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]

Autumn Runner

To surprise my mom on Thanksgiving, I made her this Autumn Runner.

This summer, on one of our fabric shopping sprees, she helped me pull together 12 different autumnal prints, so I used them to make big maple leaf squares.

The runner ended up being about six feet long (whoops), but it fits perfectly on the dining table at my folks' house.

 I didn't want the quilting to compete with the bold shape of the leaves and the busy fabrics, so I stuck to a basic 1/4" outline of the leaves.

 And I think my mom was pretty pleased with the outcome!

 Speaking of pretty pleased, I just have to share these "outtakes" as well, as they make me crack up every time I look at them!

 My little brother was a good sport about holding the runner so I could photograph it, and couldn't resist hamming it up for a the camera after a while - isn't he the cutest?

Thanks for stopping by - hope you have a great weekend! (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!

Wonky Stars

I finally finished my Wonky Stars lap quilt.

This is biggest project I've completed, by myself, to date. AND, it was my first attempt at free motion quilting.

I used some bright, Joel Dewberry fabrics for the stars, and a simple green with white polka dots for the back of the quilt. The background of the stars was a lovely blue print I found at my LQS, and the binding is a coordinating Kona solid.

I'm so pleased this little project is finished...

Now the next question: what will I do with it? :)

I'm linking up to Crazy Mom Quilt's Finish it Up Friday!

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