Project Quilting 16.5: Follow Your Arrow

 

I love Project Quilting and look forward to it all year! Thank you to Kim Lapacek and her friend Trish Frankland for hosting this great challenge every winter. You can read more about the rules and prompts here on Kim's blog Persimon Dreams.

This week's prompt is "Follow Your Arrow" and the interpretation of it is up to the creator!

The always-popular Flying Geese block can be seen as an arrow or pointing in a particular direction. 

I pulled out my scrap baskets and stitched up 8 Flying Geese blocks measuring 4" x 2" each. 

These were sewn together in one long row. 

I chose to make another Pocket Pod Basket from the SewCanShe blog. It is a super easy tutorial and it's free! Caroline Fairbanks writes such great patterns, and she has a ton of them on her blog. 

 

I sewed the strip of "arrows" to my purple fabrics, added fusible Pellon 308 for stability, and also chose a purple lining. I used the given template to get them cut out. 

Here are the 2 pieces sewn together and are ready to be stacked inside one another for the next step. 

Closing in on the stitching around the top.

Birthing is always the hardest part, isn't it?

Only one thing is harder and that's raising those teenagers! (Now we'll see who's reading.😜😜😜)

Stuffed with more jams and jellies for my closet. 

Lined up with last week's ruby pocket pod basket! They look really good together!

I'm so glad I followed my arrow to use these Flying Geese blocks to make more storage. 

I love making practical things! 

Linking up with:

Project Quilting 16.5: Follow Your Arrow

Project Quilting 16.4: Birthstone

 

The 4th prompt for Project Quilting's 16th season was "Birthstone". 

Many thanks to Kim Lapacek of Persimon Dreams and her friend Trish Frankland for pulling this challenge together again for us to enjoy! 

The most important rule this go around was that the birthstone's color had to be the predominant color in the project. 

My birthday is in July, so that makes my birthstone the beautiful ruby.

I have several pieces of ruby jewelry and in the bright sunlight, the ruby often looks like a deep pink. 

That's the direction I took when choosing fabrics from my scrap pile. 

Deep pink and hot pink sprinkled with a bit of light pink and lime green. 

I also pulled out a pile of cut-offs from HSTs and added them to the corners of 3" strips. 

I then sewed all of these together.

At this point, I really had no goal for this project.

I now had an odd shaped piece of fabric that needed a purpose!

I went looking through my Pinterest board of sewing projects.

I didn't need another tote bag, that I knew!

What I did need was a small hanging basket to hold my lotions in the closet. 

The Pocket Pod Basket, a free tutorial from Caroline Fairbanks at SewCanShe was my choice.

Caroline has soooo many awesome sewing and quilting patterns on her site.

I've made several and they are super well-written and fairly easy.

Here I've laid out the pattern and have chosen the lining. 

Caroline suggests using fusible fleece interfacing, but I didn't have any. 

Instead, I used Pellon Craft-Fuse from my stash.

It worked wonderfully.

Both the exterior and lining are cut.

I chose not to add the pockets to my pod.

Both pieces have been sewn and are ready to be put together.

 

The "birthing process". Sounds awful, but it is what it is. 

I added 2 buttons from my mom's old button basket.

If only they could tell their story!

This sweet pod will hang in my closet to hold a few of my "jams and jellies".

I see a few more of these in my future!

Once again (yahooo!), nothing new was purchased for this project.

Linking up with:

Persimon Dreams Project Quilting 16.4

Project Quilting 16.3: Common Blocks

 

Welcome to the 3rd week of Project Quilting Season 16! Hosted by Kim Lapacek of Persimon Dreams and friend Trish Frankland, there is always something to look forward to in the deepest part of winter! This week's prompt was "Common Blocks" and we were required to use at least 3 common quilting blocks in one project. 

For my first block, I chose the invincible 9-Patch. I had a pile of 2" squares in my stash, so I dug them out and color-matched as many as I could, then trimmed them down to 5" blocks.

For my second common block, I got busy with the Rail Fence block. So many strips and so much fun later, they came together quickly.

My 3rd and final block, I chose the favorite Flying Geese block. They looked quite at home perched next to the Rail Fences. 

Above is one panel ready to be sewn to the back.

And now the back panel.

I used a bright pink swirly fabric I've had forever as the lining.

Once the lining and outside panels were boxed and cut, I topstitched around the top band, being sure to reinforce the straps. 

Here's a peek inside my newest tote bag that I'll be taking on shopping trips! 

I'm doing what I can to cut down on plastic and paper bags. 

The best part?

Nothing new was purchased for this (or the previous 2) tote bags!

The only yardage used was for the lining. 

   

Linking up with:

Persimon Dreams Project Quilting

Project Quilting 16.2: Ombre

 

This week's challenge for Project Quilting was to use the ombre or gradient effect.  The challenges are hosted by Kim Lapacek at Persimon Dreams, along with her friend Trish Frankland. Together, they come up with some great ideas!

Ombre describes the color shift in value or hue between two points. It looks like a smooth range between two colors, or a gradient of one color from light to dark.

