snapshots month 12 - picnic basket

Hi there! Did y'all enjoy/survive Thanksgiving? We took a quick, three day trip to see family in Ohio. We definitely spent more time in Cincinnati traffic than at the dinner table! We came home with LOTS of leftover turkey (thanks, Carole!), so now comes the fun leftover part. So far, there's been a basic turkey dinner with newly made garlic mashed potatoes, turkey noodle casserole and 12 cups of turkey stock for some unknown future use (if you happen to have old Martha Stewart Living magazines hanging around, the recipe is in a February 1995 article on making stocks). What can I make next?

I'm now back at home and back to sewing! Here's the FINAL Snapshots block called Walk In The Park. Never mind that I've probably only had a handful of picnics in the park... it's a cute block! You can find this month's pattern download here. And take turkey sandwiches on your picnic.

My Snapshots quilt top has been completely finished and I shipped it out to Kaylene for quilting. She sent a sneak peek of the quilting today and it resembles loopy nautical ropes. I'll show it to you just as soon as it comes back to me.

Kimberly and Fat Quarter Shop are now auctioning the signed, original Snapshots quilt on eBay to raise additional funds for St. Jude's Children's Research Hospital. Quilts from Anne Sutton of Bunny Hill and Pat Sloan are up for bidding, too. Get the full scoop and links to the auctions here.

And I almost forgot something! I have two winners for the Quiltmaker 100 Blocks giveaway. Copies of the magazine are now on their way to Renee Lange and MaryAnn Scanlon. Congratulations!

snapshots - sail away

It's Snapshots quilt along month 11! I can't believe that this year's fundraising quilt along is almost over. This sailboat was definitely the easiest and fastest block to sew. This month's recommended Daysail fabrics are just perfect. Kinda reminds me of those sailboats that I saw on my Florida trip last summer.

So by now you know how to get the pattern, right? Head over to the Fat Quarter Shop's Jolly Jabber blog to download the pattern and to watch a tutorial video. Please consider donating $5 for the use of the pattern to St Jude's Children's Research Hospital. You might even want to start to do the photo border sashing on your blocks - see how to do it here.

I'll be back tomorrow (really!) with a fun new baby quilt from the new Fat Quarter Baby book. Hint... it has strawberries!

And thanks so much for your love of the little Christmas tree tutorial that I provided last month. It's been really exciting to see so many of them popping up all over Instagram. I love seeing how you've all customized the tree and car with your own fabrics. Please keep on tagging me so that I can see your trees! (And also, please credit me for the tree tutorial. Don't create or sell kits using my pattern without asking or linking back to my blog tutorial, okay? Nuff said. :-) )

snapshots month 10 - car

Wow, we are on month 10 of the Snapshots charitable quilt along! This month we are making a sporty red car on the way to the beach with a surfboard on the roof. The block is called "Gone Surfin." But wait... I have a tree on my roof! Ok, let me explain.

I don't surf. I don't own a surfboard. But I recently "Gone to Indiana" in a new Suburu. And since this quilt is a snapshot of important moments in our lives, I thought about moments that are important to me. Christmas is important, with lots of significance as well as opportunities to decorate, eat and relax. So how about adding a Christmas tree to my car?!

I'll tell you all about how to make a Christmas tree just like mine. First, a small disclaimer. Y'alll know that I'm not a professional pattern writer, but I think you'll be able to follow along. First, digitally drive over to the Fat Quarter Shop and download your free Gone Surfin block pattern (and please consider making a $5 donation for the use of the pattern to St Jude Children's Research Hospital here.) Build your car just like the pattern specifies.

Now of course, you can go ahead and make the really cute surf board. But If you want to try a tree, here's how I made mine. For the "branches",  you'll need to make 5 flying geese that measure 1 3/4" x 3" unfinished. Use your favorite method, like maybe (2) 1 3/4" background "sky" squares and (1) 1 3/4 x 3" green "branch" rectangle for each goose, sewn with the stitch and flip method. Or I used the Mini Fit To Be Geese ruler. Sew the 5 green flying geese together in a row.

