FO: Plaid Big Log Cabin

You might remember this big log cabin that I finished last year (or maybe you don't. that's okay!). Well, soon after finishing, I wanted to make another version.

I had most of a Kona jelly roll and I just loved how the bright colors paired with this Denyse Schmidt plaid. Of course, said plaid was one of her exclusives at Joann, and was virtually impossible to find.

Luckily, Jenny came to the rescue and sent me some of her precious stash. It was so wonderful of her, especially since I only know her virtually (hi, Jenny!).

I used three favorite prints on the back (I especially love that Nordika print from Jeni!).

I quilted it very densely in a crosshatch and the texture is really amazing. Several times, I questioned my sanity as I was quilting. But I'm so glad I kept going. I bound the quilt in this, and I love that it softly frames the quilt without competing. Finishes at 54" square.

A lie and a quarter log cabin WIP

After thinking about my last post, I realized that I am not done making pineapple log cabin blocks. I currently have 24, so there are more to make!

And here is my photographic proof of a finished scrappy quarter log cabin quilt top:

photo credit-Jeni Baker (Thanks, Jeni!)

I think I will share my current pile of finished tops next, in hopes that it will motivate me to get quilting!

A few strip scrap WIPs

Lately, I have been extra obsessed with sewing from my strip scraps. I have four strip WIPs right now.

There's the scrappy quarter log cabin (I assembled the top this past weekend in Wisconsin! Photographic proof soon!). I made 56 10.5 inch blocks using all kinds of color.

Then there's the June quilt, from Amanda Jean's new book, No Scrap Left Behind. I have the top partially assembled, and I hope to finish it pretty soon. For this one, I cut a big pile of strips into the size she called for, which sped up the sewing process.

I also started a more selective log cabin project a few weeks ago. I'm using reds, neutrals, browns and yellows, and I've got ten blocks finished.

This color palette inspired me to make a pillow for Chase recently (I'll share that soon!), and then led to these blocks.

Finally, there are my scrappy pineapple blocks. I have the blocks finished, so I just need to stitch them together for a finished top!

With all of these projects, I still have the itch to work with my strips (and they never seem to deplete), so I am sure I will start a few more projects with them before the year is out.
And that brings me great comfort.

FO: Big Log Cabin

Log cabin blocks are a forever favorite.

Really, I find them so comforting. And when I was asked to make a baby quilt in navy, grays and white, I decided it was a perfect opportunity to make one giant log cabin.

I used 2.5" strips (I had a roll of precut white strips, which jumpstarted the cutting process) in Kona Nightfall and miscellaneous neutral shades (all Kona).

The scrappy back is a mix of navy prints from the stash. The quilt is 43" x 44".

I have already started a new big log cabin this time with a Denyse Schmidt plaid and bright Kona solids.

A post shared by Jacey (@jaceynotjc) on Mar 26, 2017 at 3:56pm PDT

Again, I am using 2.5" strips, and seriously, it is a super speedy quilt. And as always, the log cabin block feels limitless!

Round Robin start

I was asked to join a new round robin traveling quilt bee, and I am really excited! There are just four other members, and I feel like each quilt will be unique and challenging. It is always fun to work within someone else's vision, and it often makes me consider something I wouldn't normally.

And you know, it is an excuse to start something new! I chose a more subtle palette than I normally do, although it has lovely pops of bright citron!

My starting piece was a block from the first issue of Quilt Now, which is a drunkard's path with a star pieced into the center. I really love it, and I added a little asymmetry to it, with some leftover pieced solids and a strip of Dreamin' Vintage.

I left it hanging with a batch of quarter log cabin blocks, until it was time to send it off (but those log cabin blocks are still hanging!). I can't wait to see how this quilt evolves!

2016 quilts

I used to do recap posts, and I always enjoyed the process. In the new year, I hope to keep better track of my projects, and whittle down my WIPs (currently, I have 27 quilt WIPs). Looking back, I finished 13 quilts in 2016.

