Chamomile Quilt in Red and Pink

First of all, if you're here for the coupon code, it's STAYINALIVE :) 20% off patterns in the shop.

Onward! What a joy it is to share this quilt with you today. It nearly takes a miracle for me to finish and document a quilt with all that's going on these days, so this feels like a real victory.

This is the fourth version of the Chamomile quilt I've made. I needed another sample for trunk shows and such, since I had given the original blue and yellow version to my mom. I also have a pastel scrappy cornerstone version that I made for the sew along last year, but that isn't a true sample of the pattern, which uses strip piecing for uniform cornerstones. 

(Labels are from Wunderlabel on Etsy.)

I wan't sure what direction I wanted to take with colors for my next version until my friend Emily of @sewinglavendersunshine mentioned that she wanted to make a Valentine version. She and I have never met in person, but we talk regularly on Marco Polo and I consider her a dear friend, one that has been a great blessing to me. I immediately fell in love with her idea and she kindly let me copy, so we started sewing our own Valentine versions together back in January. 

I used scrappy low volumes from my stash, with Riley Blake Tomato for cornerstones, Ballerina for sashing, and Riley White for the background. The binding is a very old print from a Bonnie and Camille line called Happy Go Lucky and it would be a miracle to find it these days, but there are a few cute prints from that line still around. The backing is Little Snippets by Bonnie and Camille also, but that pink dot is still around.

I put in several fussy cuts of Tasha Noel fabric, as is tradition for me, including this little cutie from her Seaside line. Below you can see I used some of Tasha's other lines too, look at those two cuties fishing together. That is from her Simple Goodness line, which is hard to find on the white now, but you can get the blue. 

I had a fun time styling this one in our bedroom, which is still quite sparse at this point. I get an inordinate amount of joy from taking pillows from other rooms, moving things around, creating the right setting for the quilts to look pretty. Maybe some day I'll be a quilt photographer for a magazine. I'll need to learn how to use a real camera and not just my phone, ha! 

I had this one quilted by Kaitlyn of Knot and Thread Designs. She used Retro Tile and I love it! One thing I love about Kaitlyn (besides her impeccable work and vast selection of designs!) is that she sends your quilt home in a reusable bag to reduce plastic use, and if you send her another one back in the bag, you get a discount! Brilliant.

The floral in the forefront here is also from the Little Snippets line (same as the backing). I love it when things come full circle like that. I also have prints leftover from past Chamomile quilts. I shared a few of the prints with Emily as well, so she's got some of the same fabrics in hers. Emily hasn't quilted hers yet, but when I shared her Valentines Chamomile top on my IG account, it received more likes than any other photo I've ever posted. I told her I should probably just quit and let her take over the whole operation! 

Because I am loathe to count things out and plan ahead (even on my own pattern, good grief), I had a few extra blocks and strips left over. When I mentioned that in stories on IG, someone reached out and asked if they could purchase a Chamomile for a baby gift using those extra bits, which worked out great! That project momentarily leapfrogged so she could get to to the baby shower on time. For that version, I used Riley Blake Apricot Blush with Kona Ice Frappe sashing, and Riley Blake Songbird on the back. 

I took a bunch of pictures of this one in my laundry room if you care to see some really cute orange peel tile floors :)

Finally to celebrate the fact that I wrote a blog post, and we are all still surviving this year, and we made it to September, you can get 20% off all patterns in the shop with the code STAYINALIVE.

Thanks for stopping by today. I really appreciate your support and enthusiasm on my quilting adventures. Stay well and safe!

Star Kisses Quilt Along

It's about time we had a Star Kisses Quilt Along! This is one of my favorite patterns and it's perfect for summer.

First of all, it's $5 only through the end of May and the mini pattern is $3.50! I'm out of paper patterns and my printing facility is down for Covid, so you'll have to stick to PDFs for now. If you need some fabric ideas you can check out #starkissesquilt on Instagram to see what other people have made, or #wwfabricpulls for color ideas. I'm going to go summery this time with red, white, and blue (and pink)!

This is a mixture of Bonnie and Camille Wovens and their Smitten line and I LOVE IT! I haven't used wovens very much yet and I'm thinking it will require some starch, which I don't normally use.

A little history- I first designed Star Kisses for McCall's Quick Quilts in 2016. They had asked me to design something for them and I was so nervous! I had never worked with a magazine before and I'm so grateful to them for getting me started and being so kind. I made the first one in Hazelwood by 1Canoe2 for Moda. For that version only used 12 FQs- so that way you make a star and border both from each print. I ended up giving that one away for Christmas as an IG giveaway.



