Pineapple Log Cabin Quilt {Finished Quilt}

In my push to finish, finish, finish, I got my Pineapple Log Cabin quilt finished before it languished on a shelf for 6, 12, or 18 months -- unlike a lot of other finishes this year! Here's the quilt top when it was completed in June:

When I started this quilt, I got all of the supplies for it at one time -- I thought ahead and included the batting and a spool of Aurifil thread the same time I ordered the fabric. Sometimes, I forget about batting and thread -- especially batting! -- and that ends up being an impediment to finishing something. 

(That being said, I have started a new column on my WIP/UFO spreadsheet -- a "shopping list" column -- to note what I need to get to finish a quilt. My hope is that I can be more proactive about making sure I have everything I need for a project.)

For the quilting on this quilt, I got a spool of variegated Aurifil 50 wt. thread -- the color is "teal spotted". However, I used a solid color light teal for all of the bobbins. I found it to be much easier to work from the two spools for top thread and bobbin thread rather than to use the variegated thread in both the top and the bobbin.

This is the largest quilt (and I think actually the only "quilt") that I have quilted using variegated thread. I believe I've only ever quilted table runners and mini quilts with variegated thread before. For the design, I attempted to copy the same chrysanthemum motif that my mom used to quilt my Good Fortune quilt. But being "on brand" for myself, my flowers are denser and smaller. 

Regardless, I really liked using this design and found it easy to move across the quilt, to fill in spaces of various shape and size, and only once did I run out of bobbin mid-quilt-stream. 

For the binding, I had set aside a half yard of one of my fabrics -- a fun striped, scalloped print -- and turned the entire half yard into some really awesome bias binding. The whole half yard was more than I needed, but now I have enough bias binding for a mini quilt ready to go. 

This quilt turned out quite lovely and the color scheme was a fun diversion from my typical choices.

In my head, I call this the "OG Cotton + Steel quilt" since most of the prints are from the first few Cotton + Steel collections. I missed out on a lot of these fabrics when they came out since I am a quilter on a serious budget, but holy man do these fabrics feel amazing in the hand. 

I'm *very* glad I sort of maybe over-ordered and have lots left over. 

Quilt stats:

Name: Pineapple Log Cabin // The OG C+S Quilt

Pattern: Modified version of the Pineapple Day pattern from the Fat Quarter Shop

Fabrics: Various old Cotton + Steel prints

Techniques: Paper piecing

Quilting: free motion quilted chrysanthemums

Size: 67" x 55"

Started: May 2019

Finished: August 2019

Future: TBD

Patriotic Table Topper {June IBA Finish}

Hip hip hooray -- my June Island Batik ambassador project is finished just in time for the Fourth of July next week!

I used a red IB fabric to make bias binding for this table topper. Curved bindings require bias bindings without a doubt! I added this binding completely by machine for stability; I'm anticipating this topper being washed on a regular basis.

Now I have not only used a new technique (hooray!) I've also made something fun, functional, and festive for my patio table!

As an Island Batik Ambassador, I am provided with samples of various lines of Island Batik fabrics to use and share with you!

Quilt stats:
Name: Patriotic Dresden
Pattern: self-designed
Fabrics: Various Island Batik Scraps
Batting: scraps
Quilting: Loops and stars in white thread
Techniques used: Strip piecing, Dresden plate, FMQ, bias binding
Size: Approximately 28" in diameter
Started and Finished: June 2019

Sharing at Let's Bee Social and Brag About Your Beauties!

More Bits and Pieces {Scrappy Sewing}

To follow up from my scrappy table runners from last week, here are the scrappy placemats that I made!

My first set of placemats is also Christmas-y, with various greens and the large scale box print in Christmas colors that I used on the back of my Fire Pit Christmas quilt.

For the backing, I had a red tonal print in my stash that I had originally planned to use but I had to stop at my LQS on Saturday anyways, so I picked up a yard of this fun holiday animal print on clearance to use for the backing of these placemats. I did a loop-and-stars filler for the quilting in red Aurifil thread. I also used the same box print to make bias binding for each mat.

The second set of placemats is made from the remainder of the layer cake that I had originally used to make a Valentine's Day themed table runner. I used my Bunny Patch placemats tutorial to cut the layer cake squares into pieces for the pieced "backing" and the 6-patch "front". I did the quilting in red Aurifil thread and did a swirl-and-hearts motif. The binding is a dark red tonal print with gold metallic accents from my stash.

