Sewcialites: Block 10

Trying to get everything caught up, it was handy that my block nine and block 10 of Sewcialites both ended up using the same print fabric because I worked on them simultaneously. I figured out how many of each size/print/solid I needed between the two patterns, did all the cutting at once, and then sewed them individually.

Sincere by April Rosenthal was a simple-to-sew block that was refreshing after trying to match the seams on block nine. This block was delightful, and looking at it finished, and it's the kind of block that makes me clap my hands happily (which is something I do when a finished project or piece of a project makes me happy).

The finished block reminds me of a flower, and I'm wondering what it would look like if you made several and turned them into a table runner. That's a project for the future though, I have got to catch up on everything I want to finish.

Sewcialites: Block 9

While I love this time of year, it's been especially hard during this pandemic. Being stuck home all the time, not seeing extended family, and losing daylight hours is tough on me and my ability to complete projects.

I didn't get to block 9 of Sewcialites until a week after its release. Gracious by Vanessa Christenson is an exciting block that uses corner squares. Instead of drawing the line, I did use my Mini Folded Corners Ruler for this one.

When I put the four pieces together, I had a little bit of trouble matching up all of the seams. It was a little more challenging than I was expecting, but I got it done!

Sewcialites: Block 8

Slowly trying to get myself back caught up on my imaginary list that doesn't matter since I don't have any actual deadlines on the current projects, I sewed block eight of Sewcialites last night. Soulful by Joanna Figueroa is labeled beginner but contains (one of) my quilting nemesis(es), flying geese.

I feel like every time I have to make flying geese, I end up with super wobbly squares that then get sewn into even more wobbly blocks, so you can understand why I was a bit anxious about this one. I can't be sure, but I think part of the issue is drawing the line and then sewing on the line. I suspect my errors come somewhere in this step. Yes, it should be easy to draw a diagonal line and then sew it, especially since the line is right there for me, I don't have to imagine it, but I inevitably end up too large or too small.

As I sat in my sewing space, pondering this relatively easy block, I looked up at my pegboard. I saw Doug Leko's Antler Quilt Design Mini Simple Folded Corner Ruler (that I received in a past Sew Sampler Box). I had used it successfully on a previous project instead of the draw line/sew line technique, so I decided to give it a go for this block.

For matching points, I used Kimberly's tip from the Livestream and drew a line 1/4" in, and matched that to the point on the flying geese square using a pin.

My final block is still a little on the wobbly side, but overall, if I step back and look at the block, I'm happy with it.

Journey 2 Nebula - Gazebo: Cutting & Layout

My slow-moving-projects continue this past week. I finally managed to get the cutting done on my Journey 2 Nebula project, Gazebo. For this project, I dug deep into the stash/scrap bin. These 2.5" strips were leftovers from a previous Jaybird Quilts project that I made, Snack Time. Since I don't have many pictures of this week's layout, I'm happy to show Snack Time. I made this over seven years ago, so I don't remember all of the fabric that I used, but I believe that the strips were a Robert Kaufman jelly roll.

Gazebo was early to cut using just half hexies and two sizes of triangles. The colors remind me of a Lite Brite, so I've had the commercial's song from the 80s/90s in my head. I adored my Lite Brite. I wouldn't turn my nose up at a new version either. :)

I placed the teal in the center of the layout and worked my way out to the brightest lime color. Since the fabric is older and has been around the scrap bin for a while, there are many frayed edges, but I'll trim those when I go to sew it. I might try some fancy free motion quilting when I get to that point, but we'll see!

Journey 2 Nebula - Candy Dish: Finished!

I finished my pair of Jaybird Quilts Candy Dish pillows! For the most part, the piecing on these went reasonably smoothly. There are a few points that don't match perfectly, but you can't see the slight misses when you look at it as a whole.

I love the fabric. The little kitties make me so happy. I'm glad that these pillows are a bit on the smaller side. We recently bought a new living room set for our newly finished basement, and the couches came with pillows. I have so many pillows, but at least these smaller sizes are a bit more unobtrusive.