Then in 2017 I released my own pattern for it and made this quilt as a sample. This one used 24 prints instead of 12 for more variation, so no one print is repeated elsewhere in the quilt. I guess I never blogged about that one, go figure, or I'd give you a link. Here's the top, and the fabric pull for it, which was scrappy from various lines- mainly Cluck Cluck Sew prints with some Bonnie and Camille.

I gave that one to my SIL a few Christmases ago. Now that I've been designing patterns for a few years, I finally learned that you need to keep a pattern sample for trunk shows :) So I'll keep this new one! I'm supposed to have a show in Yuba City in June, we shall see if Covid cancels it or not. 

Here's the outline I'm going to follow for the quilt along. It's going to be quite casual. I don't have any prizes lined up from others, if you'd like to donate one feel free to email me. It will mostly be through IG with a few blog updates. 

Timeline:

May 18- Fabric Pull

May 25- Cutting

June 1- Make 4 blocks

June 8- Make 4 blocks

June 15- Make 4 blocks

June 22- Borders

It will be a fairly quick turnaround, but these blocks are much simpler than First Snow, if you've made that one. I've started a highlight of videos on Instagram already with Star Kisses tips and tricks that walk you through the process. 

I've always thought this would be a fun Christmas quilt, though I haven't made one myself. I've seen a few red and green only ones on Instagram, and I did this mockup a few years ago in Pixie Noel. 

One of my favorite things about this pattern is that you get a good sized triangle cutoff from the flying geese with which you can make HSTs. I used mine to make this quilt, which follows the layout of Lella Boutique's Chandelier pattern (in her Charm book), but I used pinwheels instead of squares. The pinwheels are purely from cutoffs, and the little squares connecting them were from cutting scraps from that quilt, and my scrap bin. It's one of my favorite quilts! I plan to do the same thing this time and give it to my mom since she's always loved this one. I don't remember the math for this one, but I'll be sure to tell you what size to trim the HSTs to when I get to it this time. I won't be sharing more than that since I followed Vanessa's layout.

Let me know (in email or on IG preferably) if you have any more questions about Star Kisses! Stay safe and well. I am excited to sew with you again!

Scrappy Trip Quilt Along 1 Wrap-up!

Better late than never is a common motto around here! We finished sewing Scrappy Trips many weeks ago, but I never officially wrapped it up. We had a great sew along! What started as a suggestion from one of you turned into so many quilting friends figuring out how to do a Scrappy Trip and you really did so well. Check out #wwscrappytrip to see all the wonderful creations- I loved seeing new ones every day.

If you're just joining the Scrappy Trip train, you can find lots of info in past posts:

Scrappy Trip Introduction
Scrappy Trip Cutting and Block Instructions
All Woodberry Way Scrappy Trip Posts

Mine was quilted by the wonderful Crinkle Love, who offered a quilting discount for all participants. I think it's too late for that now, but it's not too late to use her amazing services! I love Sarah's selection of edge to edge designs and have sent tops to her several times. They always come back beautifully! Thank you Sarah!

This time I used all Riley Blake fabrics:

Print roll: Granny Chic by Lori Holt
Background: Sunshine Confetti Cotton
White Accent: Riley White Confetti Cotton
Backing: Bake Sale 2 by Lori Holt
Binding: Granny Chic by Lori Holt

You can see videos of the process in my Instagram highlight Scrappy Trip Tips, More Tips, and Details (fabric requirements for different versions).

I'm still chipping away at my Christmas version. This is what I pull out when I want to work on something happy, easy, and known. I love this one so much! For this one I'm using 4 dark strips and 4 light strips for each block. Then I just make sure my greens and reds don't touch in the corners. 

I'm already planning another version- this time with prints touching the accent line. I'm excited about the fabric for this one which is:

Prints: Bloomington by Lella Boutique Jelly Roll
Accent: Moda Crossweave in Black
Background: Moda Bella 97

There's a good chance I'll do a sew along for this one in the fall, depending on the state of the world and whether or not my kids go back to school :) We shall see!

Once again, big big thank you to all our prize sponsors who made it so fun to keep up. We appreciate you! 

Won't You Be My Neighbor Pillow

Hello again! Today I want to show you a cute pillow I finished this week. A little pillow isn't that big of a deal, but it feels very meaningful to me for several reasons. First of all, this finishes off the guest room! And....da da daaaa- my college sisters are going to come soon! We are SO excited to host them.

If you're wondering about any of the decor in this room, you can find links in this post. I have my Swoon quilt on the foot of the bed for now and I love how it looks, but I do still plan to make the 5" squares quilt that I've shared before featuring Clementine fabric. I'm so excited about that one. 

