2021 Cupid Box from Fat Quarter Shop

While I don't need more fabric, whenever Fat Quarter Shop releases a special box, I go through an internal struggle debating whether or not I want to get it. I have purchased all of the previous Cupid Boxes, so I clicked purchase when this year's was announced.

Valentine's Day has never been one of my favorite holidays. I don't know why. Maybe because it always felt so stressful in elementary school passing out Valentine's to the class. I wouldn't want someone to read into the pre-printed, cheap valentine that I selected for them. I'm sure I am the only one who put that much fret into deciding who gets what valentine. Anyway, I suppose it seems silly to wait for a specific day to tell the people I love that I love them. Life is short. I don't want to wait around until February to tell someone I care about them.

Despite my feelings about Valentine's Day, I can get behind red and pink hearts and a stash of valentine's candy. I was a little disappointed when all of the Christmas candy was gone from the grocery store, but it didn't take long for the pink and red packages containing the same candies with different wrappers to appear on sale.

My Cupid Box arrived today, and I ran out to the mailbox as soon as the truck drove away. Life has been extra hard lately for many reasons, so it was nice to have something to look forward to. My box was a little mangled, so I was worried that something was missing, but everything was in the box when I opened it.

So, what was in the box?

The fabric included in the box is the From the Heart Fat Eight Bundle + Panel by Sandy Gervais for Riley Blake Designs. It has an adorable selection of red and white fabric plus a panel with various Valentine prints. (Link to the fat quarter bundle so you can get the general idea of the line.)

Stuck On You No-Slip Grip Hearts by The Gypsy Quilter. These grips for rulers, templates, and more fit the Valentine theme and are heart-shaped. I appreciate no-slip grips, especially for the few rulers I have that are not from Creative Grids. I get spoiled by how grippy they are, so when I switch to a ruler that isn't from them, it slips around if I'm not careful. (Here is the dot version.)

Pack of 8 Cute Heart Clips by Fat Quarter Shop. I love Wonder Clips for sewing. I've also used them to secure papers for work or personal use if I didn't have a binder clip handy. I can't wait to clip everything together with these clips. I was a little worried the clip part would be sharp on the inside, but the piece that does the clipping is nice and smooth.

Silber Tape Measure Heart Key Chain by Moda. This heart-shaped key chain has an easy clip on it, so I might end up using it as a zipper pull on one of my many project bags. I try not to use too many key chains on my actual keys since, at this point, both of the vehicles we have, you still have to insert the key into the ignition. Lol! No push-button starts for us!

Love Beyond Measure(ing) Tape by Fat Quarter Shop. Having started my "serious" craft life (I've done crafts for my entire life, but as a kid, I bounced around) as a knitter, I can never have enough tape measures. I like to have one in most project bags, even for cross stitch. I don't necessarily need it as much as I do when knitting, but you never know when you'll need one!

Cupid's Bow Quilt Pattern by Fat Quarter Shop. This pattern uses the included fabric and panel to create a cute 26 12" x 39 1/2" piece. I appreciate that the additional fabrics the pattern calls for are simple solids. I know from experience with the Sew Sampler Box that if you want to make the pattern exactly as shown, you have to grab the finishing fabrics right away since they're usually part of the collection. Still, now, I don't have to decide instantly to grab the fabric.

I do hope to complete this project sooner rather than later. I haven't finished the other two Cupid Boxes yet, but I'm SO CLOSE on the 2019 version. I just have to quilt and bind it! Maybe I'll get it done before Valentine's Day 2021.

Fast & Furious: Fall Fellows

The second pattern in GE Designs's Fast & Furious season 2 came out last week. I had a plan for which fabric I was going to use for this one. I'm not much of a Halloween person, but being in Massachusetts, we have plenty of Fall to go around. Like the last Fast & Furious project, I wanted to use fabric from my stash, so I went digging.

The fabric I decided on goes back to the December 2017 Sew Sampler Box! That box came with a Star Twist Helping Hands Fat Eighth Bundle by Kim Diehl for Henry Glass Fabrics, and I used all but one of the fat eighths for this project. I needed to select a background color, but I didn't have anything I could use, so I went with Laundry Basket Favorites Linen Texture in Parchment by Laundry Basket Quilts for Andover Fabrics. It's a beautiful fabric, and I'd love to revisit the line for something else. (I do have a Laundry Basket Quilts Rainbow Alaska Kit burning a hole in my pocket right now. It uses Century Solids, and it's been sitting next to me daily since I got it. It's a beautiful quilt, and Edyta has a quilt along for it going on right now, but this will probably be a later in the Fall/early winter project for me.)

