Saturday, June 6, 2015

Not so Simple WhatNots

Oh, what a slippery slope I am sliding down.  I have to start this with a caveat, I am not a "miniature" quilter.  2 1/2" half square triangles are plenty small for me, but 1" finished?  Oh my!

My piecing and cutting and pressing has been pushed and I have to say, I think because of the Simple What Not's I've become a better quilter.  But honestly, did I have to make this many blocks to get to this point? 


These sashing pieces use 1 1/4" brown squares to make the little triangles on the end of each strip, then the strip is sewn together to make the next round on a 9 patch.  But the 9 patch in 3 1/2 " sq and that's tiny! 


I've got my 9 patches all made for the 16 blocks that make up Cloud Nine.  Some have got the first round of sashing.


Our group that meets once a month has only 3 more to go, and Cloud Nine will be the last one that we do.  I have given them a heads up on the cutting, there is a lot of it, and with all the extra fabric that comes in each kit, they can get a jump on this one. 


So far 5 blocks are finished. There is 1" sashing that goes between the blocks and the outside boarder has some piecing.  For now, I'm just trying to get the blocks together, as I need to put this aside and get cracking on another What Not pattern. 



It's been a great ride, but I'm looking forward to something different after the summer. Have you seen the quilt along that Lori and Karen are going to start in July?  I'm in for the appliqued blocks, anyone else jumping in?

Check out my Instagram posts, they are fast and easy for me so a bit more is going on there
#grassrootsquilting

Thanks for stopping by, hope you get some stitching in this week.
Sharon







Wednesday, June 3, 2015

Doll Swap Reveal

Once again, I've been overwhelmed with the amazing piece  I have received in Humble Quilts Doll Swap.  This year my piece came from Wendy over at The Constant Quilter
 

There are 131 different prints in this piece which is 12" x 12". Each little square finishes at 1" and the center medallion is 4" x 4". Wendy hand quilted the center piece and then machine pieced diagonal lines going into a V on all four sides.


The backing fabric is super cute, it looks to be inspired from a vintage crazy quilt. 


The piece fits exactly onto a little stand I have on my antique sideboard.  It's the perfect place to display this.  The center medallion has been hand quilted and its the perfect center motif.  I don't have an eagle on any quilts that I own.  Now I do!


With a big fresh pink peony beside it, the pinks just pop. 


Whoever thinks civil war prints are dull and drab just haven't seen what can be done with them.  The bright chrome yellows, the double pinks, the purples and greens all play so nicely with each other and really shine. 

And to top it all off, Wendy enclosed a goodie package, I know these will come in handy when making more 4 patches for a future project.


Lucky me, that I get to enjoy this piece for years to come.  Thank you Wendy!

If you haven't participated in a swap, I would encourage you to give it a try.  There are many going on all the time, just find one that suits your preferences and give it your best, you just might get something back that will thrill you!

Thanks for stopping by,
Sharon