July Stash Bee

Hello there! Just taking a quick second to check in about July's Hive 6 block for the Stash Bee. This month Julia asked us all to make up some wonky stars. These little guys are only 5 inches square and super cute! I couldn't resist making up some extras! 

Julia also asked us what's our fabric guilty pleasure.  Mine is low volume prints and solids, with some polka dots and geometric prints mixed in. What about you?

Tomorrow is our last day of summer school, so sad to see the time fly by!

- Patch & Chels

Sunday Stash

Last Saturday a group of quilty gals made our way up to Keepsake Quilting in Center Harbor, New Hampshire. It was so much fun to hang around with five others who also have just as much of a fabric obsession as I. It was awesome. After having a delicious lunch we headed to shop, and shop we did! Three hours of careful consideration I walked away this these goodies. 

This little stack of lovelies is slated for my friend who is having a baby. We yet to know if it's a boy or a girl. Clearly by the purchase, I'm hoping for a girl. Plan B is to buy more fabric. She was very specific to say IF she had a girl there would be no overly girly and pink, so I thought this was a nice peachy compromise. The line is Wildflowers designed by Alisse Courter for Camelot Fabrics.

These goodies I just got because, I wanted them in my stash. There is some Elementary, Sunnyside, Scrumptious, and Kona.

I feel a though I went a little crazy, but at the same time feel I showed much restraint!  Hope everyone enjoyed their weekend!

-Patch & Chels

Christmas in July

After finishing my Joyful Jelly Roll Tree Skirt and the Ho Ho Ho and On We Sew tutorial, I dug out my Christmas quilt top.  This top was finished last fall and I bought the backing, but never finished the quilt. Since it's officially Christmas in July around here I decided this would be a great next finish! 

I used the Bizzy Kid pattern by Cluck Cluck Sew in a variety of Christmas fabrics. It was made using the same fabrics as the tree skirt and my stockings. Keeping with the coordinated Christmas decoration theme. The backing is a red dot on white flannel.

Quilt Stats: 

Size: 48 inches by 60 inches

Pattern: Bizzy Kid by Cluck Cluck Sew

Fabric: Assorted Christmas fabric

Batting: 80/20 blend

Backing: Flannel

Thread: Connected Threads - 100% Cotton Parchment Thread

Anyone else getting in the festive mood and getting some holiday sewing done? Sometimes it's hard to think that far ahead!

-Patch & Chels

Ho Ho Ho and On We Sew

Christmas in July!! Thanks for stopping by for this months tutorial on Ho Ho Ho and On We Sew tour hosted by Fiona @ Celtic Thistle Stitches and Paula @ Mud Pies and Pins.  This month, both Martha @ Weekend Doings and I are both hosting a tutorial, check out her page for another idea and more giveaways! Most of us are officially sweltering in the summer heat, but here I am quilting for Christmas! Such a juxtaposition of thoughts right now; laying in the sun verses quilting. Last month ended by making a tree skirt for the Fat Quarter Shop. So keeping the Christmas theme going, I am making a pillow cover to go with the skirt. This year my house will be fully decorated! 

**For this project sew with a scant quarter inch seam and press all seams open. **

Materials & Cutting

- 18 inch pillow form

- (18)  green: 4.5 inch by 2.5 inch

- (36) low volume: 2.5 inch by 2.5 inch

- (1) low volume: 4.5 inch by 15 inch

- (1) brown: 1.5 inch by 20 inch

- (2) low volume: 2 inch 20 inch

- (2) linen: 2.5 inch by WOF

- (2) red: 2.5 inch by WOF 

- (2) backing; 20.5 inch by 15 inch

- (1) batting: 22 inch by 22 inch 
- Various buttons for decoration
- Red floss 

Directions

Start by creating the flying geese. Take a 2.5 inch square and go diagonally from corner to corner on one of the 2.5 inch by 4.5 inch green rectangles. Cut extra fabric on outside and iron open. Do the same to the other side. Complete this for all 18 flying geese. 

Next, sew the 1.5 inch brown strip to the 2 inch low volume strip, do the same to the other side. Sub-cut the strip into the following; 5.5 inch, 2.5 inch, 3.5 inch, and 7.5 inch pieces. These will become the tree trunks.

Sub-cut the low volume 4.5 inch by 15 inch strip into the following; 3.5 inch, 2.5 inch, 5.5 inch, and a 1.5 inch piece. 

Now to sew the pieces together.  Start with the flying geese.  Sew together 3 sets of 4 geese, and 1 set of 6 geese. On one of the 4 geese put the 5.5 inch trunk, and 3.5 inch low volume at the top. The set of 6 geese put the 2.5 inch trunk, and 2.5 inch low volume at the top. The second 4 geese put the 3.5 inch trunk, and 5.5 inch low volume top.  The last set of 4 geese put the 7.5 inch trunk, and the 1.5 inch low volume top. Once the four trees are assembled sew them together (you can chose any arrangement for this part).

Attach the 2.5 inch linen strips around the outside to create a boarder. The top should be 20.5 inches by 20.5 inches, you can now baste to the 22 inch square batting and quilt as desired. Sew buttons to the trees to create the look of ornaments on the tree or embroider different patterns to the trees.

For the back of the pillow, take the two 20.5 inch by 15 inch pieces and iron over a quarter inch twice and sew along the edge to hide the raw edges. Once this is done pin to the front piece using a an envelope enclosure. Tutorial here.

Last, make the binding. Take the two red 2.5 inch strips and sew them together. Iron seam open and fold in half to make the binding. Sewing around the perimeter. Hand or machine sew the binding down. Tutorial here. 

If you have any question please email, or comment.

