More Fishies ~ Just Two Charm Pack Quilts Blog Hop

I've been a lot less active in the quilting community over the last few years, choosing to let quilting become just a hobby for myself, and instead focusing most of my attention and efforts on other endeavors. However, when Cheryl Brickey asked me to participate in a blog hop to promote her latest book, Just Two Charm Pack Quilts, I was excited to do it.

I've made a lot of Cheryl's patterns over the years so I knew it was going to be a good time. Her patterns are always clear, well-written, and the end results are always great.

I fell in love with More Fishies as soon as I saw it because it was so adorable. Even though it was assembled on the bias and I'm not generally a fan of that, I really wanted to make it. The only "new" fabric I used is a single charm pack, True Blue from Zen Chic, and the rest of the fabric is from my scraps. I had a lot of Kona turqoise due to frequently using it as a backing fabric, so that was the perfect background for the ocean for my fishies.

I knew I wanted a wavy design for the background, but I didn't want to do it over the entire background as it would be boring and my machine would hate me. (It really doesn't like this design.) So I sort of gave the fishies their own little swirl bubbles, and filled the rest of the background space with the wavy design.

The fishies themselves asked for minimal quilting, so I did just a simple geometric design to nail the fabric down, but I didn't want to make it too literal by quilting fish features or anything.

The wavy design is one of my favorites, but I had trouble with it for a long time because I just didn't really know what to do. After this quilt though, I can finally say I'm quite comfortable with this design! Unfortunately my machine still doesn't like it, so in the future when I use it I will still have to be judicious about it.

I really love everything about this quilt, from the fabric, to the quilting design, and even the binding was exciting. This one is definitely a keeper.

***

The rest of the quilts in Cheryl's book are gorgeous also, so be sure to check out the other stops on the blog hop!

Blog Hop: Just One Charm Pack Quilts ~ Cat's Eye

This is probably a very common story, but I started my quilting journey with a single charm pack. Just one charm pack to try this quilting thing out. It led to a baby quilt, which then led to a new obsession, and now I have far too many charm packs in my stash. What to do with them?

This is why I was so happy with the news that Cheryl Brickey of Meadow Mist Design has a new book coming out called Just One Charm Pack Quilts, and I was honored that she invited me to participate in the blog hop. The quilt I chose to make is called Cat's Eye, consisting solely of half-square triangles.

The fabric I chose is some of my very special fabric that I've been holding onto for a long time: First of Infinity by Kumiko Fujita. The huge funky prints are so interesting and unique, and they breathe a kind of urban pace which I adore.

I modified this pattern just slightly from the book version, as I wanted a slightly larger lap-sized quilt.

I designed the quilting to complement the feel of the print: angular and linear. In fact, this entire quilt is made up of just straight lines! The center of the quilt is my favorite with a square spiral design.

I love the look on the back too, as the quilting shows up great on the solid backing.

I really enjoyed making this quilt, both the piecing and the quilting, and I've had a great time participating in this blog hop and finally using up some of that precious First of Infinity fabrics. Be sure to check out the other stops on this blog hop to see other gorgeous quilts made from charm packs!

2018 New Quilt Bloggers Blog Hop

Another year, another New Quilt Bloggers Blog Hop! I participated last year, and it was a fantastic and eye-opening experience. I made a lot of new friends and learned a lot, so I rejoined this year. My hive is called the Happy Stitching Team, and our hive leader is Tish of Tish 'n Wonderland. Thank you Tish for being one of the hosts for this wonderful blog hop!

My Journey

I started sewing a little over 3 years ago because of all the Project Runway I watched, and I was curious about the art of sewing. (I didn't know the difference between sewing and quilting at the time, either.) My mother-in-law got me a starter machine for Christmas and I tried making pillows and cotton skirts, but I wasn't into it at all, so I stopped. About a year later, I was browsing classes on Craftsy when some new quilting classes caught my eye. Seeing all the bright and graphic modern prints gave me the impetus to try quilting, and soon after that, I was totally, 100%, obsessively and head over heels in love.

I have two young children, and it can be very taxing at times. I soon found that looking forward to quilting at the end of the day helped me get through even the most difficult of days. Sometimes the house is a mess, and sometimes my calendar is a mess, but I know that when I go to my sewing machine, I can make sense of things again. It is my happy place and my therapy, and I'm so grateful to have it.

My Style

I would describe my style as modern to modern traditional. But mostly, I would say that I don't have a particular style as far as pattern or layout, but that my particulars lay in the fabric. I love bright colors, metallics, black and white, and graphic / geometric prints.

But a picture is worth a thousand words. Here are some of my favorite quilts from the past year, and I think they convey my style better than my words can!

Top left: Urban Cabin
Top right: Critical Sunshine
Middle left: Inside Looking Out
Middle right: Lakeshore
Bottom left: Flux
Bottom right: Lagom

The biggest change in my quilting journey in the past year is that I got a longarm machine and even recently finished the longarm room into a beautiful studio. I realize I'm super, super blessed to have all this! Longarming has added a new dimension to my quilting because I no longer had to compromise my vision. I consider it one of my best decisions ever, next to taking up quilting to begin with.

