Clementine Quilt Along - my July post in August

So....

The finishing directions were posted by Fat Quarter Shop in July and I really thought I was going to be able to actually get this one done on time.

I got all my smaller blocks set on point and things were looking good.  I decided to give all my blocks are really good pressing since several had gotten a bit wrinkly over the last few months.  Once they were all pressed...reality hit.  My big blocks aren't all the same size, most are close and I'll be able to work around the differences but one is significantly smaller than the rest.  I admit that I felt a  defeated.  I thought I'd been so careful with my cutting and piecing.  So I put it all away and went on vacation.  When we got back I pulled it all out again and shared this post on Instagram.

I didn't finish my #clementinequiltalong quilt when I was supposed. I got frustrated because this block is so much smaller than the rest. I let it get to me and I wanted to give up. But I'm not giving in. I decided to remake this block and get this quilt done.

A post shared by Heather O'Brien (@acreativemama) on Aug 10, 2018 at 11:11am PDT

Getting away and clearing my head, let me change my mindset and I've got a plan to get this top done.  I have enough fabric left to remake this block, being very careful to get it the right size.  Once the top is ready, I think I want to send it off to be longarm quilted.

Clementine Quilt Along - May Blocks

Welcome back!  It's time for the next set of blocks in the Clementine Quilt Along!

This months block are called Pineapple's Puzzle.   These blocks have lots of hsts.  I've got a suggestion for you if you are like me and want to put scraps to use...in the small block I was able to use corners that were trimmed off in previous months to create the hsts.

If you are sewing along with us (or just joining now) you can find all the pattern on the Fat Quarter Shop's Clementine Quilt Along page.

Here's a peek at all my blocks together!

Don't forget to check out all the other gorgeous blocks being made by these talented quilters!  And if you are financially able please consider donating to St. Jude Children's Research Hospital.

April of April Rosenthal (@amrosenthal)
Bonnie of Sunset Family Living (@sunsetfamilyliving)
Cara of That Crafty Cara (@thatcraftycara)
Carrie of Moda Cutting Table (@modafabrics)
Denise of Pieced Brain (@piecedbrain)
Elise of Elise and Emelie (@eliseandemelie)
Gina of Carpe Quiltin (@gina_tell_carpequiltin)
Heather of A Creative Pursuit (@acreativemama)
Hilary of By Hilary Jordan (@byhilaryjordan)
Jan of Cocoa Quilts (@cocoaquilts)
Jen of Heritage Threads (@heritage.threads)
Joanne of Quilts by Joanne (@turtlequilterjo)
Kairle of Kairle Oaks Handcrafted Goodness (@kairleoaks)
Kendra of Good Starter (@good_starter)
Kristen of 3 in the Nest (@threeinthenestraleigh)
Kristina of Center Street Quilts (@centerstreetquilts)
Leah of Ponderings from My Heart (@ponderingsfrommyheart)
Melanie of A Bit of Scrap Stuff (@mellierc)
Melissa of Happy Quilting (@happyquiltingmc)
Pat of Pat Sloan (@quilterpatsloan)
Pat B. of Life in the Scrapatch (@scrapatches)
Patty of Elm Street Quilts (@elmstreetquilts)
Rebecca of One Wee Bird (@oneweebird)
Sarah of 123 Quilt (@123quilt)
Seema of SSK Craft Shop (@sskcraftshop)
Sherri of A Quilting Life (@aquiltinglife)
Sondra of Out of the Blue Quilts (@sondradavison)
Stephanie of Quilt ‘n Party (@quiltnparty)
Tanya of Tanya Quilts in CO (@tanyaquiltsinco)
Teresa of Aurea’s Kitchen (@aureaskitchen)
Vickie of Crocheting Vixen (@crochetingvixen)

Clementine Quilt Along - February Block

Allow me to introduce...Broken Berries, the February addition to the Clementine Quilt Along for St. Jude Hospital.  These two give me all the happy feelings!  I just love the way the ombre fabrics are showing off in these blocks.

My goal is to use every one of the eight colors I chose, so there aren't any color repeats between the two different block sizes.  I think this will give me a good spread of color in the finished quilt.

