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Wednesday, February 29, 2012

Happy Leap Day: Mini Quilt + Giveaway!

Superior Threads by jenib320
Superior Threads, a photo by jenib320 on Flickr.
I'm excited to share with you a fun mini quilt and giveaway today! When Cindy of Live A Colorful Life asked if I'd like to participate in a Superior Threads Leap Day party and give away some threads, I said, of course! I can always use an excuse to party! Quilter style that is! ;)

I have used Superior Threads once before, their King Tut cotton thread. I used it for my Single Girl quilt, and loved it! It may have started my new love for variegated threads!

Gray Mini Quilt by jenib320
Gray Mini Quilt, a photo by jenib320 on Flickr.
This week, I got to play with thread from their Rainbows collection which is 100% polyester.  I use polyester thread for all of my piecing (and a lot of quilting too!), so I wasn't surprised by how smoothly this thread ran through my machine. For this project, I decided to dig into my gray scraps! I pieced them together into strips, then cut them up and sewed them back together. I did that a few more times, added some sashing, and voila!

Quilted by jenib320
Quilted, a photo by jenib320 on Flickr.
I wanted the quilting to really show, so I used a simple wavy quilting pattern, done with my walking foot.  I love how the variegated thread gives it some sparkle.  So fun!

Gray Mini Quilt by jenib320
Gray Mini Quilt, a photo by jenib320 on Flickr.
I backed it in a fun house print from Ikea, and bound it up in more scraps. It finished off at about 18" square.  I *think* the solids I used are Kona Medium Gray and Kona Coal, but don't hold me to that!  The thread I used was Rainbows #810 in "Zebra" by Superior Threads!

Superior Threads by jenib320
Superior Threads, a photo by jenib320 on Flickr.
And now, the giveaway!  I've got three spools of Rainbows thread for one lucky winner! Just leave a comment to enter! International entries are welcome, giveaway will close on Friday at 5pm CST! Don't forget to leave your email if it's not viewable in your profile!

Giveaway is now closed, winner will be announced tomorrow! :)


Also, you have more chances to win by entering the other Leap Day Superior Thread Giveaways going on today:

Elizabeth from Occasional Piece-Quilt! 
Lee from Freshly Pieced
Sherri from A Quilting Life
Leanne from She Can Quilt
Jeni from In Color Order << you're already here! :)
Carla from Lollyquiltz
Jennifer from That Girl, That Quilt
Corey from Little Miss Shabby
Terri from Sewfantastic

Tuesday, February 28, 2012

Tuesday

Quilted by jenib320
Quilted, a photo by jenib320 on Flickr.
Hope everyone is having a good week so far! Mine started off a little bumpy, but today was much better! You know when you just have those days when everything seems to go wrong? That was me yesterday!  It makes me thankful that each day is a new beginning! To better days!

Today I finished up a little quilty project! I'll be sharing more about it tomorrow and rumor has it there may just be a little giveaway involved too! ;)

March's HST block sneak peek by jenib320
March's HST block sneak peek, a photo by jenib320 on Flickr.
To continue on with the sneakiness, here is a peek at March's block for our HST Block of the Month! I'll be posting the tutorial on Thursday!

Back by jenib320
Back, a photo by jenib320 on Flickr.
I'm plugging away slowly on my Mendocino quilt. The top is coming together, but it's taking a while! I'm getting impatient, I just want it to be done!

Reunion by Sweetwater by jenib320
Reunion by Sweetwater, a photo by jenib320 on Flickr.
A few goodies I picked up with my Mom last week, Reunion by Sweetwater.  You all know I can't resist a good basic, and these herringbone prints are amazing.  And the text prints, had to have them!

Easter Treats by jenib320
Easter Treats, a photo by jenib320 on Flickr.
It may only be February but I'm knee deep in Easter sweets. Cadbury mini eggs are my very favorite!

George by jenib320
George, a photo by jenib320 on Flickr.
George bun has been extra sweet lately!

I am happy to welcome Pink Castle Fabrics as In Color Order's newest sponsor! Brenda has a little something for you all, a 15% off coupon! Use code "JENI15" at checkout! (Good until Monday!)

Today I love the..
Smell of: Bread
Sound of: Leap Year
Taste of: Jelly beans (Starburst of course!)
Sight of: A happy mess
Feel of: Wool socks

Good Things about Today:
- Very productive day!
- Enjoyed a relaxing afternoon
- Kind words from a neighbor
- The Muppets soundtrack

Saturday, February 25, 2012

Catch-up!

