Bluebird Park Finish

I simply adore this fabric line! It's Bluebird Park by Kate and Birdie for Moda. I used the Line Dance pattern again. I also tried a new quilting technique with the wavy lines. This quilt is probably the last I'll finish off my Q2 FAL list (found here).

So here it is. I adore this pattern and have used it several times. The quilt measures about 41" by 49" and is made with just one charm pack.

Here's a closeup of some of my favorite prints in the line.

You can see the quilting here. I also discovered my awesome Juki has one of those quilting guides to help you maintain an even distance. It works amazingly well and it didn't shift at all during the whole quilting process.

I love this print for the back too! I'm all about making the back as fun as the front by using interesting fabric.

Here's a closeup of the fun backing. I just love these cute little animals in the park!

This quilt is available in my Etsy shop and it can be found here. I'm linking this up with TGIFF and Finish It Up Friday!

Apple Jack Quilt #2 and Spiral Quilting Tips

I had a lot of fun quilting in a spiral again. I did a few things differently this time and it worked so much better! I'll start off with what I learned and then you can see the quilt in all its glory. ;) This quilt is on my Q2 FAL list (found here).

This is the first one I quilted. I went counterclockwise not thinking it was a big deal which way I went and I ended up with this near the end. All I could think was that it's a good thing this is a baby quilt!

Round 2 - CLOCKWISE!! Who knew it would make all the difference. This is in the middle of the quilt and it just kept getting better and better. It was SO SO much easier to feed the quilt through and even stay on a spiral.

What I didn't do but should have was to draw the spiral with a fabric marker and then trace and remove. Sadly, I don't have one of those but it's coming in the mail. What I DID do was switch over to my walking foot much sooner than the last one. Last time I went for a radius of about 6" before I changed over, this one was more like 2". I thought it would be hard to turn with the walking foot but it's really really easy. Switching earlier meant that my spiral looked a lot more uniform sooner - excellent!

So here it is - the Apple Jack Jelly Roll Jam quilt #2. I like how I separated out a lot of the blues and aquas for this quilt. I like the feel of it.

I also love the apple binding on this one. The corners are also much improved thanks to a guild class on binding. She told us when we're doing our fold-over for the corner (when first sewing the binding to the quilt) that you should extend past the quilt a tiny bit, 1/8" or less, and that will give you more fabric when you flip it over and make your corners look more like a right angle.

Just a fun artsy picture with the cute fabric. I really like taking them from this angle.

I also learned how to get an awesome picture of spiral quilting. Go to the second worst place for lighting in your house and give it a go. I was taking pictures and this storm came in but I didn't have a good shot of my quilting. I went inside and flopped in on the floor and was amazed at how the quilting was popping. So I grabbed a picture to share.

This quilt is available in my shop here. Anyway, I hope my tips helps someone. I was so afraid of spiral quilting and then I just went for it last week and I'm so glad I did. I just have to remember - CLOCKWISE! I'm linking up with Finish It Up Friday and TGIFF.

Apple Jack Finish #1

I tried something new and I'm so proud of myself. I tend to let new skills scare me off so I don't even try them. However, I decided I wanted to try spiral quilting and went for it! It's crazy hard to photograph. I tried sun and shade with a little luck on the closeup. This is on my Q2FAL list (found here) Check it out...

So here it is. I used the Jelly Roll Jam pattern from The Fat Quarter Shop. I love how quick and easy this pattern in and it turns out the perfect size for a baby or child. The fabric is Apple Jack by Tim and Beck for Moda.

I love the variety of prints in this quilt. So many fun things to look at but not overwhelming. For the binding I chose the apple print. I like how the binding is just the right size to it show off.

I cannot tell you how much I adore the print on the back of this quilt. I may even like it better than the front. It's certainly interesting enough to make a whole-cloth quilt out of.

Here's a good shot of the spiral quilting. It took me a while but not as long as I expected. I only basted this one on Tuesday so not too bad. Like I said it was hard to capture but so fun to do! I think I learned a few things and want to try it a slightly different way on this quilt's twin. I'll let you know how it goes and if I have any tips and tricks.

I'm linking up with TGIFF, Finish It Up Friday, and Fabric Frenzy Friday.

Finishes: Mine and Hers

My daughter and I both have a finish to share this week! I finished my I-Spy scrappy quilt and she is sharing her pillow she finished a couple of weeks ago. I'm amazed at her FMQing skills. At seven she was so much more confident than I am it was so fun to watch. My I-Spy Scrappy quilt was #3 on my Q2FAL list (goal post here).

Let's start with mine...

It's a slightly odd shape rectangle but my friend really wanted it that way because she has an odd-shaped homemade crib. It finished out at 40.5" by 66" so not bad shape but a little long for the width from what I usually do.

Since the scrappy I-Spy fabric was pretty intense I kept the quilting really simple. I just did straight lines down the vertical seams using a zigzag stitch. I used grey thread and it blends in pretty well on the front while creating a interesting stripe on the back. 

I bound the quilt in the same Kona teal that's on the back side. As always I machine bound it with a zigzag stitch. I really like how this looks and keeps the binding thoroughly stuck down to the quilt.

This is just an artsy picture of the fabric. It was fun to make and use the scraps from my I-Spy quilt.

