Swan Dive Quilt

This is my secret sewing I have been working on for the last month! Fat Quarter Shop was looking for volunteers to use their Swan Dive Quilt pattern and I wanted to make a chemo quilt for my friend, Troy--he just started his 18 months of chemo. This is a free pattern from FQS and comes in two sizes. I opted for the lap size as it is perfect to use during chemo treatments 54" x 66". The pattern was designed to use with their Jolly Bars- 5" x10" rectangles--it takes one Jolly Bar for the baby size and two for the lap size. They wanted us to use a current fabric, so I ordered a layer cake of Moda's Zen Chic Backgrounds and a Kona black layer cake and yardage--I was going for a modern, masculine look. This would also be a great way to use up some scraps from your stash too!

The large pinwheels and flying geese were made using the Jolly Bar Cake Mix Recipe papers from Miss Rosie's Quilt company--they were very helpful since there are 800 half square triangles!

Since I needed to make my FQS deadline and get this to Troy ASAP, I opted to quilt it myself with straight line, vertical quilting, spaced every three quarters of an inch. I also used a gray minky for the backing and silver thread. I have washed it and it did shrink up some, but it is nice and cozy with the minky backing and the Warm & Natural batting gives it some weight. Here is the link to FQS and all the details for Swan Dive:

https://blog.fatquartershop.com/free-pattern-jolly-bar-friendly-swan-dive-quilt

This one is going in the mail today to Troy as a quilty hug during all his chemo treatments! Thank you Fat Quarter Shop for allowing me to make my own version of this quilt and gift it as a chemo quilt!

Quilt Along Progress

Howdy! I traveled to a conference last Sunday for work, so I did not get to sew very much last weekend. It was fun to get to go do some shopping especially at Trader Joe's and the bookstore, but the conference was kind of a bust. I was slightly ahead on my Ombre Gems Blocks and I made this week's this morning--lagoon, avocado, and teal. This quilt is going to be stunning!

I am all caught up with my Sunday Best Quilt Sampler blocks. I have not added the sashing and cornerstones because I am not sure if I will use red or navy.

 I am using some of my Bonnie and Camille scraps and stash for these.

My B&C Early Bird fat quarter bundle arrived while I was gone. We are supposed to get snow tonight, tomorrow, and Wednesday. I will whip up some soup and enjoy cuddling under a quilt and binding to stay warm and cozy.

Ombre Gems Quilt Along 2

 I have a confession--I wore pajamas all weekend because I just stayed in my sewing room. I got caught up with my blocks for the Ombre Gems QAL. More information is on my right hand side bar--I am using Ombre Confetti fabric. These are my magenta blocks.

 These are the hot pink, popsicle pink, and persimmon blocks and half blocks.

And these are the coral, honey, and mustard blocks and half blocks. It feels good to be back on track.

 I am still behind on the Sunday Best Sampler Sew Along, but the navy I am using for my sashing and binding arrived with the red for my stash--I would rather spend more and get free shipping than pay for shipping!

This is my secret sewing for Fat Quarter Shop--if it is on time, we will reveal in a week. I finished quilting it yesterday and snuggled up under it last night binding it. I have about 1.5 more sides to go, but I will meet my deadline and get this mailed off to be used as a chemo quilt. Yay for Slow Sunday Stitching: https://kathysquilts.blogspot.com/2019/10/slow-sunday-stitching-retreat-report.html

I have parent/teacher conferences this week, so that will be some long days--but I will have Friday off which makes up for it. Have a great week!

October 2019 Happenings

Last weekend I was disappointed we didn't win at Cow Patty Bingo, but this week I won this beautiful Harper's Garden Fat Quarter Bundle on Instagram from Hunnie Quilt. You can pick up the bundle here:

https://www.etsy.com/listing/711895108/fat-quarter-bundle-harpers-garden-by?ref=shop_home_active_9&pro=1&frs=1

The fabrics are lovely and her prices are good and shipping is free!

 My secret sewing project for an upcoming Fat Quarter Shop sew along is ready for pinning. I am pinning it today and getting started on the quilting. I am straight line quilting it along the length. It is a modern looking quilt because of the fabrics I chose, so I think the straight line quilting will enhance it. I am making this for my friend, Troy, to use during his 18 months of chemo. It will have a cozy, gray minky backing. Wait until I can share the whole thing, it is really cool looking!

I am a little late for this sew along--the Sunday Best Quilt Sampler. I am using some of my Bonnie & Camille stash for the blocks.

I ordered a navy with white circles to use as the sashing, but it still has not even shipped and the seller has not responded to my inquiry. I hope to make the two blocks this week and add the sashing when it arrives.

An Ombre Gems Quilt Along began this week. I have had the pattern and these fat quarters for quite some time waiting for this project. I am going to get going on it this week.

It is Sunday, so laundry, football, quilting, and cooking are on my agenda. I just washed and changed our sheets and put the Scrap Dance Waltz Quilt on our bed. I haven't washed it yet to get the crinkly goodness--it is so big I need to take it to the laundromat. I also need to figure out our pillows, but the dachshund shams my sister made me look cute on it. I also picked up navy and white gingham sheets at Marshall's a month ago that look good with all the Bonnie & Camille scrappiness. It is supposed to get down to 19 degrees this week, so we need a heavier quilt on the bed. The cold evenings help me get cuddled up with some hand binding. Have a great week!

