BOMs Away - Pattern Work

Nothing much to report - my machine is in the shop for servicing, so I’m just waiting to hear how bad it’s going to be. There’s apparently a two week line for servicing - but that’s good that the guy is in demand! Or it just means everyone broke their machines making masks and now that it’s summer, they’re dropping their machines off for a nice spa date.

But anyway, without my knee lift and being able to keep the needle down, I’m not going to work on Eternal Bloom. (Yes, I’m spoiled, but…) So instead, I’ve been doing some longarm quilting, computer work on expanding patterns, and actually piecing some of the expanded patterns!

I’ve been doing a designer’s challenge on Instagram, and this month is the churn dash. I snagged a mini charm pack a couple months ago to get free shipping from Cherry Creek Craft Co, so it seemed like the perfect excuse to see my Charm Dash in miniature. And how freaking cute are they?? They go together fast since they’re about half the size - so expect an update to this pattern fairly soon!

And so… Did anyone else work on (or start) a BOM? Or a project broken into more manageable monthly pieces? Or a few blocks for someone else’s charity project? Link up here or at What a Hoot!

You are invited to the Inlinkz link party!

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BOMs Away - RSC June

I’m switching up the month a bit this week - my main machine is a little bit under the weather, so my mother-in-law let me borrow her first machine. She upgraded pretty quickly after starting piecing quilts a couple years ago!

And after sewing one block on her first machine, I know why she upgraded… Sheesh this thing is…not a fully loaded piecing machine. No knee lift, no auto needle down, a little bit inconsistent in the speed and power and accuracy. (Okay, maybe some of that is me…)

But without a knee lift, I knew I didn’t want to do the tiny bits of Eternal Bloom, so I made my RSC block of the month. It’s purple, so the only debate was whether to go dark or light this time. Obviously I decided on a dark middle (scraps from my niece’s Cinderella quilt) and light outside!

They look so good together! (Pattern: Color Coded by Diane Harris / Stash Bandit)

And so… Did anyone else work on (or start) a BOM? Or a project broken into more manageable monthly pieces? Or a few blocks for someone else’s charity project? Link up here or at What a Hoot!

You are invited to the Inlinkz link party!

Click here to enter
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Stars Unfurled - A Finished Quilt!

Welcome to my stop on the Plum Pudding Blog Tour! This signature collection was designed by Island Batik with corresponding patterns by Sherry of Powered by Quilting. This is my second time working with Sherri and she’s just a delight! She has three new patterns to go with this fabric line, and I have one as well!

So, story time. I was feeling Ohio Star-ish, so I plopped one down in Electric Quilt and then wandered through the block library to find something that went with it. I tried this combo pretty early on, but I didn’t like it. So I started sending designs to Lori. “Do you like A or B?” A. “Okay, but what about A or C?” Still A. “But maybe A or D?” Somehow she still kept answering A, so I figured maybe I was wrong.

I was definitely wrong. As soon as I put it to fabric, I knew it was an awesome design. SO.MUCH.MOVEMENT!! It’s perfection. Y’all make sure you thank Lori for this one.

Anyway, back to the Plum Pudding fabric! I know I said this last time, but I adore the Island Batik fabrics. They’re not at all stiff or waxy like most of the batiks I’ve handled before. I want to pet them all the time.

The pattern includes instructions to piece and press those half square triangles properly in a directional fabric, and we should all just not look at my blocks too closely because I don’t always follow my own instructions. Luckily the trees were usually okay being upside down. But seriously, there’s instructions! You should follow them!

The backing and binding are from Joann’s (because I ran out of time to order anything.) They match pretty well, though! And though it’s definitely a wintery fabric line, it’s not Christmas, so it’s got an extended season for couch snuggles.

The pattern comes in four sizes, and the throw size is perfectly appropriate for Quilts of Valor Foundation. And I made it officially official with QOVF to get their stamp of approval for the quilt, and 10% of the proceeds will be donated to QOVF! (Though you know pretty much all my proceeds go to QOVF already.)

You can snag the pattern here in my Payhip Shop with the code “PLUM10” for 10% off during the blog tour.

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BOMs Away - Scraphabet M/N

Halfway through the year and it's time for the hardest blocks! Sorry not sorry. It's a learning experience, right? There's a lot of pieces to pre-make in these blocks, but they're worth it!

(Photo by Lori Barbely / BrandsbyLori.com)

Half rectangles and triangle in a square aren't that hard - you just have to be careful of the bias edges. And the quarter square triangle is made without seeing on the bias, so that's easy peasy. If you're only making the M, you'll have leftover pieces; but if you're making the whole alphabet, you need to save them for the Q and W. Put them in a baggie and label it, so you don't lose it as soon as you turn your back. (Like my Rainbow Scrap Challenge gray pieces.)

THE DEETS

You can find the pattern here - it’s free the first month and goes to $2 once the next one is posted. A portion of the proceeds will continue to be donated to the Hopatong Community Garden, so if you miss one and have to catch up, you’ll be helping a great cause run by one of my good friends.

You will need 2-3/4 yards for the background fabric, and I use the the Quilt in a Day triangle ruler to trim my half and quarter square triangles. I use the tri-recs ruler to cut my half rectangle and triangle-in-a-square blocks, but templates are also included in those patterns.

I have a coloring page available here. I used charm packs from all of Christa Quilt’s fabric lines, plus some large scraps for the flying geese. She also sells already color coordinated fat quarter bundles of her fabrics if you want to take all the work out of sorting by color!

If you’re joining me in these blocks, please use #ScraphabetQuilt on Instagram or comment here so I can find your blog!

And so… Did anyone else work on (or start) a BOM? Or a project broken into more manageable monthly pieces? Or a few blocks for someone else’s charity project? Link up here or at What a Hoot! (Link up coming soon, Lyn married off a daughter this weekend!)

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