Challenge Quilt in Progress

I participated in a quilting challenge as part of a club at my local quilt shop this summer.  Although this quilt is already finished, I wanted to share the process here on my blog.  The challenge was to use at least 90% of a fat quarter of the stripe print on the left.  I added the same print in the second colorway to brighten up the quilt.

The bright colors reminded me of beach balls and flip flops, so I decided to make a summery quilt.  I cut the stripes into 6.5 inch square fence rail blocks and then used the Quick Curve Ruler to make them quarter circles.  I cut some a little bigger than 6.5 inches so the prints could also be used for the concave side of the curve for a more modern look.

Originally I was going to have each 12 inch block have three quarter circles and one concave section like this quilt.  However, Cheetah came in my room and hated it.  He rearranged the blocks so they would be symmetrical.  They ended up staying that way.  He is rather proud of his layout and tells me frequently that I can thank him for it.  Lol.

I ended up using a lot more than a fat quarter of the challenge print because I used it in half the blocks and used it for the border.

Here is the top before it was quilted.

I quilted it on my small Pfaff because my Tiara was being serviced.

I started out by using the walking foot to stitch in the ditch to stabilize the quilt.

Then I used some circle rulers to mark concentric circles with my Hera marker.

I learned that if I used a side light instead of direct light the markings were much easier to see.

The quilting turned out even better than I imagined.

I will share the finished quilt soon.

XX,
Jasmine

New Design Wall

Shortly after we hung up my mini quilts, I got a new design wall.  It is my old flannel sheet taped to a one inch thick piece of foam insulation board.

It is stiff enough that I can lean it against the wall, and great for smaller quilt projects.  I am still figuring out what to do for larger projects, but here is a sneak peek at the first quilt I used it for.

I did cut the four foot wide board a little shorter to make it fit the space a little better.  When it is not being used I can hide it in my closet.

XX,
Jasmine

Mini Quilt Display

First, I would like to thank everyone who checked up on me over the summer.  My blogging break ended up being longer than I originally planned.  ;)  I had a fabulous summer filled with family, friends, and fun.  Now that the boys are all back in school, I plan on getting back to blogging.

When I shared pictures of my new sewing studio last May, I showed this stack of mini quilts I was hoping to hang on the wall.

Thanks to the help of my husband and Ikea, they are now on display in my studio.

I decided that I wanted rods with clips around my studio so that I can change out the mini quilts whenever I feel like it.  I used the Fintorp rails and the Syrlig clips from Ikea for my mini quilts.

My husband hung two rails on each side of my window for a total of four mini quilts.

He hung a fifth rail above my old cutting table near the door to display a fifth quilt.

Then he cut two rails a little smaller and hung them up together above my design wall area.  This way I can either use my design wall or hang up a quilt.  (This is Monkey's Monster Alphabet quilt I borrowed for this picture.)

I enjoy seeing a quilt more than an empty design wall.

Having my mini quilts displayed makes my studio feel so much more like home.

XX,
Jasmine

Jackie's Quilt: A Custom Finish

I was commissioned by my mother's friend Jackie to quilt and bind this quilt.  It is a gift for her grandson's wedding.  Her daughter pieced the quilt top and prepared the binding.  I did the rest.  I believe most of the fabrics were designed by Angela Walters and I had so much fun quilting this.

Jackie chose a dimpled minky for the backing and I learned one thing.  The dimpled minky is so much stretchier than the flat/smooth minky.  Using the Hobbs 80/20 batting and basting spray helped stabilize it during quilting.  It turned out beautifully, but I will be avoiding the dimpled minky from now on.

I basted this queen size quilt on the floor of my craft room by moving my cutting table in front of my future design wall.

Then I quilted it on my Tiara.  I set up an extra table to the side and used my ironing board to help hold the weight of the quilt.

When I asked Jackie how she wanted it quilted, she just said, "I trust you."  While that was sweet, I told her that I needed more input than that.  I pulled out my Floating quilt and she realized that there really were many options to choose from.  She ended up choosing one of my favorite designs: swirls with curls or hooked swirls.

I love how it turned out and I am sure her grandson and his wife will love it too.

XX,
Jasmine

P.S.  I will be linking up with some of the fun parties on my sidebar.  Check them out to see what other quilters have been up to.

Eagle Pledge: A Custom Finish

My Dad is on the Scout Committee in his troop and loves to help with Eagle Courts of Honor.  So he asked my mom to make him this quilt to display at the courts of honor.  It is an embroidery pattern by Anita Goodesign.

(The carved eagle also belongs to my dad.)

The exciting thing is that Cheetah's eagle court of honor is the first one it was displayed at.

Yes, Cheetah is now an official Eagle Scout.

My mom did all of the embroidery and pieced the blocks together.

I added another layer of Warm and White batting and quilted it.  While it may look like a lot of quilting...

Most of it was part of the embroidery.  I just stitched in the ditch to stabilize it, added a half inch binding, and added loops for hanging.

It is such a neat quilt.

My mom did an amazing job and my dad just loves it!

XX,
Jasmine

P.S.  I will be linking up with some of the parties on my sidebar.  Check them out to see more amazing projects.

Ant Picnic: A Fast Finish

This quilt, Ant Picnic, was a fun fast finish. (Say that three times fast.)  I made it for an auction raising money for youth summer camps in my new ward at church.  It was a great stash buster because it used up all of the ant picnic fabric and all of a mystery red solid.

I had the perfect amount of fabric to make a quilt 72 x 84 inches with a pieced backing.  I just had to add some Kona Black for the binding.

I was able to match the plaid when sewing the pieces together, but I did end up with some partial ants at the seam.  I don't think anyone will notice unless they are looking for it.

I used a comfort loft polyester batting and a basting spray.  When using a polyester batting (which I usually avoid) I spray both the batting and fabric.  The double spray holds the layers together very well for machine quilting on my Tiara.  (I learned this tip from S.O.T.A.K. Handmade.)

I quilted it with a large meander.  This huge quilt only took three and a half hours to machine quilt.

I finished the quilt the day of the auction and took some pictures in my neighbor's yard while battling the wind.

Quilt Stats #181
Name:  Ant Picnic
Pattern:  Whole cloth with pieced back
Fabric: From my old stash and Kona Black
Amount Used: 9 yards
Size: About 72 x 84 inches
Batting: Comfort Loft Polyester
Date Finished: May 2016
What I learned:

• Large meandering goes fast on my Tiara!  

As I was making the quilt I was very worried that nobody would like it or bid on it.  I was prepared to buy it back from the auction if I needed to.  However, a few different people bid on it.  The very neighbor whose yard I took the pictures in is the one who ended up with it.  I guess she also thought it would be fun for picnics by the lake.  

XX,
Jasmine

P.S.  I will be linking up with some of the fun parties on my sidebar. Check them out for more quilty inspiration.

Hands2Help

This is my third year participating in the Hands2Help Challenge at Confessions of a Fabric Addict.  Unlike the first two years, I knew the Challenge would come during a crazy busy time for me.  (I have been moving and settling in my new house.)  So I decided to make my quilt earlier this year.  Things have been so busy that it has even been hard for me to make it to the post office.  However, I can now say that my quilt for Happy Chemo is in the mail.  :)

I decided to donate my Blue and Green Race Quilt.  It is a super fun and fast quilt pieced together using the Jelly Roll Race method and my calculations for different sized quilts.  Be sure to check out my original post about the quilt if you would like more information.  Here are some more pictures just for fun.

 

Thanks for stopping by!  What is your favorite charity to donate to?

XX,
Jasmine

P.S.  I will be linking up with the final linky party for Hands2Help.