The Birchen Quilt with Recollection

Sitting here, on a gorgeous day with the warm sun beaming on this beautiful quilt.

Okay... so.. I kinda promised myself I wasn't going to do another blog post until I finished The Birchen Quilt that was started weeks ago. (Hence, the reason I haven't been around.) But here it is today in its vibrant & glorious self. I couldn't be more ecstatic with the way this project turned out. I instantly knew I wanted to make this quilt awhile back when my Instagram feed exploded with variations of The Fat Quarter Shop's Birchen Quilt. I especially adored the quilts that featured Katarina Roccella's Recollection line from Art Gallery. So the fabric choice was simple for me. I had to have one for myself!

For starters, the pattern was fairly simple to follow. And, the YouTube video came in handy just to make sure I was doing everything correct, (since this was the first time I was actually following a pattern). The triangles on a roll are genius! I think I've said that in other posts but seriously, this invention is unbelievably helpful! And... I'm not the kind a gal that minds leftover pattern pieces. I know I'll eventually make 500 more blocks;) I still can't believe how much time was saved using that paper roll as a template!

But I do gotta mention one thing. The pattern is listed 'simple enough for a beginner' & even though it appears easy to understand ~ I don't feel that it was for beginners. As wonderful as the triangles on a roll are; the pinning and pressing can become quite overwhelming, especially when something doesn't align properly and out comes that seam ripper. (I'd be lying if I said it only happened once.) There's a total of 336 half square triangles you will end up pressing open, 16 of which won't be used. 320 multiplied by 4 means that there are 1,280 dog ears you will end up trimming. Oh dear! Not to mention the pinning of each piece to make sure it's arranged correctly. And every single seam you stitch has to be pressed open. Also, no matter how many pins you use, fabric on a bias is going to pull because it can stretch. This means two things. The good, you have leeway to make sure everything lines up straight. The bad, where it should line up, it might not.

In the end.... it's not perfect, but it's pretty darn close! I love this quilt so much.... literally love it. I'm up in the air about the finishes. Should I wait till I'm done learning the long arm & take a go at some free hand stitching myself? Or, do I keep it at the home machine with some straight lines? Decisions, decisions...

On another note... The Etno Blog Tour has turned out amazing!!! I'm so happy I got to take part in it & meet some wonderful souls! The projects have been so inspiring & enlightening. If you haven't checked it out yet, you definitely need to. Here's the link.

Happy Trails to beautiful things we can create!

Crystal Knob Rack

So... what can you do with a piece of wood measuring 45 inches by 3 1/2? Well, if it's 1 inch thick, you can use it to make the cutest wall rack. But instead of using hooks, use drawer knobs! Here's how the idea got started. I needed a place to photograph kids aprons. Now, most of you know that my girls have been modeling them, but they can't model toddler aprons, right? All I could picture was a gorgeous crystal knob rack used to display those mini aprons I love to make. And after searching in stores and online, I realized they are not very easy to find. Soo...... "oooohhh hubby.... can you drill a few holes in this piece of oak wood I found in the barn?" Of course he did it in a heart beat & he even sanded it down too! The holes were positioned like this: I did the two outer ones first, then measured to the center in between those. And again, the middle of the center and outer one. Got it? I took some regular creamy white wall paint I had left

The Ogden Cami ~ A Review

Hello friends! I hope you all had a wonderful February and a great start to March! Spring is right around the corner and I'm counting down to daylight savings on March 10th! Hooray for longer sunshine! Lately, I've been longing to go back to stitching up clothes. And... I ended up finding the cutest pattern to get me back in the groove at Hawthorne Threads . The Ogden Cami by True Bias Patterns is perfect and quite simple! I started off by making a test run with some red, light-weight fabric, figuring if this comes out good, I'll have 2 tops! And guess what? It came out awesome! Making a practice piece was a great idea. It's always recommended and there are so many reasons why. In the instructional booklet, I wrote myself little notes. ~ cut the fabric 1/4" larger at the sides so I can use a serger. This will allow me to have finished ends and still a good seam allowance. ~ cut the straps 1/2" larger, so the

January.... you're almost done!

Hello friends! I feel like it's been forever since my last post. I suppose some might even say I've been spending nearly all my time on the forefront of creative madness along with trying to continue healing. Holy smokes! Chemo and radiation will change a person forever. I'm continuing my healing journey, and staying hopeful that I'll remain in the 'clear' for a long time. It's odd, the way you feel, when everything you've gotten accustomed to: the running around, working day to day, rushing here and rushing there.... how quickly it changes when it's no longer a necessity. Yes, I am extremely thankful that my spouse supports and pushes for my healing time, omitting nurse life as it was, but like I told my girlfriend the other day, "how many craft projects can a girl possibly do?" ..... Well let me just tell you..... A LOT! Today's post will revisit some Instagram pics, (in case you don't follow along) with some of my most recent

The Mint Needle

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