George Quilts by jenib320
George Quilts, a photo by jenib320 on Flickr.
I feel like I have been saying this for a while now, but it was another crazy busy week! My Mom came to visit from Ohio for four days! We had a blast! There was lots of shopping, thrifting, and eating! We even squeezed a movie and some sewing in too. I miss her already!

I've been slowly getting back into my normal routine, and was able to spend some time in the sewing room today.  I finally turned these stamped George panels I made into mini quilts today! They were quick and a fun way to use these panels.  Although, I don't think I'll be using linen for binding again anytime soon.  It was a bit fussy and thick to mess with.  But, oh well! I used Coquette by Pat Bravo and Reunion by Sweetwater to frame them!

Another Tank by jenib320
Another Tank, a photo by jenib320 on Flickr.
Yesterday I made up another Wiksten Tank (by Jenny Gordy). This time I used some Innocent Crush Voile by Anna Maria Horner. The voile wasn't quite as easy to work with as quilting cotton, but it fits a lot better and was really lovely to wear, so soft! Plus, I was able to get an entire tank out of 1 yard since it's extra wide. Woo hooo! :)

Ironing Board Cover by jenib320
Ironing Board Cover, a photo by jenib320 on Flickr.
After I dropped my Mom off at the airport on Thursday, I needed a little project to cheer me up. I decided it was high time to recover my ironing board! I used Randi's sew-along, it was super easy to follow!  The fabrics I used are Lark home dec by Amy Butler, Kona Coal, and an unknown turquoise solid from a scrap bundle. I love my new cover!

Stitching by jenib320
Stitching, a photo by jenib320 on Flickr.
I've been stitching away on my pillow top! I'm a very slow hand quilter, but I think it will be worth it! I like how it's turning out so far.

Hello Pilgrim by Lizzy House by jenib320
Hello Pilgrim by Lizzy House, a photo by jenib320 on Flickr.
Eeee! Look what has arrived?! Hello Pilgrim by Lizzy House! The colors are so fresh and have me dreaming of spring! I bought my bundle from The Intrepid Thread as soon as it came in! Now I'm just waiting for the Jewel prints from this line to come! :)

Vintage Sheets by jenib320
Vintage Sheets, a photo by jenib320 on Flickr.
We hit the motherload of sheets this weekend! I'm trying to be a bit pickier about the prints I carry, so I was happy to find this many in one week! They're all in the shop now!

English Muffin Bread by jenib320
English Muffin Bread, a photo by jenib320 on Flickr.
When I found this recipe on Pinterest, I knew I needed to try it immediately.  I love toast, and this English Muffin Bread recipe promised to be the best.  And I have to admit, it's really good! I halved the recipe and made two loafs on Thursday.. and I'm almost through the second loaf already, hehe!

George by jenib320
George, a photo by jenib320 on Flickr.
George :)

Today I love the..
Smell of: Toast
Sound of: The Muppet Show
Taste of: Toast!
Sight of: Vintage Sheets
Feel of: Warm slippers

Good Things about Today:
- Productive day at home!
- It was sunny!
- Restocked the shop!
- George!

Art Gallery Fabrics Giveaway Winner

Thank you for all of your sweet comments on my Patchwork Picnic Quilt! And now, without further ado, the winner of the delicious Art Gallery 1/2 yard bundle is...



Shirley! I'll be sending you an email later today for your information! :)

Thursday, February 23, 2012

Sparkle Quilt Along - Finish and Linky Party!



This post is part of the Sparkle Quilt Along. For more information see here.
 
Welcome to the final week of the Sparkle Quilt Along, hosted by Megan of Canoe Ridge Creations and myself! Today I'm going to share my finished mini quilt and give you a chance to link up your finished quilts!

When I was choosing fabrics for my mini quilt, I worked backwards, choosing the binding fabric first and then from there chose the sparkle fabrics.   It can be hard to choose binding that coordinates with all your prints, so why not try choosing it first! I think it worked out really well!

Sparkles: A Day in the Life by Mummysam, The Woodlands by Khristian A Howell, Castle Peeps by Lizzy House, Tailor Made by Cosmo Cricket. Background: Kona White. Binding: Follow your Imagination by Prince Charming.

For backing I was originally going to use the same fabric as the binding, but I didn't end up having quite enough. So I mimicked the stripey binding fabric by using strips of coordinating solids from my stash.  I actually quite like how it turned out!

I quilted my mini quilt with my signature doodle loops.  I just can't get away from them! They're second nature for me, and so quick! Plus they're sort of whimsical, which definitely went with the fabrics I used!

Now it's your turn to share your quilts! Link them up! :)

Thank you for quilting along with us, it was a lot of fun! Please continue to add your photos to the Sparkle Quilt Along Flickr Group, we love seeing your progress!

