Project Quilting 14.4: A Novel Project

 

This week's Project Quilting challenge was to create a quilted piece that was inspired by a novel.

 Hmmm...that seems easy enough, especially when one is a retired teacher! 

My mind went all over the place.

Oh, the places we will go, says Dr. Suess!

As a young mother, one of my favorite books to read to my kids was

Can't You Sleep, Little Bear? by Martin Waddell

Then, in my final years of teaching middle school, my reading classes read

Touching Spirit Bear by Ben Mikaelsen

Both such memorable books!

So, I looked through my patterns and found one I had purchased from a very talented Ukranian maker named Sasha. When I purchased her designs, she was donating a portion of each sale to the Ukranian refugees and others in need. 

She is on Instagram as Sashas Quilts

and also has an Etsy shop under the same name. 

Paper piecing projects are not my favorite.

I ripped out so many stitches on this one and had to sew again correctly.

Not at all meant to be a fault of the designer...it's all me, the maker!

Sasha writes very specific instructions!

Mr. Bear's muzzle was one example of my mistakes.

I had to un-pick his muzzle (sounds better than picking his nose, doesn't it?)

His ears and eyes are not aligned perfectly either, 

but I think that just adds to his charm.

Lots of FMQ went into this furry guy. 

Circle-y loops all over his fur.

Woody knots on the brown background.

Organic wavy lines on the black border.

His muzzle and ears were untouched to make them pop!

Choosing the binding fabric is so hard!

The stripes won out...again.

He is a handsome guy, isn't he?

His portrait measures 12x12".

I added two pocket corners on the back so I can hang him on the wall. 

He will go in my husband's "den" which is decorated with bears. 

Linking up with:

Persimon Dreams PQ14.4

Inquiring Quilter's Wednesday Wait Loss

Project Quilting 14.2: Pink Tint

 

It's always fun to see what the next prompt will be for Project Quilting hosted by Kim Lapacek at Persimon Dreams. Sometimes it takes a day or two for my mind to come up with something to create, but this week it was so simple! Any sewing project that includes patchwork, applique or 3 layers stitched together qualifies....with pink being the star of the show for this week. 

Bring on the hearts! I snatched the pinks from my various stacks and found a pattern I've had in my pinterest account for a long time. 

Unfortunately, I did not hear back from the blogger who created this tutorial when I asked for permission to provide a link to her page. If she responds at a later time, I'll update here. My version is just a bit smaller than hers, but still uses her great tutorial.

Lots of long strips were sewn together. I made my own 3.5" square template from a clear plastic sheet. 

The blocks were arranged in rows and sewn together, the I added a border. 

Followed by straight line quilting. For some crazy reason, I was getting a lot of skipped stitches using my walking foot. My regular foot did OK. 

I sewed the binding onto the front of the mini wall-hanging using visible big stitches. 

Someday, somewhere down the road---in 100 years---someone will question these stitches, I'm sure. But right now, I love the look!

This sweet mini now hangs on the side wall of my bedroom. It measures approximately 14x15".

Thanks to Kim and Trisha for another fun challenge!

Linking up with:

Project Quilting 14.2

From Bolt to Beauty Beauties Pageant

Inquiring Quilter's Wednesday Wait Loss

Project Quilting 14.1: The First One

 

I've had a love of hot, black coffee since I was a senior in high school. Working the early shift at 5:30 AM on weekends as a nursing assistant gave me no choice but to try downing the bitter liquid to get some caffeine running through my veins. It definitely took a while to get used to it, but it settled on me as my beverage of choice for first thing in the morning. 

It still does... 40+ years later!  

Nothing gets done before that first cuppa. Don't even talk to me! :)

I used Pat Sloan's free tutorial for Happy Everything Bonus Block 5 to make 2 potholders. 

Of course, they display a large coffee mug!

Pat's block is intended to be 12.5" square, but I cut mine down to 9.5", which works best for me as a potholder size. 

Insulbrite was used as the middle "batting" and will protect my hands from hot pans coming from the oven. 

My lines were marked with chalk in a grid-like fashion.

Alphabet letter fabric was my choice for binding. 

I usually read my email and news during that first cup of coffee in the morning, so I thought it was fitting.

Now I have 2 new potholders to show my love of coffee....the 1st order of the day! 

Thanks to Kim at Persimon Dreams and her partner Trish for giving us these great challenges for the 14th year!