Want to see the January and February blocks together?


I know the answer is "YES!"

Although the patterns are free, if you can a donation to St. Jude is greatly appreciated.

And don't forget to visit the other bloggers that are quilting along!

*April of April Rosenthal (@amrosenthal)

Bonnie of Sunset Family Living (@sunsetfamilyliving)

Cara of That Crafty Cara (@thatcraftycara)
Carrie of Moda Cutting Table (@modafabrics)

Denise of Pieced Brain (@piecedbrain)

Elise of Elise and Emelie (@eliseandemelie)

Gina of Carpe Quiltin (@gina_tell_carpequiltin)
Heather of A Creative Pursuit (@acreativemama)

Hilary of By Hilary Jordan (@byhilaryjordan)

Jan of Cocoa Quilts (@cocoaquilts)

Jen of Heritage Threads (@heritage.threads)

Joanne of Quilts by Joanne (@turtlequilterjo)

Kairle of Kairle Oaks Handcrafted Goodness (@kairleoaks)

Kendra of Good Starter (@good_starter)

Kristen of 3 in the Nest (@threeinthenestraleigh)

Kristina of Center Street Quilts (@centerstreetquilts)

Leah of Ponderings from My Heart (@ponderingsfrommyheart)

Melanie of A Bit of Scrap Stuff (@mellierc)

Melissa of Happy Quilting (@happyquiltingmc)
Pat of Pat Sloan (@quilterpatsloan)

Pat B. of Life in the Scrapatch (@scrapatches)

Patty of Elm Street Quilts (@elmstreetquilts)

Rebecca of One Wee Bird (@oneweebird)

Sarah of 123 Quilt (@123quilt)

Seema of SSK Craft Shop (@sskcraftshop)

Sherri of A Quilting Life (@aquiltinglife)

Sondra of Out of the Blue Quilts (@sondradavison)

Stephanie of Quilt 'n Party (@quiltnparty)

Tanya of Tanya Quilts in CO (@tanyaquiltsinco)

Teresa of Aurea's Kitchen (@aureaskitchen)

Vickie of Crocheting Vixen (@crochetingvixen)

Hunter Star - A Classic & Vintage Block

Have you heard of the Classic and Vintage Series from Fat Quarter Shop?  They take a classic block and give it a modern spin.   The newest addition is the Hunter Star!  I love this block and the design it makes when you repeat it throughout a quilt.  If you want to make one of your own you can watch the YouTube video that guides you through the process or find the pattern download link on the FQS blog.

I actually made four block and joined them together to create the full star effect.  Each quadrant is 9 1/2 inches unfinished, so all four make a decent sized block. I think I'm going to turn it into a pillow! My blocks are made from two fat quarters from Fig Tree & Co. and a coordinating solid.

I shared this picture on Instagram and felt like I should share here too.  Don't worry is your points don't match...perfection is overrated!  Just enjoy the process!

#2018makenine

I heard about the #2018makenine after seeing a few of my favorite Instagram makers post collages showing what they want to make this year. After a bit of scrolling through the hashtag on Instagram I found Rochelle the creator behind the idea.  If you'd like to read more about how the idea was conceived I encourage you to read her blog post.

She calls it a gentle challenge that you can't fail!

I had grand plans last year to sew a lot for myself.  But with so many fantastic patterns I found myself overwhelmed by all the options.  I wanted to make everything!  And then I didn't really get anything done.  So I've created a collage and now I know where to focus.  I've made a list of links down below, in case you are interested in learning more about the individual patterns. So...

1. Leschi by Straight Stitch Designs

2. Maritime Shorts by Grainline Studio

3. Hadley Top by Grainline Studio

4. Oceanside Pants by Blank Slate Patterns

5. Shoreline Boatneck by Blank Slate Patterns

6. Stasia Dress by Sew Liberated

7. Esme Top by Sew Liberated

8. Blackwood Cardigan by Helen's Closet

9. Mississippi Ave. Dress by Sew House Seven 

I'm going to try making most of these from my stash of garment fabrics.  The only one that I might have to buy for is the Oceanside Pants, I don't know that I have enough yardage.  I've actually had my Blackwood Cardigan, Esme Top and Mississippi Ave. Dress cut out for a while so I think may increase my productivity.  I made a bonus list just in case.

