Feb 2019 do.good.stitches Nurture Circle - Moda Love

           Ladies since it is Valentine's day this month let's feel the love in this quilt. For this month we will be making 2 12" blocks of the Moda Love pattern. Take a peak at the 3rd page for instructions for the 12" block. 

         To start off we are going to make one red block with a grey star in the middle and one grey block with a red star in the middle. Feel free to raid your scrap bin and mix it up. 

Step 1: Cut 18 - 2.5" Red Squares, 18 - 2.5" Medium to Dark Grey Squares, and 36 - 2.5" white, white on white or low volume Squares.

Step 2: Draw diagonal lines on the back side of the 36 - 2.5" background (white squares)

Step 3: Match a background square with a 2.5" red or grey square, right sides together.

Step 4: Stitch a 1/4" on each side of the diagonal line on the background square

 

Step 5: Cut on the diagonal line, press toward the dark side, trim HST to 2"

You should now have 36 - 2" red HST and 36 - 2" grey HST

Step 6: Cut 12 - 2" Red squares, 12 - 2" Grey Squares, and 32 - 2" Background Squares

Step 7: Arrange squares according to the layout in the Moda Love link. The star in the middle should be the opposite color than the outer ring. You will need 12 HST of the alternate color to  make the star in the middle. 

Step 8: Sew together the rows and press the odd numbered rows to the left and the even numbered rows to the right. Sew the rows together nesting the seams, Press the final seams of the rows in the same direction, either up or down. Your finished blocks will look like the samples below. 

May block for the Nurture Circle of do.good.stitches

Ladies we will be creating a nested star block this month for our quilt. We will be utilizing a tutorial from Dairy of a Quilter. I recently made a baby quilt using these blocks.

The color palette for this quilt is drawn from a fabric inspiration, Art Gallery Wonderful Things Canvas Aquarelle Study Wash Fabric. I created a digital palette to give a better ideas of the colors we are looking for.

  

The colors range from pale peach to punch , pale pink to raspberry, light grey blue to navy (no teal). You can also include white and low volume fabrics that feature pink, peach and blue and grey.

To start you are going to pick 4 fabrics for the block (we are making one 16 inch block). Make sure to audition your fabrics to see how the colors will play in the block. You want to verify that each fabric will stand up well against the fabrics next to it and not blend together.

Now to start cutting.

Fabric A - Center Star:  1 - 2.5" square
                                       4 - 2" squares
Fabric B - 2nd Star:       1 - 3.25" square
                                       4 - 1.5" squares
                                       4 - 3" squares
Fabric C - 3rd Star:        1 - 5.25" square 
                                       4 - 2.5" squares
                                       4 - 5" squares
Fabric D - Background: 1 - 9.25" square 
                                       4 - 4.5" squares

Use the following tutorial and fabrics highlighted in yellow to create a 4.5" star (4" finished) on the chart above.

This will give you a 4.5" star that will be used as the center of your growing block. Continue to create a star again, with the 4.5" star as the center and the instructions for the 8"x 8" block (purple highlighted fabrics).

Finally you will take the 8.5" double star and utilize it as the center for your last round (16" block), utilizing the green highlighted fabrics.

This will produce one triple star block

For the second step you will utilize the same tutorial to create 2 - 4.5" star blocks. This time using white or low volume fabrics (with grey, pink, peach, or blue) for the background and the center star should be pink, peach or blue-grey.

Your finished blocks should look something like this.

Please ship to the address listed in the email. Thanks Dhia

October blocks Nurture circle, do.good.stitches

A quick post of my October blocks while one baby is sleeping and the other is with daddy.

This month we are doing a block with a modified half square triangle. Little nip of the corner and a smidge of grey is added. I don't think I am giving justice to the design so I'll go right to the pictures. 

The colors selected were a light yellow,  burnt orange and a coral. I did the best to find close colors in my stash. The request was for solids or prints that read as a solid. My stash is definitely lacking solids, and also orange fabric. So the chance of me having a solid orange wasn't very good!

This is our last quilt this year. It has a fresh summery feel which is appreciated as the days get shorter and cooler. 

On an unrelated not we went to trunk or treat this Sunday and the babies seemed to enjoy it. And we gave away most of the candy so I won't be eating 6 bags of sugar!

One wild flamingo (Mirabelle-15 months) and one confused monster (Abigail-2.5 Months)

Getting the blocks off in the mail. Almost time for my maternity leave to be over :(

Hope everyone has a Happy Halloween!!!

Nurture circle quilts finally done!!!

I have finally finished the two quilts for the Nurture circle of Do.Good.Stitches.