I had been wanting to make a project that commemorates this "Stay Home" period. I used the Thimble Blossoms Dwell 2 pattern for the houses, though I altered them a bit. I moved the chimney over a smidge and split up the top pieces so I could have a different colored roof. I had so much fun adding little touches like the crochet trim, embroidered flowers, and button doorknobs. Thank you to my Instagram friends for all the good ideas on this project! I wish that my embroidery skills had allowed for more things like a mailbox, a bird, and other touches. I can add them one day! And I love it so much as is. 

For the backing I used Lella Boutique's black stripe from her Lollipop Garden line. I think the Etsy shop where I usually get all my colored zippers went out of business, sad! This shop has colored zippers also. I usually buy 22" zippers and then I can cut them shorter if I need to.

If you have any more questions about this project feel free to email me or reach out on Instagram since my comment responses here still aren't working. I'm happy to chat about it!

The last reason this project feels so special to me is that in the last 2 weeks some good friends have purchased the house next door to us! I can still hardly believe it. The brand new house has been empty since we moved in last October, and we have been nervous to see who would buy it, considering how close together the houses are here and how...active our household can be :) Imagine the relief of knowing it's good friends, with kids too! And to top it all off, the mom is a quilter and my very dear friend. Dreamy! We have pretty much moved them up to cousin status and are so so excited to have our kids grow up together. 

I have to end with a cheesy quote about neighbors, I'm just really feeling the neighborly love right now! "We make our friends; we make our enemies; but God makes our next door neighbour." - Gilbert K. Chesterton. It really feels like it was meant to be, and an answer to prayer in a way I wasn't expecting. It's been crazy to see how everything has fallen into place despite all odds! 

Thanks to you guys for being my internet neighbors :) I hope you are finding time to sew, to find joy, and to enjoy this strange, crazy time. I send my love to each one of you!

Scrappy Happy Stars

Hello again. How is your Stay at Home month going? The passage of time is so strange now! There are a lot of emotional ups and downs over here, and a mighty lot of patience is required, but overall we are doing just fine, and I'm happy to have way more sewing time than I ever anticipated for this time period! One of the things that I've checked off my personal project list is this quilt for my sister's roommate. 

Last year a whole squad of college girls came to stay with us en route to see Hamilton in San Francisco. It was so much fun to have that many vibrant females under my roof, I just loved it! Reminded me of the good old days growing up with all sisters. We all bonded and one of them fell in love with quilts while she was here. Just as she was leaving she asked if I'd be willing to make a quilt for her, and of course I said yes!

She didn't give me too much guidance other than a photo of a range of blue/green shades, and I also knew that she liked light pink. I threw in some navy for contrast, I hope she likes it! Fabrics are as follows:

Stars: Scrappy from my stash, heavy on the Tasha Noel prints, various lines

Background: Confetti Cotton in Riley White

Border: Lil Red by Stacy Iest Hsu for Moda

Binding: Little Ruby Sundae scallop by Bonnie and Camille

Backing: Confetti Cotton in Songbird

I quilted it with some freehand loops and swirls, and if you look closely you'll see that I'm still learning! I welcome any advice on long arming, especially regarding puckers and keeping the top layer smooth. I've got the tension down, and am getting better at the motions and motifs. I'm pleased with how this one turned out overall and once I wash it to mail off I don't think most people will be able to tell that I'm still learning. 

I didn't follow a pattern, I was actually writing one up of my own and mostly had it done, but then 2 different people kindly informed me that Lori Holt has a block called Winter Star in one of her books just like this. That being the case, I probably won't release a pattern for it, but I can tell you that I did 12" blocks with 1.5" sashing and a 3.5" border. I was going to call it Scrappy Happy Stars! If there is a great desire for instructions for a whole quilt I might consider it, but likely not.

As a side note, if you're wondering about anything in this room (pillows, comforter, side table, etc.) you can probably find it in my Amazon shop. If not let me know and I will add it there. 

Lastly, I leave you with this cuteness of the helpers who wanted to assist Dad in holding up the quilt. (This isn't our garage, this house hasn't sold yet and I liked the color.) We had been eating s'mores so there's a very chocolatey face in there if you zoom, plus his toes are hanging out of his jammies. We had to cut off the ends so his big feet would fit in there! He's too much. 

I hope you are hanging in there and finding the positives in this unexpected situation. If you need someone to chat with you can find me on Instagram. I'm happy to talk quilts, babies, flowers, worries and woes, you name it. I wish I could send you all cookies. Thank you for stopping by today! 