Fall Fellows is a pair of pumpkins and is a quilt as you go project. I wasn't sure how this one would work since the last one was all just straight lines on an angle, but I should've known to trust Gudrun. Other than a couple of reading comprehension issues, this pattern, paired with the video, was fun and straightforward. I did use Photoshop to figure out which colors I wanted where. I tried lighter pumpkins, teal pumpkins, and every variation and settled on this.

For the backing, I used two of the fat eighths in the more natural colorways, plus the green that I used for the pumpkins' stems. Even though I used light thread, it doesn't look like it doesn't belong on the back with the quilt as you go lines.

The prairie points were a little challenging, and they didn't sew down perfectly. I'm sure I could've made it look a little tidier if I had taken a bit more time on it, but I do like the dimension they add. I love the finished look of this piece. I'm not sure where I'll put it. I don't have a place to use a wall hanging, but I have plenty of flat surfaces that could use a little sprucing. I like how the deep colors pop off the parchment background. I did use one of the fat eighths for the binding in the deep teal color, and I feel like it finishes the piece nicely.

Details
Fabric: Star Twist Helping Hands by Kim Diehl for Henry Glass Fabrics, Laundry Basket Favorites Linen Texture in Parchment by Laundry Basket Quilts for Andover Fabrics
Thread: Aurafil, 50wt: 2000
Batting: 100% polyester
Pattern: Ge Designs Fall Fellows
Total Hours Spent: 4 hours, 30 minutes

Pack and Go Project Bag - Sew Sampler Box September 2020

I finished the Pack and Go Project Bag designed by Sherri McConnell recently. This is probably the soonest I've ever completed a Sew Sampler Box project, and I learned many things doing this project. The first being that I'm NOT a bag-making person. Second, when I'm doing a project I don't have experience with, I should probably not try to get it done all in one day. Third, I am not good at estimating the size of something even when the dimensions are given because this is much larger than I thought it would be, but that's okay. I can put more stuff in it!

The ByAnnie products were quite impressive. I haven't used them before, but the project called for a zipper, Soft and Stable, and Clear Vinyl, so I purchased those along with the lightweight fusible the pattern called for. If I ever make a bag again, which I don't know if I will, but I do have Soft and Stable, and Clear Vinyl left over, but if I ever make one again, I will reach for the ByAnnie products.

The instructions included in the Sew Sampler Box were very clear and had illustrations where needed. It uses Balboa by Sherri & Chelsi for Moda fat quarters. Some of the fat quarters still have plenty of fabric leftover, so I think those leftovers will be good for masks or something else. I like the fabric and have been drawn to the collection since it was previewed, so I'm glad I could use it for this project. I can fit SO MUCH in this bag! Far more than I have here in this carefully placed photo.

Details
Fabric: Balboa by Sherri & Chelsi for Moda
Pattern: Pack and Go Project Bag by Sherri McConnell, Sew Sampler Box Exclusive
Thread: Aurafil 50wt, 2000
Other Notions: ByAnnie Soft and Stable, Clear Vinyl, 24" Zipper, lightweight fusible
Total Hours: 5 hours, 39 minutes

Maple Leaf Mini Quilt

Recently, on the Fat Quarter Shop Livestream, Kimberly showed a free pattern available on their site. The Maple Leaf Mini Quilt uses the Orange You Glad Fat Quarter Bundle Curated by Fat Quarter Shop Featuring Fig Tree Quilts. It has four oranges from All Hallows Eve and one green from Christmas Figs II. I received the bundle in June 2020 Sew Sampler Box, and while the pattern that came with the box was cute, it wasn't something I was interested in, so I added the fabric to my stash.

When Kimberly showed the mini quilt, I knew that I had to dig the fabric out of my stash! The pattern includes directions for a pieced backing, so all I needed was background fabric, and I pulled out random solid white to use with it. I'm not sure which color number it is, but it's probably a Moda Bella Solid. I trimmed what I needed from a larger piece and starched my fat quarters and the background. The weather was beautiful the day that I did it, so they dried outside in no time. Later that evening, I cut all of the pieces I needed. I didn't trim the backing squares precisely as written at this point because I wasn't sure what I was going to do with my label yet, and I wanted to make sure I had extra if needed. I labeled all of the pieces with my Alphabities.

