The Carpenter's Daughter Who Quilts

Category: Oh Scrap

Grande Scrappy Tiles Pattern Launch Blog Hop & Giveaway

Hi, I am sharing today my version of the Grande Scrappy Tiles pattern that I tested for Meadow Mist Designs. I am calling my version, The Cowboy Way. I made the twin size version. It is made in a cowboy south western theme for my daughter. Grande Scrappy Tiles is being released for sale today.

I had a lot of fun putting this quilt pattern together. It goes together so smoothly. No major seams to match up. A single block is 24 inches so you can have a large quilt in no time at all.

There is so much potential in one pattern. It allows you to showcase some of your larger favorite prints. I am thinking of making another version of this quilt in all different plaids from my stash (from when I made/sold primitive cloth dolls).

You can read more about my quilt The Cowboy Way here, here and here.

Grande Scrappy Tiles will be on sale for 2 weeks at $6 (until July 4th) and is available on etsy, craftsy, and payhip.

Etsy: http://www.etsy.com/listing/237351750/

Craftsy: http://www.craftsy.com/pattern/quilting/home-decor/grande-scrappy-tiles/150805?rceId=1434592468528~b5qi55i4

Payhip: https://payhip.com/b/EwMm

Cheryl at Meadow Mist Designs has graciously allowed me to have a giveway of one pdf pattern of Grande Scrappy Tiles to one of my followers.

To enter the pattern giveaway, tell me what is your favorite pet? Cat, Dog or another? Our family just got a new Australian Shepherd puppy this past weekend.

If you are a follower of my blog in some fashion, you can have an additional entry.

If you think you maybe a No-Reply Blogger, please leave an email where you can be reached.

This contest will be open for a week and the pattern winner will be drawn on June 27th.

Be sure to check out Cheryl’s blog for all the other lovely versions of Grande Scrappy Tiles.

Hope you have a great weekend.

Happy Sewing,

Shelley

This contest has ended. Thank you!

June 19, 2015
Blogger’s Quilt Festival: Scrappy Dr. Seuss

Hi, It’s time for the biannual Blogger’s Quilt Festival over at Amy’s Creative Side. Quilters can enter two of their quilts into the various categories.

I am entering a second quilt into the Small quilt section. It is my Scrappy Dr. Seuss quilt. It is made from 22 different Dr. Seuss prints and I used Susan Pfau of Sweet Jane’s Picnic In the Park pattern but I sized the blocks down to use my 2 inch scrap strips.

This is the pile of fabrics I started with.

I did my best to use every last bit of the fabrics. I pieced a border together and also took the last small pieces to make a Chinese Coins type layout on the back.

Since this entire quilt was an experiment of sorts from trying out a new pattern to using what fabrics I had, I decided to try a new to me type of quilting. I did a boxy stitch with my walking foot. It took alot of manuevering but it was worth it in the end.

This is a sample. I did use a variegated thread on top of quilt.

And the finished quilt top and backing.

When washed and dried, the dense stitching made a wonderful crinkly texture. I plan to try another version of this quilting on the three baby quilts I am currently working on.

I had to have some fun with this quilt so I shared a silly photo of my quilt posed on Mr. Bird, my metal bird art that my husband welded for me from various garden tool and tractor parts.

If you would like to read more about the process of making this quilt, I blogged here and here.

Thanks for taking the time to check out my quilt entry into the small quilts at the Blogger’s Quilt Festival. Please go check out all the lovely quilts over at Amy’s. Nominations start tomorrow.

Happy Sewing,

Shelley

May 21, 2015
The Cowboy Way: Grande Scrappy Tiles Flimsy Finish

Hi, I am excited to share today my finished quilt top made from Grande Scrappy Tiles that I am pattern testing for Meadow Mist Designs. I completed it before midnight, so that still counts as a Friday Finish, right? (Hard to take photos that late, if someone is sleeping in the bed. lol)

This is made with 30 different prints from stripes, plaids to cowboys, horses and boots. I was worried about combining all of them together, but I think they all mesh together nicely. Nice flow of color as well. I like it the pattern so much, that I can see it in possible patriotic prints which I have a ton of or all different plaids as I have a ton of homespuns. Some of the focus prints are upside down or sideways, but that is just the nature of the block. This quilt is just One Block and you flip it this way and that. I would think about cutting certain prints differently, if it was important that they be upright. The pattern uses fat quarters or 1/4 yard cuts. I used both, so it make it just a little more tricky cutting out. But Cheryl has a great chart telling you exactly how many of each block segment you need. So you can cut this top easy from your scraps and stash of fabrics.