Pastel Rainbow Quilt Tutorial

Quilty friends! It's been a while since I've been in this space. The world has changed a lot! It actually hasn't changed too much around these parts, and to be honest the changes have all been good. We love having "home school", we love having dad home, and we love spending lots of time together at home. Can you tell I love home? We feel extremely lucky to have the luxury of being home and safe.

That's not to say that we aren't very concerned. I've got 4 sisters having babies in the next few months (I know! It's some kind of record!) and that makes me so anxious, and my parents are currently living in a country where the healthcare is iffy at best. We also have a kiddo with asthma that flares up like crazy when he gets respiratory sicknesses. So it's not all sunshine and roses, but we are being extremely careful and looking for the positive in this very interesting time. I pray that you are all well- physically, emotionally, financially, and spiritually.

Let's not linger on that too much since it's all we ever hear these days. Let's talk about springy quilts! Many of you probably have more time to sew now, hooray!

This is part 3 in a free rainbow quilt series I've done for the last couple of years, it has become a springtime tradition. First there was the Muted Rainbow quilt (twin size), then the Bright Rainbow Remix with two kinds of baby quilts from the same cuts as the first one. Those two are interchangeable as far as bundles go. This time we're doing pastels, but reducing the number of colors and moving the cut size up to half yards. Ready?

Fabric Requirements:
9 half yards colors*
1 1/4 yds white fabric
2 1/2 yds wideback backing, or 7 1/4 yds regular
5/8 yds binding fabric

Makes a 78" x 92" quilt, or generous twin size.

(I used Riley Blake Confetti Cottons in Peaches and Cream, Mango Tango, Honeysuckle, Sunshine, Celery, Peridot, Songbird, Sky, and Wisteria.)

*Simply Love Fabrics was carrying bundles but I don't know if she's out, if I find an exact link I'll definitely add it here! UPDATE: she only has 3 more!

First, cut your background fabric to (17) 2.5" strips. Sew them end to end, trim the selvages, and press the seams, doesn't matter which way. Try to keep your loooong strip in an orderly back and forth pile as you press it so it doesn't get to wrinkly and tangled. Here's mine before I clipped the threads from chain piecing. Be careful that you're sewing the right sides together and not twisting it! 

Next, cut your color half yards to (2) 9" x WOF strips each. Trim the selvages on one side of each, and sew together with a 1/4" seam (always in this project) and press. Again, doesn't matter which way. Do this for each of your 9 colors.

From here, I trimmed my color strips to 78" wide so that my quilt would be an official twin size. You can just trim the selvages if you want to use all the fabric and have an even wider/bigger quilt! (You'll need a little extra white, binding, and backing if you do that.)

Now, sew a white sashing strip to the top of each color. You can chain piece all of it, and then trim up the white on the edges afterward. Press away from the white.

TIP! With so few seams on this quilt, it's easy to get the "right sides"mixed up. You can see above that on the dark pink and aqua- I accidentally sewed the white to the side with seams on my first try, and had to unpick. This probably wouldn't have happened if I wasn't trying to time myself and make the whole thing in 1 hour while my kids were at a playdate :)

I also learned making this quilt that not all solids have a right side and a wrong side, but some do. I'm no expert, but from experience I'd say that Kona solids work either way, but Riley Blake Confetti Cottons have different sides. You can tell on my orange strip that there is a slight difference on either side of the seam, though it's from the same cut. So proceed with caution!

If you've been following on Instagram, you know that I drew a garden scene on the wall in this room. You can check that out in the "Flower Wall" highlight on IG for more details. Also, if you're wondering where I got the bed frame, pillows, nightstand, paint pens for the wall, or polka dot sheets, you can find them linked in my Amazon store. Just scroll down and click on "Guest Room". Everything else is from IKEA (lamp, shelf, clock, glass box, plants), or I don't know because I've had it for so long :)

Alright, continuing on! You can probably guess from here, it's not too tricky. Sew the strips with their white sashing in order and press toward the white again. Trim up the sides, and you're ready for quilting!

Now for the very exciting part for me! I loaded this baby on to my new (very old, used) longarm and went to town with flowers and leaves and swirls. It was so much fun! And also took a very long time. My longarm is not automated so it's all done "by hand", moving the needle around free motion, kind of like drawing with thread. This is the 4th quilt I've tried on it and I still make mistakes! But it's so much fun to learn, and exciting that I can finish big quilts at home, especially without basting! :)

I used Chasing Rainbows by Andie Hanna for binding. Don't get mad at me if that link runs out of stock, there isn't much left of this on the internet!

Don't you want to just hop into this photo for a nap? So glorious.

Thank you for stopping by today. I hope you are well and safe.

Note: I am not able to respond to blog comments for some reason, so use the Blogger contact form, email me, or hop over to Instagram if you have any questions! Thanks!