PB&J February: Work in progress!

As I said before, February is my month for the PB&J quilting bee. I have sent some bright and bold fabrics out to my fellow bee members, and cannot wait to put this quilt together.

I used a fat quarter bundle of Kaffe Fassett fabrics for the fabric this month. I asked my bee members for wonky log cabin or square-in-square inspired blocks out of these fabrics, and provided an inspiration gallery on flickr for them, so they could get a feel for what I'm looking for.

Here are the fabrics I started with, pre-cutting. (Colors are a bit off, because I took this picture in the dark!)

Fabrics, pre-cutting

And after spending an evening cutting them into varying size strips, I put together 11 packages that looked something like this!

strips and strips

Most of the packages have been confirmed received, and one speedy bee member has already finished blocks, so here's a little sneak preview! 

block from Chrissy

Needless to say, I cannot wait to get these blocks together and into a gorgeous quilt! I bought a grey kona to play around with borders and possible sashing once I get all the blocks together.

Sew Fresh Fabrics Scrap Quilting Bee

One of my most favorite online fabric stores, Sew Fresh Fabrics, posted at the beginning of January asking for participants to make a quilt from their scraps that will go to Project Linus and Hopes and Dreams Quilt Challenge for ALS (you can read all about here on their blog). And I was lucky enough to be chosen for the first round!

I received my package of "boy quilt" fabrics, and am looking forward to making my 12.5" square block this week. Just look at these wonderful scraps I received! 

such a lovely package!

seven fabulous fabrics to work with

I will be sure to post pictures of my block once it's finished. I want to be sure and feature the great prints on some of those fabrics - the castle and cars, especially! 

PB&J: November, December, & January!

I finally caught up on my PB&J Bee blocks today, getting January's block in the mail just 2 days late. And just in time, because February is my month! I'm hoping to have my fabric all cut this afternoon and in the mail by the end of the week. I realized I haven't shown blocks since October though, so this post will catch us up. 

November

This was Ashley's month, and we made a variation of Little Miss Shabby's Scrapbuster #2 block. Ashley sent us scrap squares and white fabric, and asked if we wouldn't mind adding in some of our own scraps (which I was happy to do!). I got a little carried away cutting squares from my scraps, and made Ashley two blocks. I love these blocks, and have put them on my "to-make" list. 

November block #1

November block #2

December

December's block was for Corley in Pennsylvania, and this block was both new to me and fell outside my comfort zone! We made wonky house blocks out of beautiful warm colors with a blue sky behind them. My house isn't very wonky, but it was fun to make. 

December house block

January

And last but not least, January's block for Jill. I've had this block bookmarked since I first saw it, and was thrilled to make it for Jill. We made a liberated wedding ring block, (using another of Little Miss Shabby's tutorials) and this was my first foray into foundation piecing. I used a shorter stitch length and ironed a lot (as recommended), and the block was actually easy to put together. 

January liberated wedding block

So now we're all caught up! February is my month, and I have a fabulous set of 33 Kaffe Fassett fabrics that I'm going to send out to my fellow bee members. Can't wait to get them all packed up and sent out! 

A Gift Received

After talking about and showing the gifts I made this year, I thought I could share one handmade gift that we received. (Then, I swear, I'll be moving on from holiday-related posts!) Jim and I were the lucky recipients of a wonderful gift this year - a christmas quilt, made by my mother.

I was shocked and surprised when we opened this present Christmas afternoon, because I had seen this quilt before! On a summer trip to A Scarlet Thread in McDonough, Georgia with my mom I saw the most fabulous Christmas quilt kit - it was everything I wanted in a holiday quilt! Reds and greens in bright, modern fabrics with splashes of non-christmas colors too (pink and lime green). And the pattern is bold and yet simple enough for the fabrics to breathe on their own. Mom quickly convinced me I didn't have the time or money to buy and make this quilt kit, and I left it where it was. So you can imagine my surprise when I opened it up this christmas! I had no idea she had sneakily purchased the kit on that shopping trip. The family friend who was shopping with us that day did such a good job distracting me I didn't even notice Mom was being sneaky! She deserves an oscar for that distraction-performance.

So that's how this exceptional quilt came to live on our couch! And such good timing - with the winter "Snowpocalypse" here in Atlanta, we've needed all the quilts we've got on the couch and bed.

