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 - 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

Banana Leaves Quilt by Elizabeth Hartman

I have a major backlog of projects from the Fat Quarter Shop’s Sew Sampler boxes. In February I went through all of my projects, organized, and cataloged them. Shortly before that, I found out my co-worker was having a baby. I knew just the pattern I was going to make, Banana Leaves by Elizabeth Hartman. This pattern uses Essex Linen and Adventure by Elizabeth Hartman and was featured in the October 2019 Sew Sampler box.

This wasn’t my first Elizabeth Hartman pattern. I love her patterns, even though many of them require many different cuts. I utilized my Alphabities and scrap paper with labels to help keep track of the different pieces.

You can see my Stripology XL ruler below my pieces. As an aside to this post, I just have to let you know how amazing this ruler is. Cutting has always been stressful for me. I want to make sure I’m getting perfect cuts, and they seem like they’re always just a hair off. That hasn’t happened since I’ve started using this ruler, and SO FAST!

Once I actually sat down and got to sewing, this pattern came together very quickly. I did a lot of it with chain piecing and grouped the leaves by letter. I finished one letter and moved onto the next. Some of my finished block sizes were off a smidge, mostly because sometimes my piecing isn’t as accurate as I would like. Either I move the fabric slightly, or my presser foot pushes the top fabric so it’s off just a touch. I’ve looked everywhere and it doesn’t look like my machine has an option to adjust the presser foot pressure.

I had big plans for quilting this one, and then I had a feeling co-worker’s baby was going to make his appearance sooner than expected, so I wanted to get it done. I went with simple zig zags with my walking foot. I love the way that the Essex Linen washes. I’ve used it before in other Elizabeth Hartman patterns and it becomes so incredibly soft. Someday I’ll make a quilt for myself with it and keep it. If I had been planning better, I might’ve put some thought into making sure that my lemurs were always right side up, but I’m okay with half of them being upside down.

This was the first time I’ve done a pieced backing and I really love the way it looks. I used the scraps from the leaves and randomly added them to either side of the label I printed. It was very freeform as I was creating it. Thanks to the pieced backing and the fact that I was a little skimpy with the extra fabric around the edge before quilting, I have quite a bit of the backing fabric left, but thankfully my scraps are minimal. I always feel guilty leaving scraps. I know I won’t go back to them and then they just end up cluttering my space.

Overall, I’m super pleased with the finished product. I hope the new baby is also pleased!