Sherbet Pips and Peppermint Snowballs

I received a Sherbet Pips layer cake as a gift well over a year ago.  Not long after getting the fabric, I came across the perfect pattern for it.  I usually prefer to select my own fabric combinations to go with a pattern, but this time I just fell in love with the pattern for the same fabrics.

I used the Moda Bake Shop Peppermint Snowballs Quilt pattern, by Corey Yoder (from Little Miss Shabby).



The large snowball blocks work perfectly to showcase the feature prints.  And I just adore all the small squares and pinwheels.

My daughter loves puppies, and this quilt will fit perfectly in her pink and red room.



Right now the quilt is 45" square.  I'd like to make it a little bigger, so my daughter won't outgrow it too quickly.  I think I will just add fabric to the top and bottom, instead of doing an all around border.

I've been working on this quilt for over a year now, so it feels great to finally be near completed!

Playing Tetris - Week 6

One evening this week I took some time to play with scraps, and to finally try out a block I've been admiring for quite awhile.  I made a scrappy Japanese x and + block using Amy's tutorial at badskirt.



I used scraps for the front, and more scraps for the back.




There were several other projects I probably should have spent my time on, but sometimes I just need to jump into something new.



Although I fell behind posting about and my Tetris blocks, I have still been sewing them.  Here is my final block for week 6.




The owls this week were getting tired of the fence, so they got to perch in our little tree for a bit too.




You can check out more Tetris blocks for this week at Happy Quilting.

Playing Tetris - Week 3

I've been spending a lot of time watching the Olympics this week, so I haven't been sewing very much.  I did manage to get my third Tetris block done though.

I started laying out my fabric squares following the piece type and color, but then I just started making it up as I went.  The last two pieces worked better if I mirrored them, so I just went with it.

Maybe I'll actually follow the correct pieces next week if I don't leave it to the last day.

16 Patch Blocks

This weekend I was busy cutting fabric strips for a new quilt I'm starting.



I am making 16 patch blocks that will finish at 12".  Each block will have two different fabrics: one white background with blue, green, or black, and one orange, pink, or red print.



I'm using several Denyse Schmidt prints, Summersville, and other prints from my stash.



Selecting fabric and color combinations is my absolute favorite part of quilting.  So I'm having lots of fun selecting strips from my stack when I start each new block.



5 blocks down, 67 to go!

Playing Tetris - Week 2

I am playing along with Melissa's Tetris Quilt-a-long at Happy Quilting.

It's so much fun putting these together.  Instead of using white for the background, I am using black with a few owls mixed in.



My regular sewing machine is getting serviced this week, so I pieced this using my Singer 301.  It's super nice to have a backup machine, and I really enjoy being able to use my grandma's old Singer.

Here is my completed block for Week 2:


  

Granny squares for the night stand

I made two granny square blocks back in February after seeing Jolene's granny square quilt block tutorial at Blue Elephant Stitches.



I didn't  want to waste the background fabric, so I used setting triangles instead of squares.



These blocks are so fun to make, and a good way to use a variety of fabrics.  I wanted to make a queen size quilt out of these, but then the blocks got put away and I didn't get around to making any more.

When we got a new nightstand, I decided these would make a great table topper.  All I had to do was make one more block, and I'd be able to enjoy them right away!



Another bonus, was this made for a good small project to practice free motion quilting.  I tried stippling for the first time.  Up close the quilting isn't great, but it has a very nice overall effect, so I'm quite pleased with it.



And now I have a happy night stand!

Scrappy Pot Holders

I love scraps!  And I love sewing little scraps together without having a plan.



I have been sewing a couple years, and so far I seem to use scraps almost as quickly as I accumulate them.  I've used my scraps to make several potholders.  Here is a pair I made as a housewarming gift for my aunt.




They might be a little big for potholders, but they are super handy for setting hot dishes on the table or counter.  I used a layer of Insul-Bright with a layer of cotton batting.  I love the texture the quilting adds with these two thick layers.



I created the triangle one using a new equilateral triangle ruler.  I need more practice with the triangles, because I found it to be very tricky to get my points to line up with all those bias edges.



I especially like the colors in this one.  It looks so perfect with my mug, that I tempted to keep it myself!  I guess that just means I might have to make another similar one for myself.