And without further ado, here is the beloved Christmas quilt.

Here we are opening on Christmas morning

close-up of the front and backing

This quilt is BIG - perfect for both of us on the couch of for laying on our (queen-sized) bed. The backing is a beautiful red and white fabric with a holly leaf / poinsettia print, and the quilting is a beautiful pattern of the same theme - holly leaves and berries - very intricate and perfect for this quilt.

I am so thrilled to have this quilt, I can't even tell you. It holds a special place in my heart, and I can promise I won't be putting it away with the Christmas decorations just yet.

Back from the holiday-vortex

I am back and alive from the final-exams-and-holiday-vortex! Excuse my long absence, but I have been busy making several things (some of which were special holiday gifts). So, on to the catch-up show and tell!

I finished this lovely mini quilt in December for My Favorite Little Quilt Swap on flickr. It was a wonderful swap to participate in, because participants have total freedom to create whatever strikes you! I used Elizabeth Hartman (Oh Fransson!)'s Favorite Songs pattern to make this orange and green quilt. The sashing is a kona grey (but I can't remember the exact shade name).

Front

Back

close up

And the best part was that I received a fabulous mini quilt in return! It was exciting waiting to see which quilt I ended up receiving, since it was a kind of blind swap. I received this gorgeous "Plus One" quilt from Lynda (littleloops). I love the back especially, where you can see the quilting in pink. 

Plus One front

Plus One back

The deadline for round 2 is January 31, and I am planning to use one of my new books to make the next one. 

PBee&J

I am a member of a virtual quilt bee called PBee&J, that started in September. The basic premise of a bee is that there are 12 members and it takes place over one calendar year. Each member is responsible for coordinating one month - preparing packages of fabric and instructions to send to the other participants. With this package the participants create one or more blocks, which are returned to the sender. At the end of your month, you should have 12+ blocks - enough for an entire quilt! 


It's lots of fun to be part of a virtual group like this. Not only have I "met" 11 new people, but I've also gained 11 new sources of inspiration and feedback. Making a different style block each month gives me the opportunity to try new sewing styles and techniques. So far, all three months have been blocks that I had no experience with and used skills that were new to me. So, lots of learning going on! 


September's blocks were for Patricia in Portugal. These blocks were a brand new concept for me, but were fun to make! I was very proud they turned out nicely. (I loved the bright fabrics!)

October's blocks were for Liz in Canada. They were christmas-themed wonky log cabin blocks - my first wonky blocks. 

I received November's fabric and instructions from Ashley over the weekend. We are making Little Miss Shabby's Scrapbuster #2 block, one I've been admiring. I love the look of scrappy blocks and quilts. Lots of little squares, and I am looking forward to getting started! 


Hopefully this month will be busy with sewing - I have several projects I want to complete before the holidays! 

3x6 Bee, Third Quarter

I'm a member of  the [3 x 6] Sampler Quilt Mini Bee on Flickr, which is an inspirational and fun group! It's a variation on a traditional quilt bee (that usually lasts 12 months) - you make a 12.5" block for the other 6 members of your hive using their color selection and likes/dislikes and use the same block pattern for all six blocks.


For the third quarter (July-September), I made Broken Dishes blocks. I wanted to do something simple, but with some chance to be creative with fabrics, and this block was perfect!  

The 6 blocks I made for Beehive 11

The colors I requested were "make it a rainbow" and green. I received a variety of blocks back - I love them! Don't yet know what I'm going to do with them, though! Suggestions welcome .... table runner? pillow(s)? I'm just not sure! 

My received blocks - they're all so bright & vibrant! 

I love this swap group, and we're already into the fourth quarter! I've been working diligently on my fourth quarter blocks, and completed a trial block I'm happy with. I focused my color selections for this quarter and requested orange, aqua and white, and am hoping to use them in a quilt. 

Bonjour, blog!

As you can see, I've started a new blog! I hope to document and share my sewing, quilting, and crafting adventures here. I also will hopefully share some other shenanigans - cooking, reading, and other life happenings!

Getting everything in order is tricky, so hold your horses while I get comfortable in this new format. I'll leave you today with a photo of the last quilt I finished. I'll be back soon, I promise!