I wasn't sure how I wanted to quilt them. I thought about doing something fancier, but I also wanted to get the project done since there are currently so many things on my to-do list. I had a long list this weekend, and while I finished a good chunk, it wasn't quite as much as I was hoping for. I expected to cross off one more thing, but alas, I did also have to take some time to relax. I didn't want to cover up the cute 'lil kitties on the hexagon focus quilt, so I just did some stitch in the ditch-ish on the diagonals and horizontal lines.

For the more background focused pillow, I did some straight-ish line quilting. I like the texture of straight line quilting on pillows. It feels nice when you run your hand across it in an almost calming way.

I can't believe there's only one more project in the Journey (except for the exclusive patterns that Julie mentioned when signing up). I'm not usually great at keeping up with "alongs," but I'm pretty proud I've been able to keep up with this one. I do have to spend some time tonight, deciding which fabric I have will be used for the next project.

Details
Fabric: Purrfect Day by My Mind’s Eye for Riley Blake Designs
Thread: Aurafil 50wt, 2021
Batting: Unknown from the leftover pile, likely 100% cotton
Pattern: Jaybird Quilts Candy Dish
Pillows: Foamily 16” x 6” Pillows from Amazon
Total Hours Spent: 6 hours, 44 minutes

Sewcialites: Block 7

What a week, huh? I've been pretty off and on this week crafting with everything going on, but I did take some time today to work on block 7 of Sewcialites. Named Kindred, it is designed by Bonnie Olaveson and is considered intermediate. I think that if I hadn't watched Kimberly's Livestream demonstration of this one, I would've been a little lost. Kimberly detailed how to make the pieces a little larger than called for and then trimming down. This was a lifesaver for me.

With all of the tips from the Livestream, this intermediate block came out beautifully for me. The size is just about dead-on, the points are looking good, and it's a pleasing design. Since I've been working on the Journey 2 Nebula, I have a lot of experience with the bias edges, but I was a bit anxious to work on this block even with that.

Overall, I'm happy with this block. I don't think I would have been able to figure out on my own how to increase the size and then trim, so I'm glad Kimberly showed how to do that. Now that I've worked through it with this block, I might have the skills to figure it out for another similar block.

Journey 2 Nebula - Candy Dish: Cutting & Layout

While I've used stash fabric and scraps for the previous stops on the Journey 2 Nebula, I couldn't resist Purrfect Day by My Mind's Eye for Riley Blake, so I purchased a charm pack and some yardage to complete Candy Dish. I just love cats! I have a cat, a black cat named Minnie, who is now 11 years old. We've been through a lot together. Now that I'm working from home, she snoozes in a bed all day next to me while I work.

The cutting for Candy Dish is pretty straightforward. Hexagons and triangles and the Hex N More ruler makes it super easy to do. I trimmed all of my triangles using the GE Designs Point Trimmers (60-degree) because it was more manageable than wresting with the ruler to cut all of the points.

I'm pretty happy with the layouts that I picked. I did split the hexies wrong the first time because apparently reading comprehension is hard. :) But it's all good!

I'm looking forward to adding these pillows to my collection.

Sewcialites: Block 6

Block 6 of Sewcialites is called Devoted and is brought to us by Robin Pickens. This one is rated experienced, and I would definitely agree with that rating. It took me about an hour and a half to complete. There are a lot of small HSTs in this block. The block is nearly all HSTs! We've discussed my trepidation around HSTs before, but maybe by the end of this project, I'll feel a lot more comfortable with them.

I did use the Triangles on a Roll in the 1" finished size for the smaller HSTs and made the two larger ones the traditional way. I'm still figuring out which way I prefer, but I think I like making larger and trimming down. My finished block is more accurate when I do that versus using the triangle paper and trimming on the lines on that.