This is a twin top on a king size bed. It is 72 inches by 96 inches.

Turned sideways on bed. There are so many of my old favorite fabrics in this quilt. I can not wait to start quilting on it. I am hoping to draw out a plaid type quilting on it. Use the arm extension on the walking foot and painters tape?? I have to figure out what to use on the backing. I still have lots of the same scraps. My daughter wants to save back the black background cowboy face print as we have had that set aside to use as lining in a leather purse we are designing to make.

I love this cowboy print and Mr. PoleCat is in the center of the block. He is my favorite. It makes me think of Doc Holliday.

I also love the cowboy boot print fabric. I had to use this fabric in the quilt. My daughter loves her cowboy boots. She has 7 pairs of Tony Lamas.

It is fitting to get this top completed this week as my daughter starts her internship at the horse farm on Monday.

I will be linking up this finish with Crazy Mom’s Quilts, Can I Get a Whoop Whoop?, TGIFF, Oh Scrap and Prairie Sewn Studios Craft Comment Karma and Scraptastic Tuesday.

Thanks for stopping by.

Happy Sewing,

Shelley

April 25, 2015
New Quilt Fabric Pull

Hi, I am sharing my start for a new quilt. This is another quilt pattern that I am testing for Meadow Mist Designs. It is a super sized version of her Scrappy Tiles. Cheryl will be sharing more about her new pattern and her test quilt that she is making in the upcoming weeks. The quilt blocks on this new super sized design are so big that you only need 16 of them for a Queen sized quilt. How cool is that ?!! There is lots of room for lots of fun fabric choices.

I am sharing what I have started to pull for fabrics for my version of this quilt. I am trying a scrappy western themed for my daughter who is in college for Veterinary Tech and is possibly interning at a horse ranch this summer.

I have dug way down in to the archives of my fabric stash for some of these fabrics. Lots of old favorites. I have around 27 prints besides the main focus fabric.

This is an Alexander Henry print. I love, love Alexander Henry and he makes some of the best cowboy prints. This one has a copyright of 1997 on it, but I am sure I have not had it that long. Maybe it was reissued?? Is that possible?? This is extra cool with the cowboy’s names under the headshots. Pole Cat, Tex, Slim, El Ray and Luke. Pole Cat is my favorite.

Not sure if the horse print might not also be Alexander Henry? The three centered black star prints are back from my earliest quilting and primitive doll making. The upper most one is a Debbie Mumm fabric. The last fabric is a black blender from my Father Inlaw’s Warm Wishes train logo quilt.

I love all things blue. I have lots of plaids in my stash. (again from primitive dolls) There are two shades of blue blenders in the center, a neat blue sky cloud print and a soft blue pillow ticking stripe.

The main red fabric print is called Barn Dance and it has the neatest black ink drawings of old barns on it. It is a classic Country Threads fabric. Country Threads is from my home state of Iowa, the quilt shop in a chicken coop. A couple more plaids and a red blender that is from my Father inlaw’s Warm Wishes train logo quilt as well.

Here is a green plaid and green ticking stripe that have been around for awhile. I have multiple yards of the blue plaid and think it might end up as backing for this quilt in some fashion. It is made by Marcus Brothers.

This new pattern is fat quarter or 1/4 yard friendly. A single pieced block will measure out to 24 inches square. This will make for lots of room for all sorts of quilting detail. I am highly thinking of stitching out an overall plaid striped design to carry my western themed for this quilt.

I hope to get to start cutting out some of my needed fabrics for this quilt in the upcoming days. This will be after I get further along in my piecing of all the blocks for my pattern test of Plus Plus.

I will be linking up my post with Let’s Bee Social, Crazy Mom’s Quilts, Oh Scrap, and Prairie Sewn Studios Comment Karma linky parties.

Thanks for stopping by. Hope everyone has a great weekend!

Happy Sewing,
Shelley

April 10, 2015
Scrappy Dr. Seuss : Wed. Finish

Hi, Today I am happy to share my Scrappy Dr. Seuss baby quilt as a Wednesday Finish.

We are having gorgeous weather here in Iowa this week. The sun is shining and almost all the snow is melted. It’s in the 50’s and so nice to not have to weather 4 layers when you go outside.

I quilted my Scrappy Dr. Seuss in a boxy quilt pattern, going around and around while staying inside the pieced blocks. It makes for a really neat texture. I used a variegated thread on top that had yellow, orange, red and blue with green. I used the bright blue as my bobbin thread and it blended in nicely with the back fabrics.