It's been an amazing journey so far and I look forward to what the next year will bring!

Blogging Tip

I find the toughest part of being a quilt blogger to be photography, and it's something I'm always working on and I imagine it's true for other bloggers. I discovered by accident last year that some of my favorite photos of my quilts aren't with them lying flat (though that's important too) or even closeups of the quilting. The ones that have the most life are the ones that are staged in the living area, and they don't even have to show details of the quilt. Here are some examples of mine:

It's not always possible and sometimes I don't manage it, but I usually try to get a photograph of the quilt in a staging shot, as I call it. Sometimes it takes rearranging a few pillows or moving a chair, but it doesn't take any fancy equipment.

Quilting Tip

My one tip deals with overcoming quilter's paralysis. If you haven't heard of quilter's paralysis, it's that instance when you're finished with a quilt top, but then put off quilting it for days, months, ages ... because you're afraid of messing it up. But I've come up with a strategy that works ... most of the time. It's a 3-step program:

1) Load the quilt. (Or, if you're on your domestic machine, it's baste it and get it under the machine.) For me, in particular, once I load it, I know I have to work on it because nothing else can get quilted while it's on the frame!

2) Audition designs but set a time limit. I usually give myself about a day or so. I will rough sketch the quilt on paper and then start drawing designs on top. I'm usually surprised how quickly ideas come to me.

3) Start quilting! Once I start, the ideas really come and as I quilt, they get finalized (because I don't want to rip!). Sometimes I step back and say, "Wow that looks really good!" and other times I think, "Hmm, I wish I did something else." But at this point it's usually too late to rip, so I keep going and when it's finished, I'm already thinking about the next quilt and it doesn't bother me that that one patch of swirls would have looked better if it was mixed with pebbles or something.

I know it sounds obvious, but the best way to get a quilt finished is to get it started!

Question For You

Who is your all-time favorite fabric designer? I'll pick two since this is my blog ... Brigitte Heitland (aka Zen Chic) and Alison Glass! I think 80% of my stash is their fabrics.

Hop Onwards

Thanks for visiting! Here are the other stops on the blog hop:

April 16	April 23
Gail @ Quilting Gail Rachel @ Rachel Rossi Design Tracie @ Riceford Streams Wendy @ Pieceful Thoughts Jan @ Cocoa Quilts Michelle @ Creative Blonde Terry @ Quilting a Legacy April @ Janda Bend Quilts	Velda @ Freckled Fox Quiltery Carrie @ Carrie Bee Creates Sharon @ Ms. P. Designs Ann @ Laughing Gas Quilts Nicole @ Hand Wrought Quilts Becca @ Pretty Piney Sherry @ Powered by Quilting Stephanie @ Low Country Quilts and Embroidery
May 7	May 14
Sandy @ Gray Barn Designs Linda @ Cozy Quilts Dione @ Clever Chameleon Cate @ Chaos Theory Quilting Tara @ Quilt District Roseanne @ Homesewn by Us Karen @ Tuna Quilts Rashida @ No 3 Quilt Studio	Tracy @ It's a T-Sweets day! Joni @ For the Love of Thread Cherie @ Cherie's Quilting Journey Cindy @ Gray Barn Designs Karen @ The Quilt Rambler Sarah @ 9658 Textiles Terri @ Meanderings Along Lizard Creek

Last but not least, don't forget to check out our host blogs for some fantastic giveaways!

Beth @ Cooking Up Quilts
Jan @ Dizzy Quilter
Tish @ Tish 'n Wonderland
Sanda @ mmm! Quilts

Stash Statement Blog Hop: Beach Retreat

Today is my stop on Kelly Young's Stash Statement blog hop and I'm thrilled to present Beach Retreat!

Photo credit: Martingale & Company

Kelly's Beach Retreat uses a beautiful and calm palette of light blues and light browns which makes me think of sea glass and sandy beaches. I wanted to go in the opposite direction and create a color palette that is energetic. I debated a bunch of color combos before deciding on 2 of my favorite colors in a complementary setting: blue and orange.

I created the "raw" fabric by using one of Kelly's methods of improv piecing. It is both liberating and kind of scary to just start sewing instead of cutting them into precise shapes. In fact, I ditched the rotary cutter completely until the very end when I squared the blocks up. I definitely felt more confident as I made more blocks, though!

But once the improv fabric is done, the blocks were super easy and very enjoyable. I love how the improv blocks set in a traditional fashion gives this quilt a perfect combination of order and chaos!

When I was trying to decide what to quilt, I saw these pinwheel patterns show up in the negative space between the blocks, and I wanted to do something fun with it. I used a lot of straight lines, a lot of swirls, and a lot of pebbles. To me, background fillers are critical to the final look of the quilt.

In the foreground area, I thought that it sort of looked like butterflies. I didn't want to actually quilt it to make it resemble a butterfly as it was still a bit of a stretch, but with the butterfly motif in mind, I added some feathers and ferns.

I really enjoy this approach to improv, and I couldn't be more pleased with the results! The quilting was like one big happy gathering of all my favorite designs.

