Road 15 Quilt Finish

I finished another quilt! I'm loving the texture of this one and the fabrics. I'm glad to have it finished. This is number four off my Q1FAL list. This quilt was also made entirely from stash. I'm loving using all my stash and so is my bank account!

I used the Happy Weekender tutorial with a slight modification. I changed the number of charms in the border so I only needed two charm packs instead of three. I needed slightly more background yardage for this way but I think it's worth it not to have a charm pack minus four squares lying around. This is the second time I've used this pattern.

I think I made a bad call with the background fabric though. It blends too well with some of the fabrics and they get lost. Maybe a lighter or a darker gray would have been a better choice.

Here's a better view of some of the prints. I really love these. The colors are fun and the little houses, maps, and tree prints are right up my alley.

I quilted this with 1.5" increments and then bound and added my tag. I got some yardage with tags on them from Sweetwater and I just love them. Since they also made the Road 15 fabric from this quilt it was a pretty great match and the little house is just adorable.

I had SO MANY PROBLEMS quilting this one. You wouldn't think a bunch of straight lines would be harder than my last quilt with all the pebbles but it totally was. The spray basting just wasn't holding. I've spray basted for years and have never had this problem. It was so weird. I even used the same can of spray on a different quilt with no issues. The whole thing just came apart without me being aware and there were huge shifts and wrinkles. I had to unpick several lines of quilting and make do the best I could. Needless to say I'm happy this is over.

I love the pictures of quilts being held up, you get a really great view of the quilt. However, my usual quilt holder was at work so I enlisted three of my five kids, plus a bonus baby, to hold it up for me. They did a great job.

Even though the wind would get involved from time to time. The little one in the middle was to help keep the quilt more straight. They were quite the team.

Thanks for stopping by! I'm glad to cross another thing off my Q1FAL list. It was looking pretty sad last week and now I've got six finishes! I'm linking up with TGIFF and Finish It Up Friday.

Cable Knit Hat Finish and a Quilt Near Finish

I finished my cable knit hat and I'm so excited with how it turned out. This has been a long project for me and several times I was ready to give up but kept pushing. Then I switched to Addi Turbo needles and it made all the difference! With the change I was able to finish the hat in record time and mark off another finish from my Q1FAL list. This is number six. Check it out...

This is the Traveling Cable Hat pattern which can be found here for free from the Purl Bee. This was my first attempt at cables and I missed two crucial crossover stitches. One I did did a round later (because I couldn't figure out how to go backward with the cables) and the other I missed completely. Other than that it was a fairly straightforward concept and I just love the end result.

It's starting to get too warm for a hat here in Iowa but I'm willing to overlook that to show it off a bit. It looked crazy long and skinny when I was working on it but it stretched out nicely to fit pretty well in the end.

You can see the missed stitch on the bottom right. I keep telling myself it's not that bad and it's in the back. I'm still in love with the hat and super happy with my first attempt at cables.

Not only did I finish the hat but I've been on a super housewife streak lately. I've been doing my chores every day before I craft and not only is my house a much cleaner place but we're all happier too and I'm getting a ton done. Since my floor was so clean and I'd already moved the chairs to mop I quickly spray basted this quilt and then mopped again.

I'm quilting this one with straight lines every 1.5" and I'm loving how fast and easy it is after all the pebbles of my last quilt. I also adore this fabric, it is Road 15 by Sweetwater for Moda.

I've completed over half the quilt so far and should be done in time for the quarter finish linkup. This is number four on my list.

Thanks for stopping by! I'll probably post the quilt finish later this week if everything goes to plan.

Lotus Pond Quilt Finish!

I am so excited to share this finish with you! I'm so pleased with many aspects of this quilt from the fabric, to the pattern and piecing, but I'm most excited about the quilting. Also exciting is that this finish crosses off so many things. This is my goal for March with ALYoF and is #17 on my Q1FAL list. I also made this with all stash making it another finish for Sew My Stash 2015. Without further ado...