I ultimately decided to skip the applique addition on these since the prints speak for themselves!

My church ladies were SO excited to get some additional items donated for the craft table. Quite a few of them are also quilters and sewists, but they were rather impressed with my FMQ skills!

I'm hoping that I can continue to make a few more items between now and mid-December to add to the table, provided these ones sell! And of course, I hope that the place mats and table runners find good homes!

Happy Monday! Voting closes tomorrow in the Tips and Tutorials festival, so vote for your favorites to win one of the sponsored prizes!

Sharing at Oh Scrap, Linky Tuesday and Brag About Your Beauties!

Stars at Play Baby Quilt {Island Batik Finish}

This little baby quilt was such a fun and fast finish! The pieced borders were added in a cinch!

This quilt is 36.5" square prior to quilting, so I was able to use a single width of flannel for backing. I also pieced the batting together with a large zig-zag stitch. Waste not!

Pressed, pinned, and ready to quilt!

I quilted this with a leafy meander just like my Antietam baby quilt with white thread. I love quilting baby quilts -- I don't need a chair to support the rest of the quilt! 

I love the way that the leaves pop with this quilting motif! I used the purple binding that I had originally thought that I would use to bind my 30 Pearls quilt. It was the perfect length for this quilt -- I only had to trim the tails an inch and a half to join them at the end! I bound this completely by machine and used purple Aurifil which blended beautifully with the purple batik binding fabric!

I learned with this quilt that yellow is hard to photograph. This quilt is a whole lotta yellow.

I like the way that the white background fabric connects the stars.

The star close up shows a great view of the quilting.

The flannel that I used is a white and pink diagonal plaid.

Now to get this quilt all ready to send off for baby snuggles!

Quilt Stats:
Name: Stars at Play
Design: based on a mini quilt pattern by Amanda Morrison (@honeybunnyanddoll)
Fabrics: Various Island Batik fabric basics, pink and white flannel backing
Size: 36 inches square
Quilting: leafy meander in white Aurifil
Future: Baby quilt for a friend
Started: June 2018
Finished: July 2018

Sharing at Needle and Thread Thursday!

Finished Picnic Pinwheels Baby Quilt

It's done! Hooray!

As I mentioned previously, I had started the quilting over the weekend and I was able to finish it up this week and then put the binding on. I did bias binding with one of the leftover fat quarters and juuuuust squeaked by having enough binding. But just barely!

I quilted this one with light blue thread (the same as I had done in this quilt that uses the same fabric) and I used light blue flannel for the backing. I decided against doing some sort of border since it was already decently sized for a baby quilt.

I did loop de loop quilting on this one and while I intended to do it on a larger scale, once I got started quilting, it ended up slightly smaller than I intended. It still looks good, I just need to work on enlarging my quilting.

I'm not sure why the backing looks so teal in this picture other than I had to take pictures inside, but it's not quite that teal.

One down, four more to start and finish!

Stats:
Size: 36 x 48 inches
Pattern: Picnic Pinwheels by Patch the Giraffe
Quilting: Free motion loop de loops
Binding: Bias binding from a fat quarter of coordinating fabric

Linking up at  Free Motion Mavericks and Finish it Up Friday!

Christmas Tree Skirt Progress

I didn't get the top of the tree skirt all put together on Wednesday like I had hoped, but I did have the pleasure of watching some friends' two little girls after my friend went into labor on Wednesday night! My babysitting skills are still intact and now I need to whip up a boy quilt for a little 7 pound 11 ounce bundle of joy!

I finished it up on Friday night and here it is:

I had 2 yards of a red marble fabric for the back and zig-zagged together some leftover pieces of batting and got everything layered and machine quilted. I quilted diagonal lines through the entire top (forgot to take pictures of it, will do when its finished!) 

Here is it all trimmed into a circle before I cut the center hole and the slit up to the center :

On advice of my mom, I embarked on using continuous bias binding due to all of the curves. I followed this tutorial video and didn't end up with too much left over! Here's my tube-o-bias before I cut it all into strips:

...and here is all of the binding sewn onto the tree skirt:

Hopefully finishing the binding up on this one very, very soon!

Check out what everyone else has been up to this week at Plum and June: