Candy Swirl {Quilted Throw Pillow}

I may have checked the Hallmark channel to see if Christmas movie season had started after I took this picture.  It really put me in the holiday decorating project mood.

And if you are now wondering? Hallmark Christmas movie season HAS started.

I finished my Candy Swirl Block project from the Vintage Christmas Fat Quarter Shop quilt along!!

 The Vintage Christmas book includes some really great small and large projects.

 I decided to spice up the vintage look with more modern matchstick quilting.  It really is one of my go-to for throw pillows.  I get a lot of questions on how I do it, and I am promising my followers that I am working on some really helpful tutorials over the next few months.

Lori Holt has suggestions for some cute trim around the binding, however, I thought the gingham fabric I chose was just the right touch.

I chose a small dotted red for the pillow backing from my stash.  I love using up my stash!

Another go-to?  Hidden zippered back.  And, again, I have a video tutorial in the works! 

I'm really excited to bring some tutorials that can be used in conjunction with some pattern releases I have coming out in the near future...so stay tuned!!

Quilt Project Finish:

Measures: 18"x 18"

Pattern: Candy Swirl from Vintage Christmas

Fabric: Reproduction Vintage Fabrics, Robert Kaufman Quilters Cotton, Joann Fabrics

Quilted: Matchstick Quilting with Superior Threads and Gutermann on Babylock Symphony

 I'm actually excited to have a new pillow for my bedroom for the coming Christmas season. Usually I am trying to make Christmas items AFTER the holidays because other things are getting in the way.

What are you already making for the holidays to brighten up your home?

Spelling Bee Quilt: Letter J {Quilt Along}

 Fat Quarter shop is still running a a quilt along to celebrate the Spelling Bee Book.

The Spelling Bee Book is by Lori Holt of Bee in my Bonnet and features complete instructions for 100 letter, number, punctuation and picture blocks in two sizes plus 18 quilt projects!

The Sew Along will feature 88 of the blocks from the Spelling Bee Book! Lasting 44 weeks, the Sew Along will feature 2 blocks from the book each week. I was asked to join and and this is the third project I have made using the book.  See the Fox Pillow and Butterfly Pillow!!!

Today is the Uppercase Letter J.  I will admit I scrambled to grab it since all of my children's names start with the letter! 

I was going to make something with one of their names, but I ended up choosing the word Joy.

It's a word that has encompassed our lives since the loss of our daughter in 2009 and I had to make it!

I used some leftover scraps from the Paperie Fat Quarter bundle I bought from the Fat Quarter Shop.

It made a fun pillow for my chairs in our formal room with the walls the color of the aqua print.  It joined the Butterfly block Pillow I made last month!

I think they are so fun together!!

Quilt Stats:

Measures: 12x25"

Pattern: Letters J, O, Y from the Spelling Bee Book by Lori Holt

Fabrics: Paperie by Art Gallery Fabrics 

Quilted: Matchstick quilting on Babylock Symphony

I just adore it......

CHOOSE JOY this coming new year!!!

Spelling Bee Quilt: Butterfly Block {Quilt Along}

"Without change their would be no butterflies..."

Today is Spelling Bee Saturday and I'm introducing another block from the Spelling Bee book!!

The Spelling Bee Book is by Lori Holt of Bee in my Bonnet and features complete instructions for 100 letter, number, punctuation and picture blocks in two sizes plus 18 quilt projects!

This week, I chose a bundle of Paperie by Art Gallery Fabrics from the Fat Quarter Shop.

 I couldn't just make a lonely block.  I had to make a Butterfly throw pillow!!

I actually used the Paperie fabric with another bundle I had of Dear Stella Fabric to make a full patchwork quilt for my uncle's wife.  Stay tuned for that full quilt soon!  

I had a few leftover pieces to make a mini patchwork design for the rectangular pillow.

Many seem to know my "go to" quilting on my domestic machine is matchstick quilting!

I had some old navy corduroy fabric I used for the pillow backing and some Dear Stella for the binding.

Quilt Stats:

Measures: 12x20"

Pattern: Butterfly block from Spelling Bee Book by Lori Holt

Fabric: Paperie by Art Gallery Fabrics 

Quilted: Matchstick quilting on Babylock Symphony

I really love how it turned out!  

Stay tuned for a companion pillow I made to go with my butterfly at the end of December!!!

Barn Bats {Quilted Throw Pillows}

 When I made my Checkmate quilts, I wanted to cover the long rectangular pillows that belong on each chair.  Since they are a teal blue, they don't really match much?

I really wanted to use up every bit of the leftover Lost and Found fabric.  I remembered that the Barn Bat pillow I made before, didn't really use up much fabric.  Instead of a bunch of rows, I knew I wanted to make a single row with black background.