(The wind picked up and caught the one side of quilt so it appears out of square when it is not.)

For a different view of things, I layed the quilt out on our old moss covered picnic table. The sunlight filtering through the trees was quite pretty I thought.

There should be some really wrinkly soft goodness after the quilt is washed and dried. The quilt is still pretty flexible even with the close stitching.

And for a couple silly photos, I decided to have Dr. Seuss meet Mr. Bird, my metal bird lawn sculpture that my Husband created for me from used farm tools.

Mr. Bird looks majestic with his technicolor quilted wings. He could use to have a fresh paint job.

I look forward to giving this quilt to our newest nephew. It was a fun project using up some of my favorite fabric scraps and I learned a new quilting style technique.

I will be linking up my quilt finish with WIP Wednesday, Oh Scrap, Scraptastic Tuesday- March linkup and other midweek linky parties. (My quilt is highlighted on And Sew We Craft Together Week 12. )

Thank you for stopping by and I will be back yet this week with another project that I am working on another nephew who turns 1 tomorrow.

Happy Sewing,
Shelley

March 11, 2015
WIP Wed: Boxy Quilt Stitch

Hi, Today I have started quilting my scrappy Dr. Seuss baby quilt.

Since it has a different style block, I thought I should try some different types of quilting. I am using my walking foot to create a meandering boxy pattern. I practiced on a block left over from my Catawampus quilt.

This is a variegated size 40 cotton Signature brand thread. I do not see an actual name of the color, except Tex 40 as a possible color name. It has red, orange, green and blue to purple colors. For my Dr. Seuss quilt, I used a matching blue thread for the bobbin color. I really liked the look and texture of my sample and would like to make a batik purse in the future with this stitching all over.

I am using Warm and Natural batting and this quilting gives it a really neat texture. I am trying not to get too close together so it would cause any stiffness.

I am trying to keep my boxy stitch contained within the colored portion of my quilt block. I think I will take white thread and either stitch in the ditch or stitch very close to the outer white border to finish off the individual quilt blocks.

This quilt was an experiment to use up what I had for scraps from making two other quilts and attempt to try out a new quilt pattern to see if I would like to use it in a larger quilt.

I will be linking up with Freshly Pieced WIP Wednesday.

Thanks for stopping by.

Happy Sewing,
Shelley

March 4, 2015
Batik Catawampus :WIP

Hi, Today I am sharing my latest quilt project. In the last two weeks, I have finished off and hand delivered the last two quilts that were to be Christmas gifts. With that task completed, it was of course time to cut out fabric for a new quilt.

I have chosen to make the queen size of Catawampus by Freckled Whimsy. The queen size is supposed to be 100 inches square, so I thought that should actually work as a quilt for our new king size bed. This pattern is set up to use Fat Eighths precuts and the designer has a really neat way about cutting all the needed strips and squares from the fat eighths. I won a Fat eighths set of Color Theory by V & Co. back in December. The designer shows her quilt made from V & Co.’s Simply Color, which is one of my favorite but is basically no longer available. My fat eighths set is of the whole line of fabrics but is not enough to make the queen size. I did multiple calculations and figured those fabrics should make a 90 inch square quilt, since I want larger than that, I will set them aside for another project.

When I first saw the pattern in our local quilt shop, I thought it could look lovely in batiks. So I pulled all of my available batiks and with some careful cutting, I managed to cut all my needed squares and strips. I have had many of these batiks since 2010 and have used them in three quilts now. It is pretty amazing just how far some fat quarters can be stretched (of course I did add a few extras along the way, but not too many.) I am now left with some tiny scraps that may be able to be worked into a string or paper pieced pillow ( like arrows or feathers.)

Here are all my pretties. There ended up being 27 different batik prints.

When I come across a new quilt pattern I like, it is fun and interesting to do an online search of Google Images to see what other quilters have done with the pattern. For Catawampus, I only have come across the designer’s version and one other so far, with the last one being made with a gray solid background and numerous bright prints (not batiks). I have decided to use a light gray with my batiks.

This quilt will certainly not be lacking in fun colors. Gray will help hide the cat hair. Buddy, the Maine Coon seems to be molting quite badly and of course loves to lay on our bed or all my quilt projects.

I hope to be able to get some of the quilt blocks made to show yet this week. I have 6 yards of gray to cut into all the numerous background strips. I have one project I need to start and finish before I can start my quilt sewing. I am making a piped cushion for a bench for my grandsons and their Mom. It’s 12 by 40 inches long and needs to have a zipper placed in it somewhere. The cushion that came with the bench was not to her liking, so I am in charge of creating a custom one to replace it (from cell phone photos and a carpenter’s tape measure). So wish me luck. 🙂 I am off to make 6 yards of bias binding/piping.

