Tuesday, July 28, 2015

My Floret progress for Minis and More



I've made lots of progress on my mini quilt, Floret from the Sweetness(a trio of mini quilts) pattern by Corey Yoder.

And that's a good thing, since the Minis and More Parade is coming up very soon!

The fabrics I'm using are a mix of two not yet released lines, Bright Sun by Sherri and Chelsi, and also Tucker Prairie by One Canoe Two. 

I love how well they're going together!  Very cheery, bright and vibrant!









This was the first time I've ever had fabric before it was available for sale, so it was quite a treat for me! 

I was lucky enough to be a winner of Moda's "I Didn't Get To Go To Market Giveaway" a few months ago and that's how these brand new fabrics ended up on my doorstep.

I'm thrilled to have both new lines in my Floret Mini!  









Wondering about the thread in the picture above?

 I am too!

The big stitch quilting craze has pulled me in, so I'm giving it a try on my Floret Mini.

Any tips of suggestions?

I fell in love with the big stitch quilting on Corey's Floret mini quilt and I'm going to shameless copy what she did.

I couldn't find size 8 perle cotton in any bright pretty colors in my area, I had read that was a good size thread to use, so I went with size 12 Valdani that I found a my LQS instead.

I hope it works well with a size 9 Embroidery needle, because I bought some of those too.

I can't wait to get started!

I guess I had better finish sewing my blocks together first!

   

Sunday, July 26, 2015

Farm Girl Days



Time for an update on my Farm Girl Vintage progress!

It was slow going for me at first.

I had a difficult time picking out the fabrics for each block. 

The more I make, the faster I seem to be able to pick out the fabrics.  I guess I have a better idea of the look I'm going for than I did at the very beginning.








I do have a few other blocks done now, but its rainy outside and not a good time to take another picture, so I'll have to include them next time.

I'm having a great time with these blocks!

Are you doing the Farm Girl Vintage Sew Along too?  Are you caught up? 




I hope to be caught up in the next few weeks.  This summer has been busier than I expected.

I thought I'd have no problem doing two blocks a week, but it hasn't worked out that way.

Behind me right now there are some fabric piles with sticky notes on them.

Fabric waiting to be cut up and sewn together in a Farm Girl Vintage block.

I'd better get cutting!



Wednesday, July 1, 2015

The July Minis and More Parade



What a great week for our first Minis and More Parade!  Sherri and I are so glad you could join us!

Before we get started with the parade, let me tell you about what we have planned for August and September.

As you may have heard, the pattern we are working on in July, for the Parade on August first, is Sweetness - A Trio Of Mini Quilts by Corey Yoder.  Choose any one of the three patterns you'd like, and let us admire your mini in the August Parade!






Then it might be Christmas in August at your house, if you choose to join us for the parade on September first.  Make some Christmas cookies and listen to a few carols as you use the pattern Mini Juniper from Fig Tree and Co. to make a mini quilt with plenty of time to get it quilted, bound, and ready for the holidays.


Lots to look forward to this fall in the Minis and More Parade. I hope you'll join us!



Now let's get to today's parade featuring the Summer Star Mini pattern by Sherri McConnell.   


First up is Sinta's! She made her mini with batiks that would make it perfect to display any time of year. You know her from her blog Pink Pincushion and her generosity in giving her time to host past Parades. I love how she designed her added border.





Hildy had the amazing idea to make a bag using both the Summer Star Mini pattern for this month and the mini pattern Floret from Sweetness-A Trio of Mini Quilts for the August Parade.  Hildy used Reunion fabrics and some other scraps that she had.  Great idea for a cute bag!






Here is Polly's quilt with Beach
House fabrics from Moda. You can find Polly on her blog Aunt Polly's Porch. She made a perfect mini for summer! 





 Sandy at Loves To Quilt  made two versions! One using the fabric line Color Theory and the other with Hearty Good Wishes fabric. She added her own twist and put a nice, thin border around her blue one.







Mary from the blog Needled Mom  has already put her mini to good use. She made this quilt with Noteworthy fabric and some Riley Blake small gingham for the binding. Beautiful mini and beautiful flowers Mary!





Nancy E. made this version with some different Minick and Simpson mini charms with a Prairie Paisley background. She's hoping to get it quilted in time to use it on the Fourth of July. 






Patty D. from A Stitch In Time is ready for the Fourth of July too, with her Summer Star Mini using Sandy Gervais fabric. I love her color placement. The light blue in the corners really makes it pop!






Mindy made her happy, bright mini with an additional sweet, yellow ribbon border that gives the block a different look. She's already planning to make another!






Karen's is made entirely out of triangles using jelly roll strips from a far east inspiration pack. Amazing circle quilting Karen!  I love it!






Dolores from True Blue Canadian sent us a picture of her lovely purple and green version.  I love to see purple in quilts! The dark purple binding is just perfect!






And here's mine! I used Feed Company and Boathouse fabrics.  It's now on our coffee table with some Fourth of July decorations!





We had so many beautiful Summer Star Minis in the parade this month.

But this is only half of the parade!

If you haven't seen the other minis, be sure to go over and visit Sherri at her blog A Quilting Life to see the rest of the parade.

Have a great weekend!