I haven't shared a few of them here, but pictured above:

Magic Stars (pattern by Aneela Hoey)
xplus 2.0 (block tutorial by Badskirt Amy)
Waypoint (pattern in Patchwork Essentials by Jeni Baker)
Brushstrokes Plus (pattern by Jeni Baker)
Feathers (pattern by Alison Glass & Nydia Khenle)
Log Cabin for a Whale
Envelopes (block from Jeni Baker's Patchwork Essentials)
Hearts (block tutorial by Cluck Cluck Sew)
Tula 100 (the back shown here)
Baby Swoon (pattern by Camille Roskelley)

I am currently handsewing the binding onto my first 2017 finish. Onward!

FO: Cabin for a Whale

Dude. This is cute.

Why are log cabin quilts so awesome? I think I love them because they are often scrappy, you can play with value for endless pattern possibilities, and the blocks are easy to chain piece without getting mixed up.
This quilt had an intended recipient, but I really found myself resisting when it was time to hand it over.

orange and blue is always a good combination and those whales are awfully cute.

This one has a scrappy back and binding, for extra scrappy goodness.

Because, scraps.

FO: A Tribute to Alice

Leah is my family, thanks to Elliott. Her mother recently passed away, and I used some of her mother's treasured fabric stash to make this pillow, a gift for Leah.

It was heartwarming to make, and Leah could recall many of the garments her mother made with the fabrics I used. That's the amazing thing about sewing, isn't it? It's time travel. You can look at one piece of fabric and recall the past. You might notice that I included two scraps from my stash, which I think work well with the fabrics from Alice.

I wish I could have met Alice. She loved to sew and I'm sure we would have had lots to talk about. I have plans to make some more gifts for Leah and her daughters, so they can have little reminders of Alice, always.

Catching up: Jeni's Fantastic Quilt Voyage

Somehow, I've missed sharing my last few Fantastic Quilt Voyage contributions with you.

First up is Jeni's quilt. Jeni sent along several orphan blocks as the start of her quilt, and asked for blocks of varying sizes in similar colors, using her pinterest board for inspiration. I decided to make Jeni a set of blocks inspired by this Wonky Bee project:

I guess you would call them pentagonal log cabins?

Whatever you call them, they are fun. I cut some of Jeni's scraps into strips, and added a few of my own fabrics. You just cut a piece of fabric for the starting piece, with five sides and log cabin away!

I love Jeni's color palette and her orphan block concept.

FO(s): Lazy Sunday quilts (on a Friday)

Instead of talking about why I haven't posted in awhile, how about I show you some quilts?

I've been crafting up a storm, and I finished this set of quilts for my step-mother a few months back.

Terri gave me free reign on the pattern and fabrics, just requesting quilts with a chevron look, one in brown & mint and another in brown & light blue. I chose to work May Chappell's Lazy Sunday pattern. This pattern was part of the gift bag at the Stash Bash two years ago, and I was happy to finally use it.

It's a great log cabin project, and one I would definitely make again! Although I started both versions simultaneously, at some point, it made more sense to concentrate on finishing one, and then the other.

I quilted them in the same way, using diagonal straight lines, and I love the effect. These are twin-size quilts, so quite an accomplishment! I especially love the backs.

I used a few leftover blocks and leftover stash to make my favorite scrappy back. These quilts were entirely made from stash (my blue/aqua stash doesn't look as if I touched it).

Personally, I love the light blue version.

I've been working on lots of other things, and I promise to visit this spot more often, and I hope you will, too!

Wordless Wednesday

Jeni's Drawstring Bag pattern is available here

A few bits

Here's a few things I've been working on recently:

Scrappy log cabin blocks for Natalie

The first (of many) Lucky Stars BOM paper pieced star. This is a collection of patterns that Don't Call Me Betsy designed. The block shown is from January 2013.
Clearly, I'm a little behind.

My Scrappy Hue Shift blanket is growing. I'm at thirty squares now. I've thoroughly enjoyed each square. My newest bundle of scraps is from Rue, which I've already started to use.

