APQ Quilt Along (Finish It Up Friday)

Someone asked me recently if I ever took pictures of my finished APQ Quilt Along Quilt and I looked back and realized I never had.  I shared lots of photos of the quilt over on Instagram and I really thought I had shared it here as well.  But a quick look back and I realized I never had shared it after I received it back from Abby.

 

 

This quilt is still my favorite quilt to date.  I love everything about it.  I did take a departure from the original and I left out the sashing between the blocks but I think that gives it even more of a secondary pattern and I love that about this quilt.

Here are just a few photos of the quilt.  I hope you are all having a great December and are looking forward to having a very Merry Christmas!

WIP Wednesday

Hello!  I hope you are all having a great week.  Mine got off to a slow start but we are on the down side of the hill now rolling into the weekend.  It's been a busy week and my finger is pretty much numb from sewing down binding but I'm hoping to give it a little time to rest over the next couple of weeks before starting on the next project.

That does mean that I finished up the binding on both a baby quilt and my apqquiltalong quilt.  You can see the APQ Quilt there getting ready for some crinkle magic so hopefully I'll have a chance to grab some photos and show you something pretty for finish it up Friday.

I also managed to finish up my tinyswoon for the thimbleblossomsminiquiltswap.  This thing measures only 24 inches square.  I have plans of adding a really thin boarder so nothing is lost in the binding.  Abstract baptist fan quilting and piped binding in pink and aqua.

The quarter is for size reference

I did start a new project as well.  I went shopping in my moms stash because she is nice enough to let me do that sometimes.  And as luck would have it she had the perfect amounts of fabric for this quilt.  The only thing missing is a boarder fabric but since she had a charm pack from this line as well I'm thinking about doing a patchwork border that I think will look great with this quilt.

I think that is all I have going on this week.  Head on over to Lee's and see what everyone else is up to.  Fair warning though-most weeks I end up with inspiration overload doing that.

WIP Wednesday

I haven't done much sewing on my machine this week.  Remember all those quilts I was telling you about last week?  Well I got one box on Friday before heading out for a last minute trip to the races and then I had the other one waiting for me when I got home on Saturday evening.  So most of my time this week has been spent binding and I can't wait to show you guys the finished quilts.

Here's a little sneak peek of what I'm binding.  I've managed to finish both the baby and mama pips so more photos of those coming soon.  It's been a rainy week here so I haven't had a chance to take photos.

I also manage to finish a few more steps on my tiny swoon for the #thimbleblossomsminiquiltswap over on Instagram.  I'm excited about the way this one is coming together but with each step I feel like it is going to be harder to give away.

Head on over to Lee's and see what everyone else is up to.  

WIP Wednesday

I can't believe it's already Wednesday again.  I know I say that A LOT but it's amazing how quickly the weeks are flying by this year.

My sewing time this week has been spent getting a head start on my mini quilt for the #thimbleblossomsminiquiltswap over on Instagram.  I knew as soon as I signed up that I wanted to make a scrappy swoon mini.  I've been wanting to make a scrappy swoon for a long time but one of the problems of not having a "stash" to speak of is that it's really hard to make scrappy quilts.  I'm following the tutorial from the scrappy swoon quiltalong but I scaled my pieces down to finish at one inch.  I didn't do any math so I'm still not sure how big this will be when it's done.

I have managed to make it through step 5 so far and hope to have the top pieced by Friday because come Friday I have a whole lot of binding to sew.  I have five quilts coming back from 2 different long arm quilters and they are all suppose to arrive on Friday.

I borrowed this photo from Abby who was kind enough to show me a sneak peak on Instagram.  This is now my favorite quilt to date and I can't wait to have it back and finish it up.  Unfortunately for me it will be the last one to get done because the others are all gifts.  Two of which are for babies and we all know they aren't going to wait on their quilts to be done to make their entrance.

I'm using my leftover pieces from this quilt for the tiny swoon.  Waste not want not, right?  It's hard to believe these tiny scraps are all that's left of my Scrumptious Fat Quarter Bundle but at the same time it is satisfying to know that I've used it instead of hoarding it.

Head over to Lee's and see what everyone else is up to this week.

WIP Wednesday

I haven't had a chance to do much sewing this week.  I have spent most of my available time hand sewing binding on my Complications Quilt.  I CAN NOT wait to have this one done.  It is one of my favorite quilts I have ever made.  I'm a little disappointed that this one has the "other" batting in it but I am still a huge fan.  I did a few things a little differently with this one.  I tried trimming up 1/4 inch away from the edge of my quilt.  It does make the binding more full though in a few places it has been a little hard to navigate.  I'm guessing that is probably because those areas weren't a perfect 1/4 inch.

This quilt has gotten a lot of love over on Instagram.  It is based mostly on a block of the month pattern that was in German.  But I left some of the blogs out and duplicated others.  I am considering writing a series of post here on the blog about how mine was made with some measurements and thoughts.  I just haven't figured out the best way to do that because I don't want to step on any toes or imply that it is an original design.  Do any of you more experienced bloggers have any suggestions on how I can share what I did without offending anyone?