I am linking up my new quilting project and it’s fabric pull to various weekly linky parties. Thanks for stopping by.

Happy Sewing,

Shelley

February 12, 2015
Wednesday’s Works and Ponderings

Hi, I thought I would share what I have been working on this week.

I finished piecing the last available pieces of the Dr. Seuss scraps into a Stacked Coins design that I centered into the backing for the baby quilt.

I was able to cut three stacks of 4.5 inch wide coins and two 4 inch wide coin stacks. They ended up about 16 inches tall and I added a 2.5 inch strip of blue in between them all. I took the last of this shade of blue yardage and cut it down the middle fold and added the length to both sides of my coin stacks. I had plans to add in a red solid stripe divided into the blue spanse on each side, but it appears that I have enough length without adding in more fabric. I plan to use the red solid as binding.

Yesterday, I got some fun “squishy” mail. A package of fabric that I won during the Sew Mama Sew’s Giveaway Day back in December finally arrived. I won a jelly roll, a charm pack and three mini charm packs from the blogger ChooChooSkadoo.

Here is my jelly roll strip set. I am not sure what line they are from as a whole, or if possibly they were a theme of fabrics pulled from many lines by a fabric shop (it appears there are various makers.)

White on white to black on white prints.

Black on white prints to black solid. (Butterflies, Koi fish, a chrysanthemum flower of sorts and ginkgo leaves)

Red solid to red with white and black prints.

I have not used too many jelly roll sets in the past in my quilt making. I have cut my own strips from yardage. These fabrics are quite pretty and I am sure I can come up with something to do with them.

Here is a Kona Solids charm pack in the Botanicals coloring. Mini charms of Snowman Gatherings, The Boo Crew and V&Co’s Color Me Happy fabric lines. I needed more solids for my stash and I have seen a solid colors Framed quilt made up that I have had my eye on this week. I have not used mini charms yet, and these can make up some cute pillow tops.

I just have not had the chance to pull out my quilt tops and get them basted together to start quilting yet this week. Our daughter started back in college this week and everyone is adjusting to new schedules around the house. We are planning on getting a king size bed this weekend, so we are going to need new bedding and quilts. Two of my four quilts needing quilting will be going on our new bed, but the two smaller quilts are to be gifts, so they should take priority to being finished. Our daughter will be getting a different bed and would like a new cover for her comforter. I have had fabric set aside for this purpose, for quite a while. She likes Cowboys and Horses and the general, all western theme.

This is Alexander Henry’s Wranglers (Pin up Cowboys) fabric. I have 5 yards of it. And somewhere in this house, but for the life of me, I can not find it…is another 5 yards of a cowboy and cowgirls riding horses fabric on a light sort of minty green background. I know I am not imagining it or dreaming, as my daughter remembers that we have the two prints to make reversible comforter. I made up a quilt kit bag from a large zip loc bag and had the fabrics in it, but the other print is missing. How do you lose 5 yards of fabric?? 🙂

While digging through my fabric bins and chest of drawers, I come across a fun project from last year. I started making Disappearing 4 Patches from a red with white hearts print fabric. I had this fabric yardage back from when I made primitive fabric dolls back in 1999-2001 for wholesale market. This fabric was used to make a Raggedy Annie doll dress.

I think I started out with 10 inch white and print squares. It makes up a 18.5 inch block. I think it was based on the Missouri Star Quilts tutorial. I cut up all the red/white heart fabric I had left and ended up with 8 blocks.

This is 2 rows of 3 blocks sewn together. The blocks are sewn but the rows are not yet. With having 8 pieced blocks instead of 9, I am not sure how I want to or should lay them out. Take the last two blocks and piece in a plain block in the center, or piece the two blocks together and end with the plain block. Either way, the plain white block could have some sort of applique applied to it, or do some sort of Valentine’s Day redwork embroidery??? Any thoughts??? If made into a 9 block quilt, it would finish off at around 54 inches square.

I plan to baste the Dr. Seuss baby quilt and get the Plus Dash and Boxed In and Out quilt tops ready for basting in the upcoming days. No matter how fun it is to think about playing with new fabrics, I need to get back on schedule.

Thanks for stopping by. I will be linking up with the various midweek linky parties.

