Full Hearts Table Runner

 I finished up a table runner the other day, and I'm fondly calling it Full Hearts.

 I spotted these lovely red fabrics at a quilt shop over the holidays with the idea of making them into a patchwork Valentine's project (I bought pre-cut fat quarters without selvages, so I don't know the designer - apologies!). After a bit of plotting, thanks to my graph paper, I had a plan in mind. So I got out my trusty Bloc-Loc ruler (one of my favorite toys), and whipped up a number of HSTs to make these patchwork hearts.

Once the top was finished (4 hearts in all), I FMQed the squares using a design that was new to me. I'm not sure the official name, but I called it Potato Masher, since that's what it looks like to me! :) Then I used some of the leftover prints for the binding... love that scrappy look!

I'm really pleased with this runner, and hope it will be a nice Valentine's Day decoration next month - thanks for stopping by!

[Linking up to Crazy Mom Quilts]

Ice House Quilt

As I suspect many quilters did, I gave away a couple quilts for Christmas, including this Ice House Quilt.

 
This quilt was a special gift for my Grandma. She and my grandpa lived a couple hours away from us growing up, and visiting them was always fun. Sometimes when we'd visit in my childhood, we'd take a trip to the Ice House, a fabric/quilt shop in her area. I don't remember buying anything to sew at that age, but I do remember getting supplies and stenciling canvas drink coasters... fun memories!

Well, this summer my family and I were vacationing a few towns away from the quilt shop, so my mom and I stopped by for a visit. I purchased some purple-y floral prints, as well as a few coordinating batiks. Later on in the year, I picked a few more batiks and nature inspired prints, and ended up making this throw quilt.

 The braided panels were really fun, though I had a hard time with the "random" fabric placement... yet again... As for the quilting, I stippled it using a pale lilac Aurifil- you can see it best on the darker fabric strips.

I had lots of fun making the quilt, and I think my grandma is enjoying it!

And now that the "real" photos are posted, I also need to share these outtakes. Again, my brother was a great quilt holder...

But he had a few photo ideas of his own, as well.

I think this one was supposed to be "Quilt in Motion."

And this was "Dancing Quilt" maybe?

All in all, he was a good sport about the whole photo thing - thanks for your help, buddy!

[Linking up to Crazy Mom Quilts]

Go Blue! Quilt

 I was really excited for Christmas this year, because I had a special treat for my little brother: this Go Blue! quilt:

As a University of Michigan grad, I wanted to use my new quilting obsession to make a fun, scrappy quilt for him.

Lucky for me, the school's "block M" easily translated into a quilt design I could tackle. 

 The quilt is a generous throw size (60x80), which I hope comes in handy on these cold winter nights in the Midwest (hello Polar Vortex!).

 The blocks are all different versions of string blocks, though since I'm still learning I went ahead and paper-pieced these babies... all 224!

 To top it all off, I backed the quilt in Minky. It wasn't easy (I was thankful for my steam ripper many times), but in the end it was worth it for such a comfy gift.

And, the best part: the fabrics! I had a blast picking up fat quarters and other small cuts of different fabrics from about 10 different LQSs. Some of the fabrics are batiks, and others are cool prints (like a map of NYC or the Declaration of Independence).

I had an absolute blast making this quilt, and I hope my little brother enjoys it! Thanks for stopping by![Linking up to Crazy Mom Quilts]

Coffee Sleeves

Talk about a scrap-buster! The other day, I whipped up a handful of Coffee Sleeves using only scraps from various projects... what fun!

You see, there's a craft bazaar at my hometown church, and my mom is hosting a table. A while ago, she mentioned that if I had anything to add, she'd be happy to put it on the table... so I finally finished up some projects and shipped them off to her, and these babies were in the box!

As someone who enjoys Starbucks treat everyday every now and then, I've used my fair share of cardboard coffee sleeves. While those are fine, I'm pretty pumped about these handmade versions: not only did I use Insul-Bright (an insulated batting), which keeps the heat towards the cup and away from the holder's hand...