Next up I ordered this fabric for the back and binding of my APQ Quilt Along Quilt.  I really need to come up with a good name for that quilt because APQ Quilt Along Quilt isn't really working for me.  Most of my quilt names end up based off a combination of the pattern and fabric used in it.

Finally I did settle on my next project.  I have some fat quarters of Nordika and the Snow Blossoms pattern. I chose art gallery's tender green which was one of the suggested coordinates for the line.  I'm thinking this will be very different from anything I have made recently.  I believe we are going to do a little impromptu #snowblossomsalong over on Instagram if you have this pattern and would like to sew along.

Be sure to head over to Lee's to see what everyone else is up to this week.

APQ Quilt Along

I'm back from Bolivia-I promise a post on that coming soon but right now I am still trying to sort out my feelings and thoughts.  I can't wait to show you guys some photos and tell you a few stories once I work it all out.

One of my Favorite Blocks

While I was gone Bertha took a little trip to the sewing machine spa.  I missed her annual check up last year and while I didn't notice anything wrong with her she sure sounds happier now that she is back.  Before I took her in I was having a problem with my thread breaking sometimes when sewing but I just assumed it was me-now I realize it was probably a tension issue.  I'm happy to have her back home and happy because we have already spent a lot of quality time together.

Row 1 sewn together

The first project I worked on was my APQ Quilt Along.  I needed to make 2 more blocks and after asking all of you over on Instagram about the possibility of having 4 red blocks in the middle everyone encouraged me to go random.  I sort of listened.  I did end up putting those blocks with the red x's in the four corners but it doesn't really stand out as much as a design element that way.

Making Progress

I also listed when everyone told me to go without the sashing.  I understand now how smart the designer was to include it.  While I really like the way these blocks look without it-matching up some of these seams really was a bear.  Especially where those little 1 inch squares come together.  In the end I think it is well worth it but I think the sashing would have made the construction a little easier.

Finished Quilt Top

I used Scrumptious by Bonnie & Camille for the fabric and the pattern is from the APQ Magazine.  If you are on Instagram check out the #apqquiltalong for lots of photos and to see how everyone interpreted this same pattern.  I love the variety, some are very scrappy like the original, some are all made from one fabric line like mine, and others are a nice mix of both.  It's so interesting to see how the same pattern can look so differently when made up in different fabrics.

WIP Wednesday

It's so hard to believe that it's Wednesday again already.  I feel like I find myself saying that more and more lately.  Time is speeding up and even though some of the days are really long the weeks themselves seem really short.  I haven't had a whole lot of time for sewing this week.  But I did manage to work on a few more APQ Quiltalong Blocks.

I was chain piecing these last few blocks and posed the question on Instagram if I should add sashing to these blocks like the pattern calls for.  The overwhelming response was to forgo the sashing.  So I am leaning in that direction.  My quilting friends are all really smart when it comes to these things and I don't think they would steer me in the wrong direction.  

My goal was to finish this top before I left for my trip but with Bertha going into the shop on Saturday I really doubt I will make it that far.  I am hoping to at least finish up my last two blocks before I leave.  Speaking of finishing something-I actually have a finish to share with you this week so look for that coming soon.

I guess that is all I have going on over here.  Be sure to head over to Lee's and check out what everyone else is up to for some great inspiration.  

WIP Wednesday Deja Vue

Well it's Wednesday again and I don't think this weeks update is much different from last week.  Suprisingly enough I am home from work again this Wednesday due to snow.  Last week it was only 3 inches but this time we have close to 10 inches.  I will admit that is better than the 12 plus they were predicting.  I sure am glad I don't have to leave the house for anything.

I haven't been doing too much sewing this week.  Something about the snow just makes me want to cuddle under a quilt in my pj's.  But I did manage to sew up 3 more blocks for my APQ Quiltalong Quilt.  That brings my current total to 10.  The half way point.

I've also been doing a great job of buying more fabric through the #thegreatfabricdestash over on Instagram.  If you are looking for something special go check it out.  I've found several out of print items that I've been wanting for a long time.  That's it for me-be sure to head over to Lee's to see what everyone else is up to.

WIP Wednesday (Snow Day)

I think I can count on one hand the number of times in my adult life I have ever gotten to stay home from work because of a snow day.  We are much more likely to be off for a hurricane than snow but none the less today is offically a snow day around here.

Yes, you can feel free to laugh at the tiny amount of snow on the ground that has closed up everything here in Virginia Beach.  I know it seems silly to those of you who deal with snow all the time.  We just don't have the equipment here to treat roads so a little bit can bring everything to a stop.  But I'm looking at it as a great opportunity to stay inside with some soup and sewing.

I haven't done much sewing since last Wednesday.  I managed to finish two more APQ Quilts Along blocks.  The first because I needed a distraction from the great big fabric destash that was happening over on instagram.  I've given up trying to avoid it though because people are still posting to the hashtag.  Honestly I've found a few goodies over there myself.

So that's what I'm up to this week.  Be sure to head over to Lee's and see what everyone else is working on.  And if you have snow where you are today I hope you get a chance to stay bundled up with some homemade soup.