I chain pieced where I could on the pattern, and it went together quite smoothly. Most of the projects I've been working on lately have directed to press seams open, so it was a little strange pressing to one side, but it was nice to be able to nest the seams. For the backing, I printed a label and pieced some fabric leftovers on either side. And, check this out! I unintentionally matched my seams! I couldn't have done this well if I tried!

I wasn't sure how I wanted to quilt this, and I'll admit that I started, ripped, and pulled out more than once. I decided to go with a larger meander. I tried stitching in the ditch, but that didn't turn out the way I wanted to. Since I'm still not super at free motion quilting but knew I could meander, I gave it a try, and I was quite pleased with the results. Machine binding would've been faster, but I went for hand binding, and it went pretty quick.

I appreciate that Fat Quarter Shop offers free patterns and that I was able to us stash that I already had for a new decoration for my house. Now, I have a cute Fall table topper to go with my cute fall cross stitch. :)

Details
Fabric: Orange You Glad Fat Quarter Bundle
Thread: Aurafil 50wt, 2000
Batting: 100% Polyester
Pattern: Maple Leaf Mini Quilt from Fat Quarter Shop
Total Hours: 7 hours, 4 minutes

Fast & Furious: Off Kilter

I discovered GE Designs through Fat Quarter Shop shortly before the pandemic began. I started following Gudrun's Facebook group, and when she announced a day-long quilt along in March, I signed on. Since then, I've become a huge fan and have participated in the other quilt alongs Gudrun has hosted. When she announced season 2 of the Fast & Furious Club, I decided to sign up.

I don't have a ton of experience with quilt as you go, but I liked the idea of not having the stress of quilting later. The first project is a table runner called Off Kilter. It calls for fat eights and fat quarters. Still working towards my goal to use up some of my stash, I decided to do some searching through what I already have. As I've mentioned, some of the projects that I've "kitted" up for myself no longer have the same appeal, so shopping through the stash currently works.

In my search, I discovered the 2019 Jolly Box from Fat Quarter Shop. I love the fabric, We Whisk You a Merry Christmas by Kimberbell from Maywood Studios. At the time, I also thought the stockings included in the kit were adorable, but since I haven't made them and we don't have a used for the stockings, I decided to repurpose the fat quarter bundle included in the kit for this project.

Since the project calls for a combination of nine fat quarters and fat eights, and I only had six fat quarters, I had to do some figuring to decide which fabrics I could use where. I ended up only using five of them since one of them didn't seem to blend as well as I hoped. For the most part, I could do the math in my head, but there were a couple of options that I had to draw out to make sure I could cut everything I needed from the fat quarters. As with Sewcialites, I used Photoshop to figure out fabric placement.

Once I had that figured out, I ironed my fat quarters and set out to cutting. I didn't bother starching for this project since I wouldn't be doing an excessive amount of cutting, and I wanted to get going on the project. I did use my Alphabities for this one, though; there are a lot of different strips! I fussy-cut the middle square to show off the "We Whisk You a Merry Christmas" saying.

The pattern includes video instruction as well as the actual pattern. Since I haven't done much quilt as you go before, this was very helpful. It's also sometimes easier if you see something demonstrated than just reading the pattern. I did have an issue with my fusible batting, in that it wasn't fusible, but I made what I had work with Odif 505 Spray.

For the backing and binding, I was able to scrounge up some plaid from the fabric collection that was remaining online. I do love a plaid. I didn't do the best job of piecing the back/matching plaids when I put my label in, but it's the back, so I'm okay with it. (I’ll show you my backing, but no judgement…well, you can judge, just so it silently, please. From a distance, I suppose it’s not that bad.)

I would have been able to finish the project easily in a day if I didn't hand bind the table runner, but I just am not good at machine binding, and I know if I don't practice, I won't get better, but I didn't want to practice on this!

I love the finished table runner! It shows off the fabric well, is a great size, and was super quick. I can see making more, and I think they would be an excellent project for a last-minute gift.

Details
Fabric: We Whisk You a Merry Christmas by Kimberbell Designs for Maywood Studio
Thread: Aurafil 50wt 2692
Batting: Bosal 100% Polyester
Pattern: GE Designs Off Kilter (Fast & Furious Season 2)
Total Hours: 8 hours, 4 minutes