This month's giveaway is hosted by the Fat Quarter Shop. The winner will win a mini charm pack, with over 60 to pick from there must be something for everyone. To enter the giveaway put your project on the link up below!

Also thank you to all the other sponsors who have helped us out this year ... 

http://www.patchworkelephant.com/

To link up this month:  An InLinkz Link-up

If you make this tutorial or Martha's tutorial please link up!

-Patch & Chels

Quilted Living Summer Blog Tour

Welcome to the second stop on the Quilted Living Summer Blog Tour by the Fat Quarter Shop! This week is all about Gerri Robinson's Quilted Living. The book contains 10 unique projects that have a traditional-country look to them, but also can have a modern feel. Just my style :) These are quilts that go great in a country home, but also can be made with a variety of fabrics to change the feel. Having such versatile patterns is helpful to have in one's stash.

Photos from Fat Quarter Shop's Sew Emma Publication 

When the Fat Quarter Shop asked me to be apart the of this blog tour the hardest part was choosing the project. More like choosing the first quilt, there are so many patterns I want to make. Jenn made the Freedom pattern, which is also on my to do list. This is the kind of book that you put every quilt on the to do list, not just one or two. I ended up starting with the X-ceptional quilt. The blocks were not overly difficult to complete, but did require some time. They were well worth every second! Seeing them all completed just solidified my love of this book. 

When I was pulling/purchasing fabrics for this quilt I wanted it to have a modern fabric scheme that would showcase the X-ceptional blocks. Solids with some prints that read as a solid eventually won out. I started with Elizabeth Hartman's new solid pack, Rhonda Ruth and added from there. The backgrounds are a variety of low volumes, my favorite is this texting print from the line Modern Minis, mixed with some Essex Linen, Kona Snow, Kona White, and a variety of other prints. I was really happy with the overall scrappy feel of this quilt. 

If you haven't already check out the Fat Quarter Shop and the rest of the blogs in the Quilted Living Summer Blog Hop you should check them out! Also the Fat Quarter Shop is offering a huge giveaway this summer to TWO winners. Click to see how you can enter! 

Monday July 13th
Fat Quarter Shop

Jennifer of Never Just Jennifer

Wednesday July 15th
Chelsea of Patch the Giraffe

Thursday July 16th
Melissa of Happy Quilting

Friday July 17th
Gerri Robinson

Jane of Quilt Jane

Paula of The Sassy Quilter

-Patch & Chels

Round Trip Quits: Stop 6

This quilt center belongs to Kim @ Ties That Bind Quilting. She sent along some of the blue-grey fabric so the quilt would have a coherent background theme. When I went reorder more background fabric, I got a nice sky blue color (twice). Needless to say, neither was a match. So on to Plan B. I made a new plan working with the small scraps that were left over and pulling some nice saturated colors from my stash. The more saturated border adds a bit of a pop similar to Kim's original blocks.

Bits and pieces that came in the bag, I added the block in the top right hand corner. 

Next, I need to find where I placed Kim's notebook and get this thing in the mail. Fingers crossed that it's only lost in my disastrous sewing area and not really lost. Hopefully everyone is enjoying thier summer weekend. I'm actually up in Vermont running a mud race with a group of gals from work. It's the kind with all those obstacles. Mud races have got such bad publicity lately it's making me nervous. For once I am more scared about getting sick, rather than being last! I'll let you all know if I survive. 

-Patch & Chels

Meet Perle

Last week I had asked everyone to help me find a new name for my beautiful new stuffie, hand made by my Grandmother. I was overwhelmed with all the amazing ideas! This was such a hard choice. After much thought I went with Perle, mostly because I love Perle thread, but I also love pearls, and I know how to purl! Although Clementine, and Alto made the final list :)

Kim @ Leland Ave Studios ended up submitting the winning name!  Congrats Kim.

-Patch, Chels & Perle

Thimble Blossom's Sampler {Finally!} Finished

While being forced to watch season 5 of Game of Thrones, I got a lot of hand quilting done. Here is my last post about the Thimble Blossoms Sampler, back in August (of last year). This quilt is no longer sitting lonely and abandoned. It was fun trying out all my favorite Thimble Blossom blocks.

Just realized the quilt is upside down.  How can I tell?  The houses are upside down, oops! 

Poor Dwell block, this just didn't do you justice! 

After finishing the quilt top, I was unsure how I was going to quilt this one. One day I just came to the conclusion about hand quilting. Then started. The last two months have been spent on the couch quilting away and I am very excited about the outcome. This monumental task was well worth the effort. 

If you are also interested in quilting using big stitches, here is the tutorial. Instead of using floss, I used pearl DMC thread size 8. The whole quilt was done using white thread. Yay, third project finished this summer :) 

-Patch & Chels 

New Addition + Birthday Giveaway

Say hello to the newest giraffe in the herd! Last year I purchased the book Itty-Bitty Toys with the hope my Grandmother would make me this giraffe! And ... she did! Happy Birthday to me. She used Knit Picks yarns, and he is very soft. He also has beads in his bottom to give him weight and make him sit correctly, there are also weights in his hoofs. I am surprised at how well he sits independently. 

Here is the challenge: this little fellow has yet to be named. So the person who comes up with the winning name (can be either girl or boy name) wins this assortment of fabric. They are all about a fat eighth, give or take. Perfect for a mini quilt, in yellow, coral, grey, and green. Get thinking everyone!

  Giveaway closes July 9th, winner announced July 10th :)

For my U.S. readers, enjoy the 4th of July weekend in the U.S. and for all my overseas friends just enjoy the weekend :) Anything exciting going on? 

-Patch & Chels