Friday, September 28, 2012

Kona Challenge Improv Quilt, Corner Hanging Pockets

Earlier this year, the Cincinnati Modern Quilt Guild accepted the Kona Charm Pack Challenge. Each participant received one charm pack. The challenge was to make anything we wanted using as much of the charm pack as we wanted, and adding only solids (no patterns/prints).
I decided to play with some improv piecing for my challenge. This quilt was built by sewing together charm squares and white background fabric at angled increments. Then, the column was straightened up, sliced at an angle, and sewn back together with white in the cut. And on from there. In some columns, I sewed white into multiple cuts.





front

Once the columns were sewn together, I sliced and sewed back together more and more times. Each time, the scrappy effect grows.

from the back

back detail

I quilted this on a longarm with a tight loopy meander. I wanted a lot of quilting on this to make sure all of the seam allowances were sewn down really well.

on the long arm


I added hanging corners to the back. See below for adding these corners.


All done!

Did you participate in a challenge like this in your own guild? What did you make? I'd love to know!

Happy stitching!

Kelly



Adding hanging pockets are sooper easy. Cut two squares from scraps, each about 5"x5". Press each square on the diagonal, wrong sides together. Before you bind the quilt,  place a square in each top back corner, aligning top and side raw edges with the raw edges of the folded triangle. Baste the triangles in place, using 1/8" seam allowance. Then, bind your quilt as normal. The binding holds the corners in place, and you shouldn't need to remove the basting. Just slide a dowel rod slightly shorter than the width of your quilt into the pockets, and hang.

Sunday, September 23, 2012

Paducah - A Land of Wonder

So, a million years ago I went to the land of wonderment and amazingness, otherwise known as Paducah, Kentucky.

In Paducah, water is crisper, leaves are greener, the pizza always has extra cheese, the babies don't cry, the men look like George Clooney, and the air smells like peppermints.

Oh and also . . . there is FABRIC.

Shortly after this trip of wonder and amazement, I started packing up my home in order to move, and I never posted pictures about my haul. And ohhh, a haul it was.



I'm almost embarrassed to show the world the photos of the amount of fabric I bought, but honesty is key, right? And what you need to know is that all of this was about $4/yard. So, yeah. All good.


The shelves are officially restocked...



Happy stitching (and fabric hoarding)!

Kelly

Saturday, September 15, 2012

Stitch Craft Create Giveaway

Is there anything as delightful as flipping through a crisp new craft magazine with a matte cover and lovely design quality?

ummmm, delicious.

Yes.

It's flipping through that same magazine to find your own name and pattern published! I'm psyched, I'm not gonna' lie about it. Totally jazzed. This is bucket-list-quality stuff here, folks, and I've been giggling about it on and off for too long to go unnoticed by the general populace and my co-workers...  What're ya gonna' do, right?
oh. my. {!}

and another pic

I'm also in reallllly good company here - rubbing elbows with the glitterati of the craft world!  Here are some of the projects from this super beautiful magazine that I definitely will be trying:


lovely lace candles

If you know me, you know I love haunted houses...
This one is especially for my sis. We have a thing with Hootie Owls...

I know all of you want to get your hands on a copy of your own. I mean, who wouldn't - this thing is amaze-sauce!

I'm giving away 1 copy of this magazine between today and next Saturday (September 22, 2012). Between now and then, all you have to do is log in to the RaffleCopter widget and answer a question, and you'll be entered into the drawing. And if you don't win, you can buy a copy to call your very own at the Stitch Craft Create site.

Good luck, and happy stitching!

Kelly