Half Yard Jam

It's time for another Fat Quarter Shop Sew Along and this quilt is a fun one to make.  It uses large pieces and blocks which allows for progress to be seen quickly.  It was so exciting to see it come together after an afternoon of sewing.

For fabrics, I chose Midsommar by Pippa Shaw for Figo Fabrics.  They are bright, colorful, and so easy to sew with.  The pattern is perfect for favorite large scale prints, or a mix of smaller ones. 

This quilt is large (90 1/2 x 90 1/2) and now is the time to start thinking about cooler weather in our part of the world and having a quilt to snuggle under.  I quilted mine with a serpentine stitch and I've had a couple of requests for this quilt already.  ;)  I may have to make another since there is still plenty of time to sew one for a Christmas gift.  You can find the blog posting about making this quilt here, the free pattern here, and a quilt kit if you are interested here.  One hint when making this, make sure you watch the direction the blocks are in.  The blocks are 30 1/2 inches square, so they are big, and easy to turn the wrong way when assembling it.  Happy Stitching!!  --Kristen 

Celebrating Summer

Whew, its been a long time since I've been back.  Right before my last post I had a "cardiac event" due to to the flu, which was in January, and before they had testing for COVID.  It seems like a lifetime ago, and after a lot of testing, it was determined that my event (aka heart attack) was due solely to the flu.  There was no heart damage, no blockage, no heart disease.  I just woke up one morning knowing something was horribly wrong.  My heart rate was over 200 and after stopping and restarting my heart it went back into regular rhythm.  I then spent over a week in bed very ill.  I am being tested in a few weeks to see if I have the COVID antibodies, which who knows, but a couple of things...take care of yourselves.  Know your body and if you think something is wrong, get in and get some help.  Do what you can to stay well.  I have no idea where I picked up what I had, and as a matter of fact, my first symptom of being unwell was the racing heart...the fever, bodyaches, loss of sense and smell, and HORRIBLE cough all came later.  I'm better now, and other than working from home and basically staying home, I am well. :)

Now on to the fun stuff...I have been working on a few things here and there, and I will be posting more about those in future posts. Today I wanted to share my latest project...

The pattern for this quilt was on the Bernina blog.  The pattern is by Cherry Guidry and is a quick and easy stitch.  The pattern is downloadable and easy to print.  I printed directly on Lite Seam-A-Seam 2, and within minutes I was cutting the shapes out and sewing.  Cherry even has the stitch sizes listed for the blanket stitch.  

Jolly Bar Bakewell

Good morning!  It is bright and sunny in Minnesota already, and we are looking at a high of 37 degrees F today.  This is balmy for us, and I am hoping that some of the ice that is everywhere will melt.

On to the good stuff.  Today the Fat Quarter Shop has a shortcut pattern for the Jolly Bar Bakewell pattern.  This is a fun pattern to make.  It is smaller, so it would make a perfect gift for a new little one, or as I'm using it, as a wall hanging. You could always make more blocks and have a bed sized quilt.  The blocks are 8-1/2" square and by turning them, you can see other patterns.

I used Sugarcreek by Corey Yoder.  These fabrics are just too pretty.  When you use a Jolly Bar the cutting is minimal so you can start sewing sooner.  I did actually purchase a  Layer Cake because these fabrics are too pretty, and I'm thinking I'd like to make more than one.  I quilted mine with the serpentine stitch.  This is definitely a weekend make!

Thanks for stopping by.  You can get the free pattern and video here.  Happy Stitching!!  --Kristen

Prairie Queen

Hey, I'm back two days in a row!  Hopefully this is a good sign of things to come for the new year/decade.  I have a block from the Classic and Vintage Series at Fat Quarter Shop called Prairie Queen.

This is a quick and easy block to make, you can use Triangles on a Roll, and in no time you can have a beautiful quilt.  I used North Pole by Stacy Iest Hus for Moda for my block.  Now I am going to be brutally honest with you...I remade my block.  If you notice in the photo above, all my trees are going in the same direction.  After seeing my photo with the trees going every which way (below), I couldn't leave it like that.  You can use a directional fabric, and it will slow you down if you choose to make sure it is going in the same direction.  I feel much better about it now, and I will in the future be checking to make sure things are going the right way on the one way.  ;)

This is a quick and easy block to make, you can use Triangles on a Roll, and in no time you can have a beautiful quilt.  I used the North Pole by Stacy Iest Hus for Moda.  If you would like to make a block, you can download the free pattern here.  Kimberly will show you how to make the block here, and there is a beautiful quilt kit that is available for purchase here.  Happy Stitching!!  --Kristen

Welcome 2020

It's a new year, a new decade, and time for me to set some new goals.  I hate new years resolutions, because no matter how hard I try, they always seem to go by the wayside.  This time I am just going to say, I'm setting some goals for myself.  Four months ago today I said goodbye to caffeine, and that was a great thing to do...not to say there aren't days when I REALLY wish I would give in, I haven't yet, and I'm hoping now that I put that out there I don't fall back into my old habits.

In the past I've made goals and tried to set expectations for myself here, and I have failed miserably.  But, I am going to try again, and we will see where we get this year.  2019 was difficult with aging parents who have been ill, our son starting college, and a new job with more hours working which means less time for the things I love.  I probably just need to reevaluate priorities again.

I had a few days off this past week and I did finish something (it's a miracle!)