Thursday, June 18, 2015

Wildflower Park is here!

Welcome Wildflower Park!
I'm so excited to share my recent project with you. I was blessed to be allowed to test Megan Dougherty of The Bitchy Stitcher's new pattern Wildflower Park. You can buy the pattern in her shop Clever Notions




As you can see it is a perfect pattern for spring and summer with bright, rainbow colors. Wildflower Park is a sweet pattern with a lot of flexibility.  The instructions were clear and straightforward.   A beginner quilter with basic skills could accomplish this pattern. It could also be used to teach techniques as it has just enough cutting, point matching and trimming to solidify skills. I had no problems understanding or following any of the instructions. 




Honestly, I did not work to match points. I mainly pinned seams and winged it. I cut off a few points but by golly you can't see them unless you get close and look. Not to mention in Oklahoma we never, ever have perfect flowers. The wind, rain and hail beat them to death on a regular basis. Wildflower Park is written to be simple and forgiving even to lackadaisical quilters like me. 





You can be extravagant buying fabrics or keep it simple. I chose to go mainly scrappy using leftovers from other projects, combined with fabrics from my stash. I only purchased the soft green for the background to provide stillness for my other busy patterned fabrics. My quilt top is vivid and happy and most importantly inexpensive.  

pinwheel
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I try to be really frugal and usually buy sale fabrics. Waste is a huge issue for me. The tipped rectangle units created small leftover triangles - which I stitched together - now I have a lovely pile of HST's to use on another project or maybe to border a quilt label. 

My bottom line ...
Instructions - straightforward and simple
Skill Level - all levels can accomplish this pattern
Time - depends on size chosen
Flexibility - Very easy to change colors or fabrics to suit your personal goal
Waste - Very little!
Scrappy - Yes! You can be matchy matchy or go wild and

Please pardon the boot, cell phone and toes holding the flimsy to the ground. 
You will see more of Wildflower Park as soon as I get her layered and quilted. 




Saturday, June 13, 2015

Waste Not, Want Not



I am super tight and frugal in my fabric shopping. It's going to get worse now that I made it a special category in my household bookkeeping. The reality of my addiction stares me in the face in multiple digits. Oh the stress and shame of my spending ....

Tipped rectangles and leftovers


When I am stitching any project, I try to think ahead of ways I can save fabric. I want to use every bit of fabric on one project or another. While stitching Celtic Solstice I found I had tons of 'leftovers'. The trick is to make the scraps usable for another project.

Pinwheels anyone?

Chevrons!
 Most recently while pattern testing, I was tipping rectangles (This probably has a name but I'm a dork and don't know what it is called.) I realized I would have extra triangles when I trimmed my units. No problem. I stitched on the 'other' side of my line - usually stitch a half inch from your perfect stitching line. Trim in between for a 1/4 inch seam allowance. Use the leftover scraps for a different project. Tada!






Saturday, June 6, 2015

One Woman Chain Gang


Do you chain piece your quilts? Or units? I do! I do! I pin. Several units at a time.


Stitch one right after the other. I make a chain of stitched pieces.


I was chain piecing before I even knew what that meant. I would read the garment patterns and see what could I pin all at once, then sew one after another before being forced to stop and pin again. It seemed the most efficient way to sew. My grandmother and mother always seemed to sew patterns one step at a time. I thought I was unique (Or psycho, LOL).

I pin. Stitch. Pin more. Stitch more. 
A few years back I started exploring quilting and saw the phrase chain piecing and the lightbulb flashed wildly over my head. I had found my people :)

Wednesday, June 3, 2015

Units make blocks

Don't you love the feeling when you finally get to start assembling actual blocks?



You are done prepping and now you get to do the grown up stuff  - piecing blocks!



I swear it is the greatest feeling.



Nobody, not even my mother, kids or husband can stop me now! I am happily stitching blocks!!