Here it is!! See, love! The fabric is Lotus Pond by Rae Hoekstra for Cloud9. I love the bold colors and prints. I picked the Vintage Quilt pattern from Camille Roskelley's book Simply Retro to show off the fabric and it did a great job.

For the quilting I did pebbles in all the white spaces with some free-motion straight lines in the border. This was my first attempt at pebbles and I'm so happy with them! I was going for a bubbles in water and made them all different sizes.

I think this is my favorite block. I adore these multi-colored snails. If you would have told me before this fabric that snails were cute I would have thought you were crazy but I love this.

I love this picture because there are so many great things to look at. You can see the fun snail backing fabric, the frog binding, my tag from yardage by Sweetwater for Moda, and how I did the borders/corners. The quilting on this one took me over three weeks of free-time but so worth it!

Now it is waiting for me in my favorite red rocker for some naptime reading. My daughter just finished this book and asked me to read it so we could talk about it together. The book is Scat by Carl Hiaasen and it's fun so far.

Quilt Stats:
Fabric: Lotus Pond by Rae Hoekstra for Cloud9
Pattern: Vintage by Camille Roskelley
Quilting: FMQ pebbles and straight lines by me.
Finished size: Twin

Thanks for stopping by! I'm linking up today with TGIFF and Fabric Frenzy Friday and Finish It Up Friday.

WiP Update and a Finish

I've been having a hard time blogging lately, especially in March. You see, about 3/4 of my traffic comes from Crazy Mom Quilts and her Finish It Up Friday linky. Without it I just don't get a ton of traffic and I take the time to work on a lot of labor intensive but little to show for it projects. Thus, the lack of posting as they would all pretty much be the same. However, you can find me fairly active on Instagram @julieschloemer.

That being said I do have some fun stuff to show you today. An eclectic collection of what I've been working on and finally another finish off my Q1FAL list.

This is number seven on my Q1FAL list. My daughter and I bought these cute wool pin cushions in October when we went to the AQS show in Des Moines. With the crazy move shortly after and getting settled down we just now got to them. Hers is finished too but she took it to school to show off so I had to go with an older shot. I love how these turned out but I know I won't be sticking any pins in them.

Another quick finish was this little pouch for my SIL who drove me all around Austin during my recent trip to Quiltcon. She was so sweet and told me how much she loved mine over and over that I thought I'd whip one up for her. The best part, it was all out of my stash, even the zip.

My SIL also got this cool crochet dragon. I made her one a long time ago but she gave it away to a sweet little boy from her class that ended up in the hospital. She teaches third grade in Texas. I think this one turned out even better than the first one so her generosity turned out well.

In other news I finished quilting my Lotus Pond quilt. This isn't the best picture but it has been raining and cloudy ever since this and it's the best I have right now. I did pebbles in all the white areas and a piano key-esque thing in the border. I love it and can't wait to show it off!

I'm really big into swaps on Instagram right now. Currently I'm enrolled in seven. This project is for the Cotton and Steel mini swap. My partner isn't very active on Instagram and has said nothing on any of my posts or, for what I can tell, anyone else in the hashtag. I hope she love it because I do!

I'm also finally putting my Miss Kate fat quarter bundle to use making a giant swoon. I'm doing 16 blocks instead of the usual nine. To help keep me motivated but not overwhelmed I joined up with the #swoonalong2015 and am making 2 blocks a month. I missed February with all the quiltcon and other craziness so here I am all caught up.

My knit cable hat is going so much better now. I was doing it on some bamboo needles and it was frustratingly slow. I switched to some Addi Turbo needles I grabbed off Amazon and I'm loving this project now and might actually have it finished this quarter!

I'm putting the binding on my Lotus Pond quilt and I'm so excited! This is my ALYoF goal for March and I totally think I can finish in time!

Here's a little peek of what is coming in the future. I either got these in the mail or picked them up at my new favorite LQS. The top left three are going to be Sailor Tops for me, my first ever attempt at a top. The others are for commissions, stash, or swaps.

Thanks for stopping by! I hope to get back into a more regular blogging groove soon but my smallest one is going to have her tonsils removed the beginning of April so we'll see how that goes. I'm linking up with WiP Wednesday.

Family Tree ZigZag Quilt Finish

I'm so happy I finished something this week. It seems to be the crazy week of "start all the things!" I got fabric for six different projects this week alone and have already cut into three of them. Five of the six need to be done by the end of February so it's been a bit crazy around here. This zigzag quilt is #3 on my Q1FAL list!

Here it is in all its glory. I had fun with this fabric - Family Tree for Moda. It was an interesting color palate and fun prints that I wouldn't usually reach for. I paired it with Kona white. It ended up 36" square.

I just love this angle when photographing quilts. It's what it would look like as I gaze down upon it while snuggling and it makes me happy. You can also see the quilting really well here. I did two lines about 1/4" away from the seam/each other.

I always bind in a zigzag stitch in coordinating thread. I love the look and feel but I especially love how sturdy it makes them. This thread was so the perfect color that you're hard pressed to find it in the picture.

Someone I started following on Instagram took a few quilt photos like this and I thought it was a fun way to show off the back, binding, and front all at the same time. The back and binding are both from the Chirp Chirp line for Moda and coordinate really well.

I have no idea where this one is going to end up. Originally it was intended for my Etsy shop but (in spite of being crazily under priced) quilts aren't selling well. However, my crocheted hats are doing quite nicely so that's something to be thankful for. Anyway, I'm linking up with my favorite places on Friday... TGIFF and Finish It Up Friday.

Crochet Blanket and Fancy Fox Top

So I'm already crossing things off my Q1FAL list. I slaved away all day Wednesday and yesterday and finally finished Ruby's crochet blanket. I also finished up the top of my Fancy Fox quilt which was my ALYoF goal for January! I'm so on the ball that this takes pressure off of whatever I choose to create for the rest of the month. Hurray!

Here's my little Ruby with her finished blanket. She'll be 18 months at the end of the month and I'm so happy it's finally done! It was supposed to be finished before her birth. I guess that's what you get being the youngest of five. ;)

It's a good size for a tiny person at 30" by 36" (ish) and the texture is so fun. Since I've had a couple of inquiries about the pattern here's what I know. This blanket is from a kit sold by Herrshners. They have not released the pattern without the kit.

Everyone loves rubbing the scallops back and forth.

Here's another project that I thought I might never get done. I've been working on these foxes since at least September. I'm so glad to finally have the top sewn! I usually take pictures of my quilts outside so the lighting is better but it is currently three degrees and feels like -28* so that wasn't going to happen. This is a twin size quilt on a queen bed.

Here's my little orange lover on it. Alex is obsessed with all things orange. It can be any shade or variety of orange - like his pants that are a little more red than orange.

I asked him which block was the best and he said, "all of them!" Then he proceeded to point to each of the eighty foxes saying, "I like this one and this one, and this one..." Good stuff.

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

First Quarter FAL List!

As usual for me I have a crazy long but awesome list of projects I'd like to finish for my first quarter finish along goals. I know I won't get to them all but it's every so hard to try to decide what to work on when so I'm popping them all on the list. Adrianne from On The Windy Side has taken over the Finish Along for the year. Check out my list below then hop on over and see what everyone else is working on. If you haven't made a list and want to there is still time!! As always I have this list on my sidebar and I will link them up there when complete so you all can keep up with my progress. I love how this totally plays into my other goal for this year to Sew My Stash! Now on to the list...

#1 Ruby Crochet Blanket - Since she had her first birthday last Summer and I usually have these done before their birth I've feeling a little guilt about this one and need to get it off my list. I think I only have 11 rows which would be three color changes left.

#2 Miss Kate Swoon - The fabric is Miss Kate and I think it would be wonderful as a swoon quilt. I made a swoon block for another project last year and loved it. This one is going to be extra large though so it can go on my bed - four blocks square.

#3 Zigzag Baby Quilt - This one should be pretty fast and simple. I think it will end up being for my shop. Just a zigzag pattern with a print and white rectangle.

