#100Days100Blocks2018 Blocks 15 - 21

The 3rd week of #100Days100Blocks2018 is complete, and I'm starting to feel a little bit of fatigue. Just a little bit, which probably means it's a good thing that this is a quilt along, or at this point I might find myself ... procrastinating. This week we're finishing the cross blocks and moving on to rectangles.

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Renegade Bag

Some girls like shoes, but I've always been a bag lady. After making some pouches and totes, I'm super proud to say that I've finally made a handbag that I'm proud to carry for my everyday life!

I first discovered the Renegade Bag designed by Sara Lawson of Sew Sweetness while watching Sara's Sunday night live shows, and I was immediately drawn to it. It looked structured and professional, and I especially loved the cork details she used. The next day, I bought the pattern and ordered some cork from her website. But it took me months to start work on it because I was afraid.

When I did start sewing this bag, there were parts where I just had to grit my teeth and power through it. For the most part the cork isn't harder to work with than quilting cotton, but when I was assembling the bag, it was pretty hard. By the time I finished assembling the exterior of the bag, I was sweating even though my sewing room is colder than the rest of the house. But once I'm finished, I think it was worth the effort because the cork is truly the best part of this bag!

I had on hand a few bag tags so I attached them to the sides of the bag with rivets. (Which honestly are a little big for the tag but oh well!) For an extra little touch of hardware, I attached a little zipper pull that says "I solemnly swear that I'm up to no good." (I'm a die-hard Potterhead!)

I'm so in love with this bag and I can't wait to carry it!

#100Days100Blocks2018 Blocks 8 - 14

This is week 2 of the #100Blocks100Days2018 Quilt Along, and I'm still managing to follow along! This week's blocks are still cross blocks but they seem easier than week 1's blocks.

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Feathered Star ~ Ready to Quilt!

I had been wanting to make Rebecca Bryan's Feathered Star pattern since the first time I saw it, but I wasn't sure if I had the necessary skills. But when she announced her Feathered Star Quilt Along a few months ago, I thought it might be an opportunity for me to push myself and upgrade my piecing skills.

I love star quilts in non-traditional settings, and what I really love about the Feathered Star is the black/white stripes that shoot out from the star. I bought the pattern hoping it would be Foundation Paper Piecing (which is my solution to difficult to piece quilts) but discovered it wasn't. I then made my own paper piecing template, but decided not to use it. How would I be able to grow and upgrade my skills as a piecer if I don't challenge myself? So I decided to make this the traditional way.

I used a bright and saturated rainbow bundle called Geogram by Samarra Khaja, and I used the black/white stripe from Panache for the stripe print.

When the first few stars came out and they didn't look too bad, I was so relieved. I know that I probably stretched the bias edges some but it didn't look too out of shape. I also made a modification to the original pattern so that the border edges had as little bias as possible.

I think it's quite lovely! Next week is supposed to be the quilting week of this quilt along, but I don't think I can do that as the longarm is pretty occupied at the moment. For now, I'm so proud I actually made this top!

#100Days100Blocks2018 Blocks 1 - 7

This is the first week of the #100Days100Blocks2018 challenge, and I completed blocks 1-7.

I have 2 of each block for now, because I plan to make 2 quilts. One will be using the Pacific bundle by Elizabeth Hartman, and one uses a black/white with a little bit of neon bundle.

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And I got a little bonus project! I had some flippy corners cut off from a different project, so I used them as leaders & enders for these blocks and I ended up with a cute little mugrug!

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Wholecloth for Mom

Earlier this year my mom announced that she and my dad were moving back to Florida. For a housewarming gift, she asked for a quilt. I was off in my mind thinking about what kind of top to piece, and how to quilt it, but my mom had her own ideas.

First, she told me she didn't want patchwork, she wanted a wholecloth. But then, she didn't want it quilted very densely either. However, she added a final design request: feathers. Since she didn't want patchwork, I showed her my collection of wide backings, and she chose a blue and white print from Jennifer Sampou.

Anything too complicated was bound to be too dense, so I decided to make this really simple. I quilted a big wild feather around the borders, and then quilted a feather going in a circle in the center. I filled the rest of the space with swirls quilted at a much larger scale than I usually do.

It's hard to see the quilting except in the right light, and in fact I think it shows on the back better. But I think my mom would be happy to consider this a double-sided quilt!

I'm not entirely happy with the results due to my inexperience with wholecloth, but at least it's still a warm and functional quilt!

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I am currently on vacation and I may take awhile to respond to your comment. Thanks for reading!