It is a stunning block. I'm not 100% happy with the way mine finished as it's a little wobbly, but the block design itself is striking. I might remake this one after I make the next block with the fabric. I want to make sure I have enough, though I'm sure I will since there is a significant portion of the fat quarter remaining.

Journey 2 Nebula - Rock Candy: Finished!

I haven't been sure about this particular project in the Journey 2 Nebula. I do love the design of Rock Candy, but I'm not sure about my fabric choice. I am trying to use up some of my stash and not buy fabric that I don't need, but there's so much beautiful fabric out there. The next project will be new fabric because I couldn't resist it. You'll see it later this week!

The piecing went together much quicker than I thought that it was going to. Once I had it all laid out and the sections separated, I completed it in a bit over an hour and a half. I tried to be careful not to stress the bias edges unnecessarily, but there are a couple of places that the points aren't exact (which I really noticed when quilting since I got a good look at every spot).

I finished piecing the top last Tuesday, the day the piecing video came out, but I had no clue what I would do with my backing or quilting. I didn't like not having a plan since I've had a plan for all of the other projects, so I don't think I'll jump in with Gazebo either since I already have Candy Dish planned out. I'll have to take some time in the next couple of weeks to dig through the stash and put together what I need to make it work. For the backing, I ended up settling on a solid I had leftovers of and adding in a label and a coordinating 10" square from the Arctic line that was leftover. Cut it to fit the label, and then pieced it with the solid. It used up all of the solid fabric's leftovers, so at least I'm not wasteful in using what I have.

I even pieced together my backing fabric. I've done this before and been pleased with the results, so I did it again here. If you've never done this, it's super easy. You take your two batting pieces and butt them up next to each other, not overlapping, and zigzag stitch them together. You can also use fusible, but I prefer just stitching them together. Doing this also used up all of a leftover batting piece, contributing to not being wasteful and cleaning the sewing space.

I had zero clue what I was going to do with the quilting, so I just sat down on Friday night and went for it. I ended up doing diagonal lines that crossed into a diamond pattern. I've seen some beautiful free motion quilting in the Facebook group, but instead of using these pieces to practice that, I've decided to go with what I feel comfortable with, at least so far. I'm fairly positive the next project will be straight line quilting as well. Overall, I'm happy with the way it looks. I used a light gray solid fat quarter for the binding, and I think it comes together nicely.

Details
Fabric: Arctic by Elizabeth Hartman for Robert Kaufman, unknown white, unknown gray, unknown teal (all from stash)
Thread: Aurafil, 50wt: Piecing, 2000; Quilting, 2021; Binding, 2615
Batting: 100% cotton from scraps
Pattern: Jaybird Quilts Rock Candy
Total Hours Spent: 6 hours, 20 minutes

Sewcialites: Block 5

Block 5 of Sewcialites is called Wisdom and was designed by Sherri McConnell. That's two Sherri McConnell patterns for me this week, and I'm pleased with the way both of them worked out. This week's block is labeled as beginner, and that's just what I needed this morning. An easy block that makes me feel accomplished. Even though I have finished things this week, it's been a tough week outside of my crafting, so it's extra nice when crafting works out.

This block, like many of the others, includes half square triangle blocks. Again this week, I skipped the Triangles on a Roll, mostly because I knew it would be faster to do it the way the pattern shows. I cut my squares a little large to trim down the HSTs to the perfect measurement.

For the cutting on these blocks, I haven't really broken too far into the yardage. I'm still using stips I cut for the first couple of blocks. They're just about used up now, though. I have them labeled at the selvage with a Frixion marker, so I don't have to remeasure the strips each time.

It came together in under 45 minutes, including digging out the correct fabric and cutting. The final block was just about 6.5," and nearly all of my seams meet where they're supposed to. There's just something about this block that makes me happy. I might prop it up on my desk for the next week to give myself something to smile at when things get tough.

