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

All you need is love - Feb Nurture Circle - Do.Good.Stitches

This month I am the quilter this month for the Nurture circle of Do.Good.Stitches. I signed up and had a million ideas. For some reason I had it stuck in my head that I was the quilter in March. I think it is because we are going to Seattle in March and I decided to sign up for another month since I would be traveling. Thankfully Louise emailed me to remind me to get off my bun and plan a quilt. I have a hearty folder of potential quilts saved as most of us do. I decided since it was February and Valentines Day is around the corner  we should but together some blocks filled with L - O - V - E.

So this month we will be making an assortment of heart blocks. All blocks will be made of your choice of Red, Pink and White/Low volume Fabrics. For the first block I would like everyone make one of the following blocks.

Heart A - The heart from Michael Millers Cupid's Arrow quilt.

To make Heart A you will need to cut 

(2) 3.5" background squares

(4) 4" background squares

(10) 4" heart fabric squares

You can make your heart the colored portion of the block or the background can be the colored portion. Let your imagination run wild.

Draw a diagonal line on the back of each of your 4 - 4" background squares and 3 - 4" heart squares.

Match one 4" background square with one of your 4" unmarked heart squares.

Sew 1/4" to each side of your diagonal line

Match one marked 4" heart square with one of your unmarked heart squares

Sew 1/4" to each side of your diagonal line

You should now have 7 squares sewn together

Cut along the diagonal line to separate into half square triangles.

Press toward the darker fabric in each HST and trim to 3.5"

Lay out your block as pictured

Sew together and alternate the direction that you are pressing your seams. The final block should finish at 12.5"

OR

Heart B - The "Be good to your heart" block by Amy Smart from Diary of a quilter

Amy has great directions on her blog so I won't reinvent the wheel. Pick any three fabrics you would like (red, pink, white/low volume) Make sure there is good contrast between the fabrics you choose so the hearts pop. Alternate the directions you press your seams. The block will finish at 12.5"

AND

Heart C - Everyone will make some simple heart blocks from Allison @ CluckCluckSew

Directions here

Multiple size measurements here

Please make (2) 6" blocks and (3) 4" blocks. 

Again choose any combination of red/pink/low volume fabrics.

Any questions let me know!!

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. 

August Blocks for the Nurture Circle

So I am coming down to the wire on my pregnancy. I am set to have a c-section in 8 days. I may not last that long if my blood pressure doesn't play nice. I have been trying to finish up sewing projects before the baby comes. Unfortunately being pregnant in the heat of the summer also makes you tired and more likely to nap more than sew. 

This month for the nurture circle of Do.Good.Stitches we were tasked with paper pieced kaleidoscope blocks. You can find out more details at the original post here. I was motivated to get them done before baby time. I am still sadly behind on quilting the march quilt for the circle. I have it on my list of things to do. Fingers crossed that it will be the next thing I get finished. 

These blocks are a good way to eat up scraps. I am tempted to make a quilt of them to empty some of my scrap bin. On  the downside it takes some fine tuning to get the two halves lined up. I had some issues with the dark teal and red block working out the kinks. I had to take them apart a few times and that is something that paper pieced blocks do not appreciate. 

I am finished and here is what I came up with. The request was for solids for the center points and low volume for the background. 

Y do the seams hate me

The Nuture circle of do.good.sitches this month was a supersize castle block. The original post was from Amy from the Badskirt blog for Sew Mama Sew. The link can be found here. It is my first adventure into Y seams. I have avoided many quilt blocks with Y seams. It seems like it was a wise choice on my part. 

I have been working on this block for about a week. It has been a long process to get the one block finished. There was alot of seam ripping and cursing. I had some trouble getting the block to lie flat. In the end it got as good as it was getting with much starch and alot of cursing.

The request for colors in this block are below

Here are the color/design guidelines:

1. Outside corners should be solid, true, white

2. Inner square ring should be a gray / neutral 

3. Fussy cut center octagon if it makes sense with the fabric you're using (see hints and tips below on how to do this)

4. High contrast between diamonds and outer ring of trapezoids. (My sample block is good, but I'd like even higher contrast). 

5. Trapezoids and center octagon should be in the same color family

6. If the outer ring is directional fabric you will need additional fabric - otherwise your trapezoids will alternate directionality.

7. I'd like to keep the diamonds cool colored, and the trapezoids and octagon warm colored.

I dug out some very funky print for the center. I think it is Robert Kaufmann. It looks like a crazy Hawaiian shirt. It is one of those prints that is really better suited for large blocks. On  the down side we usually make 2 12" blocks and this month we made 1 jumbo block that was almost 21". It ate up alot more fabric that normal. Here is the finished block, I could have kept fussing with it but it wouldn't have ended well.

I hope the quilt turns out awesome but I can't imagine making a whole quilt of these blocks. If I were to make it again it would be one block for a pillow or a baby quilt. I am glad its done!!!!! Crossing this one off the list!

And just for a dash of cute here is a picture of my doodlebug in her 4th of July finest.

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.

Sewing Saturday

My sweet husband was in charge of baby wrangling this evening so I was left to sew sew sew. I decided it was time to put together the May quilt for the Nuture circle of Do.Good.Stitches. 

I started playing around with the layout a few weeks ago and came up with this rough idea. 

Pardon the messy bed and I was waiting for a few more blocks to come in the mail. 

I decided to sketch up a layout that would use all the blocks but discovered that I needed a few more to make it happen. I hit the scrap bin and whipped up two more with black centers and two more with black boarders. 

Now I juts have to work up the courage to slice up some of the blocks into halves and quarters. Here goes nothing!!!!

