Stitch That Stash 2014

Propeller Block by 

Jennifer Jenkinson 

as a guest blogger on Sew We Quilt (pattern found here)

for Stitch That Stash Quilting Bee Group

I was looking for a fun, but super easy block & first went to Gen X Quilters where they currently have 328 block tutorials, so if you don't have your block picked out, you may want to start there. Then I hopped to Sew We Quilt (link above) to the tutorial by That Girl Runs With Scissors (link above). I'm going for the red, brown, green palette & used Kona white for the background. I like the idea of a fussy cut center, but I'm not looking for a novelty fabric there.  If the fabric you choose doesn't have something to be fussy cut, that's ok too. The reds can range from a dark red to a more true red without being too bright. The browns can be chocolate to a darker tan & greens leaning toward olive to apple green. It doesn't have to be tone on tone if the fabric has the color scheme in it. The only fabric I'm not big on is batiks. You are all quilters, so I'm sure you can see what I'm going for here. The finished block is 8" & if you could please make 2 for me, that would be great! 

If you have any questions, please ask it here so I can answer for everyone. I hope I covered all the bases! Looking forward to what you create! Kris should have my address, but I'll send out a reminder the end of the month with my address again. Don't forget to use the hashtag #stitchthatstash in IG, post your finished blocks on flickr & let me know when you ship yours. Good luck!

Spinning Stars

So, before joining a quilt along, hosted by Katy I thought I'd make a test block to see how I liked it. Some blocks, which shall remain nameless, are just so time consuming in planning fabric placement. I need something I can come back to when I am able without getting stressed out each time. I'm also not super good at getting everything lined up when there's lots of pieces to put together. This block fits the criteria for me! The 2 issues I had was stretching along the bias & my seam allowances are too small on the finished block after trimming. I can adjust accordingly for future blocks. I pressed the joining seams open and the pie pieces in opposite directions so they'd nestle nicely. This way the block should lay flatter for quilting.You can find the free, downloadable pattern on Anna's blog.  Now to decide which fabrics to choose . . . :)

Swoon Along

I was really intrigued by this block as part of the Swoon pattern by Camille Roskelley. I had seen many quilters I admire tackle it and I decided I wanted to try it myself. I chose Loopy Vintage Floral in brown, Carrie in green (both Jennifer Paganelli) & Plaid in cream (Tanya Whelan Sugar Hill). My goal was to finish one block and if it was too much for me, it would be a pillow or wallhanging. This block is 23 1/2", so it could definitely stand alone. I purchased & downloaded the pattern here and began my cutting. There is A LOT of cutting and cutting the 7/8" for the half square triangles threw me off at first, but now I've got the hang of it. My new goal since I made one block and enjoyed it is to make a quilt for my bed for the summer. I'd like to hand quilt around each star and then machine quilt the rest. I figured if I sew one block a week and when finished hand quilt each week one star, that would be 18 weeks which brings me to the summer. Perfect timing if I can keep up that pace! So, in other words, the block is not quick, but so satisfying! It is truly addicting because it takes patience and care and you just grow to love it in the end! If you are up for the Swoon Along hosted by Katy you can join the flickr group as well to be inspired and there are lots of forums for questions there as well that are really helpful!

Scrappy Star Block

This one was a doozy, but so much fun! It took me a few tries to get the chevron piecing correct. I didn't understand how to do it, so jumped in and was fine until I realized that I forgot the part in the directions that said draw a line for half from the left corner & the other half from the right, so all my chevrons were going the same way. An easy fix, just redid those parts. This block did remind me, however, why I don't do many star blocks as I inevitably cut off some of the points and I don't want to go back and fix it! Luckily, this block is so busy that if you aren't looking for errors, you won't see it. I love the slices I got from some of the fabrics~ like Santa and the cookie. I squeezed in Anna Maria Horner's Needleworks fabric slicing it a bit bigger so you could see the motif. Onto block 5. It's not too late to start the quiltalong!

Fancy Santa Block

I finished block 2 and I'm so very behind, but I am enjoying the process! I called this fancy santa because I thought his jacket and belt looked fancier than usual. The buttons are from the same cathedral windows fabric from Alexander Henry. I'd like some continuity in the sampler blocks. You can find this quilt along on Sara at sewsweetness blog.

Quilt Along Block 1

I finished the first block from Sew Sweetness' 12 Days of Christmas sew along! I am extremely behind in all the sewing, but hopefully most will be done before Christmas. I used the new Ruby scallop fabric for the truck base, Alexander Henry fabric for the wheels, presents and Santa. I omitted the door and machine stitched Santa after making the truck so he doesn't look squished in the truck.  Hopefully #2 will get done quicker.