Sewcialites: Block 4

Spirited, the Vanessa Goertzen designed block 4 of the Sewcialites Quilt Along released on Friday. It was a fun block that took about an hour to complete, including cutting.

I enjoyed this block and created my HSTs the traditional way instead of using the Triangles on a Roll. I did cut my squares slightly larger as insurance to trim my finished HST blocks down to the exact size needed.

I love the finished look of this block. The fabric I chose does take a little away from the exciting shape that forms from the contrast between solid and print, but it also does a fantastic job of hiding my slightly off areas.

Spirited was a pretty straightforward block, and I didn't run into any issues when assembling. It even came out just about exactly 6.5" with just a little wobble to trim off the edge from my corner squares.

Journey 2 Nebula - Rock Candy: Cutting & Layout

We've now reached the point in the Journey 2 Nebula, where I got stuck deciding which stash fabric I was going to use, so I stopped with the planning. So, before I started cutting for Rock Candy, I had to do some digging around in the fabric drawers. I'm still not sure about my choice, but I've cut everything, so I'm going to go with it.

I've been a subscriber to the Fat Quarter Shop's Sew Sampler Box from the beginning, and the August 2018 box included the Petite Arctic 10″ Squares by Elizabeth Hartman for Robert Kaufman Fabrics. The included pattern was nifty, but I wasn't interested in sewing it, so into the stash, everything went. I did make one mask with one of the 10" squares and meant to make more, but didn't get around to it. While digging, I came across the squares and decided to give it a try. Since the pattern calls for 5" squares, one 10" square made four charm squares. I didn't want to use all of the prints, so I selected six squares, grabbed some solid from my stash, and got to cutting my diamonds and triangles.

I tried several layouts grouping the colors, pairing the colors, and finally doing a more scrappy look. None of them were giving me the feeling I was looking for. I have plenty of autumn and Christmas decorations, but I have nothing for after Christmas, so my house is very sad when I take everything down, so I decided to go for a wintry look, but this wasn't doing it for me. I walked away for a bit and eventually wandered back and stared at it.

I liked the way the scrappy layout looked, but something wasn't right. I said to myself, "well, let's see what happens when I take the mauve out." I think that's exactly what it seemed to need! It's wintry, and it will coordinate well with the colors that are already in my kitchen. I'm excited to sew this one next week!

Sewcialites: Block 3

Oh boy! A whole block of HSTs. Just looking at the pattern this week has made me break out into a bit of a sweat. It turns out the sweat was probably a bit warranted.

Block 3 was designed by Brigitte Heitland of Zen Chic and is called Affection. I know the joke has been made in the Sewcialites group on Facebook already, but I'm going to go ahead and make it myself. I do NOT have much affection for this block. I appreciate what I learned from it, and I'll happily carry those skills with me as I continue quilting, but I certainly do not feel any kindness, goodwill, devotion, or friendship with this block. (Yes, I looked up synonyms for affection. The thesaurus has long been my friend both at work and in the outside world.)

The block is rated as experienced, and yes, yes, that is an accurate rating. It is not for the faint of heart. How tough can it be, it's a bunch of HSTs, and if you have triangle paper, they're practically already made? Well, kind reader, let me tell you, there are all kinds of ways this block can go awry. I did fine making the individual HSTs, but once I started piecing the block together, that's where things got a little dicey.

Matching the corners correctly when attaching the strips of HSTs to the larger HST caused me a bit of a fit, particularly one corner (I’m sure you can see it…it’s right there). I used my seam ripper three times, and it's still not perfect, but if I fiddled with it any further, it wasn't going to end well. There were several places I had to ease the strip in, and even then, there are places where it's not as good as I'd like it to be. It is likely my perfectionism speaking since it's pretty darn close to 6.5" and looks like the picture, especially from a distance. Overall, I'm okay with the block and look forward to the challenge of next week's.

Journey 2 Nebula - Jawbreaker: Finished!

