On the bed

Summer is upon us here in the north east. Well at least the first heat wave has arrived and so I figured it was time for a change of scenery. 

This quilt goes back a little while now. Took me almost a year and a half to complete! I was so inspired by Angela's (Fussy Cut) Habitat Bowtie quilt that I wanted one of my own. And so began this wonderful quilt. I really love how it turned out!

  My blocks are 10 inches finished and I used Anna Maria Horner's line Innocent Crush in the warm palette and Kona in Medium Grey as my background. I can't remember now what I used for the binding or the back, but I absolutely love the sea foamy/tealish fabric. Its like a little surprise on the back! This was quilted on a long arm by Janet Eisner of Eisner's Quilting. She's super awesome if you can't already tell.

Oh and sorry no actual bed shot with said quilt resting on it. I would love to share a boudoir photo, but our cleaning lady is on vacation.....if you catch my drift ;)

Almost!

Yesterday, I finally finished all 9 blocks for my Swoon Quilt!

Block #6

Block #7

Block #8

And last but not least....

Block #9!

I even got to to lay them out with help from an expert in arranging, otherwise known as my disgruntled loving boyfriend. Sometimes it helps to get a second opinion. (Thank you sweetie!)

I can't wait to sew on the sashing and borders! What do you think???

This Weekend

Did you all have a great Mother's Day? I hope you got to do lots of fun stuff! I happened to have a splendid weekend at the tenth annual Art Star Craft Bazaar in Philly!

With this super awesome lady.....

In case you can't tell by the picture, that's Nicolette of Nicolette Absil Jewelry. She's pretty fantastic! She makes amazing one of a kind pieces of jewelry from a process called enameling.

Pretty neat huh? Her jewelry is so beautiful. I absolutely love the way she sets gems into her pieces!! Its really unique. You can follow ,Nicolette, and discover more about her process and techniques by checking out her blog here!

The bazaar had an array of really talented and wonderful artists from around the country! I did get to go shopping at one point and picked up some really cool stuff like this hat from our booth neighbors Emily and Nick of Endless Hats. 

  
They were really great! Emily and Nick, if you ever read this thanks for the safety pins! 

 I just love craft fairs! The best part is being able to buy directly from an artist. You get to see and understand the effort and passion that goes into making each item, especially when you meet the person who made it. All in all, it was a great time and a great learning experience. I had so much fun! I'm hoping Nicolette will ask me to help her again soon!

A Few More Blocks and a Great Tip

I have been a busy bee lately! I got a few days where I was able to sit down, relax and just sew. The product has been three more Swoon blocks and a fantastic new discovery!

Block #3

Block #4

Block #5

I'm now at a grand total of 5 Swoon blocks. That means only 4 more to go! Whoopie! These blocks are a little painstaking, but totally worth it! I can't wait to snuggle up under this one!

Now, I have always used blue painter's tape for sewing diagonals, especially blocks like snowballs or flying geese. You can even use it for making half square triangles(HST) like Camille of Simplify does here. I normally line the tape up with my needle so it gives me a straight line to follow through to the point.

 As you can see though, I have added a second piece of tape. Why you might ask??? By adding that second piece of tape a half inch to the left of my needle, I am able to make HSTs as I go! I originally got this idea from Allison Harris of Cluck Cluck Sew. She has such wonderful tips and tutorials!

It is an extra little step, but makes up for a lot in the end. So instead of having piles of cut offs....

 You get tons of HSTs ready to use for another project!

 

Obviously, the "sew as you go" technique is not a new one, but its new to me and I'm loving it!