More pictures to come of the finished product.

June Blocks for Nuture Circle

For a variety of reasons I have been slacking on sewing and posting on here. Most likley it is the 11 month old that is cruising around my house and the baby that is on the way. The newest Peach is coming August 2016. I think with the second arrival I should just board up my sewing room and call it quits. I will hold out hope that with the help of my hubby and sneaking away late at night I will get some stitching in. 

Here is my most recent completed project. This month the Nuture circle of Do.Good.Stitches decided to make blocks for the people were effected by the wildfires in Fort McMurray Alberta Canada. The original post of from SLO Studio and can be found here. Although this is wrapping up at the end of the month you can always click on the link if you would like the tutorial to make the Maple leaf block. They requested the blocks in the colors of the Alberta flag (red, white, blue, yellow, and green). The fabrics could be solids or prints. I dug into my stash and found some fabrics from my "how did I end up with these fabrics collection". Great fabrics but for some reason they have been in my stash for too long. Usually fabrics that arrived in a scrap package, yard sale or clearance rack. Fabrics that I had a plan for and it didn't work out or fabrics that were too cheap to pass up. Hopefully these leaves will make the quilt recipients happy and warm. 

Posting at Finish it up Friday with Crazy Mom Quilts.

March Flimsy Finished

The March block for the Nuture circle of Do.Good.Stitches quilt is called Picnic Pinwheel by Patch the Giraffe. I love her eye for color and quilt designs. This is just one of many of her quilts that I want to make!!! I choose a pallet of teal, magenta, purple and orange. I was going for bright bold colors to create a happy quilt to bring sunshine to the recipient of this charity quilt. The charity that we sew for is called Covered in Love. The original post is here if you wish to go back and take peak.

I finally wrangled up all the blocks and got enough time to sit down and put it together. I took for granted how much easier it was to sew when the baby was in a rock and play and stayed put. Now she is rolling, crawling, trying to pull herself up and flinging whatever she can get her tiny mitts on. Hopefully this will be the only time she is hanging off a pole. She is going to turn 1 year in July and become a big sister in August. I should just close up my sewing room for the next decade. 

Here is the quilt top all sewed together with the blocks from the circle. I love how the top looks all together. It always impressed me when I give the group a color pallet that no one leans towards one or two colors. We always end up with a nice distribution of all the colors. This block looks complex but comes together really quickly, is easy to cut and sew and looks great every way I have seen it. I may have to make one for me! I have a couple teal backing fabrics for this quilt. I never can decide which to buy so I buy more fabric than I need. I blame it on the minimum order requirement for free shipping. But it might be the reason I have a shamefully large stash. 

Will post pictures once it is all finished!

Nuture Do.Good.Stitches-Hollywood Squares!

It's my month again as the quilter for the Nuture Do.Good.Stitches circle. I haven't finished March's quilt yet but I got some blocks very late! It's on my list of things to do. This months block should be quick and easy. Most of the instructions are on fabric choices and seam direction.

First go through your scrap bin and gather all your strips and strings, bold colors and black fabrics. No white if at all possible. No pastels! The strips should be 1.25"-2.5" wide. If you don't have scraps then jump into your stash.

For this quilt each participant is going to make 2 block, finishing at 12.5" square.  The first block starts with a 2.5" square of bold fabric. Sew a string/strip 1.25"-2.5" to 2 sides of the square,

Press the seams toward the surrounding ring and then trim down to the width of the central square,

Sew the same fabric to the remaining two sides of the square, press to the outside, and trim down.

The resulting square should look like this.

We will continue adding rings to the block in the pattern of a traditional courthouse square block.

-If you are using busy prints alternate rings with solid or tone on tone prints.

-Center should be 2.5" before sewing

-Rings should be 1.25"-2.5" before sewing

-Finished blocks should be 12.5"

-One block should have a black center

-One block will have a black final ring

-All other parts should be bold colored fabrics.

-No/Minimal white

-No pastels

-Press all seams to the outside.

April Nuture Do.Good.Stitches Blocks

This is the block for this month. It was blogged about here by my the quilter this month Louise. It came together pretty quickly and reminded me that I have no solid orange fabric. I have yet to figure out how to sew together long strips of fabric and not have them curve. The suggestion of sewing open the seams helps some. I can't wait to see how this comes together. 

March Blocks - do.good.stitches - Picnic Pinwheel

This month I asked the group to choose between these 3 blocks.

1 - Happy Zombie

2 - Patch The Giraffe - Picnic Pinwheel

3 - Oh Fransson - Genny & Ruth

The general vote was that I like star blocks (which is true) and the vote was split between the 2nd and 3rd option. I decided to go with option 2. This block by Patch the Giraffe. 

The difference is that we will be using the following colors. Fuchsia, Teal, Orange, Purple. When you pick your fabrics please pick jewel tones that are either solids or tone on tone prints, minimal white in the fabrics if any.

Our background color will be white like the finished quilt here.

The only thing that is changing from the original tutorial are the colors used. You can pick any 4 fabrics you would like, as long as they are Fuchsia, Teal, Orange, Purple and are solid or tone on tone. So if you want to use 2 teal fabrics, 1 orange and 1 purple feel free. Just 4 different fabrics + white background fabric in each block. You will make 2 blocks that will finish 12.5"

White/Background: 4 - 4.5 inches square, 8 - 2.5 inches square

Fabric 1: 4 - 6.5 by 2.5 inches

Fabric 2: 4 - 4.5 by 2.5 inches 

Fabric 3: 4 - 2.5 inches square

Fabric 4: 4 - 2.5 inches square