It's coming... 2016 LBQ Mystery Quilt!

HAPPY LEAP DAY!

I'm excited to announce that in March I will be kicking off my fourth QAL! A long while back, I asked you readers what you liked in a QAL -- and there was a lot of interest in mystery quilts as well as paper piecing. I did the most reasonable thing and came up with a completely paper pieced mystery quilt!

This is going to be short and simple -- there are only three different blocks in the quilt! Directions will typically be posted the first Tuesday of each month other than in March when we discuss yardage and fabric selection.

Here's the tentative schedule:
March 8: Yardage requirement and fabric selection suggestions
April 5: Block A Directions
May 3: Block B Directions
June 7: Block C Directions
July 5: Putting it all together
August 2: Finished Quilt Parade

This quilt along is going to be short and simple -- there are only three different blocks we will be making for this quilt. There will be three different quilt sizes addressed in the quilt along (baby, throw, and twin) and I am planning to have a queen size option added by the time the full pattern is released. Additionally, this QAL will end before the summer is over, so it won't be a long term commitment to participate!

If you are a beginning paper piecer, this is going to be a great way to practice your foundation paper piecing skills as the blocks are very simple and decently sized. We'll be doing basic shapes and units and I'll be giving lots of tips and tricks on all aspects of paper piecing.

Are you ready to join in? Start eyeing those stashes -- the fabric requirements and fabric choice suggestions will be up next week on Tuesday!

Finished Blue Breeze Baby Quilt

Last night I was able to get all but 18 inches of the binding for this quilt done and I finished it up this morning (pre-coffee!). Introducing Blue Breeze!

This quilt is for my former boss who is having her first baby in March! Little boy will be here in just a few weeks!

I used the Summer Breeze pattern from Scrap Basket Surprises but didn't add the borders around the sides.

I quilted this one with a large meander in white and used aqua for the backing. For the binding I used a solid blue fat quarter and turned it into 2" double fold bias binding. I usually use 2.25 or 2.5 inch binding, but I had to go slightly skinnier because otherwise I would have been short on my binding.

I machine stitched it to the front and hand stitched the binding to the back and now it is ready to go to its new home!

Stats:
Name: Blue Breeze baby quilt
Pattern: Summer Breeze from Scrap Basket Surprises by Kim Bracket
Fabric: Lanakai by Dear Stella
Quilting: all over meander in white
Backing: Aqua flannel
Binding: solid blue 2" double fold bias binding

Sharing at Finish it up Friday!

WIP Wednesday {Even More Baby Quilts}

So somehow I have three baby quilts going right now. How did that happen?

The Blue Breeze baby quilt is all quilted and should be finished for Friday! Hooray! No pics yet, but here it is all pinned:

I might have to go to the store to get some binding fabric for this one since I used all of the jelly roll strips I had in the top. I'm thinking cobalt blue -- what do you think?

And I started a Jelly Roll Jam 2 baby quilt (using fat quarters instead of a jelly roll) and here are all of the blocks laid out!

This was very fun, fast, and easy -- and I had to cut all of my 2.5 inch strips too!

I've also been working on my pink and brown version of the Bear Tracks pattern but to this point all I have done is cutting. Hopefully next week I'll have blocks (and maybe a top!) to show -- especially since the baby this one is for is due in two weeks! Eek!

In other news, I'm excited to share that today is my last day at my current job and I start my new job on Monday! I'll be working closer to home (hooray!) and will be going back into the lab working with nanoparticles (which is what I did in graduate school) and I am very excited about the change! It's always hard to close one chapter and start another, but it is definitely time for a change and a move up!

Happy WIP Wednesday!

Rainbow Mini Swap Progress

When last I posted about the progress for my mini for the Rainbow Mini Swap R2, This is what my blocks looked like:

I was thinking originally I would do eight giant hexies -- red, orange, yellow, green, teal, blue, purple, and pink. But then I realized that would be slightly too large, I decided to go with just red, orange, yellow, green, blue and purple.

Here's the top all together:

This was actually surprisingly simple to put together. From the first picture, I trimmed off the extra grey so that each one became a true hexie and then sewed them all together in rainbow order around a center plain grey hexie.

Here's the mini quilted. It's hard to see the quilting in the first picture, but easier to see in the close up of the center.

I only quilted in the grey areas and each of the 6 colors' sections is quilted with a different design:
Red: flames
Orange: stipples
Yellow: loops
Green: echo bubbles
Blue: curls
Purple: zig-zags

Now I need to decide how to finish it and add a sleeve. I'm not sure if I should add more grey fabric around the edges to make it square or a large hexie, or if I should leave it with all of the corners. I like it as is and think I can easily bind it as is, but I am not sure what my partner would like! She's been silent on Instagram so I'm slightly concerned.

Sharing at the normal places!
Fabric Tuesday
Sew Cute Tuesday

Bear Tracks Pattern Premiere and Giveaway!

I am so excited to share Honey, Bunny, and Doll's newest pattern with you today -- Bear Tracks!

This quilt is made in Heather Rosas' Winter Wonderland line! This fabric is absolutely adorable! Perfect inspiration in the midst of all of the snow we've gotten in the DC area lately!

We also just posted this pattern and fabric as a quilt kit on Etsy! The kit includes the pattern, fat quarter bundle, and the backing -- all for $70!

This is our first pattern that includes a pattern for its mini version -- and you don't have to buy it separately! Not only that, but you can make both the wall hanging/throw quilt AND the mini quilt from one quilt kit!

Click over to Etsy to purchase your own kit!

So how about a giveaway for a copy of the pattern? Leave me a comment with what fabric line you would use to make your own version of the Bear Tracks quilt! Winner will be announced on Monday!

As for me, I've started my own version of this quilt in pink, brown, and white for a baby girl quilt! These are the fabrics I'll be using:

As always, don't forget to follow Honey, Bunny, and Doll on Facebook for flash sales and pattern premieres!

Update: the giveaway is now closed and Cecilia is the winner!