#4 Route 15 Quilt - This one has been pushed off for way too long. It will be one for me with the Happy Weekender tutorial I fell in love with.

#5 Route 15 Pillow - Made to match the above quilt. Should be quick, easy, and fun!

#6 - Knit Cable Hat - Since learning to knit in October I've become a bit obsessed and am having so much fun picking up new skills. I bought this yarn and got the free pattern from Purl Bee to stretch myself but it has sat like this for several weeks now. I would like it on my head this Winter.

#7 Peacock Pin Cushion - I loved the hand sewing of making my kids' stockings but wanted something fancy for myself that I could keep in my sewing room. Thus entered this adorable peacock pin cushion. Probably too fancy to use but it would be adorable on the ledge found above my sewing tables.

#8 Serenade Twists and Turns - I've had an on again off again relationship with this fabric and the Twists and Turns tutorial. I love them and would like to see it happen but I keep finding other things to work on. I'd love to have this huge bunch of pretty fabric as a quilt and not taking up so much of my shelf space.

#9 Orange Fancy Fox Quilt - My youngest son adores all things orange and foxes. This quilt is going to be epic for me. I have all the foxes pieced, binding made, and backing on hand. I just need to get it put together.

#10 Scrumptious Baby Quilt - I've had this fabric all cut out and ready to piece for over a year now. It just needs to happen. I'll be using this Pinwheel Baby Quilt tutorial.

#11 Dottie Mini - This was a total impulse buy at my LQS. I usually don't do that. It should be fun though. I think I'll try the pinwheel one in the middle.

#12 Halloween Dwell Mini - I know this is totally out of season now but I missed the blog hop this was supposed to be made for and would like to see my idea happen. This is probably the bottom of the list priority wise but I'm leaving it on here anyway.

#13 Sparklettes Quilt - Using Far Far Away II and Cotton + Steel Basics I'm going to make the first quilt in the Fat Quarter Style book. My middle daughter is over the moon excited about this one.

#14 Hazel Hedgehog Quilt - My eldest daughter is in love with all kids of animals and wanted an animal quilt. I'm in love with C+S Basics so the two combined should be pretty epic.

#15 Primrose Quilt - Ruby is about ready to trade to a twin bed. I was poking through the Fat Quarter Style book with her sitting next to me and she freaked out with excitement when she saw this quilt. She was bouncing around and pointing like crazy then patting and hugging the book. Ruby is currently 15 months old so this is pretty adorable sharing her opinion. I thought it was a one time thing but every time she's seen this quilt for weeks now she gets really excited about it. She even knows how to find it in the book now and won't stop for any other quilt. I decided to use the Miss Kate fabric from Bonnie and Camille because it will coordinate well with her baby quilt made from Ruby by Bonnie and Camille.

#16 Aviatrix Quilt - I'm sure this is biting off more that I can chew (especially considering the rest of the list) but I just can't help myself. This is going to be for me and AMAZING!!

#17 Vintage Quilt - Using Lotus Pond fabric I'm going to make the Vintage quilt from Camille Roskelley's book Simply Retro. I may or may not let my small people touch this one. We'll see how it goes. ;)

#18 Nana Pillows - My mom asked for pillows from this leftover bunch of Papillon that I used to make her this quilt. I'm excited about this!

#19 Simply Woven - I've had the fabric for this cut for over two years now. I really need to whip this one up and send it on its way. It's from the Simply Woven tutorial and will look pretty awesome if I ever get around to it.

#20 Vintage Modern quilt - Just to make it an even 20 I'll add this lovely bundle of Vintage Modern. I have been collecting and sitting on it for a while now and I think I finally decided on a pattern! On a Whim from Thimble blossoms has struck my fancy which is funny because she made the original with Vintage Modern.

Once again a crazy long list. I'm excited about so many of the things on it now and can't wait to get working! It will be fun to see what I get finished and what I end up working on not on the list - there's always something. I'm linking up with WiP Wednesday.