You Might Be a Redneck

 I planned an amazing date night for Friday night! We attended Olathe High School's 1st Annual Cow Patty Bingo Night. It was the team's bye week and instead of having their usual car wash, they tried Cow Patty Bingo as a fundraiser. One yard squares were purchased for $10 (I bought one for my hubby and one for me)--the plan was to have 400 squares, but it was expanded due to the high demand. The winner would earn $800 with the rest of the pot going to the OHS football team. Dinner was also available for the bargain price of $4--choice of 2 hotdogs or a cheeseburger, chips, a drink, and a cookie. We of course had to have dinner too. The football players were manning the grills and then guarded the bingo perimeter--it seemed like much less work than a car wash. They also had a few bounce houses set up and corn hole--it is Olathe home of the famous Olathe Sweet Sweet Corn. 

The cow took the field at 7pm and was very interested in nibbling grass, but not much was going on in the cow patty department. We waited until 8pm and headed home--we did not have to be present to win. The cow finally dropped a patty at 9:04pm, but alas we did not win.  I think this was much more profitable than a car wash and it was far more entertaining--a perfect small town event for sure. I expect this to be an annual date night for sure. It was even better than pumpkin chuckin'--which is coming up soon!

 Our weekend redneck adventures continued with target practice on Saturday morning. We got a little shooting in before the wind was too strong and kept knocking our target over. We go shooting a few miles from our house.

 The rest of Saturday included removing paper from and trimming 800 half square triangles!!!  This is for my secret sewing project I am making for a Fat Quarter Shop Sew Along and a chemo quilt for a friend. 

This project has really made me fall more in love with my Juki TL-2010Q. This machine just flies through seams and fabric like butter--I don't even have it set to full speed and the automatic cutter is awesome. The only thing that is missing is a bobbin empty warning--I had a couple of instances where my bobbin was empty and I had no idea.

Too bad the Broncos had to lose again--they are not even as entertaining as a pooping cow! 

Fall Door Banner

 Happy Fall! I got my new door banner done in time for the Fall Equinox. I posted about this a couple of weeks ago--I used blocks from Lori Holt's new book, Farm Girl Vintage 2. The book is a must have if you haven't gotten it already. 

Fat Quarter Shop and Lori Holt will be hosting a Farm Girl Vintage 2 Sew Along starting on November 1st. The plan is to sew two blocks a week. I was invited to sew along and I will be sharing my blocks here and on Instagram @tanyaquiltsinco. I will not be using the same fabrics that Lori does because this is the perfect project to dig into my overflowing scrap bins and massive stash. You can find out all the details here:

https://blog.fatquartershop.com/farm-girl-vintage-2-sew-along-kickoff/

I am making a sample for another Fat Quarter Shop sew along. These are the fabrics I selected--Moda  Zen Chic Modern Backgrounds More Paper with Kona black as my background. 

 I sewed through most of the papers yesterday with my Singer Featherweight at my mom's house. I sewed up some more this morning on my Juki--I have to say it was much faster on my Juki with the automatic cutter. Now, I am in the process of trimming, removing papers, cutting off corners, and sewing them back together. This project will be revealed in about a month and the pattern will be a freebie!

I have several quilts ready in my pile for hand binding. It is a good thing that it has cooled off--it was 34 degrees here this morning (not great for our garden)--and I can sit under these projects and get them done this evening for Slow Sunday Stitching:

https://kathysquilts.blogspot.com/2019/09/slow-sunday-stitching-announcement.html

I am going to make a pot of white bean chicken chili and cornbread for dinner and a stir fry for my lunches all week to use up some of our garden goodies. Have a great first week of fall!

Sewing Machine Accessory Pouch

 Fat Quarter Shop has been asking bloggers to remix some of their old tutorials and I volunteered for this one--the Sewing Machine Accessory Pouch. This is a great pouch to make for each of your sewing machines and then grab the pouch whenever you are using the coordinating sewing machine. 

 What makes this zip pouch unique is the pocket on the back where you can easily slip in your sewing machine's manual. Then all your feet and machine tools can be inside the zip part. These pouches would be really convenient for when you are traveling with your machine to classes or retreats.

 I make zip pouches as gifts all the time. When the pouch was complete, I realized it would also make an awesome pouch for a coloring book and crayons/markers/color pencils. You could easily make a pouch and throw a coloring book in the back pocket and some coloring utensils in the zipper part and you have a terrific gift for kids and adults alike. This would be great for someone going through chemo or recovering from surgery or their caretaker. Put a magazine or book in the pocket and some snacks in the zip part with some hand lotion, tissues, etc.--then you have a little self-care gift. The gift possibilities are endless!

The block finishes 9 inches, so you could also dig into your stash of random blocks and use a block you already have. A letter block on the front could be used too.

Heidi from Fabric Mutt designed this pouch and her directions were fabulous! The hardest part for me was picking which fabrics from my Bonnie and Camille stash to use! Here is the link to FQS for the tutorial and all the remix projects:

https://blog.fatquartershop.com/blog-remix-2-sewing-machine-accessory-pouch

I will be frantically working on some secret sewing for the Fat Quarter Shop for the next couple of weeks. The fabric is due to arrive this afternoon and the deadline for pictures of the completed quilt is 10/15, plus I am making it for a friend to use during his chemo--good thing it utilizes precuts and some quick paper tricks. Stay tuned--it will be a free pattern and I am so excited about the fabrics I chose!