Happy Sewing,

Shelley

January 14, 2015
Scrappy Dr. Seuss Baby Quilt Flimsy

Hi, I would like to share my Scrappy Dr. Seuss baby quilt top that I have been working on this week.

This top is approximately 38 by 53 inches. I created it from leftover 2 inch strips from 20 some different Dr. Seuss prints that I originally had fat quarters of and made a quilt for a new nephew in 2011. This is my take on Sweet Jane’s Picnic In the Park quilt pattern. Her pattern uses 2.5 inch strips and I sized the finished block down from 10 inches to 8 inches by using the 2 inch strips that I had.

With careful cutting of my pieced strip segments, I was able to make 15 blocks.

I added a white border to finish off the outside of the blocks. I took my ThingOne ThingTwo fabric and cut 2 1/4 inch strips for a middle border and found a blue solid in my stash and cut 4.5 inch borders. I thought my ThingOne Thing Two fabric was longer than what it was and ended up being a bit short for the longer side borders so I improvised and used the longest strip of a coordianting red fish bowl print and cut corner rectangles.

Here is a closer look.

Or even closer to look at block details.

I have just a few pieces of these fabrics left. 2.5 inch strip segments that were left over from piecing the other quilt. I thought they were too nice to throw away and can cut them down to make stacked coins for a pieced backing for this quilt.

It has been fun reworking this prints into a new quilt top. It will be a nice playmat quilt for our new family member.

I will be linking up with Crazy Mom Quilts, and Can I Get a Whoop Whoop? and TGIFF this week.

Thanks for visiting my blog this week. Hope everyone is staying warm. It’s been quite frigid here in Iowa this week.

Happy Sewing,

Shelley

January 9, 2015
Playing with Scraps: Baby Quilt WIP

Hi, I have been in a bit of a quilting/sewing funk these past couple of weeks. If you by chance read Goodbye 2014 post last week, you know I have alot of new fabric and patterns to play with in the upcoming year. I could just dive in and cut up some of those pretty fabrics and create something new or I have four quilt tops needing quilting (two for gifts and two for us.)

I decided to pull some of my fabric scraps out and play with them and make yet another project to quilt (it’s bitterly cold and snowing here yet again….) In February there will be a new baby in the family, so I thought I would make a fun baby quilt for my sister inlaw so the new Grandma has something for the new baby at her house. A quilt is way nicer than having to throw a towel down for the baby to lay or play on.

I made a quilt back in 2011 from a set of Dr. Seuss fat quarters that had like 22 different prints for our new nephew at the time. I do not have a good photo of it to share. I had a stack of 2 inch by 22 inch strips leftover.

This photo is actually half of the strips cut down to 11 inch strips.

In the last 5 years, I have become some what of a “Quilt Pattern Collector”. I have cut way back on the patterns I purchase since I found Pinterest. I collect my ideas there for a while then purchase the patterns I like the most after that. I have numerous fun patterns that I could make, but have not for whatever reason. I have many that use precuts like jelly roll strips and that is one precut that I usually do not have or use. I end up cutting my own from my yardage or fat quarters.

I have collected various quilt patterns made by Susan Pfau’s Sweet Jane. She sells on Etsy. This week, I pulled out her Picnic In the Park quilt pattern. It of course is supposed to use 2.5 inch strips but I have 2 inch. So playing around a bit with what I have to work with, my blocks will be 8 inches square instead of 10.5 inches square. I will follow her instructions as close as I can otherwise.

I have 6 blocks made and should be able to make at least 12. I do not plan on making the pieced scrappy border as I do not have extra fabric. If I rework how I cut the next set of strips, I may be able to make more actual blocks. I like the pieced blocks more than the scrappy border.

I have a piece of the Thing One Thing Two print that is 10 inches by the full 42 inches that I plan on making a border to the quilt with. Possibly adding red or navy to finish it off. I have various other Dr Seuss scraps from the other quilt I made that can be used to make a scrappy backing for the quilt.

I thought a small quilt would be a fun way to practice some different types of quilting on like spiral quilting or an allover scalloped/wavy stitch. I do not make too many smaller quilts anymore.

The baby is due around February 8th and they do not know the sex, so hopefully Dr. Seuss is universal enough for either a boy or girl. I will make a more suited quilt after the baby has arrived.

I am linking up with the newly formed Oh Scrap linky party over at Quilting Is More Fun than Housework and my usual weekly linky parties that are linked on the front of my blog.

Thanks for stopping by. I hope to show you the finished quilt top by the weekend.

Happy Sewing until then,

Shelley

January 8, 2015