I have a couple good reasons for why these are so late. In August I had a baby girl named Abigail Grace. She is a cute distraction that has been sucking up most of my free time and sleep. She is 7 weeks old now and starting to sleep a little better. Fingers crossed!!!

My other daughter Mirabelle turned one in July and has learned to walk and is running a muck.

The other thing that has been taking up my time is this crunchy masterpiece that we bought at the end of July. It needs many things and we are in the process of tearing up the inside.

And we are also finishing up a kitchen remodel in the house we are living in. Here is the awesome back splash we put in. God willing we will get this kitchen done soon. We started it back in 2015 when before Mirabelle was born!!!

In March we did this block by Patch the Giraffe called Picnic Pinwheel. I blogged about it here. I am not sure what about this quilt that caused me such trouble. But it seemed like I hit so many snags on this one. First I cut the backing wrong, so I had to piece it. Not a big snag but annoying to have an extra seam. Then I quilted it and bound it and right before I tossed it in the wash I noticed that there was a HUGE pucker. I tried to smooth it out but it was just too big. So in the end I had to unstitch oh so much of the quilt and quilt it again. Let me tell you that unquilting is much more time consuming than quilting. Especially when  you have the helping hands of a toddler. 

For the backing I used cross stitch in teal by Amanda Jean Nyberg of Crazy Mom Quilts.

For the May quilt I put together a scrap square that I called Hollywood Squares. I blogged about it here. This one was less trouble but I was holding onto it so I could mail both quilts together. 

For the backing I used a combination of solid Kona fabric in a dark teal (glacier) and a complimentary fabric that I dug out deep from my stash.

Both of these quilts are on the way to covered in love, the charity that we quilt for. I am linking up to crazy mom quilts Finish it up Friday,

September Do.GoodStitches Nurture Circle

This month our circle is following this tutorial for Crosscut Blocks. The tutorial can be found here. I started the blocks using the tutorial and cut the background for the first three blocks. As it turned out they didn't mention in the tutorial that you needed to cut the background fabric larger than 9.5 inches to end up with a 9.5 inch block in the end. So my first three were cut too small. However this block has some overages so I was able to save the blocks. I ended up cutting my next three larger and then cutting down the blocks to 8.75" which was the ending size of the smallest blocks. 

After the first step you sew the blocks together and then cut out 12 5.5" blocks. I ended up slicing the 1st stage fabric into 5.5" strips and then cutting 3 squares from each strip. Once you have your 12 blocks then you sew then into 3 10.5" blocks. Here is how my final squares turned out. 

I don't know how I feel about this block. I like a more patterned traditional block. The random improv blocks always make me a little twitchy. I am interested to see this come together. 

May Quilt Nuture circle of Do.Good.Stitches

Finished up the May quilt for the Nurture circle of Do.Good.Stitches. Technically I am not yet done with the March quilt but I got stuck on this one. You know how it is when you get focused on a project and can't do things in the order you know you should. So here it is!

I used a chunk of fabric for the backing that I have had for 5 or 6 years that reminded me of the pattern on the front. I finished the back with a Kona solid called Lagoon which I have most of a bolt of. I happened upon it at a yard sale. Technically I think it was the estate of a quilter that had gone toward the light. I took it as my mission to use the fabric in her honor. So this is one of the many projects its has made it into. 

For the binding I used a fun mix of bright prints from my scrap bin and a few jelly roll strips. 

I love how it turned out!

Hollywood Squares Flimsy

My dear husband was baby wrestling this weekend and playing video games which gave me a chance to do some sewing. I haven't yet been able to baby proof my craft room to the point where she won't kill herself. So all baby containment has to be in other areas on the house.

I was able to finish the quilt top for the May Nurture circle of Do.Good.Stitches. I blogged about it here and also here. I have been calling the quilt Hollywood squares but once I got it together it reminds me of these God's eye crafts that we used to make at summer camp.

So here is the quilt top as it is hanging on my all. Even thought it doesn't want to hang flat.

I also found this fabric in my stash that I have had for quite some time. It reminds me of the pattern of the quilt top. The selvage edge says 2010 so I guess I have been lugging this around for at least 5 years. It isn't the fanciest quilting fabric but I think it will go great with the quilt top. So whenever your husband says why do you keep buying fabric here is the reason, some day I will have just the right project for it!

Pictures of the finished top to follow.

Going through withdrawl....

My machine is on the mend. It is at the shop getting fixed and tuned up. Before I broke it I was able to finish up these two tops. 

This is the top for the March Nurture Circle of do.Good.Stitches, Triple Irish Chain pattern is an old but a goody. I love how it turned out.

Here is the top again outside in the spring sunshine.

I finished up this baby quilt top for the newest little peach. I couldn't get it to lay flat. It may not be as square as I had hoped. I figure the quilting will smooth it out. 

