Houston Guild Swap

This is the 2nd time that our guild has done a mini quilt swap with another guild in Texas and I always find these to be really fun. What's even better is when you know many of the ladies in the other guild and just so happen to get one of them as your partner. 

I had Liz @fatchickquilts as my partner and had met her in person at my first stash bash retreat and she's a great lady so making for her was a treat. I used her love of magenta, blue and Tula Pink to create this mini. 

The pieces are on the small size and required a bunch of starch to make sure all those little points stayed in place. 

In return I received from my dear friend amy @houseofbadcats 

Isn't this mini purrfect for me!! the quilting is awesome and she knows how much I love my kitties (especially Nugget). 

This was a finish in the 3rd quarter but I was not able to share since my partner had not received. 

Pink Swap

So I told myself that 2017 was going to be about focusing on current projects and decreasing my stash and I would limit the swaps that I signed up for (especially since I was already doing another traveling quilt and 2 bees). I had however forgotten about a swap that I signed up for right before making this decision -- the PINK swap. 

What's not to love right it's all things pink and the swap is supposed to be minis only so no added pressure. My partner was really clear about what she didn't want and this was somewhat limiting until I saw that her mosaic included a mini I had wanted to make for some time -- it just needed to have the colors swapped (and as it turns out needed to be resized). 

She didn't want Flowers or Tula so I opted for solids -- this scared me, I've never done a quilt with only solids but tiny pieces and all it went together pretty quickly and I'm happy with the outcome. 

When I started to quilt it I looked at the inspiration photo and decided straight lines were a good thing -- just not those so again I changed it up but it still works and the black binding frames it all really well. 

This was my 2nd finish for 2017 and will get mailed out early next month. 

This is part of my Quarterly link up goals

Wonderland Swap

I have to say that the best thing about going on a quilt retreat is meeting people that you know online in real life and then finding out that they are as amazing as they seem and totally get you. 

What's even better is being able to meet people and find out they have similar interests as you outside of quilting and then something awesome happens -- private swapping and secret making. 

A few months back I came across an Alice in Wonderland swap that I was hesitant about because many of the people signing up were private and this was an all crafts swap, being hosted by a person I wasn't very aware of the level of the swap. (Ok, that sounds kinda stuck up / rude but I've done a fair share of swaps and by this time I know what I am looking out for and to listen to that little voice in my head when it says step away.) 

Fortunately for me, one of those awesome people that I've met through blogging, swapping and retreating is Karri -- so i ask her opinion of this swap and because I know she is a Wonderland lover as well, and might want to join in. We come to the decision that a private swap is probably going to make both of us happier and take out the mystery element of craft swap. So I set out to unsecretly stalk her pinterest board and began drafting up an idea. 

She said she wanted something for her home like a wall hanging or pillow or a bag -- works for me cause that's what I enjoy making most. 

my initial draft started to take shape and evolve

I'm super excited about the finished mini (to the point that I forgot to take a completed photo of the top) and came close to keeping it for myself but it, and some goodies were Karri bound as the quarter wrapped up. 

I anticipated it's arrival and you all already know quilty friends are the best so here's the awesomeness that now joins my Wonderland collection. 

This was my 13th finish in the 2nd quarter. 

Kitten Mini Quilt Swap 2016

I was super excited when @frankiesfabrics announced a 2nd round to the kitten mini swap but then as I read the initial guidelines i realized it was only for Australians -- insert sad face. As the deadline was approaching for the signups to end I got a happy message that I (and a hand full of others) had been selected to take part in the swap if we still wanted.

Once I got my partner's info I started formulating a plan and decided to make a paper pieced version of her cat in a purple heart -- I still wanted to work in chevrons somehow but at least the basic plan was in place. 

This didn't feel quite right

There we go -- much better 

Binding Choices

Here it is all finished and ready for shipping off to Cheryl Mitchell (@rose_patch70) all the way in Melbourne, Australia. 

For this swap we also had to send along a 2nd handmade item and i made a mini sew together bag for all that hexi work that Cheryl does. 

and a few other goodies. 

I know she's super excited that this is now her's because of all the lovely comments that she left me along the way, during the swap. 

Her response to the package was great .

The pouch is my 2nd finish for the 2nd quarter

Skinny Mini Swap

I started out 2016 with the intention that this year I would not bombard myself with swaps right off the bat but I still wanted to stay in the loop about swaps going on so I Signed up for the skinny Mini swap. I liked the idea of this swap, a mini with a width of 8 inches or less as a peramiter because it makes things a little more challenging and you get to work outside of the big box that some minis have started to become. 

I got my partner's information and there wasn't a lot to work with and turns out it is her first swap so I went on Pinterest and scoured around a bit for inspiration that I gathered from her minimal postings on instagram, but they were enough to tell me a few things about this lady. 

• From her info sheet I knew she liked bright / saturated colors. 

• She also likes being outside 

• From her instagram I learned that she likes flowers and gardening. 

• She is also an apiarist (Bee keeper)

So it was time to pull out some lovelies and see what this loose plan would develop into. 

Several weeks into the swap I got the feeling that my partner was not around and after I contacted the host I felt that she was not around either. So I waited before working on this project any further and eventually was reassigned when my partner did not check in just 2 short weeks before the deadline to ship. 

Once I was reassigned I did some quick research and set to work on something that I hope she will like. While I was busy making she was at Quilt Con so she may have missed my postings but I know that there are a few other people willing to take it off her hands. 