Happy Sewing!

Monday, February 20, 2012

Patchwork Picnic Quilt Tutorial

Patchwork Picnic Quilt Tutorial - In Color Order
Patchwork Picnic Quilt, a photo by jenib320 on Flickr.
When I think of summer quilts, the first thing I think of is patchwork. Something about simple patchwork screams summer to me! So when a delicious stack of fabrics arrived from Art Gallery Fabrics on Friday, I instantly knew they needed to become a sweet, summery, patchwork quilt.  From there, everything fell into place for this quilt.  I ran up to my favorite shop to grab background fabric, Robert Kaufman Quilter's Linen in Natural. On my way home, I stopped at a thrift shop and found the vintage sheet I used for backing (for more info on sewing with vintage sheets, see this post).  Between Friday and Sunday, that stack became this sweet modern quilt.  Sometimes you just get that sewing energy burst, I sure did this weekend!

Patchwork Picnic Quilt Tutorial - In Color Order
Patchwork Picnic Quilt, a photo by jenib320 on Flickr.
This quilt has been in my head for a long time. The quilt in my head used linen and soft, romantic colors, so the quilt that resulted is pretty darn close! She finishes off at 68"x72", a great size for a summer nap or picnic.  I quilted it with simple diagonal lines using Aurifil thread in beige, and bound it in a print from Little Folks by Anna Maria Horner.

Patchwork Picnic Quilt Tutorial - In Color Order
Patchwork Picnic Quilt, a photo by jenib320 on Flickr.
I had a lot of fun playing with these fabrics! It's a bit of Summerlove, new Oval Elements and new Pure Elements, out in March. Thanks to Art Gallery for sending me these fabrics.

Patchwork Picnic Quilt Tutorial - In Color Order
Patchwork Picnic Quilt, a photo by jenib320 on Flickr.
I wanted to write up a quick how-to for this quilt, so that you can make your own! It comes together really fast, and it doesn't take a lot of thinking, so it's perfect for the weekend when we all should be relaxing! It utilizes a checkerboard pattern, alternating between background and print squares. This makes it great for chain-piecing, where you continue to stitch blocks together without clipping your threads in between. So, let's get to it!

Patchwork Picnic Quilt
Sewing Level: Beginner Friendly

Materials
- 10 fat quarters (or 3 charm packs, or 1 layer cake)*
- 2 1/4 yards of solid or semi-solid fabric for background
- 1/2 yd of binding fabric
- 4 1/4 yds of backing fabric (or a full/double size bedsheet)
- 2 1/4 yds of batting (76"x80" piece)
- Coordinating thread

Note: 1/4" seam allowances
Finished Size: 68"x72"

*For this quilt you'll need a total of 120 print 5" squares and 120 background 5" squares. You could use more or less fabrics for desired variety!

Cutting
Patchwork Picnic Quilt Tutorial - In Color Order
Patchwork Picnic Quilt, a photo by jenib320 on Flickr.
From fat quarters:
- cut (3) 5"x22" strips
- from these strips cut (4) 5" squares
12 squares per fat quarter for a total of 120 squares.

From background fabric:
- cut (15) 5" x WOF (width of fabric) strips
- from these strips cut (8) 5" squares
Total of 120 squares.

From binding fabric:
- cut (7) 2.5" x WOF strips

1. Sew a 5" print square to a 5" background square. Continue until all the squares are paired up.

Patchwork Picnic Quilt Tutorial - In Color Order
Patchwork Picnic Quilt, a photo by jenib320 on Flickr.
2. Sew together pairs of squares, making sure to match up background and print squares. Continue until all the pairs are sewn into strips of four squares.

Patchwork Picnic Quilt Tutorial - In Color Order
Patchwork Picnic Quilt, a photo by jenib320 on Flickr.
*I like to use a plastic tub or paper bag to hold my squares as I'm piecing so that I can mix them up and get maximum variety! 

3. Sew together sets of four squares, making sure to match up background and print squares. Continue until all the four square sets are sewn into strips of eight squares.

4. Sew together sets of 8 squares, making sure to match up background and print squares. Continue until you have 15 strips of 16 squares each. These are your finished rows!

5. Press your seams to one side, pressing all your rows the same direction.

Patchwork Picnic Quilt Tutorial - In Color Order
Patchwork Picnic Quilt, a photo by jenib320 on Flickr.
6. Lay out your quilt, flipping your rows every other row to create the checkerboard pattern above. Label your rows if you'd like! I use scraps of paper and safety pins!

Patchwork Picnic Quilt Tutorial - In Color Order
Patchwork Picnic Quilt, a photo by jenib320 on Flickr.
7. Sew together your quilt top, pressing your rows either open or in one direction. Your top is done!