Now onto my daughters finish. This is a picture heavy bit because she's so adorable I can't stand it!!

Here she is basting it. We spray basted this and she did such a good job making it flat and keeping all the wrinkle out.

Look at my tiny professional! She's got such a great attitude about quilting too. I told her that it might not come out how she pictures in her head or perfect. She said, "Well, I don't draw perfectly and it's still cute so I'm not worried if I don't quilt perfectly." LOVE! I think it's a message we all need.

I couldn't resist this photo of her tongue sticking out. Instead of an allover type of design she opted to create little pictures with the machine. They turned out amazing!

This is her bunny. Isn't it cute?!

This one's a squirrel.

I love the little bird.

These are flowers but are kind of hard to see on the front...

So this is what it looks like on the back side.

She's so proud of her finish. I love it too! If you'd like to see the other post on this click here.

She chose the fabric and the placement all by herself. She did everything on this pillow except the cutting and ironing. It just scares me still to give her hot and sharp things. We're slowly working up to it.

She even made the envelope backing all by herself. I can't believe how good it looks and I'm so excited to have a sewing buddy.

I'm linking up these fun finishes with Fabric Frenzy Friday, TGIFF, and Finish It Up Friday.

Perfect Picnic Blog Hop

I jumped at the chance to be a part of this blog hop because I had a great idea for a picnic blanket that I couldn't wait to make and share! As part of the hop we were also to go on our "perfect" picnic and tell you all about it. It's going to be a fun hop!

Here's my picnic quilt with my basket. Aren't they fun?! The basket I borrowed from a friend who had around eight, all different sizes. It was so fun to go shopping in her basket collection. The blanket is made of I-Spy squares. There are four each of 81 different prints. It took me around eight months to collect them all because I was really specific about what I wanted. On each print is only one thing like pigs or ballet slippers not something like pigs, cows, and chicks. That way it would be easier to call out and find what we were looking for.

Here's my cute family at our picnic. There are seven of us. I'm the one taking the picture. We went to the school by our house that has a huge field and a fun playground. We had a great time running around and playing on the swings.

As far as the food the baby had her usual bottle. I think it's cute that you can see the picnic print in the background at her shoulder.

Here are the girls. The rest of us ate some PB&J, fruit snacks, rice crispy treats, and fun drinks like pop or juice.

The boys looks so handsome together. We sure had fun eating and talking together. Whenever the mood struck someone they would start back up the game of I-Spy calling out a color or a print they saw and everyone else tried to find it.

The baby got into the picnic scene too! She tried some PB&J and also got a tiny bit of a rice crispy treat.

I really like this picture. It's hard keeping everyone happy and fed and after we ate my hubby and I relaxed with the baby while the other four ran to the playground.

Ruby loves the I-Spy quilt! It's so fun for her to crawl around and check everything out.

This was also the day that Ruby turned ten-months old. We take pictures every time she reaches a new month and this picnic scene was perfect for our mini photo shoot. This was my favorite picture out of the bunch. My hubby was flat on the blanket and I held her up in the air.

To take her pictures we had the back side of the blanket up. It's just plain blue Kona Cotton. I'm not sure what color exactly. She decided she liked the print side better and we to flip it over and discovered the grass too.

After that the picnic basket and blanket were forgotten as we went to play at the park. We had so much fun!

We tried to teach my middle daughter tether ball. It was fun until she got too short to reach the ball. Then she was comically jumping every time it swung by.

Four on a tire swing is always a good time. Even when someone loses a flip flop.

The baby even got to try out the big kid swings with the help of Dad.

We loved the picnic so much we did it all again before we had to give back the borrowed basket. It was pretty perfect in my opinion. Everyone had fun, the food was good, and we took some great pictures. Who could ask for more?

Be sure to stop by the other bloggers on the hop...

Quilt Taffy

Pampered Pettit

Creatin' in the Sticks

Miss Priss Quilts

Life in the Scrapatch

That's Sew Julie - *You are here

This was also the first goal on my list for the 2014 Q2 FAL (goal post here).

Color Me a Happy Finish

I love all things V. and Co. for Moda. Her latest line Color Me Happy is no exception. I just finished this fun quilt using it and an aqua background and I think I have a new favorite quilt. Do I say that every time? I used the Honey Honey Layer Cake pattern. This was my May goal for ALYoF and on my Q2FAL list.

Here it is in all its wonderful glory! I love the background color. I'm experimenting with things more exciting than white and gray and it's perfect I tell you, perfect!

Check out my fun binding and backing too. I'm loving this navy dot and those little sprouts.

Here's an artsy picture on my new ladder just for fun.

Then another on the red chair - even though the fabric is pink, don't cringe. I love the matching pillow that I made last week from the Contact Print Pillow found at Crazy Mom Quilts.

Here's a picture of me just holding it up. It's usually my hubby's job but he was covered in car grease and I trusted him with the camera this time. I think his job is harder than taking the pictures. All the blood left my arms and to get it from folding over I had to even stretch my little pinkies out all the way.

Here's a closeup of the block. It was a really fun layout and my new Bloc_Loc ruler make the trimming wonderful!

I'll leave you with this one last artsy picture of the bindng/backing. I love it! This is so me. Note how the colors match my new header - perfection!

I'm linking up with Finish It Up Friday and TGIFF and they ALYoF May Post.