I finished the latest project in the Journey 2 Nebula this week. Jaybird Quilts Jawbreaker is a pillow that uses the Hex n More Ruler to create triangles that turn into hexagons. Last week I had a little trouble with my rotary cutter, but I'm all healed now. You can barely even tell where I had the accident!

I watched Julie's video that had tips for assembling the hexagons and set to work. I don't have an ideal place in my sewing area to layout projects, so I usually do it on the spare bed. Then I have to walk between the two rooms, which isn't a huge deal, it's extra steps, but I like to figure ways to still be accurate without making too many trips. I did figure out a way to chain piece these rows and make it easier. First, I took a picture with my phone of the layout, so I had a reference to double-check the layout. Then, I stacked the triangles from one for and lined them up in order next to my sewing machine. Chain pieced them in pairs and brought them over to the ironing board to press, still attached. When pressing open, I picked up a tip from Kimberly Jolly of Fat Quarter Shop. I set my seams and then press them to one side, then flip them over and press open. I have tried both this and just pressing open in the same sewing session, and I find this way much easier. After pressing open, I bring them back to space next to my machine, still attached, and lay that down. Next, I clip the threads and rotate the pieces to the appropriate layout. After double-checking my layout, I sewed the first two and the last two together, cut the threads, checked the layout, and sewed those two pieces together. I stitched together the rest of the rows and just kept them stacked next to me, so I had them for reference from the next row.

I was a little anxious about trimming the pillow's center since I didn't have a ruler big enough to use for the total square. I followed Julie's direction in the video, and I successfully trimmed the oddly-shaped piece into a square! I was pretty darn proud of myself the other day when I did that successfully.

I used another strip from the jelly roll I used for the strip sets for my inner border. I added the two borders and let the top sit for a day to decide how to quilt it. I've seen some lovely quilted Jawbreakers on Instagram and Facebook, and even the simple quilting on the cover of the pattern is appealing. I love the hexagons and didn't want to take away from them at all, so I went with very simple stitching in the ditch. I've never been overly successful with this, but since I haven't tried it in a while, I went for it, and I'm pretty happy that my seams must have been straight because I didn't have trouble stitching in the ditch.

Assembling the pillow should have gone a little more smoothly than it did for me, and if I had paid more attention to what I was doing, it probably would have. After basting the front and back together, I realized that I did the opening vertical to what I was considering the top and bottom instead of horizontal. I momentarily debated ripping it out and starting over. In the end, I decided since this wasn't a learning-how-to-pillow journey, and since it's a pillow that will only be out for about a month and a half, and you can't tell it's wrong, I left it. I did insert a label the same way I did with the last pillow. I printed it on paper with my inkjet printer and then sewed it into the backing.

I love the finished pillow! I didn't purchase another pillow form, so this is just the same form from Amazon that I used on Lucky Charm. Before Christmas, I'll probably pick up another one so that I can use the pillow to decorate. I used the same fabric (and leftovers from the jelly roll) for the Jelly Snowflake. I still haven't quilted that project, but it's on the list before Thanksgiving! Whenever I look at how the hexagons came together so nicely, I am so pleased! I also really like how the black fabric pops. The tiny scattered trees is my favorite print in the collection, which is why I used it for the outer border, binding, and backing.

Details
Fabric: The Christmas Card by Sweetwater for Moda
Thread: Aurafill 50wt, 2000
Pattern: Jaybird Quilts Jawbreaker
Batting: 100% polyester
Total Hours Spent: 7 hours, 39 minutes

Sewcialites: Block 2

This week's Sewcialites block, designed by Lisa Bongean, is called Loyal. This block is labeled beginner, and it was a lovely, quick sew after work today. It only took me 40 minutes from grabbing the fabric to trimming the block. Because it was so speedy, I didn't take many pictures or use the Alphabities.

There is less contrast between the solid and print fabrics this week, but I'm happy with how it looks. Overall, the quilt will have heavily contrasting and lower contrast blocks, so I think it will balance out. I did use a design board for this. It's nice that the fabric sticks to it, so things don't go wonky if there's a breeze. (Yes, this has happened to me more than once, including recently with the Jawbreaker layout.)

