The Shattered Chevron Quilt Top

Oh my, has it really been so long since my last post? I guess so.... Well. Summer is moving rather quickly and we're already getting prepared for the back to school season. Do I dare admit I chuckled a little when I wrote that?

On Instagram, quite awhile back, I posted the start of a really pretty quilt pattern. A shattered chevron layout with the 'arrows' off center. Even though it was extremely easy to make and piece together, I didn't complete the quilt top till this past week. And I'm going to tell you why.

When I buy fabric, I usually get it because it's on sale or it's one of those 'gotta have it' moments. Is it horrible that I'm admitting not all my fabric purchases have a purpose or project planned? Talk about a fabri-holic..... Anyway, I originally purchased navy kona cotton just 'to have' with the possibility of starting something new. Little did I know I was going to learn a tough lesson... I did start something but as the project progressed, I saw that I didn't have enough navy left. So, I went back to Joann's and to my surprise, the navy swatch from home and their current bolt were 2 different shades. Seriously. I asked the store clerk how it could be and she said something about when the manufacturer mixes the dyes, every batch may slightly differ in color. What!?!?!?!?! You mean, I'm half way into this project and now nothing! No, no, no. I didn't want to turn this into another table runner. I went to all 3 Joann's in the surrounding areas and no luck. All I did was waste a bunch of gas! Until.... I went on fatquartershop.com and noticed that they have every kona color out there!! And I probably shouldn't be advertising this to the public but I messaged Kimberly and asked if I sent her a swatch, could she match it for me? To my surprise, they did!!! She matched it perfectly and within 10 days I was finishing up my project. Yahoo!! Thank you thank you thank you so much Kimberly and Kim for helping out! This is just another reason why I love this online shop soooo much!

The contrast on this piece is stunning and I already have family wanting dibs on this one;) Quilting lesson learned... always buy more fabric than you need.... I don't think my husband likes the idea of that:)

And I almost forgot to tell you how fast you can make one at home. For this project, I cut 8, 9" squares of each art gallery fabric pattern, (except for the top and bottom ~ I only cut 4 of those prints). 32 ~ 9" squares of the solid color. Solid on print, with right sides facing, pin the block and draw a diagonal line from corner to corner. Sew a 1/4" seam on either side of the line and then cut on the drawn line. I got 2 hst's from one pinned square.

The total quilt top measures 65 x 65:)

Happy trails till next time!

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

Search This Blog