15 hrs of a collective labor of love

Thank you for my VTing teacher and her mother-in-law's assistance.  

We were able to turn 4 layer cakes and 3 yds of fabric into this:

That is 3 elementary classes worth of a tessellation class creating patterns Delectable Mountains, Buzz Saw, and Mirror Image.

2 Color Interpretation = BYU Blue Tutorial

Do you look at pictures & patterns and mentally disect them into blocks and change up their colorway?

I do!

I needed a masculine BYU blue quilt, which to my mind meant 2 colors and linear.

I remembered a client's quilt from the Spring that was soft & yummy colors (made using Interlock pattern by Amy Friend; found in Modern Patchwork Winter 2015).

But I, also, remembered thinking while making it = 

"I would make this differently."

"I would simplify the piecing." 

"I want to modify the pattern & remake it in high contrast, 2 colors."

SO  I  DID!

I may still add a blue border all the way around.
What do you think?
Current size is 50x78,
with border it would be, at a minimum 54x82.

I began with my Quilt Journal graph paper, pencil, and an art eraser.

I determined I could make this design with just 4 units!

I like to do speedy unit piecing = 

clustering individual pieces into a streamlined unit.

For example:  see that triple strip unit of White, Blue, White?  

I strip pieced (3) 2 1/2 x 42" WOF strips together. 

Make 6 WOF triple strip units.  Press the seams open.

white:  (12) WOF strips 

blue:  (6) WOF strips

Then subcut into the unit size, 6 1/2 x 10 1/2". 

Each WOF produces 4 units.  

Cut 21 units.

**From the 6th triple strip set CUT ONLY (1) 6 1/2 x 10 1/2" unit.

***From the remaining triple strip set, subcut into (12) 2 1/2" units.  Set aside for later use.

The "crab" unit is made from 2 1/2" strips cut:

white:  (60) at 6 1/2" length

blue:  (24) 2 1/2" squares & (30) at 4 1/2" length

Stitch each row together:

row 1:  white, blue square, white

row 2:  blue, white, blue

row 3:  white, blue square, white

Stitch 3 rows together.  Press seams open.

Now for the blue rectangles and squares!  Easy beasy.
Cut (14) 6 1/2 x 10 1/2" blue rectangles.  **or make using 3 strips.
Cut (18) 6 1/2 x 6 1/2" blue squares.  **or make using 3 strips.

Stitch the triple strip units to the blue rectangles: 
strip, rect, strip, rect, strip
Press seams to blue rectangle.

Stitch the crab units to the blue squares:
square, crab, square, crab, square
Press seams to blue square.

Take the set aside 2 1/2" triple strip units and stitch one onto each end of the crab rows.  Press seams to blue squares. 

Stitch rows together, first row should be the triple strip/rect row.
Press seams open.

I used Quilting Treasures' Lola Textures fabrics that have fine lines with a look of spinning balls (footballs & basketballs.) 

3 yds blue (includes binding) *** add 3/4 yd if adding a border***
1 2/3 yds white

Hope you give this EASY, FAST tutorial a try!

Special thanks to Interlock for sparking my imagination 

to play, play, play.

Take a look.  I would love to see what you create.

Cat's Cradle and HSTs in aqua & grey

Have you purchased a specialty ruler and wondered if it would be worth it?

Let me tell you how much I {heart} this ruler:

THIS MUCH!!!

Why?  

Because you can create this block

without cutting and sewing ANY triangles!

Creative Grids' non-slip Cat's Cradle ruler!

 Can you see the difference between these two photos?  I needed to use values to create some internal diamonds instead of just having a cute, scrappy look.

My eyes needed to have some grounding points.

Do you see it?

Give the Creative Grids Cat's Cradle ruler a try.

It will make you fearless while helping

some of your fabric

to fulfill its destiny.

a little QCR experimentation

Do you love the Quick Curve Ruler?  I do!

Here is a little experiment...

The QCR (regular size & mini) 

is easy to use and can create so many

different patterns.

Sew Kind Of Wonderful have gorgeous patterns *some are FREE*, go have a look!

Urban Abacus is on my cutting mat right now!

A Mother's Love

Anna Maria's beautiful southwestern batik log cabin.

I will quilt any of her masterpieces.  What a joy to quilt this beauty.

Bri is loved, well loved.  Happy Birthday!

4 weddings in a weekend = Bricks and Blocks

Bricks for Bryn
Brick dimensions based on DaVinci's Golden Ratio.

"Lei" border for her Hawaiian husband.

Sister and Brother, married on consecutive days = busy weekend.
Bryn's Bricks and Colin's Blocks
Similar but different.

Colin & Lynzie's Blocks -- they are building their future
on a firm foundation.

Wedding Quilt for Danny & CC

Lucky Danny!  His mother is a quilter!

Pattern:  Boardwalk  

Collection:  Blueberry Park

Bkgd: Kona White

Paulie's 1st grade class Bullseye quilt

Paulie and his 1st grade classmates used gluesticks to layer and secure 3 circles of polka dot fabrics on top of a word print square.

Some of the kids used the whole glue stick on two such stacks...  They were stiff as a board!  1st graders love their glue sticks.  Wowzers!

I took their layered stacks and stitched the outer circle, 3/8" from the edge.  Then flipped it over and trimmed out the large circle 1/4" from the stitching line (this created a smaller circle that will be used with another class.)

You can see the outer stitching and where it was trimmed away.
Then I repeated the process for the middle circle: 1) stitching, 2) flipping and trimming out.  Repeat for the smallest circle.

Why do this?  Because the layers need to be removed.

Paulie and his 1st grade classmates 

created this darling bullseye top.

Once I longarm it, I will snip and fluff the edges of the circles.  The sweet students are choosing to whom they will give this cheerful quilt.  Teaching them the joy of giving! 

I Spy -- all boy

A mom & dad have a string of girls and the news of a boy was big news.  So an all-boy quilt was the request and I thought snails, bugs, sharks, karate, etc.

The 'boys are made of ' idea meant:  an I Spy quilt!

In my pre-cut stash I knew there was an I Spy layer cake.  Sure enough!  A previous version by Kanvas Studios that I purchased at Missouri Star Quilt Company.
Added Kona Ash and used a super, simple you-tube tutorial
by Fat Quarter Shop called
No-Bake Jolly Bar (in the Shortcut Quilt Series.)

One Layer Cake actually made TWO quilts 47x54" !!