Loyal is another block that uses HSTs, so I grabbed my Triangles on a Roll. I utilized the 3.5" strip of solid that I cut for last week's block, so I didn't have to wrangle with a larger piece. I also had a smaller scrap that I trimmed to the required 1.5" square. For the print pieces, I cut a 3.5" strip from the fat quarter and used that for the piece I needed for the HSTs and the rectangles.

Before assembling, I double-checked the finished size on my HSTs. Since last week's block came out a hair large, I don't think I'm hitting precisely the right spot on the line when trimming my paper. The HSTs were a tiny bit larger than the 3" size the pattern called for, so I trimmed it off.

Sewing this block together was a breeze since there weren't many seams to match. Trimming it was also relatively easy, and the block ended up closer to 6.5" than last week's.

It was nice to have a quick block after the more complex first block, almost like a palette cleanser. It also leaves me extra time to work on the other projects on my list...and there are many. I'm hoping that I'll have a few things to share after this weekend (or over the weekend).

Journey 2 Nebula - Jawbreaker: Cutting & Layout

The next stop on the Journey 2 Nebular is Jawbreaker. In this pattern, we practice cutting strip sets and turning triangles into hexagons. I've pieced Jaybird Quilts Science Fair before, so I'm pretty familiar with the technique.

For this project, I decided to use some leftover strips from my Jelly Snowflake Quilt, The Christmas Card by Sweetwater for Moda. (Yay! Using up stash!) I'm sure I must have mentioned it before, but I have realized that jelly rolls are not my favorite pre-cut. No matter what, they seem to end up wobbly, plus the ones I've been using are slightly over 2.5," which isn't necessarily bad, but for this pattern, the size is essential.

I felt a little lazy, so I didn't want to deal with starching the pieces for this one, so I went with Best Press. It performs similarly to the starch that I use, but I don't have to wait for it to dry. I use the unscented because I'm quite particular about scent, and it works well. I laid my strips out as straight as I could get them, sprayed, and pressed. There's a little shrinkage, and it stiffens the fabric up a bit.

After that, I pieced the strips so I could get to cutting. I did have a bit of a mishap while cutting this one, and unfortunately, the accident wasn't the fabric. It was my finger. Don't worry; it's not a major injury. I try to be very careful when using the rotary cutter since I tend to be accident-prone. Before I cut, I make sure my hands are out of the way, everything is stable, and I have created the habit of closing my blade every time I'm done with a cut, even if I'm just shifting the ruler. I've seen too many Facebook posts in my quilting groups of slices, and I'm not good with blood! Anyway, I have a feeling it was coming. When I thought, "you know, I think it's going to happen today...I'm going to get cut," I should've just put the rotary cutter down and walked away. Not me! As I moved to close my blade with my right hand, my left hand decided to have a mind of its own and moved just close enough to the blade that it cut my index finger between my second and third knuckles. It was an instant, and all I could think was, "Oh no!" I immediately applied pressure after seeing how much it would bleed (not the best plan for someone who doesn't like blood) and went to grab a paper towel. I laid down and applied pressure for a bit. After a while, I checked it, and the pressure worked, and it seemed to stick itself back together. After that, I cleaned it up, applied my trusty antibiotic ointment and a bandage, and moved on with my day. It stung for a bit, about the same as a nasty cat scratch, but it's not too bad now.

Despite all of that drama, I managed to get my triangles cut. It's a pretty easy cut. After repositioning the ruler each time, you just have to make one cut.

I'm not sure which fabrics I'm going to go with for assembly, but I think I like this layout. I know the black stands out, but I really love the Christmas tree print, so I don't hate that it's a feature fabric. I have a week to decide!

Sewcialites: Block 1

The day finally came! The Fat Quarter Shop released Block 1 of the Sewcialites Quilt Along this morning. I had all of my fabric starched and folded nicely, just waiting to be used.