8. To piece your backing, first cut your backing yardage in half. Press. Carefully trim off the selvedges and sew your pieces together lengthwise.

Patchwork Picnic Quilt Tutorial - In Color Order
Patchwork Picnic Quilt, a photo by jenib320 on Flickr.
9. Baste (tutorial), quilt, and bind (tutorial)!

Patchwork Picnic Quilt Tutorial - In Color Order
Patchwork Picnic Quilt, a photo by jenib320 on Flickr.
Voila! You're done! Enjoy! :)

Happy Quilting!

Sunday, February 19, 2012

This Week

New Quilt by jenib320
New Quilt, a photo by jenib320 on Flickr.
It's been another busy week, I don't even know where to start! The majority of the week wasn't all that productive, but some switch got flipped on Friday! I pieced a quilt top, started and finished the quilt above, made some progress on my table topper project, and even cleaned the apartment! Wish I was always this productive! :)

Tomorrow I'll be sharing more of the above quilt, which was made with this bundle courtesy of Art Gallery Fabrics, including Summerlove and new colors of Oval and Pure Elements, out in March!  I'll also have a tutorial and a giveaway to go along with it, so be sure to check back!

Simple Patchwork by jenib320
Simple Patchwork, a photo by jenib320 on Flickr.
Mark Cesarik kindly sent over some of his upcoming line, Cosmic Burst for me to play with! I've been in a patchwork mood this week, so I paired it with some Kona solids (Stone, Bright Pink, Papaya and Royal)! Now I need to figure out some backing!

Tiny Granny Square by jenib320
Tiny Granny Square, a photo by jenib320 on Flickr.
I made a little progress on my table topper! I wanted to find a pattern that used lots of different fabrics since I was working with quite a few colors! I thought about finally using the x and + blocks but ended up landing on Jolene's granny square blocks. I'm making them tiny like Randi's blocks so that they'll fit!

Pillow Talk Swap 7 by jenib320
Pillow Talk Swap 7, a photo by jenib320 on Flickr.
I also pieced together my pillow top for the Pillow Talk Swap! Now I'm adding some special quilting to it!

Donuts by jenib320
Donuts, a photo by jenib320 on Flickr.
I made donuts for the first time! They were SO easy! Way too easy, and delicious! I used this recipe! :)

George by jenib320
George, a photo by jenib320 on Flickr.
George!

In other news, I'm happy to welcome The Fabricologist as my newest sponsor! I happen to know Amy in person, through the Madison Modern Quilt Guild! She's super sweet and so is her shop, I hope you'll check it out!

Also! Krista of Thar She Sews has an interview with me up today as a part of her Sewing Circle Series! You can read it here! :)

Today I love the..
Smell of: Lavender dryer sheets
Sound of: Keane
Taste of: Cadbury mini eggs!
Sight of: sunshine
Feel of: Warm quilt

Good Things about Today:
- Very productive day
- Takeout Chinese
- Clean apartment
- My Mom is coming to visit tomorrow!!

Friday, February 17, 2012

Happy Friday!


Hope you all are having a wonderful Friday! I'm hoping to play with some patchwork this evening and perhaps watch a chick flick! I wanted to pop in here real quick and point you over to Nova's blog! This year, Nova (of a cuppa and a catch up!) is holding a Liberty Scrap Challenge! Every month, she uses Liberty of London scraps to create a fun project and tutorial. This month, she's embellished my Lined Drawstring Bag Tutorial with gorgeous Liberty fabric! Please go check it out and give her some love, it's awesome! I am definitely going to have to make one! :)

Thursday, February 16, 2012

Sparkle Quilt Along: Finishing Up


This post is part of the Sparkle Quilt Along. For more information see here.
 
Welcome to the sixth week of the Sparkle Quilt Along, hosted by Megan of Canoe Ridge Creations and myself! Head on over to Megan's blog today for Week Six: Finishing Up!

I finished up my mini quilt this morning! I quilted it with simple free-motion doodle loops! Full reveal next week!

Don't forget to add your photos to the Sparkle Quilt Along Flickr Group! Next week we'll have a Linky Party so you all can show off your finished quilts!

Happy Sewing!

Tuesday, February 14, 2012

Sew Inspiring Rooms

Sewing Room by jenib320
Sewing Room, a photo by jenib320 on Flickr.
My sewing room is making the rounds this month! Today I'm sharing my favorite parts of my space on the A Little Bit Biased blog as a part of Amber's Sew Inspiring Rooms series!

You can read all about it here! :)

Happy Sewing!