I've got a local retreat this weekend, and have been prepping a few projects to work on, so I'll have more to share on that shortly.

FO: A quilt for Mom

If you don't follow me on Instagram, this quilt is new to you.

I haven't shared it here or on flickr, because my mom wanted to be surprised with this gift. She knew I was making her a quilt (I started earlier this year), but didn't want to know anything about it. No sneak peeks! I took pictures along the way, though, so I could share them here.

I gifted it to my mom this weekend, and she loves it. She's a purple lover, to the max. She's been patiently waiting for a quilt, and I wanted to make her something really special. I love a good log cabin, but I have never made a light and dark or "lights and furrows" version. It was fun to limit myself to just two colors on this project, and yet, it is still very scrappy.

Working with several eggplant and light gray fabrics from the stash (with a few additions over the months), I started making blocks.

I finished the top (approximately 60" square) in June and it sat for a few weeks while I contemplated quilting.

I finally decided to quilt it with two threads: a dark eggplant and a light gray. Quilting with two threads allowed me to maintain the contrast of the quilt blocks.
I love the density of the quilting, too.

I used a variety of purples for the back. My mom said she loves the back just as much as the front, so it worked out well. A scrappy back is always happy!

And even though there were no tears (a mark of a good mom gift), I know she truly loves it. And I love her.

Kahlan's quilt

My cousin, Maclaine, is having her second baby in just a few weeks. I jumped at the chance to make her new girl, Kahlan, a quilt. When we discussed her preferences, I showed Maclaine a wonky log cabin, in Ellen's 1-2-3 Quilt book, which I highly recommend! It was fun to select stashed fabrics in Maclaine's chosen colors, primary with some neutrals thrown in.

And I love the back, possibly more than the front.

That's probably because I'm a fan of off-center designs. Whatever the reason, both the front and back are happy, bright and were made with love for my cousins.

Here's a close-up of the quilting. This seems to be my favorite free-motion stitch of the moment. To me, it feels more organic than a meander.

For the binding, I chose a favorite Color Me Retro print by Jeni. I wanted a print, but something minimal, and this worked perfectly.

I was able to gift the quilt in person to Maclaine and her husband, and I think they love it, too.

Hopefully, Kahlan will arrive soon!

P.S. Thanks to Amy for help with the pictures!

Miscellany

I can't tell you how happy I was to wake up this morning to cooler weather. I drove with my window down, and I'm fighting the urge to have the back door open at the house. I won't do it, since my kitties are 100% indoor. But I do think I'll have the windows open tonight!

So, I've got a handful of crafty things to show you today.

I managed to finish this sushi cross-stitch recently. I've actually started a second piece, this time Halloween-related. I'll be sure to share a picture of that one soon! The sushi pattern is from Frosted Pumpkin, of course!

I've also been on a major paper-piecing kick these days. You may remember the watermelon popsicle trivet I made for my mom this summer? Well, I've been piecing more popsicles this week. These are part of the Superbuzzy Super Penguin Quilt-Along, with patterns created by Ayumi.

I'm working on my third popsicle (the penguin!), and I do intend to purchase Ayumi's other blocks for this quilt-along. It's a fun challenge, and a chance to use some special tiny pieces from the stash.

I also finished up this scrappy log cabin pillow, which I've listed in the shop. I love working with scraps, and I made this pillow top with the "quilt as you go" method.
I haven't figured out if the shop will be something I maintain, but it's been a great experiment, at the very least!

Finally, I wanted to share these owly pouches I made.

Using some Essex linen, a stamp, and some owl ribbon from the stash, I made these fun little pouches in no-time flat. I've already set them aside for two special peeps, but I was thinking of making some more. I have a couple of other stampy ideas to try as well. I was inspired by my friend Amanda's recent screenprinting endeavor!

I hope you are enjoying a lazy Sunday today! I'm going to get back to organizing my scraps now; no easy feat!