I printed out the pattern and took a look at what I would need to know. It is designed by Lissa Alexander, and rated as an intermediate sew. It contains HSTs and hourglass blocks. Neither of those blocks is my forte, even using Triangle Paper from It's Sew Emma, but I'm looking at this whole project as a skill-building exercise and trying very hard not to get too stuck on perfection - a problem for me in my daily life.

As I reviewed the pattern, I used a tip that I've learned over the years while knitting sweaters and designs with multiple sizes. The sizes are usually listed in parentheses, and it's easy to get lost while you're knitting and knit to the wrong measurements. To prevent later aggravation, highlight or underline the size you're using throughout the pattern, so your eye is drawn to it. I went through the printed pattern and put a box around the measurements I would need to pay attention to.

After that, I went digging in my bin of Triangle Paper. Since I'm sewing the 6" blocks, I needed 1" Finished Triangle Paper, or a size close to it that I could trim down. I had 1" in my stash, so I unrolled it and peeled off what I needed for the HSTs in this pattern. I figured out what size of rectangle I would need in place of the cuts listed in the pattern for traditional HSTs. I went with 2.5" x 8". I cut out the rest of my pieces and labeled them with the Alphabities.

Earlier in the day, I watched Kimberly's Livestream, where she sewed the block and collected some tips. I was particularly interested in the final block assembly recommendations because I didn't want to lose my points or end up with a wonky-shaped block.

The tips worked! I haven't lost any of my points. As for squaring up my block, it's a HAIR larger than the 6.5" that it's supposed to be, but when I sew the whole quilt together, I shouldn't lose any of my points either. Hopefully...we'll find out in June. ;)

Journey 2 Nebula - Lucky Charm: Finished!

I am tickled! I finished the Jaybird Quilts Lucky Charm pillow, and I'm so pleased with it. Is it perfect? No. Does it make me smile? You bet!

After watching the video that Julie posted, I set out to sew the half hexies together. I've sewn hexies in Jaybird Quilt patterns before, but I cut them from a jelly roll strip, which means they lined up differently. Because I used 5" squares, the cutting didn't go exactly to the edge, but it was okay because it would be within the seam allowance. There were a couple of half hexies that I had to take the seam ripper to because they were VERY off, but you get a feel for where your pieces should line up as it goes, so it becomes easier.

I sewed each of the rows, sewed the rows in pairs, took those pairs, and sewed them into the completed top. Most of my points lined up exactly where I wanted them. A few are ever so slightly off, but it's nothing that I'm angry about.

I had visions of trying something exciting with the quilting, but let's face it, I wanted to get the project done, so I went with (mostly) straight diagonal lines. I used batting from my "bag 'o batting scraps." I'm pretty sure it's 100% cotton, based on the feel. The scrap was the right size, so I sandwiched it with some scrap white fabric and took to quilting. I did try to quilt it with some sparkly thread, which was not agreeing with me, so after only two tries, I gave it up and went with a pale gray.

The backing I used for this is also part of the Moongate collection. I like adding labels to my quilts, and I wanted to add one to this as well. I usually "design" them on my computer and print them on the June Tailor printable paper. I use design loosely since I'm not at all a designer, but they work. I don't usually add the date, etc. because I like having a collection of labels that I can use for whatever I need, so I just go with "handmade" and my name. I sewed this label to a scrap of fabric, turned it right side out, and then slid it into the folded over edges of the backing before doing the topstitching. I'm happy with it. It's enough to show that I made it, but doesn't get in the way of the pillow.

After quilting, my pretty-darn-square piece was very-not-square, so I squared it as much as possible without taking away from the design and stitched it to the backing.

I purchased a pillow form from Amazon since I don't have a backstock of extra throw pillows. It is QUITE fluffy. I wasn't expecting it to be this fluffy, but I love how it fills out the pillow. I did go with the 20" x 20" size, and I'm glad I didn't go for the recommended 22" x 22" because it would have been overstuffed.