I love those little hedgies and foxes and hope that she does too. All I could really tell from her IG is that she likes bright colors and traveling with her 4 kiddos. So off it went to live with Kelsey in California. She sent me a great note thanking me for her mini and she loves it. 

In return I got this lovely mini from Kelsey in California -- apparently we were assigned to each other after some serious flaking happend with this swap. 

I was admiring this mini in the feed and then when I got assigned to make for her I figured there was no way that it would be coming my way but for a swap that was best described as stressful and rocky the end result was pretty great and I think I have a home planned for it already. 

February stash report

Sorry in advance for the font sizing -- I couldn't get it to stay all the same size when it posted 

At the start of the month I was -14 yards so far for 2014 and feeling pretty good that I would be able to destash at least 50 yards within the first 100 days and maintain this momentum throughout 2016. 

Per usual the month started with bee blocks, since I am the queen in one of my hives I only had one person to make for this month and it is my delightful friend @OneWeeBird -- who requested these lovely color blocked 3/4 log cabin blocks. (-1 yard). These were so fun that I made her several. 

I also decided that I would hive crash and make an extra block for Jacqueline in Stash Bee Hive 5 (-.5 yard)

As for my own sewing, the month started off with a marathon of basting -- 7 quilts needed basting and that meant that my 3 scrappy trip along tops needed backings (-6 yards). I put these 3 tops together at random on about an hour and a half at the end of January from blocks that had been laying around for some time. 
I also got my real partner for the Skinny Mini Swap and put together a lovely mini and fabric goodies for her (-2 yards) -- I've written a blog post about this swap and will post it up once my parcel comes in early March.  

The same weekend I managed to make the mini I did a destash on instagram and my initial sales were 25 yards of fabric purged -- I still have plenty over there to sale and some great deals. One lovely lady bought a big bulk of that 25 yards with over 4 lbs of fabric bought -- WOW. 

As a part of not going to Quilt con there was a fun challenge going on over at Instagram and I managed to finish up the rest of my tula blocks for my sampler quilt -- now it's time to lay them out and start making rows and the top. Stay tuned for that progress when I link up Mid march with Michelle. 

My OMG goal this month was to assemble the top of my scrappy crossroads quilt and that meant that I needed to complete the extra 4 blocks to make the quilt large enough (-.5 yd)

Here she is all put together

I pulled out some stashed Flea Market Fancy for the backing and added this one to the pile that needs to be basted and quilted soon. (-4.5 yards) 

I nearly made it through the month without a purchase but then I got the colors for next month's bee block and needed some dark teal and white on cream, and ended up buying a few things to finish up some other projects. (+3.5 yards but most of this will be used soon)

I also started to get in some of my Wanta Fanta Bee blocks from my hive and they are looking very lovely. 

Second month into 2016, and I added 3.5 yards to my stash, used 14.5 yards, started several projects and destashed 25 yards. These totals put me at being 50 yards lighter so far for the year -- Meaning that if I don't over spend next month I will have met one of my 100 day challenge goals. With all the quilts needing basting and quilting I am also getting closer to having multiple older UFo's finished. Now the only thing I really need to work on is blogging more -- which would also come with the finishing of projects.  

Bee Hives 2016

I was new to hives last year and decided that this year I would join up with 2 hives again. When we got our monthly assignments I was excited to be near the beginning of the year but that meant I had to really get on things when it came to picking out blocks and colors. My first month as queen bee was going to be in February as a part of the Bee Hive blocks that were hosted by Alyce last year, so this at least narrowed down the blocks to choose from. 

I decided that this year's bee blocks will be making up a quilt will be for my husband (since the one that he has claimed was one of my first ones and it is looking a bit shabby in spots). I'm going with the Wanta Fanta block with modifications to make it more man friendly (cause there is a lot of white in most of the examples I have seen). 

He loves Purples, grey and white. So the first step to make this block more man friendly is to inverse the fabrics -- in your blocks the background pieces will be replaced with purples and the colored areas will be assorted low volume fabrics -- whites and grays with accents of black.

I pulled some fabrics out of my stash and scraps.

For this block I also tried to think of a way to make it scrappy and I wanted more interest. I came across this quilt online that uses similar shapes and I really liked the nine patch effect in the centers..  

This result can be achieved in the WF block by creating a 6.5 inch nine patch of 2.5 inch squares instead of using a solid 6.5 inch square. 

If you are not a fan of sewing the white corners on after making the 9 patch to create the snowball effect, this can be remedied by replacing the corners of your 9 patch with Half square triangle units. It's easy -- take a 3 inch square of purple and one of Low volume to create 2.5 inch HST units by drawing a line in the center and sewing 1/4 inch on either side. I like to use 3.25 inch squares and trim them down to ensure that my units are crisp. 

Careful fabric placement on the x units will result in the complete triangle effect on the points. I found using 4 different fabrics and marking my paper templates helped keep me keep track of which pieces were going to meet up together on the final block. 

Please remove paper before shipping, i don't feel that these blocks will shift as much as others I have made in the past.

Here is my completed test block and I am very eager to see the blocks that you all come up with. 

I'm glad that I am making it something slightly different than the tutorial initially called for but I know that my husband is going to greatly enjoy this quilt when it's all put together. 

I'll be queen in the Stash bee group in March and I haven't decided if I will have them make these block or if I'm going with the Arkansas snowflake (rainbow stars on low volume backgrounds) that have been floating in my mind for some time. The 5 inch paper pieced version goes together quickly and is scrap friendly. -- Here are a version I made for a hive mate last year and they turned out delightful. 

Happy Quilting everyone. 

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