Big, Bright Granny Sqaures

Ahh!

There has been so much going on that I haven't been able to keep up.  The good news is that I have been sewing and getting things done!  I have lots that I want to share and I will start with this post, which sadly I began more weeks ago than I like to admit, so without further ado, here is a start to all things I have to tell you!

Non-existent Tote Bags

As I mentioned before, Jolene's blog was the first that I stumbled upon when I found her Granny Square tutorial.  I loved the design and periodically checked back to see what she was up to.  I am often inspired by her work and I have linked to a couple of different photos of hers in my Hopscotch and Onto the Next posts.  I didn't officially start following her blog, or any blogs for that matter, until after I started this one and discovered Bloglovin' (which I really do love, BTW).

I had purchased some small cuts of really brightly colored fabrics thinking I was going to put them into tote bags like these with different patchwork designs.

But, as so many things go with me, I was bored of making tote bags pretty quickly and they never came to fruition.  So I had these great fabrics and this awesome pattern, why not put them together?

I don't have any fancy quilt design software so I either draw on graph type paper and color with pencils or, if the design will allow, as this one did, use Excel.  Nerdy, I know.

Here is what my “sketch” looked like:

I couldn't put the blocks on point like I planned, but all
the color combos are there, which is what I was going for.

Working Away from Home

Before the Nicholls State game my dad asked if we would stay in Eugene on Sunday to help him put in a window.  By this he meant, would the husband help him put in a window, leaving me to entertain myself save the intermittent calls to "come hold this." So I made darn sure that I wouldn't be bored.

My dad was quite confused as I re-arranged a portion of his living room, but I came up with a pretty good set-up.  My ironing board was a TV tray with a towel on top so I was glad that I was working on small blocks. 

Yes, there is a dog hiding under the table.

Whilst my father commenced cutting a hole in his house, in his pajamas, I might add, I started sewing.  

I got a good system going and before I knew it, viola! All my blocks were done and looking quite bright and fun, just like I wanted!

Finishing Up

I added the sashing and finished the top in the next few days.  It turned out so stinking cute! 

I was surprised how close I got to my original design.

A close up of one of favorite blocks.

I have some fabulous Cuddle fabric for the back so I nervously tossed in the washer/dryer to pre-shrink.  Hooray!  It came out perfect so I gave it a good ironing.

Love the color of the Cuddle fabric for the back!

 This is going to be my foray into spray basting since I haven’t had any luck pin basting Cuddle.  It’s a love/hate thing me and Cuddle have going on.  In addition to that I have to decide on a quilt design . . . wish me luck!

Starting Hopscotch

Needing a little reset

At the beginning of the year I made a pretty big push to get more items completed and listed in my Etsy shop.  I managed to add eight more things, which doubled my inventory, woo hoo!  The main reason for this was that I was trying to get into the o-so coveted Crafty Wonderland show in May.  Despite all my best efforts, this did not happen.  I wasn't terribly surprised, but still kinda bummed.  

At that point, I decided that I needed to take some time and make something for me.  It has been awhile since I have done this.  I was going to make myself the perfect sized make-up bag to put in my gym bag, but that ended up in my Etsy shop.  Also on my list is a case for my Kindle Paperwhite, an awesome Christmas present from my hubby.  I even have the fabrics picked out, but since I need to make some pattern tweaks, it just hasn't happened.

Have to have it!

I did not start reading quilt blogs (or any blogs for that matter) until pretty recently.  One of the first blogs that caught my attention was Jolene's.  I saw a cute granny square quilt somewhere and went looking for a tutorial.  It lead me straight to her lovely blog!  Recently she posted this beauty.  OMG, love, love, love!  Instantly, I knew what my project for me was going to be.  My very own hopscotch quilt!  Truthfully, I would have preferred to be a total copy cat because the yellows and pinks in that fabric line are to die for, but, alas, despite thorough web searching, there is very little Dream On left to be found.  The other thing I love about those fabrics is that they have that vintage sheet feel of which I am a total fan.

I was not dismayed for long though, because Miss Spain has a new fabric line out, Honey Honey.  There isn't any yellow in the line, but there are all of these bright, yet pastel-ly fabrics that are so fresh and so spring.  Plus, it also has some of the vintage sheet feel to it.  Hooray!  I did not delay in purchase of the pattern or Honey Honey jelly roll.  The only thing that gave me a little pause was what color to use for the stars.  I have been trying to push myself not to make things so matchy matchy. The safe bet was a blue that would look lovely with everything, but I knew I wanted the stars to stick out a bit more.  Being brave, I decided to make my stars out my new favorite color, mint, and purchased Kona Cotton in Pool. 

Getting Started

Something that I have found to be useful in my time as a sewist is to search the blogosphere for tips and tricks on popular projects.  It helped me out quite a bit when I made my Amy Butler Weekender Bag (god, what a chore that one was).  First, I learned from Jolene that making a template is a good thing, so I did that, even though I only ended up really using the triangle and  trapezoid.  Next, I learned the two most important things about making this quilt here: 1. Press seams open 2. Do not trim the dog ears (I can't tell you how much this helped me with lining things up).  With all of my found knowledge I set about making my blocks.

This is by far the most complicated quilt that I have ever made and I was pleased as punch when most of points lined up!  There are some not so stellar examples, but instead of fretting about it, I decided that I could just put them on the edges that would end up being cut off :)

Not so good points.

Good points here.

And good points here.

Several sessions later, voila, my blocks are done!

I am feeling pretty good about my choice of mint for the stars, I am kind of obsessed with that color.

Laying the blocks out is going to be so much, I just need to have some time.  I know it won't be this weekend, the husband and I have an out of town wedding to go to!