classic yuletide block of the month, or, the tale of the big, scary star block

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Block 1 Puzzle Star

Block 1 Puzzle Star

Block 2 Carolina Lily Variation

Block 2 Carolina Lily Variation

Did I ever tell you about the Fig Tree Classic Yuletide block of the month? I think I totally forgot about it! So, this started in April 2015. I loved sewing the first two blocks - Puzzle Star and Carolina Lily Variation. And then May's block patterns arrive in the mail, and they included a big, scary Feathered Star. I choked. I despaired. I stuck the fabric into a box. (That always makes a problem go away, right?!) Then, the monthly packages piled up and I felt guilty. I'm a little weird in that I like to sew my blocks in the right order, and that meant that I wasn't going to do any of the other blocks until I got over my fear of the big, scary Feathered Star. I KNEW that I needed to just get it done when I saw Sherri's finished quilt. So beautiful! And now, here's the star block!

Block 3 Feathered Star

Block 3 Feathered Star

It wasn't so scary after all! Yes, it took me 4 days to make, and no, I don't ever want to make this block again. I think I finished it at maybe midnight a few days ago and was too tired to even feel happy. But I'm happy now. Knocking off the next several blocks was all downhill after the star!

Block 4 Flying Geese Criss Cross

Block 4 Flying Geese Criss Cross

Block 5 Goose In The Pond

Block 5 Goose In The Pond

What makes this fun is that there's actually an assortment fabrics from different Moda designers. There are two Minick & Simpson red prints and two Bunny Hill cream prints in the Nine Patchwork block. They all play together very nicely. (I'm not sure what that green confetti print is. I think it could be Sweetwater.)

Block 6 Nine Patchwork

Block 6 Nine Patchwork

Now the first three month's blocks are done. I'd love to just work on this, but of course, there are other distractions - such as the FOUR other blocks-of-the-month that I'm working on! My goal is to do two blocks each month from now until October and then I can assemble the quilt.

Don't be like me. Don't hide your big, scary stars in a box. We learn to be better quilters when we practice. I gotta remind myself about that! Have a star-filled day!

little joys quilt along - present block

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Yay! It's week four of the Little Joys quilt along with Elea Lutz! And this little bow-tied present might be my favorite block... this week. (Every new block becomes my new favorite, and that's why I love sampler quilts. No chance to get bored!)

Who doesn't love a pinwheel block topped with a quarter-square-triangle bow? And I finally got to go crazy with the two pink prints. Once again, I tried as hard as I could to have as many fully intact deer as possible in the green print, so I cut my HSTs slightly larger than the pattern and then trimmed them down.

I hope that you're sewing along with us! The pattern download is free from the Fat Quarter Shop, and you can find it here. I'm sure you know that I'm sewing with the kit as a base, and then I added in half yards of the two pink prints.

So now all the blocks have been sewn! And not a moment too soon, I might add, because I've packed up nearly all my sewing supplies in anticipation of my relocation move next week. The only quilty thing that isn't packed is my Little Joys quilt project and supplies. Next Wednesday we'll add sashing and borders! Thanks for stopping by today!

Oh, I almost forgot... if you share your blocks on social media, please use #LittleJoysQuiltAlong and #ILovePennyRose so we can all see your blocks.

little joys - trim the tree block

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LittleJoysQALlogo.png

It's week two of the Little Joys Quilt Along! Join me, some of my favorite bloggers and Fat Quarter Shop as we make the Little Joys mini quilt together. It was designed by Elea Lutz of Penny Rose Fabrics. We're making a tree block this week, a ribboned gift next week and a wreath the following week. Then we can assemble the quilt! I hope that you've gathered your Christmas prints and are ready to sew along with us. (The fabric requirements are here.)

I'm using the kit which includes red and green prints as well as the ivory background. I'll enhance it with Elea's pink prints next week.  (I need my pink and green!)

Could this fabric be any cuter? Nope, I don't think so. It has that perfect retro, vintage look that I love. You'll also want to print out a copy of the tree block pattern. It's available for free here for a limited time, so get yours soon.

This has to be one of the easiest, and most classic tree patterns ever. Simple stitch-and-flip corners form the tiers of the tree. I also did a small amount of strategic cutting when I cut my print strips. I wanted to get as many deer into my tree as possible without cutting off their heads. Decapitated deer aren't very Christmasy :-)

You'll make just three trees.

You can reuse your scraps in a future block or in another project. Here's how I store mine. Simple and not too elegant, but it works...

The bag serves another purpose. I lightly starch my fabrics right before I cut them. Now I know that the fabric in the bag has been starched, while the other fabric still needs to be treated. So, no guessing about which fabric I'm using. And see how great the red and green look next to the pink?

Next Wednesday we'll make the gift box block!

If you share your blocks on social media, be sure to use the hashtag #LittleJoysQuiltAlong. And look at who is sewing along! Such a talented group of ladies, and I'm happy to be included with them.  

december finish! have yourself a quilty little christmas

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Yay! I've finished piecing Have Yourself A Quilty Little Christmas! Now I really want to take it off of my design wall and have it quilted! 

The stocking and wrapped candy just might be my favorite block. I spent awhile auditioning fabrics. The pink candy fabrics were easy. But the stocking has several seams so I stayed away from large prints. That meant pulling every single red fabric out of my closet. And then putting them all away. I love the dimensional hanging loop.

Now can we talk about the border? It took days to piece! It's made of four-patches mixed with alternating squares. The four patches measure 2" finished. It's constructed in a really interesting way - I didn't actually sew 1 1/2" squares. It started with a large pile of small squares...

And a few days later, four borders were finished and attached! I love this border with scrappy, controlled fabrics and 360 pieces. 

Now for the specifics. Have Yourself A Quilty Little Christmas was an online quilt along designed by Lori Holt of Bee In My Bonnet. It measures 34" x 46". Many of the block patterns are in her book Quilty Fun. The specific Christmas-themed blocks were designed just for this quilt along, and the instructions for those blocks were posted by Lori on Instagram. They do not appear in a print version. You can find the free instructions for the tree, present, gingerbread cookie, stocking and ornament by checking Lori's feed on Instagram (it's @beelori1) or by scrolling through #haveyourselfaquiltylittlechristmas. It was fun sewing along with many, many other quilters. We all encouraged each other, and I think that it became competitive, but in a fun way. There are lots of different interpretations of this quilt, and they all look fabulous.

My fabrics are a big mishmash of everything in my stash! The only new fabric that I bought was a fat quarter bundle of Sugar Rush by Josephine Kimberling for Blend Fabrics. I used just six of those prints, but they established the mood. So there's plenty of everything else from my stash. I added anything that matched! 

Ok, I'm ready for my next project!