October do.Good Stitches blocks

October was our group leader Kelly's block as quilter for the Emerge circle of do.Good Stitches, and she asked us to make three Cross Cut blocks using the tutorial from A Quilter's Table.

She wanted us to keep the blocks intact so she could cut them down and reassemble them herself, which made for a quick and easy assembly. We started with a 9.5" low volume square for each block and then used green and blue prints for the crosses. I gotta say, with all the busy projects I've had going on lately, I really appreciate a quick bee block. (Oh, and that green cross isn't nearly as wrinkled as the pics make it look. It did not want to photograph well.)

Happy Thanksgiving!

Hi there! I just wanted to pop in and wish everyone a very happy Thanksgiving! We enjoyed a lovely day in California with family, football (go Cowboys!), and so much food, including the classic pecan pie I make every year. We have much to be thankful for, and I hope you all can say the same.

A growing collection

Back in June, I mentioned how I was beginning a new applique project, a mostly monochromatic version of Carolyn Friedlander's Collection quilt in various shades of coral, peach, and pink. Five months later, I'm still plugging along and still loving the process. I'm so, so close to finishing up the applique portion of the quilt top, so it seemed like a good time for a look back at my progress.

September do.Good Stitches blocks

For September's bee blocks for the Emerge circle of do.Good Stitches, Betsy asked us to delve into our scrap bins to make blocks for a Patchwork Wheel Quilt.

Instead of assembling the finished "wheels," Betsy asked for four 6.5" four-patch blocks and four 6.5" window blocks to give her some freedom in arranging the final layout. The tutorial by Don't Call Me Betsy was oh-so-easy to follow, and I knocked these out in no time. It probably took me longer to sort out scraps that were big enough than to actually assemble the blocks. We used 16 different 3.5" scraps for each set of four blocks, plus four low volumes in the middle of the window blocks, so 36 different fabrics total. I always love getting to put those scraps to work.

Design Star Round 3: Results

You guys, you did it! Your votes helped me move on to the next round of the Stash Fabrics Design Star contest. We're now down to the top six -- eek! -- and the competition is stiff.

The theme for round 3 was "gender neutral," and I was really happy with how my bundle turned out. If you're interested, Stash has the bundles (mine and the other 8 finalists from round 3) up for sale in their shop, so run on over and grab one before they're gone!

The theme for round 4 is "wanderlust." Fun, right? I'm excited to get started on that one. Thank you again to all who voted! I really appreciate it.

Design Star Round 3: Voting open!

Dum diddity dum...the big day has arrived! Voting is now open for Round 3 of the Stash Fabric Design Star contest, and yours truly has a bundle in the running! Beth chose "gender neutral" for the theme of this round, which, like "vintage" in the last round, can of course go in so many directions. At least in my head it did. But I finally settled on this bundle of slate and denim blues, pale aquas, and mustard yellows, which seems so soothing and fresh to me, and I think would definitely appeal to both sides. At least my hubby said he liked it. ;)

If you like it, too, I'd love your vote in the contest. Just click on over to Stash's blog post. Thank you oh so much for your help! I really appreciate it.

And because I can't leave well enough alone, here's the original bundle I was going to use before changing course. I still really like this one but feared it was too dark and perhaps a bit too manly. You'll notice that some of the fabrics made their way over into the final bundle, so all was not lost.

What Shade Are You? RJR Fabrics Blog Hop

A few months ago, RJR Fabrics contacted me about participating in their What Shade Are You? Blog Hop, and of course, I jumped at the chance. My post is live on their blog today, so hop on over to see all the details behind my Tessellation quilt and the wonderful Cotton Supreme Solids I used to make it.

Oh, and over on Instagram, RJR is generously giving away two fat-quarter bundles of the 25 solids I used in the quilt. Purty, huh? Check out my Instagram for all the details. Good luck!

Trick or treat

The fates converged Monday night for a quick project finish. Don't you love when that happens? Halloween's just around the corner, and this Dr. Seuss Halloween fabric had been sitting in my stash for far too long. Twenty minutes later, my Seuss-loving little guy had a new trick-or-treat bag.