Next, build your tree trunk. I sewed a grey print measuring 1" x 5" between two background white prints measuring 1 1/2" x 5" each. Press towards the grey trunk.

Now add the pieced grey trunk unit to the base of the flying geese branches unit. Trim the short end of the trunk so that the entire tree unit measures 3" x 10 1/2" - voila, it's the exact same size as the surfboard! Now add the "C" background rectangles (refer to pattern cutting directions) to both ends of the tree. It will now measure 3" x 16 1/2" long. Then add the completed tree unit to the car and you're done!

In the craziness of my recent move, I completely forgot to show you last month's Quilty Cat block! (Chloe and Mia said that this is their favorite block, but maybe they're a little biased.) You'll find the pattern download right here, next to the car pattern. I've also started to add the sashing to each block as I sew. The assembly pattern is already posted on the Fat Quarter Shop link, so why not? It will make it a whole lot quicker to assemble the quilt top very soon!

Oh, one more thing. There are still some Snapshot fabric kits available here, as well as a backing set. I've enhanced the kit with other Bonnie & Camille prints from my stash.

Thanks for stopping by! Now go sew!

like riding a bike

Wow, it's month 8 of the Snapshots quilt along! How did it get to be mid-August already?! And I am officially declaring this block my favorite one so far (until next month).

I'm loving this block so much because honestly, I didn't think I could do it. All those little pieces. That handlebar. That seat. Well, really, it's completely do-able with the super clear instructions. There are lots of stitch-and-flip pieces here, so it's made completely with squares and rectangles. It just looks complicated. I just read the directions several times and sewed very slowly and it all came together perfectly.

If only real bicycles came in prints! Since this quilt is a collection of snapshots of my life, you might wonder how a bicycle fits into that scheme, right? Well, when I was a kid I bicycled everywhere. After the bicycle with training wheels (and lots of tears, just ask my dad), I then got a purple bicycle with a sparkly purple glitter seat. Yes, sparkly purple glitter. And it had those streamer things on the handlebars. But it was the mid 1970's and I'm sure that it was the "grooviest" bicycle ever. Then came the green metallic 10 speed Schwinn and I rode that thing EVERYWHERE. I remember bicycling miles to go to my favorite preppy shops in Pittsford, NY. (Imagine me wearing pink and green while cycling on my neon green bike. All true.) I had all the nifty gadgets - toe clips, gadgets, bottles, saddle bags. I'd also ride it though the farmland in Victor, NY, past the cows and corn. Alas, my favorite transportation was abandoned when I moved to NYC.

But now that I'VE MOVED TO INDIANA, there might be a new bicycle in my future! And I can ride it through the corn fields, just like yesterday once more.

Now I know that you want/need to make your own bicycle, too. Here's how to make yours:

• the free pattern download is here
• the kit that I used is here, featuring Daysail prints (I added some Scrumptious and Miss Kate
• consider making a small donation to St. Jude's Children's Research hospital here
• tag your block with #fqssnapshots on social media to share your blocks

up, up and away in my beautiful balloon

It's time for the July Snapshots sew along block!

Actually, it's a little past the time for this block. Ahem. I might have forgotten to show it to you last week because I was surrounded by moving boxes, small AND large bubbles, white newsprint and tape guns. You all know about the Snapshots sew along, right? And how it benefits St Jude Children's Research Hospital? And how we are making one block each month that represents a snapshot of our lives? If you need a refresher, just hop over here to get all the details, plus links to the patterns, video tutorials, kit and donation page. 

This block represents my 20 trips to New Mexico! Every fall, a massive Balloon Fiesta is held in Albuquerque. (And if you're curious, here's a time-lapse video showing the balloons taking off at sunrise. It's amazing.) The fiesta is in October, but I usually visit in mid-November - it's my annual birthday tradition - so I haven't seen the balloons yet. Balloon imagery is found all over the state, and even on some license plates. Of course I would want to take a ride in a cute fabric balloon. (Actually, the truth is that I'd be terrified to get into that balloon. I'd need Dramamine. And cookies. And somebody to hold my hand. But I'd enjoy watching them take off and float around.)