Linking it up to Finish it up Friday @ Crazy Mom Quilts

March Do.Good.Stitches Nuture Circle Quilt

It is my second turn as quilter for the Nuture circle of Do.Good.Stitches. My first go round was last August and we created this fun quilt. If you are so motivated to make this block you can find instructions here.

I have been on a kick working on my Triple Irish Chain quilt in recent weeks.

I figured since it is March I would continue with the Irish theme and my obsession with this classic pattern. I have a shameful amount of blue fabric in my stash and scrap bin so I decided to go with blue as the color pallet for this quilt.

To begin we are going to cut our fabric for the two blocks we will be making for the triple Irish chain quilt. I have decided on a scrappy theme for this quilt to make it more stash friendly. You will need to raid your stash or scrap bin for white or low volume fabric, light-medium blue fabrics (blue and white only) and dark blue fabrics (blue and white only). 

White/Low volume

1  -  10.5" x 10.5"

4  -  6.5" x 2.5"

17  -  2.5" x 2.5"

Light Blue - Medium Blue

24  - 2.5" x 2.5"

**Additional Note** Some of my fabrics did not read with as much contrast from the white fabric in the final block. Make sure to select blues that have good contrast from the background. 

Dark Blue

20  - 2.5" x 2.5"

Then we will begin assembling the blocks according to the following diagram. 

Block A

Lay out your 2.5" squares and sew together the 7 squares in each row. Once each row is completed press the seams. Rows 1/3/5/7 will go in one direction and rows 2/4/6 will go in the opposite direction. Once you have pressed your seams sew each row together with the seams nesting,

Your finished block A should look like this. (14.5" x 14.5")

Block B will be assembled using the following diagram

To begin assembly of this block take each 6.5" x 2.5" rectangle of white fabric and sew a dark blue 2.5" square to each end. Press the seams toward the dark blue fabric. I will refer to these as a side unit.

Take two of these side units and attach a 2.5" light blue square to each end. Once you have sewed the light blue fabric on press the seams toward the dark blue fabric, These are now top units. 

Take your 10.5" square of white and sew on a side unit to opposing sides. Once you have completed press your seams toward the side units. 

The final step is to sew the top units to the two remaining sides of the 10.5" white square. The seams should nest. Once you have completed sewing press your seams toward the top units.

Your completed Block B should look like this. 

In the end you will end up with two blocks that look like this. They should finish about 14.5" square. Please do not sew together.

Once completed please send to

Dhia Peach
519 Smith Road
Fremont, Oh 43420

Linking it up to Freshly Pieced WIP Wednesday

Week In progress!!!

I have had the good fortune to be home this week and not traveling. Needless to say my evenings have been spent in my sewing room. Here is what I am working on this week. 

 My weekly WIP is a pastel scrappy star quilt inspired by this Spring Cleaning Quilt. I originally intended it to be a quilt for our master bedroom. But at some point I decided it was not the direction I wanted to go for our bedroom. I still don't know what direction that is. I decided to make this a baby quilt. I have enough centers for 5 stars and enough of the other pieces for 4 stars. I bit the bullet this week and put one together. I will see how I like the size of the quilt with 4 stars and may add more. 

My finish this week is for Do.Good.Stitches Nurture Circle. The directions for the block can be found here. I find that I don't have as many solids in my stash as are needed whenever a project comes up. So I used prints that were as close to tone on tone as I had in my scrap bin. I also find that wonky blocks make me a little edgy. I think it is just the fact that I am left with a lot of little scraps and I haven't figured out what to do with them yet. This will be sent off to make a lovely quilt for My Very Own Blanket. Can't wait to see how it turns out. I am the quilter next month so I need to come up with a block quick! 

Linking up to WIP Wednesday at Freshly Pieced and Finish it up Friday at Crazy Mom Quilts

January Do.Good.Stitches Block

Well looking at the last time I posted I am the worst blogger ever!!! I have a list of excuses I can provide if you would like. I have been sewing a lot in an effort to get some projects done. Old man winter was keeping me from photographing them. I was able to get some indoor pictures of some of the projects that am kinda happy with. I am hoping to be able to post more regularly in the coming months. 

Below are the picture of the first block for do.good.stitches this year, I had the chance to go and sew at the blanket workshop in Columbus for My Very Own Blanket. They have moved into a new fantastic location. If you have projects or materials this is a great charity to donate to. 

This month we did a quilt as you go block. It was a pretty large block but a good way to use up some scraps. I have way to many scraps and am always looking for a way to squash my stash. The how to link is here if you want to follow along and make your own.

Linking up to WIP Wednesday at Freshly Pieced