Browsing Tag

block of the month

work in progress

tying up loose ends.

Posted on May 1, 2014
Modern Sliced Block by Kim Soper/Leland Ave Studios

April LI Mod Block

I’m going to be embarking on a new project soon (big. Like, big! Like QUEEN-sized!), so right now, as I wait for that project’s fabrics to arrive, I am working my butt off to knock things off the to-do list. (It’s not a firm butt, mind you, but hopefully one that’s getting firmer — HOPEFULLY — since I joined the gym and have gone to two classes this week and I can’t even touch the skin under my ribs because my abs are so sore. But I digress). Where was I?

So, yes, this week. Well, I finished the charity quilt for my son’s preschool, and I’m thinking I’ll share that with you tomorrow — or maybe it’ll have to be next week-ish, if I’m too sore to move my arms to type tomorrow (highly likely). And my husband was away traveling all week (which is awesome when you have a 5, 3 and 2 year old, let me tell you!) but it means once the kids were in bed, I was lonely, so to keep myself busy I sewed. I made two blocks for my quilt guild: the Modern Sliced Block  (up above), which was due last month (I never got to because I was hauling it on the quilt for my nephew); and the Broken Herringbone Block (below) – one of the blocks for May — along with the Radiant Ring Block, which I plan to get to tomorrow.

May LI Mod Block

I also received my Gypsy Wife fabric in the mail today, which is awesome, because I plan to knock the From the Heart block out over the weekend! Movin’ and groovin’ and gettin’ things done! How’s it sewing with you?

work in progress

jumping on the gypsy wife bandwagon.

Posted on March 11, 2014
Gypsy Wife by Kim Soper/Leland Ave Studios


Color Wheel BlockI have loved Jen Kingsley’s Gypsy Wife Quilt ever since the first time I saw it.  It’s been the cover of my pinterest board for quilting for almost a year now.

Gypsy Wife Book

So when I started to see block-of-the-months (BOM) pop up on Flickr for this awesome quilt, I just had to join in! I’m so excited to be a part of The Intrepid Thread’s Gypsy Wife BOM. I think the fabrics they have chosen are fantastic, and I’m so excited to see what pretty fabrics these next months will bring! When signing up for the BOM, we had a choice of two colorways — either calm (with lots of pale blues and grays) or intense (lots of figs and plums with pops of red and yellow). I chose the intense, and I am so happy I did!

I had a hard time choosing the layout for the  first block. With so many beautiful fabrics to showcase, and not knowing what the rest of the quilt will really look like, I wasn’t sure which color I should highlight the most. I tried it with a ruby background:

Another Possible Layout - Ruby Background

And with a gold background:Possible Layout - Gold Background

But in the end, I chose the layout suggested by The Intrepid Thread in their newsletter. It felt like I was squashing some of my creativity to choose a layout that had already been showcased, but since it was only my first block, I decided to give myself a pass. Especially since it truly was the layout that I liked the best!

Possible Layout

My only regret is that I wish I had fussy cut the center block like this, instead of the way I did.

Oh, wait! Did I say my only regret?!? No, there were many regrets. The biggest when I realized I had sewn the block together almost ALL WRONG!

Here is a visual of what not to do:

A Major Oops!

So, yeah, that happened. But, I recovered, and I am really happy with the pretty little block I now have. That is all mine. And will someday be a part of a completed Gypsy Wife Quilt of my very own! Yippee!!