Bonus
Halifax Hoodie 
Cheyenne Tunic
Shirt No. 1 (a Creativebug class)
Linden Sweatshirt 

Are you doing any garment sewing this year?  Any tips for productivity? 

Dot Party Finish - a Q1 Finish

I joined the Finish-a-Long to help keep myself focused and accountable this year.  My first finish was my Dot Party quilt.  I can't find any record of when I actually started this quilt but I do know that I basted it together in January of 2015.

 The fabric was a layer cake called Oz by Momo and it't long out of print.  I'm almost positive that I bought it from Natalia of Piece'n'Quilt back when she still had a small online shop.  She was actually one of the first bloggers I ever followed.

The back of this quilt might actually be my favorite.  I love how all the colors stand out against the black and the improv nature of it.

Although a bit washed out, I think this picture shows off the quilting and variegated thread pretty well.

The finished quilt measures about 45" square. You can find my original list of projects I wanted to finish here.

2016 Finish-a-long: Q1 List

Have you heard of the Finish-a-long, this year it has undergone some changes and is being hosted by several wonderful bloggers around the world.

I've got a long list of WIPs, so I am planning to participate this year in hopes of keeping myself more focused and getting things done.


 1.  Dot Party - It's basted and ready for quilting.

2. Pow-Wow quilt top finished - This quilt is meant for my almost 10 year old son's twin bed.  I am hoping to have it long-arm quilted.

 

3. On Point quilt top finished - This one is for my daughter and will also be twin sized.

 

4. Make a baby sized Preppy the Whale quilt for my surprise Nephew.

Really Random, WIP's and Finishes

On Wednesday, I was going to write a WIP post but I didn't get to it because of Halloween.

On Thursday, I was going to write a Random post to share Halloween pictures but that didn't happen either.

On Friday, I was going to give you a little run down on sewing and what not that happened this week. 

Here we are on Saturday and I've already washed and fold 3 loads of laundry with 3 more to go but I thought I'd take a few minutes to share the fun stuff I've managed to do this week.

The beginning of the week was spend finishing up little bits of Halloween costumes including making a Princess crown, installing snaps and buttons on overalls for Mario.

 

 

My mom made this little stinker's costume for me.  I don't have much practice with anything but cotton and I don't have anywhere  local to buy more fabric.  She sent me the blue fabric for my son's Mario overalls and I used a pattern I already had.

I've also started working on new quilt that will hopefully be a Christmas present for my husband.  I've asked him before if he wanted his own quilt and his response was "What would I do with it?"  But being stationed aboard a bouy tender keeps him away from home quite a bit and I thought it might be nice if he could take a bit of home with him.

I finished up my Idea Pouch from Michelle Patterns, which I knew I needed after seeing the one Jennifer made.  I was pleasantly surprised how quickly it came together.  My only changes were to the number of pen slots and the use of home decor weight fusible interfacing.  The pattern calls for fusible fleece but I didn't have any and since I didn't really need it to be padded, I made do with what I had.  I plan to make a few more for Christmas present!

























(Please excuse all the Instagram photos...the weather here hasn't been conducive to good picture taking.)

WIP

I really need to make a list of my WIP's but if I did it would probably be a mile long. The other night after my kids went to bed I spent some time prepping several projects so that it would be easy to just grab one and get started. I use these small plastic spinach boxes to store my projects in.

Top priority this week is finishing off my son's Halloween costume.  He decided to be Mario so I had my mom make a trip to Joann's and send me the fabric.  I'm actually almost done.  I've got the buttons to cover, sew down the facings and hem the pant legs.

 

Other projects I'd like to get finished soon include my Idea Pouch and this Verna baby quilt. I made the top over 2 years ago and it has been sitting forever.  I just need to measure it and piece the backing, then it can be basted and quilted.

I'm linking up this week over at Freshly Pieced.