My original intention was to use the variegated thread, 

that I still have leftover from my Spiders and Web Quilt in 2011.

But then I realized that I didn't want it to be read as much purple/pink as I originally thought and spread out the color over the pink.

I started to add black to add some depth to it.

And then a dark (not shown) and light gray like above.

When I felt like I had enough of the lighter color, I filled the rest in with black again.  Excuse the lint!  I tried everything to remove it and finally figured out my handheld vacuum with the roller brush did the trick!!!

You can see above that funky dot I used for the backing of the quilted front, and the googly eyes for the hidden zipper backs.  Both are scraps from leftover backing and binding from a commissioned Trick or Treat Quilt.  Black zippers I had on hand and then I had some more of that lovely black and white stripe from the Lost and Found collection.

I love that I used a bunch of scrap and stash to make these two coordinating pillows happen!

  I'm loving this years plan of using all the bits and pieces of a precut until the last drop!!!

Ruger {Mini Quilt}

 Meet Ruger.

 He is my good friend, Bree's puppy.

Bree was really down one day. Her puppy was giving her a hard time and she was bummed about a failed swap she participated in. Again. Then, it seemed that the swap mamma didn't follow up and arrange an angel. Or maybe she did, but that person bailed too. 

Enter a secret Angel swap.  Friends gathered.  Conspired. 

We decided one of us would do a mini and the rest would send the "goodies". I volunteered and chose to adapt this Tartankiwi Doxie pattern to make it look like Ruger. I chose it because she thought the original in the swap was for her and really coveted it. 

I raided my black stash for him.  I decided on a low volume background like the quilt Ruger is sitting on in the picture.

I went a little wild and used felt for the ears.  But Bree is bold with her fabric choices sometimes, so I thought she would approve.

 

I had to st it aside before I left for Quiltcon, but made sure I left it out to finish it as soon as I returned. 

 I'm not sure if you can see it, but I tried to extend his legs, but also wanted it to have the same feel as the original pattern.

 Matchstick quilting was perfect

I grabbed his photo for the quilt label.

The best part?  Two of us had our packages deliver at the same time so it was as if she had a swap package all at once.  Even better?  The other packages trickled in for days after.

I forgot to take a picture before mailing it, photo cred Bree Pickles

It was epic.

 

Palatina {Mini Quilt}

I decided to join one more Schnitzle & Boo mini swap and this is what evolved.

My partner mentioned she liked the Lizzie House Meadow quilt.  

Since I haven't taken her workshop and her pattern wasn't available, I seriously contemplated making my own version.  But, then I remembered my friend, Lindsey at Happier Than a Bird, using a pattern for a pillow cushion that she had made awhile back.

Palatina Pillow

I shot her a quick message and she directed me to the the Palatina Pillow from There's a Thread.

I think the one thing that intrigues people the most with the Lizzie House Meadow quilt is the colors in the background.  I knew I wanted to switch the original idea of the low volume at the "back" of her pillow, behind the appliques. I instead wanted to move the low volumes to the front so that the colors revealed that cool secondary shape.

I chose the Cotton & Steel Basics fabric line to get COLOR!!

Here is my confession.  Their fabric lines tend to not really "fit" me. I like them, but generally can't see myself using them....until I bought their Basics line!!!


The big, giant DISLIKE my partner had was pink.  She said NO PINK!!!

 So I pulled as much pink from this GORGEOUS Cotton & Steel basics bundle  as I could.  I really worried she wouldn't like the purples I left in, but I felt that the mini needed their "cool" tones for balance.

I used the whites and taupe fabrics of my crosses.

I decided to use cardboard to secure the edges of the crosses while I hand appliqued them.
 When I was finished, I cut from behind, close (a bit more than 1/4")  to the seams on the back and then pulled the cardboard out.

The original pattern had minimal quilting, so I hesitated to matchstick the mini.

I do not regret it.  One bit.

The quilting hardly showed up on the linen backing.  I've been feeling lately that if you plan on doing intricate negative space quilting, don't use linen as a background!
 

 I love using a black and white binding on colorful or rainbow quilts! 

The quilt label is the circle of Cotton & Steel basics bundle. 

I sent along the mini with this coordinating hexie pincushion caddy.  

More details HERE.

Quilt Stats: 
Measures: 18" Square
Pattern: Palatina Pillow by There's A Thread
Fabrics: Cotton & Steel Basics and Essex Linen
Quilting: Matchstick with Gutermann Thread on Babylock Symphony

 I also made a Daysail version as a gift HERE.

But I still have a serious hankering to make a larger version with the Cotton & Steel Basics leftovers!!