But I also added a strip of elastic, so these cuties can fit most sizes of to-go beverages (as well as pint glasses, my clever brother informed me after I sent him an early demo).

Finally, each sleeve was made with scraps leftover from various quilts I've made, so they're all really colorful and pretty, in my humble opinion! :) Hopefully the shoppers at the bazaar will think so, too!

Thanks for stopping by - have a great weekend! [Also, I'm linking up to Crazy Mom Quilts]

Autumn Pillow

The other day, I pulled together a few scraps autumn-inspired fabrics to make this pillow cover.

I don't know what it is, but I'm totally in love with HSTs still; this time, I broke up the randomness of the triangles with a band of neutral fabric.

Thanks for stopping by and happy November!

Halloween finishes!

With Halloween just around the corner, I've been busy finishing a few spooky projects.

First was this pillow cover: I used some Drunkard's Path blocks and some scraps for this geometric pillow.

And to keep with the spooky theme, I FMQed it with a spiderweb design.

This is my first attempt at the web design, and while it was a little tough at first, I had an absolute blast! Hopefully the recipient of this little pillow cover will enjoy it! :)

I had a bit of Halloween fabric left, so I whipped up a little project for my place, too! The people who live in my NYC building all decorate their doors pretty elaborately for Halloween. Honestly, some of the decorations get a little spooky (especially the ones that are motion activated... not exactly something an alert NYer can get used to). But I love that so many people get into the holiday, and not one to be left out, I made this quick door hanging.

I'm a sucker for HSTs - they're just SO neat and organized to look at! And, I must say, I'm getting much more accurate when sewing them... all that practice finally paid off! I also used some old wire to make a whimsical little hanger- now all I have to do it get it on my front door, right?

Thanks for stopping by - can't wait to see all the other finishes at Crazy Mom Quilts (it's been a while since I've been able to participate)!

Halloween Table Runner

I don't know about you, but it seems like Halloween is just around the corner - they've even started displaying candy corn in my local drug store!

So the other day, I dug into my fabric stash and made this Halloween Table Runner as a gift for my mom.

I actually picked up these festive fabrics at a quilt shop in Marshall, MI, over the summer, and I had a blast making my first Drunkard's Path blocks. I didn't have a template, so I got creative and used a cake pan... not a bad solution in the end, I think! I finished it off by quilting it with curly-q pattern.

This was a really fun project, and I hope my mom likes it!

I'm linking up to Crafty Mom Quilts - thanks for stopping by!

Hexie Pillow

Well, my first EPP project is finished: a Hexie Pillow. 

Though I machine quilted most of it, I did add a bit of handquilting in the center hexagon for a bit of interest.

This is actually a pillow cover with an envelope opening on the back (don't you love those Shelburne Falls prints?). I was making this pillow on the fly, so I created the hexagon pillow insert using stuffing from an old, regular pillow.

The pillow isn't perfect, but it sure is a fun addition to my decor! *Linking up to Crazy Mom Quilts today!

Right Angles

Right Angles: Mitten to Apple original

I finally finished my first HST project, which I'm calling Right Angles.

Right Angles: Mitten to Apple original

I've always loved the look of quilts made with random HSTs, so this was my first attempt at that.

Right Angles: Mitten to Apple original

I don't know about you, but making something 'random' is really hard- I just want there to be a pattern! Since I couldn't fight every natural instinct, there's a little order to the HSTs, but I think overall it looks fairly chaotic.

The quilting is basic - just 1/4" off the seams.

The HSTs are DS Quilt Collections from Joann's, and the batik (framing and backing) are from a quilt shop.

Right Angles: Mitten to Apple original

I love backing quilts with batik - that fabric is so forgiving of spills and stains! I have no problem plopping a batik-backed quilt on the ground for that very reason!

Right Angles: Mitten to Apple original

I'm linking up to Crazy Mom Quilts' Finish It Up Friday - thanks for stopping by!

Right Angles: Mitten to Apple original