I'm so excited about this finish! Now, I need to clean up the sewing space and start on the next project on my list. This weekend, I'll probably prep my fabric for the next project in the Journey.

Details
Fabric: Moongate by Christina Cameli for Maywood Studio
Thread: Aurafil 50wt; piecing: 2000, quilting: 2615
Batting: Unknown from the assorted scrap bag. Probably 100% cotton
Pattern: Jaybird Quilts Lucky Charm
Pillow: Foamily Premium Hypoallergenic Stuffer Pillow, 20" x 20"
Total Hours: 6 hours, 29 minutes

Journey 2 Nebula - Lucky Charm: Cutting

The next step in the Journey 2 Nebula started today! We began the Jaybird Quilts Lucky Charm pillow. It uses the Jaybird Quilts Hex n More Ruler, which I have used before. I find it a bit more fiddly than the Super Sidekick Ruler. I think that is because there are a couple of other angles to cut.

I'm using Moongate from Maywood Studios for this pillow. I have it leftover from the GE Designs Hope Quilt Along. I finished that top, but I haven't quilted it yet. Maybe a coordinating pillow will inspire me to get it done so that I can show it off! Last week, I took my scraps from that project and turned them into 5" squares.

Today, after watching Julie's video for tips, I cut the half hexies. It's a good thing that I watched the video because it probably would've stressed me out to have a tiny bit of fabric missing from the edge. Julie said that it was okay, though!

After cutting, I laid out all of the pieces until I had a few remaining that would be sliced and diced for the edges. Before I decided on what those would be, I made sure I was happy with the middle and that I would have enough variation for the edges. Overall, I think I'm pleased with the layout, but I'll keep looking at it until next week's tip video for sewing it together.

Journey 2 Nebula - Seaside: Finished!

This week, I finished the first step on the Journey 2 Nebula, the Seaside table runner from Jaybird Quilts. I watched Julie's video that had tips for successful piecing. Even with that, I have a few points that don't exactly match, but I know what adjustments I need to make, so I do not doubt that I'll successfully complete the diamond section of Nebula.

Since I'm not always happy with my quilting, I decided to go simple here to have a finished project. It's not that I can't do the quilting, I'm just the kind of person that wants to be perfect from the start, and free motion quilting is an entirely different skill from any that I have. It also doesn't help that my machine has a painfully small throat space. Even navigating the simple walking foot lines on the table runner got a little cumbersome.

For my binding, I went with a coordinating solid. I usually do a 2.5" binding, but since this is a smaller project, I went with 2.25". I know that the quarter-inch shouldn't make that much of a difference, but it did. It would've been faster to machine bind it, but I prefer hand binding. It always comes out cleaner. Even after attempting it many times over the years, I've never been happy with the finished results on anything I've done machine binding on.

Since I wanted to use up my scraps, I did a pieced backing for this project. I've started adding labels to my projects since I don't always know what I'm going to do with them. When figuring out the backing for this project, I selected the layer cake squares I knew I wanted to use for the front, then laid out the remaining squares. I wanted to make sure to get the label in there and liked the lighter flower print, so I decided to use that as a strip down the center. I wasn't going to have quite enough length, so I went even scrappier with it. I'm almost as happy with the back as I am with the front.

I really enjoyed this project, using my stash and seeing what everyone else is doing with theirs. It's a great way to use scraps, so I'm sure this will be a project that I revisit!

Details
Fabric: Bloomington by Lella Boutique for Moda (Petite Layer Cake), unknown white from stash, Bella Solid from Moda in Lead
Thread: Aurafil 50wt; piecing and quilting: 2000, binding: 5004
Batting: Happy Cloud from Fat Quarter Shop 80/20 Silky Blend
Pattern: Jaybird Quilts Seaside
Total Hours Spent on Project: 13 hours, 24 seconds