Thanks for visiting! Here is my kickoff post with the full schedule. Be sure to visit the other stops in the hop. There are a lot of improv goodness around, and because all our fabrics are different, no two quilts are alike!

***

Linking up with: Crazy Mom Quilts, My Quilt Infatuation, Busy Hands Quilts, Confessions of a Fabric Addict, Cooking Up Quilts, Sew Can She, and Powered by Quilting.

Stash Statement Blog Hop Kickoff!

Today is the kickoff day for the Stash Statement Blog Hop tour. Stash Statement is a new book from Kelly Young of My Quilt Infatuation, and I'm thrilled to be part of this blog hop!

I love the look of improv, but I'm afraid of doing it. As a former software engineer and current owner of a very mathematical brain, it is a challenge for me to improvise even under guidance. That is why I so welcome Kelly's approach which combines improv piecing and traditional piecing for one-of-a-kind quilts that caters to my need of order and structure but gives me a chance to experiment with improv. It's the best of both worlds!

My stop of the blog hop is on 5/7. Until then, here's a sneak peek of what I've been up to:

Below is the full schedule. It starts today with Grand Bazaar which is the stunning rainbow quilt on the cover of the book. I can't wait to see the versions these talented bloggers have made, and of course, I hope to see you back here on 5/7!

Stash Statement Blog Tour Schedule

Kickoff post:

Kelly @ My Quilt Infatuation

4/16: Grand Bazaar

Shelley @ Cora's Quilts

Connie @ Freemotion by the River

4/26: Louvered

Lindsey @ Primrose Cottage Quilts

Diann @ Little Penguin Quilts

4/30: Precarious

Jess @ Quilty Habit

Myra @ Busy Hands Quilts

5/7: Beach Retreat

Sarah @ Sarah Goer Quilts

Liz @ Savor Every Stitch (you're here!)

5/14: Fire Pit

Alison @ Little Bunny Quilts

Preeti @ Sew Preeti Quilts

5/21: Detour

Laura @ Slice of Pi Quilts

Shelley @ The Carpenter's Daughter Who Quilts

5/28: Murrina

Yvonne @ Quilting Jetgirl

Leanne @ Devoted Quilter

6/4: Scattered

Jayne @ Twiggy and Opal

Christine @ Triangles and Squares

6/11: Bloom Chicka Boom

Chris @ made by ChrissieD

Michelle @ From Bolt to Beauty

6/18: Regatta

Susan @ Quilt Fabrication

Debbie @ A Quilter's Table

Christa @ Christa Quilts

6/25: Catch a Falling Star

Cynthia @ Quilting is More Fun Than Housework

Anja @ Anja Quilts

7/2: College Prep

Hilary @ by Hilary Jordan

Lori @ Crossquilt

7/9: Take Flight (bonus digital pattern)

Kelli @ Seriously, I Think It Needs Stitches

Paula @ The Sassy Quilter

Modern Plus Sign Quilts Blog Hop: Postage Plus

Today is day 4 of the Modern Plus Sign blog hop, and I'm super excited to show off the Postage Plus quilt from Cheryl Brickey and Paige Alexander's fabulous new book, Modern Plus Sign Quilts!

Image credit: C & T Publishing

How much do I love this book? A lot. I even bought my own physical copy, because I just love to sit on my favorite chair and flip through the beautiful book, enjoying the writing and styling, and dreaming of the quilts I'll make in the future. The Plus Sign is a very traditional block, but it has been interpreted in a completely new way in this book. There are so many different variations, as well as different techniques, that there is really something for everyone!

When I was deciding which quilt to make for the hop, I was immediately attracted to Postage Plus for one simple reason: I had envisioned the perfect color palette. I knew I wanted something that was dark hot pink and hot pink offset against a white / gray scrappy center, so that's exactly what I ended up doing.

I used cerise and berry for the background, which are such great colors. For the center plus sign, I pulled together some white and gray fabrics from my stash.

One reason I was so excited to use the berry and cerise color is because I wanted to use hot pink thread to quilt this. I created a wavy design that flows behind the plus.

I've been needing a hot pink quilt in my house, and now I have one! It was so much fun and so easy to make.

Modern Plus Sign has many other fabulous quilts, and they'll all be featured throughout the blog hop. You can get an autographed copy from Cheryl, Paige, or you can get a non autographed copy from Amazon.

Thanks for stopping by, and be sure to check out the other stops on today's blog hop:

Linda @ Flourishing Palms
Bernie @ Needle & Foot
Michelle @ From Bolt to Beauty
Patty @ Elm Street Quilts
Stacey @ Stacey in Stitches
Melanie @ A Bit of Scrap Stuff Blog

Here is the full schedule. There are lots of beautiful quilts (and non-quilts) so be sure to follow along, see them all, and win some prizes! I am always amazed to see people come up with their own variations of the quilts, so this blog hop has been a blast to follow along!

***

Linking up with: Crazy Mom Quilts, My Quilt Infatuation, Busy Hands Quilts, Confessions of a Fabric Addict, Cooking Up Quilts, Sew Can She, and Powered by Quilting.