Finish It Up Friday

I just started a new project a few nights ago and already have the top almost finished!

My husband and kids helped me lay out all the blocks last night.  It was truly a family affair which was kind of fun.  It was also interesting to hear my husband talking about what he likes in quilts.  Turns out, it’s a lot like what he likes in ties, which is not really my style.  I also took photos of how I keep my layout straight in my mind.

I put a tiny post-it on the left-most block in the row.  Then I stack them all from left to right and pin the post-it through all the layers.

Then I can transport and store all the blocks in my sewing room without the fear that my kids will trample them and mix up the order.  One thing I have not figured out, though, is how to chain stitch in order.  My brain just cannot do it.  In fact, although I *always* stack from left to right, I still write “L-R”  on the sticky note just to keep my brain straight and avoid any panic attacks!

I also thought I’d share one of my bee blocks for September.  I am glad that month is over.  Both bee blocks I had to make were paper-pieced which is not my favorite.  Bea really liked this design, so maybe a similar quilt is in my future, but these blocks that use strips seem to use twice as much fabric as the finished product which kind of aggravates me, although they are pretty.

On a totally unrelated note, my kids are really into these Bizu bracelets.  Have your daughters seen them at school yet?  My daughter is in first grade and all the kids seem to have them.

Linking up to Finish It Up Friday on Crazy Mom Quilts.  I am off to get some exercise on this beautiful day.  I have lost over 30 pounds since May.

Have a wonderful day!

Flora Charm Quilt

Last week I finally put the binding on this quilt made with Lauren and Jessi Jung’s Flora.  I used two charm packs I bought at the LQS and supplemented what I needed with solids from my stash and the border fabric purchased at Hancock’s of Paducah during an online sale.   The finished size is 61 x 77 and the pattern came from the book Simply Charming by Moose on the Porch Quilts.  It is one of the first books I bought and think it’s so great for a beginner.  I’ve made 3 of the patterns in the book since I first started quilting.

I had a little trouble deciding on the binding.  The fabric I purchased online looked more greenish than yellow, and I wasn’t happy with the look.  So, I put the quilt in a pile in my sewing room for a week or two while I decided what to do.  I almost purchased the green lattice print from this collection since I have a thing for striped binding and the lattice is the closest thing to stripes in Flora (there are no polka dots either).  But my practical side won out and I ended up binding it with leftover fabric from the border.  I like!!!  And it was free!  The backing is a striped sheet from Target. 

My fmq is getting a lot better, and I completely machine-bound this quilt using Kaelin’s machine binding tutorial.  I have done it a couple of times, but this is the first time it’s turned out nearly perfect.  It literally took about an hour to make and attach all the binding.  How cool is that???

I really love Lauren and Jessi’s style and color choices.  I have a massive cache of “Hideaway” and I can’t wait until their new line “Birds and Berries” comes out.  Here is a preview courtesy of the Fat Quarter Shop.

I love how the colors are similar to the other collections, but I really am excited about the purple added to the mix.

I am linking up to Quilt Story today.