just in time for the Outlined Plus Quilt Along with Cindy at Hyacinth Quilt Designs which is starting January 4th.

Leave a comment letting me know what fabrics you would use to make Outlined Plus.  On Sunday Stash #4, I shared the background fabrics I will be using for my version of Outlined Plus.   The winner will be announced on New Year's Day!

I am linking up to the Monday edition of Finish it up Friday with Crazy Mom Quilts.

The giveaway is now closed, thank you for entering!  The winner will be announced on New Year's Day!