I wasn't real sure where this challenge would lead me, but I figured I could make a block big enough to use as a front panel for another tote bag for grocery shopping. 

My gradient/ombre effect isn't as smooth as I'd like, but I wanted to use what I had in my stash. I turned to a box of batik fabrics and scraps that I won last year. So many lovely pinks, purples and greens in this collection! I pulled out the pinks and purples. 

There were already several cut triangles in the box, so that was my starting point.

I made 4 of these large triangles and then trimmed them down to fit together for sewing. 

For the back, I used the same fabrics and sewed strips together and top stitched each seam. 

I cut up an old cloth belt to use for the straps

 and added a strip of fabric to give it some pizzazz. 

I pleated all 4 corners at 3" and trimmed them off.

I didn't get a photo of the lining, but it's a lavender swirl that I used to cover my bulletin boards back in my teaching days. That's been around awhile! The very top edge was topstitched with double reinforcement over the straps. 

Now I have 2 sturdy bags for grocery shopping in style! My Sassy Big Foot bag has been used several times since its creation 2 weeks ago! 

Linking up with: 

Persimon Dreams Project Quilting

Project Quilting 16.1: Mythical Creatures

 

Whooo, it's been a week! As soon as I read this week's challenge on Project Quilting, hosted by Kim Lapacek and Trish Frankland, an idea popped into my head. 

Sasquatch, Big Foot, Yeti, Sassy, Squatchy...whatever term you prefer to use...has always been a creature my husband (and sometimes I) have been interested in. 

He's a believer! Yes, we've even been on a Sasquatch hunt in our area after hearing reports of one being spotted. No luck though seeing him/her. 

I got started making my tote bag on Monday and completed my front curvy panel of dots and solids. I wish I had a few photos of that learning curve, but my invested brain didn't think of that!

Enough curvy strips already and I was back to straight lines for a back panel.

Then comes time for me to start a 72 hour water fast I signed up for online. 

What was I thinking? I had never fasted before in my life beyond 8 hours for a blood test.

That hit me hard and I was out of commission for sewing til Saturday. 

Back to top stitching the curvy strips.

I found a free Big Foot template online to print off and traced it onto Head n Bond Lite. 

Then ironed it to my brown batik fabric and cut out. Easy peasy, even on a queasy tummy.

I chose an uneven applique stitch to give Squatchy a hairy look.

Blue fabric that I've had forever became the lining. I first thought I'd box the corners at 2.5", but chucked that 3" to make my tote a bit wider at the bottom. 

The lining is sewn to the top of the outside panels, along with the handles inserted between and reinforced with 4 rows of stitches. Nothing worse than having a nice tote bag filled to the brim and having a handle come loose. 

And there you have it! A new Squatchy tote bag to take shopping to the grocery store and beyond! 

Sometimes I feel like I'm feeding a family of Squatches here when the bill rings up.

Linking up to:

16.1 – Mythical Creatures – Challenge 1 of Project QUILTING season 16

Bee Kind Blog Hop! It's my day! 🐝

Welcome to Day 2 of the Bee Kind Blog Hop!

This is a bzzzzy week of bee-utiful projects lined up

to inspire and entertain you.

🐝🐝🐝

Joan, our bee-loved host, from Moosestashquilting is so kind 

and patient to make this happen!

🐝🐝🐝

In late summer, I decorate my kitchen and dining area with sunflowers. I knew that bees were very attracted to the pollen in sunflowers, so it just seemed natural to put them together in a mini wall hanging. 

Flirting bees!

Sunflower petals were stitched down with Sulky 12 wt. thread.

This thread was glorious to sew with!

Small pieces of lace were used for the bee's wings. 

I really like the texture and appearance it gives my sweet bees.

Beads came in handy for the eyes and sunflower seeds.

More photos below taken in the backyard.

Bee sure to follow along with the other bloggers this week!

Monday Sept 23

MooseStashQuilting.com

Words & Stitches

Selina Qullts

Just  Sew  Quilter

Scrapdash

Tuesday Sept 24

Patchouli Moon Studio

Quilted Snail

Quilt Schmilt

Quilted Delights

Hazels Daughter  <----you are here!

Wednesday Sept 25

BeaQuilter

Karrin's Crazy World

That Fabric Feeling

Elizabeth Coughlin Designs

Quilting Between the Rails

Thursday Sept 26^th

Just Let Me Quilt

Ms P Designs USA

Quilting Gail

Songbird Designs

....aaaand because this hop is all about Bee-ing Kind, I am adding a giveaway!! 

Raise your hand if you like quilty giveaways! I see you...and you...and you!

I've gathered a few items from my stash that I'm hoping someone could use. Even if you'd like to pass them on to someone else, go for it! 

It's all about being kind, right? 

In order to be in the draw, just leave a comment and

 include the words "bee's knees" in what you write.

If you are a no-reply commenter, be sure to leave your email addy too, or I'll have no way to contact you. If I receive no response after 3 days from the initial contact, I will need to draw another name. 

I'll draw a winner this weekend after the hop!