Peek in my windows...

Cathedral windows, that is. This technique has been on my mental to-do list for a long time, but seeing Amy's small wall hanging in the Dots on Dots blog hop a few weeks ago really catapulted the idea to the top of my list!
And then I heard about Pellon's Cathedral Window Quiltalong. Perfect!
I love the look of cathedral windows with a solid background, like the gray in Amy's piece, but I promised myself I would do this quiltalong completely from my stash (which is not very solid-y. I tend to use solids up as they come in the door!).

So I pulled out a stash of red, black and white fat quarters, from Red Rooster Fabrics' Mango Tango and Paparazzi collections. (This isn't all of them--I was so eager to start my blocks that I made the first couple before taking this photo.)

I am loving trying out all these variations of Cathedral Window blocks! You can find links to all of the blocks here; two new blocks will be posted each week through the end of the month.

The first block uses four of these quarter blocks:

First I put them together like the original pattern:

But I decided it was too dense in the middle. 

So I rotated the quarter blocks instead to get this:

The second block, which is woven strips:

And a close-up:

I'm having fun...more blocks to come as I finish them!

p.s. Linking up with Confessions of a Fabric Addict's Can I get a whoop whoop? today!

Hello, Helix!

I met Emily Herrick at Quilt Market in the spring and she gave me a copy of her new book, Geared for Guys.

Then she mentioned that she was looking for bloggers who wanted to remake any of these "guy-friendly" designs in a different look for a blog hop. Needless to say, I volunteered! I chose Helix, shown below. I love all those shades of green, and how they spiral out on a wonky angle. The scenery in her photo isn't too shabby either...

I remade the quilt using a solid teal and Gudrun Erla's "Super" collection from Red Rooster Fabrics. I love how the teal, red, orange, and lime work together! I have a friend who was just diagnosed with cancer, and I think this cheery quilt will be just the thing for her.

What's neat about this pattern is you start piecing straight on, Courthouse Steps style, and then partway through you trim on angles and sew on additional strips.

From a slightly different angle:

A close-up look of the texture. I straight line quilted the teal (lots of pivoting!) and then did a loopier look in the pieced strips. I love the look after a good washing and drying!

Close-up of the center:

Full impact with a flat shot!

This quilt is different than anything I've ever made--neat pattern, Emily!  You can buy her Geared for Guys quilt book, featuring this pattern and 7 others, from her etsy shop, and she has a digital version as well (no shipping!). Follow along for the next 10+ days as ten more quilters (plus Erika, yesterday)  show off their versions of Emily’s patterns in the Geared for Guys Remix tour. Check out their blogs for some additional inspiration!

Sept 4: Erika from Pink Suede Shoe
Sept 5: me, right here!
Sept 6: April  from Making Ends Meet
Sept 7: Vickie from Spun Sugar Quilts
Sept 8: Sinta from Pink Pincushion
Sept 9: Marion from My Quilt Diet
Sept 10: Sherri from A Quilting Life
Sept 11: April from Prairie Grass Patterns
Sept 12: Tricia from Notes of Sincerity
Sept 13: Shannon from It’s Sew Shannon
Sept 14: Shari from Doohikey Design Studio

Sept 15: Michael from Patchwork and Paper

Sept 16: Author and designer Emily Herrick to wrap things up and a giveaway.

And just because I can't resist, two more shots with my helpful assistant. 

(He really does want you to see the backing fabric, you know!)

p.s. Linking up with Confessions of a Fabric Addict's Can I get a whoop whoop? and Quilt Story's Fabric Tuesday because I think this quilt is really something to whoop about! :)

Sew Small Show and Tell

Hello!
Welcome to any new visitors--thanks for stopping by! And returning friends, thanks so much for coming back!

I was lucky enough to spend some time sewing with my mom last week. It's great for two reasons: First, the socializing aspect, and second, four hands means twice as much gets done! She helped me cross a bunch of items off my never-ending to-do list, several of which were gifts for some newly hatched babies and my two favorite (and only) nieces.

Baby Cute
 I really prefer embellishing pre-made ones rather than making my own. It saves me time--and that's time that I can put into embellishing more of them! I was thrilled to find plain colored bibs and burp cloths--so much more interesting than white.
These are for a sweet little girl who is a younger sister. I'm thinking she probably doesn't need any clothes, so I chose these gifts instead. You can never have too many bibs and burp cloths!

It's not delivery, it's...
Next up, a project that I'd heard about from friends, this time for my own son. Felt pizza for his play kitchen. Mom sewed the crust and I cut up the toppings. We made a whole pizza and then a pizza cut into quarters for future math and fraction practice. At the moment I love this pizza-making activity more than he does, but I'm confident that will change. Oh, and we stopped into our local pizza shop and asked if we could buy a box. They gave us one for free. Perfect for storage and delivery!

All Dressed Up

I saw sundress fabric in my local quilt shop a month or so ago. After a call to my sister-in-law to check sizes, I bought some. I have sewed clothes once or twice--a hoodie for a Cabbage Patch Kid when I was a kid, and a fairy costume for my niece. I admire handmade clothes, but it's not my forte. However, these dresses I could handle. Can't wait to see them on my nieces! (Sorry, you just get a hanger picture for now; not nearly as cute.)

Quilt-as-you-go Tote Bag
You'll see this one again soon, as I'm working on a tutorial for the assembly process. I loved the stark contrast of the indigo and cream in these fabrics--the Katagami collection from Red Rooster Fabrics--and after searching two different shops, finally found the "right" orange to pop. I've already taken this bag on a trip with me--it is a perfect size for holding everything I need without being so large that it knocks down strangers walking next to me. Stay tuned for the tutorial so you can make your own!

Sewing Donation
I'm keeping my eyes open for some "sewing for others" opportunities...I sure don't need to keep everything I make! I stumbled across a chance to make easy zippered bags for foster kids attending the Royal Kids Foster Camp on the Mommy for Reals blog. Five zippered pouches with coordinating linings, done and on their way! Each took about 10 minutes to make. Love easy ways likes this to help others.

Linking this post up with Lily's Quilts Fresh Sewing Day and Small Blog Meet, as well as Fabric Tuesday at Quilt Story.