His response when he saw it: "I love it! Can I use it for Easter, too?" Ha! I'll take it. The outside is an older Dr. Seuss fabric by Robert Kaufman called Spooktacular Seuss, which I paired with a big orange dot from my stash. I kept it even easier by using webbing for the handles. Quick project, big impact for a little guy's holiday fun.   

Design Star Round 2: Results

Sorry for taking so long to update you, but in case you haven't already seen, the results for Round 2 of the Stash Fabrics Design Star contest were revealed a few weeks ago, and I made it through again! Thank you SO much to everyone who voted for my bundle.

As you may recall, the theme for Round 2 was "vintage," and the 12 finalists went in totally different directions. My bundle, which I called Petals and Pearls, was actually one of the top two vote getters, so Beth made it up into a real bundle, which you can purchase from the shop right here. Fun, right?

Photo courtesy of Stash Fabrics

And in case you don't follow me on IG, here's the alternative bundle I made up but decided not to go with. Pretty cute, huh? It actually looks a lot like one of the other top bundles from Round 2, so I guess it's good I didn't go with it.

I'm working on the last few pieces of my submission for Round 3 now, so you should get to see it soon. We're down to 9 finalists, and the theme for this round is "gender neutral." Should be fun.

Design Star Round 2: Voting open!

Back before my blogging hiatus, I posted about a contest Stash Fabrics was running called Design Star. I submitted several (ahem, 11) bundles to be considered in the first round and was selected as one of the 12 contestants to move on to round 2!

For round 2, we were given the wide-open theme of "vintage" and asked to make a bundle of 16 fabrics (12 prints and four solids) from Stash's shop based on our interpretation of the theme. I was so worried that my bundle would end up looking like someone else's but, apparently, there was no need for concern. The 12 options couldn't be more different. (You can see them all in the video below or on Stash's blog post.)

The voting is open now through October 6th. Because it's blind, I can't tell you which of the 12 bundles is mine, but I'll reveal all once the voting ends. (And in case you follow me on IG, I'll note that mine isn't the blue and green that's kind of similar to the one I posted on IG a while back.) Here's hoping I move on to round 3! You can vote on Stash's blog right here.

Garment sewing: Ruby top

Another of my unblogged finishes was my first Ruby top (pattern by Made by Rae), which I whipped up earlier in the summer.

It's super comfy and has become one of my favorite tops to wear this summer, though I'm not sure it's my most flattering. This cut of top can be difficult on bustier figures, but after checking out lots of versions on Instagram, I thought perhaps I could pull it off.

I think the main problem was not choosing quite the right fabric. The top part is a great cotton from Rain Walk by Anna Graham, but the pin dot chambray (by Robert Kaufman) I chose for the bottom (which I love!) was a bit too heavy for this pattern. It just doesn't lay in the right way, especially from the side, where it looks a bit maternity. I think it would definitely work better in a lighter weight chambray or rayon. That being said, it has improved with several washings (I washed the fabrics before sewing them, but these pics are from before the finished garment was washed.)

The pattern, like all of Rae's, is wonderfully written, and I'm excited to try it again. I think this top will stick with me as we transition to fall and should look great under a cardigan.

Garment sewing: Marigold peplum

You thought I'd left you, right? I know, it's been a long time. Life, my friends, life. But let's try to get back to some of what's been going on behind the scenes. This has been a summer of wardrobe sewing, and it's been so fun to expand my closet (or refine it) with clothes of my own making.

One of my favorites is this Marigold peplum (pattern by Blank Slate Patterns), which I made back in June.

The fabric is an older lawn from Cotton + Steel (Hatbox collection). I adored it from the moment it was released, but it sat in my stash for quite a while before I could commit to cutting into it. When I stumbled onto the Marigold pattern, it seemed like the perfect fit, literally.

And it turned out to be just that. This fabric (my first time working with a lawn) sewed up so beautifully and was a breeze to work with. It's lightweight yet sturdy and oh so soft. This is also a wonderful pattern. It's very clear and smart, and the fit was spot on. I did not make any modifications. It will definitely be on my list to make again, maybe in the dress version next time.