Once again, I used the kit as a starting point, but I changed some of the Daysail prints and I added a Scrumptious tiny floral. The same floral was also used as "whipped cream" on last month's ice cream sundae block, so the finished quilt will have some continuity. I felt that the smaller, repeating prints would be more forgiving in the seams than the intended stripe would have been.

Ok, so get your balloons sewn up! The next pattern will be released on August 15 and it's the bicycle!

Finally, while making the balloon block I had to listen to Up, Up and Away by the 5th Dimension. Maybe I'll need to play this while I float over Albuquerque in my quilted fabric balloon!

snapshots month 6 - triple scoop sundae

Can you believe that we're already on month 6 of the Snapshots quilt along?

Oh yes, summer has arrived! Let's cool down with a triple scoop ice cream sundae!

You all know that I am truly a dessert fanatic. But my very favorite treat is ICE CREAM! I used to live in Burlington, VT and I would visit the original Ben & Jerry's shop weekly. It was in a converted gas station, and they played movies on the roof during the summer. So you can imagine how excited I was to finally make this block. I made three scoops in my favorite flavors. First is a strawberry scoop with drippy sauce and sprinkles. Next, a pistachio scoop. I love pistachio ice cream, and that goes way back to childhood car trips with my parents. We'd stop at Howard Johnson restaurants and I'd always order Mr. Twist (spaghetti and meatballs) and pistachio ice cream. And finally, the blue scoop represents another childhood favorite - bubblegum ice cream.

(Ok, the absolute truth is that I live for chocolate ice cream with marshmallow and chocolate sauce. But this quilt doesn't have any brown prints, so I picked my next best favorites! Remember, this quilt is all about snapshots of our lives!

I hope that you are sewing along with us. Snapshots is a monthly sew along that also doubles as a fundraiser for St. Jude's Children's Research Hospital. Each month's block pattern is a free download. This month's block pattern and a video tutorial are available here. Please consider making a $5 donation to the St. Jude's Children's Research Hospital here. Use your own stash fabrics, or purchase the kit with Daysail prints here. I used the kit as a starting point and then customized it with some prior-season Miss Kate and Scrumptious prints that were already in my stash. Be sure to tag your blocks with #fqssnapshots on social media so that we can all see your blocks! Happy sewing! And now... I'm going to eat my ice cream! It's Ben & Jerry's Americone Dream.

snapshots quilt along starts now!

I'm so excited today! Why? It's the first month of the Snapshots Quilt Along! I'll give you the full scoop in just a minute. But first, I gotta show you this month's block! It's a LAYER CAKE! 

Just what we need right after the holidays, right? A big piece of yummy cake. Except that this cake has no calories. None whatsoever. And we can all feel good about having our cake because the Snapshots Quilt Along is a fundraiser for St. Jude Children's Research Hospital.

On the 15th of each month for twelve months, Fat Quarter Shop will post a block pattern that you can download. The link to this month's pattern is here. The blocks represent snapshot-worthy moments in our lives, such as sewing (of course!), food, entertainment and pets. (My cats can't wait for me to hurry up and get to the kitty block!) The patterns are free, but a donation of $5.00 per pattern is suggested. St. Jude will benefit from the funds raised, and Moda Fabrics and Fat Quarter Shop will match donations, with a goal of $10,000. As I write this, donations are already at $2040, and today is just the first day!