Summery patchwork

In the Love do.Good Stitches circle this month, Deborah asked us to use this Film in the Fridge tutorial. It was lots of fun to make these log cabin blocks, and the colors Deborah picked are so summery.

I also recently bought Ayumi's new pattern on superbuzzy. This is a new block of the month project, called the Super Penguin Quilt-Along. How happy is that?? The first block is adorable, and I started working on my first popsicle last week. Have you seen Tamiko's amazing version? Gah. It kills me!

I decided to start out slowly with the easiest of the popsicles, the watermelon version. Perhaps you, also, were not aware there was such a thing, but Ayumi tells me that it's a tasty treat in Japan, and there are "seeds", which are chocolate-covered rice puffs. Yum!

I pieced the watermelon popsicle with just one problem. You can see my mistake at the bottom points of the triangle. I was sure I'd have to start over, before I realized that the seam allowance would cover up those little boo-boos.

See? All gone! I'm almost finished with this little patchwork piece, and a good thing, too, since it's a gift. I should be able to share it next week.
Fabrics used: Lizzy House Jewels (from Outfoxed), Michael Miller Mini Mike's Random Pencil Check in green, Urban Cowgirl (the brown print) and the off-white is a Circa 1934 solid. I used Kona Pond for the border. Oh, and one more day to enter the giveaway!

Catch-all

Hey hey!
Thanks for all your kind words on the shawl that Rachel and Rue knit. Every time I see it hanging with my wedding dress, I get excited!

The wedding is just around the corner, and I've been crossing things off the list pretty steadily. I also opted to eliminate a few tasks I'd set for myself. I knew trying to get everything done would make me crazy, and I'd really like to avoid that.

Forty napkins are completely finished. The rest of them are made, but need to be washed and have labels sewn on.

I managed to finish my April Wonky Bee blocks this weekend, for Jessica. She's working on a quilt-as-you-go log cabin quilt, and sent along scraps to use. I added a few pieces, and really enjoyed making these.
A log cabin is always happy-making.

I also finished my first charity quilt. The Houston MQG has chosen the Star of Hope as our 2012 charity.
Through fabric donations, we've set a goal of 100 quilts for the year.

I supplemented the fabric I was given with solids and the DS print on the back. I really think it turned out great, and I was happy I was able to finish in time for our first donation date.

So, I've also been working on two non-obligatory projects.

Gray Plum, a new knitting project, from Veera Valimaki's Summer Plum. I'm knitting this KnitPicks Palette and I love it so far! I plan to take this for honeymoon knitting. Veera is also the designer of Stripe Study.

My other fun WIP is a project with one of my favorite lines, Echo.

About a month ago, I had this:

After this weekend, I have a mini quilt top:

. I assembled the back, too, and I love it as much as the front!

I'm awful about measuring quilts, but I'm going to try to remember to do that from now on. I used several other scraps to supplement/compliment the Echo. This one probably won't get done until after the wedding, but it's been a nice distraction!

I also obviously won't be sharing a finished Swoon anytime soon (hey, that rhymed!).

I expect to post pretty sporadically over the next couple of weeks, but I look forward to sharing wedding photos with you very soon!

Melissa's Quilt

As I was browsing through my flickrstream, I realized I never shared a collaborative quilt I helped Sara and Nicke make.

I made these blocks to contribute, and Sara assembled the blocks and quilted them beautifully.
This was a gift for our friend Melissa, who is expecting her second child. You can see the finished quilt here and also here.

These three girls were lots of fun in the Wonky Bee this year, and it was fun conspiring to make something special for Melissa!

Solids Swap Progress

Well, my partner has been a little quiet in the Solids Swap, but I'm moving forward, with hopes that she'll like my project.

I'm more or less working with this stack of lovelies. I've added a few more pieces, and I removed the Kona Ash, and am instead using a white (I think it's Kona Snow). I worked on this for a few hours yesterday, and I posted this sneak peek last night:

I still have a month before it's due, and I'll need it. I've bitten off a mouthful with this, but hopefully, it's worth it!