I'll be sewing with the Snapshots kit. It features Bonnie & Camille's hot new Daysail fabric collection for Moda Fabrics. I'll also add in some of Bonnie & Camille's Miss Kate just to be a little different from the kit. The kit is available for preorder here, and it even includes a spool of Aurifil thread and some buttons for the cat and dog eyes. There's also a backing kit which has a camera block. But you can definitely get creative and use your stash or your own customized fabric collection. All you need to do is download the pattern each month and you're ready to sew! I'd love to see this done in Me & My Sister's new Bandana fabric, a grouping of Fig Tree fabrics, or Bunny Hill's new Mistletoe Lane.

Bonnie & Camille have even filmed a tutorial on how to assemble the cake block along with Kimberly Jolly from Fat Quarter Shop. You'll see that the block only looks complicated. It's easy to do when broken down into simple steps. And there's no applique and no templates!

Each month, I'll be sewing along with a group of amazing designers and bloggers. I'm honored to be included with this talented group of ladies. Be sure to hop over to be inspired by their cake blocks, too.

• Camille Roskelley of Thimble Blossoms
• Bonnie Olaveson of Cotton Way
• Pat Sloan of The Voice Of Quilting
• Lori Holt of Bee In My Bonnet
• Sherri McConnell of A Quilting Life
• Melissa Corry of Happy Quilting
• Thelma Childers of Cupcakes N' Daisies
• Pam Viera McGinnis of Pam Kitty Morning
• Anne Sutton of Bunny Hill Designs
• Stephanie Kendron of The Modern Sewciety
• Natalia Bonner of Piece N Quilt
• Greg Jones of Grey Dogwood Studio (hey, that's me!)
• Jessie Fincham of Messy Jesse

Even more details can be found here, along with a preview of all the upcoming blocks! I do hope that you'll join us. It will be fun for a good cause!

snapshots quilt along!

I've joined the Snapshots Quilt Along! I will be sewing twelve novelty blocks that capture life's happy snapshot-worthy moments! We all take pictures of our pets and our food, right? Well, this quilt includes cat and dog blocks to go along with cake, ice cream and picnic food! We'll also create some outdoor-inspired blocks, such as a hot air balloon, bicycle, sailboat and Volkswagen.

All twelve blocks, borders, binding and backing use Bonnie & Camille's hot new fabric collection for Moda called Daysail. I love the happy aqua, red and navy in this collection. And look at the cool white-on-white print! Would I be weird if I said that the white print reminds me of sequins? Here are some of my very favoritest prints in the collection.

But maybe the best part is that the Snapshots quilt along will benefit St Jude Children's Research Hospital to help advance cures and preventative measures for children's illnesses. Fat Quarter Shop and Moda Fabrics will match up to $10,000 of the donations that are received during the quilt along. I love that, and I'll be making monthly donations right along with everybody else to help reach this goal.

So here's how it works. Fat Quarter Shop will post a pattern pdf which can be downloaded on the 15th of each month. There will be twelve monthly block patterns. The first pattern will be posted on January 15 and will be a yummy, layer cake (y'all remember my cake obsession, right?!) A donation to St Jude of $5 is requested each month when you download the pattern, although, of course, you may donate whatever you wish. And trust me when I say that these highly detailed patterns are well worth your time and donation. I've already started to work on the layer cake. Everything is rotary pieced! Here's a little peek!

You can use your own fabric! So get creative and clean out your stash! Or go ahead and sew with the Daysail Snapshots kit to make a quilt that looks like mine.

I'll post my block each month on the 15th, along with a link to the pattern. Fat Quarter Shop will also have a fun, tutorial video each month to help you sew your blocks. Here is a link to an introductory video that Kimberly Jolly taped with special guests, Bonnie Olaveson and Camille Roskelley to introduce you to the quilt along. (It is fun to finally hear Bonnie and Camille speak!)

I will be sewing along with a great group of talented designers and quilters. I'm honored to be a part of the group, and I can't wait to see their fabric combinations. Find even more detailed information about the Snapshots quilt along (and a preview of all the blocks) here.

I do hope that you'll join me!

(Do you see how I've loaded so many links onto this post? That's because my new computer works quickly and efficiently!!! Yay! Adding posts to my blog is fun again!)